AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Claudia didn’t even look at me. She held her nose high, and I overheard her whisper to Margaret. “I hope this ends quickly, because I have dinner reservations.”
Professor Leto sat in the front row, grinning smugly. He certainly looked hungry for an execution.
Behind them, Mira and Avery laughed. James and Ryan had shown up in their Executor uniforms like they were ready to deliver our execution themselves. There were so many faces I didn’t recognize—people who had never even met us, but prayed for our downfall nonetheless. A jury sat in two rows next to the judge’s stand. I didn’t know any of them, and I couldn’t place if they were allies or not. Knowing the priestesses, I wasn’t counting on it.
“All rise for the Honorable Judge Patricia Calloway,” the bailiff said.
Everyone in the courtroom rose, and a woman in a black robe entered the room. I hadn’t met her before. She had to be in her fifties, with tight red curls piled atop her head. Her expression remained stoic, and it was impossible to read her. She definitely walked with the confidence of a priestess, though there was something that set her apart from them. I couldn’t place it at first.
When she turned to the crowd, I saw it. Her eyes were kinder. Not totally unforgiving, but it didn’t appear she’d made a decision about this case just yet. We might still have a chance, if the jury was as open-minded as her.
“Court is now in session,” the judge said with a smack of her gavel. “You may be seated.”
Everyone took their seat, but nobody spoke.
“We are here today to begin proceedings in the trial of the Miriamic Coven versus Priestess Nadine Evers and Lucas Taylor,” the judge announced. “Will the defendants please rise?”
We stood to face the judge.
“On one felony count of attempting to overthrow the Imperium Council, how do the defendants plead?” the judge asked.
“Not guilty, your honor,” Verla said.
The judge continued through our list of charges: two misdemeanor counts of unauthorized intercast spellwork, twelve felony charges of black magic use with intent to do harm, and seven charges of first-degree murder. We plead not guilty to all.
“You may be seated,” the judge announced. I squeezed Lucas’s hand underneath the table. “The prosecution may begin with its opening statement.”
The lawyer across from us stood. She was a tall woman, with dark hair and a smug look that rivaled Lilian’s harsh features. She reminded me of Claudia, though she was much younger. Her heels clicked against the floor as she stood in front of the jury.
“Members of the jury, you have heard the charges brought forth against these criminals,” she began. “In today’s proceedings, I will prove to you that Nadine Evers and Lucas Taylor are in fact guilty of the crimes they have been accused of. You will see photographs of their secret society headquarters, and secret files they kept hidden from the Imperium Council. I shall prove without a shadow of a doubt that Nadine Evers and Lucas Taylor have conspired against the Imperium Council, with intent to destroy the coven. I will present to you audio recordings and testimony detailing the murders these two have committed in the name of their secret society. By the end of the day, these two criminals will be walking to the gallows, because the coven will know the truth about what they’ve done. You shall be the ones to deliver justice.”
She returned to her seat, and Verla stood to pace in front of the jury.
“Members of the jury, I am here today to prove that the charges brought against my clients are nothing more than false claims,” Verla said. “We are here to tell the truth, and you will find by the end of these proceedings that the evidence Miss Olivia Sinclair claims to have paints a very different picture when put into context.”
Sinclair? I mouthed to Lucas. No wonder the prosecutor reminded me so much of Claudia. She was her daughter! She had everything to gain by winning this trial—namely, securing her mother’s position on the council and bolstering their family business.
“I will present you with witness testimony that will prove my clients had the best interest of the coven at heart, and that my clients are in fact innocent,” Verla concluded.
Dear Goddess. All we had was witness testimony. The prosecutors had photographs and recordings, and who knew what else. We were totally fucked.
“The prosecution may call its first witness,” the judge announced.
Olivia Sinclair stood. “The prosecution calls Priestess Margaret Weber to the witness stand.”
I watched curiously as Margaret stood and approached the stand. Never once did she look my way. The bailiff held out an old leather-bound book, and she placed her hand atop it. “Do you swear on Mother Miriam’s holy grimoire to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Goddess?”
“Yes,” Margaret said firmly.
She sat, and Olivia began pacing in front of her. “Priestess Margaret, can you state for the jury what your role is among the Imperium Council?”
Margaret turned to the jury and spoke softly. She sounded so much like when I first met her, before she’d shown her true nature. “I’m the Alchemy Priestess. It is my job to represent my Cast and make laws that will benefit the entire coven. As a priestess, I help facilitate strong relationships with other magical races, as well as speak for the coven in times of controversy.”
“You are the oldest member of the council, correct?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, the oldest in age,” Margaret said. “Priestess Lilian has been sitting on the council longer.”
“Thank you,” Olivia said. “Being the oldest on the council, the other council members look up to you, correct?”
