Of Sorcery and Snow by Shelby Bach Page B

double grin and line up in the ballroom doorway with the illusion Chase and the illusion Lena. On their tiptoes, they tried to see Lancer dancing. Lena must have enchanted them to do what everyone else was doing.
    With Lena’s help, the harp poured the contents of the scrying bowl—now less lumpy and glowing hot pink—into a glass jar, and she put it in the satchel hanging over the fairy dummy’s metal wings. Then Melodie looked at us, her golden face determined. “Better hurry.”
    Lena hugged the harp so hard that some of Melodie’s strings twanged.
    â€œBe careful, mistress,” the harp said.
    Oh. I guess Melodie wasn’t coming.
    â€œDon’t tell,” Lena said.
    The harp nodded. “Cross my heart and hope to melt.”
    Then Melodie’s dummy chauffeur stepped forward, and so did the illusion Lena, Chase, and Rory. They shifted down along the ballroom wall, and Melodie waved as Lena shut the doors behind them.
    â€œNow for the library.” Lena spun on her heel and rushed across the courtyard.
    I glanced back once. “We’re not going in?”
    Considering everything, it was stupid to feel disappointed about it, but it had taken three grown-ups to get me ready that night. It was hard to believe I wasn’t even going to step into the ballroom.
    â€œSucks that we won’t even have time for one dance,” Chase said as we fell in behind Lena.
    I looked at him, trying to decided if he was teasing me or not.
    He smiled, just a tiny bit. “I dance even better than I skateboard. You would have been really impressed.”
    Still not sure. I would have asked and possibly told him off, but the door squeaked open behind us.
    Oh no. We’d been discovered. We all looked back to see the person who had come to drag us in front of the Director.
    Kyle Zipes.
    â€œHey, Lena,” he said. “Two quick questions: One, do you want to dance? And two, why did you leave a copy of yourself against that wall?”
    Lena stared at him, horrified. “Oh my gumdrops.”
    â€œI’m sensing—and go ahead and tell me if I’m wrong—that you guys are up to something you shouldn’t be,” Kyle said, following us toward the library.
    â€œYour detective skills amaze me,” Chase said.
    â€œBorn talented. What can I say?” But Kyle glanced between the three of us with a small frown, clearly waiting for someone to explain.
    â€œWe’re breaking into the library,” Chase said in his most bragging voice.
    Lena obviously couldn’t stand not telling Kyle either. “Remember the illusion spell Gretel did for the skit last year? Well, I adapted it. It would have been easier if I was a sorceress and not a magician, but that’s what Melodie carried into the ballroom.”
    â€œOkay . . . ,” Kyle said. “So, I guess . . . no dance, then?”
    â€œI really want to,” Lena said desperately. “It’s just—”
    â€œIt would look weird if people noticed there were two Lenas,” Kyle finished.
    â€œI’m really sorry!”
    â€œIt’s fine, Lena. You have top secret stuff. I get it. But—” Now he looked a little nervous. “Maybe later? After you dissolve the illusion spell and—”
    Poor guy. He was about to get turned down a second time, and Lena looked so unwilling to tell him that I thought the Pounce Pot forced her to swallow her tongue.
    Kyle guessed. If possible, he deflated even more. Then he noticed who was waiting for us in front of the library. He stopped short, and his eyes grew so huge, I double-checked to make sure he hadn’t spotted a rogue ice griffin or something.
    Nope. Just Miriam arguing with her friends, so loud we could hear them.
    â€œIt doesn’t have anything to do with the dance,” Natalie said. “You know you could die, right?”
    â€œTell that to Philip,” Miriam snapped.
    Shakayla