Page 214 of The Demon's Spell

“We’ll only be a few minutes,” I told her.

Lucas and I hurried to my dorm room, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I opened the door. Lucas came to a halt behind me.

“What are you doing here?” Lucas demanded of the red-headed figure standing in front of my window. The skull tattoo on her wrist was unmistakable.

Priestess Charlotte turned, her black cloak billowing around her. “I’m here to help you.”

CHAPTER 23

LUCAS

“Help us!?” Nadine spat, stepping further into the room.

Priestess Charlotte nodded calmly. “Yes. I’ve come in peace.”

“You’ve come on assignment from the council,” Nadine accused. “How could we possibly trust you?”

I followed behind Nadine, and for the first time, I got a good look at the room. Priestess Charlotte stood in front of the window, directly across from the door, but she wasn’t alone. Talia and Grant sat on the couch, and Miles sat beside Chloe on Talia’s bed. Our cats gathered around them. They all looked completely at ease.

I didn’t understand. They should be on full alert, ready to blast battle magic at this bitch.

Talia stood and spoke gently. “Please, Nadine. Just hear her out.”

“I renounced my priesthood,” Charlotte said, before Nadine nor I could get in another word.

We both stopped dead. We couldn’t have heard her right.

“You did… what?” Nadine asked carefully.

“I’ve always gone along with the other priestesses, because I thought it was my duty,” Charlotte said. “I never questioned Margaret and Lilian, because I didn’t think a priestess could lie to each other. I trusted them and believed that everything we were doing had a divine purpose from Mother Miriam. Then you were declared innocent, and I realized the priestesses are imperfect. I thought for certain you were trying to tear the coven apart from the inside. I realize now that I was deceived.”

Charlotte had always been the quiet one anytime we confronted the priestesses. I never thought much of it, but I realized she looked to Margaret and Lilian for guidance.

“You believed Stella’s confession, then?” I asked. “The judge thought we coerced her.”

“I happen to know a certain demon had something to do with what happened in that courtroom,” Charlotte said. “The Imperium Council allows the coven to believe many lies, but I am done with the lies. The other priestesses wish to place a false Curse Breaker on the council, and that is not what Mother Miriam would want.”

Nadine gasped. “Mira’s not a Curse Breaker?”

Charlotte shook her head. “Mira approached us after The Hearse Tragedy. She offered to do anything for us. Lilian came up with the idea to have her pose as Curse Breaker after her Evoking Ceremony, in order to throw Nadine off the council. Mira’s Mortana, like me. Lilian figured that if Nadine could pose as an Alchemist, we could fake our own Curse Breaker.”

Nadine looked to be contemplating this information. “How can we trust you’re telling the truth?”

“Margaret and Lilian have already made the announcement of my resignation public,” Charlotte said. “Ask around. People are already inciting riots.”

Nadine gasped. “Grammy’s garden.”

“What happened to Helena’s garden?” Talia demanded, her gaze darting between the two of us.

“Someone burned it to the ground, and the fire spread to the house,” Nadine said. “I thought it was because of my verdict, but people must be mad Charlotte left the council.”

“Without a doubt,” Charlotte said in a serious tone.

“People must see the council is in the wrong if priestesses are leaving,” I insisted.

“I thought they would, too,” Charlotte said. “Perhaps some coven members are swayed, but others are not convinced. I never intended to divide us even further.”

“How can you help us?” Nadine still didn’t sound convinced.

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