Page 53 of Witches of Dubious Origin
I felt Jasper watching me, but I ignored him.
“I can think of at least two in the area and five if you include all of New England.” Olive tossed her long black hairover her shoulder. On anyone else, it would have been a flirtatious gesture, but from her it was dismissive.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked.
“You seemed to be struggling to accept your family’s affinity for necromancy, so we wanted to give you time to process,” Miles said. I noticed he kept giving Agatha a wary glance and I suspected she would read him the riot act for not telling me everything from the get-go.
“All right, assuming there is another necromancer in the area and they raised the Viking, why did they send him to my house and why do they want the book?” I asked, not mentioning that Jasper and I had already discussed the possibilities. I wanted to hear it from them.
Jasper took the seat at the table beside me and leaned forward, resting his elbow on the dark wood and propping his chin in his hand. He looked as tired as I felt. “What she said.”
Olive and Miles exchanged a glance. I wondered if they could read each other’s minds. It wouldn’t have surprised me in the least, to be honest.
Agatha let out an impatient sigh. “Enough with the eyeball communication, you two. Zoe deserves an answer, an honest one.”
“Well, we can’t be sure,” Miles hedged. “It’s all speculation at this point, but the signs do point to Zoe’s grimoire being deemed very powerful, and someone is clearly determined to acquire it.”
“But if I’m the only one who can use it, why would they want it?” I asked.
Miles looked conflicted about answering; Olive did not. She stared at me with her opaque black eyes and said, “If youwere under the control of another witch or mage, then they could order you to use the grimoire for their benefit.”
Agatha let out a hiss and I felt a chill creep into the marrow of my bones. It was no better hearing it the second time around. To be under the control of another, to do their bidding, no matter what it was—no, just no.
“Tariq is investigating the other known necromancers in the area to find out if any of them are involved or know who is.”
“What do we do in the meantime?” Agatha asked. “Zoe is clearly a target for whoever wants the grimoire…and her.”
Having her say it so plainly was a bit unsettling. Okay, more than a bit. As one, we all turned to Miles. He looked at me and said, “I believe the only way forward is to understand the past. We need to find out what happened to your mother and grandmother, Zoe.”
I sighed. I knew he was right, and I wanted to know, I really did. But I also dreaded the many complicated feelings this was going to stir up for me. Frankly, if I had to choose between unresolved family issues and an undead Viking, I’d choose the Viking every time.
I met Miles’s sympathetic gaze and asked, “Where do we begin?”
• • •
We started with a meeting in the main room of the BODO. Tariq had come back from his necromancer reconnaissance, reporting that no one had sicced an undead Norseman on me.
“How do you know they were telling the truth?” I asked.
“I have a tea that encourages honest communication,” Tariq said. “Chamomile for clarity, rosemary for truth, and mint for purity of mind among other things. I also add a bit of lemon to boost the other ingredients.”
“It’s a truth serum?” I asked.
“More like a truth enhancer.” He smiled mischievously and I returned it.
“Excellent. On to phase two, then,” Miles announced.
“Which would be what?” I asked.
“As I understand it, your mother was in the Mystwood Manor care facility for the last month of her life, yes?” Miles’s voice was gentle and full of empathy.
“Apparently.” I nodded. “I…we…” I gestured to Agatha and then myself. “We didn’t know she was in residence there until after she passed away.”
“Then we’re going to Mystwood to see what we can find out,” Olive said. “Jasper, this is your area of expertise, so you’ll be in charge of coordinating our visit.”
“Our?” Jasper lifted his head.
“Yes, you, me, Eloise, and Zoe,” Olive clarified.
