Burning Fire

Chapter 7 - Fire Cracker

He is coming. 

He is coming for me. 

SAVE ME!

The scream inside my head had me bolt out the bed. It was a dream, always the same dream. 

For a week now I had been dreaming about her. The faceless, nameless girl with black hair begged me to save her.

She demanded it!

But I could not.

I did not know her name, where she lived, who she was or what she looked like. Even when she introduced herself, I could not understand her name- as if it was just an incomprehensible white noise.

I had three weeks left, and I was no closer to finding her. And to make matters worse my three-week grief holiday has finally come to end, and my father had dictated to me that I was due to attend a different college. It seemed being a demon princess did not exempt me from education.

Oh joy!

Giving a small sigh, I checked my watch. It was five in the morning, precisely half an hour since the last time I checked. This morning it seemed there was no sleeping for me. 

Pushing the ridiculously warm covers off me, I got out of the bed only to be greeted by the icy-cold wooden floor of my bedroom. Shivering, I made my way out of my room and down the stairs to the sunroom. The sunroom was on the ground floor, and it faced the large garden.

I was wishing that time would speed up, but at the same time I wanted time to slow. I was not prepared to go back to the mundane life of college, but I had no choice as my father said intelligence was a prized commodity in a demon leader and a demon leader I had to be.

In the past week, my father had been hunting for those who had attempted to hunt me, but neither he nor I fooled ourselves into thinking that it was a random attack. In fact, while my father had not said it, in so many words I knew that the only person who was gunning for me was Zelus. 

The demon host for envy was very unhappy that I, a small human-like child, was going to rule over him. Not that I blame him much; it seemed to me that I was unfit to rule over a shoe box, let alone the inner circle of hell. As it was, I was going to rule whether I liked it or not. 

Lost in thought and watching the sun rise under the warm blanket, I was too distracted to notice the man who had snuck up behind me until he cleared his throat.

I launched off the comfortable seat so I could face the formidable man in a more prepared manner. 

“Eidolon . . . you scared me.” I breathed.

“You should always be aware of those around you, young Kara.”

“I am in my father’s house.” I pointed out.

“Nonetheless, if you are going to be the leader you need to be aware at all times. There are those who wish you harm. If you are going to lead the inferno, you’d better act in a manner of a leader.”

I snorted at the last comment. Who did he think he was, my father?

“Excuse me!” I said indignantly.

“You are not stupid, so I will not repeat myself.” the arrogance in his voice called to my inner demon. 

I wanted to kill this man right now. How dare he stand there, looking down his nose at me!

“Listen here you great brute of a demon. No one- and I mean no one has the right to speak like that to me. Do you think I want to be a leader or even a demon? My dear father was the one who had gone around impregnating young women and never looking back. Eighteen years later, voila, here I was. Do you think I wanted this life, to be forced to live among the vilest creatures known to life?”