Page 32 of Witches of Dubious Origin
“It makes me uncomfortable.” I knew my expression was pained, as if I was an introvert—not wrong—being forced to participate in a group activity and I just couldn’t bear it—also not wrong. Technically, I could, I supposed, but that didn’t mean I’d enjoy it.
“Why?” Jasper’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
In that moment, I could have told them about the vow I’d made to my mother when I was fourteen, promising I would never practice magic, but the thought of sharing such a personal story made me cringe. I simply wasn’t ready for that yet. Instead, I diverted.
“It’s a long story, but I have a question for you both,” I said.
Jasper inclined his head and Tariq nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Have you ever heard of someone, hypothetically speaking of course, manifesting a visualization?”
Tariq cupped his chin with his hand. “Can you give me an example?”
I drummed my fingers on the steel tabletop as I considered what to say. “What if a person used a relaxing meditation where they pictured their body floating and then, when they opened their eyes, they discovered they were many feet up in the air?”
“You levitated on a simple visualization?” Tariq’s eyes went wide and he dropped his hand from his chin.
“I didn’t say it was me.”
Tariq and Jasper exchanged a look.
“How could that happen to a person who’s never had anything out of the ordinary happen to them before?” I persisted.
“Meaning no previous evidence of any special magical abilities?” Tariq asked.
I nodded. I didn’t include my memories of the things Mamie had taught me, because I honestly didn’t know if those magical moments had been Mamie or me.
“How to explain…” Tariq blew out a breath.
“If you’ll allow me?” Jasper asked.
Tariq waved his hand in acquiescence.
“Simply put,” Jasper said, “it comes down to belief.”
“I’m not following.” I turned toward him, realized we were entirely too close for comfort, and scooted myself back a few inches.
“Think of magic as a living thing,” he said. “All living things need sustenance.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Belief is the fuel required for magic to exist.” He tapped the grimoire on the table. “Nothing written in here can manifest unless the witch using it believes it.”
I pondered his words. “You mean magic is like getting gifts from Santa Claus. You have to believe to receive.”
Tariq blinked and then laughed. “You are something, Zoe Ziakas. And yes, it’s exactly like that.”
Jasper huffed a laugh, but then his voice lowered and he said, “It would seem that whoever levitated during a visualization believes.”
Maybe it was my childhood memories being dredged up or the fact that I was in possession of a book that opened all by itself when I bled on it, but yeah, there was no question. I believed. Damn it.
“How long will it take to date the samples?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.
“It’ll take a few hours in the machine for each one.” Tariq lifted the glass vial and studied the bits and pieces inside. “But then I have to do a data analysis, which could get complicated depending on what compounds we discover. I won’t have a comprehensive report for you for a couple of days.”
I sighed. I was not the most patient person and waiting a few days for an analysis of the grimoire was frustrating because there was nothing I could do—no research rabbit hole to jump in—to move it along.
“Come on, then.” Jasper nudged me with his elbow. “I want to show you something.”
