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

[Elizabeth]

First of all, the Carl and Nita scene is one one of my favorites in _Deep_. I just start sniffling every time I read over it again.

What's the higher price? Ohhhhh. Good question. I interpret it as a loss of your wizardry. Possibly in one huge, necessary wizardry that uses it all up. Or, on the flip side possibly in chosing to give it up because it's too difficult. Both would constitute a heavy price for a wizard. In that same scene, Carl talks about what it's like for a former wizard to live without wizardy...it does not sound the least bit fun.


Elizabeth

[Kaatje]

Okay. This line caught my attention on my very first reading of Deep Wizardry, lo, these many years ago, and I've wondered about it ever since.

Nita is coping with the realization that she's agreed to die in the Song of the Twelve. She's called Carl, and he's appeared in his bath towel (love that bit of detail...people always seem to call when you're in the shower), and they're discussing the terms of her agreement and how it relates to the blank-check spell she and Kit did in SYWTBAW:

"Nita scrubbed at her eyes, not much liking this line of reasoning. 'But the spell never said anyone was going to have to die to pay back the price!'
"'No. All it said was that you were going to have to pay back the exact amount of energy used up at some future date. And it must have been a very great amount, to require lifeprice to be paid. There's no higher payment that can be made.' Carl fell silent a moment, then said, 'Well, one.' And his face shut as if a door had closed behind his eyes."

I've always wondered what that higher price could be. And I've always wondered if we're going to find out someday. Diane does such a brilliant job with foreshadowing that you never can tell when something's going to show up again.

Anyone got thoughts on what Carl could mean