Prologue

A Chapter by Jessica Enright

Usually when one listens to a story, it is about a great person who saves the day; a hero who many admire. That's not the case with my story. I am far from a hero; nobody admires me. When people see what I am capable of, they cower in fear. I am the thing heroes are made to defeat; the shadow seen in the corner of the eye; the person parents warn their children about when they are young. Yes, far from a hero, indeed. I am a monster.

My name is Braston Aleksandar. Yes, the young, handsome, charismatic Prince of Zanistre. My father, King Zane Aleksandar, the Daemris, holds all rule of Zanistre. My mother, Queen Xanadu Aleksandar, a common human, has little influence over my father; he is a complete dictator. Because of my father's place on the throne, Zanistre is at war with our neighboring land, Rastanon. Rastanon has grown sick of the Daemris' violence, terror, and their emotionless monsters they create. My creations; the Bellatórum.

The Bellatórum are seemingly normal, but beautiful, human girls. They are victims of my father's war plans and my craftsmanship. They are far from normal. Of course, nobody knows that the innocent prince is actually the creator of these terrible monsters. No one suspects that I am the one who glides through the shadows in the corner of their eyes. I am the one causing these women to disappear and return weeks later.

I take them in the dead of night, from their beds, off the streets, from the shadows; I re-wire their brains and alter their skeletal and muscular systems. I change them into the perfect warriors; ruthless and unafraid. Able to fake emotion, but unable to feel any. Of course, I am part human. I make mistakes sometimes.