Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: only the ghosts belong to me, although I really wish it were different…
Rating: PG-13
Author's notes: I'm back! Thank you for your patience. I hope everyone had a very happy holiday!
Chapter Twenty-One
What is the child doing?
What bothered Morgan the most was the idea that he'd gotten so used to having this voice in his head that it didn't surprise him anymore when it spoke.
He looked for what it was referring to. What he saw was Ulysses Adair, squatting on the ground, his hands buried in the soil. He sighed. Poor kid, always playing Terrian…
Playing Terrian? The voice sounded confused. Ah, you mean the Dreaming Ones…Yes, Morgan supposed that was what he meant.
Do not trust them, my friend. When we arrived here, they took the side of the weak ones, trapping us here in perpetual torment, bodiless, only our minds to sustain us. Now the voice was angry. They had no idea what they were giving up, what wonders we could have shown them, if only they'd helped us destroy the weak ones!
If the weak ones are so weak, why was help needed to destroy them?
Simply because an enemy is weak, does not mean they do not have other…talents. Guile is their main weapon, and their ability to move silently behind the scenes, so that their plans are unknown until they are ready to strike. You must be always vigilant, dear friend…
Morgan sighed again. He was tired, so tired of everything.
Soon, very soon, your patience will be rewarded. Trust me still, as you have trusted me from the start…
"Morgan?"
He jumped at Bess's voice at his shoulder. "Damn it, Bess," he almost whined, "please don't do that!"
His wife's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't mean to startle you, sweetie."
"It's okay." He took her hand. "I was just thinking, that's all."
"Must have been pretty heavy thoughts."
"You could say that." His love…his Bess. Ever since they'd crashed here, she'd been the one who'd kept him from falling apart. It was ironic: on the Stations, he'd been the confident one, with the good job and contacts and the knowledge to survive. When he'd married Bess, she'd been ignorant of how things worked in his circle, and she had had to rely on him.
Now, it was the other way around. Being from Earth, Bess had the know-how to live on this world, and it was Morgan himself who was practically useless. He still remembered the first night they'd been here; she'd been the one who had built their fire, had reassured him that everything was going to be fine.
He'd been the weak one, she the strong.
And now, this voice was telling him that it was Morgan who was actually strong, and all the others were weak. That he was the true leader, not the woman who had managed to strand them all on this benighted world.
It was a paradox that, now that Morgan could see it, was one he couldn't reconcile.
Do not doubt! The voice echoed around his frontal lobe. You are indeed strong, my friend. Your strength lies in your vision, in your ability to see the truth without being led blindly. Physical prowess has nothing to do with greatness; only the true power of the mind can lead the chosen to their proper destiny!
Bess looked at him strangely. "Morgan? What's wrong?"
He stared down at her. It must have been an obvious space-out, since she had noticed. "Nothing, really."
Morgan wasn't a very good liar, especially with his wife. Bess could pick up one of his lies at fifty meters, and her instinct apparently hadn't failed her. "There is something wrong, Morgan. You haven't been yourself for several days now, ever since you started having those dreams…" Her eyes got wide again, as her agile mind put two and two together.
It had only been a matter of time. Bess wasn't stupid; in fact, Morgan considered her one of the smartest women he'd ever meant.
You cannot let her know, the voice demanded. She is not one of the chosen! Her destiny no longer lies with you!
Bess, not chosen? Morgan looked down at the woman he loved more than life itself. If she wasn't part of his destiny, well…then it wasn't worth being a part of, was it?
I see that I have indeed chosen wisely, the voice crooned. Your loyalty does you credit, my friend. This was but a test, and you have passed. All I ask is that you do not tell her yet; wait until you can show her what is offered.
Morgan let the voice sooth him. But there was a quiet part of his mind, where his thoughts were still his own, that recognized back-pedaling when he saw it.
"I promise you," he said, taking both Bess's hands in his, "everything is going to be just fine." He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Bess."
"I love you too, Morgan," she answered softly. "And I trust you. I always will."
