The Royal Academy of Magical Baking

Chapter 86: I’m So Board



I wonder if Mac has slept at all this week, she thought, pausing at the spot on the path where the momentous event had occurred. He was floating so high all through the end-of-term feast… and breakfast the next day…

Lyra was still grinning inwardly about that surprising scene when she arrived back at the exam hall the following Saturday for the board meeting.

Allowing herself one more wriggle of joy, she continued along the path towards the exam hall. She would see Caramelle and Mac in just a few hours at Crumble Corner Pastry, along with Ginger, of course. There would be plenty of time for celebration and merciless teasing then.

For now, she had some world-changing magic to perform.

"Lyra!" Rye waved from just outside the door, where he had promised to wait for her. "Ready to make history?"

She glanced around to make sure no one else was around. "Not at all," she confessed, dropping her voice to a whisper. "But I think I'm just about ready to make a cake."

He gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Scrumptious! That's all you need to be focused on, really. And I think you'll enjoy meeting the board. Most of them, anyway."

Lyra stared at the closed door. "I still wish the professors could be here. Or Chef Flax."

Or Boysen, sang a rather obtrusive inner melody.

"I know," Rye said with a rueful grin. "If you get nervous, just look at Master Chiffon or Lord Nougat or Madame Citron. That's what I did at the first term board meeting. Or you can look at me. Plenty of options for friendly faces."

"Thanks." Closing her eyes, Lyra inhaled deeply. She focused for one more moment on the internal Enjoyment chorus that had been playing continuously since the yellow light first appeared. Letting the resilient refrain saturate her senses, she opened her eyes… and opened the door.

She was glad Professor Puff had instructed her to arrive at least fifteen minutes early. Nine of the twelve board members were already present, sitting on stools arranged in a wide semicircle around the front row of workstations. One board member was speaking loudly when Lyra opened the door and continued speaking as she moved slowly across the room towards them.

"Strawberry balsamic!" exclaimed the cheerfully strident female voice. "Would you believe it? The pairing goes marvelously with dark chocolate. I had my doubts. Not about the Flavor, you understand, because of course I have my famous recipe for chocolate-covered strawberries with balsamic glaze: that's where my dear nephew got the idea. 'I'm going to put it in a truffle,' he said. I warned him that the general public's palate tends to be rather unsophisticated and might not appreciate such a delight. But darling Cacao said, 'Auntie Verbena, I'm not just trying to sell truffles. I'm trying to expand the Flavor horizons of everyone who enters my shop. I want to refine that public palate.' Can you believe it? Graduated from the academy only three years ago, and already he's refining the public palate! I simply —"

"Thank you, Madame Citron," cut in a male voice. Its owner, a small man wearing an immaculately crisp blue Texture master's apron over a sharp gray suit, rose from his stool at the end of the semicircle and bowed to Lyra. "Welcome, Aspiring Baker Treble. We are honored to have you among us."

"Thank you," Lyra squeaked. Clearing her throat, she gave a deep curtsy and tried again in a more normal register. "Thank you. The honor is entirely mine."

The pristinely tailored man indicated four stools set off to the side and slightly behind the semicircle. "We have prepared a seat for you with your academy colleagues, our eminent Apprentice Bakers."

Florentine and Eclair were already sitting there. The former crossed her arms and glowered at Lyra, while the latter pretended to be thoroughly engrossed in her notes. Ignoring both, Lyra returned Rye's cheerful wave as he slid into place next to them.

"But first, introductions," continued the elegant man. "I am Master Chiffon."

Lyra gasped. "THE Master Chiffon? Royal Chef of Texture, former headmaster of Texture at the royal academy, creator of Master Chiffon's Aeration Charm?"

"I think she's heard of you, Craquelin," chuckled a giant of a man seated beside Master Chiffon. The two next to each other only accented their sizes with the contrast.

Master Chiffon's neat gray mustache twitched into a demure smile. "I believe you are acquainted with Miss Meringue, my mentee?"

"Oh yes," Lyra gushed. "Caramelle is one of my closest friends. She has told me so much about you."

"Then that explains it." Master Chiffon turned to the large man, who wore a bright-green Flavor master's apron over a pale green suit. "Miss Meringue is one of my most… enthusiastic supporters."

"But it's not just that," Lyra insisted. "Your Aeration Charm is incredible. It's one of my favorite baking songs."

"Ah, the songs." The large Flavor master nodded sagely. "I have been eagerly awaiting this day, Aspiring Baker Treble. Not only to make your acquaintance, but to hear some of these baking melodies. The Berrys cannot speak highly enough of them. Or of you, for that matter."

Warmth rushed through Lyra, like someone had opened an oven door deep in her gut. "You know the Berrys?"

"Indeed." The man stood, revealing himself to be even taller and wider than Chef Flax, and held out one massive hand to Lyra. "Lord Nougat, at your service."

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Lyra shook his hand, noting the bright copper pin on his apron. It was shaped like a mortar and pestle, denoting him as the Royal Chef of Flavor.

Uncle Nougie, she thought, remembering Boysen's floury intervention on the day she'd met Caramelle's parents.

Suppressing a hysterical giggle, she accompanied her handshake with another curtsy. "So very pleased to make your acquaintance, Lord Nougat."

He gave her a deep bow, followed by a very Berry-ish wink. "Likewise, Aspiring Baker Treble."

"Allow me to introduce you to the rest of the board." Taking Lyra's arm, Master Chiffon began leading her around the semicircle, stopping at the stool on the other side of Lord Nougat. "We Royal Chefs have gotten rather used to sticking together. Here is Madame Patisserie, the Royal Chef of Presentation."

Startled, Lyra shook the elderly woman's offered hand automatically. "Madame Patisserie?" she repeated. "Any relation to the creator of Madame Patisserie's Shaping Spells?"

"Guilty." Madame Patisserie smoothed her purple apron with a sigh. The gold pin attached to the apron was shaped like a palette knife to represent Presentation. "It really is such a heinously difficult approach to magic. Allow me to apologize on my great aunt's behalf."

"Those spells are difficult," Lyra admitted. "But the results are worth it."

Madame Patisserie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You've performed the Shaping Spells?"

"Just one. The Fifth Spherical Edition." Lyra smiled as the melody her brothers had helped her devise for the tricky spell erupted in her brain. "For my third term exam last year."

Master Chiffon, Madame Patisserie, and Lord Nougat all shared a look.

"I thought the academy did not inflict Madame Patisserie upon students until their third year. No offense to your esteemed great aunt, Madeleine," Lord Nougat added hastily.

Madame Patisserie gave him a wry smile. "None taken. As I said, her spells are rather fiendish."

"It wasn't in the curriculum," Lyra explained. "One of my classmates used it in his exam cake, and I was assigned his recipe for the third term."

"One of your classmates… Aspiring Baker Fondant, perhaps?" Master Chiffon asked. "I understand he is peculiarly gifted in Presentation."

Lyra grinned. "Actually, it was a student who specializes in Flavor. Aspiring Baker Berry."

"Boysen?" Lord Nougat let out a great roar of laughter. "What a cheeky chestnut."

Master Chiffon's voice was sympathetic. "And then you got roped into it during the third term, when the professors switched the exam cakes around?"

"I did." Lyra shook her head, still grinning. "I was pretty 'boiling' at first. I thought I'd never get it to work. But then I set the spell to music and practiced over and over, and at some point… it worked. The sphere was so perfect. It looked like it was floating, like… like…"

"Magic," Lord Nougat whispered.

Lyra beamed at him. "Exactly. Every time I made it after that, I had that picture in my head. I knew I was making something incredible. And making it became fun."

Madame Patisserie's calm face was suddenly illuminated by a gentle smile. "Spoken like a true baker."

Warmth flared again from that oven in Lyra's gut, bringing with it the comforting aroma of chocolate chip cookies. She returned the woman's smile and added a curtsy for good measure.

Rye was right, she thought happily. Plenty of options for friendly faces here.

It was dizzying to be surrounded by such elites in the baking world. The next four introductions passed in a blur of blue, green, and purple aprons, with appropriately culinary names attached. Lyra only found herself focusing again when she reached the woman who had been speaking when she arrived.

"This is Madame Citron," Master Chiffon announced. "Her restaurant, Verily Verbena, is renowned for its exquisite Flavor combination recipes."

Lyra's face brightened in recognition. "Madame Citron! Chef Flax told me you're a Flavor genius. I would love to visit your restaurant someday!"

"Oh, we do all right at Verily." The plump woman blew a silvery white curl out of her eyes and took Lyra's hand in both her own, shaking it heartily. "But my real pride and joy is my nephew, Cacao. He opened a new truffle shop just a few months ago, and already it —"

"And this," Master Chiffon cut in hastily, "is Madame Bundt."

Lyra's heart leapt up into her throat as the blue-aproned woman rose from her stool.

This is the holdout, sang a jittery voice in Lyra's mind. The ninth vote. 'Sensible, but cautious,' Professor Puff said. If I can convince her, we'll have the majority. If I —

"It is an honor to meet you, Aspiring Baker Treble," Madame Bundt said gravely.

Struggling to hear the Texture master over the sudden revival of the old 'Enjoyment anxiety' chorus, Lyra made her deepest curtsy yet. "Thank you."

"An honor?" Madame Citron 'tsked' affectionately at her friend. "I'm surprised, Amaranth. I thought you hadn't yet decided if Treble's actions are honor-worthy or not."

"I have not made a final decision on the issue of Enjoyment, true." Madame Bundt's keen eyes swept over Lyra in swift appraisal, reminding her forcibly of Professor Puff. "But any endeavor in the name of baking is worthy of honor, regardless of the outcome."

"Quite so," agreed Master Chiffon. He straightened the silver pin attached to his apron, shaped like two crossed rolling pins to indicate his status as the Royal Chef of Texture. "So long as we are seeking to advance the culinary arts, in a responsible and conscientious fashion, I believe we are not in danger of departing from tradition. In fact, we are acting in the very spirit of that tradition."

Lord Nougat was listening from across the semicircle. He slapped one giant hand against his knee and exclaimed, "Exactly! Well said, Craquelin. Without that spirit of adventure and exploration in our ancestors, where would any of us be? I doubt we would have many spells, let alone a prestigious academy in which to learn them. Innovation has shaped the baking world since the beginning."

"My own discipline offers recent proof of that," Madame Patisserie observed quietly. For a Presentation master, her manner was surprisingly mild and unassuming, though Lyra had the sense that here was a baker whose presence would always be impossible to ignore. "It was just a few generations ago that the academy taught only two disciplines. If our forebears had not recognized the potential of Presentation, the baking world would never have discovered much of its current beauty. We must take care not to hinder the tide of progress."

"Of course." Madame Bundt's voice was even softer, yet equally arresting to the attention of all within earshot. "My only concern is that 'the tide of progress' be properly tested, and proven a tide indeed."

"As opposed to what?" Madame Citron asked. "What else could it be?"

"A whim," Madame Bundt replied. "The passion project of one distinct baker, with gifts that cannot possibly be replicated."

Madame Citron sighed. "Oh, Amaranth. Must you always be such a Texturist?"

"I am certainly in favor of innovation," Madame Bundt went on, unperturbed. "We must do all we can to further the cause of baking in general. We must not, however, throw our support behind the cause of one individual baker, no matter how strong their ability or personality."

She was still looking at Lyra, as if expecting her to respond. But before Lyra could think of a thing to say, the doors to the exam hall opened with a bang, and the final three board members entered the room.

"Speaking of strong personalities," Madame Citron whispered loudly.

"I sense important conversation in the air," called an unpleasantly familiar voice. "I do hope you have not started without us, Chiffon."

"Of course not, Lord Meringue," Master Chiffon replied smoothly. "I was merely introducing Aspiring Baker Treble here to the board, that we might begin promptly upon the hour." He turned to Lyra. "Aspiring Baker Treble, have you met Lord and Lady Meringue?"


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