Fractal

by Rachel J Mannino

  Varick glanced to his right. Hannah arrived on their floor in the Vadana’s elevator. He blinked in disbelief. He marched over to her

  “How did you get on that elevator?” He gestured to the object in question.

  “What? What do you mean?” Hannah shrugged.

  “How did you get on that elevator?” Varick repeated

  “I just got on it. Same as any other one. This one is just faster than the others.” She wrinkled her nose at him

  “How long have you been using it?” He glanced at the comm panel beside the elevator.

  “Since we came back from Rinat. Why?” Hannah folded her arms in front of her chest.

  “This is the Vadana’s elevator. No one can use it unless they are with the Vadana.” He tapped the control panel, looking for any obvious malfunction.

  Hannah threw up her hands in surrender, rolling her eyes. “Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Hannah’s pitch rose half an octave

  “It’s fine, Varick. I don’t mind if Hannah uses it.” Anna stepped between them.

  “No. You don’t understand. The only two people that are programmed to operate the elevator are myself and the Vadana. It shouldn’t even respond to Hannah.” Varick scowled. Nothing on the control panel indicated a malfunction

  “I didn’t know that. I’ve been using it for days. How am I supposed to know that?” Hannah huffed at him

  “You two didn’t think to report this to me?” He asked Hannah’s guards

  “No, Protector. We thought the Vadana gave you permission to reprogram it for Hannah’s use.” Tael peeked over at his fellow guard, and then his gaze darted away

  “She hadn’t. That was a foolish assumption.” Varick straightened, his jaw clenching.

  Anna tugged at his arm. “Varick, it’s not a concern. If I had known I could give you permission for Hannah to use it, I would have.” Her soft blue eyes darkened.

  “That’s not the problem.” He ran his hand over his eyes and down his face.

  “Protector, this is Captain Fayn,” interjected a voice from the comm panel

  Varick punched the button on the wall by the speaker. “What?” He stared daggers at the panel

  “We have arrived at Marsra, prepare to disembark.” The edge in Captain Fayn’s voice could cut a man to the core

  “Fine. Have your chief engineer report to my room. I need to have a chat with her.” Varick couldn’t keep the annoyance from his voice. He tried; he just always failed at it where Fayn was concerned.

  He faced everyone on the landing. “We’ve arrived. I was going to take Decana to the colony capital but it is more important that I talk to the engineer. I want to get to the bottom of this malfunction.” Varick looked from Hannah to Anna.

  “Can I visit the capital with her?” Anna asked

  “No, Your Majesty. We’ll have time to go to the capital after we see the oracle. The oracle lives on a moon not far from here. I’ll have soldiers escort Decana and make sure she finds everything she needs. It won’t take me long to speak with the engineer. Will you be going to Marsra, Hannah?” He flicked his eyes over her.

  She glared at him, her arms crossed, one hip out. She was more than peeved.

  Varick was used to her pouting moods, and waited it out just as Anna always did. It took a few minutes before Hannah produced a sidelong glance and sighed.

  “No, I’ll wait until Anna goes. Besides, I want to meet this wizard that everyone keeps talking about.” Hannah leaned against the banister

  She eyed him, waiting for a reaction. He wouldn’t take the bait.

  “Hannah, for last time, he is not a wizard. Stop poking fun at their beliefs.” She grabbed her by the elbow.

  The councilman, Anna and Hannah all boarded the Vadana’s elevator, and it shot them up toward the atrium. Varick went down the corridor to his room. A few minutes later, the engineer entered and he berated her for the Vadana’s compromised door and elevator. The engineer—baffled, and half-terrified—pledged to find the source of the malfunction. Then the woman fled his room.

  Varick remained at his desk and pushed reports around. Restless, he got up and went to Anna’s room. She hadn’t returned. He wandered around the room. He was intruding into her private space, though he spent long hours here over the past few days.

  Still, he didn’t want to go to his desk to wait. He hadn’t spent a moment alone with Anna all day, and once she and the others arrived at the oracle’s home, he didn’t know how long it would take. Perhaps she would be alone when she returned.

  So he wandered about the room. The pictures she had brought on board with her caught his eye, and he picked one up. Anna and her brother, both much younger, riding a horse. Varick smiled and set it down. He picked up the next one. He ran his fingertips over the braided metal frame, a picture of her whole family sitting on a picnic blanket. It prompted thoughts of his own mother and father. Grimacing, he set the photo down. Anna’s door opened and she strolled in. He breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed and no one else came in with her.

  “Hannah is so angry at you right now she can hardly stand it.”

  He gave a half smile. His body warmed at the sight of her and a pleasant tingle started at the base of his spine

  “I’ll apologize. I didn’t mean to yell at her.”

  “Did you talk to your engineer?” She moved a pile of books off the dining room table and set them onto the floor

  “Yes. She’ll look into it.”

  Varick approached her. He caught one of her hands as she reached for the vase to move the flowers into the center of the table. He held her hand for a moment before he drew her toward him.

  “You know, I don’t mind if Hannah can open my door or use my elevator.” She placed her hands on his chest.

  “That’s not the point.” He ran the back of his fingers across her left cheekbone. “I need to keep you safe.”

  “You do keep me safe. You’re always with me. So therefore, I’m always safe.” She bestowed him with a brilliant smile that melted his heart.

  He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. She quivered in response, so he wrapped one arm around her waist while his other hand wove itself into her hair. He kissed her deeply, letting his tongue stroke hers. Anna wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him there.

  Varick kept kissing her, as his fingers tugged at the ties on her dress. Anna giggled against his lips, and a wave of heat rushed over him.

  He laid her down on the bed, and lowered himself to her. They kissed, caressed, and stroked each other into complete oblivion. After they were spent, he kissed Anna’s cheeks and forehead and rolled over. Anna tucked herself beside him, laying her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.

  “We don’t have too much time to lay here. We should be at the oracle’s moon in a few minutes.” He threaded a lock of her hair between his fingers

  “What will this oracle do?”

  Varick eased the tension from her shoulders with his fingertips, moving them in slow, lazy circles.

  “He’ll tell us what to do on our mission to make sure we’re successful.”

  Anna was quiet for a few heartbeats. A question hung in the air. He nuzzled her forehead and waited.

  “What if he says it won’t be successful? What if he says it was all a mistake?”

  “Not possible.” He smiled into her hair. Will she never learn how amazing she is?

  “What if he does? What if he says this is all a big misunderstanding?”

  Varick’s eyes roamed over her for a moment. Her face was drawn, her eyes wide. Her clenched fist laid on his chest. He covered it with his hand and caressed her knuckles.

  “Let’s just see what he says first, and then we’ll go from there.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it

  She contemplated the ceiling. His arm brushed against the bunched muscles of her shoulders. He kissed her temple, and drew her closer. “Seeing the oracle will be transformational. You’ll see how helpf
ul it is.”

  She offered him a half smile and a fleeting glance, but returned her gaze to the ceiling. He studied her for a moment, but decided to let it pass. The only thing that would cure her doubt was the experience of it.

  A few minutes later, they rose from the bed and dressed. Captain Fayn announced they had arrived. They left Anna’s rooms and made their way to the elevators, where Hannah waited, leaning one hip against the railing.

  “I didn’t use it,” she said, putting her hands in the air. “I thought I would just wait for Her Highness.”

  Varick grimaced. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I was angry about the security breach. I don’t have a problem with you using the elevator. It’s just that if you can access it, then it means someone else might be able to as well. I apologize for this morning.” He bowed his head to her

  Hannah pursed her lips as she boarded the elevator with them. She looked at Anna. Anna raised her eyebrows. “All right, I guess I forgive you then.” Hannah sighed and leaned against the elevator wall.

  “Thank you.” He barely contained his smile.

  “You’re just lucky that I like you.” Hannah folded her arms across her chest

  Varick chuckled as the elevator came to a stop. They filed out of the elevator, and passed the soldiers who had gathered at the ramp to exit the ship

  ~ * ~

  “Are they all coming with us?” Anna’s gaze surveyed the large crowd

  “The oracle has several apprentices who are very well respected.” Varick pushed her forward with a hand on her shoulder. “The guards want to spend some time with them. To learn about their futures. Many of them just want to ask about their missing family members.”

  She took a deep breath to steady herself, and they began the slow descent to the ship’s door. Her heart pounded in her ears, her stomach sick. It was silly, but she had this terrifying image of a man calling her a charlatan and announcing that she wasn’t the Vadana after all. The oracle was probably the only person who might tell her she had no business leading a hike into the woods, let alone a series of planets.

  She wished she didn’t have to do this, but it meant so much to them all—it meant a lot to Varick—to have this man’s blessing for their mission. She took another breath and tried to put her fear out of her mind.

  They emerged from the ship at the base of a very high hill. In front of them a small courtyard with a large staircase ascended the hill toward a stone building. The building reminded her of some of the stone chapels on Earth, the way that the frame curved into the sky and inward to end at a perfect apex. However, this stone building had a series of A-frames, which grew progressively larger until they disappeared into the hillside.

  Night had fallen on the moon, painting the landscape a grayish-blue. Torches lined the stairs all the way up to the building’s entrance, and several windows stood alight against the surrounding darkness. Cool, damp air permeated the atmosphere. Anna shivered. Varick took the deep-purple wrap he carried and draped it across her shoulders.

  They climbed the steps together, the large group from the ship trailing behind them. They climbed the stairs for almost half an hour before they arrived at the wooden door to the stone building.

  As Varick approached the door, it swung open and a young man with flowing blond locks down to his shoulders stood there. He made a deep bow to her. “We have waited for this moment for years, Your Majesty. Please come in. The oracle is very anxious to see you.”

  He stepped aside and welcomed them into a long hallway. Benches lined the hall as it extended into the distance. There were several doors that led away from the long hallway filled with young men and women, straining their necks to see her.

  “I am Faycen, Your Majesty. I am the first apprentice to the oracle. You must forgive the younger apprentices. Many of them have seen you in their visions, but it is another matter to see you in person.” He presented her with an easy smile. “Please follow me.”

  Anna gaped at the eager faces in wonder. Could they have seen her in a vision? A vision of what, exactly? Her throat went dry, and she swallowed hard. She and Varick followed Faycen straight down the long hall.

  As she passed each of the rooms on the right and left, the young apprentices all bowed and curtsied to her. Many of them smiled, some of them had tears in their eyes, yet none of them spoke. A charged silence filled the building, and she was sure they could hear the thundering of her heart.

  The hall went on forever; room after room, after room. They had to be deep in the hillside now. Finally, they stopped at a small, worn wooden door.

  “Please wait here a moment. I will make sure he is ready for you.” Faycen bowed.

  He opened the door and disappeared behind it, shutting it in his wake. Anna peered up at Varick in the semi-darkness, and he smiled

  Hannah leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Does this place give you the creeps? No one has said a word except for the blond kid,” Hannah hissed. “It’s like he’s put a spell on their tongues or something.”

  “Hannah.” Anna prayed Hannah could see her warning look in the dim light.

  “What? It’s creepy, isn’t it?” She shrugged.

  Anna heaved a sigh. Faycen returned.

  “He will see you now.” Faycen bounced on his heels, radiating excitement.

  He held open the door for her. Varick moved to go in before her, but Faycen held up his hand.

  “Just the Vadana for now. The oracle has asked me to bring you and Hannah in after he has spoken to her alone.” Faycen gestured to Hannah.

  Varick hesitated for a moment. Then he nodded and pushed Anna forward with a gentle hand at her shoulder. She took a tentative step toward the door. She glanced at Hannah and Varick for a moment, and then stepped inside.

  Darkness enveloped her, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She found herself in a monstrous cavern within the hill. Stalactites and stalagmites extended down toward the floor and up to the top of the cavern. The floor was smooth without rocks or rough edges. A lake formed at the center of the cave and small lights circled it, the room’s sole source of light.

  As her eyes adjusted, a small figure sitting beside the lake came into focus. The floor rolled down to him. Anna squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. She tiptoed down to meet the oracle, not wanting to disturb the reverent silence of the room.

  She stopped short in front of him. Wrinkles lined every inch of his face, except the balding patch on his head. He wore a dark-colored robe with a woven belt, similar to Councilman Meroca’s usual outfit. He perched himself on a pillow, spine straight and hands relaxed on his legs. She said nothing as the man’s eyes drifted open. Then he smiled, and his eyes and teeth gleamed in the dim light. He spoke in a voice that filled the unnatural silence to capacity.

  “The time has come, Your Majesty. We meet at last.” He folded forward before her onto the ground. “I am Oman, your most humble servant.”

  She hesitated. She didn’t know what to say, and all the words swimming in her head stuck in her throat.

  “May I raise the illumination, Your Majesty? I have often read for my subjects in the dark so I may focus more on the future than what they look like or what they carry. Yet, I have waited so long, so very long, to see you in person again.” Oman flashed a toothy grin at her.

  “Um… Ah…yes.” She grimaced at the quiver in her voice

  “Illuminate ten degrees.”

  The lamplight around the lake’s shore climbed until the room was only half-dim. Oman’s smile brightened and he bowed again.

  “You look so much like your mother.”

  Oman gestured to the pillows before him, and Anna took that as a sign to sit. She settled herself on the pillow in front of him rather awkwardly, first sitting cross-legged, as he did, but then she decided against that and tucked both legs by the right side of the pillow. Oman waited until she stilled.

  “What would you like to know, Your Majesty?”

  He caught her
off guard. She had been so wrapped up in her fears of what he might say that it never occurred to her that she might need to prepare questions. “Um… Ah…” Anna shrugged as she tried to think. “I’m sorry, Oman. I don’t know what to ask… What do I need to know?”

  He smiled, and bowed again. “Such a wise question. So many come here, demanding to know more about one subject than another. No one can ask about a subject beyond their current knowledge, unless, of course, they ask me the question you just posed.”

  A soft heat crept into her cheeks. “Thank you, but I asked it more out of…inexperience than anything else.”

  “All the wiser to ask that question when someone is inexperienced, particularly in the ways of our people. What you need to know, Your Majesty, is that you doubt yourself far more than anyone else doubts you. They follow you, not out of blind faith, as you’ve assumed. They follow you because you act out of wisdom, though you would see it as the only logical answer available to you.”

  Her jaw descended. How could he have known the thoughts she had never spoken aloud to anyone else? Oman produced a rich, indulgent smile with a knowing gleam in his eyes. Then he sobered, his smile sinking into a thin line

  “You should know that you are, indeed, the Vadana. There is great danger in your mission, and a great cost to attain the good of all. The path ahead is narrow. Stray a little, and our world and our people will fall to ruins.”

  Anna’s stomach sank right to the bottom of her toes. “Is there any reason to hope I can pull this off?”

  Oman closed his eyes. He gave a musical laugh. He opened his eyes again. “There is always reason to hope. You lived when you were feared lost. You chose to come of your own free will. You bring the Light of our people with you, though it could have been misplaced or left behind. Most of all, you have the Protector and the Initiator with you. They will help you carry this through.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t understand. The Light is what exactly?” Oman’s eyes dropped to the necklace at her throat. She closed her hand around it. “My mother’s necklace? This is the Light?”

  Oman nodded. Anna gazed at Oman in confusion. The man spoke in riddles and prophecy. She smoothed her hand down her dress, trying to think about everything he just told her.