“Hmm,” he said, leaning down to inspect them. “Okay. Yeah. I can see it – my unicorn is definitely having a reaction to these.” He reached out, poking one with a finger. “They’re okay to touch – it’s just ingesting them that’ll cause problems. And… they’re not going to taste very nice. I can tell you that now. As in, they’re going to be rancid. If you want to eat enough to break the curse, you’re going to have to disguise the taste somehow.”
“Maybe I can help there,” Sylvie said. “I’ve been trying out a few different things with savory cupcakes recently. I’m not sure I can make them pleasant, but I can sure try to up rancid to edible.”
Caleb laughed. “Well, I guess that’s about as much as I can ask for. That, and that they don’t kill me when I eat them.”
“Hmm.” Gale’s forehead creased. He picked up one of the mushrooms, turning it over in his fingers. “C’mon, what’re you hiding. I know there’s got to be a safe way to eat you, if you’re the way to break the curse.”
Caleb had to admit he was mildly fascinated, watching a unicorn having a conversation with a mushroom.
“I think… I think it needs some kind of fire,” Gale said at last, after communing with the mushroom for a moment or two more. “If you can set it on fire… or something like that… then that’ll make it safe to eat. Does that sound like it gives you any clues?”
Caleb nodded. “The parchment I saw did mention something about flames – so perhaps that’s what it was referring to. The sentence is only partially there, but that’s the general gist of it.”
“Hmm,” Sylvie said, nodding. “It’s been a while since I got the dessert torch out – not since I went through that crème brûlée phase.”
“Then you’ll help us turn it into something Caleb can eat?” Kira asked, her eyes bright with hopefulness. “You really think you can do it?”
Caleb felt his heart leap in his chest. Was he really so close to having his curse broken, after so many years? And even more important than that, was he about to be of use to his mate – to finally be able to use his dragon’s luck to make sure something that was important to her would never be taken away?
Caleb couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it just yet. But he also couldn’t stop the surge of hope that rose up within him, nor could he stop his smile from spreading across his face.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely to Gale and Sylvie. “You truly don’t know what this means to me.”
“Right,” Gale said, grimacing. “I was only temporarily under the thumb of a unicorn’s temper tantrum, and that was bad enough. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. But if I can help, I will.”
Sylvie put her hand down on Gale’s. “And I feel just the same way. I know how happy having Gale in my life has made me. So if I can help a friend of mine have happiness like that – well, obviously, I’m going to do whatever I can to help. Besides which, it sounds like breaking this curse could help get Tongle & Heit out of our hair for good.” Laughing, Sylvie leaned forward, patting Kira on the shoulder. “And look, even if the future of the parklands weren’t at stake, I’d still do it. Not only are you my friend, I never could resist a baking challenge. And making curse-breaking cupcakes out of poisonous mushrooms? Now that’s what I really call a challenge.”