I nodded, but couldn’t move. I didn’t know what to do about The Six. How would I do this by myself? I needed to unlock Clorva before they showed up.
Aiden saw my internal debate, and swept me into his arms. He walked us down the hall, kicked the door open to the new room, and placed me on the couch. “Do you need help getting dressed?” he asked.
Looking down, I realized he was seeing me in just a towel. A very small towel. I shook my head. “I want to sleep.”
He helped me to the bed, covering me and smoothing my soaking wet hair back. “Rest, Sade. It’ll all be better when you wake.”
I didn’t believe him, but nodded anyway. I couldn’t do much else at this point. Falling into a restless sleep, I didn’t expect the fae to be waiting for me in my dreams.
“Sadie Tabors,” she said.
“You,” I said, surprised. “I’m so sorry.”
She grinned, chuckling mischievously. “For what?”
“Getting you killed,” I said.
She waved me off. “Oh, that,” she giggled. “Totally my fault, and it was my destiny.”
Stunned, I stepped back. “What?”
“My destiny is to help you with this. I just found out,” she smiled. “I’m Tarann, by the way.”
Tarann. “What did you just find out?”
“That I’m to help you become the dark sorceress,” she squealed, clapping happily.
Ghost Tarann was quite odd compared to real-life, fae Tarann. “What does that mean?”
“You have to accept who you are to gain the power to defeat The Six, Sadie Tabors.”
Why did these people keep calling me by my full name? “That I’m the dark sorceress,” I groaned.
“Yes, Sadie Tabors. Stop feeling guilty and get back to your ass kickery ways. Sleep well, Sadie Tabors. I’ll find you when I’m needed.”
The dream ended then, and I woke.
What in the hell was going on?
Aiden was perched on the bed by my knees when I woke, watching me intently.
“Hey,” I said groggily.
“Hey,” he said softly. “You had a bad dream.”
I shook my head. “I had a weird ass dream.”
“About?”
“Tarann,” I said. When I sat up, I realized I was only in a towel and my hair was still damp. Clutching the top of it to my chest, I fought the feeling to flee.
“Who?” he asked.
“The fae girl who died.”
He stared at me. I could see the wheels turning as he tried to figure out if I was going crazy or serious. “Oh.” He looked around, probably wishing for someone to come in and help him with the crazy girl.
“She said I have to accept myself as the Dark Sorceress in order to gain all the power that comes with it. That if I do, I can defeat them.”
He still stared, his brows furrowed. “Sadie, I’m gonna go get your grandma.”
He was calling me Sadie, so he must have thought I was losing it. I nodded and he dashed from the room and down the hall. I dressed quickly, tying my hair back in a ponytail. I sat cross legged on the seat by the window as I waited for him to come back.
He came back with Grandma and Mel hot on his heels.
“Sadie!” Mel said, throwing herself in my arms.
I hugged her back. “I’m ok,” I reassured her.
“They said the Six are coming after you,” she hissed, like no one in the room knew.
I nodded. “Apparently.”
Grandma spoke next. “Aiden says the fae visited you?”
“Yeah,” I said, chewing on my lip. “She came to me in my dream. She said her name was Tarann, and it was her destiny to help me become the Dark Sorceress.”
Grandma paced as she let my words sink in. “Did she say anything else?”
“Yes. If I want to get all the powers, I have to accept who I am.”
Her eyes widened. “You can’t, Sadie.”
“Why not, Grandma? I can’t defeat them as I am.”
“That’s the first step in unlocking Clorva. We can’t let them go there. They’ll only gain more powers.”
Huffing, I planted my feet on the ground and gripped the edge of the chair. “I have to,” I said through clenched teeth. “It’s the only way.”
“No,” she said. “We’ll find another.”
“Before tomorrow?” I asked. “Because they’re coming here tomorrow. I have to be powerful enough to fight them off or we’ll all die.”
“They can’t get in,” she said.
“Obviously they can, or Bram wouldn’t have sent Tarann to me. He wanted to mess with my head, Grandma! He’s wanting me to be weak so he can defeat me.”
“No, he wants you to work with him,” she countered.
“That’s defeat in my book,” I mumbled.
“Sadie,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t do anything irrational. Let me talk to the rest of the council. We can figure this out.”
“I’ll give you until dawn, but that’s it. I’m not taking chances. I can’t lose you all, and I’m not letting anyone else die for me.”
“Sadie,” Grandma started, but I stopped her.
“No. I’m not discussing this anymore.” I stood then, moving past them and out the door. Aiden called after me, but I didn’t stop. I needed space, time, and to be alone.
###
I settled on the edge of the fountain, feeling the water washing over my fingertips. I watched it moving, thinking of how the fae had sent the ocean after us and Mel had countered it.
As if it could hear me, the water moved and squirted in my face.
Blinking several times, I looked around and saw no one. I knew I didn’t do that, so how in the hell had it happened?
Giggling came from somewhere behind a bush. Standing, I crept over and looked, but saw nothing.
“Over here, Sadie Tabors,” Tarann said from behind me.
I spun to find her standing on the outer rim of the fountain. “Oh dear Lord, now I’m seeing you.”
She smiled widely. “You and only you.”
“Why is this happening?” I cried. Covering my face, I lowered my head and wished her away.
“Won’t work,” she hissed inches from my ear.
Jumping, I moved away from her. “What do you want?”
“Acceptance,” she stated. “I can’t go on, you know go on, until you accept you’re the Dark Sorceress and get all that power.”
“I said I wouldn’t do anything until tomorrow,” I said.
“Doesn’t matter,” she shrugged. “You’re gonna do it either way. Might as well get it over with so I’ll leave you alone.”
Narrowing my eyes, I stomped away from her. “Why you?”
“Because I died for you,” she said like it wasn’t a big deal. “I wanted to help you, and the people of Clarqa, the other side, realized that. They thought I’d be perfect for you!”
“The other side?” I asked. I stared at her, realizing how utterly insane I must have looked, but it didn’t matter. I wanted answers.
“Yeah,” she said eagerly. “The other side, where people go when they die. There’s a whole group of people in charge, kind of like your council.”
“You’re kidding.”
She shook her head.
“Ok,” I drawled out. “I guess tell me what to do.”
“Yay!” she squealed. “Be right back.”
She disappeared before my eyes. I looked around for her, but she wasn’t here. So I walked deep into the gardens and ducked behind a large plant. Sitting on the grass, I prayed I was hidden away from prying eyes and waited for Tarann to return.
“Back!” she screeched not long after, scaring the crap out of me. “Gosh, being dead is so much easier than being alive.”
“Why are you so different?” I asked bluntly. “No offense, but you were a bitch before…well, until you helped me.”
“Bram did that me,” she pouted. “He took everything from me, turned me bitter, and then killed me when I t
ried to get out.”
“I thought he killed you for helping me?”
“That was my way of getting out.” she shrugged. “Didn’t work. Well,” she said, looking around. “I guess it kind of did!”
I shook my head, unable to keep up with all her random thoughts. “Ok. How do I do this?”
She sat in front of me, reaching out to touch me. Her hand went through my skin, a feather soft, cool chill staying behind. “I need you to dig your fingers into the dirt.”
Absurd, but ok. I did as she instructed.
“Close your eyes,” she said next.
I did it.
“Sadie Tabors, I need you to feel the energy around you. Pull it from the ground. The other side is surging right now, sending it through the core of the earth. You just have to find it. Pull it to you, embrace it, become it.”
She silenced then, so I focused. I moved my fingers around in the dirt, feeling the wet mud beneath my nails and on my skin. Digging deep within, I used my magic to feel for more, and picked up on something. Pushing my hand further in the ground, I desperately tried to reach the power.
It needed me.
I needed it.
My head fell back, and I felt it crawling through the earth to get to me. It spun and shot through, claiming me as its own. I felt the power touch my fingers, then coursing through my veins.
In the background, I heard Tarann cheering me on, her voice fading quickly.
I kept on, pulling the energy that latched on deeper inside me. It filled me to the brim, my body feeling full and more powerful than ever before. It consumed me, taking me over as it sunk into my bones, mixed with my own power, and made me stronger than ever before.
My eyes were closed, but I saw the blinding light through my lids. It was bright, probably to the point of blinding me had my eyes been open. With a flash, it disappeared and the surge stopped. Flying back, I lay out in the garden, my body humming with power.
“Tarann?” I called. I wasn’t sure I could move.
She didn’t answer, and I knew it had worked. I was the Dark Sorceress and she’d moved on to the other side. A part of me was sad I didn’t say goodbye. We were briefly in each other’s lives, but she’d made such an impact.
“Thank you, Tarann,” I said softly.
The wind picked up, caressing my cheek, and a small droplet of water landed just below my eye. She’d heard me.
Finally certain I could stand, I got up and started back toward Chamber House Castle.
Grandma would not be pleased with me.
“Sade!” he cried from the walkway. He was running faster than I’d ever seen him move, a look of pure terror outlining every inch of his face.
“I’m here!” I called. “I’m fine!”
He followed my voice, rushing to me and holding me close. “You scared me so badly,” he admitted. Was his voice cracking? Was he crying over the thought of losing me?”
“I’m ok,” I reassured him.
“That light…” he said. The realization of what I’d done dawned on him. “Oh, Sade.”
“I had to,” I said. “Tarann showed up in ghost form. I can’t freaking have a ghost haunting me. I have enough going on.”
“What now?”
I shrugged. “Now everyone gets pissed and I’m one step closer to being sent to this other realm.”
He closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. “Can I go?”
Scoffing, I leaned my head back to look at him better. “Are you kidding me?”
“I can’t let you go by yourself, Sade.”
“You can’t go,” I chuckled. “Aiden Rivers, the boy on a mission to die.”
“You’d protect me.”
He had a point, but I shook my head no. “We have to go in. I’m sure they all saw that.”
“What exactly did you do?” he asked. Pulling away from me, he put his arm around my shoulder, and I put mine around his waist. We started walking back and I explained what had happened.
He stopped, stepping a few feet from me and inspecting me. “You look kinda glowy.”
“What?”
“Glowy,” he said. Moving his hand around my outer body, he said, “All around here.”
I felt my eyes grow large. “Are you seeing my aura?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea?”
“SADIE MAE TABORS,” Grandma yelled from the door to the castle.
Giving Aiden a side glance, I strutted up, ready to take my tongue lashing. “Grandma?”
“You said you would wait,” she scolded. “Why is your aura golden?”
“Oh my god, Grandma! Aiden can see my aura!” I told her.
“What did you do to him?” she squealed. She rushed to Aiden, her eyes searching his body. “I don’t see his.”
“Me neither,” I said. “But he said I looked glowy.”
“Why did you do this?” she said. Disappointment laced her words, her face etched in worry.
“Tarann came to me in the gardens. She said I had no choice. The other side sent it to me.”
“The other side?” she asked, stunned. “This is so much worse than I expected.”
“Why?” I didn’t understand.
“The other side doesn’t help unless it’s an extraordinary situation.”
“I’d say the Six being resurrected is pretty extraordinary,” I scoffed.
She waved Aiden closer, and directed me toward the door. “Both of you get inside.”
Once we were sealed in, she turned to Aiden. “Can you see anything around my body? Any colors?”
He shook his head. “No, Ms. Anna.”
She pondered his reply. “Maybe you are glowing from within, Sadie. How much power was given to you?”
Chewing my bottom lip, I chuckled. “A lot.”
I shifted my eyes, cracking the table by the window and taking the bathroom door off the hinges simultaneously. Moving my wrist, I levitated Aiden and myself while spinning the furniture around in the air.
“Sadie, stop,” Grandma demanded. “I can’t believe you accepted this.”
I lowered everything to the ground and fixed the messes I’d made. “Well, it’s true. I am the Dark Sorceress. Why should I fight it? Why deny it? We knew I would have to do this. They’re coming tomorrow.”
“I know,” she finally replied. She looked defeated, upset. She thought I wouldn’t survive this.
“I need to know about the rest of the Six. I only know of Bram, Pryce, and Wolfe. Who are the others?”
“Quinton, Jyler, and Aric,” she said.
“All men,” I huffed. “Go figure.”
“Women weren’t allowed to have magic back then,” Mark said, strolling in the room. “If one showed signs, she was put to death.”
“Well, that’s nice,” I said sarcastically. “All of these dudes are super powerful?”
“More powerful than a fifth-generation,” he told me.
Groaning, I flung myself in the closest chair. “I’m so screwed.”
“You just ingested a huge amount of power,” Aiden pointed out. “How are you screwed?”
“Six to one?”
“They’ve got nothing on you,” he said.
Mark came closer, squinting his eyes as he looked at me. “Is your skin glowing?”
“I told you!” Aiden yelled.
“My skin?” I held my arm up and saw little specks of glimmer dancing across it. Well, hell, my skin was glowing. Aiden wasn’t seeing auras after all. “What’s happening?”
“You’re consumed with power,” Grandma said. “You have to relax and let it settle.”
“How long will that take?” I asked. The glittery specks grew brighter.
It was getting worse.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Let’s go. You need to rest and we need to prepare.”
“Why can’t I prepare?”
She glared at me. “I just told you.”
Scornful Sadie (Dark Sorceress Trilogy Book 1) Page 15
