Glacé Sweetmore's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Glacé gathered her rebel bakers in the forest hollow, their faces lit by lantern glow. She held up a bar of tempered chocolate, its surface smooth and glossy. "The guild will break the sugar tax," she announced. Her voice rang clear through the trees. The dessert makers leaned closer, nodding. They had already smuggled three hundred pounds of sugar past checkpoints in honey barrels. The tax collectors were angry, but that didn't matter. Glacé grinned at her crew. Freedom would taste sweet. The next morning, Glacé wheeled a colorful cart through the forest path. Bright patterns covered its sides, and a cheerful umbrella topped it off. She had loaded it with desserts made from their smuggled sugar. Each treat cost triple what it should because of the tax. People needed to see how unfair it was. The cart rattled over roots and rocks as she pushed it toward town. She set up near the market square and called out prices. A woman gasped at the cost of a simple cookie. A father shook his head when his daughter asked for candy. Glacé watched their faces fall. This was exactly what she wanted them to feel. Behind her, a figure made of swirled ice cream stood guard, its waffle cone helmet gleaming in the sun. People stopped to stare at the colorful guardian. More gathered around her cart. Glacé leaned forward and spoke quietly to the crowd. "The guild meets at the Sugarcone," she said. The woven sugar building stood ready, waiting for rebels to gather. "We're going to end this tax together." Several people nodded. A baker squeezed through to shake her hand. By sunset, twelve new members had joined the cause. Glacé wheeled her empty cart back to the forest, already planning their next move.