Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

"It's more than that. It's torture. I'm being tortured and I want it to stop." Despite her words, there was no tone of torment in her voice. She might have reestablished her thoughts and her identity, but her emotions had been totally discarded. "I found a way. All I have to do is let the magic wash me away. I'm safe now. I can't cause any more harm."

Enin did not wish to burden the sorceress, but he could not allow her to hold to such false hope.

"But you can cause harm. Maybe not intentionally, but there is a danger you don't realize."

"What are you talking about? I'm safe here. There's nothing that can happen to me now. What kind of damage can I cause?"

"You're pulling in too much magic. Even now, I am absorbing most of what you're drawing in from the land. It has erased almost all of your external awareness, but what happens if you stop breathing."

"I guess I'll die. Is that so bad? I live… I die. There's really no difference."

"There is a great difference, but I won't have that debate with you now because there is something else you must consider."

"What's that?" she asked, but she didn't seem to care.

"What happens to the magic inside of you?"

"I don't understand," Heteera admitted.

"Even with all of my abilities, I couldn't control all of the energy that's currently trapped within you. If it flowed out of you in one colossal burst, there would be damage.. great damage."

"You're just trying to trick me. If I die, the magic will just release itself back into the land."

"Normally, I would agree with you, but these are not normal circumstances. The barrier has walled off the magic from your consciousness, but it is still within you. If you die, your essence will move on, but the magic will stay in this realm."

"That's what I said. The magic will just escape."

"It's not about escaping you, it's about escaping the barrier. The barrier exists only as long as you do. It was constructed within your essence. When your essence is gone, the barrier will have no foundation. Yes, the magic is pure, but it is surging within its containment. When that containment fails, it will rush out like a tidal wave and it will seek direction."

"But I can't give it direction. I have no control. That's what I'm talking about."

"I know, but you've absorbed the magic. While the energy remains pure, it now seeks purpose. I don't know why, but it does. Once the barrier breaks within you it will search for any remnant of thought or desire. I can't imagine what might happen, but I know it will be devastating."

"Are you telling me I cannot die?"

"Not without dire consequences."

There was no shriek of agony, no painful denial. It was not death Heteera sought. She searched more for the safe haven of oblivion. She made a rather simple request to acknowledge her current state.

"I'm still alive now, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know how long that will last. The magic is completely consuming your consciousness, and even the unconscious portions of your essence that keep you alive. Ultimately, you will stop breathing, your heart will stop beating. You will die, and the magic will explode out of you."

"Am I a danger at this instant?"

"No, but I can't continue to absorb this level of energy forever. When I leave your essence, the magic will erase what is left of your mind. The danger will almost instantly become critical."

For the first time, Heteera spoke with a degree of confidence.

"I've been focused on pulling in increased amounts of magic. I was trying to completely extinguish myself. I see that's not possible. Fine. It doesn't matter any more. I don't have to do more. I've removed enough of myself to find what I need."

Enin saw one last chance to try to help the sorceress.

"If you were able to direct the flow of magic, then maybe you have more control then you will allow."

Heteera, however, took no comfort in the offering.

"I've always been able to absorb vast amounts of power. It's using it that I'm incapable of, but that's no longer an issue. I will cease absorbing additional magic. I will only take in enough to maintain what I have now. I will allow the barrier to hold and my body to remain in its current state. I will not die, and I don't have to live. I have found solace in the emptiness."

"Are you sure about this?"

Surprisingly, the sorceress asked for alternatives.

"Do you have any other solutions?"

"At this point, no."

"Then, I'm sure."

Immediately, Enin felt the flow of magic diminish to a trickle. He ceased all attempts to capture it and let it refresh the barrier as well as Heteera's life force.

"Satisfied?" Heteera asked, but her tone revealed a complete indifference to the wizard's concerns.

He was not satisfied, but the wizard had nothing left to offer. He pulled himself from the sorceress' essence without another word. When his own awareness returned to his mortal body, he turned his focus to Jure.

"Do not attempt to access the magic within her, but tell me what you feel."

Somewhat stunned at the abruptness of the request, Jure reached out to the waves of energy surrounding the sorceress as well as the flow of magic he previously felt surge through the room.

"It's less," he noted, "a great deal less."

"Yes, she was responsible for the increase. She tried to bury herself in the magic. I explained the threat and she acknowledged it. She has reduced the absorption of magic. She left enough of herself that she will remain this way. The danger has passed."

"So what do we do now?"

"Nothing."

"Excuse me?"

"She's chosen isolation over madness. It was what she wanted."

"And you're going to leave it that way?"

Enin sighed.

"I hope not to, but right now, I just don't have a solution. She's stable again. For now, it's the best we can hope for. Look after her."

Jure simply nodded, baffled and distressed as Enin left the room.

Holli and Ryson stepped upon the western bridge that led into Huntston, disregarding the guards that waited at the other side. The elf showed little to no concern over the soldiers-they were mosquitoes buzzing around in the distance, nothing more. She didn't even place the forester's cap over her ears. Instead, she focused on the large warehouse that stood just behind the guard shack across the river. According to Huntston's captain, it was there that the goblins congregated.

She couldn't sense them from the far side of the bridge, but she did feel the flow of magic. It overwhelmed everything and made it difficult for her to focus on the location of any dark creatures. Just as it had done on their first visit, the energy coursed through the town. There was no spell activity, no taint of evil intention. The energy just poured in from every direction and then flowed back out, as if the town itself called to the magic and then simply released it on a whim. The entire concept defied logic and it needled at her desire for comprehension.

The entire puzzle burdened her. She did not approach such quandaries with a delver's curiosity. She faced them with an elf guard's purpose… threats could not be fully faced and removed unless they were understood. Turmoil had come to the valleys and it was leading to a crisis back in Connel and Burbon. As a guard, it was her duty to protect her home, even if that home wasn't an elf camp in Dark Spruce, but a city filled with humans and dwarves.

She and Ryson had uncovered many surprising details about the upheaval in the Great Valleys, but no matter how she arranged the specific parts, she could not find a suitable explanation for the problem as a whole. Not one of the discoveries explained the dilemma. Instead, they were all symptoms of a larger cause

Frustration did not come easily to an elf guard. It was an emotion to be shunned or conquered. Frustration led to impatience and carelessness, and Holli found such errors in judgment nearly unforgivable.