AUTHOR'S NOTE: First of all, Daisy and Poppy belong to Aura MacKenzie. Second... There's a lot of backstory in this chapter. It's included because as I've figured out a lot of the history of the Eltarians, I realized it's helpful for understanding the story and how everyone ended up at this point. I've also finally come to understand Zell's history and why he is the way he is, and I want you guys to understand him, too. It sort of puts a new spin on this story. I have lost all control over the direction of this story, LOL. It's basically just telling itself, and I'm just along for the ride. I'm really excited to see where things go next! With that said... Enjoy!
CHAPTER THIRTY
PATTI
Things had sort of started feeling normal again. Patti's parents had been excited when she introduced them to Bradley. She'd been mildly concerned that they would be hurt she'd let her biological father into her life, but they honestly just seemed to want to know more about him.
Her new big sister, Hannah, was a pretty awesome person. Hannah's wife, Roxy, was the coolest person Patti had ever met, and their daughter was pretty cool, too. With Roxy came her twin sister, Ronnie, and her bucket full of kids. Her husband Lee was the uncle of Tia and Brian's team leader, Ollie. Then, there was her cousin, Kaylen, and her husband, Austin, and their kids. Her cousin Claire wasn't in Angel Grove, but Patti had talked to her and her parents on the phone. That was a whole lot of family to adjust to after only ever having her parents, but Patti liked it. She felt like she was finally part of something bigger.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard a lot of noise on campus. A large group was gathered on the Grand Lawn. They held up signs and chanted loudly.
"What do we want?" A girl with glasses demanded.
"Justice!" The crowd replied.
"When do we want it?"
"Now!"
"What do we want?"
"Expulsion!"
"When do we want it?"
"Now!"
"Ay-yo! Ay-yo!"
"No always means no!"
"No matter how his story went-"
"Drunk girls cannot give consent!"
"What do we want?"
"Justice!" The crowd replied.
"When do we want it?"
"Now!"
"What do we want?"
"Jail time!"
"When do we want it?"
"Now!"
It continued until a new chant began. The girl with the glasses sipped some water as a boy led the next part.
"Hey..." Patti said awkwardly.
"Hi!" The girl replied cheerfully. Her smile was surprising given how intense she'd seemed a minute before.
"I'm a student here... What's going on?" Patti asked.
"A student at this school named Larry Sokol raped a drunk girl in her dorm last month. He's rich and his daddy has the cops in his back pocket. You know how it is... Anyway, he got the charges dropped and the university is standing by the asshole. We're here to demand they expel him, get the case reopened, and that this prick does jail time. We came from all across the country to support this girl. I'm from Nevada, which isn't as impressively far away as some of the other states people have come from."
"Wow... That's amazing. How long did it take to organize everyone?"
"Two days."
"There are, like, three thousand people here!"
"I work fast." The girl grinned.
"You did all this?"
"Yep! I'm Stephanie." She offered Patti her hand.
"Patti." She shook Stephanie's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Patti. I'm big on speaking up for the voiceless. I've been involved with protests for feminist rights, the environment, the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter, and a whole bunch of other things, but rapists really piss me off, so I organized this one myself."
"You're awesome. I've always wanted to attend a protest, but wasn't sure how to get involved."
Stephanie grinned at her again before handing her a sign that read EXPEL RAPIST SCUM! "I also grant wishes," she joked. "Welcome to the good fight!"
Patti smiled as she joined the protest. She was getting really caught up in things when a man approached her and Stephanie.
"This is quite an event," he said with a charming smile. He looked at Stephanie as he added, "I hope they give him the maximum. Terrible crime, rape."
Something about him immediately put Patti at ease. "Are you a graduate student?" She asked.
He laughed. "Oh, Lass... I'm a tad older than that," he said.
"You don't look a day over twenty-five."
"Let's just say I've got good genes. Now... You're Patti, correct?"
"I am... But how did you know that?"
"My friends call me Branz. I believe you know some of them... Brian and Tia."
"Oh, sure! We have a class together. They're great. In fact, we're project partners. How do you-?" She paused her nervous rambling as she realized Branz must be involved in the same battle she'd been caught in the middle of.
Branz smiled charmingly, soothing her nerves. "A mutual acquaintance of ours asked me to come get you," he explained.
Stephanie looked at him skeptically. She frowned and adjusted her glasses like she was trying to figure him out. "Hang on," she said. "No offense, but Patti clearly doesn't know you. Why should she go anywhere with you based on such vague information?"
Branz looked genuinely surprised by her response. Then, he laughed. "Oh, I like you!" He declared. "It's good of you to look out for her, Lass."
"Are you Scottish or something? You keep saying lass. It's Stephanie, by the way."
"You're a pistol, Stephanie," Branz said, still smiling. "And I'm not originally from Scotland, but I lived there for a while." He paused. "She's right, you know. You can't be too careful around strangers, Patti... But I'm not looking to harm you. This is actually about keeping you safe."
Looking into his eyes, Patti trusted him. Stephanie, however, asked, "Safe from what, exactly?"
Branz sighed. "An interplanetary battle between the forces of good and evil, but you're not going to remember that. Sorry, Lass. You're just going to accept that this is for the best." He snapped his fingers.
Stephanie visibly relaxed. Her face seemed peaceful and her eyes were distant, like she was daydreaming. "Did you just put a spell on her?" Patti asked in shock.
"A very minor one. It'll wear off as soon as we're gone. I didn't want to hurt her... She's a real firecracker. I meant it when I said I like her. I just need to get you out of here, Lass. You're in danger."
Patti was nervous then. "Okay," she agreed. "Where are we going?"
"Stone Hollow. I'll explain more later." He offered her his hand. His easy smile helped calm her nerves and she accepted it. Together, they left the protest. As soon as they were out of Stephanie's direct line of sight, she rejoined the protest.
He was telling the truth, Patti thought with relief. Stephanie's fine. You can trust him. She followed him off the campus and through a portal.
Only when she felt a strong sense of danger did Patti realize she'd made a mistake. Branz looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, Lass... Don't worry. Just do what he says and he'll have no reason to harm you," he promised, but he didn't sound too sure.
The man who entered the room eyed her with interest. He was intimidating, powerful, and blue. Patti knew who he must be.
"Zell..." She whispered.
"Welcome, my dear," Zell said grandly. "Branz, you may leave us."
"Of course, Great Zell," Branz replied. He left, and Patti was suddenly terrified.
Zell looked her over. "You truly are still just a girl..." He mumbled. "Do not blame Branz, my dear. He was simply following orders. And he is correct... If you cooperate, I have no reason to harm you."
"Cooperate? Are you...?" She hesitated. "Are you talking about... About sex?" She managed to ask. Patti was very much a virgin and had no intention of letting an overgrown Smurf be the first one to touch her.
Zell shook his head. "Your body is mature, but you are still quite innocent... Trusting and naive. It's the crystal within your being, my dear. It is pure."
"So... Is that a no, or...?"
"I do not violate children, my dear. You are as innocent as a little girl."
She decided not to be offended. Patti was pretty sheltered, and if that kept her safe, she could deal with his comments.
She thought about what she knew of Eltar's history. She'd been reading anything and everything that her new family could get for her. That was how Patti dealt with stress.
Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "But wasn't your wife younger than me when she had Zordon?" She immediately regretted her habit of nervously rambling and covered her mouth with her hands.
Zell looked angry, but he didn't attack her. "Daphne was different," he said after composing himself for a moment. "Our relationship was complex, and is not your concern... However, since you pushed it, her body had begun to mature before I ever touched her, and I still hesitated. I gave in to my needs when she was especially distraught. I hadn't intended to, but I kissed her, and I supposed after that I began to slowly progress things. I never set out to harm her... I simply couldn't resist her after that kiss. Daphne affects me in ways others do not."
Way to victim blame, Patti thought. She managed not to voice that aloud.
Zell looked a bit haunted. He shook his head as if to clear it. "I'm sorry," Patti forced herself to say. "I didn't mean to blurt that out. I was just confused. You're supposed to be a monster, but you're saying you don't harm children."
"I am not innocent of harming others, Patti. I have taken what I wanted from powerful women and mature teenage girls before. I once even lost my wits and attacked an adult trapped in a child's body, telling myself since she was technically an adult, it did not matter. The Alchemist made me see reason and realize she had the mind and body of a little girl, and I'm honestly relieved that she did. I realize your mind is also innocent, and I would gain nothing from trying to take you by force. You are safe from that. I despise those who prey on actual children. I genuinely value purity and innocence, and you have both."
Patti was surprised and pretty confused by his words given everything she'd heard about him, but his tone seemed genuine. Then again, she'd trusted Branz and ended up kidnapped, so maybe her judgment wasn't exactly reliable.
Zell shook his head. "This room has all you need, my dear. A warm bed, a shower and toilet, and a few changes of clothes. You may not leave, but you should be comfortable. I'll send Shaniece with food throughout the day. You are my prisoner, Patti, but you are safe for now. I see no reason to be cruel as long as you behave."
She panicked as she realized she was about to be locked in a room with nothing to distract her from the fact that she'd technically just been abducted by aliens.
Zell seemed to sense her distress. "What do you do to calm yourself, my dear?" He asked.
"I... I read," Patti managed to reply past her overwhelming fear.
"Ah, yes. An intellectual, like your parents." Zell nodded. "Very well. I rather enjoy reading myself." He waved his hand. A pile of books appeared. "A selection from the base's library. Tell Shaniece when you are done and I'll have her bring you more."
With that, he left, and Patti was more confused than ever. Despite knowing she was trapped, Patti's curiosity got the best of her, and she began going through the books. They covered a variety of topics. Some were from Earth. Others were clearly not, but there was a book that translated Eltarian to English there as well.
"Homework," Patti mumbled. "At least I'll be nice and distracted by learning a new language."
STONE
He was surprised when Hanry contacted him. "What can I do for you, Hanry?" Stone asked.
"The Counsel of Elders needs you back on Eltar, Stone," Hanry explained.
"Is there a crisis?"
"Not precisely... The Prime Minister has presented us with compelling new evidence on a case you're especially interested in... Plurri's."
Stone was startled. "What new evidence?" He asked.
"The journal of Zutan of Eltar has been recovered. Anise read through it and says it's one long confession to everything Plurri was charged with, among other crimes."
"Hanry... This is incredible news."
"I thought you'd be interested," Hanry said with a laugh. "The handwriting has been verified, but Aphell is still disputing the validity of the journal. Anise ordered the case re-opened, but Aphell intends to stall as long as possible. We need you here, Stone. You have been Plurri's biggest advocate since the beginning."
"I'll make arrangements for my affairs on Earth to be handled for a bit," Stone replied. As far as Hanry and the rest of Eltar were concerned, Stone was on Earth investigating the return of the infamous Great Wizard to prepare the people of Eltar for any threats that might be directed toward them.
"I look forward to seeing you soon," Hanry said. He ended the communication.
Stone hurried into the Las Vegas base. "Ace... I'm needed on Eltar," he explained.
"Is something wrong?" Ace asked.
"Anise has been given new evidence in Plurri's case. She ordered it reopened, but Aphell is resisting."
"Of course he is... Corrupt old bastard..."
"We don't have proof Aphell is corrupt. He's very careful to cover his tracks," Stone reminded him.
"There's proof," Boom said softly.
"Oh?" Stone asked, surprised she'd spoken on her own. He hadn't even noticed her and Blast as they entered the room.
"He was one of Mayor Freyst's best friends," Blast chimed in, also completing his own sentence.
"Keeping questionable company isn't exactly enough proof to speak against the head of the Counsel of Elders," Stone replied.
"He's a bad, bad man," the twins said in eerie unison.
Stone felt a chill run through him. "What do you two know?" He asked.
"How to-" Boom began.
"Blow stuff up!" Blast finished.
Stone sighed, knowing they wouldn't offer up anything helpful. "As my Lieutenant, Ace is in charge in my absence. Follow his orders, and please try to stay out of trouble."
"Stone... Will they really free Plurri?" Boom asked in a small, nervous voice as he was about to leave. She sounded more like a child than someone who was over a century old.
"If the evidence is convincing enough, possibly," Stone replied, not sure why she was so interested.
"Finally..." She said.
"Maybe he can start searching for Grace!" Blast added excitedly.
Stone froze, staring at him. "How did you know about Grace?" He asked a bit harshly. Plurri's twin sister had been part of Zell's Elite Counsel. After Adina had a vision of Zell killing Grace because of her affinity for walking the time line, Plurri and the others had insisted she hide in time, cloaking her from even Plurri. No one knew where the beloved, kindhearted girl had vanished to, and they'd told Zell she got lost in time while on a mission. She was assumed dead. Zell had figured out the truth too late to stop them, and as far as Stone knew, Grace was still safe. How was it possible the twins possessed any knowledge of her?
Blast cowered slightly in fear as Stone's power radiated around him. "Plurri told us, Stone," Boom said as she stepped protectively in front of her brother. "Because we're twins, too."
"You know Plurri?" Stone asked in surprise.
"We know you, too. You did something for me once," Blast said softly. "As an Elder. Garron asked you to help."
"I don't understand... Why wouldn't I remember this?"
"You modified your memory to put us at ease... Because you had to hear our true names, and Garron taught us not to tell anyone we didn't completely trust what they were... But Plurri trusted you, so we did, too."
Stone hadn't known the twins were so well-spoken on their own, or that there was more to them than explosions and mild psychosis. He realized that in the time since he'd come to Earth, he hadn't given them much of a chance to show him who they really were.
"Plurri is very dear to me," Stone said. "Apparently, you share that trait with me."
"He's a good man, Stone," Boom said.
"The greatest," Blast added.
"So make sure he's cleared, okay?" They finished in unison.
Stone offered them a sad smile. "I'll do my best," he promised. He turned to Ace. "Please tell Wynter and the Sisterhood what's happening and that I'll return as soon as I can."
"Of course," Ace said. "Good luck, Stone."
With that, Stone headed to Eltar. He headed straight to the Counsel of Elders building. He walked inside to find the other Elders waiting for him.
Aphell Treygan, as the eldest, was the head of the Elders. He was harsh on criminals and firm on his views. The first-generation Son of Eltar was known for being unyielding. He wasn't exactly well-liked, but he was respected as an Elder, and he had done a lot to make sure any bad people on Eltar were punished for their crimes.
Jinnifer Farmell, known to her friends as Jinny, was a force to be reckoned with. The first-generation Daughter of Eltar made history as the first female Peacekeeper and, later, as the first female member of the Eltarian Guard, where she'd earned the shocking rank of Captain. She was the toughest woman on Eltar and was Lady Eleanor's mentor. Jinny was no joke and didn't tolerate anyone's nonsense. It seemed only natural that she'd be the only female on the Counsel of Elders. Stone had a great deal of respect for her.
Hanry Yizak was revered on Eltar as the most unbiased man on the entire planet. The second-generation Son of Eltar was known to be extremely fair and to treat everyone with respect. At this point, most people tended to forget that he was Zell's cousin, born one year prior to Eltar's Great Wizard, although Aphell liked to make a point of reminding them of the Yizak family's dark history.
Karlton Vretiz was the Elder who descended from the last of Eltar's Founding Families. He was the younger brother of the former Prime Minister, Moriarty Moriazan Vretiz. The second-generation Son of Eltar had always been a bit shy but deeply respectful. The majority of the Vretiz family had perished in a horrific fire that tore through their village shortly after Moriazan was chosen as the new Prime Minister. Only Karlton and his brother had survived the fire. Both brothers had gone on to have families. Moriazan had fathered Eva Leigh, and millennia after Eva vanished, he'd fathered Ember Jada Leigh. Jada had been killed in action and Eva Leigh's mysterious disappearance had never been solved. Karlton had been blessed with a beautiful wife and daughter. They'd been killed in a tragic house fire sometimes after the rest of the family had perished. It was strongly suspected that Zell was behind their deaths, but no one had been able to prove it. Despite this, Karlton was very close to Hanry, not holding his bloodline against him unlike Aphell. After losing his wife and daughter, Karlton had withdrawn, and he didn't tend to socialize. Now that his brother, the last member of his family, was dying, he'd withdrawn even further. He was stoic and often silent, but he was a good man.
Then, there were the three who had not come from the Founding Families. Bezzy Betez was a first-generation Son of Eltar and was a bit of a clown, always laughing and bringing others joy. He was known as the Sacred Light of Eltar and was quite well-liked. People used to underestimate the playful, child-like Elder until they realized how unbelievably powerful and frightening his Sorcery was. Everyone adored Bezzy, who could even get Aphell to laugh on occasion.
Pasha Teeno was a third-generation Son of Eltar. He was also a Warlock, but was generally a good man. He was the rare breed of Warlock who wasn't out for power. He tended to make controversial decisions and was the quickest to pardon convicted criminals. Aphell despised Pasha, possibly as much as he despised Hanry. Pasha was known to attend Tinny's parties and was rather fond of Ling and Hezzo. Stone suspected he was a secret sympathizer for the Rebellion. Of everyone besides Stone, he'd been the Elder most vocal about pardoning Plurri.
Stone was the youngest Elder on the Counsel. He'd been absolutely stunned when the people of Eltar nominated him. Everyone had feared him for so long, and suddenly, they wanted to put him in a position of respect and great responsibility. He'd humbly accepted after Hanry coaxed him into it. Aphell wasn't thrilled to have Stone on board, but he grudgingly accepted his presence because the people had insisted the only surviving Brother of Prophecy deserved the position.
"Stone," Aphell said coldly. "How good of you to join us."
"Of course he's here. He's always been firm on his stance that Plurri is innocent," Jinnifer pointed out.
"Stone... The handwriting in this journal matches samples of Zutan's handwriting exactly," Pasha said. "However, that's apparently not enough for our dear leader, Aphell. Would you kindly verify its authenticity? You knew Zutan of Eltar better than any of us."
Stone took the journal, forcing his hands to remain steady as he opened it to the first page. He started to read it.
I have never found much meaning in my existence. My parents pay me little mind, and although Great Zell selected me to be part of his Elite Counsel, they all treat me as a child. I have served no real purpose there... Until today.
The entry went on to detail the day Talon had insisted they give Zutan a chance to prove himself and the boy had rescued Rosemary after the rest of them wrote her off as lost forever. The entry ended with the touching words of the innocent boy Zutan had once been.
I finally know my purpose! My life had little meaning before, but now, I have a sister. I vow I shall protect her with all that I have, always.
Stone skipped ahead a few entries. The first certainly seemed authentic, but everyone on Eltar knew Zutan and Rosemary's story. Anyone could have written it. He chose another entry to read.
I am devastated. Sweet Alita, age eleven, has perished. I tried so hard to help her. She was terrified when I found her, beaten and brutalized in the woods. She begged me not to leave her there even to seek assistance. She was ashamed and did not want anyone to learn what became of her.
I sent a message to Talon and Stone in desperation, hoping they could save her. Those two can do ANYTHING together. They came, and they brought Plurri. He and Stone worked together to try to heal her as Talon kept her warm, but Alita still perished in my arms as I wept, uselessly. I hate myself for being unable to save this sweet, innocent child. Who could do such a thing? I refused to let her go until Stone took her from my arms as Talon tried to comfort me.
Even Plurri looked sad, but he still tried to smile for us and told us she was at peace now. Plurri ALWAYS smiles. I envy his strength. I do not understand how he always finds the light in the darkest of situations.
We had to report her demise to Great Zell. He was horrified by her condition and the obvious trauma she had suffered. I have never seen him look so angry. He agreed to respect her wishes and hide the truth from the public. Besides, Eltar is a peaceful place. An act such as this will cause panic.
I am sorry, Sweet Alita. You did not deserve such an end. I hope Plurri is right and you suffer no more.
Stone closed the book. He remembered that day and what had happened to Alita. It had broken all of their hearts that they couldn't save that poor child. He also recalled Zell's reaction. For the briefest of moments, he's lost his composure at the sight of her small body, beaten and violated in ways no child should endure. Zell never showed things like rage. He was nearly always soft-spoken and calm. It had startled Stone as much as it had startled Zutan, and even Zell hadn't seemed to fully grasp his own reaction. It was why, even millennia later, Stone knew Zell hadn't been the one to kill the girl.
Stone's chest was a bit tight as he said, "It's authentic. The entry I just read is something only five people knew about. No one else could have written this."
"How do you know?" Aphell asked.
"I'm one of the five who kept this secret. The others were Zutan, the Great Wizard, Plurri, and my brother."
"Plurri could have forged it to clear his name."
"You're kidding, right?" Pasha asked. "Honestly, Aphell, why do you refuse to consider that Plurri might be innocent after all?"
"Because he's a stubborn old man who doesn't like to admit to being capable of making an error," Jinnifer replied. "To be fair, we are all a bit stubborn at times. Now... Stone, if you say it is authentic, I'm inclined to trust that. All in favor of moving forward?"
"Aye," Stone, Hanry, Pasha, Jinnifer, and Bezzy said.
"All opposed?" Jinnifer asked.
"Aye," Aphell said.
Jinnifer looked at Karlton. "Are you abstaining?" She asked.
"No, I am not," Karlton said after a moment. "Plurri's case had much compelling evidence, however, this journal lends support strongly to the argument that Zutan of Eltar framed him for his own crimes. We cannot try Zutan, as he has long-since perished, however, justice must still be served. The only way to ensure that is to reopen the case and thoroughly examine all of the evidence. Keeping an innocent man on the Most Wanted list is hardly a good use of our resources."
Aphell glared at him. "Very well," he said. "We shall address this matter some time in the future."
"With all due respect, Aphell, the matter has waited long enough," Hanry said softly. "It is our duty to proceed swiftly."
"He's right, Aphell," Bezzy said pleasantly. "The proof is here. We were mistaken. Plurri is innocent."
"He's not innocent until a trial clears his name," Karlton reminded them. "Let us see justice done."
"Two days," Aphell said reluctantly. "Gather your witnesses by then." He stood up. "We are adjourned." He left the room.
"He's pissed," Pasha said with a laugh.
"You and your colorful language," Jinnifer said with a smile.
"He's right, though. Aphell is especially upset about this case," Bezzy agreed.
"Well, he was fond of Zutan," Stone remembered. "Actually... He was fond of Jezzeff, too."
"Wasn't everyone?" Pasha asked. "That silver tongue of his could make a pyrokinetic purchase fire."
"He told even prettier lies than Zell," Bezzy agreed.
"Come, my friends. I'll buy everyone dinner," Hanry offered.
"Notice he only made that offer after Aphell left us," Pasha said with a laugh.
"Oh, hush, Pasha," Jinnifer said. "You know Hanry treats Aphell with nothing but respect."
"That doesn't mean he wants to hang out with him."
"Thank you for the kind offer, Hanry," Stone said, effectively silencing Pasha. They left together shortly after and Stone tried to allow himself to hope justice would finally be served and Plurri would be free, but hope was hard for him and had only gotten harder after Talon and Avona had died. He settled for promising himself he'd fight for Plurri harder than ever until his friend was finally cleared of all charges.
ANDIE
She was sitting on the porch trying to relax when she felt the familiar presence of Oralee. Suddenly, she saw the girl in her mind.
"You need to know the truth, Andie... He wasn't always like this," Oralee said gently. "I'm so sorry to do this, but there is no more time. He needs to know... It's the only chance he has."
"I don't understand..."
"Zell is in horrible danger, Andie... And he needs to know the truth, or he shall never believe it."
"Why should I care about Zell being in danger?" Andie demanded, although she did care. She cared deeply. It was probably because of Daphne. "He does nothing but harm innocent people and destroy lives."
"If those who betray him win, things will be worse. The threat they pose is different, Andie... And he's going to need us."
"I don't know who you are, but I'm not helping Zell. This is obviously a trick and I'm not stupid enough to fall for it."
Oralee looked at her sadly. "I'm you, Andie," she said. "I was your first incarnation on Eltar... Over two centuries before Daphne came along."
Andie wanted to scream. "Another past life? No thanks. I've met enough of those," she said.
"I promise I'm better adjusted than Daphne. She died once, at the hands of a man she loved who could never truly love her, in an absolutely horrific manner. I died two hundred and twenty-three times because the boy he was long before that happened wanted so desperately to save me. I found a way to adjust and keep my sanity because I knew I had to warn him what she was doing."
"Two hundred and- Jesus Christ, are you serious?" Andie asked.
"He loved me, Andie. He truly loved me, because he still could back then, but she slowly manipulated him... She enjoys cruel games, and she's not the lunatic she pretends to be."
"Who is she?" Andie asked.
"The Witch. You need to know the truth, Andie. She came for me. She came for Daphne. She'll come for you, too." Oralee hesitated. "Are you ready to remember?"
"No," Andie admitted, "but I'll do it anyway. I tried fighting remembering Daphne and even Isobel, and it just made everything worse. Show me."
Oralee gently took her hands. Just like that, the memories flowed into her mind. Andie didn't know it, but her body was writing everything down in Oralee's own words as she began to remember her oldest past life yet.
She saw Zell as a small child. He radiated with light and was extremely comforting to her. Oralee was his neighbor and dearest friend. When Zell was seven and Oralee was six, he enchanted a ring of flowers so it would always fit her and would never die. Then, he slid it onto her finger and asked her to marry him. She'd agreed, and he eagerly ran around declaring to literally everyone he met that he would marry her one day and that he would always protect her.
As they grew, they were genuinely happy children. Oralee was extremely clumsy. I just can't seem to escape from that trait, Andie thought with a brief flash of amusement. It vanished as she watched young Zell steady her, keep her safe, and lovingly patch her up when she still managed to get hurt.
She saw Oralee at nine years old. A strange girl watched her from the shadows, hiding behind her long black hair. She scared Oralee, who told Zell. He calmed her down, but when they returned home with their families, she felt her watching her again. Zell didn't dismiss her as being paranoid, instead promising to protect her.
The girl stood over Oralee's bed, declaring she was a problem and they were going to play a game. She called herself the Witch. She beat the hell out of Oralee, leaving her for dead. When Oralee regained consciousness, the house was on fire. She ran to her parents, but they were dead in their beds. The Spirit affinity Andie knew so well awoke and the child heard her dead parents telling her to survive. She fell down the stairs, managing only to think Zell's name before blacking out.
Zell saved her life and, as an act of kindness, put the fire out so her parents could be recovered and buried. Oralee stayed with his parents until the funeral, but then her uncle took her in.
The Senator was thought to be a great man, but he tortured his niece in private. The abuse she suffered was horrible and familiar. Looking into Oralee's uncle's eyes, Andie felt sick.
"My father..." She whispered. "My father was the reincarnation of her uncle..."
In addition to physical abuse, the Senator sexually abused his niece. Andie's father had never done that, and Andie understood why when she saw Zell pull the truth from Oralee's mind. He was furious, but unlike when he'd realized Andie's history, Zell listened when Oralee begged him not to kill her uncle. Instead, he made him impotent, basically magically castrating him and making it impossible for him to ever violate anyone again.
This made her uncle angrier. The physical abuse became even more violent. Zell tried to appeal to a Junior Senator named Raimus to help Oralee. Raimus agreed to search for proof and tried to keep Oralee away from her uncle as much as possible.
In the end, she still died. She was twelve years old when she knocked over her drunk uncle's alcohol and he attacked, savagely killing her.
Andie began screaming. History had nearly repeated itself when she was thirteen and her father had tried to kill her for the exact same reason.
I'm sorry, Andie... I know this is hard for you. We can take a break, Oralee promised.
Andie looked at the journal in her hands, having no idea where it had even come from. She knew this book was important and needed to be completed. She also knew this was just the beginning of the story. "No," she said with determination. "I'm okay. I can do this. Tell me the rest."
She slipped back into the memories. Oralee showed her Zell, rushing to try to save her and discovering she was already gone. He held her and screamed as he felt anguish and agony unlike anything he'd previously experienced in his thirteen years of life. "I shall save you, my dear one... At any cost," he vowed. Andie realized Zell only ever called Oralee "my dear one" or "my darling" until he met Daphne. Then, he'd given her the nickname as well, and he'd used it with Andie, too. It was his way of showing she was special to him, while everyone else got the far less intimate and more condescending "my dear boy," "my dear girl," or "my dear" followed by their name.
This powerful grief unlocked Zell's ability to travel through time with his body. He'd previously only done it in dreams. He went back, determined to save Oralee.
The day got stuck on repeat. Zell trapped Eltar in an endless time loop, resetting the day every time Oralee perished. She began to die in increasingly strange ways. Sometimes, it was her uncle who killed her. Others, she fell victim to her own clumsiness.
I'm always telling Darcy that's how I'm going to die, Andie thought with a laugh.
There were also several bizarre accidents. Those seemed to happen when Zell got close to actually saving Oralee's life. Andie knew somehow that it was the Witch killing Oralee on those days.
One day, Zell seemed to do everything right. It was nearly midnight when a spear flew through the air and went straight through Oralee's chest. "No!" Zell shouted. "I can't lose you again!" He held her in his arms, openly weeping as she slowly bled out. "Please don't leave me, Ora..."
Zell can cry? Andie thought in shock.
He could then, Oralee replied.
"Zell... Don't cry," Oralee said. She wiped the tears from his eyes. "I love you."
"Ora... My dear one... I have tried to save you so many times... But you keep perishing. Why do I have this power if it cannot save you?"
He was pale, trembling, and visibly weak. "Zell, if you keep this up, you will perish, too," Oralee said as she realized the truth. "You are hurting yourself. Please stop. Let me go."
"I can't," he sobbed. "I cannot lose you, Ora. You are my heart. I... I love you, Oralee."
Andie was stunned. Zell never used the word love unless declaring it a weakness. At most, he said people were dear to him.
"I love you, too," Oralee told him. "This is only hurting you, Zell. I don't want you to suffer this way. If I am meant to perish, you have to let me go."
He cried harder, holding her close as she bled out in his arms. "Why?" He demanded. "Why does nothing work?"
"Love makes you weak..." The Witch mumbled. "You're meant to be strong. You can't save her, Zell. The Fates are conspiring to keep her away from you. They will always take her in the end." She whispered the words in his mind, repeating, "Don't let them take her from you. Keep using your powers. Embrace what you are. Save the girl... Over and over and over until you get it right."
Suddenly, Andie understood that the Witch knew Zell's misuse of his powers was turning him dark. Elgan and Oralee had always been able to pull him back from the edge, just as Stone had Talon and Avona to do the same for him and Logan had Pierce and Chelsea, but the constant cycle of losing Oralee over and over again was breaking Zell, and every time he abused his powers, more of that darkness Oralee and Elgan kept at bay was seeping in.
Knowing now that the Witch was trying to turn Zell into a monster, Oralee became determined to stop her. She found a way to remember what was happening, in dreams. At first, she had horrible nightmares of her previous deaths, but she didn't understand that they were real and she'd experienced them all. Still, she was nervous for the entire day. That day ended with Oralee getting stung to death by dozens of flying insects, causing her to become terrified of them. That fear had carried over, and even Andie was afraid of any bug that flew near her.
The next morning, that demise was added to the list of deaths in her nightmares. She died several more times before she realized the girl who'd killed her parents was behind some of her own deaths and was always watching, waiting to see what Zell would do to try to save her next.
Oralee called the Witch to her and demanded answers. The Witch appeared with a cackle and said, "You finally figured it out!"
"Why are you doing this?" Oralee asked.
"You keep him too human, Oralee," the Witch replied. "You're meant to perish, but he's managed to change that a few times, and I cannot allow him to succeed. For Zell to follow his dark path, he must embrace the cursed magic. He will never do that if he has you."
"You mean to turn him evil?" Oralee asked in horror. Her sweet, gentle, thoughtful best friend, the boy she loved, could never become a monster. It seemed impossible, yet she could tell the Witch believed it was going to happen.
"He's meant to be, but he has free will," the Witch explained. "He's choosing to be good for you, and now, he has developed emotions like love and joy. He cries because losing you takes those away. He can't be what I want if he's around you because you soften his heart. You weaken him. So, you have to perish."
There was no cackling now. The Witch was perfectly lucid and extremely terrifying. She was neither insane nor unstable, and she had put a lot of thought into creating her perfect monster.
"I won't let you do this to him," Oralee said. She was terrified of the Witch, but that didn't matter. She had to protect Zell.
"You can try to stop me. It will be terribly fun that way," the Witch replied. Then, she shoved Oralee through a window to her next death.
The day began again. Oralee didn't remember everything, but she woke up with one determined thought. "I am not dying today," she declared.
My God, Andie thought. That's where that comes from... Those words had saved Andie's life more than once, giving her the strength to fight against impossible odds.
Every day, Oralee became more determined to stop what was happening. She was nervous and constantly fearing for her life, but she continued to fight to survive. Zell became increasingly obsessed with saving her. He did everything he could. His heart broke more every time he failed, but he never gave up, and the Witch kept pushing him to try again. She insisted the Universe was trying to take away what was his, warping his love for Oralee into an obsession with protecting what belonged to him. Her voice was all he could hear, and the powers continued to turn him darker with every use.
One day, Oralee remembered the truth. She awoke knowing the Witch was trying to turn Zell evil and she planned to warn him. Before she could, the Witch snapped Zell's father, L'Telgo, out of the time loop. She made him see what Zell was becoming and then killed Oralee before she could warn Zell. Zell's parents ended up binding his time travel ability and making him forget Oralee so he would finally let her rest in peace and release the planet from its time loop.
Zell felt a sense of loss he couldn't understand because he no longer remembered Oralee. One day, the Witch told him what his parents had done, insisting they'd done it just to hold him back. She swore they were trying to keep Zell and Elgan from their destinies. She pushed him to ask Elgan about Oralee. Being only seven, Elgan told Zell the truth about who she was and that she had died. Zell believed the Witch, and she convinced him his parents had to be dealt with. That was when he killed them.
"I promised to return to him to try to help him find the light," Oralee explained. "I failed to save him as myself... Even as Daphne, I failed him. That wasn't Daphne's fault. He really did nearly love her, but the Witch got in the way at every turn then, too. She manipulated him into hurting her, making him do things he never would have done... She pushed him until he believed the only choice he had was to kill Daphne because he nearly loved her. He was too far-gone by then. She never had a chance. The tragedy is that once the Witch got involved in his life, neither did Zell." Oralee hesitated. "You can reach him, Andie. I know what he's done. I know he's a monster now... But he wasn't always, and that boy I loved is buried deep inside of him. He can't remember me, so he can't connect to who he used to be... But you can save him, Andie."
Andie felt tears in her eyes. "He was just a kid..." She said softly. "But now... He's beyond saving, Oralee. I'm sorry, but after everything he's done, no one can save that monster."
"Maybe not... But you can save him from Jezzeff and the Witch. They're working together, and they're about to start a war... One that won't leave any survivors."
Andie sighed. "What can I do?" She asked.
"To start, get this journal to Stone Hollow. Make sure it reaches a girl called Angel. She'll get it to Zell, and when he sees the truth, written in my own words, maybe he'll listen."
Andie snapped out of the vision. She took several deep breaths. Oralee wasn't like the other past lives. She asked before she just demanded control. She helped Andie see things while still trying not to overwhelm her. And, although she was twelve and therefore the youngest of the bunch by far, she possessed an understanding of what was at stake that neither Daphne, Isobel, or even Andie herself seemed to. "I'll try," she promised Oralee, knowing she'd hear her. "Not for the Zell I know, or the one Daphne married... But for the boy he was when you were still alive."
BARTELLO
He was sitting at the table, drinking tea, when he started to feel a bit off. "I probably need to feed," he mumbled aloud. He hadn't been taking care of himself properly with everything that was going on. He'd remained at the base while Zee, Tra'dai, Reyes, and Mya went off on a mission, choosing to stay behind to make sure Carina was alright. She'd been pretty shaken up since Trerry brought her back to Barcelona. He'd declared her mind free from influence, and Bartello had welcomed her home with open arms.
He stood up, figuring he'd try to boost his energy in ways that weren't traditional for an incubus, but he nearly fell down. His legs felt weak, and the world was spinning. It happened so suddenly, he had to grab onto the table to steady himself.
"Something's wrong..." He realized.
His chest felt tight, and suddenly, he couldn't breathe. For the first time in a long time, genuine fear took control of him. D'Dodi... He thought desperately, reaching out to the eldest of his brothers. When he'd still been alive, D'Dodi had always known what to do in any situation they found themselves in. He had a way of making Bartello feel like everything would be fine no matter what. Now, his name was the only comfort Bartello could think of.
As Bartello crashed to the floor, he managed to grab his communication stone from his pocket. He tapped it twice before saying the first name he could think of that wasn't Zee. He refused to panic his baby brother. "Hezzo!" He cried.
The stone came to life. Bartello could hear Hezzo calling, "Bartello? Bartello, what's wrong?" Then, he heard nothing as he blacked out, unable to breathe.
HEZZO
He realized Bartello wasn't responding. Hezzo looked at Ling. "Fancy a trip to Barcelona?" He asked.
"That sounds lovely. Should I pack my dancing shoes?" Ling asked cheerfully.
"There's no time to pack. You can buy new ones while we're there... Bartello's in trouble. Come on." He grabbed Ling and opened a portal, heading straight for Bartello's base of operations.
Carina stood over Bartello with a blank expression on her face. "Damnit..." Hezzo mumbled. He prepared to attack her with a spell that would either kill her immediately or leave her in a coma.
"Hezz... Don't," Ling said softly. He got between them, refusing to move so Hezzo could attack the traitor. Looking into Carina's eyes, Ling calmly said, "You're very tired, Carina... Sleep now."
Carina curled up on the floor beside the seizing Bartello and immediately fell asleep. Ling scooped her up in his arms and carried her from the room, presumably to her bed. Hezzo didn't have time to worry about that as he knelt beside Bartello.
"Stay with me, Bartello," he said urgently. He tried sending energy into Bartello. When that failed, he kissed him hard, willing the incubus to feed. Bartello didn't respond and continued to seize. "Damnit!" Hezzo shouted in frustration.
"I'll call Amello. Maybe he can heal him," Ling said as he returned. He did it as Hezzo continued trying to stabilize Bartello.
Amello came, bringing Sezzon with him. "It's a poison," Sezzon said, analyzing the situation quickly. He immediately closed his eyes and Hezzo knew he was mentally going through a list of everything he could think of that might reveal what the poison was. Sezzon was constantly reading and full of knowledge. Sometimes, it came in handy.
Amello immediately tried to heal Bartello. He started looking pale too quickly. "Mel, stop," Hezzo said. "He's going to kill you. He can't control himself, and your life force is going straight into him. We've got ourselves a rabid, feral incubus."
"What do we do, Hezz?" Amello asked weakly.
Hezzo wished he knew the answer to that. "I've never seen Bartello this bad," he said. "And trust me, I've seen this boy in pretty rough shape over the years. The first time we met, I had to save his life... But this... It's different. He's not healing. There's a hole in his energy field."
"Hezzo, we need to call Zee," Sezzon said. "He needs to be here."
"Bartello called me, Sezzon. That means he's trying to protect Zee from this," Hezzo argued.
"I understand that, but Zee is essentially a ball of energy who can help sustain him and possibly comfort him... And Zee is Bartello's only living brother. If we can't figure this out, he deserves a chance to say goodbye."
"No one is saying goodbye," Hezzo said stubbornly. "Bartello's not fucking dying, Sezzon, so put that thought right out of your head and start being useful or get the fuck out and send me someone who will."
"I meant no offense, Hezz," Sezzon said gently. He put a comforting hand on Hezzo's shoulder.
Hezzo sighed, forcing himself to stop raging for two seconds and not snap at his friends. "Sorry, Lad," he said. "It's just... This is Bartello. I've known this kid since he was still practically a baby incubus."
"I know, Hezzo. It's fine. You should call in Vitella. Bartello's been part of the Rebellion forever, and she'd want to be here. Besides, Vitti has an extensive knowledge of plants. She might be able to figure out what the poison is made of."
That wasn't a bad idea. Hezzo nodded. "Ling, call her... I'm still trying to keep Bartello stable," he said.
Ling did as Hezzo requested. A short time later, Vitella arrived, just as Zee made his way home with the rest of the Barcelona Chapter.
"What happened? I can feel him... I know something's wrong with Barty," Zee said frantically.
"Carina," Hezzo said, practically hissing her name.
"It's not her fault, Hezz. It's obvious Jezz planted something in her head," Sezzon pointed out.
"Where is she?" Mya asked.
"She's in her room. Ling put her to sleep. She won't wake until he decides to allow it," Amello explained.
"I'll go stand guard over her," Tra'dai offered. He hurried off.
"Oh, Bartello..." Vitella said with concern. She shook her head. "How long has he been this way?"
"He called me a while ago," Hezzo replied. "All he managed to do was activate the call before he blacked out. He didn't even say anything, but we found Carina standing over him."
"He looks bad..." Reyes said with concern as he watched Bartello on the ground.
"He is," Hezzo said. "You guys need to stay back. He'll feed on anyone who gets too close. He can't control himself right now."
"There's a hole in his energy field..." Zee said. He knelt beside him. "I'm staying here. I can keep feeding him energy. Reyes, Mya, go help Tra'dai. You shouldn't be here right now."
"But, Zee-" Mya protested.
"I'm the Lieutenant. I'm in charge when Bartello can't be. Go," Zee insisted. "I'll take care of my brother."
Mya and Reyes followed his orders. Only when they were gone did Zee show any emotion. "Barty..." He whispered, his fear obvious.
"He'll survive this, Lad," Hezzo said gently. "Bartello's one of the strongest entities I've ever met."
"You can't leave me, too, Barty," Zee said softly. He began pouring energy into his older brother, desperately trying to save the last big brother he had left. He might be a Lieutenant of the Rebellion, but in that moment, Zee was every bit the terrified teenager he'd been on Eltar.
They stayed there all night, with Zee refusing to sleep even though his powers were stronger when the sun was up and it was clear he was exhausted. Hezzo froze Bartello, slowing his pulse to slow the spread of the poison. It helped, but only slightly. Vitella grew more and more frustrated as she tried to analyze the poison.
"I've never seen this compound before," she said. "It's clearly meant specifically for an incubus, but it's not from Eltar, or Earth, or KO35. If it were, I'd have recognized it by now." She shook her head. "Stay with us, Bartello... We're not going to give up on you, so don't give up, either," she added softly.
The twins who showed up in the middle of the morning refused to take no for an answer when Hezzo and Zee tried to send them away. Through exceptionally complicated means, Hezzo and Bartello had both technically fathered the girls with their mother, and although Hezzo generally refused to get to know his children, he was pretty attached to those two. "He needs us," Daisy pointed out. "Poppy and I know his energy better than anyone."
"He wouldn't want you to get hurt," Zee said.
"He's dying, Uncle Zee! Don't make us sit back and watch our father die! If we have to, we'll take him out of here before you can stop us and-"
"Daisy! Don't you dare threaten me," Zee said firmly. "I'm trying to do the right things here, okay? But Barty's the only big brother I have left, and I'm in charge of the Chapter, and I have to do what he'd want me to do and also what's best for everyone else, and right now I feel like I'm about fifteen years old and useless, so please don't come in here making demands and complicating things. Vitella is working on analyzing the poison."
"She's taking too long!" Daisy argued.
"Hey! Don't disrespect Vitti," Zee objected.
"Vitti's great at what she does, Lass. Go easier on her," Hezzo said.
"Nonsense. She's right. I'm getting nowhere. If these girls can help, let them," Vitella said.
"You heard her," Poppy said with her usual mischievous grin. Of the two, Poppy was much more out of control. She was every bit Hezzo's child, with Bartello's power levels as a succubus. Daisy was usually calmer, but seeing one of her fathers in distress had clearly pushed her over the edge and made her take action.
The twins used their unusual magic to freeze the poison in Bartello's energy field before extracting it. They managed to get it into a vile so Vitella could continue trying to analyze it while Bartello recovered. It took a few hours, but the twins finally managed to get Bartello to a place where Hezzo could risk unfreezing him.
When he finally regained consciousness, Bartello seemed to realize the twins had shown up. "This was too risky," he said. "Zell doesn't know about you, at least not much. I can't risk him hurting you two."
"We're fine, Dad," Daisy said.
"Yep. We're peachy," Poppy said. She was eyeing Amello, Sezzon, and Ling with appreciation in her eyes.
"No dry-humping my friends, Lass," Hezzo said with a laugh. "They're too old for you."
Poppy pouted before wandering down the hall. Hezzo hoped she wasn't going to try to mount Reyes or Tra'dai. The girl was out of control, and she'd just expended a lot of energy to help Bartello. He decided not to worry about it, because he knew he didn't actually want to know if she went there. Poppy and Daisy were legally adults, so he needed to accept that Poppy could technically do whatever she liked.
"You could have been killed... I could have hurt you..." Bartello rambled.
"Dad, stop," Daisy said. "Just say thank you."
"Thank you, but-"
"Stop. The thank you was enough." She smiled at him innocently.
"Where's Carina? I need to check on her."
"No way! You're staying away from her until we know what the hell is going on."
"What's going on is Trerry fucked up and missed something," Hezzo said. "Which never happens, so it's concerning. But I agree with the kid, Bartello. You're staying away from Carina until we know it's safe. She's asleep. Ling's keeping her that way. She's perfectly safe."
"My Chapter needs to see that I'm okay-" Bartello argued.
"Uncle Zee can tell them," Daisy pointed out.
Bartello suddenly seemed to focus more. "Zee..." He said softly.
Zee looked at him, trying to wipe away the tears that were in his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked nervously.
"I'm fine, Zee," Bartello said.
"Barty... You can't do that to me, okay? You can't go nearly dying on me... I... I already lost you once. I can't do it again."
"Technically, he never died," Hezzo said.
"Hezz... Have some sympathy for the lad. He thought his last brother was dead for a bit while Bartello recovered in secret," Sezzon reminded him.
"You scared me, Barty..." Zee said quietly.
"I'm sorry, Zee. I didn't mean to," Bartello replied. He was still weak, but he hugged his younger brother tightly, trying to comfort him.
"So, what do we do about Carina's situation?" Amello asked Hezzo quietly as the brothers clung to each other.
"Well, this can't mean anything good... Jezzeff clearly sent her in as a weapon, but I have no idea how he hid it from Trerry. I mean... No one can hide anything from Trerry if he's determined to find it. Trerry can even read Zell's mind. Jezz is powerful, but not that powerful," Hezzo said.
"The real question is, did Jezzeff do this on his own or on Zell's command?" Sezzon asked.
"Jezzeff's a puppet. He always does things on Zell's order," Amello said.
"Perhaps... Or perhaps there's something we aren't seeing, Lads..." Sezzon considered this for a moment. "I feel like there's a bigger picture here... And we need to find it quickly."
Hezzo couldn't argue with that. He knew something big was coming. He could feel it in his entire being. He just wasn't sure what it was, or how they were supposed to prepare themselves for it.
ZELL
He didn't expect Angel to come toward him that day, but he greeted her pleasantly anyway. "Hello, my dear," he said. "What can I do for you?"
"It's actually what I can do for you, Great Zell," Angel replied. She produced a journal.
"What is this?" Zell asked, genuinely curious.
"This journal came to me from Andie, Zell. She risked a quick teleportation trip to Stone Hollow just to get it to the Alliance... For you."
"For me?" Zell repeated. "What could Daphne possibly be up to?" He wondered aloud.
"She told me you need to read it... That you'll understand when you do. I didn't read it, so I have no idea what it says."
Zell was intrigued, so he opened the journal and began to read the words written on the page. He felt something he couldn't quite identify as he read the story of a girl who claimed to know him when he was a child... A girl he couldn't remember, yet he could sense the truth in her words.
"Oralee..." He recited her name aloud. He felt like he should feel something, but he couldn't connect to it. He continued reading, trying to understand whatever message Daphne had left for him.
It was reading about the Witch's involvement that made his anger flare. "She couldn't possibly have planned all of this..." He mumbled.
"Zell... Andie was pretty insistent that the Witch is a threat to you," Angel said.
He looked at her. "Was she concerned?"
"I think that she was, actually."
He considered that. He continued reading, knowing he should feel grief but feeling only lost as he read to the very end. The details about the Witch coaxing him to kill his parents were accurate. She hadn't told him to do it, but she'd insisted they were holding him back, and she'd sent him to Elgan for verification. That conversation had changed everything in his life. Once he'd killed them, there had been no turning back.
He knew he looked vulnerable as he turned to Angel, but he didn't try to hide it. It would have been a waste of time and effort. "Thank you, Angel," he said softly. "I appreciate you giving this to me."
She looked surprised by his reaction. "Of course, Great Zell," she said.
"Excuse me," he said. He clung to the journal as he walked away from her. He kept walking until he found himself near the ocean. He stood on the edge of the land, watching the water ebb and flow.
For the first time in a long time, Zell felt something he didn't understand. He ached because something was missing from his core, and it wasn't just about power. "Elgan..." He whispered to the ocean. "Right now, I wish you were here with me more than anything."
He shook his head. It wasn't just Elgan he missed terribly. Reading the journal had reminded him of the close bond he'd shared with Hanry and their cousin Lee. Hanry had always known what to do to make Zell feel better about things. Lee had been born just three days after Zell, and they'd been fairly inseparable until a girl had come between them. She'd chosen Lee, and that made Zell angry, even though he didn't actually love her. He'd murdered Lee, throwing his beloved cousin off of a cliff and not even caring.
"Lee... You deserved better," he said softly. "I was arrogant and didn't understand why she chose you when she could have had me..." He shook his head.
"And to you, sweet Oralee... I cannot remember you," he said sadly. "My father's magic was too strong. However... I see so much of the girl you described on the pages of this journal in my Daphne... It is no wonder I became so attached to her... Why I nearly lo-" He stopped himself from finishing the thought aloud. "No," he said. "Love is weakness."
Looking at the ocean, he thought of Elgan again. He'd loved Elgan, and he couldn't deny that, even to himself.
"He makes you weak, Zell," the Witch had told him. "You'll never be able to come into the power you deserve as long as he is alive. Why do you still hesitate? You were meant to kill him when he matured and his power was ready."
"How dare you? He is my brother!" Zell demanded.
"I'm here to help you become what you're meant to be, Zell," she said. "You know that. Now, do what must be done and there will be no stopping you ever again!"
She'd continued pushing him for quite a while before Zell had finally given in. He spoke to the ocean now, as if Elgan could hear him somehow even though he'd been destroyed for millennia. "She coaxed me into killing our parents... And even you... My brother, who I'd raised from the time you were seven... She pushed me to take what I desired from Daphne, even though I knew she was too young... Her body had begun to mature, but she was still so innocent... The Witch was the one who convinced me I should give in to those urges. I listened because she'd been guiding me for so long... And because once I kissed her, I simply couldn't resist her any longer. It was like something I needed desperately had come back into my life... Like she was my salvation. I didn't understand... I didn't remember Oralee... I still don't... But Daphne was my missing piece. Without you in my life, she was the only light I had left... And twelve years after I met her, the Witch convinced me to kill her because she was making me weak..." He paused. "Twelve years! That's exactly how long I had Oralee in my life, too." He knew suddenly that there was no way that was a coincidence. The Witch loved her games. Zell just hadn't known he'd been playing one for all this time.
He thought every decision he'd made had been his own... But now, he realized that just as he'd manipulated every choice Garron and Felina made in their lives, the Witch had manipulated his.
"I am not some puppet to be controlled," he said firmly. "I am Zell, Great Wizard of Eltar! How dare she do this to me?" He would see to it that the Witch was punished, and soon, but for now, he needed to clear his mind.
Suddenly, a flash of information came to him. He saw Daphne, terrified and not willing to let him into her mind. He slipped in anyway, needing to know why she was so upset. Jezzeff, she thought. I can't let him find out... I don't know what he'll do...
The universe quickly supplied him with the rest. He realized with both horror and disgust what Jezzeff had put his sweet Daphne through. Filled with rage, Zell went in search of Jezzeff, forgetting entirely about clearing his mind. He saw him in the woods and immediately shoved him against a tree.
"Great Zell! What is the problem?" Jezzeff asked in a bit of shock. "Have I offended you in some way?"
"Daphne," Zell said, filling the word with more than enough meaning.
Jezzeff's eyes went wide for a moment before he said, "What about her, Great Zell? Is something wrong?"
"I know what you did, you vile monster!" Zell shouted. It was exceptionally rare that Zell raised his voice, but this seemed like the right time.
Jezzeff continued trying to act innocent. He was quite good at it, but Zell knew the truth. "I would never harm Daphne," he insisted.
"Don't bother lying to me, Jezzeff. You know I see right through you. How could you touch her? How could you harm that innocent child?" He was yelling at Jezzeff, but in some ways, Zell was yelling at himself, too. At least he'd been gentle with her at first. He knew Jezzeff hadn't bothered.
"I... I'm sorry," Jezzeff said. "I was a foolish, curious boy. I just wanted to know how it would feel to... I... I'm sorry." He wasn't. Zell knew that. He was, however, quite afraid of what Zell was going to do to him.
He could have stripped him of his immortality and killed him on the spot, but he remembered the pain on Daphne's current incarnation's face when he'd killed the ones who'd harmed her. He knew that wasn't how she'd want him to handle this situation. Suddenly, Zell remembered what Oralee had written about how he'd handled her uncle. "Yes," he decided aloud. "That's fitting."
He cast the spell easily. Jezzeff doubled over in pain as Zell let him go. "I expect you to learn from this, Jezzeff, my boy," he said. "Remember your place, before I take even that much away from you." He tossed him aside like the trash that he was and went back to the ocean. Only once he was there did Zell allow himself to feel lost again.
TAMMY
She had a lot on her mind. Tammy was wandering through the woods when she heard laughter. "Look! It's the glow-in-the-dark kid," someone said.
Tammy spun around and saw three of the Rangers of the Flame staring right at her. "Great," she mumbled. "Just my luck." She was tempted to summon her Chosen armor, but she decided that might be premature.
"Good one, Damon!" Riley said cheerfully. "Hi, Tammy!" He added like they were just old friends running into each other by coincidence. He still looked goofy and harmless, and she found it hard to believe that the sweet Dino Charge Ranger was evil.
"What should we do with the little lightning bug?" Hunter asked.
"We could abduct her and bring her to Great Zell," Damon said.
"Or you could kiss my ass," Tammy suggested helpfully.
"Our just beat your ass," Hunter said. "Riley... Kill her."
"Me? Why me?" Riley asked. He looked genuinely conflicted as he glanced at Tammy. She realized some part of him was fighting against the flames. Riley was still very much in there.
"When you're smiling... When you're smiling... The whole world smiles with you... When you're laughing, when you're laughing, the sun comes shining through..." Tammy began to sing out of nowhere. When she thought of Riley, he always had a smile on his face, so it seemed appropriate now.
"What's she doing?" Hunter demanded.
"Make her stop!" Damon whined. He cowered like her voice and her light were both hurting him horribly.
"But when you're crying, you bring on the rain. So stop your sighing, be happy again. Keep on smiling, cause when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you..." Tammy continued to sing, getting deliberately louder. Her light was filling the area. Hunter and Damon flinched away from it, but Riley reached toward it, like he desperately wanted it to touch him.
She continued to sing. "Riley, kill her now!" Hunter demanded.
Riley got closer to her, and Tammy was worried he might listen to the order, but she kept singing anyway. That was when Riley grabbed her. He pulled her close to him, tilting her head at an odd angle. He pulled out a weapon and held it to her throat. Tammy refused to stop singing. That was when Riley whispered, "Stomp on my foot."
"What?" Tammy asked.
"Stomp on my foot. Do it. Now," he insisted.
Tammy followed his orders. Riley dramatically cried out in pain, acting like she'd hurt him much more than she actually had, and Tammy understood. He was letting her go. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, knowing she had to get out of there and trying not to worry about what would happen to Riley when Hunter and Damon realized what had actually happened.
"I'll save you, Riley," she promised. "I'll make sure we find a way to rescue you."
RILEY
He was confused. He knew he was evil, but Tammy's light had affected him. It gave him hope that maybe he didn't have to stay that way after all. On some level, Riley didn't like what he'd become. And so, he'd let her escape.
"You idiot!" Damon cried. "You can't even kill a kid? What good are you?"
Hunter didn't initially go for words. Instead, he punched Riley hard in his stomach. "You'll pay for that lapse in judgment, Riley," he said. He hit him again, and again, until Riley ended up on the ground curled up in a ball and trying to protect his side. Hunter began kicking him. Damon joined in.
The attack went on for a while. Riley was losing blood and knew he'd be bruised all over his body by the time he got back on his feet. For now, standing up seemed impossible, so he remained where he was. He was trembling and coughing up blood by the time Hunter and Damon were finished with him.
"Stay here and think about your choices, Riley," Hunter said harshly.
Damon kicked him again for good measure before he followed Hunter away. Riley finally screamed in pain, knowing it was safe because they were no longer present to get angrier with him.
"It was worth it," Riley told himself. "Tammy's just a kid... And her light is so comforting... I can't kill her. I can't take that away from the world. I don't have light anymore. It's not for me... But when she's around, I can almost feel it again... She has a gift and needs to be protected."
It was Maya who appeared next. She knelt beside him with a towel. "Shit, Riley... They did a real number on you," she said. She began cleaning him up. Riley allowed it, too weak to protest even if he had wanted to. Maya was gentler than Hunter and Damon, and Riley was pretty sure she wouldn't hurt him. After a little while, he felt a bit better. "Come on, Riley. Let's go back to the base. We shouldn't stay away for too long."
"Maya... Do you ever think we shouldn't be doing these things?" He asked softly.
"What else would we do?"
"I don't know," he admitted. With no idea what other choice he could make, Riley followed Maya out of the woods and back toward the portal that would lead them to Stone Hollow.
THE NEXT NIGHT.
ZELL
He was about to head back to the base when something made him stop outside of it. He spotted Angel and Grayzee on the ground. There was a lot of blood, and Grayzee cried out in pain as Angel hovered over him. "Traitor!" Zell cried. He attacked Angel immediately.
"Zell..." Grayzee groaned weakly. He'd lost too much blood. Zell knew what death looked like after causing so many over the years. Grayzee didn't have much time.
"All is well, Grayzee," Zell said. "I shall send you to someone who can help." He opened a portal directly to Shaniece, knowing the Campbell Sorceress would heal his mortally wounded ally.
Kill her. Kill the girl. She attacked Grayzee, his mind told him.
Zell continued attacking Angel. He had no intention of stopping, but suddenly, a soft voice began speaking in his mind. She sounded very distant, but somehow, her thoughts still reached him.
Zell... You are hearing a voice other than your own. Listen to yourself. Ignore the other voice, the girl said urgently. Don't give in to this. They're trying to trick you!
Oralee... He realized.
I know you don't remember me, but I know you, Zell... And this isn't you. Don't listen to them. Think for yourself! Please, before it's too late...
Somehow, Zell forced himself to stop attacking Angel. He looked at her. "Forgive me, my dear... My temper got away from me," he said. He began to heal the unconscious girl. Slowly, she started to come around. "What happened?" He demanded.
"We were ambushed," Angel said weakly as she eyed him nervously, like she wasn't sure why he'd stopped attacking her.
"By who? The Rangers and company do not do that, so unless it was Rebels..."
"No... I'm not sure who it was. I can't remember the details... I just know Grayzee was hurt, and I was trying to heal him when you showed up and got the wrong idea."
He let that comment go. "Grayzee is safe. I sent him to Shaniece. He'll survive."
Angel looked visibly relieved. She does care for him, Zell realized. It wasn't an act. Perhaps Angel was exactly who she claimed to be.
"Come, my dear. Rest for the night. I'll have the Alchemist heal you the rest of the way," he said.
"Not that I don't appreciate it, but what made you change your mind?" She asked.
"You have Oralee to thank for that," he said softly. "She reached out and made me realize my voice was not the only one I was hearing in my mind. I suppose she wanted to help you because you gave her journal to me."
Angel looked surprised. She didn't question him as he guided her back to the base. The Alchemist met them at the door. "Oh my," she said as she looked at Angel. "Come along. I'll get this cleaned up in no time."
Left alone, Zell began trying to figure out what had happened. Whoever had attacked them, he suspected they were closer than he thought. "I cannot trust any of them," he decided. "I need to test them all." He paused before heading to the one person he did know he could trust.
"What can I do for you, Zell?" Maegus asked as he looked up from the book he was reading.
"Grayzee was attacked. I know you will want to check on him, so go ahead and do that, but then I need you to run an errand for me."
"Attacked?" Maegus looked justifiably alarmed. "What happened? Is he alright?"
"I'm not yet sure who was behind it, but he was in rough shape. I sent him to Shaniece."
"Thank you for telling me. I'll check on him and then do whatever you ask... Go on, Lad, tell me."
"I need you to go to Eltar," Zell said. He had tossed this decision around all day, but now, he knew it was the right one. "Retrieve my in-laws for me."
"Tiktah and Aliese?" Maegus asked in surprise. "Of course, but... May I ask what for?"
"I need to see them, Maegus," Zell replied. "There's something I need to do."
Maegus didn't ask anything else, perhaps because he saw something in Zell's eyes. Regardless, he nodded. "Of course, Lad. I'll have them here tomorrow."
"Don't bring them to the base. Find a hotel and keep them there until I can meet you. I fear we have traitors among us, Maegus."
"Traitors?" Maegus repeated.
"Yes... The Witch is playing games, and she's not alone. I intend to find out who is responsible, but whoever they are, they were involved in the attack on Grayzee and Angel."
"Angel was attacked as well? Is she hurt?"
"She was... And I made it worse. I thought she'd attacked Grayzee. I healed most of the damage and left the Alchemist to do the rest."
"Right. At least you sorted that out. I'll go check on Grayzee, inform Branz of the situation, and head off to Eltar." With a nod, he walked away.
Zell took a deep breath. All is well, he told himself. You'll figure things out and restore order.
JEZZEFF
Slowly but surely, Jezzeff had begun recruiting allies for himself. Carina had been programmed to be his puppet, but the others were there of their own volition, and he convinced more of them every day. Micah had come easily at the promise of more power. Britterra had joined him for much the same reason, bringing Lang and Lun with her but leaving their healer out of things for the time being. Katherine fell for Jezzeff's pretty lies easily, and she was definitely coming around to his side. He knew she'd be working with them any day now. And then, of course, there was the Witch. She was his greatest ally, and had been for a long time.
"Is the girl dead?" Jezzeff asked another of his allies.
"She survived," Obsidian replied. "I was deep in Zell's mind, but someone got through to him and made him realize it. I lost control of him."
"It's alright. We'll get another chance. Zell's mental state is declining rapidly. It shouldn't be hard to push him where we want him to be, especially with a telepath as strong as you on our side."
"Jezz... It was like a shield of light went up in his mind. This girl, whoever she is, might be a problem for us."
"Then we'll deal with her like we handle all of our problems, Obsidian. We'll destroy her."
"Right..." Obsidian looked nervous. The Eltarian boy was a hundred and fourteen and looked like a seventeen-year-old high school student. He was still young by Eltarian standards, so Jezzeff understood his hesitation.
"You have great power, Sid. You belong with the winning team." He paused. "Is Carina's mind still guarded?"
"Of course. Maegus took her straight to my father, but he couldn't get past what I put around the programming. He'll never find it."
Jezzeff smiled. He'd discovered Trerry's son's existence by chance while looking for possible allies. Trerry had no idea he'd fathered the boy. As far as he was aware, Trinity was his only biological child. He'd never see Obsidian coming. He made for an excellent secret weapon.
"How much do you think Zell's figured out?" Obsidian asked after a minute.
Jezzeff realized the boy knew exactly what Zell had done to him. "I can't be certain... The only thing he brought up was my history with Daphne. He never suspected me of betraying him before, and I think he still assumes I'm just a confused boy who was manipulated by the Witch. It's probably why he allowed me to live and didn't strip away the immortality. Zell still sees value in my continued existence. He thinks he can bring me back to his side."
"Are you sure? I could read him-"
"Don't. It's too risky, Sid. He may realize you're in his head if you do that too often."
"You said my father could do it."
"He can... But he doesn't do it much, either, and sometimes, Zell notices. It's a risk you don't need to take right now. My priority is protecting you, Sid. Zell doesn't know you exist, and we need to keep it that way."
Jezzeff had a plan. He and the Witch had been working on it for quite some time, since long before Zell had resurrected Jezzeff. They'd always known he would return, and the Witch wanted to see if Jezzeff could become the bigger threat. She enjoyed games, and this one was the most exciting one she'd ever played. Now that Zell had crossed him so harshly, Jezzeff intended to be the winner no matter what.