AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We had a single night to prepare for our trial. It wasn’t enough time. I was sure the priestesses were cackling away in the Imperium headquarters right now, laughing about how they finally got us and everything was playing out according to their plan. They were probably already popping champagne, knowing that they’d convert thousands more to Miriam’s Chosen before the trial ended.
I refused to believe this was over just yet.
We got take-out because we didn’t think it was safe to be seen, and we didn’t have time to waste. I scarfed down a chicken sandwich in the car; I was ravenous. Verla drove us back to school.
“What are we doing here?” I asked. “The school is the worst place for us right now.”
“The priestesses are watching,” Verla reminded me. “They’ve entrusted me with keeping a close eye on you, and if I take you back to my house, I’ll appear as an ally. We must let them believe otherwise until your trial. You’ll stay here tonight.”
We followed Verla inside the school. The halls were silent, and the place seemed deserted. The students obviously felt the weight of this conflict, and they were all hiding in their rooms.
Verla led us to her office, and she sat behind her desk. Odin lazed on the cat tower, purring. Verla handed me a folder. “Here’s everything I know about the case.”
We spent the next several hours discussing our case. It quickly became clear that the priestesses had found the Gravestone. We were right to think there was a traitor inside The Coven’s Shield. Verla went over everything she knew from the court files, but they’d been slapped together in a matter of hours. We were certain she was missing details. We discussed what evidence the priestesses might present to the court, and how we could counter it with our own—what little we had. Verla coached us on how to answer questions in the courtroom, but I wasn’t entirely convinced it would be enough.
“Most of these charges are bogus, but what about the murders?” Lucas asked. “Whether they were accidents or not, we did kill people.”
Verla drew a deep breath. “That’s going to be the hardest part of the trial. Your only hope is to say as few incriminating things as possible to make it look like the priestesses’ evidence is faulty. That’s the only way the coven will side with you.”
“Or we tell the truth,” I suggested.
“The truth will get you hanged!” Verla insisted.
“The truth is that we killed in self-defense,” I said. “That means we’re innocent of the charges they’ve brought against us. More so, we didn’t kill Professor Carlisle. He was alive when we left Pinewood Manor. The explosion that followed killed him. And Stella’s death was an accident. So if we prove the priestesses are wrong on these points, they’re going to look wrong about everything else.”
Verla shook her head firmly. “You’ve never been in a courtroom. If you tell the truth, the priestesses will use your word against you.”
“To be charged with first-degree murder, the priestesses have to prove that we had premeditated intent to kill,” I pressed. “We didn’t.”
“Forget everything you think you know about the legal system, because this trial will operate under Miriamic law,” Verla replied. “To the priestesses, this isn’t a real court case. It’s a performance. We have to prepare for that. You will tell me everything you know. We will prepare a response, and you will speak only these responses in the courtroom. Do you understand?”
I sank a little in my chair. “Yes.”
Verla coached us until after midnight. The words on the court documents were no longer making any sense.
Verla stood. “You two should get some rest before the trial. Let’s call it a night.”
“But we only have a few hours—” Lucas started.
“A few hours to get some rest,” Verla said gently. “You need to clear your heads and be ready for anything. Let me walk you to your rooms.”
“You don’t have to do that. We can find our own way back,” I assured her.
Verla sighed. “Very well. I have to arrange some things before the trial begins. Do your best to get some sleep, both of you. Lucas, can I have a word?”
Lucas furrowed his brow, but he stayed in the room while I headed out into the hall. I saw her hand him a bag, along with something else, though I couldn’t be sure what it was. He left her office with a hint of a smile on his face.
“What was that about?” I asked as we started toward his dorm.
Lucas wouldn’t stop smiling. “The police gave Verla her stuff back that was in her car. She managed to get this back for you.”
He reached into the bag and pulled out a knee brace. The swelling had gone down thanks to Grammy’s potion, but it still twinged when I moved.
“Lucas, thank you so much,” I told him. “You shouldn’t have.”
“It was no problem.”
“No, I mean, you really shouldn’t have. The police wouldn’t have found us if you hadn’t gone into town.”
