Page 192 of The Demon's Spell

“But we didn’t know they’d twist it like that!” Nadine began pacing. “If they played just five more seconds, they’d hear that we tried to save Stella from the twisted vine she fell into. This recording makes it sound like Lucas cast a killing spell!”

My stomach twisted. I regretted that the recording ever existed in the first place. I’d been the one to record the whole encounter. We thought it would prove our side of the story. But the priestesses had forced us to hand over the recording device in return for saving our friends.

“You still get a chance to tell your side of the story,” Verla said calmly.

My tone came out sounding flat. “The coven’s already made up their minds. Hell, the priestesses pulled everything they’ve got. They even exposed the Oaken Wands.”

“They did that because if we brought it up first, they’d look like villains,” Verla said. “Being the first to expose the Wands paints them as the good guys. It makes them look honest. We can change the coven’s mind. Trust me, this happens all the time in the courtroom. We’ve prepared our defense—”

“Our defense isn’t here!” Nadine cried. “Grant was supposed to testify. Where is he? Where’s Talia? I’m worried about them.”

“I’ve sent Jonathan to find them,” Verla reassured her.

Goddess, I hoped Professor Warren knew where to look. I wanted to hurl. For all we knew, Grant and Talia had been dragged out of the school and beaten by an angry mob for defending us. Problem was, we couldn’t get out of the courtroom to look for them.

“We can’t draw any conclusions yet,” Verla stated. “If we get to the end of the trial and things are still looking bad, I’m fully prepared to advocate that you be sent to the Darke Institute for Supernatural Offenders. You’re both considered supernatural minors, so you’re eligible to attend the reform school on Darke Island.”

“The Darke Institute is a prison for college kids!” I cried. “We can’t save the coven if we’re locked up on some remote island.”

Verla sighed. “I’m merely stating there are alternatives. Be that as it may, we still have a chance to win our case. Let’s look at the facts. We’ll go over everything one more time.”

We reviewed everything the priestesses had presented and how we might counter their claims. At one point, an officer brought us lunch, and Verla used her Alchemy powers to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. It sucked that we even had to consider that, but I wouldn’t put it past the coven.

It felt like mere minutes before our hour was up, and we hadn’t had a chance to discuss everything we’d wanted to. When we returned to the courtroom, it was only half full. We could still hear shouts coming from the hallway. I assumed the officers had cleared the room of anyone who seemed threatening. It didn’t stop most of the courtroom from giving us evil glares. I could see it in their eyes that they wished for our death. Professor Warren was noticeably missing, but Chloe, Onyx, and Helena sat behind us in the front row.

“Court is now in session,” the judge announced with a smack of her gavel. “The defense may call their first witness.”

Verla stood. “The defense calls Chloe Olson to the stand.”

Chloe stood from where she sat in the crowd and approached the witness stand. She held her chin high and didn’t even look at her grandmother as she passed. Lilian narrowed her eyes on her. Chloe swore upon Mother Miriam’s holy grimoire, then took her seat.

“Please state your full name for the jury,” Verla said.

“Chloe Jane Olson.”

“Can you state your relationship with the accused?”

“We go to school together,” Chloe said.

“Where were you the night the east wing of Pinewood Manor collapsed?” Verla asked.

“I was there, at Pinewood Manor.”

“Do you remember how you got there?”

“No.”

“What do you remember from that night?”

“I remember being in the woods with Nadine, and we were both hit by a stunning spell,” Chloe said. “When we woke, we were tied up in Pinewood Manor. Agnes Britches, Sandy Summers, and Betty Smith came into the room and told us they wanted to kill us for a resurrection spell.”

“So you were kidnapped?” Verla asked.

Chloe leaned toward the microphone. “That is correct.”

“Did you witness anyone else there that night?”

“Yes,” Chloe answered. “Professor Carlisle was there. He entered the room shortly after the other witches. Lucas and his friends Talia and Grant discovered we were missing, and they were able to find us using Seer magic. They came to save us, so they were there as well.”

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