Chapter Fifteen-Chamber House Castle
“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?
“Sade!” he shouted, gaining a look from me.
“What?”
“You were lying outside, looking like you were dying, and now you won’t talk. Tell me what happened!” he demanded.
Sighing, I ran a hand through my locks and bit my lip. “Bram took me to this room,” I started as everyone ran in. They grew quiet as I spoke. “I didn’t see him, but he told me he wanted me with him or he was going to kill me. He wants to kill all of you.”
Grandma shook her head and Tessi gasped.
I continued. “He said the Sorcerer Wars are to clear the weaklings from the world. He wants me to unlock a place called Clorva.”
“Clorva?” Grandma stammered. “It’s gone.”
“It’s a real place?” I questioned. “What is it?”
“Long ago we traveled through realms. Sorcerers stayed in Clorva so we didn’t expose ourselves, only traveling to the mortal realm, Ceeva, occasionally. When the original sorcerers were destroyed, along with the Sorcerer Wars, the magical realms ceased to exist. They were banned and no one could enter anymore.”
“So you haven’t been?” I asked her.
“No, but I’ve read and heard about it.”
“I need to know everything about it, Grandma,” I said urgently.
“Why? He can’t access it.”
I nodded, stunned at what I was realizing. “He can. I’m the key.”
Her face fell, grew pale, and she stared at me in horror. “No.”
“Yes,” I said.
Aiden took my hand in his and held me tightly. “You don’t have to open it.”
“He said when I accept who I am and my deepest secret, I’ll unlock it. He said I would meet them there. I thought that mean he would already be there…but maybe when I unlock it, they’ll all be sent there?”
Grandma stared at me, the shock strong in her features. “I don’t know. We have to get to the council now. The books are there.”
Santos came to my other side and hugged me firmly. “You’ll be fine. I’ll come if you need me.”
I secured my free arm around him and patted his back. “I’ll miss you, Santos.”
He released me at the same time Aiden let go of my hand. He walked over, taking his bags and mine, and stood there ready to go. I looked to Grandma, who nodded, and held out her hand. I took it, reaching and grabbing Aiden’s wrist.
The air swirled and howled around us as Grandma transported us to the council in Oxford, England. I breathed heavily as we traveled, the motion making me queasy as our bodies spun. Holding onto Aiden tightly, I clenched my eyes shut as I felt us slowing, knowing landing was near.
We hit the ground in an oomph. Aiden doubled over, fighting back his nausea, and stumbled to stay on his feet. Breathing deeply, I steadied myself and waited for Aiden to regain his composure.
“All ok?” Grandma asked. Mel and Tessi appeared beside us, both holding their stomachs but not as shaken as Aiden.
They nodded, as did I, and I walked to Aiden’s side. “Are you ok?”
He stood, inhaling sharply. “I do not miss that.”
I chuckled and turned to Grandma. “We’re all fine.”
She grinned and nodded. “We’re here, in Oxford. This place is cloaked, so no one can see us but those who know of us. The protection spells go on for miles, so no evil beings can penetrate without us knowing. We call this headquarters Chamber House Castle. We no longer move around, as most of you know. We meet here for all council meetings and most of the senior members also live here. We created the building to reflect our surroundings in case anything happens to our cloaking spells.”
Tessi and Mel gawked, dumbfounded, as she spoke. Aiden looked excited, and I…well, I was certain my dread was an evident on the outside as it felt on the inside.
The castle was modernized, but looked much like the ones surrounding the area. The brick columns rose high, with rounded walls on the entry points. The building was long instead of tall, windows covering almost all the open space. Trees and bushes decorated the outside and a large fountain stood in the center with changing lights flashing from within. At first glance, you couldn’t see the magical aspect, but upon closer inspection, I could see the small touches. Lights hovered above the door, lit only with magic and not attached to anything. The grass and plants were green, almost too green, signifying someone with the power to do so had grown them. I took it all in, feasting my eyes on the beauty of Chamber House Castle.
“Ready?” Grandma asked.
I nodded. Aiden grabbed our bags, but Grandma waved a hand and they disappeared somewhere within. He shrugged, grinning at me mischievously, and ran over to grab my hand.
He squeezed it and whispered, “It’ll be ok.”
Grandma led the way to the huge entrance. A wave of her hand sent it creaking open and two council members waited for her.
“Madame Anna,” one said. They both bowed in greeting, which was beyond weird, and moved to allow us entry.
“Lucas, Allison,” she said with a nod to each. “Meet my granddaughter, Sadie, and her friends. They’ll be staying with us for a small while.”
Allison, a dark skinned and dark haired twenty something with bright green eyes looked at me in amazement. “The dark sorceress,” she whispered.
Then she bowed to me, too.
Catching Grandma’s gaze, I widened my eyes and begged her for direction without words.
“We don’t know that she is, Allison,” she said gently. “Please treat Sadie as you would any other guest.”
Allison nodded, though she kept glancing at me from the corner of her eye. Moving closer to Aiden, I allowed him to wrap an arm around my shoulder and comfort me. Tessi and Mel chattered behind me about the castle.
Everything inside was modern and looked like a normal house. None of the old bricks or ancient structure were visible. Sleek walls were painted a deep blue with mounted lights and paintings, some of which I recognized as Scott’s. Sectional couches were scattered the length of the room, the size of two large living rooms, and a variety of tables with lamps and magazines were scattered accordingly. A huge flatscreen was mounted to the far wall and a few people sat watching a game.
“Wow,” I said to Grandma. “It almost looks like home.”
“I wanted it to be comfortable,” she explained. “Most of the members are from America, so an English setting would be awkward. For our foreign members, we have a separate area that they are allowed to decorate if they wish. Everyone is allowed to roam freely, except for the bedrooms.”
Aiden snickered beside me. “Such an upgrade from the cave.”
A loud giggle escaped me before I could stop it. The last time we visited the council, we were in a cold cave in the middle of a mountain. No lights or heat were present and it had been horrible trying to find the place. To say this was an upgrade was an understatement.
He winked at me, knowing I agreed, and we followed Grandma as she left the room and walked down a long hall. We passed a large kitchen and a few bathrooms. Along the walls were pictures of people laughing and having fun, one of a huge group having a picnic, and another of a holiday par
ty. When Grandma had been named head of the council, I hadn’t thought of what she could do for the group. I’d selfishly only thought of losing her, but I was wrong to think that way. She’d been great for this place. She’d managed to turn a corrupt and messed up entity into a family.
She stopped at two large doors and opened them swiftly. A large conference room was in front of us, the table large enough to fit six large families for Thanksgiving.
“Whoa,” Tessi said beside me.
“Right?” I replied.
Grandma turned to Lucas. “Could you take my granddaughter’s friends to their rooms, please? I need to speak to Sadie alone.”
He nodded once and directed them to a door on the opposite side of the room. Reluctantly, Aiden let go of my hand and followed. Once we were alone with Allison, Grandma began.
“We have a team of researchers on the Sorcerer Wars, but this new development definitely puts a twist on things. Clorva will be included in the searching overall, but finding out information on the actual realm is a whole different story. Allison here will be head of the Clorva research and she’s going to show you where the library is. Sadie, you are free to come and go as you please, but don’t let your friends know of the location. The fewer people know of this and how to get there, the better.”
“They won’t tell anyone,” I countered.
“No, but someone could read their minds and get the information. Your mind can’t be read, Sadie.”
Taken back, I asked, “It can’t? Bram read it.”
She shook her head. “You’re too powerful, Sadie, but he is different. I told you your powers had grown. I know you and Aiden are reuniting, but he’s still an elite and he can’t know, either. Since he doesn’t have powers, he has no way to protect himself. If Bram or his followers find out who he is, they could use it against him.”
“How?” I questioned.
“He was the vessel for the Crimson Calamitous,” Allison stated, like I didn’t know. “His body has proven it can be used as a vessel for magic. That means it can be manipulated if one wishes to do so.”
“Wait,” I said, holding my hand up. “Aiden is danger and you didn’t tell me?” I asked Grandma.
“He’s not in danger here, Sadie,” she said. “No one can get in here.”
“Yeah, and what about all of these council members running around? Sorry, but the last batch was full of rotten eggs. Who says there’s not a few here now?”
She gave me a stern look, but I didn’t back down. “I’m serious. How do you know someone won’t be tempted, knowing who he is and what he’s been through? They already know I’m the dark sorceress, so I’m sure everyone knows who Aiden Rivers is.”
Allison nodded at my statement.
“See!” I yelled, pointing in her direction. “She knows!”
Grandma slammed her hand down on the table. “Sadie, control yourself. Allison knows because it’s her job to know. She’s one of the researchers of the council. Her job is information. Knowing it, finding it, recording it. I would be upset if she didn’t know your names and what you are.”
“I don’t like it,” I said. “Aiden stays in my room.”
She raised a brow. “I don’t know if I’m ok with that.”
“Oh, come on,” I said. “You let Scott and Liv room together when she was seventeen. I’m an adult and Aiden stays with me. That’s final.”
“Allison, can you leave us?” she asked quietly.
Allison slipped from the room without a word, silently closing the door behind her. Grandma came to my side and beckoned for me to take a seat.
“I forget you’re an adult now, Sadie. The time you were gone…it’s hard for me to realize you grew up. If you want to have sexual relations with Aiden, that is fine. I’m sorry I keep treating you like a child, but you are my only granddaughter, and my youngest grandchild. It’s hard for this old sorceress.”
Sexual relations? “Uhh…Grandma, I want him in my room to protect him. You can stop the dirty thoughts now. I need to know he’s ok. I just got him back, and I don’t know where it’s going, but I do know I have to keep him safe this time. I can’t let something happen to him again.”
She patted my knee. “It’s your business, either way. I won’t interfere.”
“Ok, thank you.” I smiled. “Now, can we figure out Clorva?”
She pushed a button on the center of the table and Allison came back in. “Yes?”
“Can you take Sadie to the library and start the research?”
She nodded curtly and waited by the door for me.
“I’ll see you later?” I asked Grandma.
“For dinner. I have to go meet with people about this Bram situation.”
“Are you going to tell them he visited me?” I hissed.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I have to.”
With a spin on her heel, she disappeared and I was alone with Allison. Smiling awkwardly, I rubbed my palms on my pants. “So, you ready?”
She stared at me, wide eyed and stunned. “You met Bram?” she whispered.
“Uhh…” I said. “Yeah.”
“And survived?” she whispered.
“You don’t have to talk like that, he won’t hear us,” I chuckled.
She blushed and lowered her gaze. “Right, of course.”
“Sorry, it’s just weird for me to be here.”
“I know of your history,” she said. She spoke so properly and clearly, but she couldn’t be that much older than I was.
“Tell me about you, Allison. Since you know so much about me,” I said kindly.
“I’ve been with the council since I was sixteen. I was here when Harlow was in charge, and she often made me do things I wasn’t comfortable with. She killed my mother when I was young, and they kept me with them for years. The day your grandmother took over was the best day of my life,” she said sadly. “I was twenty-three at the time, but it was the first time I felt cared for in years.”
Her words hit me hard, creating a sinking in my gut. “I’m so sorry.”
She continued down the hall, turning and starting down a staircase. “It’s not your fault,” she said promptly. “You will do great things, just like your grandmother.”
“We’ll see,” I said mostly under my breath.
She stopped abruptly. “We have arrived.”
I exhaled deeply as she turned the knob. Here went nothing.
Scornful Sadie Page 24