Page 9 of Casting Butterflies

I carried the box with my ugly treasure inside. Cedric followed at my heels.

“Now that we’ve got the artifact, what next?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. Let’s start with taking a proper look at it.”

“If we must,” I sighed, still not keen on the necklace, even as I couldn’t explain my discomfort. I placed the box, with its built-in shielding, on the counter and flipped open the lid. Immediately, I recoiled, as I’d have sworn a ghostly butterfly rose from the interior, vanishing the moment I blinked. Stupid overactive imagination.

Having caught my flinch, Cedric mocked. “It’s not going to bite.” He showed no trepidation at all and stepped close enough he could place his nose against the necklace for a sniff.

“I wouldn’t be so sure it’s benign,” I muttered. “Why else have it stowed away in a box meant to block magic?” Maybe Papillon did it because she suffered from nightmares too. “What do you think it does?”

“No way of telling, seeing as how it is too close to the argencae shielding. It’s preventing me from seeing or sensing anything.” An obvious hint he wanted it removed from the box.

“Let’s not be hasty. The necklace was kept in the no-magic box for a reason. Maybe we should take our time.” Words that I couldn’t believe emerged from my mouth. I was usually Mrs. Let’s-Go-Jump-off-a-Cliff.

“You might have a point. Let me see what I can observe without us removing it.” Cedric sat close and peered into the box, his tail curled around his haunches. “I would venture to say, given the containment unit, it definitely has magic.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“It’s old, I’d say several decades at least, which surprises, as I’d have expected an artifact to be of greater age. While the auctioneer claimed it wasn’t made of gold or real jewels, he neglected to note the chain was forged of tungsten and the jeweled piece forming the body of the buttery is quartz ringed in tiny amethysts.”

“And that’s important?”

“More like interesting, as those stones are popular with those looking to store spells.” He put a paw on the belly of the butterfly. “Hmm, I do believe the quartz is hollow.”

“Meaning there could be something inside?”

“Likely. Despite it being mostly muffled by the argencae, I am sensing magic.”

“Can you tell what kind of spell it’s holding?”

“Impossible to tell until it’s activated.”

“And how would we do that?”

“Given the containment unit is a necklace, I would imagine it must be worn.”

“Duh.” I rolled my eyes. “Do think it will it turn you back into your dryad shape?”

“No way of knowing, but doubtful unless it contains a piece of my old oak. Given its age, that seems unlikely.”

“But you said the seers told you it would help.”

“It might but not in a way we can yet understand.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“If you’re asking it if will explode, then I would say no.”

“I hear a but in there…”

“Could it hold a curse? Possibly.” Cedric dropped his head into the box and sniffed. “I will admit it is a bit of an enigma, because, on the one hand, the magic emanating from it feels slight, barely worth noticing, and yet, for some reason, it makes you quite uncomfortable. Not to mention, the seers wanted us to acquire it before anyone else could.”

“To be fair, they didn’t actually tell us to buy an ugly necklace. Maybe we grabbed the wrong thing.”

“No. I don’t think we did.” Cedric’s head canted left and right.

“Should we call the seers and ask them? Wouldn’t they know?”