Interphase (10 page)

Slowly David rose to his feet. He assured Analara that he could walk on his own and picked up a fallen branch to steady himself. She struck the smoothest path she knew toward Ilinar, leading them out of the grove and into the grasslands beyond. The wind sighed around them, but Analara kept her ears tuned for any other predators that might take interest in the scent of David's blood.

The grasslands gave way to scattered trees and the beginnings of cultivated fields. Returning to more civilized areas, Analara began to chat idly, but David only listened. She worriedly watched the lines of pain deepen in his face, the sweat beading his brow, and wondered how much strength it took him to keep to their brisk pace.

The bandages soaked through, and blood started to leak down David's chest in thin rivulets. His face became a mask of grim determination, and Analara took his hand to steady him, making the occasional assurance that they were getting near.

Analara turned them aside to avoid a steep hill, and as they circled around the side, the walls of the city came into view. David's hand quivered; she returned a squeeze. "We're almost there."

The western gate drew near, but they didn't reach it. With a harsh moan David fell to his knees, clutching his chest. His breathing was fast and ragged. Analara wrapped her arms about him, but he was too tall for her to carry alone. He leaned against her, head resting on her shoulder.

Analara heard footsteps running from the gate and looked up to see Sesh and Konnal. "We saw you coming up the path," Sesh explained. "What happened?"

"Feranal attack," Analara said. "He is a friend."

"I've never seen him before," Konnal said suspiciously. "Is he from Len?"

"By the Sages, he's bleeding all over!" Sesh took David gently in his strong arms, lifting him off the ground. "Should I send for Nathalion?"

"No, take him to Varlath. I can treat him at the house." Analara took one of David's hands. "David? Can you hear me? It will be all right now, you're safe."

David managed to squeeze her hand once before his eyes rolled back, and he sank into darkness.

***

David awoke surrounded by walls of stone. Slivers of light snuck in through a woven window-covering. The air inside the chamber was warm, and several fluffy cushions supported him. He was half tempted to drift back to sleep, when the sound of children's laughter made him open his eyes fully.

Looking down, David noticed that he was bare to the waist with bandages wrapped around his chest. With a shock he remembered the fearsome predator in the woods, and stumbling upon Analara. He wondered how long he'd been asleep, and exactly where he was. It was odd. Normally V-Net would have disconnected him if he'd fallen asleep. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Just another mystery of the module.

While David pondered, the cloth flap that separated his chamber from whatever lay beyond moved aside, and a familiar figure tiptoed in. Analara carried a bowl and a fresh roll of bandages tucked under her arm. The pungent odor of the bowl's contents filled the small room. She smiled brightly when she saw him watching her.

"I expected you to sleep through the morning," she said, sitting down on the floor beside him. "How do you feel?"

David rubbed his hand over his bandaged chest. "A little tight here, but fine otherwise." Analara checked the bandage on his leg, her touch cool and soft. "Have I caused much trouble?"

"No one really knows you're here yet. Sesh and Konnal said they wouldn't report anything until you were better. Do you remember anything from last night?"

David closed his eyes, grasping at thoughts that slithered away like fish in a stream. "The last thing I really remember is trudging across the plain. My body hurt, and all I wanted to do was stop and sleep."

Analara made a thoughtful sound and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "After you fainted, we brought you here to Varlath's home. He is the patriarch of my family. I was able to better treat your wounds here. Thankfully, none of them were life-threatening, and no infection had set in."

"So I passed out for no reason, huh?" David winced. "Boy, don't I feel like a wuss."

Analara fixed him with a stare. "The bleeding you suffered would have felled most of the warriors in Ilinar. If we hadn't been able to get you back here so quickly, things could have ended differently. Now stop being silly and hold still. I want to change your bandages."

David did as he was told, sinking back against the soft cushions. Analara's deft fingers untied the knots. He watched her face as she pulled the wrappings away, and he saw her eyes grow wide. "Is something wrong?"

"No." She stared at his face, and back down at his chest. "Quite the opposite. Look!"

The blood had been washed away last night. Faint lines no deeper than paper cuts crossed his skin. "These were still open wounds when I cleaned them last night. I've never seen injuries heal that fast."

David brushed at the lines with his fingertips. So this module allowed long-term injury? Yesterday had been more serious than he first thought. Apparently the Wraith's rapid healing had loaded along with the blade. When he looked up again, Analara's gaze was fixed on him.

"So you
are
a sage."

"A what?"

"A sage. A will-shaper. They control the forces of nature, and can change the world to their desires."

David thought about how easily he could bend a module's code to his will. The memory of Jessica's departure flashed in his mind; he chose his next words very carefully. "Something like that. I'm not sure I could properly explain it though."

"My friend Rupu says that sages are secretive about their abilities. Would you prefer that I not speak of this further?"

"For now, I think that would be best."

Nodding, Analara unwrapped the rest of the bandages. With no wounds to clean, she seemed to be at a loss. Shrugging to herself, she washed David's chest anyway. When she finished, he smelled strongly of herbs.

The front flap rolled up, and this time it was a man who poked his head in. A well-worn smile shone from under a bushy beard, highlighting prominent laugh lines around his eyes. "Well, I see our wayward traveler is awake already. How do you feel, young man?"

David got to his feet, stepped carefully out of the bowl-shaped bed and bowed. "Much better than I did last night, thanks to you and Analara."

"Bah, it was she that did all the healing work. All I provided was a bed that needed filling."

"David, this is Varlath," Analara said.

"Self-appointed guardian of all lost children, and the occasional visitor." Varlath laughed. "If you feel well enough, you're free to wander through the house and meet the rest of our family. Your arrival last night caused a great stir, and everyone will be glad to see you up and about."

David considered the offer. Though the idea of being the center of attention was daunting, his curiosity won out. "It would be an honor, sir, and the least I could do to repay your kindness."

Varlath's grin seemed to grow wider with every word. "Most wonderful! We haven't had this much excitement in far too long."

He ducked back out of the room, and David and Analara trailed after him through a short and narrow hallway. It seemed the entire house was crafted from stone, a dark granite-like rock, with rounded passages leading to equally rounded rooms. There were no doors, only woven flaps of cloth that could be rolled up and tied, and all of the large rooms had glassless windows open to the outside. Most of the rooms they passed seemed to be personal quarters, and the hallways wound seemingly without end.

"How many people actually live here?" David whispered to Analara.

"Many," she answered, smiling.

"As many as wish to," Varlath added.

The sound of voices ahead indicated they were nearing the main rooms of the house. With a start, David realized that he was half naked. Blushing, he tapped Analara on the shoulder. "Uh, would there be any spare clothing I could wear?"

Analara looked confused before understanding crept into her eyes. She giggled and ran back down the hallways. Varlath chuckled as he watched the exchange. "Come now, David, you're a strong lad. Why should you be ashamed to let everyone see you?"

Cheeks burning, David was relieved when Analara reappeared with a rough brown shirt. "I borrowed one of Rupu's tunics for you. He rarely wears them these days."

David slipped the shirt on and motioned for them to continue.

The hallway widened into a chamber as big as the common room of the Firebird Tavern. There were benches and cushions occupied by several people chatting away and working at various tasks. In one corner, a pair of men laid out the materials for weaving baskets. A group of girls about Analara's age sat near another wall and braided strings of beads into each others' hair. Clusters of children played on floor mats or dashed around furniture until they were chased outside by one of the adults. The scent of cooking drew David's attention to a doorway that led to an open-air kitchen.

Varlath's eyes glistened with pride. "My family."

With so many people about, the three of them didn't go unnoticed for long. One little girl squealed out Analara's name, which drew all eyes to them, and in particular to David. He became painfully aware of his mussed hair and torn slacks. No one else seemed to take notice of his appearance; several people got up from their places to cluster around them, asking David if he was all right and where he had come from.

"All right, all right, settle down now." Varlath's voice cleared a space in front of them. "Give the poor boy some room. He's only been awake an hour."

"What's your name?" The question came from a girl tucked close to Analara's side, the one that had first noticed them.

"My name is David," he replied.

"I'm Tirii! Are you going to be our new brother?"

Analara laughed and scooped Tirii into her arms. "David is a friend of mine. He came to visit from a far-away city and ran into some trouble last night."

"Was it a nargash?" one boy asked.

"I bet it was just a kreetsa," another chimed in.

"Well, Analara said it was a…" David glanced at her. "I can't remember what you called it."

"Feranal," she said, and a collective gasp went up from all the children and most of the young adults.

"Those'll chop your arms and legs off if they catch you," Tirii cried.

"How did you get away?" the first boy asked.

Varlath's rolling laughter interrupted the barrage. "I think you have gained instant popularity, David. But first, why don't we all pause our questionings until David gets a bit of food, eh?"

David's stomach growled noisily. "Yes please, if you don't mind," he said with a laugh.

"Right this way." Varlath motioned toward the kitchen.

Many of the children followed them toward the massive kitchen. Analara sat with David on a low bench, while Varlath moved around behind a portly woman with silvery hair stirring at a large kettle. "That's Soleni," Analara said. "Varlath's wife." Soleni ladled some of the contents of her kettle into a bowl and teased Varlath with it, making him give her a kiss before she handed it over. David blushed slightly when she caught him watching, and she winked at him before returning to her cooking.

It was a thick vegetable broth, heavily scented with herbs and very delicious. While David ate, a few of the more impetuous boys ignored Analara's scolding and questioned him about the fight with the feranal. He relayed the story between mouthfuls, relishing the delight in their eyes as he described the swordfight. They made him promise to show them his weapon when he finished eating, then wandered off to 'fight the feranal' in the yard.

Before long, David found himself alone with Analara and finished the remainder of his soup without interruption. It was the first time he had been under the full sun in the module, and whether it was a trick of the light or merely how her hair was colored, David noticed that Analara's brown hair was tinged with an emerald sheen. He looked around at others and detected more faint colorings. He wondered if it had some hidden significance.

David noticed something else as well: how different everyone looked from each other. There were hardly any shared features at all. It was a strange enough observation that he asked Analara about it.

Her smile became distant. "Varlath is Ilinar's guardian patriarch. We are not without hardship here. If a child loses their parents, or parents their children, he invites them into his home. He believes that no one should be without a family."

If a child loses their… David glanced at Varlath, then back to Analara, noting the wistful look on her face. "Your parents?"

Analara sighed. "I sing their names in my sleep, but I was too young to remember them when they died. I don't think they would want me to be sad, so I try not to be. No matter the past, my family is here now."

David nodded sadly. "I know what that's like. My dad had an accident when I was young. He didn't die, but it's the closest thing to it. A sleep you never wake from."

"What is his name?"

"Jonathan Harris."

"May I sing his name for you?"

"I think he would like that. Thank you."

As if sensing the change in mood, Varlath came to the table, smiling at David's empty bowl. "It's such a nice day outside. If you feel up to it, why not go for a stroll? Analara can show you the rest of the city."

"Would that be permitted?" Analara asked.

"I don't see why not, as long as David is under your care. Go on, off with the two of you!"

Taking his hand, Analara led David outside through a well-tended garden. Looking behind, he could see that Varlath's home sprawled near a length of ten-foot stone wall that was covered heavily by large vines.

By this time the sun was almost in the middle of the sky, and activity about the city seemed to be in full swing. They passed by other homes, considerably smaller than Varlath's, all with stretches of intense greenery cultivated around them. Soon they walked through an alley that opened up to a tradesman's district. Workshops devoted to pottery and weaving, wood-crafting and stone-carving, all occupied and active, met David's gaze. Many people nodded and waved to Analara. They spared David a curious glance, but so far no one gave him the attention that Varlath's family had. He guessed that word about a stranger's arrival had not traveled very far yet; he wondered how long his anonymity would last.