The Rifts of Psyche by Kyle West (popular e readers txt) 📗

Starsea. But he will not show me where his Orb lies until the Chosen has come. And he prophesied that I would feel the Chosen falling on this moon with thunder and power. She paused, as if gathering her thoughts. That happened two days ago. I sensed a great uproar in the ethereal field, as something drew an incredible amount of ether into itself. An Orb-wielder had come. The Chosen had come! Lacking a true Psionic link, I could only home in on that power through my dreams, where a part of the mind of all mages goes during sleep. That is how I found you.

So, she knew everything he did. Or nearly everything. Using the Orb did have a cost. It would seem other mages could detect it if they were sensitive to the ethereal field. He would have to be careful with it in the future, and only use it if he had to.

The Orb of Psionics is yours, she said. But you need me to find it, as I need you to fulfill my own goals. I daresay our goals align very much. Come to the Golden Palace in Dara. We can speak more in person, and you will see how our plans are one and the same.

The Golden Palace of Dara. That had to be where this was. And if this woman were speaking to him from there, then there was only one person she could be.

Everything I do, I do for the betterment of magekind, the Sorceress-Queen said. My plans will be apparent once we meet in person. I’m unwilling to say more in a dream, Chosen. With the power of the Orbs, we can bend the galaxy to our will. Mages will be free of the fraying, and we can stand at the fore of a new golden age for humanity.

How could this possibly be real? This is insane. I just want off this world!

You wish to leave this moon. I understand. That wish will be granted . . . in time. Control of Psyche and the greatest population of mages in the Worlds is only a small part of the plan. But first, we must find the Orb of Psionics. With its power, we can take command of the defense platforms and League fleet stationed above us. While you may be the one to wield it, you will need me to teach you the properties of Psionic Magic. And there is none more accomplished in the Worlds at that than me.

Lucian was at a complete loss for words. How could he ever agree to anything so outlandish? And yet, it seemed she was completely serious. One thing he did know was that he could never work with her, not with Serah’s warnings about the Queen so fresh in his mind. How did he know she wouldn’t try to take control of him with her magic? Mind control was one of the powers of the Psionic Aspect, and if the Sorceress-Queen were truly one of the most powerful Psionics in the Worlds, then what was to stop her from doing it?

She seemed to anticipate this rejection, or perhaps, to read his mind about it. Even if I meant to control you, that is not my goal. You are a Vigilant of Starsea, the Chosen, and a powerful mage at that. I would require a weaker vessel, a weaker mind.

That didn’t do much for Lucian’s assurances.

Come to Dara. We will speak more, Lucian.

The Sorceress-Queen was already turning away from the window, and the dream faded.

9

Lucian awoke to deep darkness, the images of his dream swimming before his eyes. The only light came from outside the window, from the torches along the lakefront.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew the dream to be real. The Sorceress-Queen had somehow visited him, and more than that, they needed each other to find the Orb of Psionics. At least, according to her. And she had left more questions than answers.

Only one thing was sure. He didn’t believe for one moment that she had his best interests at heart, especially after what Serah had told him. Why would she want him to rule by her side without even knowing him?

But still, she knew things she shouldn’t have known about Starsea and the Orbs. And for that reason alone, she might be telling the truth, or at least part of the truth. If she really knew how to find the Orb of Psionics, then he needed to visit her. But how to do so and guarantee his safety? The fact that she knew he had an Orb himself was dangerous. She could kill him and take the Orb for herself.

But what if she were telling the truth? That was frightening in its own way. It seemed she wanted to use him to find the Orb of Psionics and use the Orb of Psionics to “take control” of the League Fleet above them. Was such a thing really possible, even with an Orb? If it was, then that was terrifying. He wasn’t interested in her vision of fighting back against the League. All he wanted was to get off this moon, hopefully with the Orb of Psionics in his possession without starting a new Mage War.

But if that wasn’t possible, what then? Lucian couldn’t say. All he knew was, as it stood, he would have to work with her, or at least gain more information. But the Sorceress-Queen wouldn’t give him anything freely, and he would have to help her with her plans. Even if he was stronger than her in Binding, she was stronger than him in everything else.

Lucian thought about it for a while and was unable to go back to sleep. So, he got up, got dressed, and left the hut. It was impossible to say what time it was, but it felt as if four or five hours had passed since he went to bed. He was still exhausted, but there was