Artemis's Arc

Chapter 5 of 9

Artemis followed the butterfly along the ravine's edge until the cracked ground gave way to moss and roots again. The trees closed in. The path bent away from the cave and dropped into a hollow where the light went green. He had begun to trust the small wings ahead of him when he heard the sound. It came from the trees to his left, soft and steady. A woman, weeping. The butterfly did not slow. It flew on along its chosen line, low and certain. Artemis stopped on the path. He listened. The crying did not stop. He thought of the dream that had sent him into these woods, the woman whose face he could not stop seeing. He thought of every date he had cut short because he had already decided. He owed someone an apology. He did not know if it was her. He stepped off the path toward the sound. The butterfly flew three slow circles above him, then settled on a low branch and waited. Artemis pushed through the ferns and found a girl, not the woman he was looking for, sitting against a tree with her knees drawn up. She held a tarnished silver locket open in both hands. The portrait inside showed a child's face wrapped in a pale shawl. She did not look up when he knelt. He asked what she had lost. She said the locket had belonged to her sister, and she could not find the way home. Artemis sat with her. He did not promise to lead her out. He told her about the butterfly that would guide him only where it chose, and said the same small wings might help her if she asked. He helped her stand. He walked her back to the path. The butterfly lifted from the branch and flew a short way ahead, then waited. It did not refuse her. The girl wiped her face and followed the wings. Artemis followed behind. He had lost nothing of his guide's patience, and he had learned that the bargain bent further than he had feared. The path he wanted was still ahead, and now he walked it with two.