by Kyle West
What’s that?
Her eyes bored into his, and it was as if she had grabbed him by the shoulders. Survive.
The connection severed, and Lucian’s vision blackened as sound retreated. When the world returned, he was on his knees and the wind was gusting over the rooftop. Footsteps approached from behind. He whirled to see Serah, whose eyes were wide while her blonde hair was blown by the wind.
“You okay?”
Lucian forced himself to nod. “It’s done. I contacted her.”
“Vera? It worked?”
“It did. Only . . . I’m not sure it’s a good thing.”
“I’m not in the mood for riddles.”
He stood. “It’s nothing. She said she’d be here as soon as she’s able.”
“That’s good news, right?”
Lucian shook his head. “I’m not sure. I just have this weird feeling about it. The connection broke, so there wasn’t time to ask any more. Whatever I did to reach her, though . . . I never want to go through that again.”
Serah came forward and held him. He wanted to break down and cry like a child. The image of all those stars, all that space . . . it was enough to drive someone mad. People weren’t meant for such vastness, to know so many things. They were meant to stay rooted to a single, small world, clinging to a single idea and way of living. People’s minds couldn’t conceive the enormity of existence. And Lucian had only sensed a small fraction of it all at once, and it had nearly broken him.
He would just have to trust Vera was coming. Weeks, months, he couldn’t say. But she would be here. Of that he was sure.
Hopefully, when she arrived, she wouldn’t find his corpse.
He and Serah stood at the precipice of the Spire, looking east across the dunes. That way lay the Westlands, however many hundreds or even thousands of kilometers beyond the near horizon. And in the Westlands would be habitable lands – villages, food, running water. There they could survive, for months if need be.
But before they could reach the Westlands, they had to cross the Burning Sands and the Fire Rifts. Lucian vaguely remembered that area – lakes and rivers of lava, deep fissures. Impassable terrain.
But the Orbs would help them cross it. He had convinced the Jewels of Starsea of who he was – at least for now. And he had convinced himself. There were moments of doubts still, but he was almost there.
It would have to be enough. Two of the Orbs were his now. If he wasn’t the Chosen, then who else could be? At least one other Orb had been found. Otherwise, the Starsea Cycle would not have returned, and along with it, magic. But who could have found it?
The answers were out there, somewhere, beyond the sky of this world.
Lucian’s hunt for the Orbs was just beginning.
Epilogue
Vera watched as the ghostly apparition of Lucian faded to nothing. What was the boy thinking, streaming himself so far? Psyche was four Gates away – a journey of some months. Likely, trying to rescue his careless hide would be an exercise in futility. It was said no one survived the Mad Moon for long, and from what Vera had seen of it, that was true.
She never thought she’d have occasion to go back. But she, above all else, knew that the Manifold worked in unfathomable ways.
And yet. The boy had the Orbs of Binding and Psionics. Or at least, he claimed to. No, he wasn’t lying about that. What reason did he have to lie? And it would explain how he had managed to project himself at such distance. Still, it was hard to imagine how two Orbs had fallen into his hands. That was fortuitous. Or unlucky.
Then again, nothing was more beautiful than the will of the Manifold, seeing its plans come together in an infinitely complex tapestry, thousands of threads creating a picture still incomplete.
“The Manifold is in control of all,” she mused, with a chuckle. “Always. I should know that better than anyone. It’s happening. All of it is happening, faster than I ever thought possible.”
“What was that, Master?”
Vera considered a moment. How much to reveal? How much to hide?
“Something has happened. Something momentous. It requires my immediate attention.”
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
Vera thought a moment, staring into the floating orb of fire, the only source of light in this dark place. “I’m afraid I must.”
“But we’ve only just begun! All those weeks of travel, all those near-deaths. We stand so close.”
“I’ve had a revelation. It could be everything.”
“A revelation?”
“Yes. Things are moving along now. They’re moving along very well indeed.” She looked at her disciple, her gaze intense. “You must continue your work here. Prepare yourself – heart, mind, and soul.”
“Will you be back in time?”
Vera considered. “I must be, if the Manifold wills it.”
“Then let it be so.”
Vera allowed herself a small smile. There was no greater feeling than the fulfillment of a plan decades in the making.
The Chosen of the Manifold was coming.
The End of Book Three
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The Starsea Cycle Continues in Book Four
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THE CHOSEN OF THE MANIFOLD
About the Author
Kyle West is the author of a growing number of sci-fi and fantasy series: The Starsea Cycle, The Wasteland Chronicles, and The Xenoworld Saga.
His goal is to write as many entertaining books as possible, with interesting worlds and characters that hopefully give his readers a break from the mundane.
He lives in South Florida with his lovely wife, son, and two insanely spoiled cats. He enjoys hearing from his fans, and invites them to connect with him through his Facebook group, Kyle West’s Readers Guild, to hear the latest on his books.
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Also by Kyle West
The Starsea Cycle
The Mages of Starsea
The Orb of Binding
The Rifts of Psyche
The Chosen of the Manifold
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The Wasteland Chronicles
Apocalypse
Origins
Evolution
Revelation
Darkness
Extinction
Xenofall
Lost Angel (Prequel)
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The Xenoworld Saga
Prophecy
Bastion
Beacon
Sanctum
Kingdom
Dissolution
Aberration
