Fire wasn't surprised by the fierce pride that sparkled in Cansrel's handsome blue eyes as he told her his gruesome plans to get rid of the Prince Brigan. The plan was so revolting Fire could hardly sit and listen yet she was obligated since Cansrel was her father. His plans included humility, blackmail, pain, and death. This was not his first attempt assassinate the young prince but it was only his second and the plan was infallible. Prince Brigan would not survive this attack.
When Fire's father seemed to have finished his monologue she told him that he was horribly cruel and evil man. At this Cansrel smiled more engagingly and preceded to tell her the details, not realizing she was uncomfortable with this conversation. Fire sat at the dining table across from her father, unable to ignore his cruel thoughts that swept from his open mind, wishing she had the ability to change his mind permanently. Lord Brocker, who was not only there neighbor but the former commander of the Kings army and Fire's second father, asked her several times if it was possible. She had never attempted it because she was afraid of the outcome if something went wrong. Fire was considering it at the moment. She didn't know the prince but felt an unusual closeness to him because Brigan and herself were most likely the only people in the world who Cansrel could never understand fully.
He has a secret – he's kept it from me for a few years, that impossible prince – of course I suspected it however it never occurred to me… Cansrel thought to her. He laughed one of his most musical laughs, If he thought it would stay secret forever then he is for the most exciting of surprises. Rocks! What a wonderful revenge I will have – Fire could no longer stand the vicious thoughts and awful excitement that coursed through her father's mind. She took advantage of Cansrel's careless open mind and sized it before he could utter Prince Brigan's secret.
Cansrel didn't resist her sudden mental attack, in fact, he welcomed it. He encouraged it often because he believed it was important for her to exercise he monster abilities. Although, practicing was not her intention at the moment, the idea was to change his thoughts forever.
Cansrel was beautiful, handsome, and the most wonderful man in the world on the outside, however on the inside he was ugly beyond description. Fire almost vomited as she entered his mind and began to regret the thought that had lead to her attempting this because if she had wished to escape Cansrel's horrible thoughts she should have ran to her room, shut her eyes, and her mind to the world. She shifted through his mind changing his thoughts as she went, compelling him to love and not hate, and then compressing it with such intensity she imagined was excruciatingly painful. She forced him to believe that Prince Brigan was his friend and not his hateful enemy. Fire watched the ferocity and hatred soften into something she had never recognized in Cansrel. She smiled her deepest smile, most thoroughly satisfied, and slowly removed herself from his mind. At first nothing happened, Cansrel sat there dumbfounded with a pleasant expression and Fire wondered, for a moment if she had injured his mind. Then he spoke.
"Those flowers, there on the table," he said motioning to a vase of dead flowers on the table, "must have been gorgeous in their life time." His voice was light, not layered with hatred or anger, which she often sensed in his company. "Their dead state is quite dashing." He laughed and Fire found he hadn't changed so much."You know what else is dashing?" He asked proudly.
"Hmm?" Fire looked up at him questioningly. She was happily smiling at his innocent expression unable to guess what his next nonsense statement would be.
"I think that Prince Brigan is dashing." He stated plainly. And Fire laughed her hardest and smiled her biggest that she could remember. She smiled until her cheekbones hurt. " Dells! He isn't as handsome King Nash however he is the cleverest and most wonderful boy I have met. I think you would like him!" Cansrel declared this with such enthusiasm that Fire felt heat rise to her face as she glanced nervously at the guards in the corner who were doing there best to ignore the unusual conversation at the dining table. Cansrel continued, "He is a worthy opponent as well. He survived my last attempt to assassinate him…" he paused, staring confusedly at Fire's pleased face as he rearranged his thoughts. Cansrel looked down at his palms as if he were making sure his hands were still attached and then slowly lifting his beautiful eyes to Fire's. His eyes were once again clouded with anger.
Cansrel stood up abruptly and knocked the vase of flowers off the table and against the wall where it shattered into a million pieces with a sound that symbolized Fire's emotions. In a matter of seconds she was in tears. Cansrel didn't need word to express his anger; Fire felt it emanating from him with fierce meaning. She ran to her room.
It took several minutes for Fire to process what had happened and several minutes more to stop her crying. Fifteen was too old for crying. She spent most of the day thinking over her father's fierce actions and in the end she forgave him and decided it was acceptable however unusual his actions had been. Cansrel didn't come and apologies as he usually did either which Fire found unusual yet she didn't mind being alone: she was thinking.
Fire new her father was the most dangerous creature to the world. He could be the destruction of mankind; he would lead people to their deaths and enjoy doing it. He was destroying Dells however she found he wasn't enjoying it. Either Brigan was disrupting the game or Cansrel no longer found it entertaining. The cause of his unhappiness made no difference in the fact Cansrel needed to be destroyed, an idea Fire found as revolting as his plans for Prince Brigan. She needed to come to terms with the fact that she was the only one with the power to control him… or kill him. Fire preferred the earlier one but she knew that it was forever impossible. She spent the rest of the night trying to think of a different scenario, one that would keep her father alive but whether it be from exhaustion or simply having no other possibilities, Fire thought of no other way than to kill him. She cried and when Archer came she sent him away.
She didn't sleep but when morning came she grudgingly got dressed for breakfast. Cansrel met her warmly at the dining table and apologized for his harsh behavior the night before. She nodded and absently forgave him. Breakfast continued dreamily and they exchanged a phony conversation in which Fire lied to all Cansrel's questions. Then they had a short break from one another and Cansrel took his customary stroll through his maze of monster cages taunting them with his blood. She watched grudgingly outside the second set of fences that surrounded the entire enclosure. Fire hated those monsters especially the midnight blue leopard that her father loved the most.
At the moment Cansrel cut his palm, and smiled mockingly at the monster cat, Fire knew exactly how her father would end. The idea was so sick and twisted it suited him perfectly. She regretted her thoughts as soon as she thought them… or at least she thought she should regret them. She felt senseless in her dream state yet she was thankful for it.
Fire and Cansrel walked back to the house together.
Father… I am sorry if I hurt you last night… but will you give me your honest opinion, was it good? She thought to him quietly.
Cansrel hesitated. No, Love, you didn't hurt me, it was something else you won't understand yet. And what you did was good. Sorry I failed to say earlier.
Will you let me try again?
No. Cansrel said it firmly but it was his emotions over the subject that kept Fire from perusing the subject. You may enter my mind however if you attempt to do what you did last night… He didn't finish his sentence and Fire was glad he didn't.
When Fire and Cansrel were back inside the house they sat in the sitting room, across from each other, not talking. They stayed like that for a long time, which seemed like ages. Fire gathered her courage to enter his mind for the very last time. Cansrel was resistant at first, almost as if he knew her plan and perhaps he did but she entered his mind with little effort. She compelled him to walk dreamily out the door by her side and back to the first set of fences. Cansrel opened the gate, thinking he was walking back into his own house. He closed the gate behind him and with no more than a backwards glance and continued to his death alone.
You're going to see your beautiful monster child. You love your child and you need to see him and tell him you love him. Fire told her father as he opened the gate to the monster leopard cage thinking he was going to see his baby boy. He cooed and soothed the child that wasn't there. He told it he loved it.
Then the monster cat attacked and Cansrel screamed in pain. You don't feel the pain. She told him.
Fire realized the guard beside her had readied his bow and was about to shoot. "No! He deserves this! I HATE HIM!" She declared knowing it wasn't true but unable to help herself because her dreamy state still held her hostage. She yanked the bow and arrow from his hands. She didn't take her eyes off her dying screaming father. She no longer held his mind and he was staring at her in horror and admiration. His blue eyes were brighter than ever in fear and pain. She could no longer stand the pain his mind was sending at her. And more emotion was emanating from him than she had ever experienced from him. She notched the arrow and shot killing the cat. She took the quiver from the horrified guard and killed every last one of Cansrel's monsters. Then she took one painful glance at Cansrel to confirm he was dead and he was.
She walked to his body, sprawled next to his favorite monster, and knelt in his blood. She stared at him tearlessly. She told herself she hated him and that she didn't miss him but she did. She was left with one reassuring fact, Prince Brigan was safe and so was Dells. She stared and let the murder of he father sink in.
Archer founder hours later crouched in front of her father's body, tearlessly. When she tried to pick her up she fought him.
"I killed him, Archer. I killed my own father!" She told him. That was when the tears came.