Trapped: Part 6

“No,” he said. “Absolutely not. You ask for far too much.”

“Entirely up to you, pet,” she said. “No doubt it’s a shocking idea — giving up your life for me. Take some time to think it over.”

“I don’t have to think it over, my answer is no! It’s insane, not shocking. I won’t do it.”

“No reason you should,” she said, turning on her heel and heading back toward the trees. Muttering to herself, loudly enough that he could hear without effort: “Some love he has for me. Won’t even make a harmless little sacrifice.”

“What you’re asking for is not a harmless little sacrifice.”

She looked over her shoulder at him and shrugged. “I assume you’ll be here tomorrow?”

A moment’s pause and he nodded.

“Good.”

She made no mention of the sacrifice the next day. Nor the day after that. Nor the following day.

She didn’t have to mention it.

With each passing day, he felt his situation becoming more and more ridiculous. Simply remaining with things as they were was not an option — breaking out of the net had proven that. Filling up the cup with sweet tears and spending the rest of his time dreaming of revenge simply wouldn’t work anymore. Every day he waited he simply pushed away the inevitable decision: either to leave or to agree with her outrageous request.

That’s why she didn’t have to mention it. She was a smart enough woman to know that his continued presence meant he was considering it. And that each passing day made it more likely he would agree in the end.

But it seemed so insane an idea! She had no claim on him. She’d trapped him, lied to him, tortured him, tormented him, humiliated him, and degraded him. When he thought of her he’d fume and spit and curse her for everything she’d done and curse himself for even entertaining her request. There was no reason to consider it, no reason to take the idea seriously, no reason even to give it a second thought…

Unless he loved her.

But even then, it was still insane. What kind of love would be self-sacrificing enough to do something like… that? It was inhuman, it was unnatural, it was pathetic. And how dare she even ask him to consider such a thing? Did she really hate him so much? Or was it simply that she didn’t care — grown so ancient and calculating over the centuries that in her eyes a human being really wasn’t anything more than a toy to be played with, a puppet to be manipulated?

And what was he, even to consider allowing himself to be treated in such a way? To be used in such a way. It was more than any man with the barest shred of self-respect should be willing to put up with. Yet here he was, not only putting up with it but seriously considering going along with it. What did that make him?

Had he really meant what he said when he’d promised her he wanted to be with her forever?

He’d certainly never expected that wish to come true in such stark terms.

And it would have been different had she been some great benefactor of humanity — someone who was obviously worth giving up one’s life for. But what was she? A liar, a conniver, a manipulator, the kind of person humanity would be far better off without.

Unless he loved her.

But no. He couldn’t really love her, could he?

No. No! Of course not.

Why not kill the witch, then?

After all that had passed between them, it was impossible that he could simply leave. He’d never be able to endure living with himself knowing he’d left the witch dwelling in the woods to trap some other unsuspecting victim.

No. Only one of them could survive this, one way or another.

So he prepared a plan to ensure he would be the one to survive.

A plan that began one day when he asked the witch, “You’re still looking for a willing victim for your sacrifice, right?”

“That’s right, pet,” she said with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you’re not looking anymore. You’ve found your willing victim.”