Page 185 of The Demon's Spell

Margaret nodded. “Yes, I would say that’s accurate, although none of us are above each other in rank.”

“When the council requires a single spokesperson, that responsibility typically falls on you, correct?”

“Yes,” Margaret said.

“So you are somewhat of the leader of the Imperium Council?”

“You could say that, yes.”

“And you are present at every meeting?”

“Every single one, yes.”

“You were present when the Imperium Council met with Nadine to discuss inducting her onto the council?”

“Yes.”

“Priestess, did any of the council members take issue with placing Nadine on the council?”

“At the time, we were all in agreement that we needed a Curse Breaker on the council,” Margaret answered. “We had reservations, considering her grandfather’s downfall on the council many years ago, but we thought Nadine would be different.”

“Can you clarify for the jury what you mean?”

“Nadine’s grandfather, Nicholas Tucker, served on the Imperium Council for a short time four decades ago,” Margaret said. “He was caught stealing from the council, and was executed for it.”

Behind me, Grammy huffed. Margaret was already lying. She spoke as if he’d had a fair trial—like his murder had been sanctioned by the Imperium Council. He’d been murdered without a chance to plead his case.

“We had faith that Nadine’s intentions were genuine, as her grandfather had died long before she was born, and she had no personal connections to him,” Margaret said. “She was the only Curse Breaker alive, so the job defaulted to her. It was our belief that we should induct her as soon as possible, to restore the five-Cast system on the council.”

“And how does the council feel about that decision now?”

“Objection, your honor!” Verla said. “Hearsay.”

“Sustained,” the judge said. “The priestess can only speak for herself, Attorney Sinclair.”

Olivia cleared her throat. “Priestess Margaret, how do you feel about the decision to place Nadine Evers on the council?”

For the first time, Priestess Margaret looked at me, and her stare turned my blood to ice. “I believe it was the greatest mistake the council has ever made.”

Olivia tried to hide her proud smirk, but she wasn’t very good at masking it. “Priestess, can you tell the jury what made you change your mind?”

Margaret turned to the jury again, avoiding my gaze entirely. “When we first met Nadine, she appeared very kind and willing to do anything to help the coven. We were blinded by our enthusiasm to call a Curse Breaker onto the council after so many years. We held several meetings prior to her induction, and she seemed enthusiastic and a great fit. We worked well together—until she was inducted.”

“What happened then?” Olivia asked.

“Nadine changed her tune,” Margaret said simply. “She began objecting in council meetings and protesting our ideas. When we were presented opportunities to investigate the Waning, she would refuse to work the spells with us. On several occasions, she claimed that her chronic illness was too severe to perform the spell, and she used it as a weapon against the council to delay our investigation.”

“Objection!” Verla said calmly.

The judge frowned. “Overruled.”

Margaret continued. “She often brought her boyfriend Lucas to meetings without prior approval, and on several occasions, she threatened to expose sensitive coven information if we did not help cure her disease through a kidney transplant.”

My blood began to boil. Margaret was telling half-truths, not even remotely representing the story accurately. They had threatened me, and I’d been on the coven’s side every step of the way.

Olivia checked her notes. “Can we bring up evidence file number one-one-two?”

A picture popped up on a large TV on the courtroom wall. It was a photograph of the Gravestone.

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