Scornful Sadie (Dark Sorceress Trilogy Book 1) (16 page)

Closing my eyes, I silently counted to twenty before I killed her. “Does it matter?”

“You totally are!” she squeaked. “It’s ok. Boys like that.”

“How would you know?” I countered. As far as I knew, she’d never been out with a guy.

“I hear things.” She winked.

“Let’s go,” I sighed. “We have to get going. Grandma is expected back soon.”

“I still can’t believe she’s your grandma,” she said, shaking her head. Distracting Mel was key to get her to shut up about things you didn’t want to talk about.

“I can’t believe you didn’t connect the last names,” I laughed.

Her face fell. I opened the door, still laughing, and could practically hear her pouting. “I should have figured it out,” she whined.

In the kitchen, I found Grandma and Tessi deep in conversation. Aiden was nowhere in sight, and Santos was outside watering flowers. “Hey,” I said.

“Sadie!” Grandma said. She glided toward me, hugging me tightly. “We’re almost ready to go. Are you?”

Lifting my bag, I nodded. “Yeah. Is Santos not coming?”

She shook her head sadly. “He’s going to stay here with Jackson. He’s signed up for summer classes, so I told him to not worry about it.”

“Oh,” I said. Disappointment was heavy in my voice, but I prayed no one heard it.

“He’ll come if we need him,” she assured me. Yeah, she heard it.

As nonchalantly as I could, I shrugged. “It’s better this way,” I argued. “I don’t want anyone else in danger.”

She took my hand, giving me a Grandma look, and squeezed. “No one will be in danger. We’ve fought evil before and won. This time will be no different.”

“Except that it is,” I replied. “I’m part of a prophecy. There’s no way to get out of that. These sorcerers are going to roast me.”

She laughed loudly, earning a shocked look from all of us in the room. “No one is roasting you, Sadie Mae. You need to calm down.”

Was my grandma really telling me to calm down right now?

Aiden chose that moment to stroll in with his bags. “What did I miss?”

Shoot!
“Hey, Grandma,” I grinned. “Guess what? Aiden remembered everything last night.”

Her blue eyes widened in delight as she assessed him. “What? You remember us, Aiden?”

He nodded, giving her his most charming grin. “I do, Ms. Anna.”

She hurried to him, engulfing him in her arms. “I was hoping it would work quickly. I’m so happy to have you back with us.”

He patted her back, winking at me from over her shoulder. “I’m happy to be back,” he said.

She released him, leaving an arm around his shoulders, and asked us, “When did this happen?”

I blushed, again, much to my dismay. What was with that? Gazing away, I let Aiden answer.

“Well, we were walking down the hall talking about going to the council last night, and Sadie was mad, and I don’t know, it all just came back to me. I remembered everything.”

“You remembered last night and you’re just now telling me?” she asked, looking at me accusingly.

Mel snickered, making us look even worse in Grandma’s eyes. Tessi shifted her eyes from one person to another as she quietly listened and let everything soak in.

“We needed sleep,” I said curtly. We’d done nothing wrong in waiting to tell her, and spending the night together wasn’t wrong, either. We were both adults now and could do as we wished.

“Aren’t those council people waiting for you, Ms. Anna?” Aiden asked.

She nodded, looking peeved, but kept silent. “Is everyone ready?”

“Let me tell Santos goodbye,” I called as I rushed out the back door.

Time stood still when I stepped outside. Everything looked the same, but it wasn’t. Santos was frozen in place, hunched over, tending to the roses. I spun around, realizing the doors were quickly fading from my sight. “What’s happening?” I screamed.

The backyard was next, everything fading from view before my eyes. The garden, Sebastian’s tree, and even Santos were gone within seconds. I stood in a dark, cold room when it ended. The walls were black, and there seemed to be no doors. A billowing smoke snaked around my feet, which wouldn’t move. “Help!” I cried.

A deep chuckle came from behind me, but try as I might, I couldn’t turn to see who it was.

“Who are you?” I questioned. Forcing myself to calm, I reached deep within and tried to break the magic that bound me to this spot.

“Why, I am you. You are me. We are the same,” he said.

“Oh, great, a riddler,” I said under my breath. “Oh?” I asked louder. “And who am I?”

“You are the dark sorceress,” he said pointedly.

My heart sped up then and I forgot all about trying to unbind myself. Was this Bram?”

“Yes,” he responded. Each time he spoke, his voice came from a different area of the room.

“Yes, what?”

“I am Bram. You asked the question in your mind.”

“You can read my mind?” I hissed. “Not cool, dude.”

“I don’t know what a dude is, but the temperature has nothing to do with this,” he said seriously.

“What?” I asked. “I don’t speak in riddles. Can you talk like a normal person?”

“But I’m so much more than a normal person, Sadie Tabors,” he answered. “I am one of the original sorcerers, one of the most powerful to ever exist. And I have returned thanks to my followers. Why would I speak your so called normal language when it’s obvious I am extraordinary?”

Rolling my eyes, I groaned. “Great, I have a resurrected, cocky ass sorcerer on my hands.”

“You are the one speaking in riddles, Sadie Tabors,” he responded. “Quit fighting me. I have much to tell you.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “Why are you holding me hostage? And why can’t I see you? If you’re so big and powerful, what are you afraid of?”

He chuckled, his voice rumbling and shaking the floor I was stuck to. “Sadie Tabors, don’t you know the prophecy? It is you I’m afraid of. You have the power to destroy me.”

“Supposedly,” I said sarcastically. “How do you know it’s about me?”

“I just know,” he said harshly. His voice moved to the front of me, calling loudly, “There are two things that can be done.”

“And they are?”

“You die,” he said bluntly.

“I don’t like that option,” I replied. “Next!”

“You join me.”

Fighting the thoughts in my head, I struggled to keep my mind clear. He could hear my thoughts and that wasn’t something I was expecting. “Join you?” I asked. Mustering my strength, I used my power to press and surge against his. Nothing happened at first, but I kept on.

“Yes, join me. Become one of the dark followers. Help me to rid this world of the weaklings. Become a coordinator of the Sorcerer Wars.”

“What does a coordinator do, exactly?” I asked, hoping for more time. Magically pressing harder, I felt a crack in the bind and was able to lift my heel.

“You would do as I say. Create the wars, the mazes, and pick the players to throw in. We’d start with your family, of course, and the last one standing would move on to the next war. We only need the best sorcerers, Sadie Tabors. If they can’t do what I wish, they don’t deserve their powers. They don’t deserve to live.”

His voice moved again, right beside my ear this time. “Of course, our maze is set up to pull the powers from their dying bodies and transfer them to you. You’ll only become more powerful, Sadie Tabors.”

His presence sent icy chills through me. “In my day, the Sorcerer Wars were the way of life. Only the best were allowed to live, and we thrived. Our communities never fought, never argued. We all worked together, using the most powerful magic to create anything we needed. I want that again, Sadie Tabors. This world needs that. No more hiding from mortals. They should be our slaves! They are inferior. Don’t you want to use your powers as you wish? Not compete with anyone, especially your own siblings?”

I felt another crack and the tightness around my arms lifted. “You want me to kill my entire family and then absorb their powers?”

“Yes,” he said. If this guy had a face, he would be smiling, I think.

“I don’t want them to die.”

“You will, once you accept who you are and what is to be done.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked. Shifting my eyes, I surveyed the room and saw nothing that resembled a person. Who was this crazy ass and how was I going to defeat him?

“You’ll accept who you are and see this is the only way. These things will come to pass whether you join me or not, Sadie Tabors. Will you join me in Clorva?”

Clorva?
“Uhh is that code for something dirty?” I asked.

“Clorva, the sorcery realm,” he answered exasperated.

There’s a sorcery realm? There are other realms in this world? Why didn’t I know about them?

“Yes, yes, I don’t know,” he responded.

Dammit. I forgot he could hear me
. “I don’t know, Bram. Do I have time to think on it?”

“Not much,” he revealed. “The other five will be woken soon. And then, we will begin.”

“How do I find you?” I asked.

“Only you can unlock Clorva. Don’t run to your council or anyone for help; you are the key. Once you accept yourself, and accept your deepest secret, you will find your way.”

I fell forward as the air around me began to shift and change back to Grandma’s yard. The tree came into view, followed by the grass and flowers, then Santos still in the same position. The house appeared as a fog seemed to lift, and everyone was in the same spot as before. The air around me grew thick and I couldn’t breathe as it all swirled and took shape.

Clutching my throat, I gasped for air and finally heard Santos call my name in a panic. My face fell into the soft grass and I finally felt the fresh air rush to my lungs. Santos hovered above me, shaking me and screaming my name.

I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move. Bram was after me, after my family, and only I could save them. He wanted me, or he’d kill me. I had no choice in this situation. Finding this Clorva place was a must, and only I could go. I would fight Bram, and whomever he brought with him, and save those I loved dearly.

There was no other way. He wanted them dead. He wanted me dead. The best thing I took from this visit was his power wasn’t too strong for me. The binds he used to hold me were strong, but I was stronger.

Bram
could
be defeated.

“Sade,” Aiden said as he laid his hand on my forehead. “Are you ok? What happened?”

Sitting up, I looked at him and focused. “Bram.”

I heard gasps from around me as everyone took in what happened, but I couldn’t deal. Taking Aiden’s offered hand, I got to my feet and regained my balance. Walking swiftly, I headed inside and to Grandma’s sorcery library. I heard the footsteps behind me, but I kept on. Clorva, if it was real, was a daunting thought. Finding out what I was dealing with was my priority.

“Sade,” Aiden said from beside me. “Are you ok?”
 

“Fine,” I replied. Swinging the door open, I hurried through the normal library and moved the bookcase to reveal the sorcery one. The books were in alphabetical order, so I searched for C…or was it K?