The Rifts of Psyche by Kyle West (i love reading .txt) 📕

will learn. And you will find no better teacher than me. I will be loyal, dedicated, and teach you magic more effectively than any mage in the galaxy.” To his surprise, she reached out and cradled one of his dirty, roughened hands in her two own. “And I wish to learn about you more . . . personally. We will have time enough to spend together during the journey to the Golden Palace and the Burning Sands. We need to get to know each other on an equal footing. Learn to trust one another. For trust must be the foundation of what we are trying to achieve.”

He took his hand away. Was she serious? Rotting hell.

“I’m not sure where you get the idea that I’d go along with this. You’re holding my friends captive.”

“Just a few days among the Rifters, and you’re starting to believe you are one of them. No wonder you are against me so. As far as your friends, I was hoping you would speak to them. If you can guarantee they won’t cause any trouble, they can walk free. Either to stay at your side or go their own separate ways.”

Would they ever leave him? Cleon might. He hated the Sorceress-Queen, as well as Mage-Lord Kiani. Cleon would never accept Lucian working with her. And Serah most likely wouldn’t, either. Fergus himself hated the Queen, but he was so fiercely loyal to the Elders of Kiro he might stay long enough to try and convince Lucian to use the Orb of Psionics against the Sorceress-Queen.

But if what the Queen said was true, that she could teach him how to use the Orbs, then he needed her. And it wasn’t likely he was going to find all of them without learning how to use them.

“I didn’t expect you to become convinced immediately,” the Queen said. “But you will soon learn this is the most . . . prudent course. According to Arian’s prophecy, you will uncover the Orb of Psionics. I will teach you how to use it, along with the one you already possess. I am dedicated, as you are, to ending the fraying and the Starsea Cycle.”

“And then establishing your new order, where the mages are on top.”

She gave a small smile. “It cannot be any other way. The League showed what it honestly thought of the mages during the Mage War. They see us as tools to be controlled, nothing more or less. But end the fraying, and the mages can take their rightful place as the leaders of the human race. Starsea shall be reforged anew, without the Starsea Cycle to hold us back.”

“I don’t understand. Why not just kill me and take the Orb of Binding for yourself? You said earlier that the Chosen can change.”

“It can, but I have no power over that change. The Manifold does. But suffice it to say, if ever the Manifold did change course – which I don’t believe likely, especially if you listen to me rather than go your own way – then I will do what I deem necessary. You should expect nothing less from me.”

“So you are loyal to a vision. Not an individual person.”

She watched him, her expression placid. “If you want to think of it as such. But that’s as it should be.”

“If I am the Chosen, then could I not order you about?”

“You could try, but I would just laugh. You are not ready for that. You are weak and ineffectual. All raw material, no finished product. And despite you being the Chosen, there are foolish ones who would see your Orb and want it for themselves if they were to ever discover you had it. Only I know what you have, Lucian. You are not ready to reveal yourself yet. For the minute you do, you will become a target. The knowledge of the Orbs was one of the major factors leading to the Mage War. Xara Mallis and Vera Desai both set out to find their own Orbs, presumably each with fragments of Arian’s prophecy deciphered, or perhaps their own gleanings from the Manifold.”

“Xara Mallis is dead,” Lucian said. “Vera, though . . .”

Lucian cut himself off, realizing that he had revealed another pertinent fact. But the Queen didn’t seem surprised at the revelation.

“Yes, I suspected she was still around. Troublesome woman.”

“You knew her during the war?”

The Queen nodded. “I did. Vera was Xara’s chief advisor. Xara was also Vera’s Psion, until Xara rose to lead the Free Mages.”

“Vera had the same idea as you. She wanted to train me, but I refused.”

“That certainly would have set you down a different path. But I do not trust Vera. I never did. There is a darkness in her you should be wary of.”

Lucian found that rich, but chose not to comment.

“I know you don’t understand why I say that. And I know I’ve done some bad things myself. And I continue to do so with every breath I draw as the Sorceress-Queen of Psyche. But all of this has been for a higher purpose. Together, we can save magekind. Without me, you will flounder and fail. That is a guarantee. And the consequences of that are far too great for us to waste time feeling each other out.” She walked toward the window and heaved a frustrated sigh. “What is taking them so long? We haven’t moved a centimeter.”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Enter,” the Queen said, her voice icy.

Mage-Lord Kiani stepped inside, his manner timid and meek. It was strange to see a man of his strength and stature behaving that way.

“What is it?” she snapped. “Why haven’t we lifted off?”

“It’s the Binders,” he said. “They are exhausted.”

“Then have them overdraw. We must be back in the Golden Palace within the week.”

Mage-Lord Kiani’s eyes widened a bit at that, but he nodded. “Of course, your Majesty. It shall be as you say. But these Binders are among the best in the Empire, and it