Sahara Ashdell: The Son of Evil (Book 2)

Raglen shouts in anger as he pushes the large cauldron over. “Why will this not work? I have been trying all week and now we are out of her blood.”

“You were told to convince her to join us. That way we would have all the blood we needed from her.” A little ball of flesh hisses at him from a dark corner of the room.

“I tried father! I did everything you instructed but she would not kill him and managed to control her anger.” Raglen shouts as if he is a spoilt child.

“You did not do it right you imbecile. You moved too quickly. I knew I should have sent a more reliable elf.” Patreek hisses at Raglen as his one crumpled hand slaps the floor and pulls his lump of a body out from the darkness. His bubbling, wilted flesh slides against the dirty floor leaving a slimy mess behind him as he continues to speak. “Since you have failed, we must send the next.”

“No! Father?” Raglen falls to the ground in fear. “Please, give me one more chance to bring the blood you need. I can get it right this time.”

“You had your chance.” Patreek shrieks toward him causing Raglen to weep.

“Perhaps if he had help?” A voice says as it enters the room.

“Heltus. Are you offering to assist my worthless son?” Patreek hisses as his blob like body shifts toward the approaching Heltus.

“Frazor taught me to vessel swap before he was taken. Perhaps, I could take one of the Aranel’s friends.” Helton says before Patreek throws a chair toward him in anger.

“I am the true Aran of Kinderton! She is no Aranel.” Patreek yells causing the windows of the room to shatter and fly in towards Raglen and Heltus.

“Of course, my apologies your Majesty.” Heltus bows toward Patreek. “It was a mere slip of the tongue and old habit. I meant Sahara.”

“Which friend would you become?” Patreek asks seeming to have forgotten his anger.

“Her roommate Marol would be the easiest to take.” Heltus says.

“No. Bularia would be the best option.” Raglen says meekly as he stays on his hands and knees in fear. “Marol’s twin would recognize the change far too quickly.”

“Bularia is far too smart to allow me into her head.” Heltus says in disagreeance.

Patreek hums in thought before he speaks, “Raglen is right, taking over one of the twins would be too risky. Bularia will have to do. Begin the process right away.”

“Yes, Aran.” Heltus bows to Patreek before helping Raglen up. “We shall start the process immediately.”

“Oh yes. We will!” Raglen nods his head anxiously in agreeance.

“You must not kill her. That is for me to do once I regain my strength.” Patreek hisses at them as he pulls his body along the floor again with his one hand.

“We would never my Aran. I will begin calling out to her roommate tonight.” Heltus says with another bow.

—

“Did you hear that?” Bularia asks shaking Sahara awake in their dark dorm room.

“Hear what?” Sahara asks rubbing her eyes.

“The voice?” Bularia asks sounding fearful.

“You were just having a dream, I’m sure.” Sahara says as she rolls to her side to go back to sleep.

“Yeah okay. Maybe.” Bularia says not sounding so sure. “I will just go back to bed then.”

“Alright.” Sahara mumbles trying to get comfortable again.

Sahara wakes to the sun shining in their room. She looks over noticing Bularia’s bed is empty. “Bularia?” She says quickly sitting up and looking around the room.

“Morning.” Bularia says smiling and Sahara wonders why she seems so happy.

“Are you alright?” Sahara asks looking around at Marol and Carol who are just waking up.

“I am good.” Bularia says sounding normal. “It was just a dream last night if that is what worries you.”

Sahara smiles in relief with her words, “That is good.”

“Happy Birthday!” Marol says toward Bularia as she sits up in bed yawning.

“Oh! Happy Birthday!” Sahara says in realization that she had forgotten what day it was.

“Thank you.” Bularia says twirling happily.

“You get up early on your birthday.” Carol says pulling her pillow over her head.

“I have to go meet Slagwart before class.” Bularia says excitedly.

“Slagwart?” Sahara says in surprise.

“He and I have been spending some time together.” Bularia says shyly. “I think he likes me.”

Sahara feels surprised by the news. She watches Carol sit up suddenly in bed. “What?” Carol sounds far too excited. She was always up for conversations about ellons.

“He asked me to meet him before class to give me a birthday present.” Bularia says looking at the time. “Oh. I have to go.” She hurriedly runs out of their room.

Sahara looks over toward Marol and Carol in surprise. “Did either of you know about this?”

“No.” Carol and Marol say in unison.

“Did you get the cake for her party tonight?” Marol asks looking at Carol.

“Yes.” Carol says laying back down. “Unter has it hidden.”

“I totally forgot it was today.” Sahara confesses.

“Well we won’t tell Bularia.” Marol says getting out of bed to get ready.

As soon as class is over, Sahara gathers her things to hurry up to her room. “What is the rush?” Brystol asks standing up from their table.

“I have to go get something.” Sahara says before she runs out of the room. She throws her books on the bed before she teleports to the Craig’s house. She needed Bularia a gift and all through class had thought about what to get her. She decided to get her a gift from the human world. She wanted to go to the Corinth mall to find her some unique jewelry, because she knew Bularia liked black and spikes, she remembered seeing an edgy store there one time. The problem was she didn’t have any human money, but she knew where the Craig’s safe was and now that she had magic she was sure she could open it without the combination. She quietly opens the door of the attic wondering if anyone is at home. She listens for a moment and hears nothing, so she begins to move down to the office where the safe is. She smiles at how everything is exactly as it was before she left, she knew Charles Craig had always kept a large amount of cash in the safe under his desk in his office and that it must still be there.

She stops as she sees a new picture of the three Craig’s hanging on the wall next to the office door. She runs her fingers over the trio. They looked so happy and she feels her heart ache from the pain of missing them. She feels a tear break from her eye before she shakes her head knowing she has to stop feeling this way. She quickly opens the office door and moves inside. She smiles at seeing the safe still in the same spot as she places her hand on the knob of the safe and focuses on making the metal bolts inside of it move so that she can open it. She smiles as the safe clicks open and she pulls the door open. There is a larger pile of cash than she expected inside. She feels bad to steal from them, but she knows they will not miss it. “I worked for them for years for free, the least they can do is spare a hundred dollars for me.” She nods her head once as she decides there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. She closes the safe and mentally locks it back before shoving the money into her pocket. But she realizes she is still in her Malorsty gown. “Great.” She says rolling her eyes knowing if she went out shopping in the human world she would draw far too much attention. She runs back up the stairs and finds some of Trina’s clothes to blend in with before leaving to go to the mall.

She finds the perfect black spiked necklace for Bularia and can’t help but feel her tummy rumble as the smells from the food court hits her nose. She had skipped lunch for this, and she had plenty of money left to buy a cheeseburger. She had not had a cheeseburger in almost two years. The thought of it made her mouth water. But on her way to the cheeseburger location she spots pizza. “Oh.” She sighs realizing she had not thought of pizza in ages. Elf food was good but she missed human food. She decides to buy one of each and eats some of both before buying ice cream. She makes her way back to the Craig’s house after she finishes. She is in Trina’s closet changing back into her Malorsty gown when she suddenly hears a scream behind her that scares her and causes her to turn and meet eyes with Trina.

“Brooklyn?” Trina says in confusion. Sahara panics realizing she has been caught. She debates with herself on teleporting or not. She knows she should not let Trina know she has powers but at the same time she fears what Charles Craig would do to her if he saw her.

“What has happened?” Sahara hears Marsha Craig enter the room and she sees Trina turn toward her mother. Sahara takes the opportunity to teleport before Marsha can see her. She teleports back to her dorm room but to her surprise she is not alone in the room. Marol and Carol scream in alarm of her appearing and Bularia just laughs as Sahara realizes she is only holding her Malorsty gown and not wearing it.

Sahara panics as she realizes she left Bularia’s necklace. She tries to remember where she left it and teleports it to her hand. “Happy Birthday.” Sahara says handing the small package to Bularia.

“Did you just teleport?” Marol asks sounding surprised.

“She can do that. But I thought it was a secret.” Bularia says inspecting the small package.

“But why are you in your underwear?” Carol asks looking confused.

Sahara quickly finds her practice clothes as she answers. “It is a long story.”

“Did you miss practice?” Marol asks.

“Miss it?” Sahara asks looking up at the clock realizing practice had ended almost two hours ago. “I missed it.”

“Where have you been?” Bularia asks.

“How long have you been able to teleport?” Carol asks still sounding alarmed.

“A little over a year. I was getting your present.” Sahara replies to them both.

“Open it!” Marol says bouncing in excitement. “It must be a good one to get Sahara out of her clothes.”

Sahara laughs with Marol and Bularia as Carol interupts them, “Is no one else alarmed that she can teleport?”

“I found out last year.” Bularia says pulling the ribbon on the package.

“Last year?” Marol pushes Sahara on the arm. “Nice to know you have a favorite friend.”

“You can teleport.” Carol says.

“It isn’t a big deal Carol.” Sahara says smiling at Carol’s obvious disbelief.

“This is amazing!” Bularia says pulling the necklace from the box. “I have never seen such a cute necklace. Thank you!”

Sahara smiles and holds out her hands to help Bularia put it on, “I am glad you like it.”

“Do you teleport a lot?” Carol asks.

“No. Well, yeah, I guess I do.” Sahara says realizing she has been teleporting a lot this year. Sahara realizes she doesn’t have any clothes on still and moves toward her trunk to find something to wear for Bularia’s party.

“Where have you been?” Brystol asks her looking angry as he arrives to Bularia’s party.

“I had to get ready for the party.” She replies with a smile and moves towards him to kiss his lips.

“You missed lunch, practice, and dinner.” He replies avoiding her kiss. “I looked everywhere for you. And none of your friends knew where you were.” She realizes he is angry with her.

“I had an errand to run.” She says trying to sooth his mood.

He shakes his head and leans in closer to whisper, “You can’t just disappear like that.”

“It isn’t a big deal.” She says wondering why he is acting so annoyed.

“Yes it is. You disappeared. The last time you disappeared I was able to follow you and Raglen was there waiting for you. You have no idea how worried I have been.” He says sounding as though he is scolding her.

“I’m sorry.” Sahara says feeling bad. “I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. I just lost track of time.”

“Where did you go?” He asks and Sahara debates on lying to him. She knows she shouldn’t but at the same time she knows if she is honest he might not like hearing it. She watches his eyes alter to a realization from her silence. He steps back from her and shakes his head. “You have to stop.”

“Stop what?” Sahara tries to sound innocent.

“Going back.” He says looking around cautiously. “You have any idea how dangerous this game you’re playing is?”

“I’m not playing a game.” She says defensively.

“Is it them or the world you miss?” He asks stepping back up closer to her with a whisper. “You keep making excuses on why you go back but what is the real reason Sahara?”

Sahara shakes her head with her lie, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“It is alright to have feelings Sahara.” He says looking as though he feels sorry for her. “Maybe if you would start accepting and admitting some of them, your emotional magic would not be so explosive.”

“Verdiwild and I work on my emotional magic three times a week. You, of all elves should know that I can control it.” She replies.

“I of all elves know how you flamed blue that day for a moment until you were distracted by Raglen. You would have killed me had your surprise of recognizing him not pulled your attention away.” Brystol says in a whisper sounding annoyed by her.

“No.” She lies remembering her vision turn blue for a moment that day in the woods. She had not thought of it before. She remembers Verdiwild telling her about how blue flame was the worst type of flaming and it happened when an elf lost themselves and all control.

“Stop bottling up all of your feelings, because one day the bottle will be full and it will be too late to control them.” Brystol says sounding more soothing.

Sahara can’t help but think how she misses the Craig’s. She didn’t want to. She didn’t need to. But she isn’t sure that is the reason she keeps teleporting back to the human world. Maybe he was right maybe that she missed the human world. “I just needed Bularia a present. That was all.” She says shaking her head as she tries to stop her thoughts.

Brystol just looks at her for a moment before he kisses her on the cheek and says, “Okay.”

“Now come dance with me!” Sahara says pulling his hand with her towards the middle of the room.

—

“Has anyone else noticed how odd Bularia has been acting the past few weeks?” Marol asks as she enters their dorm room after class.

Carol shrugs her shoulders “No. She seems fine.”

Sahara shakes her head but perks up at the news. “What do you mean? What is she doing? Does she not seem herself? You do spend more time with her than us.”

“Speaking of, Unter and I have plans after lunch.” Carol smiles toward them excitedly.

“But, what about Bularia?” Sahara asks trying to ignore Carol. “Does she like not remember stuff she should?”

“What? I don’t know. She just keeps running off when I am in mid-sentence or will ask me if I hear something. It is weird.” Marol says.

“Where is she now?” Sahara asks putting her shoes on for practice.

“I am not sure. I was telling her something as we were walking out of class and she suddenly just walked off in the other direction. I yelled after her but it was like she didn’t even hear me.” Marol says.

“I will try to find her before practice. See if she is at lunch already.” Sahara calls toward Marol and Carol as she exits their room.

She finds Bularia down on the first floor of the academy staring in at her through a window from outside. “Bularia?” Sahara says as she waves but Bularia just stares in through the window as if she is looking straight through Sahara. Sahara moves quickly toward the exit of the building and runs around the side of the building where Bularia was standing. “Bularia?” Sahara calls not seeing her anywhere. She turns and sees her walking toward the woods in the back of the academy. “Bularia!” Sahara yells as she runs after her. “What are you doing?” Sahara asks as she arrives next to Bularia, who stays silent and keeps her gaze forward as if she doesn’t even notice Sahara. Sahara jumps in front of Bularia thinking she would have to stop walking if she could block her, but Bularia just pushes Sahara with her toward the edge of the woods. “Bularia!” Sahara says as she tries to shake Bularia to wake her up from the trans she is in.

As they arrive to the edge of the protective dome, Bularia suddenly stops walking and releases Sahara from her grasp. Sahara hears a strange noice as she turns to see Raglen smiling at her from on the other side of the protective dome. She feels fear run over her as she realizes Raglen is trying to take Bularia. “No!” Sahara says stepping in front of Bularia to protect her. “You can’t have her.”

“I don’t want her.” Raglen says laughing at her.

“Then, what do you want?” Sahara asks already knowing the answer to be herself.

“Just some of your blood and I will leave her alone.” Raglen says and Sahara believes him.

“You will leave her alone forever?” Sahara asks looking back at Bularia’s blank face.

“Yes. I have no need for her in my plan.” He says.

“And what of your father’s plan?” Sahara asks.

“His plan has no need for her either.” Raglen says and Sahara wonders if he is telling the truth or not.

“I don’t believe you.” Sahara says shaking her head.

“That is fine.” Raglen says snapping his fingers but Sahara doesn’t see anything happen until she looks back at Bularia who is now holding a knife. Sahara stumbles away from Bularia thinking she was about to hurt her, but instead Bularia turns the knife toward her own hand.

“What are you doing?” Sahara shrieks in fear. “Stop it!” She grabs Bularia’s arm trying to stop her but Bularia is unusually strong.

“There is only one way to stop her.” Raglen says laughing.

Sahara cries as she sees Bularia’s hand begin to bleed. “Please? Stop! I will give you what you want!”

“Are you sure?” Raglen asks as Bularia makes another cut on her middle arm.

“Yes! Please stop? Please?” Sahara begs as Bularia stops moving but still holds the knife.

“Then, come on before I change my mind.” Raglen says sounding disappointed.

“Why not come in here to me?” Sahara asks trying to buy some time as she rips the bottom of her shirt and quickly wraps it around the cut on Bularia’s arm.

“Now, if I could do that I would have long ago. You’re the only one that can teleport through two barrier walls.” He says impatiently.

Sahara teleports over, so that she is standing a few feet in front of Raglen. “Now let her go.” She demands.

“No. No. She is insurance you carry through with your agreement.” Raglen says scolding her.

“Is that all you wanted from me last time, blood?” Sahara asks pulling up her long sleeve giving access to her arm. “Why do you need my blood? And why was what you took last time not enough?” She asks stalling for time because she knows they need her blood to restore Patreek.

“No questions.” He says angrily moving towards her and grabbing her arm. He pulls her up closer to him, but before he can cut her, she teleports back across the protective wall.

“Then, no blood.” She says with a smile before she sees Raglan reach down and grasp his side. She holds up the knife Bularia had been holding that is now dripping with his blood. She had teleported it into her hand and stabbed him in the side when he grabbed her arm. “Well, not mine anyway.”

Raglen stumbles for a moment in pain before he falls to his knees and speaks, “You broke your promise, so I will break mine.” He says before he suddenly disappears.

Bularia looks around in confusion. “Sahara?” She asks and Sahara places her arm around her shoulders as they turn back toward the academy. “What happened to my arm?” Bularia sounds panicked.

“Everything is alright. We have to get you to the infirmary.” Sahara says putting a bit of pressure on her arm wound.

“How did we get way out here?” Bularia asks as she tears up. “I don’t understand.”

“You were under some sort of spell but you are alright now.” Sahara assures her as she looks back over her shoulder toward the woods, making sure no one else was watching them. Thankfully, the students are still at lunch when they arrive inside Malorsty. Sahara did not know if she could handle all of the speculation just yet, because she still felt her hands shaking from stabbing Raglen.

“Sahara?” Headorean Shawdlortur says sounding surprised by all the blood on Bularia. “Are you wounded too?” He asks looking over Sahara’s body.

“No. Just Bularia.” Sahara says passing Bularia off to Shawdlortur.

“I will take care of her. You go get cleaned up.” Shawdlortur says.

Sahara stands there silently for a moment trying to process what all just happened. “There you are.” She sees Brystol step into her view. “Sahara?” She can’t seem to find anything to say. “Hey?” He says waving his hand in front of her.

“It is my fault they take her. I could have just prevented it. All they wanted was my blood.” She babbles on, even though she hears Brystol saying something. “I crossed over and I almost did it but then I realized why they wanted it. I made a snap decision and it might have been the wrong one.” She again hears Brystol saying something again, but she just keeps talking. “I stabbed him. He was mad and now I don’t know what will happen.” She feels Brystol pulling on her and moving her down the hall as she keeps talking. “They will win because I can’t, I just can’t do it. She is my friend and I stabbed him. I stabbed him.”

“Sahara!” She feels Brystol shake her and she realizes they are in the room with the aquarium. “What happened?” He asks inspecting her bloody hands.

“Raglen had Bularia in some spell. She, she wasn’t herself and he forced me to cross the barrier. He wanted my blood. I stabbed him.” Sahara says shaking her head. “I stabbed him. I stabbed someone.” She feels Brystol wrap his arms around her shaking body and she feels confused.

“You did the right thing.” He says squeezing her tight. “Where is Bularia?”

“Shawdlortur took her. She was cut on the arm and hand. He made her cut herself so I would cross over. I broke my promise on letting him have my blood, so now he says he will break his promise too. He is going to take her and put Heltus in her.” She says feeling blank.

“You’re alright. Bularia is alright.” Brystol tries to console her as he holds her face in his hands.

“They are going to win.” She says grabbing his hands and removing them from her face. “They will win.”

“No. They won’t.” Brystol tries to assure her but she pushes him away from her as she backs away toward the door. “Sahara, we can defeat them.”

“I can’t kill her.” Sahara says shaking her head at him as tears begin to stream down her face.

“There may be another way.” Brystol tries to console her again and it angers her.

“There is not!” She yells seeing the orange flood into her vision.

“Alright.” Brystol says looking as though he is ready to defend himself. “Just calm down.”

“I have to go back to Raglen.” She says and Brystol moves up grabbing her by the arm. Without thinking she causes his body to fly away from her and slam up against the aquarium a few feet from the floor. He grunts in pain.

“No! You can’t go! You can’t give them what they want or they will win for sure! The futures you saw are set. You can’t change them. What steps you take now decide which of those two futures happen. And what if you misunderstood them like you did the first time? What were they?” He speaks to her and she knows he is right as her vision clears back up.

She realizes she was hurting him and she slowly sits him down on the floor. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.” He says rubbing his side from the pain she had just caused.

They remain quiet for a moment until Brystol starts to move toward her. She shakes her head. “I have to go to them.”

“No.” Brystol says grabbing her wrist and Sahara knows it is to keep her from teleporting without him.

“The futures were next year when we are fourth-years. In the first one Patreek and his followers had gotten too strong. They were tearing down the protective dome of the academy. The second one everything was fine but only because I had killed Bularia over holiday break.” Sahara says using her fingers to remove the tears in her eye.

“Heltus.” Brystol says. “I remember you telling me that.”

“I have to give him what he wants.” Sahara says trying to pry Brystol’s hands off of her.

“No. Sahara.” Brystol says holding her tighter. “Listen. You can’t go. You can’t. You said he wanted your blood. They need your blood to restore Patreek and if they get him restored then the first future you saw will come to pass. You can’t.”

“I can’t just let them take her and I would never kill her.” Sahara says painfully.

“If you give them your blood does it save her?” He asks and Sahara remembers back to the first future she had seen.

She shakes her head as she responds. “I say that I wished I would have killed her when I had the chance.” Brystol wraps his arms around her and she buries her face into his chest. She realizes Brystol is right. If she let’s them have her blood the second future would more than likely be the one to come true. She would lose Bularia either way.

“Please don’t go to them?” Brystol says lifting her face towards his. “Maybe we can figure something out to help Bularia.”

Sahara shakes her head. “Your father said there has never been a third possible version before.”

“Maybe he is wrong or maybe you just misunderstood it again.” He reasons and she nods her head hoping he is right. “Promise me you won’t go to Raglen and give them your blood?”

“You’re right, maybe I just misunderstood.” Sahara kisses him quickly before pushing him back as she remembers blood is all over her hands, and now all over him and her clothes. She shakes her hands and the blood on her and Brystol disappears before she speaks. “Raglen had her in a trans. Like he was controlling her.”

“Telepathy?” Brystol asks in surprise.

“Yes like…” Sahara gasps wondering if it was Raglen controlling Bularia or someone else. “Themonus.”

“He did control the glorman but were they not glowing green?” Brystol asks.

“Elves don’t glow when they are being controlled do they?” Sahara asks and she sees Brystol shrug his shoulders unknowingly. “I have to go!” Sahara says running out of the room.

“If you miss another practice you won’t get to play at the next game.” Brystol shouts after her, but she doesn’t care nor respond as she continues her journey.