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

In a moment, he was in the loft, his eyes wide and expression fearful, with Julia not far behind.

Lucian knew the scene didn’t look good. Morgana had screamed and was in his arms, her chest heaving and expression terrified. Lucian stood facing her, looking like a predator on the attack.

Kieron’s face reddened. “You step away from her right now.”

Julia was already pulling her daughter away, covering her protectively.

“Where am I?” Morgana asked. “What’s happening?”

Julia looked at Lucian, her eyes seething. “What did you do to her?”

Lucian’s heart was stabbed with horror. He tried to respond, but didn’t know how to convince them of what had really happened. Or whether they would even believe him.

“Get out of my house,” Kieron said, stepping forward. Lucian backed into the corner. He didn’t want to have to stream, but Kieron seemed ready to use those big muscles to snap his neck.

“I know it’s hard to believe,” Lucian said, “but Morgana was somehow possessed by the Sorceress-Queen. The Queen was trying to get a message to me. She should be herself now.”

Kieron paused, if only for a moment. Whatever he had been expecting Lucian to say, that wasn’t that. “What are you going on about, boy?”

“It’s true,” Lucian said. “If we can bring one of the Elders here, they will back me up.”

Julia looked at her daughter, unsure. “She has been acting rather moonstruck lately. Ever since Lucian got here. It goes beyond Lucian being a handsome young off-worlder. She’s also been more . . . mouthy than usual. Not herself in the least.”

“Morgana has always been like that,” Kieron said. “We can’t let him get away with this! I let him into our home! We fed him, drank with him, shared our table with him!”

“Kieron, calm down before you do something stupid. Have you really not been paying attention to your own daughter? Something strange is going on. There’s something in her eyes. I know our daughter, Kieron, and her eyes have always been brown. But these past couple days they have almost looked . . . purple.”

For the first time, doubt entered Kieron’s features. “Are you saying you believe him?”

“It doesn’t seem he’s lying, Kieron.”

Lucian was grateful that Julia’s cooler head had prevailed. “As far as I understand, violet eyes seem to be a sign of possession.”

“Possession?” Kieron asked, his eyes widening. “How can the Queen do that all the way from Dara?” He pointed an accusing finger at Lucian. “Maybe you’re the one controlling her mind! And maybe my wife’s mind, too! The Elders will hear of this!”

The burly blacksmith’s voice was shaking. With a start, Lucian realized the strong man was afraid of him. Muscles could do nothing against magic, but even so, his fists were balled up, as if he were ready to fight to the death for his family.

“Kieron, he’s not controlling me,” Julia said. “Do you see my eyes?” Julia took his hands, holding him steadily. “It’s me. You’ve looked into these eyes a thousand times by now. More than that. Now tell me. Who is staring back?”

Kieron’s lip quivered for a moment. “It’s you, Julia. It’s you.”

“Kieron is right about one thing,” Lucian said. “We should get Elder Erymmo here. He knows about these things.”

“That’s the best idea we’ve had so far,” Julia said. “He’s the best Psionic in the village.”

Morgana gave a stifled cry, and Julia rubbed her back. “It’s all right, dear. Things will be cleared up soon.”

Morgana’s eyes went to Lucian, seeming to see him for the first time. “Lucian? What are you doing here?”

“She doesn’t seem to remember a thing,” Julia said. “What’s the last thing you remember, darling?”

“I . . . remember going to bed. And after that . . . this.”

“What about dinner?” Kieron asked. “Do you remember that?”

“Of course,” she said. “The Accounting Feast in the meeting hall.”

“No, dear,” Julia said. “That was the day before yesterday. Are you saying the last thing you remember was going to bed after that?”

Morgana nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. “What’s happened to me?”

“It must have happened last night after she had gone to bed,” Lucian said. “Like I said, Elder Erymmo will probably clear up any confusion about how it might have happened.”

“Kieron, please get Elder Erymmo. We haven’t a moment to lose.”

Kieron looked at Julia for a moment, as if questioning that, but in the end he nodded. He was out of the house within the moment.

The following silence was heavy. No one spoke, though Julia held her daughter as she cried, and moved her to her bed. Considering the possession, Lucian felt bad for the way he had treated Morgana. Her strange behavior made sense now. He didn’t understand exactly how possession worked, or how the Sorceress-Queen had been able to do it, but all he could remember was what Elder Erymmo had told him. Mind control worked by inflaming emotions, so she was probably inflaming whatever feelings Morgana had for Lucian into an inferno. But what could have been her purpose with that? Probably to get his guard down, to get him to tell her things that would help her find him. If that was true, then the Sorceress-Queen already knew far more than she should have.

Lucian wanted to apologize for his behavior, until he realized that Morgana probably didn’t remember anything of what had happened. The entire time he had spoken to her tonight, he had been speaking to the Sorceress-Queen. The thought made his skin crawl, and he had trouble believing it was real.

But he couldn’t get past how the Sorceress-Queen could control her in the first place. It had to have been through Morgana’s dreams – especially given that the last thing she remembered was going to sleep.

Of course, if that were true, it meant Morgana was a mage.

“Can you use magic, Morgana?”

Her eyes widened at that. “Why would you bring that up?”

“That’s only known to the family,” Julia said. “But yes. She has Emerged recently.”

“It’s the only way the Sorceress-Queen