Chapter 17
The boat carrying Kiara and Mollie floated to a stop next to Scully's. Scully glanced over at Mollie and suppressed a shudder. Mollie looked terrified. Her eyes were large and shimmering with unshed tears.
Mollie looked over at Scully and resisted the urge to cry. What had she ever done to get herself in this situation?
"Stand up, Mollie," Kiara demanded, never taking her eyes off of Morgayne.
Mollie looked back at Kiara and then back at Scully.
"Stand UP, Mollie." Kiara repeated more forcefully.
Mollie shuddered and stood up, stumbling as the boat stirred in the placid water.
"Hello, Mollie." Morgayne smiled at the young girl.
"Don't you dare act like that," Kiara yelled.
Morgayne turned her gaze to Kiara, fire blazed in her eyes.
"Act like what," she growled.
"Like you are the good one in this. If you hadn't started this, this never would have happened. Now it's come to the final battle," Kiara yelled and turned towards Mollie. "You must choose a side, Mollie. Will you stand with me, or will you stand with Morgayne?" Kiara's voice was so soothing, the Irish lilt calming Mollie's nerves. Mollie turned towards Kiara as her eyes glazed over.
"Mollie," Morgayne cried, bringing the girl out of her daze. "You must not listen to her, Mollie. She is a liar," she said once Mollie turned towards her.
Scully watched the encounter with fascination. It intrigued her that Kiara's voice seemed to have an alluring effect on Mollie.
Mollie looked from Kiara to Morgayne, and back again.
"I don't know what you are asking of me. What do you mean choose sides? For what," she cried confusedly.
Kiara opened her mouth to explain, but Morgayne interrupted.
Mulder breathed in deeply and opened his eyes when he realized he didn't smell the horrible hospital smell anymore. A bright light blinded him and he shut his eyes against the glare. Opening them once more, he saw the faint outlines of a tree. It took a moment for him to realize that he was no longer in the hospital room, but was lying on the damp ground in a lush forest. Huffing a deep breath, he sat up and surveyed his surroundings.
A small bird chirped on one of the lower branches. Mulder turned towards it and watched as it skittered away and took flight.
The forest was beautiful. The green trees swayed in the gentle breeze.
Mulder reached up to wipe the dew off his face. He looked down at his arm and realized his shirt was different from his normal everyday suit. It was a deep plum shirt, that tied up the front, reminding him of something he had seen at a Renaissance festival a few weeks ago. His pants were black and fitted to his legs. Silently, he sent up a prayer thanking God that the shirt was long and fell to mid-thigh. He didn't want everyone and their dog to see his package. Not that he was embarrassed, mind you.
Standing up he brushed back his hair which, surprisingly, had also become longer in length.
He turned around in a full circle, wondering which way should he go. Scully...he needed to find Scully.
"You must choose a side. I cannot tell you why, for you must do so without knowledge of events to come. All I can tell you is that Kiara will lie to you. She is not someone you can trust. Trust in me, Mollie. Join with me. Danu` already has." Morgayne smiled and held out her hands beckoning Mollie to her. "Will you join us?"
Mollie turned to Kiara.
"I don't know what's going on, but my whole life you have been there, always taking the people I loved. Why? Why would you do that? What did I ever do to you to deserve that," Mollie cried, her body shaking as she kept her tears inside.
"You are right. I did take the ones you loved, but I did it for good reason. If I had not, Morgayne would have used them in her fight against me. They were not easily swayed. I kept them safe. I took them from the horrors that Morgayne would have inflicted upon them," Kiara explained, keeping her voice even and soothing. She would not lose this soul to Morgayne. Mollie's face relaxed and she nodded at Kiara in understanding.
"That's a lie," Morgayne cried out. "You did not protect them. Mollie, she did not protect them. She killed them!"
"I did not kill them. I took them, yes, but I would never kill them. It is not in my nature to kill for pleasure, unlike you, who would smite any who crosses your path," Kiara yelled, relaxing her power over Mollie.
Mollie blinked and shook her head. She was unsure, but she believed that Kiara was hypnotizing her in order to make Mollie believe her.
"Lies," Morgayne cried again.
Mollie looked over at Morgayne and then at Scully. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Kiara.
"You are a liar. You never protected me. You just took everyone I've ever loved. You killed them! The only one that has ever protected me or my family, was Morgayne. She is the only reason my father is still alive. Otherwise, you would have taken him as well," she yelled and took a step away from Kiara and towards Morgayne.
"No. I would never hurt your father. He was kind to me once. It is only because of Morgayne that he rebukes me. Mollie please, I need you with me on this. Without you, I will be unable to stop her this time," Kiara said, a tear running down her cheek.
Mollie shook her head and brushed the tears from her eyes.
"LIES!" Morgayne yelled once more. She reached out a hand towards Mollie. "Take my hand. Join with us. Let us rid the world of her."
Mollie kept her eyes on Kiara, but lifted her hand and placed it in Morgayne's. Morgayne smiled in satisfaction and pulled Mollie into her boat.
Scully stood and engulfed Mollie in a hug. All the while Mollies eyes never left Kiara's.
Tears streamed down Kiara's face, and Mollie's eyes widened as suddenly Kiara's distinguishing ice blue eyes turned a deep green, the exact shade of her own. It was like looking into her own soul. Suddenly she had the distinct feeling, she had chosen very wrong.
A loud scream erupted from Kiara as she fell to her knees. "NO! MOLLIE!" She yelled, startling Scully and only making Mollie cry harder.
Continued in chapter 18
The boat carrying Kiara and Mollie floated to a stop next to Scully's. Scully glanced over at Mollie and suppressed a shudder. Mollie looked terrified. Her eyes were large and shimmering with unshed tears.
Mollie looked over at Scully and resisted the urge to cry. What had she ever done to get herself in this situation?
"Stand up, Mollie," Kiara demanded, never taking her eyes off of Morgayne.
Mollie looked back at Kiara and then back at Scully.
"Stand UP, Mollie." Kiara repeated more forcefully.
Mollie shuddered and stood up, stumbling as the boat stirred in the placid water.
"Hello, Mollie." Morgayne smiled at the young girl.
"Don't you dare act like that," Kiara yelled.
Morgayne turned her gaze to Kiara, fire blazed in her eyes.
"Act like what," she growled.
"Like you are the good one in this. If you hadn't started this, this never would have happened. Now it's come to the final battle," Kiara yelled and turned towards Mollie. "You must choose a side, Mollie. Will you stand with me, or will you stand with Morgayne?" Kiara's voice was so soothing, the Irish lilt calming Mollie's nerves. Mollie turned towards Kiara as her eyes glazed over.
"Mollie," Morgayne cried, bringing the girl out of her daze. "You must not listen to her, Mollie. She is a liar," she said once Mollie turned towards her.
Scully watched the encounter with fascination. It intrigued her that Kiara's voice seemed to have an alluring effect on Mollie.
Mollie looked from Kiara to Morgayne, and back again.
"I don't know what you are asking of me. What do you mean choose sides? For what," she cried confusedly.
Kiara opened her mouth to explain, but Morgayne interrupted.
Mulder breathed in deeply and opened his eyes when he realized he didn't smell the horrible hospital smell anymore. A bright light blinded him and he shut his eyes against the glare. Opening them once more, he saw the faint outlines of a tree. It took a moment for him to realize that he was no longer in the hospital room, but was lying on the damp ground in a lush forest. Huffing a deep breath, he sat up and surveyed his surroundings.
A small bird chirped on one of the lower branches. Mulder turned towards it and watched as it skittered away and took flight.
The forest was beautiful. The green trees swayed in the gentle breeze.
Mulder reached up to wipe the dew off his face. He looked down at his arm and realized his shirt was different from his normal everyday suit. It was a deep plum shirt, that tied up the front, reminding him of something he had seen at a Renaissance festival a few weeks ago. His pants were black and fitted to his legs. Silently, he sent up a prayer thanking God that the shirt was long and fell to mid-thigh. He didn't want everyone and their dog to see his package. Not that he was embarrassed, mind you.
Standing up he brushed back his hair which, surprisingly, had also become longer in length.
He turned around in a full circle, wondering which way should he go. Scully...he needed to find Scully.
"You must choose a side. I cannot tell you why, for you must do so without knowledge of events to come. All I can tell you is that Kiara will lie to you. She is not someone you can trust. Trust in me, Mollie. Join with me. Danu` already has." Morgayne smiled and held out her hands beckoning Mollie to her. "Will you join us?"
Mollie turned to Kiara.
"I don't know what's going on, but my whole life you have been there, always taking the people I loved. Why? Why would you do that? What did I ever do to you to deserve that," Mollie cried, her body shaking as she kept her tears inside.
"You are right. I did take the ones you loved, but I did it for good reason. If I had not, Morgayne would have used them in her fight against me. They were not easily swayed. I kept them safe. I took them from the horrors that Morgayne would have inflicted upon them," Kiara explained, keeping her voice even and soothing. She would not lose this soul to Morgayne. Mollie's face relaxed and she nodded at Kiara in understanding.
"That's a lie," Morgayne cried out. "You did not protect them. Mollie, she did not protect them. She killed them!"
"I did not kill them. I took them, yes, but I would never kill them. It is not in my nature to kill for pleasure, unlike you, who would smite any who crosses your path," Kiara yelled, relaxing her power over Mollie.
Mollie blinked and shook her head. She was unsure, but she believed that Kiara was hypnotizing her in order to make Mollie believe her.
"Lies," Morgayne cried again.
Mollie looked over at Morgayne and then at Scully. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Kiara.
"You are a liar. You never protected me. You just took everyone I've ever loved. You killed them! The only one that has ever protected me or my family, was Morgayne. She is the only reason my father is still alive. Otherwise, you would have taken him as well," she yelled and took a step away from Kiara and towards Morgayne.
"No. I would never hurt your father. He was kind to me once. It is only because of Morgayne that he rebukes me. Mollie please, I need you with me on this. Without you, I will be unable to stop her this time," Kiara said, a tear running down her cheek.
Mollie shook her head and brushed the tears from her eyes.
"LIES!" Morgayne yelled once more. She reached out a hand towards Mollie. "Take my hand. Join with us. Let us rid the world of her."
Mollie kept her eyes on Kiara, but lifted her hand and placed it in Morgayne's. Morgayne smiled in satisfaction and pulled Mollie into her boat.
Scully stood and engulfed Mollie in a hug. All the while Mollies eyes never left Kiara's.
Tears streamed down Kiara's face, and Mollie's eyes widened as suddenly Kiara's distinguishing ice blue eyes turned a deep green, the exact shade of her own. It was like looking into her own soul. Suddenly she had the distinct feeling, she had chosen very wrong.
A loud scream erupted from Kiara as she fell to her knees. "NO! MOLLIE!" She yelled, startling Scully and only making Mollie cry harder.
Continued in chapter 18
