Page 50 of The Demon's Spell
“Or we can just arrest you for obstruction of justice,” Priestess Lilian suggested.
“How does that work on a priestess?” I asked.
Margaret narrowed her eyes. She stepped so close to me so only I could hear her. “You better tread carefully, Nadine. We can turn the coven so far against you that they’ll administer the noose themselves.”
“Go ahead and give them the courage to hang a priestess,” I hissed. “And watch them march the entire Imperium Council to the gallows.”
Margaret’s features faltered. She opened her mouth to say something, but a collective gasp traveled around the room, cutting her off. Margaret’s gaze snapped upward. I turned to see two figures stepping up to the balcony—Chloe and Miles. They wore dark robes with hoods over their faces. All that could be seen under the hoods was tape covering their mouths. Nooses hung limply around their necks.
They climbed over the banister and steadied themselves on the other side.
“What is this?” Lilian barked. “I demand you get down at once!”
They ignored her. Chloe grabbed Miles’s hand, and then… they jumped.
People screamed, and gasps traveled around the room as they fell through the air. All at once, they came to a halt mid-air. Their ropes stretched above them, as if attached to an invisible wire, and their heads hung limply. Their bodies spun around, their toes hovering off the ground. It looked so real that my stomach twisted into horrible knots.
Chloe had used her telekinesis to create the illusion. When she said we had to be loud, she meant it. Though they hadn’t said a word, this protest was louder than any words would ever be.
If they can take your voice, they can take your life.
“This is ridiculous!” Charlotte cried.
“For heaven’s sake, Lilian!” Margaret snapped. “Get them down from there!”
Lilian’s nostrils flared. She lifted her hands, and my friends began to float through the air toward her. Chloe must’ve been resisting her with her power, because the crease between Lilian’s eyebrows grew deeper. She looked like she was struggling. Lilian was stronger than Chloe, though. The moment Lilian overpowered her, my friends crashed to the ground. It happened so fast that they caught themselves with their hands.
Chloe let out a pained cry. “Run!” she told Miles.
He didn’t listen, though. He rushed to her side and tried to help her up, but she pushed him away.
“Go,” she insisted.
He peeked toward the priestesses from under his hood. Lilian was already marching toward him. Chloe used her Mentalist powers to force Miles away from her, and he took off running down the hall.
Lilian grabbed Chloe by the hood of her cloak and yanked her upright. Chloe stumbled to her feet, but she favored one of her hands, like it’d been injured when she fell.
“I bet you think you’re so funny,” Lilian sneered. “Let’s see how comical you feel when you’re truly hanging from the gallows—”
Lilian yanked Chloe’s hood down, and she gasped when she locked eyes with her granddaughter. All the blood drained from her face. It was clear to everyone in the room that Chloe was the last person she expected to be underneath that cloak.
Chloe yanked the tape off her mouth. “Hello, grandmother.”
“Chloe Jane Olson,” Lilian sneered. The conversation was meant just for them, but everyone in the room heard. “Just wait until your father hears about this!”
“Yeah, that should be fun,” Chloe said dryly.
“Maybe you’d like to think about it while spending the night in a jail cell,” Lilian threatened.
“That seems like an awfully fair punishment,” Chloe stated. “You’ve hanged women for far less.”
A muscle popped in Lilian’s jaw. “Sheriff, handcuff this student and take her away.”
Sheriff Baker conjured another set of handcuffs.
“Priestess, is this really necessary?” I asked. “She’s your granddaughter.”
“And she will receive proper punishment for this gross display,” Lilian said. “The priestesses are simply trying to keep the coven safe. Chloe has interfered, and dare I say, you are dangerously close to being arrested yourself.”