Baker's Magic (Middle-grade Novels)

by Zahler, Diane

  “The kingdom needs a mage, and you are its most magical person,” King Crispin pointed out. “And you have saved our lives more than once already. I am sure your skills will improve. We do not require more than that.”

  For now, the hedge wizard slept on a cot in the bakery kitchen, while Bee kept her little room in the back. Anika had tried to convince her to become the royal baker, to live in the palace when it was finished in a big, comfortable chamber down the hall from her own and bake in a brand-new kitchen with all the best equipment. But Bee refused. The cozy bedroom, with its soft bed and smell of sweet pastry and yeast, was home. The bakery kitchen was her kitchen. She would not give it up. “And I’m only an apprentice,” she insisted. “It is Master Bouts who must be the royal baker, not me.”

  Then she turned to Bartholomew. “It’s not that I’m choosing Master Bouts over you,” she said.

  “I know that,” Bartholomew said. “Just as I am not choosing the royal family over you. It is simply how things work best for us.”

  Bee nodded, pleased.

  “But I do hope you will dine at the palace often,” Bartholomew said. “You and I can talk about your mother, perhaps, if there are things you want to know.”

  “I’d like that,” Bee said.

  “And you could bring dessert,” he added. Bee grinned, for Hadewig was staying on as the palace cook. The king and Anika would need some decent pastries.

  Bee took a break from her work to pack up a basket of treats for the pirates, baked with great contentment. The men had spent the last two days enjoying the local inns and taverns and were returning to their ship that evening. The king had made it clear that the tulip trade would be scaled back, so Captain Zay planned to refurbish the ship as a merchant vessel, though she insisted she was keeping her pirate flag.

  “You may use it as decoration,” King Crispin told her, “but you must fly the flag of Aradyn if you are to be trading for my kingdom. And if you decide to go back to piracy—as is your choice—you must be prepared for my ships to evade, intercept, and attempt to capture you.”

  “We will give this merchanting a try,” the captain said thoughtfully. “It has the sound of being quite tedious to my mind, but my mens seem no longer partial to the exhilaration and also the menace of swordplay as once they were. I cannot understand this reluctance my ownself, but there it is, and it cannot be argued.”

  They were sitting in Master Bouts’s kitchen when this conversation took place, as the baker and Bee mixed and stirred, rolled and kneaded. Master Bouts stared down at his work as he said, “But, my dear captain, do you not feel any desire to settle down somewhat yourself?”

  Bee held her breath, waiting for the captain’s answer. It was so slow in coming that she looked up from her mixing bowl. Captain Zay’s cheeks were pink, and her lashes lowered as she tapped her fingers on the table.

  Finally she spoke. “Master Baker, would you leave off your art of baking for any reason whatsoever?”

  “Well,” Master Bouts said, stopping to think. “I suppose I would not.”

  “Then you should not be expecting other persons who feel keen passion for their chosen employment to be stopping the work, no?”

  Master Bouts rubbed his forehead, streaking flour across it, and sighed. “I suppose I should not. But … it would be very nice if you were to stay.”

  Anika, sitting next to Wil at the long table, gave a little chirp of excitement at the statement. Captain Zay’s pink cheeks flamed bright red as her men hooted and pounded on the table, spilling the rum-spiked tea from their mugs.

  “I shall be returning to Zeewal anon and anon,” she declared. “And when a pirate—a merchant, I rather mean to say—returns from the voyage, she brings the finest of gifts to those for whom she feels fondness, to be sure!”

  The pirates cheered and toasted the captain, and Master Bouts smiled at her for a long moment before turning back to his dough.

  By early evening, all was ready to carry to the ship. Master Bouts closed up the shop, and Bee, Anika, Wil and he joined the pirates as they made their way down the high street to the canal. Townspeople called out greetings as they hurried home to their suppers, and lights went on in windows as they passed. They walked by the tulip fields, the blooms long gone and some of the fields themselves plowed under for a sowing of winter wheat. Bee was glad she’d had a chance to see the carpets of tulips in flower, for by the spring the enormous fields would all be given over to trees and crops with their subtler beauty.

  The Egg-Hen was tied up near the mouth of the canal, its long gangplank leading steeply from the shore up to the ship’s railing. The pirates would have to climb its wooden slope. Haleem went first, a basket of cookies for the captain hooked over his arm. He stepped quickly onto the gangplank and began to scramble up, but as he did, the wooden plank seemed to dissolve beneath him. One minute it was whole. The next minute there was simply sawdust floating in empty air. Haleem plunged into the canal with an enormous splash while the other pirates stared, open mouthed.

  “Ahoy, you louses!” Haleem shouted from the water. “Fish me out, and then tell me who played this prank, and I’ll swipe his head from his body!”

  Each pirate shook his head. “’Tweren’t me,” Filmon said, and Quigley and Limmo echoed him: “Not me!”

  “Though I wish I’d a thought of it!” Thoralf added.

  Haleem kicked his way to the canal bank, and the waves he raised knocked against the side of the Egg-Hen. It was just a little push of water, no more. But the ship began to crumble, just as the gangplank had. It held its shape for a moment, and then it collapsed onto the water’s surface. The entire ship, there one instant, gone the next. Only the ship’s ropes and sails and a few embroidered cushions from the captain’s cabin were left bobbing on the water.

  “What on earth?” Bee said in wonder. The surface of the canal appeared to be writhing, almost as if it were alive. Haleem struggled onto land, brushing frantically at his arms and legs, and Bee saw insects fall from him. He kicked them back into the canal, where they clambered onto the backs of thousands of their compatriots, all drowning together.

  “The hemel beetles!” Bee gasped. She had forgotten all about the tree-eating bugs. She vaguely recalled trying to bake her enjoyment of the Egg-Hen’s pleasures and comforts into the bibingka, hoping that the beetles that ate it would find their way to the ship and away from Zeewal. But she hadn’t considered what might happen if it worked. The beetles seemed to have devoured the entire wooden ship, leaving only its fragile outline to crumple into the water. “They’ve eaten the ship! Oh, it’s my fault! It’s all my fault!”

  Captain Zay stared at the place where her ship had been. For only the second time since Bee had met her, she was utterly speechless. Zay sank to her knees and pulled off her hat, bowing her head. Bee feared she was weeping. She couldn’t bear the thought of the brave pirate captain in tears, and she rushed forward to apologize, to raise her up again. But the captain got to her feet unaided, and her eyes were dry.

  “A valiant vessel, to be sure!” she cried. “Men, we must salute our lost ship, the Egbertina-Henriette, that served us with such intrepidness and met such a noble end. She is utterly consumed by beetles, but see the way she takes the wicked bugs to her own watery grave! Sailors, bakers, I give you the Egbertina-Henriette!”

  The pirates swept off their hats, and Bee, Wil, and Master Bouts removed their caps. Even Anika dipped into a curtsy. “The Egbertina-Henriette!” they shouted.

  Captain Zay jammed her hat back on her head, the feather drooping over her face. “I must be discussing with the king a new ship for our ventures. Alas, mates, we shall be spending some days or weeks ashore while we await developments. No doubt you will all suffer as I will to be away from our life on the sea.”

  The pirates looked at one another, grinning. They did not appear to fear the torment of spending time on land. There were
plenty of taverns in Zeewal with plenty of rum to keep them occupied.

  “I will communicate with Papa about the necessity for a new ship,” Anika told the captain. “I am confident that he will procure a vessel for you with the utmost speed.”

  Captain Zay swept her a deep bow. “Princess, I would be feeling the greatest gratitude, for a landlocked sea captain is by nature a tragical thing.”

  “I feel terrible about the Egg-Hen,” Bee said to the captain as they began the walk back up the canal to town. “Please, isn’t there anything I can do to help?”

  Captain Zay linked her arm through Master Bouts’s and said, in a desolate voice, “Alas, what can make up for this greatest loss of the briny depths, the leaping fish, the wind and the sun and the freedom of the open sea?”

  Heavy with guilt, Bee’s head drooped.

  “To be sure,” the captain went on, “where can there be any comfort to me, who is left with no pirating whatsoever as well as no ship to command?”

  Bee was silent.

  “Only … ,” the captain mused. “Perhaps there is some small thing I could imagine that would assist me in this most grave and troublesome time.”

  “Is there?” Bee said. “What do you have in mind?” She started to feel a smile pulling at her mouth. Master Bouts winked at her.

  “Ah, what could ’elp a pirate—I mean a merchant captain—in such a wretched state? There is only a single item, one lone article in the entire cruel world that could be providing comfort to such as I.”

  “Whatever could that be?” Bee asked innocently. Behind her she could hear Wil and Anika start to snicker.

  Captain Zay stopped walking and placed a hand over her heart, saying earnestly, “Why, it is only the deliciousness, the palatability, the scrumptiousness of a Bouts Bun that could bring this poor captain solace and consolment.”

  Bee grinned. “I think we could manage that, couldn’t we, Master Bouts?”

  Master Bouts patted the captain’s other hand. “I believe we could.”

  “And perhaps,” Bee added, “I will bake in some calmness and serenity to make your stay on land a bit easier for us all.”

  There was a momentary silence, and Bee wondered if she’d gone too far. But Captain Zay burst out laughing and clapped Bee on the back so hard she stumbled.

  “Calmness and serenity? To be sure, in that case I shall require two buns at least. Lead on, Bee-girl, lead on!”

  Master Bouts held out his free arm, and Bee took it. And arm in arm, they strolled together, Anika, Wil, and the pirates following close behind, up the tree-lined road toward the lights and warmth of Zeewal.

  Bouts Bun Recipe

  Buns

  1 package active yeast (not fast-acting)

  ⅓ cup sugar

  ⅔ cup milk

  3 ½ cups flour

  ¾ teaspoon salt

  ½ cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter

  3 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork

  Topping

  2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

  ½ cup light brown sugar

  1 teaspoon cinnamon (if you live in a land with trees)

  ½ to 1 cup raisins (depending on how much you like raisins)

  Icing

  1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

  3 ½ to 4 tablespoons milk

  ¾ teaspoon vanilla

  The strained juice from 4 crushed raspberries OR a drop of red food coloring

  Be sure you are in a happy mood before you start!

  Directions

  In a small pan, warm the ⅔ cup of milk to slightly above body temperature.

  Pour milk into large bowl. Sprinkle yeast and the ⅓ cup of sugar sugar over milk; stir gently with a spoon to dissolve.

  Add 1 cup flour and stir until smooth. Add the stick of melted butter, stir. Add beaten eggs and remaining 2 ½ cups flour and salt. Stir until smooth. Use your hands to form it into a ball. It’s okay if it’s sticky!

  Place into a buttered or lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and leave overnight in the refrigerator.

  In the morning, place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes (sprinkle with a little extra flour if sticky) by pushing on dough with the heels of your palms, turning it, folding it over, and then pushing again.

  Roll dough out with a rolling pin on a floured board to a rectangle about 9 x 14 inches. Flour the rolling pin if it sticks to the dough. It may be hard to roll the dough because it is elastic. Keep rolling!

  For the topping, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together. Brush dough with melted butter; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and raisins.

  Roll dough rectangle up from the longer side to make a long tube. Pinch the seam together. With a sharp knife, cut the tube into 16 pieces.

  Place the pieces on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover with towel. Let them rise until double in size, about one hour.

  About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the buns for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are lightly browned.

  When buns have cooled slightly, mix together icing ingredients. Spread or drizzle on top.

  Eat and enjoy!

  My deepest gratitude to

  Jennifer Laughran, agent nonpareil, maker of cake pops and feather pens, occasional cheerleader, writer-wrangler, and lunch companion

  Krissy Mohn, my editor, whose ideas have both sharpened and sweetened the story

  Debra and Arnie Cardillo, whom I trust to find the perfect voices for Bee and Captain Zay

  Shani Soloff, who straightens out both my spine and my plot development

  Kathy Zahler, who came along on our very first trip to the ur-Aradyn

  Ben Sicker, whose love of travel and faraway lands rivals my own (Just Add Fun!)

  Severina Sicker (aka Grandfeathers), matriarch and originator of the Bouts Bun

  Julius Sicker, lover of tulips, who has sampled more buns than anyone should have to

  Phil Sicker, my muse, whose imagination (and red pen) are all over this book

  For Jan and Stan who taught us that the best Friday nights are spent at the library

  Baker’s Magic is published by Capstone Young Readers

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest

  Drive North Mankato, MN 56003

  www.mycapstone.com

  Text copyright © 2016 by Diane Zahler

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Zahler, Diane, author.

  Baker’s magic / Diane Zahler.

  pages cm

  Summary: Bee is an orphan in the poor kingdom of Aradyn, and when she is caught stealing a bun from a bakery, the lonely baker offers to take her on as an apprentice—but when she meets Princess Anika, and the evil mage Joris who is her “guardian,” she embarks on a journey to save Anika, and restore the kingdom to its rightful ruler.

  ISBN 978-1-4965-2724-0 (library)

  ISBN 978-1-62370-642-5 (paper over board)

  ISBN 978-1-62370-643-2 (paperback)

  ISBN 978-1-4965-2726-4 (eBook PDF)

  ISBN 978-1-62370-740-8 (eBook)

  1. Baking—Juvenile fiction. 2. Orphans—Juvenile fiction. 3. Magic—Juvenile fiction. 4. Quests (Expeditions)—Juvenile fiction. 5. Wizards—Juvenile fiction. 6. Princesses—Juvenile fiction. [1. Fantasy. 2. Orphans—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.Z246Bak 2016

  813.54—dc23

  [Fic]

  2015026868

  Editor: Kristen Mohn

  Designer: Tracy McCabe

  Cov
er Photo Credits: Shutterstock: fluidworkshop, OK-Sana, Potapov Alexander, Vertyr