Page 73 of Witches of Dubious Origin
“Are you all right with this, Zoe?” Jasper asked. “You don’t have to come.”
“Of course she does,” Olive said. “If we don’t find anyone who remembers Toni, then Zoe and her potential memories are the only lead we have.”
Eloise glanced around the table. She seemed smaller to me. Was it my imagination? Was Eloise shrinking into herself with every day that passed and I couldn’t help her to move on? The thought made me push aside my cake. I didn’t like the weight of this responsibility. It was too much for a former skeptic like me to bear.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll go.”
“Zoe, you—” Claire began, but Olive interrupted her.
“Now that it’s settled, we’ve got to go. Big day tomorrow. We’ll be in touch.” Olive closed the laptop, cutting off the connection before anyone could say anything. She glanced at us. “What?”
“Mamie’s been gone a long time,” I said. “What if no one remembers her?”
“They will,” Eloise said. “Island residents have long memories, especially for Toni. She did a lot of good in the community, working as a healer. An island community is fairly isolated and she cared for so many sick people who couldn’t get medical attention. She saved many lives.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. No one had mentioned this part of Mamie’s legacy before.
“That book of hers isn’t just about raising the dead,” Eloise continued. “She has centuries of knowledge passed down through generations of Donadieus in there.”
Again, the weight of it felt like a cinder block on my chest. I had to figure out how to fully understand the grimoire. Maybe going to the island would help. Perhaps I would remember something. But the thought of being there again made me edgy. I hadn’t ever planned to step foot on Hagshill Isle again.
I wondered if my raven friend would appear there. I had no knowledge about how familiars worked, but it seemed to me he should appear when I needed him. And I couldn’t think of a time I would need him more than when I was confronting a place so fraught with emotion for me.
“We’ll leave first thing in the morning.” Olive rose from her seat and left the room without another word.
Eloise stood as well. “I’m heading to my room, too. I’m in the middle of season four ofThe Office. I want to see if I can finish the series before morning.”
I frowned and then remembered Eloise didn’t need sleep.
“Enjoy.” I waved to her as she left the room.
“The British version is better,” Jasper called after her.
Eloise smiled at him and started up the stairs.
“Is it crazy that I keep expecting a leg or an arm to fall off her?” I asked, keeping my voice low so Eloise couldn’t hear me.
Jasper shook his head. “Not crazy, given her propensity for loose appendages.”
I watched her until Eloise disappeared from sight.
“Here.” Jasper handed me a spoon.
“What’s this for?”
“Crème brûlée,” he answered. He removed a small crockfrom the rolling cart and put it on the table between us. “I was saving it for dessert, but I’m willing to share.”
“I didn’t share my coconut cake,” I said.
“Understandable. That was your main course, wasn’t it?”
“It was.”
“Then consider this dessert.”
I hesitated and he said, “It’s pistachio.”
“Pistachio crème brûlée? Why didn’t you say so?” I leaned forward and cracked the caramelized sugar top.
