12-17-2008, 12:59 AM
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His eyes turned over the smoke and the fire, catching that light, holding it steadfast. They were two marbles of liquid flame and ruby, though one was more moonstone then this. A fire had taken that eye not seven months ago. It had been more then enough time for him to contemplate his own death. He had done this longer then he had thought about killing the boy beside him, or the man starving himself to death in the northern forest.
Not once had he broken his field of vision with the fire, for fear that if he did such a thing, it would truly bring about something he could not control. Hot air rushed by him, obscuring his vision, and he blinked at the cinders and the white-gray smog that was close to, but not quite, the same color as the snow. He heard the voice above these things, above the second voice he alone heard, above the third voice of the fire, and could not bear to look his son in the face. “I’m sorry, Jasper,” he finally said, then without turning his head, held out his scarred hand. He could offer him nothing beyond that.
His eyes turned over the smoke and the fire, catching that light, holding it steadfast. They were two marbles of liquid flame and ruby, though one was more moonstone then this. A fire had taken that eye not seven months ago. It had been more then enough time for him to contemplate his own death. He had done this longer then he had thought about killing the boy beside him, or the man starving himself to death in the northern forest.
Not once had he broken his field of vision with the fire, for fear that if he did such a thing, it would truly bring about something he could not control. Hot air rushed by him, obscuring his vision, and he blinked at the cinders and the white-gray smog that was close to, but not quite, the same color as the snow. He heard the voice above these things, above the second voice he alone heard, above the third voice of the fire, and could not bear to look his son in the face. “I’m sorry, Jasper,” he finally said, then without turning his head, held out his scarred hand. He could offer him nothing beyond that.