Tara Duncan and the Spellbinders by Princess Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian

fire.”
    Deria’s eyes widened.
    â€œGosh, you’re right! Here it goes: ‘By Flamus, give me fire. A lively blaze I now require.’“
    A pile of blazing logs immediately appeared on the lawn at a safe distance from the forest and the manor, sending up a column of dark smoke.
    â€œPerfect!” approved Tara. “I’ll let you explain why you built a fire in the middle of our yard at two o’clock in the morning. See you later!”
    The wizard had already entered the manor with the bodies. When Tara came in, she saw Tachil and Mangus sitting on the staircase, looking glassy-eyed and holding their heads in their hands.
    Mad with joy, she cried, “You’re awake!” which made the two servants grimace and cover their ears.
    â€œWhat . . . what happened?” groaned Tachil, whose breath was being squeezed out of him by Tara’s energetic hug.
    â€œDeria will explain everything,” said the girl, now kissing a groggy Mangus. “After she finishes with the firefighters, that is. I’m really happy you’re okay. I’m going to see Grandma.”
    She left the dazed servants and raced up to Isabella’s bedroom. To her surprise, her grandmother wasn’t there, nor was the wizard. After a moment’s thought she left the room and headed for the basement where, yep, she’d guessed right: he’d taken her down to the Chemistry Chamber.
    This was a place Tara didn’t much like, where her grandmother conducted all sorts of strange, noisy, and often stinky experiments. It was sealed from any natural light, and completely circular. Even the furniture was round. There wasn’t a single angle in the place except for the big pentagram faintly glowing in the middle of the room. Tara had never seen it before, because it was normally covered with a round carpet.
    â€œEr, can I help?” she whispered, nervously chewing on her forelock.
    The wizard turned and looked at her thoughtfully.
    â€œNo, I don’t think so. But you must avoid all contact with the floor while I’m treating your grandmother, so please go sit on the table.”
    For once, Tara obeyed without asking questions.
    Chem finally noticed that he was dressed only in his underwear. Grumbling at the elemental—Tara caught the words “insolent,” “swaggering,” and “a good lesson”—he conjured himself a midnight blue robe, and a pair of silver slippers appeared on his feet.
    Carefully standing outside the pentagram, he pushed Isabella’s body to its center, then took off his shoes and socks.
    To Tara’s great surprise, the wizard then levitated and went to hover above Isabella’s body. He waved his hand and recited some spells, and rays shot from each of his fingers and toes. The twenty beams of light struck the pentagram.
    It was very impressive.
    â€œBy Transformus, I illuminate you, Isabella!”
    With each word, the pentagram glowed more brightly.
    â€œBy Illuminus, I transform you, Isabella!”
    This sparked a flash of light so bright that Tara was sorry not to have sunglasses.
    â€œMay the Rigidifus be banished, I command it!”
    At that, the light began to turn pinkish. Hovering motionless, the wizard observed it carefully. When it turned a deep blood red, he raised his arms and cried: “By Vivus, this formula is the right one!”
    A deafening explosion followed. Isabella’s body glowed briefly, and the whole chamber went dark.
    Tara felt a little panicky. The room was pitch black and there wasn’t a sound to be heard.
    Then a slightly irritated voice broke the silence.
    â€œBy Demiderus, would somebody please turn on the light?”
    â€œGrandma!” shouted Tara. She was beside herself with joy, but didn’t dare move without the wizard’s permission.
    â€œTara’tylanhnem, is that you? What the—?”
    â€œOne moment, my dear,” came the wizard’s voice in the