Page 29 of The Women of Wild Hill

Sibyl knew she’d returned to this world when she felt the ground beneath her and a light ocean breeze sweeping across her skin.

Her eyes remained closed while she tried to make sense of what she’d seen.

They weren’t dreams, exactly. They’d felt more like time travel.

She’d smelled the worlds she’d been in. She’d learned things no dream could have told her.

It was as though each of her ancestors had welcomed Sibyl into their lives.

Sibyl might have questioned the truth of what she’d seen if it hadn’t been for the last visit.

Sadie, Rose, and Ivy were all new to her.

But Sibyl realized she had known Lilith all her life.

She laughed out loud at the thought. Then a whiff of orange blossom and patchouli pulled her out of her thoughts, and she opened her eyes.

Sitting beside her was the loveliest woman she’d ever seen.

Though she appeared to be Sibyl’s age, her style belonged to another era.

She wore her long, strawberry-blond hair in a ponytail that ran along her bare spine.

Her crocheted top left several inches of flesh exposed above the top of her denim skirt.

A band of freckles covered her nose and stretched from cheek to cheek. She wore a crown of clover in her hair.

“Do you know who I am?” the woman asked. The way she was smiling made Sibyl think that she should.

“No,” Sibyl admitted as she slowly transitioned to sitting.

“My name is Flora. I’m your grandmother. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”

Sibyl studied the woman’s face. She could see the resemblance now. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. My mother never told me much about her family. I’m just learning about most of them now.”

“They’re your family, too,” Flora reminded her. “Phoebe never spoke about us because she loves you and she’s been trying to spare you. You’ve seen a little of what our lives were like. They were often full of death.”

“So that all really happened?” Sibyl asked. “Those men really died?”

Flora held her granddaughter’s gaze. “Do you think the world would have been a better place if we had allowed them to live?” She posed the question gently as though to cushion its impact.

“No,” Sibyl said. “But I’m not sure why it was our job to murder them.”

“Someone has to balance the scales.” Flora took Sibyl’s hand. “Our family has been chosen. It’s a great honor.”

Sibyl tried not to be distracted by the feel of her grandmother’s fingers wrapped around her own. They were cool and soft and far too light to be flesh. “Chosen to do what, exactly?”

“The Old One realized mankind might make a mess of things here on this planet. So long ago, she bestowed special gifts on a few chosen women. For millennia, those gifts have passed from mothers to daughters. Women like us exist to topple tyrants, protect the earth, balance the scales, and avenge the wronged.”

“That’s what the witches in the dungeon told Sadie.”

“That’s right,” Flora said. “The Old One has been resting, but now she’s awake once more.

It is time for the rule of men to end. Natural order must be restored, and our family has been given a special role.

The Old One sent Bessie to Wild Hill to watch over us.

For the past century, our family has been growing stronger.

The three who remain are the most powerful of our kind.

You, Brigid, and Phoebe must begin the revolution. ”

“Brigid?” The name didn’t ring any bells.

In a flash the serene flower child was gone. In her place was a pissed-off mom. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Flora said. “Your mother didn’t tell you about Brigid?”

“I guess not,” Sibyl replied. “Who is she?”

Flora shook her head in disbelief. “Your aunt. She uses her father’s last name, Laguerre, as a stage name.”

“Brigid Laguerre?” The shock sent Sibyl’s mind reeling. “Holy shit. That’s why I was never allowed to see her movies? The Queen of the Dark is my aunt?”

“Yes, and she’ll be here on Wild Hill soon. Your mother will be coming as well.”

“Good,” Sibyl said darkly. “I can’t wait.”

“I’m expecting you to keep the peace when they get here.”

Sibyl refused with a shake of her head. “Me? Oh, hell no. I have a bone to pick with Mommy Dearest. How dare she not tell me what I am—who I come from?”

“Speak your mind, then, and move on,” Flora advised. “The three of you have work to do. Your mother and Brigid are going to bicker like children. I need you to keep them focused on the mission.”

“What is the mission?”

“That’s for you to determine. The ancestors have provided you with the information you’ll need. You know far more than your mother or aunt. It will be your job to put the pieces together.”

“Well, I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do,” Sibyl told her. “I can’t smite people with lightning bolts or brew deadly poisons. The only thing I’m good at is cooking.”

“Perhaps that’s the only gift you’ll need,” Flora told her.

Sibyl found that hard to believe, but she didn’t say so. “Hey, why didn’t I get to visit your life?” she asked instead. “What happened to you?”

“You’ll find out,” Flora promised. “My death is a missing piece of the puzzle. It’s also why your mother has been so angry. I had to leave her when she was young.”

“What do you mean, you had to leave her?”

“When she was sixteen years old, I drank Lilith’s poison.”

“You killed yourself?” The news felt like a knife to the gut. Sibyl couldn’t even imagine what it must have done to her mother. “I don’t understand. Were you depressed?”

“Not at all,” Flora told her. Her eyes roamed Sibyl’s face as though she was committing every freckle to memory. “I did it so that you would exist and I would one day get to meet you.” She smiled at her granddaughter. “It was worth it.”

“I still don’t understand,” Sibyl told her.

“You will,” Flora promised. “Once all three of you are here, I will show you. For now, I’d like you to shut your eyes again.”

Sibyl did as she was told and felt herself pulled into a warm embrace. With her head against her grandmother’s chest, she felt a warmth and love like she’d never known.

“Whenever you need me, know I’m already there,” Flora whispered in her ear.