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

“Maybe not,” he said. “I . . . can give it a chance. For now.”

The Sorceress-Queen nodded, seeming to accept that answer. For now.

They were passing into a new rift, this one shrouded in fog. Combined with the failing light of evening, it was impossible to see into its depths.

She honestly believed this, that he was the Chosen of the Manifold. There was a chance it was all a trick, but if she really wanted to kill him or possess him, wouldn’t she have done so already? How could he work with her when she had done so much evil? There were crimes she had committed against her own people. Slaves turned the wheel of her empire, while it was said she used Psionic branding to possess and influence people as she saw the need. He had yet to see evidence of that, but he didn’t doubt it was true.

All this would take time to process.

“I’ll just be straight with you,” Lucian said. “You’ve oppressed and angered people greatly during your reign. Unlike you, they don’t get to see your reasons. It’s going to take a lot of time before you can counteract all that.”

“On that, I agree, and I wouldn’t expect anything less. But everything I’ve ever done, I’ve done for the good of magekind. One does not forge an empire on this brutal prison world without spilling blood. To think otherwise is naïve. And unless magekind stands together, then everything I do will be for nothing.”

“Part of me wants to believe you. So, how can I know you are to be trusted? That you really wish for the good of all?”

“That’s the thing about trust,” the Queen said. “At some point, a leap must be made.”

At some unseen signal, Mage-Lord Kiani approached the Queen, slightly bowing his head.

“Yes, your Majesty?”

“Release his friends and escort them to my stateroom. Unbound and unblocked.”

The Mage-Lord’s eyes widened. “My Queen. Forgive me, but I would highly suggest—”

“Do it, and you know better than to question me.” Queen turned her violet eyes on Lucian, as if in challenge. “If we are to learn to trust one another, then it starts with me. Your friends could bring down this entire ship, causing my death and throwing the Daran Empire into chaos. Now, it’s up to you to decide whether indeed we will work together.”

Lucian had to admit that she was taking a great risk. He was especially worried about what Cleon would do, unfettered and unblocked. He might try to take out Kiani, even if it meant his own death.

Perhaps Mage-Lord Kiani recognized this because his mouth worked for a moment. But in the end, he bowed. “It shall be as you say, my Queen.”

Kiani departed, leaving Lucian alone once again with the Queen.

“There is so much more to this,” the Sorceress-Queen said. “It’s best if I share my vision with all of you at once. If there is to be trust between us, it will begin with me.”

35

The four of them were reunited once again, albeit under the purview of the Sorceress-Queen. Lucian had never seen such angry expressions. Angry, and shocked. Even Cleon seemed taken aback by her appearance, although it was possible he had never actually seen her in person. Serah kept her eyes pointed directly at the deck, while Fergus’s chest heaved, as if at any moment he might explode.

But they stood there free, unbound and unblocked, and no one had died yet.

Fergus’s arms became wrapped with green light. Lucian was about to shout for him not to do anything, but all Fergus did was stream a protective ward around the four of them. It was token resistance, unlikely to do much. Certainly, the Queen didn’t seem to be concerned about it.

“You have nothing to fear from me,” she said, with forced patience. “In fact, I’m trying to decide if it is you I should fear. But if we are to take the fight to where it matters, the Daran Empire and the Riftlands must work together. The stakes are too high if we draw out this pointless conflict.”

“Rotting lies,” Cleon spat. “You brand any mage who doesn’t agree with you. You are no Queen of mine.”

She nodded regally. “I agree that I take extreme and unfortunate measures when a mage revolts against me. Branding is an option of last resort, and I wouldn’t expect you to understand, standing where you are. It is an evil, but sometimes, what’s foul on the surface is necessary in service to a greater good. A mage who does not agree with my vision is simply too dangerous to be left alone, especially with the fraying to consider.”

“Cleon is right,” Fergus said. “That’s rot.”

Serah nodded her agreement.

“With the exception of your temporary imprisonment and your blocks, have I wronged you in any way? All of this could have been avoided had Lucian simply listened to me in the first place and met me at the Deepfork.”

Cleon ground his teeth but didn’t respond. And neither did the other two.

The Sorceress-Queen continued. “Psyche is a brutal world, and it cannot be held unless my methods match that brutality. Have you ever tried to control hundreds of mages, many of whom are frayed to the point of madness? Such cannot be done except by the methods I’ve devised. An absolute ruler cannot rule except absolutely. My power keeps the Daran Empire from disintegrating. If any of you were alive during the early days of Psyche, what I’ve built is far more humane than what existed then. If the tribes of the Riftlands had their way, this entire planet would devolve to a barbarous state. That is what the League of Worlds wants. They want to keep us small, petty, fighting amongst ourselves, clawing to survive every day. Do you know why they selected Psyche as their prison world, of hundreds of available candidates, despite the fact a sizeable colony already existed here?”

At their silence, Lucian knew that they didn’t know, or