Chosen Legacy (Book Five of the Chosen Universe)

Chapter Four

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you didn't read Stone Warriors, you're about to get a crash course on what you missed that will affect this story. You'll also be meeting the rest of the team that wasn't introduced yet, and a few of the other Eltarians who will be coming into play. I'll do my best to recap what you need to know! Enjoy.

CHAPTER FOUR

ZELL

He was lost in too many memories. He could see his Bella, who had bewitched him with her beauty. He'd needed to possess her almost as soon as he'd met her. Although the people of Eltar called her by her chosen name of Serafine, Zell insisted on calling her by a variant of her given name, Belladonna. It increased the intimacy between them, and besides, names had power. Calling her by her empowered name might give her too much strength, and he needed to control her.

For a time, he had. He'd approached her under the guise of wishing to mentor her. It wasn't a complete rouse... He had wanted to mentor her. Zell discovered upon meeting Bella that he rather enjoyed adopting young sorceresses and molding them into whatever he pleased... Power houses he had in his back pocket, lovers, even vessels to bring forth his powerful offspring. A weak woman could not survive bearing his children, but with powerful enough magic, it was possible. He had seen that much in visions.

He'd taken Bella as his lover fairly quickly. Everyone had celebrated their relationship. Bella was powerful and a natural choice for the partner of Eltar's most powerful being. Although they had not been married, even Zell's brother treated Bella as family. Don't, Zell told himself. He did not regret murdering the younger brother he had raised after ensuring their parents "died in their sleep," but he did regret that it had not accomplished his intended goal. Although he had come into much of his brother's power, he had been unable to fully wield the power. It was meant to be shared by two brothers, and the Universe muted some of it now that it belonged purely to Zell. He would never be able to fully unlock it, but now that two new keys had been born on Earth, Zell intended to control them and access the power that way.

His thoughts turned back to Bella, and to her brother, Ash. They were as close as twins, born exactly one year apart, and Zell had treated the boy as family. He had actually rather liked Ash. The boy was clever and fiercely loyal. If things had played out differently, he would have been pleased to have Ash at his side. Instead, Bella had become suspicious of Zell. She'd confided in her brother, and the two had discovered evidence that suggested Zell had murdered his brother, as well as several others. He'd had no choice but to put them down. Snuffing out Bella's life had seemed like a waste of such power, but it had been necessary when she dared to betray him. He'd murdered her in the most brutal, savage way he could, and he'd forced Ash to watch, casting a paralysis spell on him. After being unable to save Bella, Ash had stopped speaking. Zell had told everyone Ash murdered Bella and he'd sentenced him to death for treason.

It was at Bella's funeral that Zell first met Daphne. The child was barely ten, and she seemed so innocent and fragile, yet she defended her brother's innocence. That loyalty and courage had instantly drawn Zell to her. Since everyone else was ignoring her and trying to recover from the scandal of Ash killing his sister, Zell reached out to the sad child. He took her under his wing and was genuinely kind to her. Daphne was incredibly gentle and he sensed great power inside of her. For reasons he could not understand, he hated to see the girl sad. He'd sent part of himself away with her while the other part carried out Ash's sentence, protecting her from the trauma of watching him decapitate her beloved older brother. He'd taken care of her from that point on, training her in magic and ultimately taking her as his lover, first in secret because she was still young, then later in public. He was praised for his kindness in nurturing the girl, and people complimented him on his excellent choice of a companion.