ALL A (CHEESE) BOARD
The December air in Geneva held a crisp, crystalline bite that made Minerva Lathrop pull her midnight blue wool traveling cloak tighter as she and Zephyr Nightshade navigated the crowded holiday market alongside the port. The elderly witch still had a spring in her step, despite her one hundred and nine years. She dodged the Ordinary tourists bustling past, laden with shopping bags and fancy digital cameras. They snapped away, dutifully taking photos of every last bauble and garland, but never quite seeing the whole picture, Minerva thought.
The Ordinary folk were entirely unaware of the shimmer in the air just beyond the main dock. To be fair, the cruise line had conjured up a glamor so subtle that even most magical folk might miss it if they weren't looking for it.
“There it is!” Zephyr said, pointing with his free hand while balancing both their suitcases in the other. Despite being one hundred and twelve years old, he insisted on wrangling all their luggage by himself. Minerva knew better than to argue with him. She also knew he’d enchanted the cases to weigh considerablyless than they appeared. “It’s right over there, just past that bollard with the unusual rust patterns.”
“That’s not rust, dear, those are runes,” Minerva said, squinting at the weathered post. Her still-sharp eyes could read the delicate, magical script even from this distance. The ‘Mysteriously Missing from any Maps’ Berth Number 7.”
Zephyr chuckled, his eyes twinkling with that mischievous spark she’d fallen in love with as a girl, lost for decades, and found again just this past year. “Well, we’ve never needed a map to find our way into an adventure, have we, Minnie?”
They approached the glamored barrier, a false facade of metal grillwork, and confidently slipped right through to the other side. Minerva felt the familiar tingle of passing through a magical threshold. The world shifted. Not dramatically, but there was a homecoming of sorts whenever she crossed back into the magical world from the Ordinary one. It reminded her of stepping from a noisy room into a hushed library. Now they stood on a private dock that definitely hadn’t been visible from the market moments before, and there, floating at least sixteen inches above the water, wasThe Celestine Queen,their home for the next two weeks.
“Oh my!” Minerva breathed, taking in the sight of the luminous cruise ship.
The river cruise ship glowed invitingly in the winter afternoon light. Its outer railings were swathed with evergreen garlands and tiny twinkling lights. Wreaths adorned every polished porthole. A towering Yule tree rose to the apex of the central atrium, its branches heavy with ornaments and shiny silver and gold balls that reflected scenes of merriment inside. Despite being December, the air all around the ship waswarmer, touched with holiday enchantment and the promise of adventure.
“Rather spectacular vessel, isn’t she?” Zephyr said, slipping his arm through hers. “I’m so glad Bayard sent the invitation for us to join him. It was so thoughtful of him to include us on his inaugural trip with the cruise line, wasn’t it?”
“Well… he did say he was inspired to choose a cheese theme for his lecture series because of us!” Minerva reminded Zephyr. “It’s kind of like sending a copy of the book to the person you’ve dedicated it to. Was Bayard always fond of cheese?”
“Cheese, wine, rare flora and fauna, stamps, ciphers…” Zephyr mused. “Our Bayard has always been a bit of a polymath. He picks up new hobbies and passions like some folk pick up new pairs of shoes. Served him well as an information specialist in the The Society for the Protection of Natural Magic and I imagine the Celestine Cruise Line is quite lucky to have him as a guest lecturer now that he’s decided to retire. Seems like a perfect gig for him.”
“Yes, indeed…” Minerva’s voice trailed off and she bit her lip. In all her years, she’d never missed the holidays at home in Primrose Court. It was so strange to be traveling, and she was nervous about spending the holidays amongst strangers. What if Zephyr’s old colleague from The Society didn’t like her? And what of her customers back home at the fromagerie?
Zephyr patted Minerva’s arm. “Come, now. Don’t fret about the folks back home, Minnie. The Squeaky Wheel will manage just fine without us for a fortnight. And I know you will get on well with Bayard. He’s going to be quite fond of you as well, I predict.”
“Mmm.” Minerva squeezed his hand. “I do feel a bit guilty, missing Yule in Primrose Court,” she admitted. “First holiday season with the fromagerie properly established, and here we are, gallivanting off to Europe. What if I’m needed to help out at the Mudpuddle Bookshop and Cafe?”
“Gallivanting is precisely what people our age should be doing more of,” Zephyr declared. “Besides, Maida is perfectly capable of managing the Mudpuddle without you. She’s been doing splendidly all year.”
“True.” Minerva allowed herself a small smile. Handing over the bookshop and café to her great-niece Maida had been easier than she’d expected. It had freed her to pursue a new venture with Zephyr. Who would have thought she’d still be discovering new things about herself at such a ripe old age? It was just a year since she’d learned she was a mouse shifter. That revelation had certainly explained her lifelong obsession with cheese.
“Our staff at the Squeaky Wheel know the holiday inventory backward and forward,” Zephyr continued, warming to his theme as they walked toward the gangplank. “We’ve earned this adventure, Minnie. Time to start making our own traditions, just the two of us. Perhaps we should start a whimsical collection of some sort. Spoons, or holiday ornaments?”
“Cheese forks, obviously.” She reached up to brush a biscuit crumb from his silver beard—honestly, the man could eat a single digestive and somehow get crumbs everywhere. “Though I notice you’re already making a tradition of collecting crumbs in that beard of yours.”
“I’m looking forward to some alone time with you too, my dear,” he said with a roguish wink. “You know there are still a few sparks in the fireplace.”
“So I’ve heard…” Minerva laughed, and together they climbed the gangplank toward the glowing ship and whatever delicious mysteries awaited them aboard.
The atriumofThe Celestine Queenwas a vision of organized chaos. Passengers milled about with champagne flutes, chatting excitedly and admiring the Yule decorations. Everyone stopped to admire the tiered display of cheese samples arranged like a golden pyramid. At the center of it all stood a greeting table draped in forest-green cloth, behind which sat a slight, wire-haired wizard with thick, bushy brows. Beside him sat the most adorable duck Minerva had ever seen.
“Bayard!” Zephyr’s face lit up with genuine delight as they approached.
The wizard looked up from his papers, and his eyebrows—practically a life form unto themselves—rose in pleased surprise. “Zeph! You’re here! You made it!” He stood, leaning on an elegant walking stick carved with water motifs, and Zephyr quickly rounded the table to embrace him.
Minerva watched the reunion with a warm heart. Zephyr’s old friend was smaller than she’d expected, delicately built with a cloudlike fluff of white hair that stood out in all directions. He looked like a benevolent mad scientist. He wore a beautifully cut tweed jacket over a crisp pinstriped shirt, but what caught Minerva’s eye were his feet. He had on a pair of bright blue trainers with silver accents that looked decidedly modern and sporty. A colorful paracord bracelet circled one wrist. The effect was charmingly incongruous. Vintage and modern. The distinguished professor meets the adventure sports enthusiast.
“And this must be the famous Minerva,” Bayard said, his voice warm as he extended his hand to her. “I’m so pleased to meet the witch who captured this old rogue’s heart. You know he used to tell us stories about you, even back in the day.”
“Did he, then?” Minerva turned to see Zephyr turning crimson, then she pivoted back to Bayard who was beaming at them. Zephyr was right, she liked this man on sight. There was just something so sincere about him. “The pleasure is all mine,” Minerva said, shaking his hand firmly. “Zephyr speaks very highly of you as well. I understand you two got into quite a bit of trouble together.”
“Oh, I stayed safely behind while Zeph and Exandra got into all the trouble,” Bayard said with a modest smile. “I was the one who had to figure out how to get them out of it.”
“Where is Exandra?” Zephyr asked, looking all around. “I thought you said you’d invited her to join us?”
“I did,” Bayard sighed, “but of course she was too busy to get away. ‘Work comes first!’ You know how she is.”
