Read Online A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff - Free Book Online Page A

Will wrenched the grate off the bottom of the vent. (It was heavier than it looked, but not too heavy for a knight.)
    Sir Will leapt to the floor. (It was a long leap, and scary, but not too scary for a knight.)
    And before the evil wizard could roar out a “Just what do you think you’re—” Sir Will had kicked him square in the shin and snatched his mother’s prized possession from his old, grizzled fingers.
    Then Sir Will ran.

Toby’s (Not Quite Perfect) Yellow Cake With Chocolate Frosting
certainly the perfect cake for somebody

    FOR THE CAKE:
    2 1 / 2 cups flour (plus extra for preparing the cake pan)
    1 1 / 2 tsp baking powder
    1 / 4 tsp baking soda
    1 / 2 tsp salt
    1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature (plus extra for greasing the cake pan)
    1 1 / 2 cups granulated sugar
    2 tsp vanilla
    3 large eggs, at room temperature
    1 cup milk, at room temperature
    FOR THE FROSTING:
    2 / 3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
    3 / 4 cup butter (1 1 / 2 sticks), at room temperature
    3 1 / 2 cups powdered sugar
    1 / 2 cup milk, at room temperature
    1 tbsp vanilla
    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with butter. Using the cake pans as a template, trace two circles onto wax paper and cut them out, placing one wax circle in the bottom of each pan. Grease both pans with butter again, covering the wax paper as well as the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the inside of the pans lightly with flour, and tap the pans to distribute it evenly.
    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.
    4. Reducing the speed on the mixer to low, add about a third of the flour mixture to the batter, combining well. Add about half of the milk and combine. Then add another third of the flour mixture, the last of the milk, and then the last of the flour, combining well each time.
    5. Pour the batter into the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
    6. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting: In a double boiler or a heatproof bowl fitted into a saucepan of simmering water, carefully melt the chocolate chips. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
     
    7. In a large bowl, cream the butter with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add about half of the powdered sugar, blending well. Beat in 2 tbsp of the milk and all of the vanilla, then beat in the remaining powdered sugar, followed by the remaining milk. Add the cooled melted chocolate to the butter mixture and beat until smooth.
    8. When the cakes are completely cooled, place one cake layer on a plate and spread a thin layer of frosting on top. Repeat with the second cake layer, and cover the whole cake with frosting.

17

    Toby
    T OBY WRESTLED A SLIM GREEN SUITCASE OUT OF THE BED OF his truck. It had been a small load from the airport this morning, and not a single St. Anthony’s suitcase. The old man would be disappointed.
    The front door of the Emporium slammed shut with a wha-pop! and out came an enormous man in a gray suit. “Can you tell me where I might catch the bus to River Street?” the man asked Toby as he walked by.
    Toby set the suitcase down in the dirt. “You’ll want the number 6,” he replied. “There’s a stop just up the road. To your left at the end of Argyle.”
    “Thank you kindly.”
    “Excuse me!” Toby called as the man in the gray suit started down the path. “Aren’t you forgetting your bike?” He pointed to the dinged-up bicycle propped against a brown hedge.
    “Never seen it before,” the man replied with a sideways sort of grin. It was a grin that suggested that he knew more about the world than he was letting on.
    He walked off down the