Page 62 of Casting Butterflies

“Your death will be quick, I promise.”

22

It took me a second to grasp what Dasha said before I blurted, “You’re going to kill me?”

“To resurrect our tree, it must be given life.”

“Why does it have to be mine?”

“Because Anivivi chose you.”

“Oh hell no. The voice didn’t say shit about me having to be sacrificed. I unaccept.” I thumped my chest, growling, “You hear that, spirit? Take it back. We both know I wouldn’t have said yes if you’d told me the whole truth.”

The only reply I got?

Dasha saying, “You should consider it an honor you were considered worthy.”

“I doubt you’d feel the same if your life was on the line.” Suddenly, hit by an idea, I grabbed her hand. Flesh to flesh. “Okay, spirit, here’s one of your people. Why don’t you piggyback onto her instead of me?”

To my surprise, Dasha didn’t pull away. She waited, as did I, for anything to happen.

After a few minutes I said, “I take it it’s still inside me.”

“Yes.”

I sighed and whirled from her to stare outside at the tree again. “Did Misha know I’d die?”

“He is unaware the transference requires sacrifice. We assumed that he would retrieve the necklace holding Anivivi and that I, or one of the other elders, would provide the life needed.”

At least he’d not been fucking a dead woman walking, but that provided cold comfort.

“So when are you planning to murder me?”

Dasha didn’t even flinch at my bluntness. “Within the hour. No point in drawing out your misery.” Dasha headed for the door but paused with her hand on the door. “I am truly sorry. I don’t know if this helps, but my people will remember and forever commemorate the good you are about to do today.”

Oh yay. I was going to become some historical footnote. How awesome.

NOT!

Fuck me. I needed to escape this place, and why shouldn’t I? I’d been misled. While I’d been more than willing to hand back the magic inside me, had I been told it would require me dying, I would have said hell no.

I was done being nice. Magic simmered within me. The argencae might have blocked my ability outside this valley, but here and now, I could use it as I pleased. And it pleased me to leave this place.

I went to the door and squinted at it, murmuring, “Unlock.”

Click.

Aha. Step one, get out of my—luxurious—prison cell, accomplished. The easiest part, but it was a start.

I entered a stairwell that wound downwards, and I skipped down the steps, expecting at any moment for someone to yell.

I made it to the main floor, a two-story space with wooden doors leading to who knew where. The only one that interested me? The oversized one that led outside. Only as I approached it, the door vanished, and a seamless wall of stone faced me.

My lips pursed. Obviously, some kind of magic meant to foil me. I put my hand on the wall. “Open sesame.”

Nothing happened.

“Make a door appear.”