Even Meera was stunned as she saw the green-haired sister of the witch stand up from the crowd. She had downcast and puffy eyes as if she had been crying a lot. But no amount of crying would undo the betrayal she was about to commit.

She made her way slowly down the steps, not lifting her gaze. Kalrina glared daggers at her sister. Meera could only wonder what was going on in her head.

What would I feel if Neel were to testify against her?

Arvena stepped onto the dais with shaky feet. Each step seemed to thunder in the silent room. Many sorceresses were shaking their heads at the betrayal among sisters. Would any of them ever trust her ever again?

The Orator smirked as she guided Arvena to stand opposite her sister. Kalrina's sharp tongue from moments ago had all but vanished, replaced with a mean scowl for the green-haired sorceress she called sister. Depending on the next few minutes, that bond might be severed forever.

"Oh…" The Orator cupped a hand around her ear as she leaned towards Kalrina. "What happened to that sharp tongue? No more insults towards the Conclave. No twisting words to squirm your way out of your predicament."

Kalrina took a step towards her sister. "Arvena, what is the meaning of this?"

A tear dripped to the ground from Arvena's cheek, but the garish sorceress said nothing.

Even Meera was angry that the sorceress would stand against her sister like so. Meera would rather have her skin ripped off than betray Neel like this.

"Look at me." Kalrina seethed.

But her sister did not dare look up.

"Look at me!" She roared.

Arvena flinched at her tone and finally looked up. The tears brimming her eyes spilled. A hand went to her mouth, and a silent sob escaped her throat. "No…" She looked at Aksha. You said…"

"You trusted that vile woman's words." Kalrina hobbled towards her. "You know what she did. Even after all this." She spread her arms wide and turned to the sisterhood. "Look, my sisters, this fate awaits you if you go against Aksha. She tortured me for days—burned my skin with her acid, forced poison down my throat, broke my bones. All so she could get me to confess to these murders, and when I wouldn't fall to her command…she turned sister against sister. That is what lies at the core of this sisterhood."

The Orator sidled next to Meera as Kalrina tried to rile up the sorceresses. Meera had half a mind to take out her chakram that she had hidden in the folds of her dress and decapitate her on the spot, but she figured it was best to listen to her and then decapitate her…maybe.

"If you're willing to turn against the mad bitch, we can give you a lenient sentence," Orator said.

"Or maybe not a sentence at all."

She set her jaw. "I cannot promise that."

"Then get me someone who can."

She looked at her mother, and something passed between them. Aksha and her daughter's expressions remained the same, but the daughter sighed. "Fine. No sentence."

Meera nodded. "Then, I'm your girl. What do you need me to say?"

The daughter smiled. "Just follow my lead." She stepped forward with a hand raised. "Yes, yes. We've heard it all now. Let's proceed with proving your crimes. But before we begin questioning Arvena, I have recently learned another has stepped forward to reveal this woman's treacherous nature."

Kalrina squinted at her but caught Meera's eyes. She shook her head slightly when she judged Meera's intentions.

Meera shrugged in response.

The Orator turned towards her. "Meera, can you please tell us the truth that you were just telling me?"

"Sure." Meera stepped up and could just feel the others leaning in to hear her words. "I hate you all. All of you." She paused, waiting for a rebuttal, but the Orator was so stunned that she could only blink. "No, seriously, that is it. That is the truth. Maybe I'm generalizing based on the few sorceresses that I've had the displeasure of meeting, but as far as I've seen, you're all shitty people. You are perhaps the prettiest and the ugliest people I've ever seen."

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from cracking up at the shocked looks. Aside from Aksha, most had various expressions of shock or outrage.

There was only one who was affected by her comment.

Kalrina burst into laughter at the stunned looks of her so-called sisters. Her laughter echoed in the silent hall, making it even harder for Meera to keep a straight face.

She frowned. "Was that not what I was supposed to say?"

The daughter clenched her fists as a vein throbbed on her forehead. "Do you think this is a joke?"

Meera shrugged. "Hey, you asked for the truth."

It looked like the clone would move for Meera, and she really wished that she did, but the Orator looked at her mother, who shook her head slightly so the Orator visibly swallowed her anger.

Meera knew she was playing with fire, but these women needed her—that much was certain. Otherwise, Aksha would have tortured her to try to turn her against Kalrina, but she ignored her as if she wasn't even there.

"This is your last chance," Orator hissed. "Tell the Five that you've seen Karina's true colors, or the results will not be good for you."

Kalrina jumped on her chance. "Are you threatening a witness to testify in your favor? Wow, clearly, this is a very fair trial. I'm not going to see true justice here."

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"Shut up!" Orator snapped. "Just shut the fuck up! You had your chance. Meera, tell the Conclave that you know about this traitorous bitch's true intentions."

Meera shrugged. "I don't know anything about that. I just know that your mother came into her cell and tortured her regularly to confess to the murders. Speaking from an outsider's perspective, it seems like Aksha has something against Kalrina. Looks like she's trying really hard to get her killed. Sorry, I mean, see justice done."

The daughter did not take one lightly. Veins bulged out on her forehead, and she grew so red that Meera feared the top of her head was going to blow up like a volcano.

"What I'm trying to do is bring Kalrina to justice for her crimes against the sisterhood," the real Aksha spoke. "We've wasted enough time. Begin questioning the real witness."

Orator tilted her head. "Yes, mother." She turned on the balls of her feet and smiled at the green-haired sorceress. "Arvena, I hope your memory is as sharp as ever."

Arvena gave a slight nod with her eyes on the floor.

"Good. Tell me, were you with my mother when you visited Hemera's three days hence."

Again, a simple nod.

"Please speak your answers. I don't want your nods to be misinterpreted for trembling."

"Yes, I was there."

"And why?"

Now, she gave a mournful look to her sister before she spoke. "I was standing watch for my sister who had gone to Hemera to get her memory restored, which had been altered, or so she said."

Orator leaned in. "Yes, but you didn't just do that, did you?"

Arvena's head fell as she shook her head. "N-No, I…I w-went to Aksha…"

Kalrina grew dark. Her face was expressionless, and Meera had never seen her like that. Even when Aksha tortured her, the woman had rage on her face, but now, it was like someone had replaced the annoying woman with a statue.

"And why would you betray your sister so, hmm?" Orator tapped a finger on her lips.

Tears dripped off Arvena's cheeks and onto the floor. "I-I was…afraid she would…k-kill her like she did…Isolde And Neshi."

Some in the crowd gasped. A moment later, a sorceress stood up and raised a glowing hand, pointing at Kalrina. Her eyes were wet with tears. One of the two deceased sorceresses must've been close to her, but her neighbor pulled her down.

Orator spread her arms wide. "There you have it. Her own sister speaks the truth."

A clamor rose from the stands. Most calling Kalrina various names or sister-killer. While others called for her head to be taken off here and now and other forms of gruesome deathly punishments.

Meera tuned them out and stared at Arvena. Her hatred for the woman deepened at seeing her betray her sibling like that. Meera would die before she did anything like this against Neel. Meera spat on the ground towards Arvena. "I was right about you. How could you?"

Orator laughed. "How could she? How could she?!" Followed by more gales of laughter, not just from her but also from some of the other sorceresses. "It's simple, but you Varshans are far too primitive to understand such concepts as loyalty. But I'll try. You see, she picked her sisterhood over her bloodthirsty sister."

Kalrina still had no retort. She stared at Arvena as if she didn't know how this came to be. The woman seemed to be in shock. Meera could understand her shock at being betrayed by someone you trusted so deeply. But this was it for Kalrina and her plans until she smiled, which threw off the Orator and made many—Meera included—frown.

"I wonder how much dear Aksha tortured you to turn you against me," Kalrina purred.

Orator scoffed. "A creature so engrossed with foul play can only think of the same of others. Arvena's actions are born of her loyalty to the sisterhood."

"Hmm, I'm sure that's why she's trembling like a leaf in the wind."

Orator scoffed and ignored her as she turned to the crowd. "My sisters, there you have it. The villain's actions have been brought to light by her sister herself. Do you still deny your actions, Kalrina?"

"Might as well confess, right dearie?" She asked Meera.

Meera shrugged. "It's your funeral."

Kalrina smirked. "I'm sure you'll love to see that."

Meera wasn't sure where this was going. She was concerned the witch had finally lost it. After all, the witch was her escape plan. Ideally, Meera would've liked to ditch her as she made her escape, but her heart ached for her. For all Kalrina had lost, she couldn't help but want to break Aksha's stoic face.

It's not my fight. Meera reminded herself. Numheia had told her to be a little more selfish, and that is what she would do. She had wasted enough time here.

"Yes, I killed them all," Kalrina confessed to the hush of the crowd.

Duinith leaned in. Nikai wrung her hands, splashing ink everywhere. Aksha had a face made of stone. The youngest-looking of the Five, the flame sorceress, was teary-eyed and shook her head in disappointment.

"Why?" Orator asked.

Kalrina held up a finger. "Neshi because she snitched on me and Eston." She held up two fingers. "Isolde because she wouldn't give me the book The Intricacies of Skills and Species. Oh, by the way, I lost that book, Nikai, when I was running from Aksha's spawns. Sorry."

Nikai's alabaster-shaded skin had turned the color of tomatoes. Her hands turned black from what Meera figured was ink, and the ink began traveling up her arms.

Kalrina held up three fingers. "Lastly, Hemera, well, she saw things in my memory that she was about to rat out. But it seems I killed the wrong rat." She smiled at her sister. "Have fun trying to get anyone to trust you with their secrets after this."

Orator barked a laugh. "You talk about trust. You? She's a true sister of the sisterhood."

Kalrina's eyes turned hard, but the smile remained on her lips. "Yes, just not to her sister."

Duinith stood. "By Arvena's statements and your own admittance, you are no longer fit to be one of us. As per the laws set forth by this very Conclave, Kalrina, you are sentenced to death by—"

"I invoke the Accord of Harleva!" Kalrina smiled coyly.

"You dare?" Duinith's face was rage incarnate.

The reaction from the other sorceresses was outrage as well. Everyone screamed and shouted for Kalrina to take back her words or that she wasn't worthy of such an honor. Meera was confused, and everyone, even the Orator, screamed and shouted at Kalrina, who reveled in their outrage.

Meera pulled on her arm. "What is this Accord?"

Kalrina spoke in her ear so that she could be heard. "It was a precedent set by one of the Five who almost died giving her life for the sisterhood. Focus on the word, almost. The story is she held off a horde of dragons. But she was wounded badly by dragon fire. By the time we found her, the infection from dragon fire had spread so far and wide that it was impossible to save her."

Meera frowned. "You don't have healers?"

Kalrina gave her a blank look that said Meera was stupid. "Of course we do. But the sorceresses that found her were not healers. Since she was one of the Five, she commanded them to end her life. She chose the way she wanted to go. After her death, it became an Accord. Any sorceress about to die and couldn't be saved could choose how she wanted to go."

Meera's eyes snapped open as it clicked. Kalrina's life was forfeit, and instead of letting them dictate her death, she was going to choose the method of her execution. It was genius, save for the fact that she would still be executed.

Kalrina shrugged. "I'm a sorceress who is about to die with no means or intent of saving my life, so all the terms and conditions apply. It also helps that they've never given the orders to execute a sorceress."

By the time she finished telling the story, the crowd had quieted somewhat, and the Five heard what Kalrina had just said.

"So, overrule the death sentence, or let me pick my death." Kalrina smiled. "What will it be?"

The Five debated furiously. Well, the four. Aksha simply stared at Kalrina as if trying to see through her soul. Nikai and Duinith were strictly against it, but Firaan and the others talked about setting a precedent about not following their own rules. There was a counter to that argument about letting sorceresses choose their death. They went back and forth, and the argument even started to grate on Meera's nerves.

Kalrina coughed loudly, getting their attention. "Who cares if the future condemned get to choose their deaths? In the end, they will die and isn't that the point."

The Five passed glances amongst themselves, and in the end, Aksha shook her head, and the others agreed while nodding their heads.

"Let the Accord stand," said a new, powerful voice coming from the door.