Rogues of The Story

Chapter 13: The Trial of Miriam Winthrop

The little group went back down through the castle towards the outer courtyard. The sounds of battle had faded away, leading Philip to believe that either the Guardians were waiting for them or Merlin had driven them off. Whichever the case, Philip was prepared for anything. He didn't really care what was coming.

Mimi was still unconscious, mumbling under her breath. Philip was a little worried the knock to her head had permanently injured her, but he didn't dwell on it. He had enough problems without imagining new ones to add to them. Holding her in his arms, he narrowly avoided getting slapped in the face when she squirmed around, her arms flailing.

Finally—it didn't happen soon enough for Philip—they reached the doors leading outside. They were wide open and badly burned, but still in decent shape. At the very least, they weren't falling off the hinges. The rebellion was standing around the courtyard, some tending to injuries, others just standing there stupidly. Chances were, it was their first battle, and Philip was willing to bet that it was startling to them, to say the least.

Merlin approached them, a cut on his forehead but otherwise unharmed. "Where were you?" he said irritably.

"Killing the dragon," Philip snapped. "That nearly killed your prisoners."

Merlin narrowed his eyes. "You killed the dragon?"

"Yeah," Philip said. "It's dead."

"Philip killed it. No thanks to you," Martin said in an unfriendly tone. Philip shot him a glare that clearly told him to cut it out. The boy subsided, though he looked unhappy about it.

Merlin's voice was practically dripping in venom. "Oh, really," he said. "Well, congratulations to him, isn't it? I trust that you are unharmed, dragon killer?"

"I'm okay," Philip answered, taking a more neutral tone of voice. It was obvious that Merlin was hostile towards Mimi and Martin—he wouldn't have put them in a cell if he wasn't. The only way to keep both of them safe would be to appeal to Merlin's better nature. Hopefully, he had one. "What's the plan now?"

"The plan," Merlin said, "is to place Miriam Winthrop on trial for treason, attempted murder, and betrayal. The Guardians found us through her. And she will be put to death."

"Now, hold on just a minute," Philip protested. "She literally can't betray you! I mean, her oath on the River Styx and all that? In case you forgot?"

Merlin shook his head. "She found her way around it. There's no one else who would betray us so blatantly."

"Maybe it's not as blatantly obvious as you think," Martin said. "Or can you—" Again, a look from Philip stopped him.

"She will be put on trial. The rebellion will decide her fate."

"At least wait to put her on trial until she can actually defend herself," Philip said. "She's unconscious. Give us an hour?"

After a long moment, Merlin finally gave a curt nod. "One hour," he said. "Any longer than that, and the trial will commence. Remember that." Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

Philip made a face at his retreating back. "Remember that," he spat. "Honestly. I'm getting sick of his attitude every day that goes by."

"You haven't even been here for a day," Goldie pointed out.

Philip shrugged. "That just goes to show you how annoying he is, then. Come on. Let's go somewhere private where we can figure out how to prove Mimi innocent to the rest of the rebellion."