The darkness receded. I found myself lying on the ground surrounded by tall blades of grass. Pushing myself onto my knees, I stared at my shaking hands. I scrunched my eyes closed, intent on remembering how I'd gotten to where I was now. Nothing of substance came to mind.
A slight scratching sound drew my attention. I opened my eyes and tilted my head to the right, searching for the source of the noise.
The scratching sound intensified. Several minutes later, a pair of brown pincers peeked through the grass an inch or so from where I knelt. The pincers parted the grass. An oblong head with two antennas attached to it appeared.
Startled, I gasped and fell back onto the grass.
The creature moved forward, exposing more of its body. A large ant towered above me. Its compound eyes focused on me. It chittered, tapping the ground with its left foreleg.
"I . . . I don't understand," I whispered, unwilling to make the insect angry.
The ant clicked its pincers together and shook its head.
I licked my lips and sat down, shoving several blue-gray strands of hair off my forehead. "I'm so sorry. I really—"
Exasperated, the ant turned and faced a southern direction. It stamped its foreleg against the ground and jerked its head in acknowledgment. The chittering continued.
Shifting my position, I narrowed my eyes and gazed into the distance. The thick fog shifted. I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a city.
"Is that what you're trying to tell me?" I asked, glancing at the ant out of the corner of my eye.
The ant clicked its pincers together once more. It then raised its right foreleg and pointed in the direction of the settlement.
I nodded and pushed myself to my feet, bending over to dust off the excess dirt from my leather brais. "Thanks," I said. "I appreciate that."
The ant turned and moved forward. It bent its head and pressed what I assumed to be its forehead against mine. The tips of its forelegs settled across my shoulders.
I soon realized the ant was hugging me. With careful hands, I reached out and patted the sides of its thorax.
Content, it chittered and nodded its head before it let go of me and ran off into the distance.
I followed its path with my eyes until it was nothing more than a small speck on the horizon. Releasing a pent-up breath, I turned and faced the direction it had pointed me to. With no other option allotted to me, I set off in the city's direction. Fifteen minutes later, I stood before the city's main gate.
Two guards stood on each side of the entrance. Both eyed me with suspicion.
The burly-looking guard frowned and crossed his arms upon his chest. "What do ye want, boy?"
"I . . ."
He snorted and stamped his foot. "Well? I don't got all day."
"W—What is this place?"
A look of surprise flashed across the guard's face. "Don't ye know where ye are?"
I shook my head. "N—No. I . . . umm . . . I don't remember how I got here."
The guard sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger. "Yer one o' those, eh?"
I frowned. "One of those?"
He growled with frustration. "An adventurer. We've had a good many of ye make it here to the city. Bumblin' idiots, the lot of ye. No matter. Head on in. Make your way to the Daredevil's Guild. Ask for Mimsy. She'll sort ye out."
I stared up at him, my eyes opened wide.
Losing his patience with me, he pointed me in the direction I needed to take. "Go on now before I lose me patience wit' ye."
Not needing to be told twice, I rushed past him and walked down the adjacent tunnel. I soon found myself standing on the outskirts of a large plaza. I looked left, then right, eyeing the groups of people walking back and forth.
Many of them clutched large satchels full of goods and other merchandise. Some held weapons and other items in their hands. They spoke amongst themselves, all bargaining for better prices.
It soon dawned on me. I'd entered the city's main merchant square.
"You lost?" a soft voice asked.
I turned to find a tall Elven woman towering over me. "Y—Yes."
A look of understanding spread across her light blue-colored features. "First time in Euncara, huh?"
I frowned. The city's name eluded me. I'd forgotten to ask the guard as to where I was.
"I see," she said, dropping onto her knees in front of me. "You've no idea where you are, do you?"
"No. I . . . I don't know how I got here. One minute I was standing on a bridge, and the next I found myself lying on some grass."
She nodded. Her topaz-colored eyes focused on me.
"Don't worry. We'll get you sorted." The Elven held a hand out in front of her in greeting. "I'm Enomendia, one of the city's many guards."
I clasped her hand in mine. "It's nice to meet you."
She smiled and pumped my hand with gusto. "I'm assigned to helping new travelers such as yourself whenever they find themselves here in Euncara. While I don't know what's happened to you, I'm more than willing to take you under my wing. First, though, we'll have to get you registered with the Daredevil's Guild. It's necessary for everyone who comes here to make their way there."
Enomendia pushed herself to her feet. She turned and pointed to an establishment several yards from where we were standing.
"See those stairs?"
I nodded.
"Good. Head on up and step through those double doors. Make your way to the counter at the back of the establishment. A woman named Mimsy will be waiting for you."
A slight frown marred my forehead. "How? I haven't told anyone I've arrived."
The Elven grinned. A knowing light lurked in the depths of her eyes.
"Oh, honey, you really are clueless. Trust me, she already knows you're here. We've eyes and ears all over the city. Don't let that scare you, though. It's a good thing, believe me. We'd be fresh in hell if we didn't have any acknowledgment of what goes on throughout the city. Now, go on. Make your way to Mimsy. She'll take care of you every step of the way," she said.
I sighed and offered her a small smile. "Thanks. I appreciate your help."
Enomendia gazed down at me. "No problem. Whenever you need anything, come find me. I'll help you out with whatever you need."
With that said, she turned and walked away.
Squaring my shoulders, I headed up the stairs and marched through the establishment's double doors. I moved toward the rear of the room, eyeing the counter Enomendia had spoken to me about.
A small woman with pointed ears, auburn hair pulled into two tight buns on either side of her, and friendly red eyes stared back at me. A warm smile spread across her face. She raised a hand and waved.
"You must be the Linarian I've heard so much about," she said.
An unbidden memory surfaced. I latched onto it, unwilling to let go of it.
"I'm not from Linaria."
She chuckled. "Oh, I didn't say you were. Linarian is not a place, dear. It's what we are. Of course, with your darker skin and the dark spots on your nose and the tips of your ears, I'd say you're from the southern region of the continent."
"I'm from . . ."
"Yes?"
I struggled to form the name niggling at the back of my mind. "I . . . I'm . . . from . . . Algallen."
Mimsy grinned and clapped her hands. "Wonderful. Now, we're getting somewhere! The guard you met this morning at the main gate mentioned you had some sort of memory loss. Never fear, my dear. We'll have your memories back in no time. Until then, you'll continue moving forward."
"But—"
She waved a hand in the air in dismissal. "Nope. Whatever you have to say, please don't. Consider this a blank slate. It's a means for you to start over."
I latched onto her words. They hit home in more ways than one.
A blank slate. That's exactly what I was. I had no memory of who I was, what I was, or where I'd come from. Aside from this random memory, nothing else seemed familiar. I didn't even know my own name.
Mimsy's voice cut through my reverie. I focused on her once more.
She chuckled and said, "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
My face grew warm. "No."
"That's okay. I understand, trust me. Do you have a name?"
I wracked my brains for something, anything that would tell me who I was. Another random thought surfaced.
"My name is Terrixx. Terrixx Atalier," I said with certainty.
A broad grin spread across her face. "See? It's coming back, albeit slowly. It's wonderful to meet you, Terrixx. I'm Mimsy Mayweather, headmistress of this establishment. My father established the Daredevil's Guild aeons ago as a means for people to congregate and share the knowledge they've gathered throughout their travels. We have a branch here in the city, as well as in Algallen and Pelauorie."
Mimsy ducked down behind the counter. She reappeared and held a hand out in my direction.
I accepted the small turquoise blue-colored pearl she handed me.
"This is a communication device. It's accessible from every—and I do mean every—part of the world. The pearl allows you to contact the guild at any time. Just ask for the person in question and you'll be connected to them, lickety-split. You tap the pearl once to turn it on. Tap it twice to begin the communication process. It's as easy as that. Should you ever lose it along the way, we can have another pearl sent out to you in no time."
I pocketed the pearl and nodded. "Thank you."
She leaned forward and wrapped her hands around the book lying on the counter in front of her. "I'm our guild's registrar. I keep a tally of everyone who comes into the city. Since you've no knowledge of where you truly came from, aside from remembering your name, we'll begin the process of your becoming a resident of Euncara. The process is a long one, however. Is this something you're comfortable with? Or shall I list you as a visitor instead?"
With no knowledge of where I'd come, what I'd done for a living room, who I was—or anything else, for that matter—being a part of something was better than nothing. If anything, I could re-obtain whatever ties I had to whatever nation I came from later on. Surely, such a thing was possible, right?
"That's fine. I could always change my allegiance should I ever remember where I've come from, can't I?"
Mimsy nodded and smiled. "Of course. We don't hold grudges against those who wish to align with the other capitals. For the moment, you'd have a place to call home. The best part, you get your own inn room here in the city. You also obtain your own mount, which makes it easier to travel. We've bred our own Pochin's, and offer all those who align with Euncara the option of having one of their own. It's yours to keep for life."
The thought of not having to walk everywhere was tempting. Being apart of something sounded even better. At least until I found out what I needed to know about myself and the past that seemed to elude me.
"I'd like to start the process," I said, several minutes later.
Mimsy's smile broadened. "We'll apply for your permanent residency, then?"
"Yes."
She grabbed a blue quilled pen lying to the right of the registrar book, holding the writing instrument in my direction.
I approached the counter and daintily plucked the pen out of her hand. With careful strokes, I signed my name and handed the pen back to her.
"Wondeful," she said, initialing the registration and setting the pen aside. "I'll have your inn room prepared. Why don't you take some time to familiarize yourself with the city? Come back in an hour or so. The room should be ready by then."
"Okay," I said, turning around to face the establishment's entrance.
"One more thing," Mimsy said.
I faced her once more.
"Your missing memories."
"Yes?"
"They'll come back. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But they will come back. You've gone through a traumatic experience. It's fractured your psyche. I suspect it's a side effect of the cataclysm. A good many who've come this way have experienced the same thing. What caused this event, we will never know. What we can do, however, is move on and learn to live with the events of our past. You're a blank slate right now, but we'll fill you up with new memories and experiences soon enough."
I wanted to believe her every word. That I'd remember everything lost to me right now. I realized I needed to believe in her. To latch on to something real. For all intents and purposes, this felt real. As real it could get, anyway. Deep inside, I prayed none of this was a dream. That it would it all come back to me as time went by.
Mimsy sighed and offered me another of her gentle smiles. "Now, run along. Enjoy what the city has to offer."
Without uttering another word, I turned once more and walked out of the Daredevil's Guild. Standing on the guild's steps, I stared at the city spreading out before me. For better or worse, this was my life now. I'd been granted a second chance. Whatever had caused my amnesia, I had faith that my memories would return. If they didn't—well, Mimsy said I could make new memories.
Unwilling to continue dwelling on what I couldn't understand, I squared my shoulders and ran down the steps. Life was meant to lived and savored. From this moment on, I meant to do just that.