Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (44 page)

Enin pointed to the sad truth.

"I wish it weren't, but it
is. You don't have to believe me. Think of what just happened. Why weren't you
able to reduce the influx of magic?"

"Because I have no control!
But it doesn't matter. Jure's spell will handle it, and when the barrier
returns to its previous size, things will be back to the way they were."

"No, they won't. You and Jure
will be dead. Control is no longer an issue. Even with all Jure's control, he
won't be able to break his own link. Just as it flows through you, it will
surge into him, but he can't cast it out forever. It's just not possible. At
some point, he will have to stop, and when he does, it will be over... for both
of you."

Heteera's anger turned to horror.

"You're not lying?"

"I wish I was, but I'm
not."

Heteera began to see the truth,
not so much in the wizard's words, but in the magic that coursed through her.
The barrier continued to surround it, separate it from her consciousness, but
she could still feel it. Despite the reduced size of the mound, the current of
energy roared through at an incomparable pace.

As she had taken hold of the
barricade, utilized it for her own needs, she had become very aware of its
properties. She knew its expansion could drive her into oblivion, but she also
understood the barrier's limits. It could not possibly contain so much raw
power. The moment Jure stopped utilizing the energy in massive spells, the
magic would indeed rip away their very essence.

She probably could have accepted
her own fate, but the thought of Jure suffering for her mistakes was too much
for her. If purpose was her goal, fault was her fear. Jure was right. She
didn't wish to cause harm.

"Isn't there something you
can do to stop it?" the sorceress begged.

"Perhaps if the three of us
work together, we can alter the barrier, enable it to slowly restrict the flow
so that we can eventually control it. In all honesty, I'm not sure how
successful we can be. The barrier will grow, and it will remain somewhat
unstable, but I believe it's our only chance."

"Wouldn't that put us right
back where we started?"

"No, the flow would be
controlled enough so that you and Jure would survive."

"But I would be storing a
dangerous amount of energy."

"I don't see how we could
avoid that."

"Is that really the only
chance we have?"

"It's the only one I can
see," Enin admitted.

Heteera, however, decided to reach
for another answer, one that offered an existence beyond the magic.

"What if we just removed the
barrier?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dissolve the spell that
caused the barrier in the first place."

The wizard could not follow her
logic. The barrier was not the issue. The removal of the spell would only
shatter the vessel that held the magic. The flow of energy would run unabated.

"That would do nothing to
stop the current of magic."

"But it would break Jure's
link immediately, wouldn't it?"

Enin considered the point.
Destroying the barrier would certainly break Jure's connection to the flow, but
he continued to see it as a partial solution at best. It wasn't the barrier
that attracted the energy, it was Heteera.

"It would," the wizard
conceded, "but that wouldn't solve the problem, just a part of it."

"Before you brought me to
Ashlan, you told me that the magic inside of me had built up to a dangerous
level. That's what you were afraid of. You said I couldn't die because the
magic inside me was too great and for some reason it required a purpose. It's
not the amount of energy stored within me that's the danger anymore, is it?
It's just the flow, and the flow is no longer seeking a purpose. You even believe
the purpose has been fulfilled, don't you?"

"I don't understand what
you're suggesting."

"I'm not suggesting
anything... yet. I'm just trying to understand it all. When Jure stops casting
his spell, the flow of magic—if it continues as it is now—will rip us both
apart. Right?"

"Yes, that's what I want to
prevent."

"But there will be no
cataclysmic release of pent up energy since the magic isn't being held in me,
it's just going through me. Correct?"

"I believe so."

"It is correct. I can see
that now."

Enin was pleased to hear that, but
he still felt Heteera was avoiding the true issue.

"Then you understand we have
to come up with a way to contain the energy and control the influx at the same
time."

"No, we don't. All I have to
do is destroy the barrier right when Jure finishes his last spell," she
explained. "The magic won't tear him apart."

Enin finally understood her
intentions.

"You'll die!"

"But Jure won't, and neither
will anyone else. And once I'm gone, there will be nothing to attract the
magic. The flow will end... the danger will be over."

"It won't work," Enin
implored. "Jure cast the spell, not you. If you try to interfere with it,
it could be disastrous."

"But Jure will help. When
he's done using the magic, he'll know he has to break his connection from the
barrier all at once. That will be enough. He might have cast the original spell
that created the barrier, but I'm the one who turned it into what it is. All he
has to do is show a willingness to end the spell, and I can do the rest."

It was true. Enin knew it. The
barrier had become a joint endeavor. It was as much Heteera's spell as it was
Jure's. She was the one who fed it and molded it into its current state. All
that was necessary was a spark of willingness from Jure, and he already revealed
his desire to end his spell and bring Heteera back from isolation. When he
chose to break the link, it would open the path for the sorceress to destroy
the barrier.

Enin wondered if he could stop
her, wondered if he even should. It seemed such a waste, but he also had to
admit that it would solve the dilemma. For all his power, he really didn't know
what to do.

He placed his consciousness
momentarily in the magic and hoped for enlightenment. The magic, however, held
no answer for him. It was pure in form, nothing but energy. He would have to
make his decision on his own.

While in the magical energy, he
noted that Jure had closed the portals and was going further with his own
plans. The elder wizard had begun to repair the land and its occupants, casting
healing spells and restoring incantations. He was still using the massive
amounts of magic to help the land. When that was over, however, he knew Jure
would call an end to the magical flow and break from the barrier. It would
happen very soon.

"I'm sorry about all of this,
Heteera."

"Don't be sorry. You said it
was meant to be."

"I didn't think you were
supposed to die."

"But I ended up helping a
great many, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. It's just
that..."

"Stop worrying about it. It
was my mistake. I'm the one who called for more magic. You tried to warn me.
Jure did what was right. Let me do the same."

"I don't know if it
is
right."

"Let me worry about
that."

At that very moment, Heteera felt
Jure try to break free from the magical current. It was exactly as Enin warned.
The elder wizard couldn't disconnect from the great flow. With one great
effort, Jure tried to extinguish the connection, and Heteera's will joined with
his. She focused on shattering the barrier entirely, and combined with Jure's
desire to break from the flow, the tunnel that held the great surge of magic
burst apart. The magic washed Heteera's soul out of her body, but before she
was gone completely, she managed to leave Enin with one clear thought of where
she was headed.

It's better than magic.

"She did what she thought was
best," Enin stated sadly.

The wizard's essence had returned
to his body, and he addressed those that realized Heteera had died. He wanted
them to know the full merit of her noble act. He turned his attention to Jure.

"She wanted to make sure you
weren't hurt. The current of magic was too strong for either of you to stop.
She knew what she was facing but decided it was worth it. I told you you were
putting your life in her hands, and in a way, I was right. She didn't want to
see you suffer for her mistake."

"The barrier was as much my
mistake as it was hers," Jure replied sadly.

"No, that's not correct. All
along, you did what you had to do... the
right
thing to do. Her mistake was not seeing that soon enough. She created the magic
current out of fear. She admitted that, and then, she did what she
had
to do. People make mistakes all the
time. It takes courage to admit it and live with the consequences. Give her
credit for that. She deserves it."

It wasn't that Jure didn't want to
give Heteera any credit. He simply couldn't understand the loss. It seemed a
waste. For a moment, there was a point, a reason... a
purpose
for them all. Together, they used their gifts and they
defeated the goblins in a way that none of them could do apart. He couldn't
understand why one of them had to suffer for it.

Holli did not wish to remove
attention from Heteera's sacrifice, but she understood that the real source of
suffering needed to be confronted.

"It is time we find the
draevol and make it pay for this... all of it."

She harbored a deep resentment
toward the demon. She wouldn't deny it, or even attempt to conceal it. Elf
guards didn't allow emotions to affect their objectives, but as she began to
realize, she was no longer simply an elf guard. She was also an apprentice to
Enin, and she believed that her struggle in accepting that fact caused her to
make several missteps.

"I suppose it is," Enin
agreed. "We know where the demon is and the goblins are no longer a
threat."

"It worked then?" Ryson
asked. "All the goblins are gone?"

"All the ones in the
valleys," Jure confirmed. "I had to stop there. I didn't want to try
and focus on all of Uton."

"He didn't really stop
there," Enin added. "He also did a great deal to help the people. He
cast several spells after the goblins were removed to heal wounds and repair
damage. Heteera brought him a great deal of magic, and he didn't waste the
opportunity."

Ryson was beyond impressed, he was
thankful for the elder wizard's compassion.

"Well done," the delver
offered.

"I couldn't have done it
without her," Jure admitted, as he continued to look upon Heteera's
lifeless body with sadness.

They all could see that Jure
didn't wish to abandon Heteera. Momentary uncertainty mixed with the uneasiness
until Enin offered a solution.

"I understand your hesitancy
to leave her," the wizard stated, "but Holli is right. We have other
work to do. Still, let us give her the respect she deserves."

The wizard stepped up to the chair
that held Heteera's slumped form. He placed his hands over her head just as two
rings of white energy sparkled near his palms. The circles of power dropped
from his hands, encircled Heteera, and whisked her body away.

"Where did you send
her?" Jure asked.

"To a safe haven for now. Her
body is in a magical envelope between dimensions. We will give her proper
acknowledgment back in Connel when this is all over, but I didn't want to leave
her with him."

Enin motioned to the prone body of
Prilgrat moaning lightly on his bed.

"That reminds me," Holli
stated, as she fixed a grim stare upon the regional steward and pulled a long
knife from its sheath on her waist.

"What are you doing?"
Ryson demanded.

Holli knew the delver would speak
out, and she was ready with an explanation.

"Would you rather we leave
him to suffer? He has been plagued by a draevol's spell. He will not recover. I
am not doing this because he deserves to die. Quite the opposite. I think he
should suffer for all eternity, but I will not allow that to happen. I am doing
this not as punishment, but as an act of mercy. One I do not believe he
deserves, but I am doing this as much for myself as I am for him."

"So you're just going to put
him out of his misery?"

"There is no one is Uton who
can save him," Holli replied.

Ryson looked to Enin.

"Is that true?"

"Yes... and no." The
wizard then called to Holli. "You can't kill him, you will only cause him
further pain."

"I will be swift... and
sure."

"You don't understand. You
could slice him into a hundred pieces and scatter him across the land. He will
not die. He made that bargain with the draevol. He can't break it, the draevol
can't break it, and neither can you."

Holli placed the knife back in its
sheath.

"There is no way to remove
the curse?" Holli asked.

"Not with a knife, or with
magic." Enin cast a glance at the pathetic wretch on the bed. "He has
to look for salvation elsewhere."

"Then my conscience is
clear." She turned to the door. "We should waste no more time. I want
to find that draevol."

Prilgrat could only stare in
helpless agony as the four left him alone. He tried to call out, but all he
could muster was a gurgling moan. He turned his head enough to gaze out of the
hole in his bedroom wall. His vision was too fuzzy to see anything specific,
but he knew Ashlan had been saved. He, however, was no longer regional
steward... and very far from any salvation.

Ryson was the only one who looked
back upon Prilgrat. He didn't wish to see suffering on that scale, but he
forced himself to take one last glimpse of futility, for that's what he saw in
the pathetic, diseased body. The man tried to cheat death, and in a way, he
did, but he ended up with something much worse. The steps of life were not ones
that could be altered to escape fears of the inevitable.