Page 13 of Board Games and Broomsticks

Nyssa shook her head. ‘Between that and the number of cinnamon buns you can down in one sitting, I’m starting to think maybe you aren’t completely human.’

‘There’s nothing wrong with having a healthy appetite! And speaking of cinnamon buns …’ The scent of sweet spices and buttery pastry wafted on the breeze as Liora pulled out a paper bag from her satchel. ‘Look what I got for us! Don’t you feel awful for scaring me now?’

‘Terrible,’ Nyssa lied, her mouth watering. ‘Will you forgive me if I brew some of your favourite spiced tea to go with our breakfast?’

Nyx let out an indignant meow, as if to say, What about me?, and Nyssa reached down to scratch behind her ears. ‘I’ll get you some treats, too, darling girl, don’t worry.’

Together, the three of them strode into the kitchen, where Nyssa quickly set about spooning a hefty portion of her grandmother’s infamous spiced cinnamon and cardamom blend into a pot and setting some water to boil. By the time she’d given Nyx her promised treats and finished pouring the tea, Liora had placed two of the buns on to plates and set them on the kitchen table.

Liora gratefully took her mug of tea and let out a satisfied ‘mmm’ as she took in the smell. ‘You know your grandma used to sell bags of this stuff to the locals,’ the bard said. ‘It inspired Gwen to open up her tea shop, and it was always Elowen’s favourite. She was asking about it just the other day.’

The thought of the beautiful barkeep made Nyssa’s stomach flutter. As nonchalantly as she could manage, she said, ‘She’s more than welcome to come and get some. I won’t charge her.’

‘Maybe you should. Or, well, not her, but others. I walked past that empty shop again, and I thought: What if Nyssa bought it?’

Nyssa, her cinnamon bun halfway to her mouth, let out a sharp laugh. When Liora didn’t join her, she lowered the delicious pastry in her hand and shook her head. ‘Maybe all those enchanted drinks did get to you, after all.’

‘My head is perfectly fine, thank you very much! I saw the way you looked at that place, and you have all these amazing tea recipes from Lisabeth – you and Gwen could go in on it together and expand Just One More Cup! It’d be the perfect distraction from whatever it is you’re running from …’

Nyssa frowned. ‘I’m not running from anything, and I won’t be staying in Nighthaven long enough to justify opening an entire café, Li. You know that.’ Although, it would be a good way of distracting her from waiting for more instructions to come from the coven. As relaxing as Nyssa’s morning had been, she couldn’t imagine spending every day with nothing meaningful to fill her time.

‘If that’s the only thing stopping you, then I’m sure we could find someone to take over when you eventually leave … maybe even me! Just think about it, okay?’

For some reason, Nyssa thought of the place from the dream she’d had after Liora’s tour of Nighthaven. A place that, although she hadn’t been able to see it, had felt as warm and comforting as her grandmother’s tight embraces. All Nyssa had been able to produce lately were failures; could she really create a place like that?

‘I don’t know, Li, I’m—’

Nyssa was cut off by the thud of a box falling to the floor. Nyx stood innocently beside the pile of enchanted board games Nyssa hadn’t been able to bring herself to get rid of, her green eyes wide as she peered down at the game she had undoubtedly knocked to the ground.

Familiars.

A new vision took root in Nyssa’s mind at the sight of her favourite game. Of the games from her childhood sprawled out on wooden tables surrounded by plush sofas, each occupied by the same joyful and kind people who had attended Liora’s performance the night before. The feeling Nyssa had gotten – that intoxicating mix of pure contentment and belonging – could be something she felt every day.

Nyssa should have dismissed the thought. Should have let it remain a whimsical fantasy locked up tight in her heart. And yet …

‘Okay,’ she said to Liora, excitement buzzing underneath her skin, ‘I’ll think about it.’

Nyssa did more than think about it.

She spent three days so consumed with the idea that she was unable to focus on much else, and after waking on the fourth morning to no further news from the coven, she flew into town and strode directly into Just One More Cup.

Gwen was behind the small, wooden counter, a pestle and mortar before her. She smiled at the sight of Nyssa, a bright, infectious thing that only made Nyssa feel better about her decision.

‘Good morning! Here for some more tea already?’ Gwen asked.

‘Actually, I’m here about something else. I’ve been considering putting an offer in on the old quill store and opening up a board-game café, and, well, I’d really like to serve some of my grandma’s tea blends there. I found a bunch of her old recipes, and given how much she inspired you, I was thinking … maybe you could start selling some of her blends here, and we could serve them at the café alongside your own blends.’

Gwen’s brows had raised comically high as Nyssa was speaking, and when she didn’t reply, Nyssa felt suddenly nervous. ‘It’s just an idea. I completely understand if you don’t want to – you did just meet me, after all.’

‘Are you kidding? Of course I want to!’ Gwen said.

Nyssa let out a small, relieved laugh. ‘Oh, thank goodness! I was worried you’d think I’d been enchanted by the pixies or something. I’ve actually got a meeting with the estate agent to view the place in five minutes, would you like to join me?’

‘Ahhh, Mr Lefton.’ Gwen’s nose wrinkled. ‘I’ll let you handle that one. Here, before you go, let me make you a quick cup of tea. Trust me, you’re going to need it.’

Nyssa thought the teamaker was just teasing her until, five minutes later, she met Mr Lefton outside the vacant building next door.

He was a short, stocky man with a flop of blond hair and a moustache that curled up at the corners, a wooden cane, and a perpetual scowl on his face that made Nyssa instantly wary of him.