Interphase (3 page)

Analara regarded her pricked finger with a frown. Still grasping the cantha by its sinewy stem, she gave it, and the thorns sprouting from its berry clusters, a scolding look. "That was very impolite, you know. Nathalion wouldn't like to hear of you misbehaving." She always imagined that mentioning the Artisan's name made the plants act nicer. Nathalion expected the wildlife of the region to show his students courtesy.

Whether the cantha actually understood her or not, Analara couldn't tell. They tended to be aloof and irritable at the best of times.

She licked the small puncture and grasped one of the dark berries again. She twisted lightly, and this time it came away without a fuss. Pleased, she caressed the stem. "See? I'm not so bad after all."

Analara gathered a few more clusters and let the vine fall back into place. Her finger still stung, so she pinched off one of the cantha's buds and smeared the sap over the puncture. That would ease her discomfort. She thanked the plant and continued on her walk.

Beams of morning sunlight bathed Analara's face as she emerged from under a soaring roanan tree. A breeze stirred the lush grass, and the stalks tickled her ankles. Another copse of trees waited across the wide plains, and she meandered toward it. Though she needed to return to the city soon, there was enough time to explore what lay within the leafy cradle.

Analara crossed the field and walked under the trees' welcoming shade. Branches drooped down nearly to her knees, and she parted them to step inside. The trees were denser in this grove, and the air was heavy with plant smells. She kept her ears alert and her gaze moving, wary of any wild beasts that might be hiding in the thicker growth. Her pack was nearly full of common herbs, but she hoped to find some rare plants. It would be worth returning late if she came back with resh vines or neeth stalks.

Ducking under a branch, Analara found what she was looking for. A clump of white neeth stalks lay half covered under a patch of brown leaf mold. She knelt and pulled them free, careful to gather all of the roots.

She gently tucked the stalks into her pack when suddenly the ground trembled. The great roanans scarcely noticed, but several of the smaller trees shook. A strange wind blew within the grove, carrying a scent she couldn't identify. A loud thud sounded through the trees, like something heavy falling into dense growth.

"Hello?" Analara called, but the sound wasn't repeated. The copse grew eerily silent. Jumping to her feet, she picked up a large branch and stalked deeper into the shadows.

She peeked around a wide trunk into a clearing. A young man lay at the far edge, his body sprawled next to a pile of moss-covered stones. It looked as though he had been thrown there. She dropped her branch, raced over and knelt by his side.

"Can you hear me?" she asked.

No response. Analara did a thorough check with her fingertips, looking for any broken bones, before she carefully turned him over. She had never seen a face so pale before and feared he was already dead. She held her palm above his lips but felt no breath. She touched his cheek and released a sigh of relief at the feeling of warmth. There was still time.

Analara rummaged through her pack and gave a silent thanks to Siath that she had found lythiss only an hour before. She tore open the proper bundle, and the pungent scent made her eyes water. She pulled a large leaf from its stem and chewed until the resin coated the inside of her mouth. The taste elicited a shudder, but she suppressed the urge to gag. Spitting out the leaf's remains, she opened the stranger's mouth, pressed her lips over his and exhaled.

One full breath. Another. And another. Analara had seen this work before, when Tirii had breathed smoke from last summer's wildfires. It hadn't taken this long though. The vapors were already starting to dissipate. She grabbed another leaf and repeated the process. Her tongue grew numb as she blew the healing air into his motionless body.

Analara felt his chest quiver. One more breath. Now breathe. She felt him tense up and pulled away just before he gasped. He alternated between ragged breaths and wild coughing.

"Steady." Hooking an arm under his shoulder, she helped him sit up against the rocks. She murmured soft reassurances as his breathing became more controlled.

"What—" he said hoarsely.

"Don't talk yet," Analara said. She tilted his head to inspect for damage. The skin on his forehead was scraped raw. She pulled a cantha bud from her pack and applied a layer of sap to the injury, taking the opportunity to examine his appearance more thoroughly.

His skin color was still pale, which worried her. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, seemingly content to concentrate on breathing. His dark brown hair was wind-blown and much shorter than other men his age.

His clothes were the strangest thing, however. His tunic was dark gray with long sleeves and strange circular adornments down the front. He wore long breeches, made from black cloth, and dark, soft covers on his feet.

He had to be from the outer territories. A stranger. Why would he be so far from his city?

Analara shook her head. There would be time to ponder the details later. "Do you hurt anywhere else?" she asked.

"I'm sore all over, really." His voice was pleasant. He opened his eyes and slowly focused on her. They were a deep blue, and she found herself unable to look away.

Realizing she was staring, Analara blushed. "It was fortunate for you that I passed this way. Most of this area is wild."

"Right…" He seemed dazed and looked at her in confusion.

Analara worriedly put her hand against his cheek, trying to get him to focus. "What is your name?"

***

For several seconds all David could do was stare, first at the pretty girl with her worried eyes, then at his surroundings. He was in a forest clearing. The trees nearby looked like willows, though far larger than he'd ever heard of. Ferns, mosses and other plant life crowded about.

The sky, just barely visible above the trees, was a soft green.

The girl moved her hand from his cheek to his forehead, murmuring softly, and David realized she had asked him a question. He blinked and shook himself from his daze. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

She pursed her lips in concern. "What is your name?"

"Ah." He tried to offer a reassuring smile. "I'm David."

"David," she echoed. He couldn't place her accent. "A strange name."

"It suits me." With a grunt, he struggled to stand up. A wave of dizziness struck as he rose to his feet, and the girl grabbed his arm before he fell. She helped him sit back down. He closed his eyes and waited for the world to stop spinning. A faint beeping sounded in his ears, but he paid it no mind. Opening his eyes again, he fixed her with a questioning gaze. "What's your name?"

She smiled bashfully. "Analara."

And my name is strange?

David studied her subtly, from her long brown hair, to her wilderness garb, finally settling his gaze on her emerald eyes. The name fit.

"Would you mind helping me stand up, Analara?"

With her assistance, he managed to get to his feet. Again, everything started to tilt, and the beeping returned. Once the dizziness passed, he tested his footing, and she let him go.

David tried to recall exactly how he had gotten into this module, but he found himself easily distracted by Analara's intent gaze.

The last thing he remembered with clarity was blasting through the guardrail on the hover-bike track, and the sensation of flying as the bike fell away…

"Damn," he muttered. "I must have punched through a code-wall when I impacted."

"What was that?"

David turned back. "Sorry," he told her. "I was just trying to remember how I got here."

Analara's expression turned grave. "You were badly injured when I found you. I did everything I could, but I was afraid you wouldn't…" She fell silent, uneasy about whatever sentence she was trying to finish.

"Why do I get the feeling I owe you more than simple thanks for your help?"

She blushed and turned away from him. "Thanks are not needed, though I am grateful to receive them."

As beautiful as Analara was, David's brain refused to let the question of his arrival go. He'd never heard of anyone physically breaking through to another module. There had to be some sort of explanation.

The Crash Storm
.

It must have weakened the module during its rampage, and turned a gaming accident into a life-threatening error. He shook his head in amazement, before noticing Analara was patiently watching him.

David opened his mouth to say something when the beeping began again, shifting from a pulse to a solid tone. It was a tracer pulse! But wait—

No amount of protest could stop the V-Net protocols. The system had a fix on David's signal and had executed a recall. The last thing he saw was Analara's expression of surprise, before he felt himself pulled backward.

David gasped sharply and opened his eyes. He was back in his apartment, reclining in the link chair. There were no verdant forests or beautiful women, only an overwhelming sense of vertigo. His eyes refused to focus as he stared blankly at the ceiling; the only thought that coalesced in his mind was a serious need for sleep.

Struggling to his feet, David stumbled out of the alcove. He crashed into a couple of walls on the way to his bedroom. His foot caught on something that clattered to the floor. Tripping, he managed to aim himself toward the bed. With a soft thump, he buried his face against his pillow and let darkness wash over him.

Chapter 4

David vanished, leaving Analara open-mouthed in bewilderment. She called out his name, sweeping her gaze across the clearing, but saw no sign of him.

She grew frantic worrying about the state in which she had discovered him. It seemed like he had recovered, but she knew from training that a bad fall could produce injuries within that were difficult to detect. If he was still hurt, how would she ever know?

Time passed as Analara searched, first the copse, then the surrounding plain. She explored the clumps of trees beyond that, losing track of the hours, until shadows crept from the trees to dance about her feet.

The evening chirping of chints startled her. She realized she was long overdue. Nathalion would have a stern lecture for her, and Varlath would be worried. Torn between wanting to reassure her family and the desire to know if David was all right, she reluctantly conceded that there was nothing more she could do. With a final glance behind, she turned back toward the city.

"Analara!"

The sound rode on a tumbling breeze, muffled by distance. Recognizing the voice, she smiled and headed toward it.

"I'm here, Rupu," she shouted.

A tall, well-muscled figure emerged from the shadows of a nearby tree. Rupu breathed a sigh of relief and gave Analara his best scolding look. She met his gaze for only an instant before looking away. "Making your friends worry themselves sick again? I know a little anxiety is good for you, but this…" Something in his tone made her look up. Rupu wore a silly grin. "You could have invited me."

Analara laughed. "I didn't stay out to play games. This time I had a reason for being late."

"Tell me on the way home." Rupu lifted his fingers and gave a piercing whistle, which was quickly answered. The gate guards would return to their posts, leaving the two of them to wander back at their own pace. There was still an hour before the gates were shut.

Analara wrapped an arm around Rupu's waist. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not now that I've found you," he said, giving her shoulders a light squeeze. "Though Varlath may scold you a bit."

"He'll just end with a laugh, the same as you. I did have a reason. Someone was in trouble." She told him about her brief encounter. Rupu listened intently, his gray eyes narrowing when she described the strangeness of David's appearance.

"And then," Analara finished, "he just vanished! I searched everywhere, but he was gone. What does that mean?"

She watched Rupu's face, trying to gauge his reaction. He shrugged, his expression neutral. "I can not guess, nor would I want to try," he said distantly. "I have no interest in getting caught up in strangers' mischief."

Analara was nettled by his barely concealed warning. She had just met David, but she didn't think he was a troublemaker. She raised her chin and fixed Rupu with a challenging look. "Maybe he is a sage, with the power to appear and disappear as he chooses."

Rupu laughed deeply, startling her. "A sage? One so powerful that a sapling like you found him with his nose in the dirt?"

Analara slapped his belly and slipped out of his grasp before he could respond. "I am
not
a sapling. And you've no better manners than a beggar if you can make jokes about a wounded man's misfortune." She paused and cast a worried glance over her shoulder. "I only hope he had no other injuries."

When she glanced at Rupu again, his gaze was fixed on the path ahead. He absently rubbed the mark she had left on his belly. "Have you considered what Varlath would have to say about this? Or Nathalion? Perhaps Shalaron himself?"