Heteera would not believe it.
"No, that's not possible."
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.