Students upstairs were unpacking spell kits and lavender sachets, and there was an inn filling with magical travelers who weren’t here for workshops. Meanwhile, there was an Academy that had reopened after decades and decades, and I was going to ask what of it? Throw away tradition?
What if I invited them in and the Academy rejected them? The humiliation alone would fracture everything. If witches saw wolves barred at the threshold, and their children saw them being turned away, that would create a severe distrust and hatred toward the Academy and toward Stonewick. That scenario would create exactly the divide I was trying to prevent.
I pushed my cold tea aside and glanced around the banquet hall.
“I need to think,” I said, standing.
Keegan nodded once and stood next to me as Nova excused herself.
“Wanna go for a walk?” he asked.
“I could go for a walk with tea as the consolation prize.”
His mouth twitched. “So, you want to go to Stella’s.”
I nodded.
There were moments in life when you needed a strategy and moments when you needed courage. And then there were moments when you needed Stella and her tea shop. I’d seen her dart off after she insisted I take her tea, but I needed her now, regardless of the fact that she had a tea shop to run.
We walked through the corridor toward the front doors and stepped out of the Academy together, leaving the low hum of student chatter behind. The air outside carried the scent of pine and chimney smoke. Somewhere deeper in the Wilds, a wolf called out again. The sound wasn’t frantic or hostile, just present.
Keegan walked beside me without touching me, but close enough that I felt steadier for it.
“I can tell you’re running scenarios in your head,” he said after a few steps. “Getting caught in thewhat-ifgame.”
I nodded, smiling up at Keegan. I always appreciated how he didn’t pry and incessantly ask questions. But I loved how he could feel when I was drowning in my own thoughts.
Keegan eyed me. “Okay, tell me your worst-case scenario first.”
I exhaled slowly. “My worst-case scenario is that I formally invite the shifters inside. The Academy refuses them at the threshold, and everyone sees it…feels the humiliation. Then it will look like I only invited them to cross the threshold to humiliate them and make a point.”
“Well, that is certainly a worst-case scenario.” He chuckled softly. “I’m scared to hear what else your mind cooked up.”
“See? It’s scary in there.” I tapped my temple, and he laughed a little harder.
“Let’s focus on the best-case scenario,” he offered. “Tell me what you see then.”
“The shifters and orcs walk in, and nothing cracks. The Academy doesn’t blast them off the property. It just…adjusts. And magic is spread through unity and hope.”
“What do you think Stella will think about this idea?” he asked.
“I think Stella will tell me whether or not I’m being naïve.” I shrugged. “But she’ll ensure that I have the right cup of tea regardless.”
He nodded and opened the door to the tea shop, and we stepped inside as the chime echoed.
Warmth wrapped around me immediately. Cinnamon. Black tea. A hint of citrus peel drying near the window. Small round tables scattered through the shop, each with a single candle flickering gently in the afternoon light. I spotted pumpkins in the corner and fall décor along the windows. I thought fondly back to when I watched her decorate the window before…a little bit of magic and a lot of imagination.
Stella stood behind the counter, scarlet lips perfectly painted, silver hair swept back in a loose twist that looked effortless and absolutely wasn’t.
She glanced up.
“Well,” she said smoothly. “If it isn’t the town’s favorite overachievers.”
“We prefer ‘visionaries,’” I replied, thinking Twobble might have rubbed off on me.
“Visionaries require sleep,” she said. “You look like you haven’t had any in weeks.”
“That’s not inaccurate.” I grinned.
