"There's no higher payment that can be made."

[Sandrilyssa]

I always imagined that it was something slightly more personal than general. I also have always gotten the feeling that Carl has seen or experienced this "higher price". I do not think he would be reluctant to speak about it otherwise, considering it is his duty to inform wizards about such things.

Sandrilyssa

[Quill]

marniebrown1, I'm with you. I always figured, from the first time I read it, is that the highest price is to see someone else give up their life, and be unable to do anything about it...or worse yet, know that one must let them do so. And I'll bet Carl experienced this...or, sitting there on the sand, is realizing that Nita is about to do it for him. In self-sacrifice, there is (I would guess) a certain satisfaction in knowing that the person or people for whom one is sacrificing will be safe. In some ways, it's probably a lot harder to stand by and watch someone else give up their life, particularly if it is because of one's own actions. And one must then deal with going on afterwards, and missing the person who is gone...

Inside every cynic there's an idealist desperately yearning to be let out, and when they are let out they're usually a real pain and cause all sorts of trouble. --Chris Boucher

[Agent M]

Yeah your description of some one having to sacrifice themselves for another and you not being able to do anything about is right but your second one doesnt make any sense because if they HAVE to die and no one can do anything about it then its impossible because in the end Nita doesnt die.
Dai Stiho!

Live Life to the fullest

The problem with the idea that it's seeing someone else give up their life to save you is that they had already paid that price before (Fred, the Lotus) and have since (Ed, Peach). The Lone Power has started taunting Nita about it every time they meet in recent books, but I don't think that it's quite the same price as being asked by the universe to repay with your own life.

I'm more of the opinion that it's either losing your wizardry but remembering everything, or dying and not getting to Timeheart.

[Sandrilyssa]

I have to disagree with all of you. I don't see how can be any of the things you are discussing considering that we are not talking about a punishment but a repayment of power. I do believe Carl would hesitate to talk about a loss of wizardry or loss of your place in Timeheart. Those seem a little to commonplace although they are considerably harsh. I'm open to any other ideas because beyond what I've said here I'm clueless.

Sandrilyssa

[Caitlin]

i agree with mad king soup. losing your wizardry would be hard enough-you'd have to restart your life with people already having ideas about you. but at least you wouldn't remember the wizardry. losing all your power, but not forgetting-you'd remember the wizardry, but no be able to do anything. and you'd have to live with the knowledge that you could help peoples-but can't, and the universe is dying faster, all because of you, so no pressure.

If one is a TRUE book lover, one cannot have a favorite book...it would be an insult to all the many books that one has read and loved.

hm... I've deleted about a hundred sentences here, 'cause as soon as I finish a thought, I realize the fault in my logic...

I have *no idea* what's higher than lifeprice, and we'll just have to wait for the mysterious DD to reveal it to us... or not... :P

[Rowen Avalon]

[again, sorry about lack of caps. my shift key is broken]

i had always assumed that the price higher than death would be loss of wizardry, the price nita almost pays in delimma. however, i can see the logic in laadeedah3's post a ways up the page that losing wizardry would be a loss of energy, not a gain. so that's ruled out.

along with everyone else, i'd like to remind people that this is a payment, not a punishment. having a friend die isn't really a payment, though i am not sure of the energy consequences of losing one's place in timeheart . . . .

wow, this is an eye opening discussion.

Yours till the bed spreads,
Rowen Avalon
mysites/ravensiggys/constitutionality

[Polly6]

Every one seems to be thinking about it as a punishment and thats not what it would be its supposed to be a repayment of energy.



*Wooosh I be polydactial yo!*

Considering the fact that it would have to be a repayment of power, it could be that you become a power. Like in A Wizard Abroad, when Biddy has to "die", maybe it's something like that. Whatever it is, I sure hope that something comes up about it in future books. That quote has been killing me since I started reading the series.

[Rowen Avalon]

No, I doubt it's becoming a power. I think it would take a ton of energy to change a normal human being who lives in linear time into an immortal power outside of time. So again a major loss of energy.

Yours till the bed spreads,
Rowen Avalon
mysites/ravensiggys/constitutionality

[A Moonlighting X-Phile]

I always thought the 'higher payment' was losing someone you loved. Not like losing a sister or a friend, but someone you're *in love* with. And the reason:

his face shut as if a door had closed behind his eyes."

is because Carl's lost someone like that.

I could be wrong...

AML,
A Moonlighting X-Phile
<If all good things must come to an end - than numbers are not our friend!>
<WARNING: I cannot be help responsible for the above, as apparently my cats have learned how to type.>
<'Men will fight bravely and be heroes, but for a last ditch defense against any odds, get a mother.' You should recognize that one!>

[Rowen Avalon]

Good good idea for a nice fanfic, if nothing else. I'm still not sure how this would save more energy than lifeprice. Care to elucidate?

Yours till the bed spreads,
Rowen Avalon
mysites/ravensiggys/constitutionality

[Polly6]

Or he could have been refering to the role kit would have to play it was nita's sacrifice that would be the repayment but kit had the harder part to play



*Wooosh I be polydactial yo!*

[Senri]

Well. Um. It seems like, if the highest price was to have to work for the Lone Power or some such, that would kind of defeat the point of making the sacrifice in the first place. After all, the very point of going through with such a thing would be to prevent evil from happening; however, if you were forced to work for the Lone Power, it seems like that would spread darkness and such. Does that make any sense? But anyhow, I always thought it might be something like pouring all of the energy and power that constituted your physical and mental existence into paying the price you had to pay; erasing yourself from existence, as it were, and using the energy that made up yourself to pay for the problem. The only thing left of you would be the memories other people had of you (if even that? Such a thing would be very cruel to those left behind.). So, um, yeah. Maybe it'll be brought up again. Probably. Oh, by the way, hi!

There are three kinds of people in the world: those who see the glass as half full, those who see the glass as half empty, and those who will spit in the half-full glass to fill it all the way up.