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“We can start by banishing the demon,” Charlotte suggested.
“He’s been banished before, but it didn’t break his contract,” Nadine said. “He was still able to possess me under the old contract. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. How do we get rid of him for good?”
“By withdrawing my consent, the contract is broken,” Charlotte said. “All we have to do then is find Leto and perform a banishing spell.”
Nadine and I exchanged a wary glance. We still weren’t sure if we could trust her. We didn’t exactly have the best track record when it came to priestesses.
I leaned toward Nadine and whispered. “Charlotte could be trying to infiltrate our side to get information.”
“They could’ve sent someone else,” Nadine whispered back.
I was fully aware all eyes were on us, but we couldn’t make a decision without thinking this through.
Except… what benefit would the priestesses have for faking this? Sure, they could keep an eye on us if we chose to trust Charlotte, but leaving the council would only turn more people away from Miriam’s Chosen. The council wanted to convert as many as possible. It’d do more harm than good. It was a huge risk for her to leave the Imperium Council, because it would divide the coven more than ever before. Anyone on the fence would be forced to take sides. It didn’t make sense for Charlotte to lie about this.
“If we want people to side with us, we have to be willing to believe they can switch sides,” Nadine whispered.
“What does your intuition tell you?” I asked.
Nadine paused and looked around the room. She contemplated Charlotte for a few moments, then raised her voice. “I believe in uniting the coven, and that starts with us. We don’t stop being priestesses because the others told us we were no longer worthy. I still feel my priestess duty in my blood, and if Charlotte is willing to join us, then I believe we are stronger together.”
“Then I trust her, too,” I announced.
The others joined in agreement.
“We’ve made plans to leave town tonight,” Nadine told Charlotte.
The priestess shook her head. “We can’t leave a demon roaming free among our people. We must banish him before—”
Boom!
The entire room shook as a clap like thunder exploded around us, louder than any thunder I’d heard in my life. Nadine clung to me as we both tried to stay upright. Lightning flashed outside, and thunder rumbled above our heads.
“What the hell!?” Miles demanded.
“The storm must be rolling in,” Talia said in a shaky tone.
“Storm, my ass,” Chloe replied. “I’ve never heard thunder like that before.”
Isa jumped onto Talia’s piano and peered out the window. She gave a loud meow, and we all rushed to look outside. Below us, shadows moved through the night. Torch lights flickered as hundreds of people descended upon the school. Storm clouds brewed overhead, but the explosion that shook the school was a far cry from thunder.
“Again!” someone shouted.
The mob joined hands, and I watched in horror as magic of all colors swirled together above their heads. An enormous spell formed. It looked like lightning bolts sizzling together in an orb larger than the school.
Charlotte’s features paled. “They must’ve found out I came here. They’ve come to execute us! The priestesses won’t stop them this time.”
Below us, the leader of the mob began shouting. “Mother Miriam has spoken! The outcast priestesses shall be cast to the Abyss!”
It was Cody.
The spell above their heads shrank into a tight battle orb. Another explosion sounded, and the spell blasted forward and connected with the school. I grabbed Nadine on instinct. Talia’s antique collection toppled over and fell onto the ground, and dust rained down on us from a crack that had formed in the ceiling. Our cats yowled loudly, and we heard people screaming from out in the hallway.
“They’re trying to get through the school’s wards!” Chloe shouted. “Once they do, they can take the whole school down in one blow!”
“They can’t kill everyone inside to get to just two people!” Talia insisted.
“Watch them try,” Chloe said.
