Page 189 of The Demon's Spell

Baker looked confused for a moment, then said, “The specific wording eludes me, but I do know this section bans unauthorized intercast magic use.”

“Can you please read the highlighted paragraph out loud?” Verla handed him the book.

Baker shot a glance at the judge. “I need my reading glasses.”

He was stalling, for whatever reason. It seemed strange to me that he’d come to court knowing he’d be presented with documents and evidence and didn’t come prepared. I wondered if he needed the reading glasses at all.

It must’ve taken ten minutes before the court managed to find him a pair of reading glasses. He put them on and cleared his throat. “Section twenty-nine, subsection three?”

Goddess, he was playing an idiot. I didn’t get it.

“Yes,” Verla said. “Please read the highlighted section to the jury.”

“Section twenty-nine, subsection three reads: Under Miriamic law, unauthorized intercast magic use will be defined as any spell performed by two or more witches or warlocks of different Casts, with the intent to do harm—”

Verla yanked the book out of Baker’s hands, and the sheriff cut off. “With the intent to do harm,” she emphasized. “No further questions, your honor.”

The prosecution continued calling witnesses to the stand. It took hours for the court to interview other officers and supposed witnesses I didn’t even know. Each one of them backed up Priestess Margaret’s claims that we’d intended to overthrow the council. Each one of them supported her lies.

The prosecution hadn’t once brought up our murder charges, and that worried me. I didn’t know what they might possibly have in store. When Olivia called Priestess Lilian to the stand, all the blood in my body drained to my toes. I’d wondered why Lilian hadn’t testified yet, and now I knew. They were saving the worst for last.

I held my breath as Lilian swore upon Mother Miriam’s holy grimoire and took the stand.

“Priestess Lilian Olson,” Olivia said. “You are a member of the Imperium Council, correct?”

Lilian sat straight up, lifting her nose slightly to the jury as she answered, “Yes.”

“Can you state your role among the Imperium Council?” Olivia asked.

“I am a high priestess of the Mentalist Cast,” Lilian stated. “I have served on the Imperium Council for over forty years. As a priestess, it is my job to serve the coven as both a lawmaker and a law enforcer.”

“What level of authority does your position provide you with?” Olivia asked.

“As the highest governing power, the priestesses have the authority to implement new laws, as well as enforce the laws as they are already written,” Lilian answered. “New laws require a majority vote by council members, as does dealing out punishments. It is most common for the Miriamic Police Department to handle arrests, and it’s the job of the judge to sentence criminals. However, in severe criminal cases that require a timely response, the Imperium Council will step in to ensure the coven is as safe as possible.”

That’s how they got away with calling for executions without a trial.

“So not only do you work closely with law enforcement personnel, but you yourself are an enforcer of the law in the Miriamic Coven?” Olivia asked.

Lilian nodded. “Yes, of the highest rank.”

“Priestess Lilian, you worked a case last year investigating an explosion at Pinewood Manor, correct?” Olivia checked her notes and quickly verified the case number.

“Yes,” Lilian said. “Due to the intensity of the case, the priestesses headed the operation.”

“Can you describe the nature of the case to us?”

“One year ago on the night of May eighth, the Imperium Council received a call that led us to Pinewood Manor. When we arrived, we found that the east wing had completely collapsed and was on fire. Nadine and Lucas were among five survivors at the scene. At the time, we believed them to be the only ones in the building, but after months of clean-up, we uncovered four bodies.”

“Please bring up evidence file one-eight-two,” Olivia said.

The entire courtroom gasped. My stomach lurched when photographs of burnt, charred bodies appeared on the screen. I couldn’t make out the faces of who they once were, though I could easily guess.

“Can you describe the evidence shown here?” Olivia asked Priestess Lilian.

Lilian looked like she was going to be sick, though I was certain it was all for show. These wouldn’t be the first burnt bodies she’d seen. “With the help of the Miriamic Police Department, we were able to identify these remains as Emmett Carlisle, Agnes Britches, Sandy Summers, and Betty Smith. Upon further investigation, we were able to determine the cause of death to be magical. Trace magic left at the scene showed the potens crepitus spell was used, which is an ancient spell that can be only performed by multiple Cast members, as it’s too powerful to be performed by a single witch or warlock.”

I gritted my teeth. That may be the case, but she had no proof that we’d been the ones to cause the explosion. It’d been some sort of fail-safe the kidnappers had created to hide what they were doing at Pinewood Manor. We had no idea that a blast was coming—and we’d gotten out just in time.

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