Post by Aura on Dec 1, 2007 15:20:37 GMT -5
Chapter Four -- Life's Too Short
Life's too short, I heard you say it, I swear I did, what did that mean?
Lilytha asked Taslo, as Amber hastilly drew the curtains on Errie's temporary home. She had been given it for passing on 'Information Of Use To The Crown', the tales she had told to the Prince's Advisors on the day that she had arrived in Jirapa. It was a useful place, quite close to the outter wall and therefore the place closest to where they had picked up Taslo. Lilytha was now questioning him for the things that he had blurted out when he had first staggered into Jirapa, for, infuriatingly, he appeared to have forgotten all about them. Amber said that this was due to the wound on his side that Errie was now healing, Errie herself had said that he would remember in the next few days, and Kirri had just shrugged and said: "He's a guy."
Come on Taslo, this could be important, you said it yourself.
Lilytha pleaded, getting irritated at this boy's lack of memory.
Look, I know it's probably important, Lilatha -
Lilytha.
Um, yeah, Lilytha - and I want to know what it is as much as you do but I just can't remember!
He whined again, wincing as Errie dabbed some cream that obviously stung on his side.
Maybe he actually can't remember.
Errie said thoughtfully, now putting the small glass tub of cream down, and taking out some brown powder from Mush's saddlebag, and mixing it with water to create a paste.
Yes well done, that is what we've been proving for the last half hour -
Lilytha look silenced him.
No, I mean, maybe it isn't actually phisically possible for him to remember!
Amber and Kirri exchanged glances and Taslo sat there grumpilly, looking wearilly at the brown paste that Errie had just added honey to.
Seriously, on my travels to Asbidant, I had to come a long way. Through the Verge -
Errie! Kirri's amazed voice sounded from the corner. The Verge? Why there?
He asked, still sounding amazed. Lilytha and Amber had never heard of such a place, but by the sound of Kirri's voice it was not a normal place to be in. He had obviously never heard of people living in such a place.
Why not? What's wrong with the Verge?
Errie said defencively, now measuring out the paste she had made into little piles, adding a strange yellow herb to one, squeezing out some moss into another, Taslo still looking at the stuff, his expression growing increasingly worried.
What's wrong with it? There are no... it's... unicorns.
Kirri said decicisevely, as if there being unicorns there made it completely uninhabitable.
And what is wrong with the unicorns?
Asked Errie, as if this was a personal question.
Well, you know... unicorns.
Can we get back to the whole memory loss thing?
Lilytha interupted grumpilly, glancing at the door once more, still edgy about the possibility of them being discovered here. Them alone in this house would not have been a problem, there was just the small fact that they had not spared time to get Mush into his paddock around the back. None of the others seemed to care, but Lilytha thought that an unnatrually large donkey tethered outside might just be a slight pointer to any looking for them.
Oh, yeah right.
Errie said, regaining her 'storytelling' voice as she crushed a flower into white powder, then added it to the fourth pile of paste, which suddenly turned a light grey.
Well, on my travels through the unicorn-infested Verge,
She said loudly, as Kirri shuddered.
I stopped by in Miris, you know, the capital of the unicorn-welcoming Verge. On the second night that I stayed there, gathering news about what had happened there, I heard that those involved had been given a She'Lockra Vival.
A what?
Taslo asked suddenly, sitting up and almost knocking over the glass of elm tree sap that Errie was carefully adding to the final pile of paste. She tutted distainfully, but repeated the word.
She'Lokra Vival. Don't ask me what it means, I don't have a clue. But it had something to do with memory -
Of course it has something to do with memory! It has everything to do with memory!
Taslo cried out, looking from one confused face to another as they watched him.
Don't you know any ancient Lirrian words? She'Lokei, that's memory, Ra is often used for 'reversal' or 'opposite' or something like that. And Vival is potion, or mixture, or something.
So?
Was Kirri's first question, as it usually was.
So it's memory reversal in a potion! That's what they've given me!
He cried out dramatically, then sat silently, sulking, not even noticing as Errie began to dab the first paste onto the open part of his wound with a Dock Leaf, pausing every not and then too squeeze out some of the leafs juice to mix in with her healing... stuff.
They've taken my memory. My thoughts. All of it.
Your memory yes.
Lilytha said, frowning as she sat there.
Your thoughts? No. Just your thoughts about what you remember. And not nearly all of it.
She muttered, seemingly to herself, but Taslo protested.
Yes, all of it, I think you'll find.
Well how come you can talk? How come you could walk here? How come you had enough sense to look scared at what Errie is now dousing all over you?
She asked sternly, and Taslo yelped as he saw that Errie had now mixed two of the piles together and was rubbing them on the side of the wound with what appeared to be some kind of reptile skin. He tried to push her away but she simply slapped his hand and continued. Taslo sat there sulkilly, looking at Lilytha, annoyed.
So what are you saying?
I'm saying that they only took the memorys of what they didn't want you to know. Can you remember anything, anything at all of any of your life? Any time before?
She asked desperately as he shook his head.
They must have done it well then. They left you enough so that you would still know how to eat, to drink, to breath, to talk, to walk... normal everyday things, you're basic knowledge of life. They just erased what they didn't want you to know.
Taslo's eyes were wide with understanding and flickers of annoyance, not even noticing as Errie finshed adding one paste, and bottled another.
So what didn't they want me to know? And why leave me with this?
He asked, his voice hardly more than a whisper as he motioned to the wound on his side that Errie had now finished treating. It was already deflating a bit on the swolen side, and wasn't looking quite as purple as it had done when they had first found him. Lilytha shrugged in answer to his question.
They left you with your name, Irony Cause, and Life's Too Short, whatever that means.
She said quietly, but Taslo shook his head and spoke again.
No. I wasn't supposed to know what anything meant apart from my own name. I doubt it's my real name anyway. But I wasn't supposed to know the rest of it. I remember -
It's a miricle!
Kirri muttered, but Lilytha glared at him again and motioned for Taslo to continue.
I remember it was a real struggle to remember Irony Cause, and... Life's Too Short. I had to force the words out because I knew that somehow they were important. I might have even got the words wrong because even though I knew that I knew what they meant... I couldn't remember. I knew I wasn't supposed to say it but I had to because it was important.
Taslo repeated himself, obviously trying to explain.
So all they left you with was a name.
Lilytha said solemly. What she really wanted to know was who was the omminous 'them' that had destroyed Taslo's memory? And why did they want to anyway? What did he know that they didn't want anyone else to know? Where had he come from to be so close to Asbidant to stumble through the gates? Why had they wounded him? Had they hoped to kill him, to finish the job?
So many questions, she thought to herself with a sigh. It was now night and she had gone back to her own home, left Errie at hers, Amber to hers, and Taslo to sleep over at Kirri's, the biggest house by far since his father, Ghadi, was a Chief Advisor to Prince Asbidan. She could see the moon glinting outside her window, the stars blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun... she wondered, again and again, what all this could possibly mean.
The realms of sleep couldn't possibly know, but still Lilytha turned to them, closing her mind with her eyes and embracing the deep, everlasting night of dreams.
"Call it Rose, call it Rose..."
The echo of her own voice came to her as she drifted off past conciousness, accompanying it was a picture of her own self, just a mere child, looking up to her mother.
"Call my sister Rose, please mother, call her Rose..."
Lilytha turned over in her dream, and took a gasp as the nightmare truly began.
Sweet memories.
Lilytha asked Taslo, as Amber hastilly drew the curtains on Errie's temporary home. She had been given it for passing on 'Information Of Use To The Crown', the tales she had told to the Prince's Advisors on the day that she had arrived in Jirapa. It was a useful place, quite close to the outter wall and therefore the place closest to where they had picked up Taslo. Lilytha was now questioning him for the things that he had blurted out when he had first staggered into Jirapa, for, infuriatingly, he appeared to have forgotten all about them. Amber said that this was due to the wound on his side that Errie was now healing, Errie herself had said that he would remember in the next few days, and Kirri had just shrugged and said: "He's a guy."
Come on Taslo, this could be important, you said it yourself.
Lilytha pleaded, getting irritated at this boy's lack of memory.
Look, I know it's probably important, Lilatha -
Lilytha.
Um, yeah, Lilytha - and I want to know what it is as much as you do but I just can't remember!
He whined again, wincing as Errie dabbed some cream that obviously stung on his side.
Maybe he actually can't remember.
Errie said thoughtfully, now putting the small glass tub of cream down, and taking out some brown powder from Mush's saddlebag, and mixing it with water to create a paste.
Yes well done, that is what we've been proving for the last half hour -
Lilytha look silenced him.
No, I mean, maybe it isn't actually phisically possible for him to remember!
Amber and Kirri exchanged glances and Taslo sat there grumpilly, looking wearilly at the brown paste that Errie had just added honey to.
Seriously, on my travels to Asbidant, I had to come a long way. Through the Verge -
Errie! Kirri's amazed voice sounded from the corner. The Verge? Why there?
He asked, still sounding amazed. Lilytha and Amber had never heard of such a place, but by the sound of Kirri's voice it was not a normal place to be in. He had obviously never heard of people living in such a place.
Why not? What's wrong with the Verge?
Errie said defencively, now measuring out the paste she had made into little piles, adding a strange yellow herb to one, squeezing out some moss into another, Taslo still looking at the stuff, his expression growing increasingly worried.
What's wrong with it? There are no... it's... unicorns.
Kirri said decicisevely, as if there being unicorns there made it completely uninhabitable.
And what is wrong with the unicorns?
Asked Errie, as if this was a personal question.
Well, you know... unicorns.
Can we get back to the whole memory loss thing?
Lilytha interupted grumpilly, glancing at the door once more, still edgy about the possibility of them being discovered here. Them alone in this house would not have been a problem, there was just the small fact that they had not spared time to get Mush into his paddock around the back. None of the others seemed to care, but Lilytha thought that an unnatrually large donkey tethered outside might just be a slight pointer to any looking for them.
Oh, yeah right.
Errie said, regaining her 'storytelling' voice as she crushed a flower into white powder, then added it to the fourth pile of paste, which suddenly turned a light grey.
Well, on my travels through the unicorn-infested Verge,
She said loudly, as Kirri shuddered.
I stopped by in Miris, you know, the capital of the unicorn-welcoming Verge. On the second night that I stayed there, gathering news about what had happened there, I heard that those involved had been given a She'Lockra Vival.
A what?
Taslo asked suddenly, sitting up and almost knocking over the glass of elm tree sap that Errie was carefully adding to the final pile of paste. She tutted distainfully, but repeated the word.
She'Lokra Vival. Don't ask me what it means, I don't have a clue. But it had something to do with memory -
Of course it has something to do with memory! It has everything to do with memory!
Taslo cried out, looking from one confused face to another as they watched him.
Don't you know any ancient Lirrian words? She'Lokei, that's memory, Ra is often used for 'reversal' or 'opposite' or something like that. And Vival is potion, or mixture, or something.
So?
Was Kirri's first question, as it usually was.
So it's memory reversal in a potion! That's what they've given me!
He cried out dramatically, then sat silently, sulking, not even noticing as Errie began to dab the first paste onto the open part of his wound with a Dock Leaf, pausing every not and then too squeeze out some of the leafs juice to mix in with her healing... stuff.
They've taken my memory. My thoughts. All of it.
Your memory yes.
Lilytha said, frowning as she sat there.
Your thoughts? No. Just your thoughts about what you remember. And not nearly all of it.
She muttered, seemingly to herself, but Taslo protested.
Yes, all of it, I think you'll find.
Well how come you can talk? How come you could walk here? How come you had enough sense to look scared at what Errie is now dousing all over you?
She asked sternly, and Taslo yelped as he saw that Errie had now mixed two of the piles together and was rubbing them on the side of the wound with what appeared to be some kind of reptile skin. He tried to push her away but she simply slapped his hand and continued. Taslo sat there sulkilly, looking at Lilytha, annoyed.
So what are you saying?
I'm saying that they only took the memorys of what they didn't want you to know. Can you remember anything, anything at all of any of your life? Any time before?
She asked desperately as he shook his head.
They must have done it well then. They left you enough so that you would still know how to eat, to drink, to breath, to talk, to walk... normal everyday things, you're basic knowledge of life. They just erased what they didn't want you to know.
Taslo's eyes were wide with understanding and flickers of annoyance, not even noticing as Errie finshed adding one paste, and bottled another.
So what didn't they want me to know? And why leave me with this?
He asked, his voice hardly more than a whisper as he motioned to the wound on his side that Errie had now finished treating. It was already deflating a bit on the swolen side, and wasn't looking quite as purple as it had done when they had first found him. Lilytha shrugged in answer to his question.
They left you with your name, Irony Cause, and Life's Too Short, whatever that means.
She said quietly, but Taslo shook his head and spoke again.
No. I wasn't supposed to know what anything meant apart from my own name. I doubt it's my real name anyway. But I wasn't supposed to know the rest of it. I remember -
It's a miricle!
Kirri muttered, but Lilytha glared at him again and motioned for Taslo to continue.
I remember it was a real struggle to remember Irony Cause, and... Life's Too Short. I had to force the words out because I knew that somehow they were important. I might have even got the words wrong because even though I knew that I knew what they meant... I couldn't remember. I knew I wasn't supposed to say it but I had to because it was important.
Taslo repeated himself, obviously trying to explain.
So all they left you with was a name.
Lilytha said solemly. What she really wanted to know was who was the omminous 'them' that had destroyed Taslo's memory? And why did they want to anyway? What did he know that they didn't want anyone else to know? Where had he come from to be so close to Asbidant to stumble through the gates? Why had they wounded him? Had they hoped to kill him, to finish the job?
So many questions, she thought to herself with a sigh. It was now night and she had gone back to her own home, left Errie at hers, Amber to hers, and Taslo to sleep over at Kirri's, the biggest house by far since his father, Ghadi, was a Chief Advisor to Prince Asbidan. She could see the moon glinting outside her window, the stars blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun... she wondered, again and again, what all this could possibly mean.
The realms of sleep couldn't possibly know, but still Lilytha turned to them, closing her mind with her eyes and embracing the deep, everlasting night of dreams.
"Call it Rose, call it Rose..."
The echo of her own voice came to her as she drifted off past conciousness, accompanying it was a picture of her own self, just a mere child, looking up to her mother.
"Call my sister Rose, please mother, call her Rose..."
Lilytha turned over in her dream, and took a gasp as the nightmare truly began.
Sweet memories.