"The last thing we wanted to do was trap other people," she said. "Infect them. No. We told them to stay far away. Some of them tried to break the magical barrier but..."

Simple as that? Some of them tried to break the barrier.

No. It had been more than that. It had been a battle between life or death. Only a matter of whose life and whose death was on the line. Ariadne had seen the hope fade from the eyes of those on both sides of the barrier. For her, self sacrifice was the right choice. It was almost easy.

For some of the others...

She cleared her throat, looking down at the charred remains of her raspberry bush. "We eventually called the gods. Asked them to secure the barrier, to make sure the disease stayed inside. That meant us."