XVIII

Keel walked with Lira through the streets, crunching through the snow and dodging icy puddles. He watched her from the corner of his eye, as she looked at the city around them. She was so young, yet so much has happened, and he knew her life was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

"So, Lira," he began. "I am taking you to a friend of mine. Have you ever been to church before?"

She shook her head. Her memories of leaving the farm were mostly of the markets, with her father and brother.

"I thought not. Most orphans from outside the city only experience the faithful if they reside inside a village with a church, of which there are few." Keel pointed up the road, which was beginning to wind its way up a small hill, to a large majestic building. It had a tall pointed roof, with a large star on top. Many stained glass windows decorated its walls, and a large golden bell hung halfway up the tower.

"My friend is the Elder Didact. He is more of a teacher than a preacher, and has acquired much knowledge from outside these city walls. He also possesses many unique talents, which is why we are going to see him today. I am confidant he can help us with your...situation."

The two of them continued to hike up towards the cathedral, following the road as it narrowed. The afternoon sun was at their backs as the approached the gates. Keel placed his hand on his chest, fingers splayed out, and bowed his head as they walked through. As he stepped towards the doors, he realized Lira wasn't next to him. Turning, he saw her standing just inside the gate. Her head turned in the direction of the small cemetery that sat beside the building. Keel watched as her eyes moved back and forth, as if following things he couldn't see. Walking back to her side, he knelt down. He turned his head, to look where she was looking.

"Lira, what do you see?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

She glanced at him, then frowned, looking back at the cemetery. She raised a hand, pointing toward some gravestones-then let if fall limply to her side. She slumped her shoulders and dropped her chin to her chest, hunching forward. She then took a few shambling steps forward. It brought a striking image to Keels mind of a patient solemnly wandering the halls of a hospital.

Just as I suspected. Keel thought excitedly. She can see spirits!

Keel rose to his feet, tapping her on the shoulder. She stopped her ghostly act, and looked up at him.

"Thank you for the demonstration Lira. Let's head inside. I am very interested to hear what my friend has to say."

Together they walked to the tall double doors of the cathedral, pushing them open silently. A red carpet invited them in, running down the center of the building all the way to an altar at the back of the room. Rows and rows of pews filled the space, and several large chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Colorful light filtered the afternoon sun, sending colors shining in all directions. Lira lifted her head, gazing in awe at the massive vaulted ceiling, decorated with artwork of all different kinds. Paintings hung from the walls, depicting divine entities in all different ways. Lira quickly realized she had no idea what the church taught.

At the sound of their foot falls, a man appeared from a doorway off to the side. He had an elegant white robe that ran all the way to the floor, with big open sleeves. A sash of gold and purple hung across his chest, decorated with several symbols she didn't recognize. He had a full white beard that hung down to the center of his chest, and sparkling green eyes peeked out from the white hood that covered his head.

"Ah, good afternoon, my dear friend!" Said the man cheerfully.

"Hello Ruben. I've brought you Lira, as we previously discussed."

The Elder Didact shuffled forward, holding out his arms invitingly. He placed his hands on both of Lira's arms and squeezed gently.

"Delighted to meet you, my dear. Come, let us go somewhere comfortable."

He quickly turned, and began shuffling towards the doorway he came from. Keel motioned for Lira to follow, then stepped behind her. The room they were led to had several poofy looking chairs, seated around a small fireplace. Ruben sat, then indicated for Lira to sit across from here. Keel sat between them.

"So my dear, I've been told about your tragedy, and first off I want you to know I am so sorry. You are never alone, and if you ever need a safe place, you can always find me here." Ruben said, sincerity filling his eyes. Lira nodded, feeling immediately at ease.

"I also understand this would be a very one sided conversation if I simply asked you questions. Instead, if you allow it, I would like to wander your thoughts with you."

Lira tipped her head slightly, and glanced at Keel.

Smiling, Keel leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Ah, I have neglected to explain. You see, Ruben here is a Psycho-Mage. This however, is not publicly known."

The Elder Didact nodded. "Those who attend my gatherings would likely feel uncomfortable if they knew. Not that I invade their privacy in any way, but those with my skill set are supposed to register with the government. I use my talents when people come to me in private, asking for help when grieving, or require additional help."

Lira nodded, understanding dawning. Ruben held out his hands, palms up. Lira hesitated slightly, looking at his hands, then up at his face. Slowly, she reached out, placing her hands in his. She closed her eyes, and took a breath.

A tingle started in her fingers, slowly working its way up her arms, her shoulders, her neck, until her head felt like it was buzzing.

She waited, curious how this would feel compared to when Keel peeked into her mind. Suddenly, she felt a jolt. Not painful, but as if she had been tapped on the head.

'Hello Lira.' Came a voice. It was the gentle voice of Ruben, but it came from within her own thoughts.

'I can hear you?' She asked in her head.

'Indeed! I am with you in your thoughts. Imagine, it is like we are together in a dark room. You can hear me whisper, but you cannot see me. I won't pry into your mind, so I will only see what you want me to, unless there is something I can see that you cannot.'

'What do you mean? There might be things in my mind I cannot see?' She inquired.

'If Sir Orin imprinted his will into your mindscape, it is very likely they are hidden, or else you would find yourself experiencing his memories. An extremely uncomfortable thing, so I've heard.'

Subconsciously, Lira began reaching back into her mind, wanting to find these possible hidden memories.

'Wait!' Rubens voice cried. 'Do not go looking yourself. Let us venture deeper together. Now, please show me the first memory you have of Orin.'

Lira cast her thoughts back, remembering waking up, groggy and disoriented, in the infirmary. Through her daze she saw the bald head of Orin looming above her. The memory was much clearer than ever before, almost as if she was reliving it.

"Yes, she will do nicely." Orin said, his sharp voice clearer than ever before. "I can feel it, the smallest seed of magical talent."

Orin reached down, his fingers brushing her face, and a blinding light flashed before her eyes. There was a stabbing pain deep behind her eyes, causing her to mentally recoil.

'There!' Came Rubens voice. 'That pain is a mental barrier, placed inside your mindscape to prevent you, or anyone else, from stumbling into whatever he did. Lira, I won't lie to you, this will hurt. But I want you to bring that moment back, right as he touches your face. I will be here with you, helping you break through. If it's too much, I will pull you out.'

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Lira swallowed, afraid, but also curious. Again, she reached back into her mind to that moment.

Orin appeared above her again, reaching his hand towards her. The blinding flash came again, along with the deep stabbing pain. Lira wanted to pull away, to hide from the pain, but she felt a tug. She could feel Ruben, holding her there in that moment. She mentally gritted her teeth, and pushed back, like trying to walk though a biting wind. The pain filled her head, and suddenly it felt like she was on fire. Every inch of her skin screamed at her.

'It hurts!' She mentally wailed. 'It hurts so bad! Please, make it stop!'

'Stay strong Lira! We're almost through!'

In the room of the cathedral, Keel was thrown from his seat. It was as if a storm had suddenly blasted through. He found himself on his back, up against the wall, his chair landing on top of him. Blinking rapidly, he turned his head. Lira and Ruben still sat in their chairs, hand in hand. The room around then however, was in disarray. Books had been blown off the shelf, the small table overturned, and the fireplace extinguished. Keel went to push the chair off, when another blast rocked through the room.

Perhaps I'll just stay here for now. He thought.

Mentally, Lira was in agony. She could feel Ruben pulling her along, like dragging her across a floor covered in broken glass. She could feel her mind spiraling, and she felt as if she would go insane. Then, suddenly. it was as if she was floating. There was nothing. No pain, no light, nothing.

'Lira.' Came Rubens voice again. 'Open your eyes Lira.'

Confused, she slowly did as he asked, feeling like her eyelids had been glued shut. Finally, her eyes snapped open, and she found herself outside. It was sunny and warm. She was sitting cross legged on the ground, surrounded by small rocks. Only, those weren't her legs. She tried to physically look around, and started to panic when she couldn't.

'Calm down. Use your mind, not your body.' Rubens voice said, echoing around her.

Instead of trying to physically move her head, she imagined her head turning. To her shock, her point of view changed completely. She was no longer looking through the same eyes, but was instead looking at the side of a boy's head. He had scruffy hair, and a long thin face. He was shirtless, and sat cross legged like she just was. Realization shot through her.

'I didn't actually open my eyes at all! I'm in...a memory?'

'Correct! Specifically, this is the memory Orin imprinted into your mind. Let us watch and learn why.'

The boy on the ground breathed deeply and closed his eyes. His face crumpled in concentration, and the air tingled with energy. The stones that surrounded the boy began to wiggle, vibrating back and forth. Slowly, they rose up off the ground. They hovered a few feet in the air, rotating slowly, before dropping back down. The boy let out a breath. He turned, grinning, at an old man in a filthy robe who sat on a boulder.

"What are you smiling at me for, boy? All you did was pick up a few rocks! Try again."

Lira felt a shock of disappointment, as if the old man had spoken to her directly.

The edges of her vision suddenly got blurry, and she felt herself become horrible dizzy. He closed her eyes again, and felt like the world around her was spinning at an impossible speed. She began to feel sick, as the spinning got even faster. She cried out, and just like that, she was back in the poofy chair in the cathedral. She fell from the chair, crawling to a corner, she emptied her stomach violently.

"Oh, you're back!" Keel called from the side of the room.

Ruben kneaded his eyes with his hands, then looked around and chuckled, finally noticing his friend.

"Perhaps next time we will go somewhere less furnished." He said.

Keel crawled out from under the tipped chair and brushed himself off. Lira looked over from the corner she had just used, looking shameful.

"Oh fret not my dear! I've had worse kinds of people do worse kinds of things in this room." Ruben said, rising from his chair. He walked over to the girl and gently placed his hand on her back.

"I am sorry. I know that was probably a terrible experience. But, we have confirmed what we thought. Orin has placed his own memories inside your mind."

"what have you learned?" Keel asked excitedly.

Ruben shook his head. "Nothing of importance yet. We saw Orin as a child, learning to control energy. The remarkable thing is, somehow he has instilled the training he received as a child into Lira, through his memories. It would be quite incredible, if it also wasn't so bleak."

"It isn't just energy control and arcane tricks either." Replied Keel.

Ruben frowned. "What do you mean?"

Keel explained what happened outside the cathedral, and his suspicions. The frown darkened on the Elder Didact's face. He turned back to Lira, who had stood up, wearily leaning against the wall.

"One last thing my dear girl, please tell me. Can you see the spirits of the dead?"

Lira opened her mouth to answer, then frowned, annoyance crossing her face. She nodded instead.

Ruben gave Keel a sidelong glance.

"Do they know you can see them? Do they try to interact with you?"

Lira thought for a moment, then wobbled her head in a 'sort of' manner.

Keel noted that Ruben looked worried, something he rarely did.

"What bothers you friend? So she can interact with spirits, so what? Do we not have seers and oracles who can do the same?"

The old man looked gravely at Keel.

"That is not the same. Our Seers were gifted their abilities at birth, destined by the Gods to be a conduit between us and those through the veil. This I fear, is the work of necromantic magic."

Keel's eyebrows shot up. "Which would mean, from what we just learned, that Sir Orin also is skilled in necromancy. That is a serious claim, and one we should not speak loudly."

Ruben knelt by Lira, looking into her eyes.

"Listen to me closely. People cannot know of this. Necromancy is a forbidden craft, its use violates laws older than the kingdom itself. But more importantly, it is know to corrupt the mind of the user. Simply seeing spirits through the world should bring you no harm, beside perhaps from the spirits themselves, but if anyone finds out, they may take action against you."

Lira looked at him with wide eyes, tears starting to form.

"oh, my dear girl!" Ruben said, the frown dropping from his face. He embraced her, holding her head against his shoulder.

"I did not mean to upset you. I simply want you to be safe. Terrible things have been done to you, and unfortunately, we must learn what they were. But we are here to help you."

Lire cried, for the first time since that awful night on the farm. She sobbed into Rubens shoulder, feeling herself breakdown. After a few minutes, she pulled away, wiping her runny nose.

"You see? A good cry is needed now and again. Now, Keel will take you back to your brother, and we will meet another time."

Despite how painful and exhausting the experience had been, Lira found that she did want to come back. She liked Ruben, and she trusted him. More than that, she honestly believed he could help her, and that was something she hadn't felt in a long time.