Everyone murmured their agreement, and Marella rose to approach Lissa.“My wife will be here shortly, then we can begin the ritual of removing.Are you prepared for this?”
Lissa glanced at Ria and then back over to Marella.“I guess?I’m sure Ria told you I don’t really believe in all this magic stuff.”
The room grew quiet, and a few murmurs filtered over to Ria.She braced herself for the onslaught of witch defensiveness, but it never came.
“That’s all right,” a new voice floated into the room, and all eyes turned toward the entryway.
Ria sucked in a breath, rubbing her eyes as if she was seeing things.She glanced around at the others, but none seemed surprised by the woman who swept into the room, her bright yellow skirts swishing around her calves.
“High Matron,” Ria’s mother said, hurrying over to greet the woman.They embraced quickly and kissed each other on the cheek before her mom returned to her seat.
Lissa and Ria glanced at each other and then back to the newcomer.
“You’rethe High Matron?”Ria gasped out, still struggling to take in what she was seeing.She’d naively expected the High Matron to be an old crone.Someone with the wisdom of the decades etched into the wrinkles of their face.But that wasn’t what she was seeing at all.
Beside her, Lissa seemed just as shocked, opening and closing her mouth like she was grasping for the ability to form words.
The woman glided over to Lissa and took her hands, helping Lissa out of her seat.“It doesn’t matter if you believe in magic,” the High Matron said, “because magic believes in you.”
Lissa shook her head as if trying to dislodge the cobwebs.“You,” she finally gasped out.“You’re a witch?”
Ria watched dumbfounded, trying to figure out how Lissa knew the High Matron when Ria had never even seen her before.
The woman smiled and cupped Lissa’s cheek gently.“I am indeed a witch, Alice Parker.”
The entire room fell silent as they all watched the High Matron lean in close to Lissa.
“And so are you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lissa
DidIstepintoa cottage oranother dimension, Lissa wondered as she stared into the bright-blue eyes of the barista who’d been so kind to her a few days ago.“I’m sorry,” she blurted out, “but my brain is playing Twister right now, and I’m not sure which color I should put my hand on.”
The High Matron smiled.“I understand this a lot to take in, Alice.”
“Lissa,” she corrected on reflex.“I go by Lissa.”
“I understand,” the High Matron said, gently guiding Lissa back to her seat.“The names we give ourselves have just as much power as those given to us by others.My given name is Melinda, yet I often go by Mixie, as I’m sure you have figured out.”
“Right,” Lissa replied, settling into the chair.“I totally knew who you were on the patio that day.”
Mixie gave Lissa a knowing grin.
“You’ve met the High Matron?”Ria hissed from beside Lissa.
“Well, obviously, I didn’t know she was a High Matron, or even a witch at all,” Lissa replied, unable to take her eyes off Mixie.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Ria began timidly, “but how are you the High Matron?Shouldn’t you be, um, old?”Her eyes grew wide, and she promptly added, “Um.Older, I mean.”
Mixie laughed and moved over to the empty chair beside her wife.“Oh, I might use a little glamor now and again.I wanted to be able to work at my cafe without anyone knowing my identity.”She raised both hands high above her head, murmured a few indiscernible words, then brought them down in a twisting, swirling motion.A slight shimmer appeared and streaks of gray materialized in her blonde hair, joined by a handful of wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth.
Lissa sat frozen in her chair, trying to wrap her brain around what she had just seen.There was no denying it.Where once a young twentysomething had sat, there was now a woman of late middle age in the same clothing with the same hairstyle.It was impossible and yet…
“Holy shit, you’re a fucking witch!”Lissa blurted out, unable to keep her mouth shut.
All heads turned in her direction in unison, and an assortment of expressions greeted her, ranging from amusement to horror.Lissa only had eyes for Mixie though.Because if she really was a witch, then that meant…
