Scornful Sadie (Dark Sorceress Trilogy Book 1)

by Felicia Tatum

  “Oh,” she said suddenly. “Here. Clorva survived for one hundred and fifty years. The six sorcerers spent the years torturing and tormenting the sorcerers of the land, until finally they turned on one another. The six were defeated by their own greed and hunger for power, and it was then the Harmonious Gathering was created, to ensure sorcerers were not defeated by their own in any nefarious ways.”

  “I thought the council was created to keep mixing of supernatural beings from happening?”

  “That’s a separate division,” she said. “Most parents don’t tell their children the true reason it was created. The Sorcerer Wars were a dark time in our history, and most people wish to forget they ever happened. Everyone who was alive during the time, and those who survived, are long gone by now, but they told their families’ stories. It’s not something one forgets.”

  Deflated, I sat in silence. The horrid things my ancestors must have gone through…it was a lot to take in. I took the book and pulled it to me, flipping back to the pages she skipped. “What are these?”

  “It tells of Clorva, the plant and animal life, and different aspects. You can read it if you want, but I don’t know why you’d need to,” Allison said.

  “Because I’m the key to opening it,” I responded. “Bram wants me to send them all back there, including me. He wants the Sorcerer Wars to begin again.”

  Stunned, she leaned back in her chair and stared at me. “You open Clorva?”

  I shrugged. “Supposedly.”

  “Oh my god,” she whispered. “What are we going to do?”

  “You mean what am I going to do,” I pointed out. No one else really had anything to do. It was all on my shoulders.

  “We have to protect you,” she countered. “You’re the dark sorceress. The one who defeats Bram and his followers.”

  While I trusted she wasn’t harmful, I knew if I told her my plan, she’d run to Grandma and spill. “I can protect myself. No need to worry about it. Can I take this book to my room?”

  “Aiden Rivers can’t see it,” she said, scrunching her brows together. “Anna said so.”

  “I won’t let him look,” I promised. “I don’t want him hurt, trust me.”

  She looked unsure, but nodded anyway. “Do you want the others?”

  Closing the book, I held it up. “This one is good for now. Can you direct me to where my room is?”

  “Follow me,” she said, and smiled.

  She led me up a staircase and through a short hallway, stopping in front of a normal looking door. I kept expecting extravagant and elegant furnishings and fixtures, but Grandma really did make the interior as normal and natural as possible. “Here you go. Everything you need is inside, including a bathroom, and Aiden should be there.”

  “Thank you, Allison,” I said. Slipping the book under my elbow, I turned the knob and stepped inside.

  Aiden was stretched out on the bed watching TV. He turned when I entered, his blue eyes smoldering as they devoured my appearance. He clicked the remote without looking and hopped to his feet. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” I said lamely. Why did my heart speed up every time he looked at me like that? Like I was the only thing in the world to make him smile or something.

  “You ok?”

  I nodded. “Mmhmm.”

  “We’re sharing a room?” he asked. Way to get to the point, Aiden.

  “Mmhmm,” I said again.

  He laughed. “Fine with me,” he said with a grin. His face was slightly hidden behind his stubble, but it was sexy. I hoped he kept it.

  “I gotta tell you something,” I admitted. Tossing the book to the table beside the bed, I sat cross-legged in front of him.

  He joined me, looking concerned. “What now?”

  “So…apparently because you’re an elite and because you were a vessel, magical beings can manipulate you with magic.”

  He blinked several times as he processed my words. “Huh.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  We really had this conversation thing down.

  “I insisted we share a room so no one can get to you while you sleep,” I told him.

  He grinned foolishly. “You wanna protect me, Sade?”

  Rolling my eyes dramatically, I joked, “Who else will? You can’t take care of yourself. That Amy chick proved that.”

  He laughed loudly, throwing his head back. “Sade, I dunno when you got so hilarious, but I really like it.”

  I grinned. “I try.”

  He looked at me suggestively. “I have no objections to sharing a room with you, babe.”

  “Don’t call me babe,” I quipped.

  “Why not, sugar?” he teased.

  “Stop,” I said firmly.

  “Come on, baby,” he said. His grin grew wider with each one.

  “Aiden.”

  “Sweetie.”

  “You infuriate me,” I growled.

  “I know, honey,” he replied. “Always have.”

  “Got that right,” I grumbled. Moving away from him and his cheesy pet names, I grabbed the book and settled into the loveseat below the TV. Flipping through the pages, I found the one on the specifications of Clorva.

  Purple-trunked trees populate the forests. Color-changing grass ranges from deep blue to yellow, depending on the weather. Green for warm, spring-like days, brown for cold, winter-like days, light blue for cool, fall-like days, and yellow for hot, summer-like days. There was no rhyme or reason behind the color changes, they simply were. There are no flowers in Clorva, or plants that create foods. The trees are simply for oxygen, as The Six could not create a synthetic version. A variety of animals populate the realm, most of them mammals. Leozards, Tions, and Tizorns are the most common found in the forests of Clorva. The animals were created for the realm based off animals The Six found in the Ceeva realm. The Six built and shaped Clorva on the knowledge gained from living in Ceeva, but improved the aspects they found disappointing. The animals were simply for hunting purposes, and most were not pleasant to look at. They feasted on grass and tree leaves for nourishment. The sorcerers on Clorva must depend on their powers to nourish their own bodies. The magical realm was free of disease and sickness.

  Hidden within the forests were huts and homes of sorcerers who escaped the Sorcerer Wars. Many sorcerers called to the games fought and lost their lives, but the occasional few managed to escape and formed a life in the depths of Clorva Forest. Entry to the realm was destroyed, and along with it, the ability to rescue those trapped inside. Time did not pass as it did in Ceeva, so it is unknown what year it is there, or how old the lost ones would be as this book was scribed.

  There were people living in Clorva! Or there had been. My gut fell in pity for them. How horrible it must have been to be sent there, escape, and then left behind. Had anyone survived? And the time…exactly how long had it been there? It’d been hundreds of years here, in Ceeva, but this said time passed differently.

  Could there be people still alive there?

  Aiden lifted my feet and sat down, laying them in his lap. “Sade?”

  “Hmm?” I kept my eyes on the book.

  “Sorry I called you cutesy names.”

  I shrugged. “It’s ok.”

  “You mad?”

  Peering over the book, I made eye contact. “No,” I chuckled. “What a silly thing to be mad about.”

  His shoulders relaxed and he leaned back. “Good. Now, whatcha reading?”

  “A book.”

  “Sade,” he said. “Is it about that place?”

  I gave him a look that screamed yes. “I’m not supposed to tell you since you’re easily manipulated.”

  He nodded his head a few times. “I understand…but you’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen, so…why can’t you tell me?”

  I bit my lip as I contemplated his words. He had a point. “True.”

  “Is it bad?”

  I closed my eyes and leaned back on the armrest. “Possibly.”

  He unzipped my boot, t
aking my foot out and pressing his fingers along the bottom. Massaging gently, he pushed and pulled my skin through my socks, making my feet feel like they were in heaven.

  I moaned against my will and felt him tense. “What?”

  “Nothing.” He gulped and took my other boot off, doing the same to my other foot.

  By the time Aiden’s hands were done with my feet, my head was lolled to the side and I was half asleep. I hadn’t realized how exhausting all of this had been for me, but keeping my eyes open was hardly possible at this point. He carefully lifted my feet and secured one arm under my leg. Taking the other and placing it around my back, he lifted me easily and kissed my forehead.

  “You’re so beautiful, Sadie.”

  I forced my eyes open. “You called me Sadie.”

  He grinned a half grin and carried me to the bed. “I did.”

  “Why?”

  He placed me on the side he’d been on, tucking the covers around me. “It was a serious moment. I wanted you to know I meant it.”

  I turned to my side as he crawled in beside me. He dimmed the light and lay his head inches from mine.

  “Isn’t it early for bed?” I asked sleepily.

  He chuckled. “Oh yeah, it’s a little after noon, but doesn’t matter. We’re gonna take a nap. All of this can be dealt with later.”

  Resting one hand under my cheek, I put the other on the pillow beside my face. Aiden reached up, curled his fingers in mine, and locked them in place. My eyes closed then, no longer allowing me to will them open, but I felt him smiling as he lifted my hand to his lips, placing the softest of kisses on my fingertips.

  Pounding stirred me from sleep seconds before the door burst open and flew into the wall. Aiden and I both sat straight up, and I desperately searched for my dagger.

  “Sadie Tabors!” Mel screeched. “You’ve been asleep this whole time?”

  Realizing the fear of danger was misplaced, I relaxed and rubbed my tired eyes. “Hi, Mel.”

  Aiden flung his body back on the bed, covering his face with the pillow.

  “You just left us to shack up with the boy? How could you?” she kept on.

  Cursing her in my head, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and faced her. “Mel, calm down. I didn’t leave you. Grandma sent y’all to your room and I had to go do some stuff concerning this Bram situation. Then I came up here and fell asleep. I blame jetlag.”

  “We transported here, Sadie. You only get jetlag when you fly.”

  Lifting my hand, I gestured into the air. “In a way, we did fly.”

  She rested her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. “You didn’t let me or Tessi know anything.”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” I responded. “Is there something wrong?”

  She threw her hands up in frustration. “Only that we were waiting around for you and you were sleeping with the boy!”

  “Mel,” Tessi said from somewhere in the hall. “Don’t be so upset.” She appeared beside her, giving me a grim smile and rolling her eyes.

  We were used to Mel’s over-dramatics.

  “We sat around doing nothing,” she whined.

  “Not true,” Tessi said. We got everything unpacked and we toured the castle. We barely even had time to realize Sadie wasn’t around.”

  Mel lowered her eyes. “I guess.”

  Mel was acting out, and while it wasn’t completely out of character, it seemed to be more than usual. “Let’s go for a walk, Mel.” I jumped up, finding my boots tossed in the floor and slipping them on. Turning to Aiden, I said, “I’ll be back in a bit. Wanna go find food when I get back?”

  He grinned that sexy grin which caused my knees to grow weak and nodded. “Sure thing.”

  I winked at Tessi as I passed and grabbed Mel by the arm. “Show me the castle.”

  “You didn’t see it?” she asked, surprised.

  I shook my head. “I had to go have a meeting with Grandma and then Allison. No time.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said as we started down the hall. “I didn’t mean to flip out.”

  “You can talk to me, Melody,” I said gently.

  She sighed. “You’re keeping something from us. And I don’t like it. I know you were on your own for years and Tessi and I are still new to this, but we’re a team. We work together, and I don’t like you not telling us the whole story.”

  Dammit, she was right. “Ok. You have a point. I’ll tell you, but you can’t say a word to anyone.”

  She held her hand over her heart. “I promise.”

  “You know about the Bram visit and how he said I’m the key? Well, I’ve been thinking about it. And I’ve been reading up on Clorva. That place is old, Mel. So old. I can’t let anything happen to my family, to you, so I’m going to open it when I have enough intel. I’m going to destroy The Six and close it off.”

  She gasped. “By yourself?”

  I nodded. “I’m the dark sorceress. The prophecy says my power grows, and I’ve already proven I can escape Bram’s binds. I can do this.”

  “Sadie,” she said cautiously. “I know you’re a badass and everything, but this seems bigger than that. You can’t go into a different realm that you didn’t even know existed a few days ago, and kill a powerful sorcerer that was resurrected from the dead. I mean, who knows if he can even be destroyed? There are too many ifs in this.”

  I shrugged and said, “I’m not asking your permission, Mel. You wanted to know what was going on and this is me telling you. I’m doing it.”

  “How do you unlock it again?”

  “By accepting who I am and revealing my deepest secret.”

  “Who you are? The dark sorceress?”

  “I dunno,” I said. Looking at her, I stopped and realized we’d made it out of the castle. “Where are we?”

  She grinned and tossed her long hair behind her shoulders. “The gardens. Aren’t they beautiful?”

  Beautiful, indeed. The gardens were rich and vibrant with life. Roses, gardenias, lilies, and a plethora of other flowers grew wild around our feet. I was almost afraid to walk, scared I’d step on one of the beauties. The fragrance of them all was overwhelming. “There are a lot of flowers.”

  She chuckled. “Lucas said your grandma really enjoys them.”

  Laughing, I nodded in agreement. “That she does.”

  We stood admiring the nature before us. She wandered around, running her fingers over the soft petals of the lilies. “So, what’s your secret?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Your deep secret. You have to reveal it. I think you’ve already accepted who you are.”

  “Oh,” I said. “I dunno.”

  “Sadie,” she scolded. “You have to know.”

  I shook my head. “I really don’t.”

  She rolled her eyes but dropped it. “Well, tell me about Aiden, then.”

  “We knew each other as teenagers. He was with my family for a few months, and we grew close. I was scared, though, and didn’t tell him how I felt. He ended up with a memory wipe from the last head of the council. That was when I realized how much I cared for him, and it was too late. No one could find him, but when Grandma came to the apartment last week, she told me they’d found him. He remembers me, us, now,” I explained.

  She cocked her head. “How did he remember? You can’t come back from a memory wipe.”

  “He’s not entirely human….”

  “What?” she snapped. “He doesn’t have an aura, so I’m pretty sure he is.”

  “He’s…his power…it’s dormant.”

  “Dormant,” she repeated.

  I nodded.

  She wiggled her finger around in the air in front of me. “You’re keeping something from me again.”

  Growling, I clenched my hands at my side. Why could she read me so well? “He’s an elite.”

  Her brows rose as she stared at me, unblinking. “An elite…as in…an elite?”

  I nodded again.

  She covered her mouth.
“Holy shit.”

  Grinning, I said, “Yeah.”

  “Why’s he dormant?”

  I shrugged. “No clue, but he is. He’s shown no signs of abilities.”

  She pondered the words. Taking the time to do my own thinking, I wondered myself why he was dormant. Was it meant to be that way? Were all of the Crimson Calamitous’s descendants dormant? Did anyone in his family even know where they came from? Would he gain his abilities later on? Was he simply bound, or did it run deeper?