How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
It was a small bundle of plants, plucked up roughly by the roots, and bound together with a bit of black thread. (24.162)
People believe in the supernatural in this time period, so things like this ill-wish left under Claire's pillow have power. Or at least people think they do. Should Claire be worried? Remember that she almost gets burned at the stake for being a witch a few weeks after finding this omen…
Quote #8
I realized dimly that I was either being hypnotized, or under the influence of some drug. (24.639)
Geillis Duncan is suspected of being a witch… and we think she is. Or maybe she has some sodium pentathol hidden somewhere in her cleavage. She somehow manages to put Claire under a spell and almost get her to reveal that she's a time-traveler. That's some hardcore magic there… or something the NSA would be interested in if Geillis lived in the 21st century.
Quote #9
"Yes, I am a witch! To you, I must be. […] I can nurse the sick and breathe their air and touch their bodies, and the sickness can't touch me. […] And you must think it's an enchantment, because you've never heard of vaccine and there's no other way you can explain it." (25.335)
Saying she's a witch is an easier explanation than saying she's a time traveler. It raises the possibility, too, that maybe women who were accused of being witches actually were time travelers. This sure would explain a lot…