targeted through her manipulations and threats.
“It’s time to set up our war room,” added Steven. I thought war was an excellent choice of words. “Etoile, you must remain here while I discuss Stella’s testimony. I don’t want us to be accused of not getting your story straight.”
Ensconced again in the small room, just the two of us this time, Steven outlined his plan. According to the judiciary rules, he explained, the prosecution had the first shot at each witness, after which the defence presented their rebuttal, as Steven put it. With the right kind of questioning, we could lessen the impact of any less than desirable answer. I assumed he was referring to the question everyone wanted answered: what exactly happened in Eleanor’s final moments?
Repeatedly, we went over the witnesses, with Steven asking questions in a slightly different way each time. Where was Seren when it happened? How long did I stay with Kitty? What did Marc witness? Did I remember the events correctly? Over and over it went, until my mind felt numb.
“We’re ready,” he said after I summarised my memories one last time.
~
The first witness called to the stand was Seren Winterstorm. She and Etoile were so similar they could have been twins, were it not for the year separating their births. They were, however, quite the opposites in personality. Etoile was short-haired and had a penchant for tailored clothing, while Seren had long, wavy hair and a much more laid-back vibe. I liked her immensely, but even that didn’t squelch the worry that was ricocheting through me as I watched her take the dais.
Georgia started with simple questions. “When did you first meet Stella Mayweather?” she asked.
“At the safe house,” replied Seren, her face neutral, neither hostile nor sympathetic to Georgia’s side. She sat with her hands clasped lightly in her lap and didn’t fidget.
“And why was she there?”
“The Bartholomews wanted to keep her safe from the Brotherhood so she could begin her magic training. Robert Bartholomew insisted on the safe house; as well as having my sister or me present at all times.”
“Stella was untrained in her magic?”
“Yes.”
“But she possessed it?”
“Yes.”
That clear, Georgia continued. “What kind of training did she undergo at the safe house?”
“I wasn’t directly involved, but Stella learned to control her shimmer and how to use telekinesis. She also received lessons in spellcraft from David Langstrom.”
“You weren’t involved in her teaching… I see, so aside from David Langstrom, who was?”
Seren hesitated. “My sister, Etoile, sometimes, but mostly, Evan Hunter.” A ripple of gasps went through the room at hearing his name. With surprise, I realised Evan was far more well known that I could have thought, even though I did recall him telling me so.
“Evan Hunter is not a witch, is he?”
“No.”
“Would you please tell the court exactly what he is.”
“Daemon.” Another ripple of whispers ran through the courtroom. Evan explained to me that certain prejudices, of which I was unaware, ran between our communities. Only now was I seeing the effects. Daemons were not liked in general, and certainly not trusted; but the snippets of conversation I caught suggested that he was, dare I say it? Revered. I wasn’t sure why. For the present, I was focused on Seren.
“A daemon teaching a witch? Does that seem unusual to you?”
“Yes.”
Georgia paused to allow that answer to sink into the minds of the audience. She was presenting what they would, no doubt, surmise as a darker side of me, I supposed. With a sinking feeling, I wondered when she would bring up our relationship.
“And Stella’s knowledge of magic improved under his tutelage?”
“Yes. She learned how to control it better, after some practice and coaching.”
“How well could she control it?”
“Quite well, actually. She was new, but she did okay.”
“Did she hold much
“It’s time to set up our war room,” added Steven. I thought war was an excellent choice of words. “Etoile, you must remain here while I discuss Stella’s testimony. I don’t want us to be accused of not getting your story straight.”
Ensconced again in the small room, just the two of us this time, Steven outlined his plan. According to the judiciary rules, he explained, the prosecution had the first shot at each witness, after which the defence presented their rebuttal, as Steven put it. With the right kind of questioning, we could lessen the impact of any less than desirable answer. I assumed he was referring to the question everyone wanted answered: what exactly happened in Eleanor’s final moments?
Repeatedly, we went over the witnesses, with Steven asking questions in a slightly different way each time. Where was Seren when it happened? How long did I stay with Kitty? What did Marc witness? Did I remember the events correctly? Over and over it went, until my mind felt numb.
“We’re ready,” he said after I summarised my memories one last time.
~
The first witness called to the stand was Seren Winterstorm. She and Etoile were so similar they could have been twins, were it not for the year separating their births. They were, however, quite the opposites in personality. Etoile was short-haired and had a penchant for tailored clothing, while Seren had long, wavy hair and a much more laid-back vibe. I liked her immensely, but even that didn’t squelch the worry that was ricocheting through me as I watched her take the dais.
Georgia started with simple questions. “When did you first meet Stella Mayweather?” she asked.
“At the safe house,” replied Seren, her face neutral, neither hostile nor sympathetic to Georgia’s side. She sat with her hands clasped lightly in her lap and didn’t fidget.
“And why was she there?”
“The Bartholomews wanted to keep her safe from the Brotherhood so she could begin her magic training. Robert Bartholomew insisted on the safe house; as well as having my sister or me present at all times.”
“Stella was untrained in her magic?”
“Yes.”
“But she possessed it?”
“Yes.”
That clear, Georgia continued. “What kind of training did she undergo at the safe house?”
“I wasn’t directly involved, but Stella learned to control her shimmer and how to use telekinesis. She also received lessons in spellcraft from David Langstrom.”
“You weren’t involved in her teaching… I see, so aside from David Langstrom, who was?”
Seren hesitated. “My sister, Etoile, sometimes, but mostly, Evan Hunter.” A ripple of gasps went through the room at hearing his name. With surprise, I realised Evan was far more well known that I could have thought, even though I did recall him telling me so.
“Evan Hunter is not a witch, is he?”
“No.”
“Would you please tell the court exactly what he is.”
“Daemon.” Another ripple of whispers ran through the courtroom. Evan explained to me that certain prejudices, of which I was unaware, ran between our communities. Only now was I seeing the effects. Daemons were not liked in general, and certainly not trusted; but the snippets of conversation I caught suggested that he was, dare I say it? Revered. I wasn’t sure why. For the present, I was focused on Seren.
“A daemon teaching a witch? Does that seem unusual to you?”
“Yes.”
Georgia paused to allow that answer to sink into the minds of the audience. She was presenting what they would, no doubt, surmise as a darker side of me, I supposed. With a sinking feeling, I wondered when she would bring up our relationship.
“And Stella’s knowledge of magic improved under his tutelage?”
“Yes. She learned how to control it better, after some practice and coaching.”
“How well could she control it?”
“Quite well, actually. She was new, but she did okay.”
“Did she hold much
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