Chapter Four: Who Am I? And Other Questions
When she came to, she was in a small, cramped room. She could tell that she was lying on something soft and that something warm was draped over her, but that was the extent of it.
Her head ached.
Just thinking about opening her eyes made pain shoot through her temples to her forehead, and she groaned, swallowing hard against a tide of nausea so strong it almost outweighed the pain. Gingerly, she tried to cast her mind back to remember what had happened to put her in this state, only to discover that her mind was completely blank.
Or more accurately, her memory was. She was aware of her pain and the roiling in her belly, but every time she tried to imagine what had put her here, she was met with nothing. It was as if her memory were completely gone, leaving only a smooth, empty expanse in its wake.
Fear started battling for dominance with the pain, and she opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the sudden flood of light against her retinas. It wasn't bright or harsh, just abundant, and she glanced around the room, trying to pick out anything that would help her figure things out.
For the most part, the room was unadorned. The walls were bare and seemed to be made from a rust brown stone with shimmery bits in it that caught the light and twinkled at her where she lay. There was a table pushed against the wall opposite the foot of her bed, but without sitting up, she couldn't see what was on it. The whole room had the sharp smell of antiseptic, though, and she was clearly injured, so she could only assume this was some kind of clinic or doctor's office, though she'd never seen one that looked like this before.
When she turned her head, her stomach protested again, and she gritted her teeth against it, swallowing hard and looking to her left to see what she could see.
The floor was plain, hard earth from what she could tell, and aside from a stiff looking chair and the remains of some kind of machinery in another corner, there was nothing else in the room.
She was alone, and she couldn't tell if the door set into the far wall was locked or not.
Was she a prisoner?
If she was, why would they have gone to the trouble of dressing her wounds?
As she lay there, she became aware of more things, trickling through her awareness one by one. Pressure against her head turned out to be bandages, wrapped tightly around her forehead. When she lifted her arm to touch them, she saw more bandages wrapped from wrist to forearm, slightly stained with blood. A quick check under the covers showed that she was still mostly dressed and that there were more bandages around her midsection.
Something had happened. Something bad, she was guessing, to put her in this state, and it was alarming that she couldn't remember anything about it.
Her head protested and her stomach complained, but she forced herself to sit up, putting her head in her hands and dragging in deep breaths.
Now was not the time to panic. She had no idea where she was or even who she was, and she didn't need to go to pieces. That much seemed to be instinctual.
"Think," she murmured to herself. "There has to be something. Think."
She would admit to herself that she had been hoping she'd miraculously start to remember everything, but that wasn't what happened. Instead, she had a worse headache, and then, briefly, a flash of memory.
"Nora, run!"
She blinked as she opened her eyes and licked dry lips. Nora. That name sounded familiar, and the jolt she felt when she remembered that made her sure that she was Nora, though she wasn't sure how she knew that. Still, it was better than nothing. Having no name was a disorienting experience, however short it had been, and she was pleased to have something to hold onto.
"Nora," she said, repeating it over and over again, guarding against forgetting.
Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching, and the door was being pushed open before she had time to react. For a moment, she was unsure of what she was seeing. There was a large figure in the doorway, silhouetted by the brighter light outside. It looked like a bear or some kind of giant, but as the figure moved inside the room and closed the door, she could see that it was a man.
Sort of.
Nora had never seen a man that large before. He was the tallest person she'd ever seen in her life, clearly around seven or so feet tall. He was broad shouldered and muscular, not in the muscle bound body builder way, but in a way that was appropriate for his size and showed that he used his body often. His biceps were probably as big around as her head.
He had short, dark hair and a headband of what looked like leather was tied around his forehead. His clothes were simple and had clearly been patched several times: a pair of loose pants and a sleeveless shirt, both in a dark brown color.
When her eyes traveled back up his body to his face, Nora startled to see him looking at her intently, his eyes serious and his face giving nothing away.
"You're awake then," he said, the words coming out slowly and with a slight accent that she didn't recognize. He looked at her, as if trying to gauge if he'd said the right thing.
"Yes," she replied, and her voice was raspy from disuse and the dryness of her throat. "Where am I?"
He gave her a sharp look at that. "In the infirmary," he said, and then, trading a question for a question, he asked "How did you get here?"
Nora blinked, puzzled. "Didn't you bring me here?"
"Not here as in this room," he said. "Here as in this planet."
The confusion must have been plain to see on her face because the man sighed. "Donlan said you might have head trauma," he said. "What do you remember?"
"Nothing," she admitted, not stopping to think whether or not that was wise or not. "I don't know how I got here. I just...woke up and I was here. I couldn't even remember my name for the first little bit after I woke up." She sighed and rubbed at her eyes before something he'd said before finally registered with her. "Did you say this planet?"
Now it was his turn to blink blankly. "I guess that's not really right," he said, shrugging a shoulder. "It's more of a moon than a planet."
"We're on the moon!?" Nora screeched and then instantly regretted it when her head pounded and her throat hurt. "How...what?"
She had no idea what she'd been doing before she came here, but she was pretty sure she hadn't been going to the moon. That wasn't just...something people woke up one morning and decided they were doing like going to the store or the gym. She was fairly certain that whatever she was, she wasn't an astronaut.
"You're on Alinsoth," the man said, looking perplexed.
"I...have no idea what that means."
He let out a messy breath. "Let's try again. You are from Earth?"
She understood that much, and she nodded. "Yes. Are you...not from Earth?"
"I'm from Alinsoth," he said, pronouncing the strange name again. "Not originally, but that doesn't matter."
Nora swallowed hard, feeling like she'd had another blow to the head. "I'm guessing that Alinsoth isn't the name for the moon that orbits Earth, is it?" After all, if there was life on it, she was pretty sure she'd know about it. Or...she hoped she'd remember something like that.
"No," he replied, sounding a little offended that she'd even suggest something like that. "It's not."
She let out a breath and leaned back against the pillows, suddenly overwhelmed. "I...I don't know what's happening," she admitted, and her voice trembled with the force of the emotions. She wasn't even on the planet she was meant to be on, and she had no idea how she'd gotten to this place.
To her surprise, the man looked apologetic. Before he could say anything, though, the room was fading and she was passing out again.
"I told you not to bother her!"
"And I told you I needed to know how she got here. If she's a threat."
"She can barely sit up! How in the seven gates would she be a threat?"
"It could be an act."
"Oh, yes, Galen. All the blood we mopped up was definitely just for show. I swear, sometimes I don't know what to do with you."
The argument was hissed, but it woke her anyway. She lay still for a moment, relieved to find that she felt less tender than she had when she'd woken up the first time. She searched for her name and found it on the tip of her tongue: Nora. Good.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
"Shut up," the first voice hissed, and she saw a woman flapping her hand at the man from before. "She's sleeping."
"No," Nora said and then coughed. "She's not."
"Oh!" the woman gave the man one last fierce glare and hurried over to her. "I was hoping you'd wake up soon. Head injuries are dangerous, and you had a tumble."
"From where?" Nora asked.
"Well. From the sky," she replied. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Nora," she said.
"Do you know anything else?"
"Apparently this is Alinsoth."
The woman nodded. She wasn't as massive as the man--Galen, perhaps--was, but she was much bigger than Nora herself. She had broad shoulders and muscular arms, and her hair was pulled over one shoulder in a deep red braid that went all the way to her waist. Her hands were surprisingly gentle as she touched the bandages around Nora's head and arm, and Nora could see that the ones around her arm, at least, had been changed from the ones earlier. She wondered how long she'd been asleep for.
"Make yourself useful and bring water," the woman said in a sharp voice, and Nora jumped before she realized she wasn't talking to her. "I'm sorry about Galen," she said, much gentler. "He takes our safety very seriously."
There was a derisive snort from the foot of the bed. "And that's a bad thing?"
"It is when it makes you harass innocents who are already hurt," the woman snapped.
"We don't know that she's innocent yet," he pointed out, sounding petulant.
"We don't know that she's not. And she is hurt, which takes priority here." She took a pitcher from Galen and poured water into a stoneware cup before handing it to Nora. "Drink that," she said. "It will help."
The water was cold and sweet, and it tasted different from water she was used to. For all of a second she worried that they had poisoned her, but then she realized that the water was just cleaner, which changed the taste.
"Thank you," she said, and her throat didn't feel so dry anymore.
The woman smiled. "My name is Ashera," she said. "And that is Galen. We will have questions for you later, but for now, you need to rest."
Nora just nodded. The water had helped, but she still felt wrung out. She settled back against the pillows and let herself drift off again.
The third time she woke up, she actually felt rested. The pain had diminished, and her nausea was replaced by hunger. Her stomach growled loudly, and she sat up slowly, glancing around the room.
She was alone, and with no windows in the room, it was impossible to tell what time of day it might be or how long she'd been out this time.
She still didn't know whether or not she was being confined to this room, but it was pretty clear that she wasn't trusted here. Understandable. Mysterious strangers showing up and having no idea how they'd gotten there was fishy at best.
Still, she eased herself out of the bed, pleased when it didn't hurt as much as she'd expected it to. Her feet were bare, and she had no idea where her shoes were, so she padded over to the table against the wall where she could see the pitcher of water from before.
Two full cups later, and she felt even better than before. She stretched slowly, wincing when things pulled and tensed, but she could move and that was a blessing.
Before she could contemplate trying to leave, the door swung open, admitting Galen. He looked at the bed first and then over at her, eyes narrowing.
"Where are you going?" he asked her.
"Nowhere," she replied. "I was thirsty." She shook the cup that was still in her hand in his direction. "Listen, I'm not sure what you think I did, but I can pretty much guarantee that I didn't do it."
"How can you guarantee that if you don't remember how you got here?" he fired back.
Nora blinked, caught out. "I...don't know. But I can tell you I've never heard of this place before. I think I'd remember that, at least."
"How do you know?" Galen asked, crossing his arms.
"I just know," Nora snapped.
There was a sigh from the doorway, and Nora was hoping he'd brought Ashera with him so he'd leave her alone. Instead it was another man, this one a bit shorter than Galen and clearly older. He pushed his way inside and gave Galen a sharp look. "What did Ashera say?"
"I'm not harassing her," Galen replied.
"He is, actually," Nora said.
The other man sighed again. "You can go wait outside, Galen."
"I'm not waiting outside," he said. "I have a right to be here."
"You have the right to do as you're told. Honestly." He shook his head and then found a smile for Nora. "Ignore him. He's obstinate as a driflobour in heat."
She blinked at the expression, but then offered the man a smile back. "He's sort of hard to ignore."
"Big as he is, I'll bet," the man said. "He has other talents, but diplomacy has never been something he's been good at."
"So you're just going to talk about me like I’m not here," Galen said, and it wasn't a question. He crossed his arms in irritation.
"Yes," the older man said calmly. "My name is Donlan. And you're Nora, the human in our midst. I'm here to take you to the circle, if you're able to make it there."
"I...I think I can," Nora said. She didn't know what the circle was, but she was hoping it wasn't a prison. "I don't have any shoes, though."
Donlan closed his eyes and then looked at Galen. "You had one job. One."
Galen huffed and pulled a bag from his shoulder that Nora hadn't even noticed. "Here," he said, holding it out to her. "Carro and Ashera found clothes and shoes for you. They probably won't fit."
"They were Ashera's daughter's things," Donlan said. "So they might."
"Thank you," Nora said, addressing both of them. "Tell Ashera I appreciate it."
"Tell her yourself," Galen said. "She'll be at the circle. Get dressed." His tone was gruff and clearly cranky, so Nora sighed and waited for them to leave.
Her own clothes were torn and stiff with blood in places, so it was a relief to strip them off and open the cloth bag she'd been given. There were pants and a shirt inside, as well as under things that she didn't quite understand, mostly made up of soft linen straps.
She kept her own undergarments on, but changed into the other clothes. They were a bit too large, but they were comfortable, and her feet actually did fit into the shoes. "So there," she said, childishly sticking her tongue out at the door where she knew Galen was waiting for her.
Once she was dressed, she put her own clothes in the bag and shouldered it as she headed for the door. Galen was still standing there, and Donlan was nowhere to be seen, which didn't really bode well.
"I told him I'd behave," Galen explained, clearly seeing her looking for the other man.
"I don't think you're capable," she said, unsure of why she was being so bold.
"I am if you are," he said back. "Don't try to run away."
"Where would I go?" she demanded. "I don't even know where this is."
He gave her a look and then inclined his head. "Fine. Let's go." And he set off, long legs making it hard for her to keep up.
She barely had time to get a look at where she was, but what she saw made her jaw drop. This was definitely, definitely not Earth. For one thing, she could see things here that she had never seen before in her life. The sky was darkening, and it was so vast and littered with a blanket of stars that was so thick it was hard to see the inky blackness beyond.
Around them were buildings that looked like they had been cobbled together with scrap, and people hurried from them and between them, in the same direction that they were going.
They weren’t people in the traditional sense.
Unless she had forgotten a large chunk where she had known people with fur and people with scales and someone with skin so dark they nearly disappeared in the shadows, then she was in a completely different world.
On another planet, she remembered. Or rather, a moon. And not the one she was pretty sure she was used to.
Her heart was racing. Donlan had said they were going to the circle. What was that?
It hadn't sounded ominous the first time it was said, but now that she was being led there, and she could see where they were, she was starting to have her doubts about her safety.
But Donlan had told Galen to behave, and Ashera had clearly worked hard to keep her alive after...whatever happened had happened, so maybe she was going to be okay?
They wouldn't have dedicated time and energy to keeping her alive just to kill her later, right? Unless they were some sort of savage cult that wanted to execute her publicly.
She looked up at Galen. He looked like he'd belong in a savage cult.
It was hard to know what to think, so Nora just focused on not panicking and keeping her breathing even. Also on her footing. The land was rocky and uneven, and with Galen's fast pace, she was stumbling along after him in her borrowed clothes and shoes, unsure of how long it would be before she tripped over the lip of a small crater and fell on her face.
Galen would probably just love that, honestly. A chance to laugh in her face.
She sighed and kept following.
After what felt like a fifteen minute hike, they made it to a flat circle of land that had wooden and metal and plastic seats spaced out in a large circle. In the center there was a low table that appeared to be made of stone, and on it were plates of food.
The tall, dark one who seemed to appear out of nowhere, laid more plates on the table as he approached and then slunk into his seat, looking around expectantly. When his eyes, just as dark as the rest of him, landed on her, he seemed to jump, and then he looked for Donlan.
"You brought her to the circle?" he asked.
"Calm down, Jonton," Donlan said. "We will hear her out."
"She has memory loss," a familiar voice said, and Nora could see Ashera approaching. "She won't have much to say."
Galen muttered something under his breath, and Nora had no delusions that it was anything flattering about her, and he went to take a seat himself, leaving her standing there.
One by one the seats were all filled, until Nora was the only one standing and everyone was looking at her expectantly.
She swallowed hard and stared back, unsure of what she was supposed to say. Was this a trial? Was she expected to defend herself?
Finally, someone took pity on her. A smaller woman stood up and walked closer to her, peering at her curiously. She had curly hair that formed a sort of halo around her head and nearly hid the two small horns that seemed to be protruding right from her forehead. Her eyes were large and seemed to reflect the light in the growing darkness, and Nora had to fight not to take a step back when she saw her.
"This is the circle," the woman said finally. "Here we eat and discuss. Today we're discussing you. But it's rude to discuss someone's fate without giving them a chance to speak first. So you should speak. Unless you want us to speak for you."
Nora didn't need any more explanation to know that it wouldn't be a good idea to let them speak for her. She cleared her throat, and tried to find some words.
“I…” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat once more and then tried again. “My name is Nora,” she said. “At least I think it is. I can’t say for sure how I ended up here. All I remember is someone telling me to run, and then...then I woke up here. I don’t know if I was sent here or brought here or kidnapped or what. It’s...it’s scary, actually. I don’t even remember who I am. If I have a life somewhere. If people are missing me. Although I guess even if they are, they’re not likely to find me here, are they?” She licked her lips and looked at her hands. “I can’t say for sure that I don’t mean you any harm. I don’t remember why I’m here. But right now, all I know is that Ashera saved my life, and that means something to me. And that I’m lost and confused. And that you all look like you could kill me without breaking a sweat, so I don’t think I could be much of a threat to you. Um. That’s it.”
She glanced up, but couldn’t tell much about how well her speech might have been received from the looks on their faces.
If they were going to kill her, maybe they'd be fast about it. Just off with her head and done or something. Maybe they wouldn't make her suffer.
"We will vote," Donlan said finally. "We know that she's here for a reason, but Ashera has vouched for her memory loss. If she was sent here to spy on us or hurt us, she is all but harmless now. We could kill her, we could cast her out, or we could let her stay."
"Let her stay?" Galen demanded. "For what?"
"Because she is hurt and alone and lost," Ashera snapped. "And we've all been there before."
The woman who had explained things to her leaned over and put a hand on Galen's arm, whispering something to him. He huffed and crossed his arms, but fell silent after that.
The vote was conducted, and Nora tried to get a count of how many of them there were. At least thirty, it looked like, and her heart was back to racing in her chest as she waited to see what her fate was going to be.
It was no surprise that Galen didn't vote to keep her, but he also didn't vote to kill her. No one did, which she was grateful for. Most of them seemed fine with casting her out, but a surprising number voted for letting her stay. In the end, Donlan broke the tie.
"She stays," he said. "Until she can remember where she belongs or we find proof that she's our enemy."
Relief, like cool clear water, washed over her, and Nora finally let herself breathe. She was invited to sit down and partake in the meal, which was full of strange things she’d never had before, but she ate and drank and kept to herself, observing the group.
It was clear that they were holding things back because she was there and they didn’t trust her, and that was fine. Nora was pretty sure that she’d have done the same thing in their shoes.
It was also clear that these were people with a history, with interesting pasts, and she wondered if she was ever going to be allowed to know how they’d come to be here.