Fractal

by Rachel J Mannino

  He winced and hazarded a glance in her direction. “The Council executed the last Protector that bedded a Vadana a few hours after he was discovered. If anyone on the ship finds out they will execute me.”

  She gaped at him in silence, her eyes rounded in disbelief. “I won’t let them kill you. I’ll forbid it. I’ll—”

  “You won’t be able to stop it. The Council created this law centuries ago. You won’t even be told until it’s done.”

  Her eyes sank until they met the floor. Her shoulders sagged. Varick moved closer to her and caressed her cheek.

  “Please, don’t let this weigh on you. You didn’t know. I knew, and I took the risk. I wanted to be with you.” He brushed her lips with his, and rested his forehead against hers. “We’ll be fine. Tell no one what’s happened between us, and they can’t harm me.”

  She wrapped her arms around him in a possessive embrace. “I won’t. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

  He bestowed a long, slow kiss before he pulled away. He brushed his hand over her hair. “We should go to the pool again today to keep cool.”

  Anna picked up her forgotten plate. As Varick set his plate on the cybernetic, the ground began to shake beneath them. “What is that? What’s going on?”

  He grabbed her arm.

  “I think it’s a quake.” She clutched at his shoulder.

  Stones dislodged from the walls, rolling across the floor in a cloud of clay-scented dust. A steady rumbling sounded from every surface. Varick yanked Anna to her feet, as the rumbling grew deeper and steadier. They ran to the mouth of the cave, and he took down the force field before he tugged her out into the stifling air. He shielded his eyes from the sun. Several large vehicles moved toward them across the cracked and broken earth of the desert.

  “We have to go back in the cave,” he shouted

  “We can’t, it’s not safe,” she shouted over the rumble of crumbling rocks

  Varick spun in a circle, his eyes darting from one concrete surface to the next. There were no large boulders, no places to hide. The vehicles, three of them, were moving fast. They were only moments away. If they ran, they would be spotted. He had a strong feeling that whoever drove these vehicles was headed straight for them. He pushed Anna against the wall of rock, shielding her from view as best he could.

  His heart raced as the vehicles rumbled towards them; and they were massive, perhaps one third the size of the space ship. A metal box for the occupants perched atop eight wheels on each side, held together with treads that dug into the parched earth and churned up every shade of orange the landscape had to offer.

  The metal boxes had gray and green horizontal stripes, a stark contrast to the golden sand. A shielded gallery of windows sat at the top, where he imagined the controls were centered. The vehicles stopped a few hundred feet in front of him

  Varick didn’t even reach for his sword. He had no hope of fighting off an entire army. He could only pray diplomacy and asking for their help as stranded travelers would elicit mercy

  A door to each of the vehicles swung open, and men dressed in tan jumpsuits and heavy boots clambered out. Long weapons were perched on their shoulders, shaped like canisters with a funnel mouthpiece. He didn’t recognize these large and unwieldy armaments.

  The men poured out of the vehicle in a frenzy of energy, climbing down the short rope from the door to the ground where they lined up beside the vehicles to stare at them. It was like watching an army of insects prepare to swarm a dish of sweets. After the frenzy of jumping and climbing, the collective breathing of the soldiers filled the dull silence. A lone man dressed in red with golden body armor, exited the center vehicle.

  Varick took a deep breath and smiled. He laughed out of relief

  “What, what is it? I can’t see.”

  “It’s all right. We’re safe. We’re apparently being rescued.” He squeezed her hand

  He stepped aside, and as he did, Brendan climbed out of the center vehicle.

  “Anna!” Brendan yelled, jumping off the latter and running toward them

  “Brendan!”

  Anna shot past him, as Brendan pushed aside the waiting soldiers. She sprinted toward her brother until they met in the middle, and she enveloped Brendan in her arms. Hannah wasn’t far behind Brendan, jumping on top of both of them with a resounding slap. Tension drained from every muscle. Varick closed his eyes. He ambled up to the happy reunion, and nodded to the soldiers who guarded Brendan and Hannah.

  “Didn’t take you long to find us. I’m very grateful. You did excellent work, Tael.” He addressed his most senior solider, but he made sure his eyes took in every one of them. They all straightened, bolstered by his direct praise

  “Protector,” Tael answered with a salute. “We’re glad we found you. We knew something was wrong when we landed and we couldn’t get in contact with you.”

  “We…ran into some of the local wildlife. Or rather it ran into us and our escape pod. It damaged the comm panel beyond repair. How did you find us?” Varick asked.

  “We landed among friends. These people are all refugees from Assis. When we told them who we were with, or rather who we were looking for, they understood how important it was to find you. They did a scan for the cromin. It doesn’t exist on this planet. We saw the crash site when we searched, but you had enough cromin with you that we knew you must be camped here.”

  He grinned, impressed at their resourcefulness

  “Protector,” said Siair, the man beside Tael. “We must leave at once. This desert is full of dangerous animals, as well as bandits and thieves. It’s a small miracle we found you both alive.”

  “Where do the refugees live?” Varick surveyed the waiting soldiers

  “Their city is a half-day’s ride from here.” Tael gestured across the desert in the direction from which the vehicles had come.

  “Can you send some of these soldiers to get our survival equipment from the cave?” He gestured to the soldiers with his chin

  Tael called out the order to the waiting commander, who in turn shouted orders to four soldiers who all ran to the cave for their belongings, what little there was of them. He shifted his attention to his Vadana, who was still hugging Brendan and Hannah fiercely, murmuring words of happiness and half-formed worried thoughts.

  “Your Majesty? We must depart.” He touched her elbow.

  Anna untangled herself from their embrace. She brushed away a few errant tears, and he gave her elbow a soft squeeze and dropped his hand. Her lips twisted in a watery smile, before she gestured for Hannah and Brendan to head toward the vehicles.

  The commander of the Assis troops called for a salute to the Vadana. The crowd of more than a hundred men clenched one fist over their heart and sank to one knee. Varick responded with his own call to salute, and sank to one knee with his own soldiers

  He hazarded a glance up at her. She froze mid-step, startled and wide-eyed. Her hands clenched at her sides, trying to find refuge in the thin fabric of her gown. She arched a brow at Hannah. Hannah shrugged and picked her way through the kneeling soldiers.

  Her gaze slid to him, and he wished with all his might that he was alone with her one more time, swimming in the cool pond below the waterfall. Their days would never be so free and easy again.

  “Please,” Anna called to the men. “Please rise. You rescued us from the desert, and protected my brother and friend. I should bow to you.”

  Varick smiled. He never heard a more poetic statement from a Vadana. The soldiers rose to clap and cheer for her. Utter helplessness pained her expression, a flush of embarrassment tinged her cheeks. He whispered in her ear. “That was very well said, Your Majesty. A very regal statement.”

  Anna ducked her head, as he chuckled in her ear. She pulled away from him. It was for the best, lest anyone detect the electric charge that passed between them. His life hung in the balance.

  “Thank you,” she said, as the cheering died down

  Anna moved toward the center vehicle,
Varick a half-step behind her. When the last man boarded, they rumbled off over the heavy orange sand along the riverbank.

  ~ * ~

  The refugees’ city came into view from miles away. At least a foot thick, the walls stood taller than mountains, rising out of the great shifting sands at the edge of the desert. Behind the city, the river that they traveled beside opened up into a mighty body of water. Varick wasn’t sure if it was an ocean or a large lake, but the other side disappeared far beyond the horizon. The city itself sprawled along the banks of the river, all of it walled, guarded, and heavily armored.

  As the heavy, metal gates closed behind their vehicle, Tael faced Anna. “Welcome to Rinat, Your Majesty,” he said. “There are a large number of our people here, over three million in total.”

  “Has there been any word from the ship? Did they survive the attack?” She fixed her eyes on the guards

  Tael hesitated, sliding a glance to him. “We have not heard from them. There is another day before our beacons turn on. Perhaps we will hear from them then.” Tael tried to sound convincing, but a quiver of doubt threaded through his words.

  She looked away, placing her hand on Brendan’s shoulder.

  “Wait until you see the citadel.” Brendan bounced in his seat, looking out the window. “That’s where we’re staying. They have a statue of Mom and Dad holding you as a baby.”

  “A what?” Anna’s eyebrows furrowed.

  “A statue of Mom and Dad holding you. They have this huge waterfall behind it. It’s pretty awesome.”

  The vehicles rolled to a stop. She gaped at him, but he was saved from having to answer her unspoken question. The guards and Varick climbed down first, followed by Anna and Brendan and Hannah. It was like emerging from a cave into springtime in the city, the air warm and salted.

  They stood in front of a large building, constructed from slabs of sandstone. Colored flags and flowerbeds framed the plaza in every shade imaginable. The building rested upon a series of long, wide, shallow steps. Like the gate to the city, this building had a tall and imposing door of heavy metal, carved with an intricate floral pattern. The walls of the building were flat, with numerous windows dotting their surfaces. The sounds of traffic and conversing birds and people filled the air.

  People milled about on the wide steps in front of the door. Women and men stood in groups talking as their children played at their feet. People played card games on the steps. Music filtered through the sounds of the gathering from some unidentified source. When Anna, Brendan, and Hannah emerged from the vehicles, all movement and conversation ceased. He tensed as more than a hundred pairs of eyes focused on Anna.

  “She’s here. The Vadana is here.” A man yelled and waved to people hidden by the military vehicles.

  Varick glared over his shoulder at the man calling out. “We need to get inside.” He motioned to the guards and soldiers

  He wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulders and urged her forward. Brendan and Hannah’s guards did the same for their charges as the soldiers cleared a path to the citadel door. Within minutes, the steps were crowded with a throng of people. The cries of men and women begging the Vadana to bless them, or give them a scrap of clothing, drowned out the peaceful scene of a town meeting place. People prostrated themselves in their path, and the soldiers had no choice but to pick them up and push the worshippers into the crowd.

  Varick did his best to shield her from the outstretched hands of the frenzied crowd. He twisted himself sideways, pressing his back to the people, who jostled and pushed him. The smell of sweat and unwashed bodies suffocated him until he was drowning in it. It took all of his strength not to give into the tide of human flesh.

  One man darted past the soldiers to grab at Anna’s dress. He tore off a piece and held it triumphantly aloft before Varick slammed his chest with an open palm, knocking him into the waiting crowd. Anna shrieked as a woman surged forward from behind to grab at her hair. Siair, pressed to Anna’s other side, knocked the woman away, and she fell clutching stands of Anna’s brunette locks.

  Varick locked his arms around Anna’s torso, and tucked her head beneath his chin. She said nothing, but she gripped his arm with white-knuckled ferocity as they moved toward the citadel doors with excruciating slowness. Finally, they ascended the last few steps, and the soldiers pushed the doors open just enough for them to all slip inside. The soldiers and guards, all of them, shoved the doors closed on the wailing crowd

  With the door secured, he spun around to face Anna, closing his hands around her shoulders. The hem of her dress was torn in the front. Soot and dirt covered her. Sweat beaded on her brow and at her temples, and all of the pushing and pulling disheveled her hair.

  “Are you all right? Are you hurt?” He held out her arms and surveyed her for injuries

  “No.” She took a breath, glancing up at him. She trembled beneath the light touch of his hands.

  Varick wanted to embrace her—he longed for it—but the rest of his men were staring at them. He rubbed her arms. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m very sorry you had to go through that, but you’re safe. We’re okay.”

  Anna offered one slow dip of her head, and turned away, folding into herself. Brendan embraced her from behind and then directed her to a nearby chair. He ordered a soldier to bring them all water. As the solider scurried away, Varick scowled at the great room of the citadel.

  The floor of smooth, polished stone glowed orange in the sunlight. Four enormous columns extended to the ceiling high above. They fanned out in an intricate pattern like the branches of a tree. A single grand staircase sat in the center of the room, ascending half a flight to a platform, and then splitting into two large staircases, which continued right and left to the next floor.

  An alcove stood in the center of the platform, with a statue and a fountain spilling out of it. Varick couldn’t quite see what the statue was, but he assumed it was the statue Brendan mentioned, dedicated to their family.

  Hurried footsteps sounded from behind him, and he swung around to see the solider returning with flasks of water, along with an older man dressed in long, flowing blue robes.

  “Who is this?” He nodded at the man.

  “Honored Protector,” the man in robes replied, bowing his head. “I am the city chancellor, Picarin. We are honored to have the Vad—”

  “Why were there no soldiers on the steps to greet us?” Varick stepped in front of the man, his fists clenched at his sides. “Why was everyone in the whole damned city told of the Vadana’s arrival? She was nearly killed getting in the door.”

  “I…I… We didn’t even know if they would find you.” Picarin withdrew a step. “We told no one of the plans to—”

  “Obviously someone knew. The moment they saw us on the steps a wave of people were on us.” He gestured to the doors.

  Varick took a few steps toward him just to emphasize his anger. He glared down at the man’s balding ring of gray hair, and alarmed gray eyes.

  “I don’t know how they found out, Protector. Even the soldiers did not know where they were going or why.” Picarin shrugged looking to the commander of his troops

  “Someone had to tell them.” He yelled back.

  “Varick.” Anna moved from her chair to stand just behind him.

  “Who told them?” He towered over the chancellor.

  “I don’t know. I swear, Your Majesty, I do not know,” Picarin leaned over to see the Vadana and plead with her directly.

  Varick stepped into his line of sight. “You do not address the Vadana. You answer to me when it comes to her security. If you don’t answer to me, then I will have you confined until you do. It is treason to endanger the Vadana’s life. Punishable by death—”

  “Varick.” Anna commanded, placing her hand on his arm.

  Varick rounded on her. The outrage written all over her face did little to dissuade him. “We walked into a trap.” He gritted his teeth. “You could have been killed before you even got to the door.”
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  “Yes, I heard you. In fact, I’m sure the whole city heard you. You’ve made it more than clear. Now, will you please stop yelling at the man, since he doesn’t know what happened.” She put her hands on her hips, a hard edge in her voice

  Varick stomped away. It was on the tip of his tongue to reply to her, but arguing with the Vadana in public was not acceptable under any circumstances. He grabbed a flask of water and guzzled the cool liquid down, trying to drown his anger, but his blood continued to boil in his veins.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m honored to be your servant.” Picarin sank to his knees.

  “Thank you, Chancellor. Tell me, who did know about the search for myself and the Protector?”

  “Myself, the General, a few of the high ranking soldiers…” Picarin studied the floor. “And a few members of the city council.”

  “Are the members of the city council the only people who knew outside of those who were out looking for us all day?” She chewed on her lower lip.

  Varick swayed from foot to foot, his hands on his hips. Even in his agitated state, he admired Anna’s logical and diplomatic approach to resolving the situation. The woman never ceased to amaze him.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. Everyone else who knew was part of the search and rescue mission.” Picarin folded his hands inside his robe, his shoulders relaxing.

  “Then I suggest you start there in your search to find out who leaked the information. You must find the person responsible, Chancellor. As you can tell, the Protector will have very little patience if my movements around the city are so easily communicated. I may not be there to shield you from the Protector next time.”

  A few of the guards and soldiers chuckled. He suppressed a smile, as Anna offered Chancellor Picarin a hand to help him up. Chancellor Picarin kissed the hand, ventured a smile, and then got up from the floor with her assistance.

  “You are as lovely as your mother, Your Majesty.” The Chancellor patted her hands. “Allow me to show you to your rooms.”

  “Yes, please.” She gave him a gracious smile.