In the twelfth chapter of Cold Fire, Daja nearly makes an important connection and has a bizarre moment with Bennat. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Circle Opens.Â
Trigger Warning: For discussion of ableism.
THIS HURTS. IT HURTSÂ SO MUCH.
Jory
Ah, it’s so pleasing to see Jory and Nia grow over the course of this book, and that’s been a common experience through all of the Circle Opens books. Jory is the most unique student in the series, and I’m really happy that Pierce is giving her the respect she deserves within the narrative. People do not learn the same way as others do, plain and simple. And despite that Daja is exhausted by the dual training sessions, she’s already seeing results in both of her students. I guess I’m most proud for Jory because I know that this hasn’t been easy for her, you know? I admire her tenacity despite the difficulties she’s facing.
Evil
At this point, I believe that Cold Fire is an extended prank, created solely so that I could embarrass myself in front of all of you. Understandably, Daja was haunted by the Jossaryk fire, enough that she had to revisit the scene of the crime. Did she expect certain answers from that act? Perhaps. Maybe not. Re-reading this, it’s clear that she’s shocked by how little remained of the place. More shocking to her, though, are the sudden realizations she has. Could she kill the person responsible for the fire? Pierce invokes the ending of Magic Steps here, which makes Daja consider what it means to be evil. Is the person who committed these arsons evil? Or are they simply mentally ill?
The whole bit about “madmen” is horribly simplistic, and it’s an unfortunate aspect of an otherwise invigorating discussion about the nature of evil. Given that we know exactly who is responsible for these arsons, I think it’s easier for us to talk about motives and justifications, especially the ways in which Bennat perverts his morality. But the point that I take from all of this is that evil is not what Daja thinks it is. In her life up to this moment, the antagonists she’s faced have largely been easily defined or categorized, and she’s never had to deal with the ambiguity of someone like Bennat Ladradun:
Probably right now the magistrate’s mages spoke to people who had seen someone so empty of good it had frightened them.
But evil hides beneath innocuous covers. It’s insidious that way and often times, people who have the greatest capacity for evil can hide that from everyone else. They know how to make sure that they seem innocent and friendly. It’s a form of manipulation, more or less, and it’s something that Bennat does with Daja, intentionally or not. But there’s a moment here in this chapter where, for a moment, Bennat pulls the facade aside, and it unnerves Daja. And I totally get why! In terms of how this all unfolds, it’s brilliant for Pierce to have Bennat attempt to control and manipulate Daja, only for Daja to ultimately resist it. He insults her gently for being so “young,” which is a condescending way for him to insinuate that she’s immature. I mean, I agree that her views on evil are not well-formulated, but Bennat catches Daja off-guard, enough that she can’t really understand what Ben’s trying to tell her about evil. HE REALLY DOES MAKE IT SOUND LIKE HE’S ON THE ARSONIST’S SIDE. (Spoiler alert: That sentence pained me to write. A lot. Oh my god, he is actually defending himself in that scene. MY BRIAN HURTS.)
Then, we get thrown a curve ball, and I honestly don’t even know how to parse the next scene. Ben’s sudden and evocative outburst to Daja about his self-esteem issues could entirely be genuine. They could also have nothing to do with him being a serial arsonist and a murder. But how can I trust this man? How can I read that scene and not see a deliberate way for him to get under Daja’s skin? I honestly kind of hate that I have to do this because I relate to his complaints SO MUCH. I know that they’re not mutually exclusive; a person who is morally terrible can say things you empathize with.
But I find Bennat to be so morally repugnant that I want to distance myself from him as much as possible. Still, I know that as cheery and as social as I can be, I am often times not an easy person to be friends with. I’m obsessive and challenging; my schedule is so demanding that a person has to be able to accommodate the fact that I’m not always available. And often times – understandably so – people find “other, easier companions.” That’s just the reality of my life, you know?
Except it feels so twisted here. This is not a lonely man expressing his doubts about Daja’s affection; it’s a mass murdering arsonist who is trying to manipulate a fourteen-year-old girl into making something for him that will help him continue to be a mass murdering arsonist.
When she thought to look up from her notes again, he was gone. She didn’t remember that he hadn’t said if he’d talked to the magistrate’s mages.
See? He’s doing it on purpose, y’all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUDGIdRq0k
Mark Links Stuff
– Please help book/finalize the Mark Does Stuff European Tour!
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