The Mercy of Mot

By Denny J

melianofdoriath@hotmail.com

The brush stroked gently across its surface, freeing the vessel from the dust of centuries.  Carefully, he lifted it from its resting place and held it up to the light.  It was a simple shape, made for everyday use, one line of decorative forms encircling its rim.  It could have been someone’s drinking cup, a small bowl for soup, or any number of other possibilities.  He thought back to a similar vessel sitting on a shelf in his office.  It was also of simple design, but it had held the shared drink of two newly-wedded people.

Who had this cup belonged to?  Was this all that remained of someone’s life?  All there was to mark their passing through this world?  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.   Grant me a place in your blessed dwelling.  

His throat tightened and his eyes began to water.  Damned allergies.  He swiped a hand across his eyes and continued to gently turn the piece of pottery in his hands.

“You gonna add that to the box, or are you gonna make love to it?”

Comfort, Jack O’Neill style, meaning sarcasm and snide remarks.

“Funny, Jack.”

“Well, you know, just wanted to give you some privacy if you needed it.”

He didn’t rise to the bait, but instead pointed to his clipboard.  “Just hand me that inventory, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Sure thing.” 

The clipboard appeared in front of him and he took it, carefully listing the newest find and sticking a small tag on the vessel to identify it.  He then picked up some paper and wrapped the vessel, placing it in the box with the rest of the objects he had unearthed that day.

“How ‘bout some lunch?”

“Not really hungry.  Why don’t you go ahead; I’d like to get some more of this done.”

“C’mon, Daniel, you need—“

“Jack—don’t.”

He heard Jack sigh.  He knew he just wanted to help—they all did—but Daniel really wished they’d quit hovering.

“You know, Janet’ll have my head if you come back in less than perfect health.”

Now it was his turn to sigh.  Janet had been reluctant to let him go offworld, even though it had been several weeks since . . .  Anyway, he knew she was more worried about his mental health than his physical health right now. 

“Fine, but you’re not playing fair.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, P9X-030, a lovely spot to be bored out of your skull, Jack thought.  Ruins, ruins, and more ruins.  Daniel should be in heaven, but looking at him now, sitting across the table from this planet’s version of archaeologists, Jack could see there was no spark of excitement in his eyes, his voice, or any other part of his body.  Oh, he smiled in all the right places, added comments when appropriate, but Jack knew his heart wasn’t in it. It might fool the others, but it didn’t fool Jack.

 Daniel picked at his lunch while discussing the day’s finds with Jerob and Cora, husband and wife and also heads of the archaeological team working on these ruins.  Sam had planted herself on Daniel’s right, while Teal’c sat on his left, pretty much where they had been ever since . . . well, since Sha’re had . . .died.  Daniel’s shadows.  Of course, Jack had been keeping an eye on him as well, but hopefully wasn’t so obvious about it.  Jack had a pretty good idea of what he was going through, and had tried to give him some space, as long as that space was within Jack’s eyesight.

It was their first mission since Sha’re’s death.  It had only been three and a half weeks since the funeral.  Janet had wanted Daniel to have more time to recuperate, but Jack had privately told her and General Hammond that he thought the best thing for Daniel would be to get him out of the mountain and back through the gate.  They had all been a little concerned about Daniel’s claims that Sha’re had “spoken” to him through the hand device.  They had tried to be supportive, even though they were skeptical, and Daniel had eventually quit talking about it. 

P9X-030 seemed like the perfect place for Daniel to get his feet wet again.  The activation of the gate and subsequent deployment of the MALP had startled and surprised the team of archaeologists who were studying the ruins.  The current society appeared to be about a hundred years, give or take, behind Earth, technology-wise.  The ruins themselves were quite some distance from civilization, and the archaeologists had had to communicate with their base--about a day’s travel away--to let their leaders know about the people who wanted to come for a visit.

It had all worked out, and SG-1 had come through, welcomed by the dozen archaeologists working on the site.  The ruins were extensive and had only been discovered two years earlier, this team only having been here for six months.  Daniel had been semi-excited to discuss the excavation with his counterparts on this world.  They had been even more excited by some of his suggestions regarding newer excavation methods. 

Three days later, they were still camped at the ruins, SG-1 waiting for a group of government leaders to reach the base camp, at which time SG-1 would make the trek to meet with them.  Carter had been anxious to discuss trade, as she had detected a significant amount of naquadah present.

Sam excused herself and headed toward the food table where Jack had planted himself to watch Daniel.  She put some fruit on her plate and moved to stand next to him.

“He seems happier now, since he’s been working in these ruins.”

“Not happy, Carter, distracted.  Something to occupy his mind instead of . . .” He left the sentence unfinished.  No need to say it—they both knew what it was.

They heard laughter and saw the young couple sitting next to Jerob hug and then kiss as others at the table continued to laugh at whatever had been said.  Jack saw Daniel smile, then look away.  Seeing that Teal’c was engaged in conversation with the person on his left, Daniel quietly got up and slipped away, heading towards the edge of the ruins.

Sam looked at Jack.  “Not distracted enough, I guess.”

“I’ll go check on him,” Jack said.

“You want me to come with you?”

“Nah, but thanks.  Don’t want him to think we’re ganging up on him.” 

“Okay.”

It only took him a few minutes to find him, standing at the edge of a small bluff, looking out across the landscape. The thick forest on the other side of the ruins began to thin out as the land fell away from the bluff, becoming an open plain with only a few trees dotting it here and there. 

Daniel’s body practically shouted “leave me alone”, but Jack ignored it. Fools rush in, I guess. 

“Hey.”

“I don’t want to talk, Jack,” Daniel responded, not turning around.

“Oh, I just came to enjoy the view.”

He walked up to stand beside Daniel.  After a few seconds he said, “Yep, it’s a great view.”

Silence was the only response.  After several minutes, Daniel spoke.

“I want to stay here, Jack.”

“Sure.  Take all the time you want, I’m in no hurry to get back.”

Daniel sighed.  “No, not here here,” he said, waving his arm around.  “Here, on this planet.”

“Hammond’s given us several days to wrap this up, but I’m sure he’d give you more if you asked.”

“Don’t be obtuse, Jack, you know what I mean.”

“Not gonna happen.”

Daniel whirled around to face him then, blue eyes flashing with anger.  “Why not?”

“What, you’re just gonna pick some random planet to run away and hide?”

“I’m not hiding!”  He calmed his voice before continuing.  “These people could use my help excavating these ruins.  It is my field of expertise, you know.” 

“These ruins are huge—you could spend your entire life working on them and not finish.”

Then he saw the anger fade from the blue eyes to be replaced by sadness. 

“You’re talking about staying here permanently.”

“Yes.  I’ll quit the SGC.”

“What about the boy?”

The anger was back.  “Oh, that’s rich.  You all but tell me I’m crazy and now you want to tell me you believe me?”

Okay, wrong thing to say.  “How about this, then.  You’ve only been here three days—you don’t even know these people. And now you want to stay with them?  Hammond might not give you a GDO.”

Daniel looked away from him as he replied softly, “I’ve done it before.”

Jack’s own frustration turned into anger.  “So, what—you gonna stay and get married?”  The second the words left his mouth he wished he could take them back.

“Go to hell, Jack,” Daniel said icily as he turned and headed back to the lunch area.

Jack sighed.  How had he lost control of the conversation?  Probably because he never had control of it in the first place.  Instead of helping Daniel, he had pushed him further away.  He turned and followed Daniel back towards his team.  Maybe they’d have an idea of how to fix this.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Daniel bypassed the lunch tent and headed towards an area of the ruins where he had been translating some writing.  The sting of Jack’s words only strengthened his decision to make a change.   He had spent a good deal of time contemplating what he wanted to do now.  Now that Sha’re was gone.  Now that his reason for going through the gate was gone. 

At first, he had felt numb, which was quickly replaced by an ache that hurt clear to his soul. He realized he had spent more years looking for her than he’d had with her.  But he had been able to see her one last time; hear her beautiful voice speak to him.  I love you, Danyel.  It felt like big pieces of him were being torn away; the first piece ripped away when he was only eight, another when his grandfather refused to adopt him, and another equally large piece just four weeks ago.  He didn’t think he could afford to lose any more—there wouldn’t be anything left of him.  And if he lost Jack or Sam or Teal’c . . . No, it would be better to go where there was no chance of another piece being ripped from him.

When the grief had become overwhelming, he had focused his energy on trying to persuade his team that Sha’re had sent him a message through the hand device.  That she had asked him to find her son.  They had tried, as gently as possible, to tell him that it wasn’t possible, that it was just a way for him to cope with the grief.  Eventually, he had started to believe it too.  He had felt even more lost without the support of his friends.  He didn’t feel like he belonged at the SGC anymore.  Maybe it was time to go back to his roots—back to the work he loved to do. 

The people here were wonderful.  Jerob and Cora reminded him of a couple of archaeologists who had mentored him on a dig in college.  They had been excited to listen to his suggestions regarding excavation methods and especially interested when he told them he could translate the writing found in the ruins, something they had been unable to do.  He felt useful. 

He had considered staying on Earth to pursue his interest, but quickly realized that he would have no peace there.  He was privy to too much classified information for them to just let him go.  And then there was the NID.  He really didn’t want to think about what kind of danger he would be in from them.  No, staying offworld was really the only option.

He stopped when he reached a stone stele covered in writing.  He had been working on it earlier, but had taken a break from it to help uncover some artifacts the archaeological team had found.  He recognized the writing when he first saw it—it was Phoenician.  Jerob and Cora had been surprised and extremely happy when he informed them he could translate it. 

Hoping to resume his translation, it dawned on him that he didn’t have his notebook. Retrieving it would mean he’d have to go back to where everyone was congregated, and that was something he just didn’t want to do at this point.  So instead, he sat down across from the stele and let his eyes roam over the inscription, working it out in his head.

A shadow blocked the sun from his eyes and he looked up to see Sam standing beside him. 

“Jack send you after me?” he snapped, sounding petulant.

“You don’t think I’d come talk to you without being ordered?” she replied equally testy.

He ducked his head.  “Sorry.  Just residual anger from Jack’s little pep talk.”

“Didn’t go well?”

“You could say that.” 

He still wasn’t looking at her and didn’t offer any more, so she decided to change the subject. She sat down next to him, shoulders touching, and looked at the stele. “How’s the translation coming?” she asked, pointing to the carved stone.

He looked up at the stele then.  “Pretty well.  It’s in praise of the god Mot.” 

“Who was he?”

“To the Phoenicians he was the god of death.”

“Nice.  What does it say about him?”

“This part here,” he said, pointing to a section of the stele, “talks about him being just.  ‘He who calls upon the mercy of Mot shall be heard and they will be judged justly.’”

 “Sure we’re talking about a goa’uld?” Sam replied, smiling at the absurdity of a “just” goa’uld.

“Just a little propaganda,” he said, giving her a small smile of his own.

“Now that sounds like a goa’uld,” she returned, pleased that she had been able to coax a small smile from him.

They were quiet for a few moments before Daniel spoke again.

“Sam, you didn’t come over here to hear a lecture on Phoenician gods.  What’s up?”

“Actually, Daniel, I do enjoy hearing your lectures.”  She bumped shoulders with him them, eliciting another small smile.  “But you’re right, there’s more to it.  The call from the base camp came in—the leaders have arrived and are waiting to talk to us.  The colonel wants to leave first thing in the morning.”

“I’m staying here, Sam.  The three of you can handle it without me.”

“Why?  Daniel, you’re our cultural expert and the best negotiator we have.”

“They’ve already agreed to trade; this is just a formality—a chance to meet face to face.  The details of what will be traded should be easy to work out.”

Sam didn’t like the feeling she was getting.  Since when did Daniel turn down a chance to meet the locals—especially the leaders of a society?  Something else was going on.

“Daniel, what were you and the colonel talking about?”

He was quiet just long enough that Sam thought he wasn’t going to answer, then he spoke slowly and quietly.  “I told Jack that I want to stay here, on this planet, permanently. I’m going to quit the SGC.”

“Daniel, you can’t!  We need you.  Especially if we’re ever going to defeat the goa’uld.”

“I’m an archaeologist, Sam.  I don’t think anything I do is going to make much difference when it comes to defeating a powerful alien race bent on galactic domination.”

“But you’ve already made a significant contribution, Daniel.  We wouldn’t have accomplished what we have without your help.  Look, I know you’re upset and still hurting from losing Sha’re, but please reconsider.  At least think about taking a leave of absence instead of quitting.”

“My mind’s made up, Sam.”

“But—“

“I don’t want to talk about it.  Please, Sam.  Let me get back to work on this translation.”

End of conversation.  She was being shut out.  Deciding she’d make things worse if she pressed him, she relented.  She grabbed one of his hands in hers and squeezed. “Okay.  I’ll see you later.  But, just think about it.”

He squeezed back before releasing her hand and getting up to move closer to the stele.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Daniel had worked until it was too dark to see.  At some point he had sneaked back to get his notebook without being seen.  He had also avoided his teammates for the rest of the evening, grabbing a plate of food before heading to his tent.  Sam had told Jack about Daniel’s decision not to go meet with the leaders and Jack had released his frustration by kicking the nearest wall, which, unfortunately, was made of rock.  Sam had announced that she could find nothing broken in his foot, which did nothing to ease the pain in his foot or his spirit.  Once Teal’c had been filled in on Daniel’s decision to leave the SGC, he had requested permission to go and speak with Daniel about the matter.

“Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel looked up from his book and saw the large shadow standing at the entrance to his tent.  He wasn’t surprised—he’d been expecting a visit from his third teammate.

Sighing, he said, “Come in, Teal’c.”

Teal’c entered and remained standing by the tent opening, hands clasped behind his back.

“I must speak with you, Daniel Jackson.”

“I know what this is about, Teal’c, but like I told Sam, I’ve already made up my mind.”

“I beg you to reconsider.  I am the one responsible for taking Sha’re from you.  It is I who should leave.”

He didn’t want to contribute to the guilt Teal’c felt at having to take Sha’re’s life in order to save his. “No, Teal’c.  I meant it when I said you did the right thing.  She’s not suffering any more, and I thank you for that.  But I need to get back to doing what I do best—archaeology.  And you need to do what you do best—fight the goa’uld.  Believe me, this is the right thing to do.” 

“Is there nothing I can say or do that will change your mind?”

“No.  But thank you for your concern.”

Teal’c bowed and left the tent.  Daniel felt a twinge of sadness that he would be leaving these people who had almost become like family.  All the more reason to leave now, he thought.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning Jack and Teal’c stood outside the dining tent ready to leave.  Jerob and Cora and two other archaeologists stood with them, ready to accompany them to the base camp.  Jack had sent Sam to get Daniel and he saw her walking back towards them, alone.

“Where is he?” Jack asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

“Hiram said he’s already out in the ruins working.”

Sam could see the muscles in his jaw tighten.  “What the hell does he think—“

“Well, sir, he did say last night that he wasn’t going with us.  He said we could handle it without him.”

In other words, we’d better learn to handle it without his help, Jack thought.  “Fine,” he said, pulling on his cap and adjusting his P-90.

Jerob and Cora had been listening to the conversation, and Jerob addressed Jack.  “I do not know the reason behind it, but it is obvious that Daniel is struggling with a great sadness.  I do not mean to interfere, Colonel, but may I suggest that it might be best to let him alone for awhile—give him time to work it out for himself.”

Except that he’s already worked it out and I don’t like the answer, Jack thought.  But instead, he answered, “You’re probably right.  Let’s move out.”

“Sir,” Carter said, hesitating.  “Let me stay and try talking to him.  Maybe I can get him to change his mind.”

“Great—half my team has mutinied,” Jack muttered.  “You really think you can talk some sense into that hard head, Major?”

“I have some experience in that area, sir,” she managed with a straight face.

He let the comment slide, seeing also the determination in her face and knowing she was as upset as he was at the thought of losing Daniel.  He knew she would do everything she could to change his mind.

“All right, you can stay.  Check in at twelve hour intervals. And Major—good luck.”

“Thank you, sir.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam left her pack in her tent and went looking for Daniel. She found him examining a second stele, notebook in one hand as he ran the other over the writing on the stone.  She paused for a second, wondering how he would react to her staying.  Taking a deep breath, she decided to jump in with both feet. 

“Hey, Daniel, how’s it going?” she said, trying to sound casual.

He jerked his head away from the stele to look at her.  “Sam?  What are you doing here?  I thought you guys had left already.”

“The colonel and Teal’c went; I decided to stay and see if you needed some help.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and she could see a brief flash of anger in them.  But when he spoke, his voice gave no hint of it.  “Really.  I’m surprised Jack agreed to that, and I’m surprised you’d rather stay here than meet their leaders.  But, sure, we could use some more hands.” 

She had no doubt he had figured out her real reason for staying, but she continued with the act of offering her assistance, hoping she would find the right time to get him to talk.  “Actually, I thought it would be more fun to help you, especially if our time together’s going to be limited.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Late afternoon found Daniel finishing his translation on the second stele.  He set his notebook on the ground and picked up his water bottle, enjoying the coolness of the water on his parched throat.  The afternoon was a hot one, and most of the people working in the ruins were either taking a break or working in the shade.

Glancing around for Sam, Daniel spotted her sitting on the steps of the stargate dais drinking her water.  Anger briefly flared again, but quickly dissipated.  He couldn’t stay mad at her.  He knew she was waiting for an opportunity to try and talk him out of leaving the SGC, but he really was glad to be able to spend some time with her before she went back to Earth.  He could feel his resolve weakening as he thought about how much she had become like a sister.  He really needed to stay strong if he was going to resist whatever argument she came up with.  He knew in the long run he was doing the right thing.

Daniel watched as Hiram stopped to say something to her.  Suddenly, he saw Hiram drop his own water and grab at his chest.  At the same time, Sam leaped up and grabbed for him as he toppled towards the ground.  As Sam eased him down, Daniel saw the arrow sticking out of his chest.

 Sam reached for her sidearm as shouts began sounding from different areas of the ruins. Daniel saw some of the workers running for cover, an arrow striking one as they ran.  He ducked behind the narrow cover of the stele, reaching for his own sidearm, only to discover he didn’t have it—it still lay with his pack in his tent. 

Searching the ruins he began to see glimpses of their attackers—men in simple tunics and leggings, some carrying spears and some carrying bows.  He glanced towards Sam again and saw her take aim at one of the invaders.  So focused was she on her target that she failed to see another attacker approaching from behind.

“Sam!” he shouted, leaning around the stele so she could see and hear him.  “Behind you!”

She fired on her first target and Daniel could see she would be too late to hit the second.  Wracking his brain for the right word, he yelled, “Stop!” in Phoenician, hoping his guess was right and they would understand him.

The man behind Sam came to an abrupt halt and looked in Daniel’s direction.  A third man standing a few feet to Sam’s left also turned towards Daniel’s voice.  Sam used their brief confusion to turn and aim her gun at the man behind her.  But she was too late as he had already raised the blunt end of his spear and he brought it down on her head before she could fire.

“Sam!” he shouted again, leaving the relative safety of the stele to face the attackers.  Raising his hands to show he carried no weapon, he tried another word, “Friends,” he said in Phoenician.

The third man seemed to be considering what he’d said, holding up his hand to stop the second man from advancing.

Yes, he thought, maybe they’ll listen to me.  The thought was followed by a stabbing pain that erupted high on his left chest, knocking him backwards into the dirt. 

He struggled to catch his breath as he lay on his back looking upward.  The intense pain brought tears to his eyes and he could feel something warm trickling down his side.  He risked tilting his head to look down at himself and saw the shaft of an arrow sticking out of his chest, just below his left collarbone. 

A shadow passed over him and he looked up to see that Sam’s attacker was standing over him, his spear aimed at Daniel’s throat. 

Daniel said the only thing he could think of.  “I call upon the mercy of Mot.”

Suddenly, the third man was also standing over him, reaching across to block the man with the spear.  Daniel’s vision began to gray out and it occurred to him that he was going to die not knowing if Sam had survived.  Another person I couldn’t save.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A stab of pain thrust him back to consciousness.  He felt hands pressing his arms and legs into the dirt, holding him in place. He tried to pry himself free, moaning as the movement sent spikes of pain through his chest.  He struggled to open his eyes and managed only a slit.  He saw the third man standing over him, giving directions to those holding him down.  He was older than Sam’s attacker and appeared to hold more authority. 

The man spoke to Daniel, and he tried to process the words.  The man placed one hand on Daniel’s chest and with the other, took hold of the arrow.  He didn’t need to translate to understand what was coming next. 

“Wait—“ he began weakly, but the word transformed into a scream as the arrow was pulled from his body, and he fell into darkness again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He drifted back to awareness once again to find himself lying on a blanket in the shade of the ruins.  Moving cautiously, he found his left arm was bound tightly to his chest, which had been wrapped with strips of cloth, his t-shirt pulled partially over it. 

Sam. 

He tried to sit up, wincing as he jarred his shoulder, reawakening the pain.  He laid his head down again, panting through the pain, and searched for her from his prone position.  He spotted one of the people who had attacked them bent over something against another wall.  A woman was sitting next to whatever it was.  As the man straightened and moved away, Daniel saw that the object was Sam.

“Sam,” he croaked.  Was she alive or dead? The fear of losing her tightened his chest and he began to wonder how could he have ever thought of leaving his friends. Trying to clear his throat, he tried again, without much improvement.  “Sam.”

Seeing he was awake, the woman left Sam’s side and knelt next to Daniel, holding up an animal skin pouch. 

“Water,” she said in Phoenician. 

He nodded his understanding and she put one hand behind his head to help him raise it, tipping the skin with the other.  He savored the wetness as it eased his dry throat. 

“Thank you,” he said in her language.

She gave him a small smile, and gently eased his head back down.  “Rest.”

“My friend,” he said glancing towards Sam “is she all right?”

“She is recovering.”  With that, the woman moved away to speak to the man who continued to stand guard over them with his spear.

Recovering.  He felt relief wash over him.  Not dead.  But she wasn’t awake, either, and he wondered how badly she was injured.  He hoped the woman was right and that she was going to recover.  But he had another problem, and that was:  who were these people and why had they attacked?  He really needed to speak with whoever was in charge and sort this out.

He felt his eyes trying to close and fought it, but finally he succumbed again to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Arguing voices pulled him out of sleep and he woke to find man number two and man number three standing next to him, deep in a heated discussion.

“They have defiled the sacred place—they must die!” said number two, pointing from Daniel to Sam.

“But he called upon the mercy of Mot—it cannot be ignored.  They must be judged by Eshmun.    He will decide their fate,” number three countered.

Their conversation halted abruptly when they noticed Daniel was awake.

Number two moved swiftly to where Daniel lay and grabbed hold of the neck of his t-shirt, pulling him into a sitting position.  Daniel gasped as his injured shoulder was jostled.

“Who are you and why do you defile our sacred ground?” Number two hissed, his face inches from Daniel’s. 

“Enough, Melqart,” the other man said, placing a hand on the arm holding Daniel upright. “There will be time for questions later.  We must complete the ritual and prepare to leave.”

Melqart gave a grunt of disapproval, giving Daniel a shove as he released the hold on his t-shirt.

Daniel hit the ground again, grabbing his left arm and groaning as the pain flared.

Melqart followed the older man as he headed towards the stargate where the entire group of newcomers seemed to be gathering.

Realizing they were alone, Daniel slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, breathing hard as he cautiously checked around him to see if anyone was watching.  Hoping to stay un-noticed, he decided to stay low to the ground.  He got to his knees and, using his free arm, he began moving towards Sam, trying not to cry out as he jarred his injured shoulder.  Reaching her side, he began feeling for any injuries.  Finding no broken bones or other injuries on her body, he moved to her head.  His fingers quickly found the large knot on the back of her head, due, no doubt, to being hit with Melqart’s spear.  She moaned as he moved his fingers over the lump.

“Sam?” he whispered.

She didn’t open her eyes or make any other movement, so he tried again. 

“Sam, it’s Daniel.  Can you wake up?”

He was rewarded with a flutter of eyelashes and then a slit of blue looked in his direction. 

“Daniel?”  He barely heard her say his name. 

“Yeah, it’s me.  Just lie still, you have a head injury.”

“No kidding.”  The blue disappeared as the eyes closed again.

“Stay with me, Sam.  You shouldn’t sleep with a head injury.”

“I’m awake,” she replied, partially opening her eyes.  “What happened?”

“We were attacked by a group of people—you were hit on the head.  Do you remember anything at all?” 

It took a few seconds for Sam to reply as she appeared to consider Daniel’s question.  “We were on P9 . . . P9X . . .” She looked at Daniel for help.

“P9X-030.  That’s right.”  His concern hitched up a notch at Sam’s inability to remember the planet designation.  “Anything else?”

“Sorry . . . can’t think clearly, and I really don’t feel so good.” 

Daniel saw her go a shade paler and quickly helped her roll onto her side, where she promptly threw up.

She moaned as she rolled onto her back again.  He wished the woman with the water would come back, but as it was, he had nothing to give her.

Sounds of chanting pulled his attention back to the gate where all of the attackers had gathered.  Daniel counted about a dozen men and three women. The older man lifted something above his head, then lowered it.  The chanting continued as the crowd stepped back, surrounding the steps of the gate, just out of danger zone.  The older man stepped up to the DHD and began punching the glyphs.

“Sam, they’re dialing the gate!”

“What?”  She took hold of Daniel’s arm to steady herself, causing the pain to flare in his chest again.

Daniel and Sam watched as the man pressed the center crystal, the blue splash of the wormhole springing outward then settling back into a rippling pool.  The chanting stopped and the older man stepped forward, said words that Daniel couldn’t quite hear, then tossed the object he held into the event horizon.  One of the other men approached and handed him another object.  He held out the second object, recited the words again, and tossed it in also.  It was all repeated a third time and a fourth time, followed by the crowd bowing their heads until the wormhole winked out. 

“What do you suppose they threw through the gate?  And where?” Daniel said.

“Who are these people?”  Sam asked. 

Daniel turned to her and could see her eyes looked glazed.  She continued to grasp his arm, her body listing towards his. 

Just as he was about to help her lie back down, a familiar voice rang in his ears. 

“Get up, you vile scum!”  Melqart was bearing down on them and before Daniel could move, he was grabbed by his good arm and dragged to his feet.  He was wrenched out of Sam’s grasp and she slumped forward.  Another man approached Sam and grabbed her hands.  Pulling them together, he began tying them with rope.

“Hey—that’s not necessary,” Daniel began, “She’s not a threat to—“

His words were cut off as Melqart took Daniel’s good arm and pulled it painfully up behind his back.  Daniel gasped as both sides of his body protested. 

“You will not speak.  We are leaving and Philo has decreed you are to come with us.  If it were up to me, you would already be dead.”

Philo must be the older man who was apparently their leader.  Maybe he would be willing to listen.  These people used the gate; he didn’t know to what extent, but maybe they would understand about visitors coming through it.   “I need to speak with Philo.  This has all been a misunderstanding—“

His arm was pulled even tighter and Daniel was sure it was going to snap.  It sent him to his knees, gasping in pain, but Melqart followed him down, never releasing his hold.

“I said do not speak!  I will cut out your tongue if that is what it will take to silence you.  I may not be allowed to kill you—Eshmun will decide that—but I can make you wish for death.”

He released Daniel’s arm and he fell forward onto the ground, every movement causing his shoulder and chest more pain.  And now the pain in his right arm was rivaling that of his left.

“Now, get up—we are leaving.  See that your friend does not fall behind.”

Daniel wondered how they expected Sam to be able to make the trek to wherever they were going, but he wisely held his tongue.  He struggled to his feet and moved to Sam’s side.  The man who had tied her hands pulled her to her feet where she swayed.  Daniel moved so he could put his right arm around her waist, grimacing as it protested being stretched again.  They evidently thought he wouldn’t be much of a threat with one arm bound to his body and the other one hanging on to Sam.  They were right.

“Adon,” Melqart said, motioning to a young man Daniel hadn’t seen approach, “you are to watch them closely.  If they try to escape, you may shoot them again.”

Daniel saw the young man—he could only be thirteen or fourteen—smile in appreciation.  “Thank you, Father.  I would gladly put another arrow in this one,” he said pointing to Daniel.

This young man—child—had been the one to shoot him?  And apparently he had no qualms about doing it again. 

“And he will not miss,” Melqart said, placing his arm on the boy’s shoulders.  “He has already proven himself to be an excellent marksman.” 

Adon smiled, reveling in his father’s praise. 

“Now it is time to move.  Adon, Cadmos will assist you.  Keep them moving.”

“Yes, Father.”  He turned to Daniel. “Go—I will be right behind you,” he said, pointing with the tip of his bow.  Daniel noticed he had a full quiver of arrows slung across his back. 

“Lean on me, Sam,” Daniel offered as he started moving them forward, Adon and Cadmos close on their heels. 

Sam took a couple of wavering steps before finally getting into a steady stride.  She glanced at him once, then put her head down again.  He knew she must have a killer headache.

For the first time since the attack, Daniel searched his surroundings for other members of the archaeological team.  He saw four of them—two men and two women—hands tied, being pushed forward by two of their attackers.  Fortunately, they all appeared to be in good health.  As they moved past the walls of the ruins heading towards the forest, Daniel saw the bodies of two more—one of them Hiram.  Images of Hiram and Dido kissing at lunch the day before flashed through his mind and he felt a pang of sympathy for the young woman.  Another couple that would never see their future fulfilled.  His own pain flared again and he looked away.  At least that meant that there were four still unaccounted for.  Hopefully, they had gotten away and were hiding.  If so, they would be able to contact Jack and Teal’c’s group with the radio.  He hoped it wouldn’t take them too long to get back here.  Then they would just have to track them to wherever they were going.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jack took another drink of his water as he sat in the sparse shade of a scrubby tree.  If you could call it a tree.  More like a shrub.  But it was the closest thing to a tree he had seen for the last hour.  The vegetation had gotten sparser the farther they had gone from the ruins.  Jerob assured them that they would soon cross this dry area and return to a greener landscape. 

He spotted Teal’c standing in the blazing sun, his eyes searching over the terrain they had just traversed.  Jack recognized the body language.  Something was wrong.

Jack reluctantly left his spot in the shade and moved to Teal’c’s side. 

“What is it?”

“I am not sure.  I have an uneasy feeling about leaving Major Carter and Daniel Jackson.”

“I think the only thing they’re in danger of is getting a sunburn.  Or being bored to death.”

“I do not agree, O’Neill.”

Before he could respond, the radio that the archaeologists carried crackled to life.  He heard static and then some indistinguishable words.

Suddenly Jerob was calling to him.  “Colonel O’Neill!  Come quickly!”

Both Jack and Teal’c immediately left their spot and headed for the people gathered around the radio.

“Colonel O’Neill, our colleagues at the ruins say they have been attacked by an unknown group of people!”

Jack glanced quickly at Teal’c before asking, “What’s their status?  Anyone hurt?”  A knot of fear began to form in his stomach—he knew before he heard the answer.

“Hiram and Tanit are dead.  Six were taken prisoner, including your people.  They say both Daniel Jackson and Major Carter were injured.”

He knew it. Nothing was ever simple—or boring—when it came to his team.  If something happened, they would be in the middle of it.

“Are the attackers still there?”

“No, they say that the invaders left with their prisoners, heading into the forest.”

“Okay, Teal’c and I are going back to the ruins.  We’ll contact Earth and see if we can get some help for a search and rescue.  I think you’d all be safer if you continued on to your base.”

“We would be glad to return with you and help however we can.”

“No, that’s not necessary, but thanks for the offer.”

“We will contact our base and ask for assistance to be sent to you.”

“That’ll work.  Make sure they know not to shoot me and Teal’c.”

“Good luck, Colonel.”

“Thanks.”  We’re probably gonna need it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two hours later found Daniel and Sam’s group still walking as the sun began closing in on the horizon. 

Surely we aren’t going to walk through the night.  The ache in Daniel’s chest was increasing with every step and the effort of keeping Sam upright was sapping all of his strength.  Sam stumbled again, almost bringing both of them down, but Daniel was able to regain their balance and keep them from falling. 

“Just a little further,” he told her, hoping it was true.  He was hot and starting to feel a little dizzy himself.  She didn’t respond, but kept putting one foot in front of the other. 

Finally the group came to a halt and Daniel saw they were in a small clearing where tents were already set up.  A fire ring was in the center and a couple of people began setting logs in it, while the three women went into one of the tents.

Adon put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder.  “Over here,” he said, pushing them towards one side of the clearing.  “Sit.”

Daniel helped Sam to the ground before following her down.  He was relieved to get off of his feet, even though he still felt hot and dizzy.

He looked around and saw that the prisoners were being separated into groups of two, spread around the circle so there was too much space for them to converse.  A man was moving from group to group, handing wooden stakes to the people guarding them.  When he reached Adon, the young man took the stakes and began pounding them into the ground with a mallet the man also handed him.  He took another piece of rope and began tying Sam’s already bound hands to the stake, leaving just enough room for her to lie down.  Next he grabbed for Daniel’s free hand and wound the rope around it and then tied it to the second stake. 

“That’s not necessary,” Daniel said.  “I don’t think I could get up if I wanted to.”

“So you say,” Adon responded.  “Still, I think we will be cautious.”

“Adon, we are no threat to you.  We are peaceful explorers.”

“Where do you come from and why were you in the sacred city?”

“We come from a place far away.  We were exploring the ruins--we didn’t know they were sacred to your people.  If I could just talk to Philo—“

“Adon!  Do not converse with the prisoners,” Melqart admonished his son as he approached.

“Sorry, Father.”  Adon moved quickly away from Daniel.

“I gave you a warning,” Melqart said, facing Daniel, “but I see that I must silence you.”

“No!  Wait!” Daniel pleaded, fearing that he was about to lose his tongue.

Instead, Melqart quickly pulled a rag from his belt, folded it, and stuck it in Daniel’s mouth, pulling it tightly at the back of his head and tying it.  

Relief washed over Daniel, even though the gag was cutting into the sides of his mouth uncomfortably and tasted rather nasty.  He could live with that. He saw Adon watching with what Daniel thought was a hint of sympathy, but it quickly disappeared when his father turned back to him. 

“Watch them closely.”

“I will, Father.”

Feeling the last of his strength waning, Daniel maneuvered onto his uninjured side and lay down.  Sam had already lay down and appeared to be asleep.  He hoped sleeping no longer posed a risk with her head injury.  He knew she had to be as exhausted as he was.  And it wasn’t like he was in any position to keep her awake.

That was his last thought as he drifted off to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Someone was patting his cheek.  He opened his eyes to see a woman bending over him.  Her dark hair fell over her shoulder and her brown eyes were shining as she smiled at him.  For a moment he thought . . . but memory came flooding back and he knew it wasn’t her.  It was the woman he had spoken to earlier.  A fist squeezed his heart as he realized that he would never again wake to see Sha’re’s face looking down at him. 

“Good, you are awake.  Are you in pain?”

Yes, but she had no medicine that would heal it.  He merely nodded his head. 

“You must eat something, then I will treat your wound.”

He shifted, trying to pull himself up without the use of his hands, groaning at the pain it caused his shoulder.  She quickly put her arm under his and helped him into a sitting position.  Dizziness hit him and he closed his eyes.  He was hot and his whole body ached.

He opened his eyes, almost saying ‘thank you’ before he remembered he couldn’t speak.  She reached behind his head and untied the gag, pulling the rag out of his mouth.  The corners of his mouth were cracked from the tightness of the cloth, and he ran his tongue over them.

“I am sorry Melqart was so rough.  Please do not think all of our people are like him.” 

She looked at Adon who was standing nearby.  “Please untie him so he may eat.”

Adon hesitated, seeming to debate whether or not he should, before moving to the stake and untying the rope.

“I am Yara,” the woman said, handing Daniel a small bowl.

“I’m Daniel, Daniel Jackson.”  He took the bowl which appeared to be filled with some kind of broth.  He thought of Sam and looked over to see she was still asleep. 

“My friend, she needs to eat something.  Could you help me wake her?”

“Yes, I will make sure she is fed.  But you need to eat also.  Go ahead,” she encouraged. 

The smell was inviting, so he took a drink.  He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d last eaten, but the broth was good and he drank until it was gone.  Taking in his surroundings as he ate, he realized it had gotten dark, and that everyone else appeared to be finishing their meal. 

Yara handed him a water skin and he drank deeply before handing it back.  He then used his right hand to help pull himself over to where Sam lay.

 “Sam, it’s Daniel, wake up.”

He was rewarded with a flutter of eyelashes and a small moan.  She managed to open her eyes and look up at Daniel, who smiled at her.

“That’s it.  There’s some food here for you.  Let me help you sit up.”

Yara helped him get Sam into a sitting position and Adon untied the rope holding her to the stake. 

“I don’t know if I can eat—not really feeling good.”

“Just try a little—you need something.”

Sam tried to take hold of the bowl with her still bound hands, but couldn’t maneuver it to drink. 

“Could you untie her long enough for her to eat?” Daniel asked Adon.

“I am not allowed to do that.”

Daniel turned back to Sam and held the bowl up to her lips.  “Let me help you.”

Sam acquiesced and took a few sips of the broth.  She pulled back and Daniel encouraged her, “Can you take any more?  Who knows when we’ll get another chance.”

She took two more sips and said, “I can’t.  I’m afraid it’s going to come back up.”

“Okay, how ‘bout some water then?”

Sam managed a few sips of water before turning her head away.

Yara took the bowls and water as Adon retied Sam and Daniel to their stakes.  He picked up the rag and moved to place it back in Daniel’s mouth when Yara intervened. 

“His mouth needs to heal.  Can you leave it off?”

Adon looked unsure but asked Daniel, “Will you remain quiet?”

Daniel nodded his head in response, hoping that would placate Adon. 

“All right, I will leave it off for now,” he agreed, placing the rag in his belt.

Yara set the bowls by the fire ring and returned with another one and a cloth.

“Lie down and I will take care of your wound,” she said, helping him lie down on his back.

She picked up the cloth and poured some water onto it, then wiped it across his face and neck.  The cool water was a contrast to his hot skin and it made him shiver.  Yara then began to undo the strips of cloth holding his arm to his body.  She was gentle, and Daniel closed his eyes, remembering a time when Sha’re cared for him when he was sick.  Sha’re’s hands had been so soft as she’d washed his fevered skin, her voice soothing as she comforted him.  He mourned the fact that he would never feel her touch or hear her voice again. 

“Leave him!”  No question who that voice belonged to. 

Daniel opened his eyes to see Melqart standing over him. 

“He has a fever.  I need to clean and tend his wound,” Yara replied, continuing her ministrations without looking at Melqart.

Melqart reached down and grabbed Yara’s arm, swiftly pulling her to her feet.  “You should be tending Tabouk’s injuries instead of wasting your time on this one.  Now go!” he ordered, releasing her arm and giving her a shove.

Yara looked furious, but bent and picked up the bowl before walking away. 

“Why is his mouth uncovered?” Melqart bellowed.

“The cloth cut his mouth, Father, so I left it off.  He has remained silent.”

“Oh, he has?” Melqart said, a nasty grin on his face.  “You have decided to be quiet now?” he asked, placing his boot on Daniel’s arm tied to the stake.  He slowly put more and more of his weight on the arm and Daniel bit the inside of his mouth to keep from crying out. 

“Stop it!”  Sam’s voice rang through the air.  The pressure on Daniel’s arm eased as Melqart turned to face Sam. 

“So this one has a voice, also!” Melqart moved to Sam’s side and grabbed her chin in his hand.  “I should have used the other end of my spear on you.  You would do well to keep quiet like your friend.”

Sam had no idea what the big man was saying, but out of the corner of her eye she could see Daniel shaking his head at her.  Deciding that provoking the man would not help them, she remained silent.

“Melqart!”  Another voice broke the silence, and Daniel saw Philo walking towards them.  This was the man he needed to talk to—the man who might listen to him.  But did he want to risk Melqart’s wrath by doing so?

“Is there a problem here?” Philo asked.

“Just making sure the prisoners are secure.”

“Do not injure them in the process.  And do not forget that their fate will be decided by Eshmun, not by you and not by me.  Now, your son is capable of guarding them, and I wish to speak with you.  Come.”

“As you wish,” Melqart replied reluctantly.  He cast a hateful glare at Sam and then Daniel before giving Adon a pat on the shoulder and following Philo to the other side of the fire.  Daniel almost called out to Philo, but decided to wait for a chance to speak when Melqart wasn’t around.  Besides, he couldn’t muster the energy to talk right now.  He just hoped he would get another chance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam watched as Melqart walked away, then switched her attention to Daniel.  He was lying on his back, eyes squeezed shut, breathing hard.  She couldn’t believe what Melqart had just done to him.  She was pretty sure Daniel had a fever.  She could also see the unwound strips of cloth that the woman had removed from his shoulder.  Sam knew he was injured, but she had been so out of it she couldn’t remember what the injury was.  She just remembered him supporting her while they walked, keeping her from falling, guiding her.  And all the time he had been injured himself.

“Daniel,” she whispered quietly, trying not to attract any unwanted attention.  Adon seemed to be caught up in the stories that were now being told around the fire. 

He didn’t respond and she tried again.  “Daniel, are you all right?”

His eyes opened a slit.  “ ‘m fine.”  The eyes closed again.

She was frustrated that she couldn’t get to him and check him out herself.  She still had a killer headache and some dizziness, but was feeling slightly better.  Maybe eating something had been a good idea after all.  Now she was more worried about Daniel.  The clearest sign that he was seriously ill was that he wasn’t paying any attention to the storytelling that was taking place a few feet away. 

In frustration she tugged on the rope tethering her to the stake, but it held fast.  If only she could reach him and see how badly he was wounded.  But she wasn’t going anywhere.  Headache pounding, she lay back down.  Maybe the woman would return and take care of Daniel.  Or, even better, maybe the colonel and Teal’c would show up and rescue them.  That thought stayed with her as she drifted into sleep.

~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Darkness had fallen but still they continued their trek across the plain, retracing their steps back to the ruins.  Teal’c had assured him that he could find the track in the moonlight, so they had pushed onwards. 

Now, as they approached the bluff at the edge of the ruins, Jack’s senses were on high alert for any movement, any sound.  He knew the remaining archaeologists were expecting them, thanks to Jerob’s radio message, but he wanted to make sure they were the only ones waiting for them in the dark. 

In the moonlight he could see the small copse of trees that marked the base of the trail leading up to the ruins.  The archaeologists were supposed to be waiting for them there, having decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to stay in the ruins in case the invaders came back.  He and Teal’c stopped at the same time and he motioned for Teal’c to go one direction while he went in the other.  Taking cover behind a large bush, Jack whistled once, which was their pre-arranged signal, waited five seconds and whistled again.

“Here!” came a voice from the trees. 

A figure appeared, followed by three more.  Jack left his cover, MP-5 raised, and moved towards the group. 

“Everyone okay?” Jack asked.

“Yes, we’re fine, Colonel, and very glad to see you.”  It was one of the young men, Zen-something--Zeno, Jack thought.

As he got closer, Jack could see the members of the group appeared to be fine, physically, but were obviously still shaken up by what had happened.

“Let’s get back out of sight,” Jack said, motioning towards the trees.

Teal’c appeared and followed the group back to the trees.  The archaeologists had brought a blanket, a small jug of water, and what looked like a backpack, from their base in the ruins.  They didn’t appear to have any other supplies.

“Okay, someone give me the short version of what happened.”

Zeno proceeded to relate how they had heard yelling and saw strange people moving through the ruins, shooting at the archaeologists with bows and arrows, and some using spears.  He explained that two of them had hidden in an upper chamber in the ruins while the other two were close to the edge of the ruins and had fled to the bluff path.  He described Daniel yelling something they didn’t understand, Sam getting hit on the head, and Daniel being shot with an arrow.  This was followed by the group activating the gate, and then leaving with their prisoners.

Jack took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair.  He had been hoping the first report was wrong, but Zeno had confirmed it—his teammates were not only being held prisoner, they were also injured.  He flipped his watch open, estimating how much of a head start the invaders had on them.   As much as he wanted to take off right then, he knew he had to contact the SGC first, report the situation, and get some backup. 

“Are you sure none of the attackers stayed behind?” he asked Zeno.

“We only went as far as the main tent to retrieve water and supplies and came back here.  We didn’t see anyone while we were there.  They had removed all of our gear and tools that were in the ruins—they just dumped them outside the perimeter of the city.  They also knocked the tent over, ripping the canvas, but it didn’t look like they took anything.”

“All right, we’re going to go up and use the gate to contact our base.  If there’s no sign anyone’s around, you can set up camp there and wait for your people to get here.  Teal’c, take point.  Everyone fall in behind Teal’c and keep quiet.  I’ve got our six.”

With Teal’c in the lead, the group followed the path back to the top of the bluff.  After determining no one was in the immediate vicinity, Jack dialed the SGC.  Soon he was talking with General Hammond.

“Colonel, I’ll have SG-3 and SG-5 gear up and join you as soon as possible.  Stand by until further notice.”

“General, with all due respect, I don’t think we can afford to wait.  Both Carter and Daniel were reported to be injured and we have no idea where these people are taking them or what they’ll do to them.  Let Teal’c and I stay on their trail and we’ll keep in touch by radio.”

“Colonel, I do not want you and Teal’c taking on these people by yourselves.  We can have the other teams geared up and ready to go in less than an hour.”

“Sir, we may not have that much time.  Carter and Daniel may not have that much time.  I promise we won’t take on more than we can handle.”

“I’m ordering you to check in by radio before you make any move to free your teammates.”

“We will, sir.  Have Colonel Reynolds contact us as soon as they arrive on the planet.”

“Very well.  Good luck, Colonel.”

“Thank you, sir.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Something was jabbing her in the side.  She opened her eyes and looked around in the semi-darkness.  The sky was tinged pink on the horizon and Sam assumed it was close to daybreak.

She looked up to see Adon standing over her, bow in hand.

“It is time to get up, we must go soon.”

She had no idea what he was saying, but assumed he wanted her to get up.  She glanced across at Daniel who was still lying on his back with his eyes closed.  Another man was similarly prodding him with the end of his spear.  She watched as Daniel opened his eyes halfway and said something to the man that she couldn’t hear.   

Adon began untying the rope binding her to the stake, while the other man said something to Daniel again, this time a little more forcefully.

“Here, Cadmos, watch the woman and I will get the other one up,” Adon said, moving closer to Daniel.

The other man moved closer to Sam as Adon bent down and spoke to Daniel.  “It is time to leave, you must get up now.”

“Can’t,” was the raspy reply.  “Water.”

“I’ll be right back,” Adon said, getting up and walking towards Yara.

Sam wasn’t sure what had been said, but she didn’t like the sound of Daniel’s voice.  A couple of minuets later, Adon returned with Yara, who was carrying a water skin.  The woman bent down and Adon lifted Daniel’s head while Yara helped him take a drink. 

“His fever is worse.  I need to clean and treat his wound.”

“We don’t have time—father said we must be ready to move immediately.”

“This is foolishness; he will kill them before Eshmun has a chance to question them.  At least let me immobilize his arm.”

Yara took one strip of the cloth, winding and tying it to make a narrow sling around Daniel’s arm.  She finished just as Melqart approached them.

“It is time to leave.  Get them on their feet.”

Adon untied Daniel’s arm and began pulling him to his feet while Cadmos got Sam upright.  Yara brought the water skin to her, holding it up so she could drink. 

“Thank you,” Sam said.  Yara smiled and tipped her head, understanding the meaning if not the words. 

 Sam watched as Daniel swayed and was steadied by Adon.  His face was flushed and Sam could tell his fever had risen.  Daniel once again put his free hand around Sam’s waist and she thought for a moment she was going to have to support him.  But he finally steadied himself and eased his weight off of her. 

“Daniel, you gonna make it?” 

“Piece . . . of cake.”

She smiled, in spite of their dire situation, at his familiar stubbornness.  They would make it.

She still had a headache, but the dizziness had eased and she felt like she could put one foot in front of the other without falling over.

Adon and Cadmos moved behind them, giving them a gentle push to get them moving.  The rest of the camp was already on the march, tents taken down and packed, and Sam could see the other prisoners being pushed along, interspersed among their captors.  The colonel and Teal’c would have no trouble tracking them, provided they were even looking for them.  She had no idea if anyone was left alive at the ruins to radio for help.  They weren’t due to return from the base camp for several days, and no telling where she and Daniel would be by then, or what shape they would be in.  In which case, they would have to get themselves out of their predicament.  Like Daniel said, piece of cake.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You sure we’re on the right trail?”

“I am sure, O’Neill.”

They had been trudging through the forest in the dark for quite a while, Teal’c stopping occasionally to get a closer look at something now and then.  Jack had no idea how he could spot anything in this darkness.  Their back-up teams had come through the gate, accompanied by Dr. Fraiser who had insisted on coming, and were now somewhere behind them in the dark forest.  He noticed a faint light forming on the horizon—daylight wouldn’t be far away.  He was ready to pick up the pace on this little trek and hopefully catch up to Carter and Daniel.  He knew he would have some apologizing to do when they did as his last conversation with Daniel replayed in his head.  Teal’c had assured him that both teammates were walking—something that gave Jack at least a little relief.  But he knew the knot in his stomach wouldn’t go away until he had them back safe and sound.

“Teal’c, are you sure—“

“I am sure, O’Neill.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Daniel shivered, his damp clothes clinging to him as the rain continued to fall.  He could feel Sam shivering, too, as he kept his arm snug around her waist.  It had begun an hour or so into their hike as a light drizzle, then changed to a steady light rain that was still coming down some two hours later.  A chill had set in as his clothes became soaked and he had wished for his BDU jacket and boonie.  As it was, he and Sam were both wearing just their t-shirts, pants, and boots, which had been on the warm side when they had been working in the ruins. 

He stumbled, jarring his shoulder, and he let out a moan.  It was the only place on his body that felt warm—in fact, his shoulder felt like it was on fire.  And it was spreading into his arm.  He tried not to think about infection.  Yara had cleaned and treated it once, but once probably wouldn’t protect him from organisms that the arrow might have carried, especially without antibiotics. 

Their injuries had made them slow their pace, and now the four of them--Sam, Daniel, Adon, and Cadmos--were falling behind the rest of the group.  In fact, the others had been lost from sight as they followed the trail as it disappeared around a hill. 

Daniel also had another small problem that was demanding his attention.  

“Adon, I need to relieve myself.”

Adon hesitated, but relented.  “Very well.  Come this way.”

“Daniel,” Sam said as he released his hold on her, “where are you going?”

“Uh, call of nature.”

“I really need to go, too.  Do you suppose you could ask . . .?”

“Adon, Sam needs to go also.”

Adon looked annoyed, but called to Cadmos. “The woman needs to attend to personal needs.  Go get one of the women to assist her and I will stay and watch this one.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, go ahead.  Tell them we will catch up shortly.”

“Sam, Cadmos is going to get one of the women to go with you.  It’ll be all right,” he added at her uncertain look. 

He took a few shaky steps away from her, following Adon into the trees.  Sam turned and followed Cadmos down the trail, wondering if this was Daniel’s attempt to put them into a position to make a break for it.  She didn’t know if she was up to taking on the man guarding her, and she definitely didn’t think Daniel would have much luck overpowering Adon in the shape he was in.  No, Daniel would prefer to talk his way out of a situation.  Although he wasn’t having much luck getting these people to listen to him so far.  Still, Sam trusted his ability to get through to people, no matter how unlikely his success seemed.  So she would wait, at least for a while, and give him a chance.

A few steps off the path, Adon stopped.  “Go ahead, but be quick.”  He walked a few feet away and waited.

Not used to having an audience, Daniel turned away, hurrying the best he could considering he only had one free hand.  Just as he finished and was turning around, a large yellow blur flew past him.  He heard a shout and saw Adon on the ground, a large, cougar-like cat standing over him.  His bow had been knocked from his hand and lay several feet away—not that it would do him any good at the moment.  The cat growled, exposing sharp teeth, and Adon raised his arm to protect his head.  The cat moved swiftly, grabbing the arm with his mouth.  Adon let out a scream.

Daniel looked around helplessly for some way to help Adon.  He spotted a thick branch lying close by and ran to it, despite his legs feeling like jelly.  Realizing he would have to use both hands to wield it, he gently lifted his arm out of the sling, hissing at the pain as he did.  Grasping the branch with both hands, he lifted it and turned back to the cat. 

“Hey!”  The cat released Adon’s arm to look at Daniel at the same moment Daniel swung the branch and brought it down on the cat’s head.  The blow sent the big cat rolling off of Adon. 

“Run!” he shouted to the stunned young man, turning back to face the cat again just as it regained its footing and prepared to attack.  He struggled to lift the branch again, but his arm was weak from his first strike, which had sent vibrations humming painfully through his body.  The cat seemed to have shaken off the first blow, and launched itself at Daniel before he could bring the branch up.  It knocked him flat, the branch falling away uselessly, and proceeded to stand on him, one paw pressing on the arrow wound.  The pain was unbearable but Daniel had no strength to dislodge his attacker.  His vision began to grey and he struggled to stay conscious. 

Suddenly, the weight lifted from his chest and he slowly turned his head to see the cat lying next to him, an arrow protruding from its body.  He vaguely heard someone shouting and, even though his head felt woozy, he rolled it to the other side, searching for the source of the noise.  His eyes were loosing their focus, but he could make out Adon sitting on the ground, bow still raised.  Sounds and images blurred once more until everything went black.

~ ~ ~ ~

Something cool and soft was being wiped across his face, threatening to bring him back to awareness. The motion was soothing, though, and he let it lull him back into that fuzzy place between wakefulness and sleep.  A buzzing sound penetrated the haze surrounding him, keeping him from drifting completely away.  It persisted, and, giving it his attention, he realized it was a voice.  He tried to remember where he was and who might be talking to him.  The voice continued speaking until he could finally distinguish the words.

“Daniel.”

The voice was calling his name, trying to get him to open his eyes.  He decided to try, managing to open them slightly.  A blurry face leaned over him.

“Daniel, it’s Sam.  Are you awake?”

Sam?  That’s right, we were working in the ruins.  She was standing by the stargate. No!  People were shooting at them!  Suddenly, the events of the last two days came rushing back.  He struggled to sit up but was stopped by a flare of white-hot pain in his left arm and chest. 

“Take it easy.  Don’t try to get up.” 

That sounded like a really good idea at the moment, so he complied.  An image of a huge cat attacking Adon flashed through his mind and he looked to Sam.    

“Adon?”

“He’s going to be fine.  He was bitten on the arm, but it wasn’t too bad.  Yara just finished treating it.”

“Good,” he said, closing his eyes again, willing the pain to ease.  

“Daniel, stay with me,” Sam gently ordered, brushing his cheek with her fingers.

“Mmm,” he mumbled, that fuzzy place trying to pull him in again.

“Daniel, Yara needs to take care of your wound.  She’s going to have to take the bandages off and clean it.  Do you understand?”

“Um hm . . . clean.”   

Sam was more than worried now.  It was obvious Daniel’s fever had risen—he was burning up—but now she was having trouble getting him to stay awake.  When she’d heard Adon shout, she had turned and run back to where they had left the two, as had Cadmos and some of the other people close enough to hear.  Seeing Daniel on the ground, unmoving, the wound on his chest bleeding freely again, had made her chest tighten with fear.  She had reached his side and thrown herself to the ground, groping for his pulse with her tied hands.  She had felt the reassuring beat against her fingertips and almost cried with relief before she had been yanked away by Cadmos.

Other members of the group had flocked around Adon, who kept pointing at Daniel and the cat, and a large branch lying nearby.  She could see the arrow sticking out of the beast and knew Adon had shot it.  Piecing together Adon’s movements and injury, she had come to the conclusion that the cat must have attacked Adon first, Daniel had hit it with the branch, and Adon had then shot it.  She didn’t know how Daniel had found the strength to use his left arm, but it was clear that using it had cost him. 

Several of the men had picked Daniel up and carried him to the area where the rest of the group was waiting.  Adon had walked on his own, cradling his arm. 

Yara and Sam had managed to exchange names before Yara proceeded to pantomime to Sam what she needed to do to Daniel.  Sam had hoped he would stay unconscious while Yara cleaned the wound, but evidently that wasn’t going to happen.  And on top of that, she wasn’t sure that he understood what Sam was trying to tell him.

 She looked up at Yara, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head.  Yara patted Sam’s bound hands and smiled.  Yara then called out and three of the men came forward.  After removing his t-shirt, she gave a couple of brief instructions and the men moved so that they were holding Daniel’s legs, head, and wrists.  Another woman brought some clean cloths and a couple of bowls, setting them next to Yara. 

Sam moved so she was close to Daniel’s head and whispered a few soothing words to him. 

Yara began removing the old, soiled cloths.  Daniel didn’t stir until she reached the final layer which had obviously stuck to part of the wound.  Yara was gentle, taking great care not to pull too hard on the cloth.  Daniel began to moan and tried to turn his head, but was held fast.  One final pull and the old cloth came free of the wound.  Daniel’s eyes flew open and he tried to move his arms and legs, with no success.  Sam leaned in so she was in his line of sight.

“Daniel, it’s okay.  Yara removed the bandage.  She’s going to clean it now.  Hang in there, Daniel.” 

His eyes locked on to hers and she could see he was trying to calm himself.  “’Kay,” he said, his breaths coming fast with the pain. 

The wound looked terrible.  There was no question it was infected. 

Yara took a cloth, dipped it in the bowl of water, and proceeded to gently wipe the wound.  Daniel squeezed his eyes shut and hissed as the cloth made contact with the infected skin.  Next, Yara picked up another cloth and dipped it in the second bowl which contained some type of yellow paste.  Giving a quick glance to her helpers, she began dabbing the paste onto the arrow wound.

 Daniel cried out and tried to arch off the ground before going limp.  The men released their hold on the now unconscious man, but remained close by while Yara finished applying the paste.  When she was done, she took more cloth and wrapped it around Daniel’s chest, covering the wound. 

Sam reached over and brushed back sweat-soaked strands of hair from Daniel’s forehead.  She hated to see him suffer, but she was helpless to do anything for him.  He needed to be back at the SGC in Janet’s care, but it didn’t look like that would be happening any time soon.  She just hoped that whatever medicine Yara had used would stem the infection.  And that they hadn’t waited too long to treat it.

Yara put her hand on Sam’s shoulder and Sam looked over at her.  She smiled and gestured to Sam’s hands.  Sam held out her bound hands and Yara moved around Daniel so she was sitting next to Sam.  She took hold of the rope and began untying it. 

“Stop.” 

Sam looked up to see Melqart standing over them.  She had a pretty good guess what he was saying.

“I do not believe she will attempt to escape without her friend.  In fact, I do not believe they wish to hurt us at all.  Let me treat the rope burns and you may re-tie her,” Yara said, expecting an argument.

Melqart looked over at Daniel and then back at Sam.  Sam saw the hardness leave his features before the big man nodded to Yara and stepped away.  Sam didn’t know what Yara had said to him, but his attitude towards them appeared to soften. 

Yara finished taking the rope off and treated the burns with the same ointment she had used on Daniel.  Sam hissed as it was applied, stinging her wrists.  No wonder Daniel had passed out.  Once the initial sting eased, it began to have a cooling effect.  Yara then wrapped a strip of cloth around each wrist before saying something to Melqart.

Melqart approached and bent to pick up the rope.  He took hold of Sam’s arm and pulled her to her feet.  He hesitated, rope in hand, and looked searchingly at Sam.  She thought he almost looked apologetic before he began re-tying her hands.  When he was done, he gently guided her back to sit on the ground next to Daniel. 

Sam refocused her attention on her teammate, checking his pulse, not missing the heat of fever pouring off of him.  He didn’t respond to her touch, and she thought it was just as well—he could use the rest. 

Another woman brought a water skin and helped Sam drink.  She knew Daniel needed some, too, but had no way to give it to him. 

Two men appeared with a makeshift litter.  They placed it on the ground and then lifted Daniel onto it, covering him with a thin blanket.  Then Sam was being pulled to her feet—it was obvious they were on the move again.  Adon and Cadmos walked up to stand next to her and Daniel’s litter.  Adon’s arm was in a sling and his bow was slung across his back.  She watched as he moved closer to Daniel, looking him over, his expression full of concern.  If Daniel had hit the big cat after it attacked, he may have saved the young man’s life.  And it might be the reason Melqart’s attitude had softened.  Maybe their chances of getting out of this situation had just improved. 

The group began moving again, and Sam reluctantly started walking.  Her head was beginning to pound again and she missed the support of Daniel’s arm around her.  At least it was no longer raining.  She still hoped wherever they were going wasn’t much farther. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The midday sun beat down on him as Jack sat on a rock drinking his water.  Thankfully, the rain had stopped earlier but it left the air almost unbearably humid. 

They had been moving at an increased pace ever since they had found the abandoned campsite that morning.  Jack had lost track of how many hours he had gone without sleep.  He had reluctantly taken this short break to give his feet a rest and quench his thirst, wondering how long he could keep going without real rest, knowing he wouldn’t stop until he’d found his teammates.

“O’Neill.”

Teal’c had taken a few steps on down the path and was now calling to him with some urgency.  He got up as quickly as he could and joined his teammate.

“What is it?”

“A struggle took place here, between two men and a beast.”

Jack didn’t like the sound of that, but took it as a good sign that there were no bodies lying around. 

“One of the men wore soft boots and the other wore SGC issue boots.  There are clearly spots where each of the men fell to the ground.  However, it appears the beast was killed.  Here is where it lay.”

Jack looked to where Teal’c pointed, seeing flattened grass and some blood stains. 

“You’re sure it’s the animal’s blood and not . . .” he left it unfinished, not wanting to put into words his fear that either Daniel or Sam had been attacked and possibly injured further.  But he had said two men.  Had it been Daniel?

“I am sure, O’Neill.  The SGC boot prints belong to Daniel Jackson.  It appears as though someone carried him from here as I see no prints leading away that belong to him.  The second man appears to have walked away on his own.”

So not what he wanted to hear.  “You think Daniel was injured by the animal?”

“Possibly.  I believe we should make haste in following them.”

“I agree.  Let’s go.” 

His energy was renewed, or maybe it was just his fear pushing him on.  In any case, he wasn’t about to waste any more time.  Capping his water, he adjusted his MP5 and took off down the path at a quick pace behind Teal’c.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The day stretched on and still they walked.  The clouds had cleared away and now the sun was beating down unmercifully once again. 

Sam continued to put one foot in front of the other, each step reverberating through her head, making it pound in time.  She walked next to Daniel’s litter, most of the time holding on to the side of it for support.  He had roused a couple of times, disoriented, and she had spoken reassuringly to him.  He looked at her each time and Sam couldn’t tell if he recognized her or not, but he would appear to relax at the sound of her voice and eventually drift off again.  

How much longer are we going to walk?  They were coming to the end of their second day and Sam didn’t know if she could keep going much longer without rest.  There had been no lunch stop.  She had been handed a piece of bread to eat as they walked and then Yara had brought a water skin for her to drink from.  Fortunately, they had stopped walking for a few minutes—long enough for her to quench her thirst.  They had also set Daniel’s litter on the ground, rousing him and helping him take some water.

Daniel had become increasingly restless as the afternoon began to slide into evening.  He thrashed about on the litter and called out.  Several times he had spoken what Sam thought was Abydonian and she had heard him call Sha’re’s name.  Once he had called for Sam and once for Jack.  She tried to calm him but he didn’t appear to hear her. 

Finally they reached another clearing and began preparing to set up camp.  Sam was led to one side and allowed to sit down.  She was relieved to get off of her feet and continued on down until she was lying on her side.  She watched them place Daniel’s litter on the ground next to her and she sat up again and began scooting over next to him. 

He was flushed with fever and continued to move restlessly. 

“Daniel.”  She placed her hands on his arm as she spoke. “Daniel, wake up.  It’s Sam.”

He turned his head towards her and opened glassy eyes to look at her.  She couldn’t tell if he recognized her or not.

“I promise,” he said in breathy voice.

“What?” Sam asked.

“I promise I’ll find the boy,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

Sam choked back tears as she listened to Daniel promise his wife that he’d find her son.  She remembered what he had told his teammates about how Sha’re had spoken to him while he was in the grip of the hand device.  How Sha’re had told him she had hidden the boy and how she had pleaded with him to find him and keep him safe.  Sam had been more than skeptical—they all had—assuming it was a combination of the effects of the hand device and the shock of losing Sha’re.  They had gently rebuffed his efforts to get them to believe him until he had eventually quit talking about it.  Sam wished she could go back and change things; wished she could offer him more support, even if she had her doubts.  Instead, they had unintentionally pushed him away until he felt his only choice was to leave the SGC. 

“Oh, Daniel, I’m so sorry.  I promise we’ll help you find Sha’re’s son.  Just . . . just don’t die.  We can’t look for him if you die.”  Tears continued to roll down her cheeks and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Sam?”

She quickly opened her eyes again at the sound of Daniel’s voice.  “Daniel?”

“What . . . what’s goin’ on?”  Even his voice sounded weak.

“We’ve stopped—I think for the night.”

“Where are we?  What happened?”

“Do you remember getting shot with the arrow?  Or the cougar, or whatever it was, attacking you?”  She wasn’t sure how much he remembered.

He closed his eyes again.  “Arrow?  Cougar?  I don’t—“  His eyes flew open again.  “Adon?  Is he  okay?”  He began to turn his head as though looking for him.

“He’s fine.  Just lay still and rest.”

“Good, you are awake,” Yara’s voice interrupted them.  She walked up to Daniel’s litter holding a bowl and some cloths.  Another woman stood behind her with another bowl.

She went down to her knees and set the bowl on the ground.  She placed her hand on Daniel’s cheek and turned his head towards her.  “How are you feeling?”

It would be easier to say ‘I’m fine’, but Daniel decided it was better to tell her the truth.  “Hot, dizzy, my left side is killing me.”

“I need to take care of your wound, but I think it would be best to eat something first.  Can you try?”

“All right.”

The second woman handed Yara the small bowl she was holding.  Yara motioned to the woman to help sit Daniel up.  Sam stayed next to him while Yara offered him a sip from the bowl.  He drank once, grimacing as he turned his head away. 

“You must take more—it will help with the fever.”

“Don’t know if I can; doesn’t taste good.”

Yara gave a short laugh. “I know, but it will help you.”

Daniel turned his head back to face her and tried to smile.  She lifted the bowl again and he drank some more.  After a third drink, he turned his head away again.  “No more, please.”

“Very well.  Lie down now and I will treat the wound.”

The second woman eased him down, took the bowl and walked away.  Sam saw a couple of the men coming—one of them was Melqart.  Sam took a defensive stance over her friend, leaning over Daniel, stretching out her bound hands.  She wasn’t about to let that animal get his hands on Daniel again. 

Yara touched her arm, smiling and shaking her head ‘no’.  Sam saw that Melqart had stopped and appeared to be waiting for permission to come closer.  Sam searched the woman’s face and saw no malice.  She realized that she trusted her.  Melqart was another matter.  She looked at him closely, but couldn’t find the anger and hatred she had seen earlier. 

“Sam?” Daniel looked at her questioningly.

She looked down at her friend.  “I don’t think he’s going to hurt me,” Daniel tried to assure her.

Yara patted her arm and she pulled back, allowing them access to Daniel.  “I’ll be right here,” she told him.

Yara motioned to Melqart and the other man and they moved to either side of Daniel and went to their knees.  Each placed their hands on his arms and legs.  Daniel closed his eyes as Yara began removing the old cloths.  When the last one was removed, Sam could see that the wound still looked bad.  The red streaks continued to snake their way down his chest and arm. 

Yara took a cloth, dipped it in the water, and began cleaning off the previous paste she had applied, along with the puss from the wound.  Daniel began to turn his head restlessly, clenching and unclenching his fists, his breathing coming quicker as she worked.

“Daniel,” Yara said getting his attention.  “Rest for a few minutes before I apply the ointment.  I know it is going to hurt.  Would you like some water?”

“Please.”  He opened his eyes, startled to see Melqart holding the animal skin.  But he didn’t see the cold, angry eyes that had tormented him earlier—he didn’t even recognize this version of the man.

Yara helped hold Daniel’s head up while Melqart tilted the skin for him.  He watched the man closely as he drank, waiting for him to transform into the hate-filled person he had been earlier.  But it didn’t happen.

Daniel laid his head back down, still looking at Melqart.

“I do not understand something,” the big man said quietly.

“What?” Daniel asked.

“When the nimur attacked Adon, you had an opportunity to escape, yet you did not.  Instead, you risked your life to try and save my son.  And you did save him.  Why?”

“Melqart, we hold no malice for your people.  I would not want to see anything happen to your son or any of you.  We are peaceful explorers from a far away place.  We did not know the ruins were sacred to your people and we are very sorry for trespassing.  I would like to make this right if I can.  My people would like to be friends with your people.”

“You called upon the mercy of Mot, and therefore it will be for Eshmun to decide your fate.  I do not know what he will decide, but for myself, I believe you meant no harm.  I am sorry for the way I treated you and I thank you for saving the life of my son.”

“You’re welcome. But he saved my life in return, and I thank him for that.”

“Daniel, what’s he saying?”

“He was surprised that I helped his son instead of trying to escape.  Evidently, we still have to see this Eshmun person, but at least Melqart seems to be on our side now.”

“Are you ready, Daniel?” Yara asked, approaching with another bowl and cloth.

“Not really,” he replied, “but go ahead.”  He closed his eyes and braced himself.

Melqart and the other man resumed their positions holding Daniel’s limbs.  Yara dipped the cloth in the ointment and began to dab it gently on the arrow wound. 

Daniel hissed through clenched teeth, and as it began to burn, he cried out and tried to pull free.  The two men held him firmly as Yara applied more ointment.  Yara quickly finished and set the bowl aside.  Daniel quit struggling and lay quietly, his breathing ragged, as the men released their holds and backed away.  She then picked up clean cloth and began re-wrapping the wound.  When she was done, she covered him once again with the blanket.  She picked up another cloth, dipped it in the water, wrung it out, and began wiping Daniel’s face and neck.  He shuddered once and became still, evidently slipping into unconsciousness.  Yara turned to Sam and offered her the cloth.  Sam took it and continued Yara’s ministrations.  She knew they needed to keep Daniel’s fever down.  She hoped Yara’s ointment would start having some effect on the infection, too.

Sam glanced at Melqart who had begun helping set up the camp.  She smiled to herself.  Daniel had done it after all—gotten through to the most violent of their captors and softened the man’s heart.  Of course, he had done it by putting himself in harm’s way.  She looked back down at her friend as she continued to wipe the cloth over his face.  What am I going to do with you?  She knew one thing for sure; she would do whatever it took to keep him from leaving SG-1.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jack woke with a start, instinctively reaching for his MP5, before realizing where he was. 

“It is time for us to leave, O’Neill.”

“Right.  I’m ready.”  He glanced at his watch and saw that he had been asleep for two hours.

He hadn’t wanted to stop and rest, but Teal’c had said he would be a liability if he didn’t take a break.  He knew it was true.  They had been on the go without sleep for two days straight and his body wasn’t going to be able to keep going much longer. 

Teal’c also said he thought they were gaining on the group they were following, and that they should be able to catch up with them soon, even if they took a short rest break.  Of course, that was provided the group stopped for the night again and hadn’t already reached their destination.

“Don’t you need to rest, Teal’c?”

“I performed a brief kel’no’reem.  I will be fine.”

“Right.  Okay, lead the way.”

A quick radio check confirmed the other two SG teams were a few hours behind them.  Jack tried not to think about what shape his teammates would be in by now.  If they were injured before they had started this trek, not to mention Daniel might have been injured a second time, and had been forced to walk for two days  . . . No, best not to dwell on something he couldn’t do anything about—yet.  He was glad Fraiser was somewhere behind him even as he hoped her talents wouldn’t be needed. 

“Teal’c, are—”

“I am sure, O’Neill.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam sat next to Daniel and watched the people around the fire taking their leave of each other as they headed off to bed.  Sentries were posted at the edges of the camp and Adon and Cadmos were arranging their sleeping pallets next to Sam and Daniel.  She could see the other two sets of captives across the fire ring settling themselves for the night.

Sam had been given a bowl of stew and some bread.  She had awakened Daniel and gotten him to take some of it, too, before he drifted off again.  Even though her hands remained tied, she was not tethered to a stake this time, and neither was Daniel.  They had either decided she really wasn’t a threat to them, or that she wouldn’t risk leaving Daniel alone.

Daniel moved restlessly and mumbled something.  Sam took the damp cloth she had been given and wiped his face with it.  She wasn’t sure, but she thought there was less heat coming off of him.  Hopefully, his fever was coming down.

Sam suddenly realized how incredibly tired she was.  She set the cloth back in the bowl and settled herself next to Daniel.  She wished she knew how far they still had to travel, and what was waiting for them at the end of this journey. 

She laid her hands on Daniel’s arm and quickly fell asleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jack adjusted his field glasses as he scanned the camp below.  It looked like the people were preparing to leave.  Suddenly, he spotted what he was looking for:  a shock of short, blonde hair.  Sam was sitting next to a prone figure, her hands obviously tied.  As she moved to one side, he saw the other object he’d been looking for:  Daniel.  He was lying down, covered with a blanket.  There was another man crouched next to him and they appeared to be conversing. 

They had caught up with the group a short time ago. Teal’c, having determined they were close, had led them off the trail to the top of a small hill.  The foliage was thick and hid them well, and  they were far enough away that the sentries hadn’t detected them.

But now he had a dilemma.  It looked like his teammates were about to continue their little trip down the yellow brick road and he desperately wanted to rush in and get them back. But the other SG teams were still at least two hours away, which meant it would be Teal’c and him against the entire group.  He had only seen primitive weapons--spears and bows and arrows—which was a point in their favor. They had faced worse odds before, but he was worried about who else might be hurt in the ensuing chaos.  He had counted at least three women in the group, and then there were his teammates.  They didn’t look like they would be much help in a fight, especially Daniel, who made no move to get up.  He might be putting them at a greater risk if they tried something now.   

He sighed, taking off his cap and running his hand through his hair before replacing it.  Finally, he made his decision. They would follow for a while and hopefully get a chance to take them back when the group was not so concentrated.  Even though it was killing him to leave his friends in the hands of their captors for another minute.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the grey of pre-dawn, Sam watched the camp prepare to begin their march once again.  She had been given a piece of bread and some water, and Yara had brought Daniel another drink of the foul-tasting stuff he’d had the day before.  He had been grateful for a piece of bread and drink of water to rid his mouth of the taste. 

Sam had hoped Yara would clean and treat Daniel’s wound again, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen.  She could tell he still had a fever and she was worried about the infection.  At least he had seemed a little more alert this morning.

She had been allowed to tend to personal needs, and when she came back, Melqart was kneeling next to Daniel.  They were conversing, but Sam didn’t understand any of it.

“Where do your people come from, Daniel?”

“It is a place very far away.”  He was afraid to tell him they had come through the gate—he wasn’t sure how Melqart would take the news that they came through an object that was obviously sacred to them. 

“Why were you in the sacred city?”

“We didn’t know it was sacred.  We study the past and just wanted to find out who had lived there and what they were like.  Did your people once live in the sacred city?”

“Our stories tell us that our ancestors once lived there, but they abandoned the city and moved into the forests.”

“Do you know why they left?”  Daniel’s curiosity was piqued.

Melqart looked around uncomfortably.  “That story may be written in our sacred texts, but I do not know it.”

Daniel wasn’t sure if he was getting the whole truth, but decided not to press the matter.

Melqart changed the subject.  “Why are you the only one who speaks our language?”

“That is my job—to communicate with people that we meet.  I have learned many languages in my travels.”

At that moment Philo signaled for the group to move out.  Two men came and picked up Daniel’s litter.  Sam stayed close to his side and Adon and Cadmos stayed close to both of them. 

“We will speak more later, Daniel,” Melqart promised, turning to go.

“Wait,” Daniel called.  “Just one more thing.” 

Seeing he had Melqart’s attention, he continued.  “Who is Eshmun, and what can we expect when we meet him?”

“He is the head of the council.  Since you called upon the mercy of Mot, he will hear your plea and decide what is to be done about the defilement of our sacred city.”

“Oh.”  That’s what he had been afraid of. 

“Do not worry.  He will be fair,” Melqart said, turning and walking away.

He who calls upon the mercy of Mot shall be heard, and they will be judged justly.

Daniel only had one worry:  what did a goa’uld consider just?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The worry that was gnawing at Jack’s gut went up a notch when he saw two men pick up whatever Daniel was lying on and start carrying him.  Daniel must be hurt pretty bad if he wasn’t walking, and he hadn’t missed the fact that Carter was hanging on to the litter.  Jack hated that all he could do was follow and watch.  And they were moving further from the gate with each step. 

SG-3 and 5 were pushing themselves to close the gap, but they were still at least an hour and half behind them.  Jack was concerned that they would reach the group’s destination before the other teams could catch up.   The last thing they needed was for the group to meet up with more natives.  If they did, they would lose their chance to overpower the relatively small group.  They were going to have to make their move soon.

He glanced over at his Jaffa friend and saw the same concern etched in his features.  However, Teal’c’s attention was focused on something over Jack’s shoulder.  He turned, following Teal’c’s line of sight, and, after searching a couple of seconds, he located what held the Jaffa’s attention.  In the distance he could see the faint curl of smoke rising and beyond that a thin, blue line that was probably a lake or sea.  Dollars to donuts, that was their destination, and they’d be there within a few hours. 

Time to make our move.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam sniffed the air, realizing that she could detect something different—it smelled like the ocean.  They must be getting close to a large body of water.  Surely that meant the end of their trek. 

She glanced down at Daniel who was sleeping again.  He had drifted off as soon as the caravan had started moving.  She moved her hands over until they came in contact with his cheek.  The fever had obviously not released its hold on him—he was hot.  She could also see red streaks snaking out from beneath the bandages around his chest.  Either Yara’s medicine wasn’t working, or the infection was too severe.  Or maybe it was just going to take more time.  Sam sighed, wishing Janet were here—she would surely have something to tame the infection.

Looking around, Sam considered the reality of their situation. They were two days from the gate, she had no idea if the colonel and Teal’c even knew of their plight, much less if they were on their way to rescue them, and she and Daniel were in no position to try and escape.  Choiceless.  She hated having no control over their situation, but all she could do was continue to walk next to Daniel and face whatever was to come by his side. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jack and Teal’c had been following the group that held their teammates for close to an hour.  Jack had been contemplating how to get them back with minimal loss of life.  He had spotted the other archaeologists who were also tied and kept in pairs—one set towards the front of the group and another in the middle.  Carter and Daniel were towards the back, which was fine with Jack.  It would be much easier to grab them.  Of course, Daniel would give him hell if he left the other people as prisoners, but he just couldn’t see how he was going to get all of them out of there. 

Just then he noticed Daniel, Carter, and their escorts all coming to a stop.  He tensed, glancing at Teal’c who gave him a small head bow to let him know they were on the same page.  This might be the opportunity they had been waiting for.  Besides Carter and Daniel, there were two men carrying Daniel’s litter, a young boy with his arm in a sling, another young man walking beside Carter, and a young woman. 

Daniel’s litter was placed on the ground and the young woman knelt next to it, holding some kind of pouch.  Carter helped Daniel sit up and then the woman tilted the pouch—obviously a water skin—while Daniel drank.  

The two men who had been carrying the litter walked off towards the trees, apparently taking care of personal needs.  The rest of the group was pulling ahead and making their way down an incline towards a small stream. 

This was it—the break they had been waiting for.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Continuing to support Daniel as Yara helped him drink, Sam couldn’t help but notice his skin was hot even as his body was shivering.  She knew it meant his fever was spiking again, and that couldn’t be good.  She gave Yara a questioning look and received a tense smile in return.  Not what she wanted to see—the other woman was obviously worried, too. 

Sam was glad, however, to get a break, even a brief one.  Her headache had begun to escalate, and the dizziness was returning.  When Daniel finished the water, she helped him lay down again.  She gladly accepted the water skin from Yara and took a long drink before handing it back to her.

And that’s when she heard it.  A soft, low, whistle, almost indistinguishable from the other bird calls floating through the forest.  But she was familiar with this one—the colonel had used this signal before.  She glanced at Daniel, but he had his eyes closed again and didn’t seem to have heard it.  She only had seconds to prepare herself before the sounds of zats firing rang through the air. 

She dropped as low as possible and scooted over next to Daniel, wondering how the hell she was going to get him moving.

“Daniel—let’s go!”  She pulled him into a sitting position and he looked at her with bleary eyes. 

“Sam?” 

“Time to go, Daniel.  Come on,” she continued, trying to pull him towards the trees. 

She scanned her surroundings, noting where each of their captors were.  The zats had taken down Daniel’s litter carriers but Adon and Cadmos were taking defensive stances with their own weapons.  Yara had flattened herself to the ground, eyes frantically looking around to see who was attacking them. 

Jack and Teal’c suddenly appeared from behind some trees, weapons trained on Adon and Cadmos.

“Drop it!” Jack yelled, aiming his MP5 at Adon. 

Teal’c had his staff weapon in one hand; in the other was a zat, pointed at Cadmos who had lifted his bow. The man attempted to reach for an arrow, but Teal’c was quicker, bringing him down with another zat blast.

“Carter, get Daniel out of there!”

“Trying, sir.”  She awkwardly pulled him up with her bound hands, steadying him as he swayed.

She knew any minute the rest of the group would descend on them and their chance to get away would be gone.

Too late.  Melqart and another man were the first to reach them, weapons ready.  Melqart looked at each of the men lying motionless on the ground and the anger and loathing they had seen in him earlier returned. 

Before he could move against them, Jack swiftly moved to Yara, aiming his zat at her prone body. 

“Get back!” he shouted, holding his zat on her with one hand and using his other to point his MP5 at Melqart.

“Stop!” a weak voice broke the standoff.  “Stop!” Daniel repeated again in Phoenician.

“Daniel, we’re getting out of here now!” Jack ordered.

“Wait—don’t hurt them.  We’ve come to an understanding.  And besides, we can’t leave without the others.” 

“An understanding?” Jack shouted.  “What I understand is that you’ve been shot and Carter’s tied up.  I’m sorry about the others, but my responsibility is to you and Carter.  Now move!”

“No.”  Daniel continued to lean into Sam, allowing her to keep him upright.

Melqart moved as though he were going to throw his spear, but Daniel’s words stopped him.

“Melqart—stop.  My friends just want to get us back.  I’ve asked them not to hurt you.”

“But they have already killed three of our people!” he spat. 

“No!  No—they’re not dead, just unconscious—uh, sleeping.  They’ll wake up soon and be just fine.  Please, trust me.”

Melqart looked at Daniel skeptically, and then at Jack and Teal’c before returning his gaze to the  men on the ground.  At that moment, one of them moaned and turned his head.

Melqart back at Daniel.  “They are truly unharmed?”

“Yes, they will be fine.  Please give me a chance to talk to my friends.”

“Very well,” Melqart replied, keeping his weapon aimed.

Just then, more of the group joined Melqart with weapons raised.

“Stop!” Melqart commanded them, raising his hands to bring them to a halt.  “Their friends have come searching for them.  Daniel Jackson wishes time to talk to them.”

The group looked uneasy, but relaxed their stances.

“Daniel, what’s goin’ on?” Jack demanded.

“It’s a long story.  But first, let Yara go—you’re scaring her and I owe her my life—so does Sam.”  Seeing Jack didn’t look convinced, he added, “These people aren’t going to attack us unless you provoke them.  I’ve asked them to let me talk to you.”

Jack looked at Daniel, taking in his flushed skin, the cloths wrapped around his shoulder, and the way he leaned heavily on Carter.  Carter looked about ready to collapse herself and Jack wanted nothing more than to get the two of them into Fraiser’s hands.  But he knew Daniel wouldn’t settle for nothing less than getting all of them out of there.  It wasn’t that Jack didn’t care about the archaeologists; he just cared about his teammates more. Doing it Daniel’s way would mean trusting Daniel to talk their way out of the situation.  And right now, the man didn’t look like he could talk his way out of a paper bag. 

Scanning the group, Jack noticed there was no sign of the other captives or the rest of the group of natives they had seen earlier.  Obviously, the rest were guarding the archaeologists at a distance, either to bargain with them or possibly kill them.

So what were his choices?  Get his two teammates out by taking on the entire group now facing them, or give Daniel a chance to convince these people to let all of them go?  Both were risky, but if there was a chance to get the others back along with his teammates, he knew he’d have to take it.  And there was one other thing to consider:  if Jack denied Daniel the chance to find a diplomatic way out of the situation, how would that affect his decision to leave the SGC?  Jack knew the answer to that—it wouldn’t be good.

“Fine.  Tell them to lower their weapons and we’ll do the same.”

Daniel spoke to Melqart and soon everyone had lowered their weapons.  Yara got up and moved closer to Melqart, as did Adon.

“All right, Daniel, tell me what’s goin’ on.  Who are these people and where were they taking you?”

“Sam,” Daniel said as he began to sink to the ground. 

She tried to ease his descent but was hindered by her bound hands.  Jack and Melqart moved simultaneously to Daniel’s side, taking over for Sam. 

When Daniel was safely sitting on the ground, Jack and Melqart released their holds, eyeing each other warily as they took seats on either side of him. 

Sitting with his head down, Daniel’s right hand cradled his left arm close to his body.  His skin was still flushed and Jack wondered for a moment if he had passed out. 

Daniel lifted his head and took a deep breath.  “These people are descendants of the Phoenicians.  They hold the ruins of the city as sacred and consider our trespassing there as a desecration.  They are taking us to see someone named Eshmun who will decide what to do about it.” 

“What’s this ‘understanding’ you have with them?”

Daniel closed his eyes and lowered his head again.  His reply was almost a whisper.  “This is Melqart,” he said, nodding to the man next to him.  “I, uh, sort of saved his son from a . . . a cat.  He’s on our side, now.  I think . . . I think he’ll support us when we face Eshhh . . . munn.”  He trailed off as he began it list sideways.  Jack grabbed him and eased him down, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.  Checking for and finding a steady pulse, Jack was satisfied that his friend had merely passed out.

Jack looked at Sam.  “A cat?”

“It was something like a cougar, sir.  It attacked Adon,” she explained, indicating the young man standing behind his father, “and Daniel used a branch to knock it off of him.  Apparently, it then attacked Daniel and Adon shot it.”

“Sounds like you’ve had a busy couple of days, Major.  So what do you think?  Are these people going to back us or turn on us when they get the chance?”

“These people were very angry at the beginning, sir, but once Daniel saved Adon, they seem to have had a change of heart.  This woman, Yara, has been extremely kind to both of us.  She’s the one that’s been treating Daniel’s wound.”

“Who is this Eshmun guy?  And why are they taking you to see him?  Why didn’t they kill you like the other two archaeologists we found in the ruins?”

“Daniel told me that when they attacked us in the ruins, he called on the mercy of their god, Mot.  I think that’s what saved us, sir.”

“Mot was an enemy of Ba’al,” Teal’c interjected.  “Ba’al defeated him in battle and he was killed.  That was many years ago.”

Sam continued.  “Daniel translated some of the writing that said ‘He who calls upon the mercy of Mot shall be heard and they will be judged justly.’  I think by saying that, these people are obligated to give him a fair hearing, and apparently Eshmun is the judge.” 

“Well, that’s fine and dandy, Carter, but what if this Eshmun isn’t as forgiving as the rest of these folks.  What’s the penalty for trespassing?”

“I . . . I don’t know, sir.  I don’t think Daniel knows.”

Of course not.  “Do you think he can convince them it’s in their best interest to let everyone go?”

“Well, I think these people wouldn’t be too hard to convince, but it’s not up to them—it’s up to Eshmun.”

That’s what Jack was afraid of.  He really needed Daniel to wake up and talk to these people.  He tapped his friend’s cheek.  “Daniel.”

A couple of seconds went by and he tried again.  “C’mon, Daniel, rise and shine.”  No response.

“I think it’s time Fraiser joined the party.”

“Janet’s here?”

“She and SG-3 and 5 should be here in a few minutes.  I requested radio silence, but obviously that’s not necessary any more.  Can you figure out some way to let them know we’re going to have a couple of visitors?  I’m going to request Fraiser and Reynolds join us and have the rest stand by at a distance.”

“I’ll try, sir.”

Sam proceeded to pantomime to Yara and Melqart that someone was going to come and take care of Daniel.  They seemed surprised at the news that others were nearby, but seemed to understand and consented. Jack radioed the other teams and relayed his plan.  The radio startled those standing around, but they didn’t make any aggressive moves.  

A short time later Fraiser and Reynolds appeared through the trees, walking slowly with hands in front of them, palms out, to show they weren’t aiming any weapons.  The natives tensed, holding their weapons tightly, but not raising them, either. 

Fraiser quickly walked to Daniel’s side and knelt down.  She looked Sam over, taking in her exhausted appearance and bound hands.  She would be next on the list, but Daniel needed her attention first.

“What’s the situation, Colonel?”

“I’ll let Carter fill you in.”

“He was shot with an arrow, Janet.  This woman, Yara, cleaned it and put some kind of paste on it, but I think it’s infected.”

Yara moved closer and knelt down opposite Janet.  She gestured to the cloths around the wound and Janet nodded her head.  She could see the red streaks radiating from under the cloths—not a good sign. Yara began slowly unwinding the cloth, gently moving Daniel as needed to reach the back.  Janet helped lift him and soon the cloths were off.  Janet took hold of the square of cloth covering the wound and pulled it off, revealing the badly infected wound.

“Whoa!” Jack exclaimed at the sight.

Yara handed Janet another piece of cloth and indicated she should use it to clean the wound. 

“No, thanks.  I have my own,” Janet smiled as she handed the cloth back.  She dug in her pack and pulled out her supplies.  Yara watched closely as Janet cleaned the wound and began to apply an ointment.  Daniel had lain quietly until the ointment touched the wound, then he began to roll his head back and forth, moaning, and finally his eyes flew open. 

Janet gently placed her hand on his good shoulder and spoke softly.  “Daniel, take it easy. It’s Janet—I’m just treating your wound.”

“Janet?”  Was he in the infirmary?  Didn’t feel like an infirmary bed; didn’t sound like the infirmary, either.  He glanced around and saw Jack and Teal’c, then Sam and Colonel Reynolds.  Turning the other way he saw Yara, with Melqart and Adon behind her.  He remembered where he was then and wondered when Janet and Reynolds had shown up.  He also remembered that they had been in the middle of a standoff.  What had happened while he was out?

“Jack, what’s going on?”

“Just waiting for you to wake up from your little nap, Danny boy.  Let Janet finish fixin’ you up and then we need to talk.”

“’Kay,” he replied, looking at Janet.

“I’m going to put some more ointment on the wound and then bandage it, okay?”

“’Kay,” he said again.  The one-word answers were starting to bug Jack.  Since when did Daniel give a one-word answer to anything?

Janet turned to Jack.  “Sir, you might want to be ready to help,” she said with a slight nod of her head towards Daniel.

“Oh, right.”  Jack moved closer and placed his hand back on Daniel’s shoulder.

Janet began to apply more ointment, but at the first touch Daniel cried out and tried to move away.

“No you don’t,” Jack insisted, pressing down on his good shoulder with one hand and placing his other on his friend’s cheek.  “Hang in there, Daniel, she’s almost done.”

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath.  Jack nodded to Fraiser to finish.  She quickly applied the last of the ointment while Daniel clenched his jaw and breathed faster.  When she was done she bandaged the wound and then wrapped clean cloth around his chest and shoulder.

“All done, Daniel.”

Daniel kept his eyes shut while his breathing began to return to normal.

“Can you take these pills?” Janet asked.

Jack helped him sit up while Janet mimed drinking to Yara.  The woman quickly got up and retrieved the water skin.  Janet placed the pills in Daniel’s mouth and Yara helped him drink.

“Thanks, Janet,” Daniel said when it was all over. 

“You’re welcome.  Now, we need to get you home as soon as possible.”

“Did you take care of Sam?  She got hit on the head—might have a concussion.”

Janet looked at Sam.  “She’s my next patient, Daniel.  Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.”

“Daniel, I know you’re not feeling so hot right now, but we need to talk to these people about letting you and Carter go home.  Think you can do that?”

“Elissa and Hanno.  Lilith and Thales.”

“What?”

“The other prisoners, Jack.  We have to try and get them to release all of us.”

Jack sighed.  “All right, Daniel.  Now, can you talk to them?”

“I’ll try.” 

Daniel called to Melqart and, seeing Philo standing in the group, he asked him to join them.  He explained that their people had come to bring them home and that they would like to be friends, but first they must free them.  Philo insisted that their laws must be followed and they must face Eshmun.  They had no quarrel with the new arrivals, only with those they had found in the ruins.  He said Jack and the others were free to leave or follow, but Daniel, Sam, and the others must plead their case to Eshmun.  Daniel decided it would be wise to avoided telling them their friends had also been in the ruins.

Daniel knew Jack wasn’t going to like it, but they were going to have to go before Eshmun to get the situation straightened out.  He hoped Jack wouldn’t decide to fight their way out—he didn’t want to see anyone hurt on either side.  Hopefully, they would be able to explain to Eshmun that they meant no harm and didn’t know the ruins were sacred.  During the conversation, he had learned that these people called themselves Carthians, their home being Carthia.  It’s similarity to Carthage was obvious. 

He looked over at his friend.  No point putting it off—he had to tell him. 

“Jack, they’re not going to just let us go.  We have to go before Eshmun and plead our case.  Philo did say they had no quarrel with the rest of you—you can go home or come with us to Carthia.”

Daniel saw Jack’s jaw clenching as he tried to contain his anger.  “Daniel, SG-3 and 5 are waiting for me to give them the word to move in.  We could take these people—“

“No, Jack.  Someone would get hurt or killed.  If we follow their rules we might come out of this with allies instead of enemies.  If we’re going to search, and possibly mine, for naquadah, we’ll have to deal with these people, too.  Please, let us try.”

“Daniel—“ He cut himself off.  What else could he say?  He knew he what he was going to do;   He just hoped he wasn’t going to regret it.

He clicked his radio.  “Warren, Coburn.”

“Yes, sir,” two voices replied.

“We’re going with this group to their city.  I want the rest of you to follow at a reasonable distance.  Keep an eye out and wait for my orders.”

“Understood, sir,” they answered, acknowledging their orders. 

Jack turned back to Daniel.  “Okay, kids, we’re off to see the wizard.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After more conversation, Sam was untied, as were the other archaeologists.  However, they were still surrounded by Carthian guards as they continued their march to the city.  Jack, Teal’c, Janet, and Reynolds were allowed to keep their weapons, but were also surrounded by guards and separated from the prisoners.

Daniel had been returned to his litter and Sam continued to walk by his side.  After another hour and a half of walking they were met by Carthians who had been posted as sentries awaiting their return.  Melqart and Philo explained who the strangers were and what they were doing there.  The sentries looked them over curiously, but allowed everyone to pass. 

From the top of a small hill, they could see buildings peaking through the trees and behind that a ribbon of blue which could only be water.  Another half hour and they found themselves at the edge of Carthia.  A wall of tall, sturdy posts surrounded the city, though the gate was open and people were coming and going.  Purple banners with the gold symbol of Mot in the center hung on either side of the gate.  The air carried a strong scent of the sea as well as pleasing cooking aromas. 

Once inside they saw many small wooden buildings that were apparently homes.  Most people were dressed simply in earth-colored tunics and pants or long dresses.  Many of them stopped their activities to give the group of strangers a curious glance.  As they continued on, they encountered a few stone buildings that surrounded a central plaza.  There was a well in the center where people were filling pitchers and other containers.  Around the plaza’s edges were booths where merchants sold various wares. 

The group passed the well, continuing to the opposite side of the plaza, and stopped in front of a large, stone building with a set of about ten steps leading up to the entrance.  A large crowd had begun to gather in the plaza, making Jack uneasy.  He looked up to see a group of about a dozen men with spears exit the building in front of them.  Philo approached the man in the lead and spoke to him, turning to point to their prisoners.  The man nodded and went back into the building. 

Jack surveyed the surrounding crowd, noting that it was a mix of men, women, and even some children, and that no one looked particularly threatening.  Yet. 

His attention was brought back to the front of the building as the guard returned, followed by another man, probably in his fifties, dressed like everyone else except for a purple, knee length robe trimmed in gold that he wore over his other clothes.  He spoke a few sentences to the waiting crowd and then turned and walked back into the building.

Immediately, the men with spears descended the steps and moved into the crowd.  Jack saw a couple of them take hold of two of the archaeologists, tie their hands, and push them towards the steps.  He shifted his weapon in his hands as he searched for Daniel and Sam.  He caught sight of two men pulling Daniel up off of his pallet, holding him upright as he swayed, tying his hands together in front. 

“Daniel!”  Jack began to move towards his teammates when several other men approached them and took hold of their weapons. 

“I don’t think so,” he said, unwilling to relinquish his MP5.

Several other guards approached and leveled their spears at Jack’s group.  The man who had hold of his gun said something he couldn’t understand.

“It’s okay, Jack.  They’ll give them back later.  You can’t take them inside.”

Jack looked up to see Daniel standing on the steps, still held between two of the spear holders.  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was pulled into the building.  Sam, hands retied, followed him with her own escorts.

“All right, fine.  Take it,” he growled, letting the man pull it from his hands. 

“O’Neill,” Teal’c said as one of the men took hold of his staff weapon.

“Let him have it, Teal’c.  Daniel says we can’t take ‘em in, and there’s no way I’m going to miss this little party.”

Jack could swear he heard Teal’c growl as he relinquished his weapon to an obviously frightened guard.

The rest of the group was similarly disarmed and the men lowered their spears, surrounding them and urging them towards the building.

Once inside they found themselves passing a hallway with more purple-robed men watching them.  A short distance further brought them to an interior open space in the shape of a circle. It looked like an arena with rows of stone risers ascending above the floor. On one side were five chairs draped in purple fabric occupied by four men dressed in matching purple robes.  The fifth man was the one who had come outside and spoken to the crowd.  He stood in front of his chair as the group filed in.  Some of the villagers also began to file into the arena, taking seats on the stone risers.

Jack’s group was led to one side and told to sit down.  Daniel, Sam, and the four archaeologists were led in front of the five men and pushed to their knees.  The group that had captured them sat on the lower level of the risers, except for Philo and Melqart, who stood behind the prisoners. 

Jack watched uneasily as the head honcho looked over the captives and began to speak.

~ ~ ~

Daniel tried to ignore the pain in his shoulder and concentrate on what the council leader was saying.  He was asking Philo and Melqart about the events of the past few days. 

He looked at the four archaeologists—this was the closest they had been since their ordeal began.  They looked in good health, albeit dirty with a bruise here and there.  Daniel nodded at Hanno with an inquiring look, and received a positive head shake in return.  They were okay.

When Philo and Melqart finished their account of events, the council leader turned to the captives. 

“I am Eshmun, head of the council.  Who speaks for you?”

“I do,” Daniel replied, trying to get his eyes to focus on the man.  From what he could make out, Eshmun appeared to be middle-aged, with dark hair, and eyes that were not unkind.

“What is your name?”

“Daniel Jackson.”

“Daniel Jackson, do you claim the Right of Archigia?”

He was asking Daniel if he claimed the responsibility of leadership.  Which meant he would be claiming responsibility for the group’s actions.  Jack wouldn’t be happy about it, and neither would Sam, but he really had no other choice.

“I do.”

“Very well. You are charged with entering the sacred city without permission or cleansing.  Is this true?”

“It is true we were in the city, but we did not know it was sacred.  We are travelers from far away who study the past and were only interested in learning about the people who had lived there.  We did not know anyone still used it.  If we had known, we would have asked permission.  We seek to become friends with those we meet in our travels, and we would do so with your people if you would allow it.”

Eshmun listened intently to Daniel’s words.  “Talk of friendship must wait until the matter at hand has been dealt with.  I understand that you are strangers here and did not know of our laws.  However, regardless of the circumstances, the sacred ground was still defiled, and this demands atonement.  For this offense, the punishment is death.”

Death? Daniel swallowed hard and tried to think of what he could say that would help them avoid such a severe punishment.  He looked around at the people who had gathered to watch, his eyes coming to rest on a mother and her young child. 

“If this child,” he began, gesturing to the boy sitting with his mother, “had made the mistake of wandering into the sacred city, would he be punished?”

“He is too young to understand.  He would be scolded and instructed in the proper behavior.”

“Then think of us as children who did not understand.  We had no way of knowing that we were breaking your laws.  There was no one there to tell us or for us to ask permission from.”

Again, Eshmun appeared to be thoughtfully considering Daniel’s words.

“This is an unusual situation.  Therefore, the council will recess to discuss it and to consult our texts.  We will call an assembly when we have reached a decision.”

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.  He had bought them a little more time, and hopefully the council would decide in their favor. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sam had been trying to follow the conversation even though she couldn’t understand any of the words being said.  She had seen Daniel tense at one point, gesture to a mother and child in the audience, and then make a plea to Eshmun.  He seemed to be relieved at whatever Eshmun’s response had been. 

“Daniel?  What did he say?”

Daniel looked at her and she saw that his eyes were bright with fever once again.

“I guess this is an unusual situation for them.  Their council is going to discuss it.”

Before he could elaborate, the guards moved in again and pulled them to their feet.  Melqart and Philos approached them.

“You will be taken to a place where you can rest and eat while you wait for the council’s call,” Melqart explained. 

“What about our friends?” Sam asked after Daniel had translated.

“They will be allowed to rest also.  Come, we will escort you to your room,” Philos said as the guards began urging them forward.

Sam searched for the colonel and saw the four SG members waiting in the stands while the prisoners were being escorted out of the arena. 

“Hey!  Where are you taking them?” O’Neill was shouting.

Sam knew he was probably going crazy not knowing what was going on.  She could still hear him shouting as they were led down a hallway and into a large room.  It held a table and four chairs, plus several cots that looked inviting after having slept on the ground for the past few nights.  Their guards untied their hands as several women brought in food and water and set them on the table.  Daniel immediately headed for one of the cots and eased himself onto it, stretching out on his back and closing his eyes.

Rubbing her abraded wrists, Sam walked to Daniel’s side and placed the back of her hand on his cheek.  A little warm, but not nearly as hot as he had been.  “Daniel, you want something to eat?”

“Maybe later, Sam,” he said without opening his eyes.

She left him to rest and joined the others around the table.  She selected some fruit and a roll and sat down to eat.

A few minutes later she heard loud voices in the hallway.  Actually, one loud voice.

“Finally!”  O’Neill was standing just outside the door as it opened.  Teal’c, Reynolds, Melqart and Philos were behind him while Yara and Fraiser stood together in front of him.  Two guards led the way into the room and half a dozen more trailed the group as they entered.  The room had suddenly become very crowded.

“Sir, what’s going on?” Sam inquired as she got to her feet.

“We were trying to tell these bozos that we wanted to see you.  Fraiser finally got Yara to understand that she wanted to check on Daniel.

As he spoke, Janet and Yara walked over to where Daniel was lying.  Yara assisted Janet as she woke Daniel up and proceeded to treat his wound.

“How is Daniel Jackson?” Teal’c asked.

“He still has a mild fever and he didn’t want to eat.  But I think he’s better than he was.”

“Do you know what Daniel and that Eshmun guy were talking about?”

“I didn’t get the whole story, yet.  I think Daniel was trying to get him to understand that we didn’t know the city was sacred to them and that we wouldn’t have trespassed if we’d known.  He said this was an unusual situation for them and that Eshmun and the council were going to discuss it.  I guess they’re going to come get us when they’ve made a decision.”

“What are the options?”

“I don’t know.  Daniel didn’t say.”

Jack had a bad feeling about this.  If Daniel left out some information then it must be something he didn’t want them to know.  They’d been on enough missions together that everyone understood that you didn’t withhold information.   Fever or not, it was time for Daniel to give them the full story.

Walking to Daniel’s cot, Jack asked Fraiser, “How is he, Doc?”

“I’m right here, Jack, you can ask me,” Daniel said opening his eyes.

“Well, since I already know you’re not ‘fine’, I think I’d like to get a professional opinion.”

Jack caught the glare directed at him as he turned to Janet.

“He still has some fever—he’s probably still fighting the infection.  However, I think there’s been a slight improvement.  I gave him some more antibiotic and pain reliever.”

“See—not ‘fine’.”

Daniel didn’t reply but just rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, we need to talk, Daniel.  What did Eshmun have to say?”

Daniel closed his eyes again.  “Um, the council is going to consider the situation and get back to us.”

Again, the briefest of answers.  Jack was losing patience.  “And?”

“And . . . we wait until they call us back to the arena.”

“Daniel!  There was a lot more said then you’re telling me.  Now, I want the whole story—and don’t leave anything out!”

“Sir,” Janet interrupted, “I think we should let him rest—he’s still pretty sick.”

“I’m sorry, Doc, but I’ve gotta have every bit of intel I can get.  I am the team leader, you know.”  That last part was directed at Daniel, and he knew it.

Daniel sighed and opened his eyes again, looking directly at Jack.

“I tried to convince Eshmun that we meant no harm—that we would have asked permission if we had known.  I also told him we would like to be friends.  He said that even though we didn’t know their laws, the sacred city was still defiled and that we would have to atone for it.”

“Atone?”  Jack felt a knot beginning to form in his stomach.

Daniel didn’t like Jack’s tone.  It had that edge to it that said he barely had his anger under control.  Daniel knew his next words would probably make it worse.

“He said the usual punishment was death.  But, since this was an unusual situation, the council would consult their texts and discuss the matter.”

“Death?  Death? You’ve got to be kidding me!  We’re waiting around to see if they’re going to kill all of you?”

“Actually, no.”

“Daniel, so help me, I’ll kill you myself if you don’t spit it out.”

“He asked me if I claimed the Right of Archigia and I said yes,” Daniel quickly explained before Jack could continue his rant.  “It means I am claiming leadership and therefore responsibility for the group’s actions.  It means that I will be the only one to suffer whatever punishment they decide on.”

An ulcer.  He must have an ulcer because that knot in his stomach felt like it had just ruptured.  How could Daniel claim to be the leader and take on responsibility for the entire group?  Hadn’t they had this discussion before?

“Daniel, you had no right to take that on yourself.  Why didn’t you tell them I’m the leader?”

“Jack, I’m the only one who can speak their language.  If I had told them you were the leader, they would have spoken only to you, and then where would we be?  I was the only choice that made sense.  Besides, I think Eshmun doesn’t want to kill me—I think he’s trying to find a way around it.”  At least, he hoped that was why they were recessing to discuss it.

“When we go back out there, I want you to tell them the truth and ask if you can translate for me.”

“Jack, you can’t do that!  If Eshmun finds out I was lying, he’ll probably have all of us killed.  Even if he didn’t, how could they trust anything we say?  We can’t tell him you’re the leader. Just let me do this--it’s the only way.”

“He’s right, sir,” Sam said. 

“I concur, O’Neill.”

Outnumbered.  And when had this become a democracy?  What happened to the good ole ‘yes, sir, whatever you say, sir”?  He hated to admit it, but Daniel was probably right.  Changing midstream would undoubtedly cause them more problems.  They’d just have to ride it out and see how things went.  Except for one thing.

“Fine.  But let me make one thing clear:  there is no way I’m gonna stand by and let them execute you.  If it comes to that, we’ll intervene—no matter the consequences.  Understood?”

“Understood,” Daniel replied, closing his eyes once again.  He just had to believe it wouldn’t come to that. 

“Well?” Jack said, looking at the rest of his team, sweeping his gaze to include Fraiser and Reynolds.

A round of “understoods” greeted him.  Only one thing left to take care of.

“Daniel, you’d better keep up your strength.  Time to eat something.”

“But—“

“Ah!”

Daniel knew without looking that there was a finger waving in his face.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They had gotten Daniel to sit up and eat and drink something before the guards had indicated it was time for the visitors to leave.  Apparently, they weren’t going to be allowed to stay with the ‘prisoners’. 

Night had fallen, and Jack’s group had been led down the torch-lit hall to another room and left alone.  A quick glance outside the door had shown that there were guards in the hall.  Food had been left for them, and they ate, having been quite some time since their last meal.  There were also cots along the walls, and Jack knew they could all use some rest, too.

But first things first.  He keyed his radio.  “Warren, Coburn.”

“Here, sir,” came the replies.

“Apparently, we’re spending the night.  The town council is going to reconvene in the morning; that’s when they’ll hand down a decision on us trespassing in the ruins.  I want to be prepared in case the decision is . . . unacceptable.  So I want you to get your teams into position to back us up if we have to shoot our way out.”

“Where are you located, sir?” Warren asked.

The council chamber is located at the end of the village that overlooks the sea.”

“Understood, sir. We’ll see if we can take up positions on either side of the chamber.”

“That wall gonna be a problem?”

“We’ll handle it, sir.”

“Good.  I’ll contact you if we need your help.  Maintain radio silence until then.”

“Yes, sir,” both men replied.

“Okay, let’s go over our plan, then we can take turns getting some rest,” he said to the rest of his weary group.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He was awakened by a voice.  An urgent voice telling him in a none-too-happy tone to get up. Jack must be trying to wake him up.  But when had Jack learned to speak Phoenician?

“Jack?”

The voice urged him a little louder, followed by a poke in the ribs.  He opened his eyes to see one of the Phoenician guards standing over him.  Okay, so not Jack.  Evidently, he wasn’t moving fast enough, because the guard grabbed his arm and pulled him into a sitting position.  He hissed as the movement pulled on his wound. 

Another guard moved in front of him, grabbed his hands, and began tying them together.  Alarmed, he looked around to see Sam and the archaeologists being given the same treatment.  There was no sign of Jack and the others, or of Melqart, Philos, or Yara.

“The council is about to convene—we must go,” the guard ordered.

Daniel stood up, a little light-headed, but definitely feeling better than he had for the last several days.  He’d have to thank Janet for trekking cross-country to take care of him.  He looked across at Sam; he’d have to thank her, too, for getting him through this.  He thought about how many times one of the team had looked after another—all the tight situations they had been in, all the battles.  Again he wondered how he could ever consider leaving them.

He was pulled forward with the others and marched down the hall again.  They soon re-entered the arena where villagers were already filing in, taking seats on the stone risers.  He searched for Jack and Teal’c, but couldn’t spot them. 

The six prisoners were led to the same spot they had occupied the day before and once again pushed to their knees.  Eshmun and the other council members filed in and took their seats.  After a few minutes, Eshmun rose and approached the prisoners.  Daniel felt a flutter of panic as he waited to hear the council’s decision.  Surely they wouldn’t choose death.

Eshmun lifted his hands, asking for the crowd to be silent.

“Citizens of Carthia, the council has debated the matter of the desecration of the sacred city and has reached a decision.”

He turned and faced Daniel.

“You have claimed the Right of Archigia.  Do you wish to recant your claim?”

“No.”  At least he knew Sam and the others would be set free.

“Very well.  You alone will stand as the accused.  The punishment for defiling the sacred city is death.  However, these are unusual circumstances which have required closer scrutiny.  It is the decision of the council that the sentence of death may be lifted if three citizens of Carthia will stand and speak in support of the accused.”

Daniel felt relief wash over him at the pronouncement that the sentence of death had been lifted.  But his worry returned upon hearing three people were going to have to speak on his behalf.  Who among their citizens would support him—a total stranger who had committed a crime against them?

“I will speak for Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel whipped his head to the side to see Yara standing in the crowd of onlookers.  She looked at Daniel and smiled.  He smiled back, grateful for everything she had done.

“Daniel and his friends did not know they were breaking our laws—they meant no harm.”

Eshmun dipped his head to Yara in acknowledgement.  His gaze traveled over the crowd, searching for anyone else who would speak on Daniel’s behalf.  The arena remained silent.

Daniel searched the crowd for Adon and his father.  Surely they would speak for him? Maybe Melqart had changed his mind about the strangers.  Daniel had thought he had formed a trust with the man, but maybe he was wrong.  If Melqart had changed his mind, he would keep Adon from speaking, too. 

Daniel dropped his chin to his chest.  He knew it was unlikely that two other people would speak for him—no one else had gotten to know him. 

Sam whispered to him, “Daniel, what’s going on?”

Daniel kept his head down and didn’t answer, hoping someone else would speak.  But the arena remained silent, sealing his fate. He lifted his head and looked at Eshmun who returned his gaze.  Daniel thought he almost looked regretful.

“If there is no one else—“

Loud voices from the entrance interrupted Eshmun’s words.  Everyone turned to see Melqart, Adon, and two other men pushing their way into the arena.  The four stopped behind Daniel’s group, and as they got closer, Daniel could see they were out of breath and that a couple of them had cuts on their faces.

“May I be allowed to speak?”  Melqart asked, silencing the murmurs of the crowd.

“Yes,” Eshmun replied.  “What has happened?”

“Adon and I were on our way to the arena when we were stopped by a group of men who told us to go home and stay away from the proceedings.  We managed to get away from them and made our way here.”

Daniel processed that information and looked back at Eshmun.  He saw the council leader briefly turn and look disapprovingly at the other council members.  Obviously, someone had tried to keep Adon and Melqart from speaking.

Eshmun turned back to Melqart.  “The council has decided to lift the sentence of death if three citizens will speak on behalf of Daniel Jackson.  Do any of you wish to speak for him?”

“I will speak for Daniel Jackson.”  It was Adon’s voice that Daniel heard.  “He saved my life from a nimur even though he had the opportunity to escape.  His friends came to get him, but he insisted on following our laws by being brought to the city to face the council.  He is an honorable man and should be forgiven his trespass.”

Daniel turned to look at the young man who smiled and tipped his head to Daniel, who smiled in return. 

“Two people have spoken in support of Daniel Jackson.  Is there anyone else?”

“I will speak for Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel turned back at the sound of Melqart’s voice. 

“I did not treat him kindly at the beginning; I was angry that these strangers were in the sacred city.  But even after the way I treated him, he still offered his friendship.  He saved my son from the nimur, even though he could have escaped.   He does not deserve death.”

Eshmun’s expression changed to one of relief.  “Three citizens have spoken on behalf of the accused, therefore the sentence of death is lifted.”

People in the crowd began turning to their neighbor, talking loudly at the pronouncement.  Most seemed happy with the outcome, but a few appeared angry.

Daniel let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.  Sam whispered to him.  “Daniel, what’s happening?”

He realized he had never explained anything to her.  “Three people spoke on my behalf and the sentence of death has been lifted.”

She knew there was more to it than that, but was relieved things had gone their way.    “That’s great, Daniel.  Are we going to let us go now?”

Before Daniel could answer, Eshmun raised his hands asking once again for silence.  “The accused will receive a lesser punishment in place of the sentence of death.  He will be set on post in the plaza until sundown and any citizen who believes he should be punished may use the reed.”

What?  What was he talking about?  He was still going to be punished?  Daniel looked at Sam and she saw fear spreading across his face. 

“What’s going on, Daniel?”

“Release the other prisoners,” Eshmun directed.   He took hold of Daniel’s arms and pulled him to his feet. 

Sam and the others were also pulled to their feet, the guards untying their hands and leading them from the arena. 

“Daniel!  Daniel, what’s happening?” she called as she was pulled away.  He had told her the death sentence had been lifted, so what was going on?  She searched the crowd for the colonel, spotting him a few rows up, obviously upset at not knowing what was happening.

Daniel didn’t hear Sam; his full attention was on the man standing in front of him.  What were they going to do to him?  Fear gripped him as he struggled to understand the sentence that had been given him. 

“I am sorry, Daniel Jackson.  The council was split three to two on the sentence.  I wish I could have prevented this.  If only I could get them to see . . .”  He shook his head.  “It would not matter; the others are afraid that if we do not follow the ancient laws, Mot will return and punish us.  This was a compromise.  It is the best I could do.”

They were afraid Mot would return?  Daniel was trying to process what that meant, but his fear reasserted itself as the guards came and took him out of Eshmun’s hold and began pulling him towards the exit.

“Wait!  We can help you!  Please, let me talk to—”

The shaft of a spear hitting his back cut off his words.

“Quiet!” the guard demanded.

He searched the crowd and saw Jack talking into his radio and remembered the SG teams waiting outside the city.  Oh, God!  Don’t let them attack these people!  Eshmun had given him hope that they might be open to the truth—that Mot would not be returning—and would be happy about it.  There was a good chance these people could be their allies.  And if Jack sent the teams in to try and stop this, innocent people would be killed. 

“Jack!”  But Jack couldn’t hear him as he crossed the threshold of the arena and was pushed down the steps towards one side of the plaza. 

The sound of hammering brought his attention around to the side of the plaza where a post a little over six feet tall was sticking up out of the ground.  Several men were busy nailing another post horizontally to the top of the vertical post.  Fear knotted in his chest at the sight and he understood what his punishment was going to be. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jack had watched the proceedings from his seat in the crowd, frustrated that he couldn’t understand what was being said.  He had seen first Yara stand and speak, then Melqart, Adon, and two other men had pushed their way noisily into the arena, looking a little worse for wear, and also spoken to the council.  Daniel had initially looked alarmed, then had hung his head in a defeated posture.  Then, both Carter and Daniel appeared to relax at whatever Eshmun had announced.  He had felt his own body relax somewhat, hoping that this was a good sign.

But then Eshmun had made another announcement and Jack had clearly seen fear on Daniel’s face as he had turned towards Carter. 

Now the prisoners were all being released, all but Daniel.  Eshmun was talking directly to Daniel and Jack could see the guards heading their way.  Crap.

He keyed his radio, confident the noise of the crowd would cover the sound. 

“Warren, Coburn, what are your locations?”

“We followed the wall around to the left of the main gate.  We found a secluded place and went over the wall.  We’re hiding behind a building—the area looks pretty deserted right now.”

“That’s because everyone’s here.  Coburn?”

“Took the opposite side, sir.  There appear to be guards where the wall meets the harbor.  We can handle them, though, sir.”

“Stand by.  We made need your help shortly.”

“We’re ready, sir,” Coburn responded.

“Same here, sir,” Warren agreed.

“O’Neill, Major Carter is trying to get our attention.”

“Let’s get down there and see what’s goin’ on.”

The group made their way to the bottom of the arena, pushing their way through the crowd as it streamed out through the doorway and into the plaza. 

As they reached the top of the steps, Sam and the four archaeologists managed to make their way over to them.  But Jack’s attention was on the activity at one side of the plaza.  A tall post was standing upright and several men were holding another one. 

“Sir!” Sam called as she pushed through the crowd to his side.

“You okay, Carter?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Wanna tell me what’s goin’ on?” he pointed to the posts.

“I’m not sure, sir.  Daniel said the death sentence had been lifted because three people had spoken in support of him.  But then Eshmun said something else--I didn’t find out what.  That’s when they let us go and kept Daniel.”

“Crap!” he shouted as he saw that the men were nailing the second post crosswise on the first, and that Daniel was being led towards it.  “Is that what I think it is?”

Sam took in the scene at the edge of the plaza and gasped.  “Oh, my God!”

“Come on.”  Jack pushed his way through the throng, trying to get close to Daniel. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Daniel instinctively resisted the guards as they pulled him toward the post.  This couldn’t be what it looked like, but he knew it was.  Why hadn’t he considered it?  It was a common practice among the Phoenicians just as it was with other peoples of that area and time.  Alexander had nearly wiped out the male population of Tyre in the same manner.

The guards stopped in front of the post and untied his hands.  Panic fluttered in his chest as they turned him around so his back was against the post.  They took hold of his arms and stretched them out to either side against the horizontal beam.  The panic eased when he saw them pull out lengths of rope—he would be spared the nails.  The guards began lashing his wrists and upper arms to the beam, and, as someone removed his boots and socks and began tying his feet to the bottom of the post, he realized his feet would be firmly on the ground.  Eshmun really had tried to make this easier on him.

He winced as his left arm was stretched out, pulling on his wound.  The infected arrow wound might make this more difficult.  He put his head back, finding the post was just tall enough for him to rest it there.  He could get through this--all he had to do was stand here.

“Daniel!”

He heard his name being called and saw Jack, Sam, and Teal’c pushing their way through the crowd.  They reached the front and tried to make their way to him, but were stopped by guards blocking their path with spears.

The guards finished securing Daniel to the posts and stepped away.  Another guard faced the crowd and addressed them.

“By decree of the council, the prisoner will be set at post until sundown.  No one may touch him except by the reed.  At the end of the punishment, the prisoner will be freed and no one may take any other action against him.”

Another guard moved forward and placed several sturdy reeds, each about three feet long, on the ground in front of Daniel.  Four guards took up position around him.

Until sundown.  Daniel guessed that would be about ten hours.  He could handle it, but the reeds that had been placed at his feet were another matter.  What were they going to do with them?  The question was quickly answered.

A man stepped from the crowd and bent down, picking up one of the reeds. 

“For defiling the sacred city,” he said, moving in front of Daniel and striking him across his right arm.

“Ah!” Daniel jerked as the reed struck his arm which continued to sting. 

“Hey!” he heard a familiar voice shout.

The man returned the reed to the pile and rejoined the crowd.  Some of the people began to leave, evidently satisfied with Daniel’s punishment.  A few congregated in small groups and continued to watch from a distance. 

~ ~ ~

Jack stopped as his path was blocked by a guard’s spear.  He had been relieved to see that Daniel was only tied to the post and that his feet were firmly on the ground.   A vision of Daniel being nailed to the post and hoisted to hang from it had passed through his mind.  This, at least, would be survivable.  Except that Daniel was still not recovered from the infected wound. 

Jack’s plan was to watch and make sure Daniel was handling it until a man from the crowd picked up some kind of reed and struck Daniel’s arm with it.

“Hey!”  What the hell was going on?

Part of the crowd had dispersed, but some remained standing nearby.  Jack watched as another man left one of the groups and headed for Daniel.  As he picked up one of the reeds, Jack rushed at him.

“Teal’c!  Give me a hand,” he shouted as he grabbed the man’s arm before he could strike Daniel. 

Teal’c grabbed the man’s other arm, but at the same moment, two of the guards leveled their spears at them, moving until they were inches from Jack and Teal’c’s faces.

They shouted something—Jack didn’t understand the words, but the meaning was clear.

“Jack!” 

Jack turned his gaze to Daniel.

“Jack, don’t.  If you interfere, they might rescind their ruling and reinstate the death sentence.  You have to stay out of it.” 

“Daniel, I’m not going to stand here and let them beat you.  It’s bad enough you have to stand tied to that post!”

“It’s only until sundown, Jack.  I can handle it.  Eshmun said he was against this, but others are afraid if they don’t follow the old laws, Mot will return and punish them.  Don’t you see, I think these people would be open to hearing the truth about the goa’uld.  They could become our allies.”

“Daniel Jackson, your previous injury will make this punishment more difficult.”

“I know, Teal’c, but I have to show I’m willing to follow their rules.  Then I think they’ll listen to us.”

Jack released the man’s arm and motioned for Teal’c to do the same.  As they backed away, the guards lowered their spears.  The man moved close to Daniel, and, without making a statement, brought the reed down on Daniel’s thigh.  His thick BDU pants absorbed some of the sting, but not all.  He flinched but didn’t cry out.

The man returned the reed to the pile and walked away, glaring at Jack as he passed.

Janet and Reynolds had joined Sam, with the archaeologists following close behind.  All of them came to stand behind Jack and Teal’c. 

“Sir,” Janet said, “I don’t think Daniel can take much of this.  He was still running a fever last night, and by looking at him, I’d bet he still has it.”

“I know!” Jack snapped.  “Sorry.  I don’t know what else to do.  Daniel insists we shouldn’t interfere, but I don’t want to stand here and watch these people beat him.  Ideas, anyone?”

A young man, probably in his teens, walked hesitantly to the pile of reeds and bent down, picking one up.  Teal’c turned towards him and made a low, growling sound.  The youth looked up at the Jaffa, eyes wide, then quickly dropped the reed and took off running down one of the streets. 

“Well, that’s an idea,” Jack said.  “We can just have Teal’c stand here and scare them off.”

“It would be my pleasure, O’Neill.”

“Knock yourself out, T.”

“I fail to see how that would aid our situation, O’Neill.”

“Just an expression—it means ‘go ahead and give it all you’ve got.”

“I see.”

“Sir,” Sam interrupted the exchange, “What about the SG teams?  Do you think they can get in, help us get Daniel, and get out again without casualties?”

“I don’t know, Carter.  It’s hard to tell how many of these troops they have in the city.  Plus, they haven’t returned our weapons, yet.  I’d really like to get them back before we try anything.”

“Maybe they’re waiting for this to be over before they return them,” Sam suggested.

“Well, for now, let’s get comfortable here where we can keep an eye on Daniel,” Jack said.

Jack, Sam, and Reynolds sat down close to Daniel while Janet took the archaeologists back to sit on the steps of the council building.  Teal’c continued to stand, his presence a strong deterrent to anyone who might want to hurt his friend.  No one else had approached Daniel and Jack hoped that had been the last of the disgruntled citizens. 

A short time later, Jack looked up to see Yara and Melqart coming their way.  Yara was carrying a water skin and Melqart held something wrapped in cloth.  Jack and Reynolds got to their feet as they approached. 

Yara said something and held up the water skin, pointing it towards Daniel.  Jack nodded his head in agreement.  She then walked up the one of the guards and spoke to him.  He allowed her to pass and she moved to Daniel, offering him the water.  When he had finished drinking, she handed the water skin to Melqart, took the cloth from him and unwrapped it, revealing some bread.  The guard stopped her and she spoke again.  Yara recovered the bread and handed it back to Melqart, scowling at the guard.  She took a cloth, poured water on it, and wiped Daniel’s face. Yara said a few more words to Daniel before rejoining Jack.  She offered him the water skin and a short time later the SG members had all quenched their thirst.  Melqart left the bread with them before he and Yara returned to the council building.

Another hour passed before someone else approached.  The man was about as tall as Teal’c and almost as solidly built.  Teal’c gave him his best threatening look, but it didn’t deter him.  He picked up one of the reeds and marched up to Daniel. 

Daniel tried not to show any fear as the big man leaned into his face.

“Your punishment should have been greater for defiling the sacred city, but I will abide by the council’s ruling.”  With that, he unleashed a powerful stroke across Daniel’s chest, leaving a bright red stripe.

“Ahhh!”  Daniel threw his head back against the post, his breathing becoming faster as he dealt with the pain lancing across his chest. 

“Hey!  That wasn’t necessary!” Jack yelled, springing to his feet.  The guards readied their spears in anticipation of a confrontation. 

The big man gave Jack a sour look before dropping the reed and walking away.

“Daniel, are you all right?” Sam asked.

Daniel didn’t answer, but stood with his eyes closed, trying to slow his breathing.

Jack started to walk over to him, but the guards stopped them. 

“It’s . . . it’s okay, Jack,” Daniel said, still gasping. “Won’t be . . . much longer.”

Jack turned away from Daniel and nodded for Carter and Teal’c to join him.

“I think we should chance bringing in SG-3 and 5.  We really need to put an end to this.”

“I believe that would effectively end any chance of an alliance with these people,” Teal’c stated.

“Yeah, well, at this point I don’t really care if we make friends with them or not.”

“Sir, we would still have to get all the way back to the gate.  These people would probably come after us, and this is their territory—they would have the advantage.”

Jack pulled off his cap, slapping it against his knee in frustration.  He could call in SG-3 and 5, get Daniel out, and try to get all of these people all the way back to the gate.  There was a good chance that people would be killed.  Or, he could sit and wait it out while Daniel continued to suffer, and maybe get these people to help them get back to the gate.  He knew what Daniel would say:  don’t risk a lot of lives for his.  Easier said than done.

Jack looked back at his friend.  Daniel’s eyes were still closed, but his breathing had returned to normal.  A few more hours—could Daniel hang on that long?  He hoped so, because it looked like they were going to wait it out.

He touched his radio.  “Warren, Coburn, what’s your status?”

“Still taking cover behind some buildings.  We’ve seen a few more people, but no one’s spotted us.”

“Coburn?”

“Just outside the city gate near the harbor.”

“Stay put until you hear from me.  Looks like we’re gonna let this play out.  Hopefully, I’ll be getting back to you around sundown.”

“Understood, sir,” both replied.  “Good luck, sir,” Coburn added.

Pulling his cap on, Jack turned back to Sam and Teal’c.  “All right, we wait.”

~ ~ ~

The late afternoon sun was beating down on the plaza and on those waiting for the day to end.  There wasn’t a single tree in the plaza—nothing to provide any shade to those standing vigil or to the focus of that vigil. 

Jack wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at his friend.  It had to be worse for Daniel; tied to a post, welts from being struck with reeds, and an infected arrow wound.  His friend’s head hung down, sweat dripping into the dirt.  Resting or passed out?  Fortunately, the only people to make a move to pick up a reed in the last several hours were some young boys—probably not more than ten years old.  Teal’c hadn’t even had to give him his threatening look; the guards had shooed them away.  Apparently, only adults were allowed to inflict punishment.

Jack checked his watch again, guessing there were only a couple of hours left before Daniel was free.  Movement from the direction of the council building caught his attention.  He watched as two council members—unmistakable in their purple robes-- exited the building with one of the village men.  The two councilmen argued briefly before one of them spoke to the villager, who turned, descended the stairs and disappeared into the town.  The councilmen went back inside the building, still arguing.

Jack watched the man go with a feeling of unease.  Daniel had briefly filled him in on what had happened with Melqart and Adon and now Jack was worried that some of the council members weren’t going to be content to let things play out as Eshmun had decreed. 

Glancing back to the council building, he saw Yara and Melqart appear again, carrying more water and food. 

Yara was allowed to tend to Daniel again, rousing him to take the water, but again the guards wouldn’t permit him to have food.  Afterwards, the rest of them were offered the same. 

“Thank you,” Jack said, knowing they wouldn’t understand the words, but feeling the need to say something after all she had done.

Yara seemed to understand and smiled, patting Jack on the arm. 

“O’Neill.”

Turning at Teal’c’s call, Jack saw that another man was walking towards them.  He stooped and picked up one of the reeds and walked up to Daniel.  He didn’t say a word, but brought the reed down on Daniel’s left arm.  There was a sharp intake of breath from Daniel as the reed stung his skin.  Jack clenched his fists as he watched; he had hoped they had seen the last of those who wanted to punish Daniel. 

Instead of leaving, the man brought the reed down on Daniel’s arm again, and this time Daniel did cry out. 

Teal’c moved quickly, grabbing the man’s arm as the guards moved in.  They took him from Teal’c’s grasp, and two of the guards led him away while the other two went back to their posts. 

Jack looked at his friend with his head hanging down again, eyes closed, and wondered how much more of this Daniel could take.  Jack glanced towards the horizon once again, willing the sun to sink below it. 

Voices brought his attention back to the plaza.  A group of about a dozen men, faces contorted in anger, was crossing it, headed straight for Daniel.

No, no, no!  Jack saw Teal’c look his way, ready to take on the entire group if Jack gave the word.  Instead, Jack shook his head.  Was he really going to stand by while these men beat his friend?  The same arguments he had considered earlier made an instant replay in his head. Personally, he didn’t think any amount of naquadah was worth this. His hand itched to reach for his radio—to call SG 3 and 5 to come in, guns blazing.  But he knew he wouldn’t.  Not yet.

The group reached Daniel and stopped.  One man reached for a reed, walked up to Daniel without a word and struck him hard on the right shoulder.  Daniel didn’t lift his head, but only flinched and released a moan.  When the first man finished, a second man picked up a reed and unleashed it on Daniel’s left forearm.  Jack watched Daniel’s body flinch, but this time no sound escaped.

Carter was suddenly at his side, eyes bright with unshed tears.  “Sir, we’ve got to do something—they’re going to kill him!”

A third man landed a stroke on Daniel’s shoulder.

“What?  What do you want me to do? We’ve got no weapons; any move we make will bring the guards down on us.”  He hadn’t meant to unleash his anger on her, but he couldn’t hold it in. 

She continued to try and find a solution.  “What about SG—“

Her question went unfinished as they watched Adon and Cadmos push their way to the front of the line.  Jack tensed; surely the boy Daniel had saved wouldn’t hurt him?  

Instead of picking up one of the reeds, he pulled an arrow from his quiver, broke it in two, and laid it on the ground.  He then walked up to Daniel and made a deep bow, then backed away, keeping his head bowed.   When he finished, Cadmos did the same. 

The group that was there to punish Daniel looked around nervously as more people began to file into the plaza.  Two more picked up reeds and, one at a time, struck Daniel on the stomach and arm.  Jack could see Daniel’s body jerk in response, but his head remained down and no sounds came from him.

Melqart watched the young men, then, with a word to Yara, joined them in front of Daniel, offering his own deep bow.  Jack recognized other members of the group that had captured his teammates began to cross the plaza, joining in.  The guards looked unsure of how to handle the situation.  The group continued to grow, more townspeople coming to join the crowd until the area in front of Daniel held several dozen people. The guards looked tense, but made no move towards the people who were all outside of the area where Daniel was. 

More people continued to join the crowd and Jack guessed that close to fifty people were now bowing in respect to his friend.  Jack was surprised and relieved at their show of support for Daniel.  Frankly, he had expected to see a long line of people interested in punishing the stranger who had broken their law.  But they hadn’t materialized--there had only been a handful, including this group that was obviously working for one or more of the disgruntled council members.  Maybe more people were against this than for it.  And maybe these people would be open to hearing the truth—maybe even worth forming an alliance with.

The crowd that had come to support Daniel remained standing in front of him as the minutes ticked by.  No one else came to lift a reed against him.  The rest of the group that had come to hurt Daniel disappeared into the village, obviously intimidated by the size of those opposing them. 

The minutes stretched into an hour, and still the crowd stood in front of the man tied to the post.  Jack glanced toward the horizon; sunset was not far away.  It couldn’t be fast enough for Jack as he appraised his friend’s condition.  Daniel hadn’t raised his head in the past forty-five minutes.  The welts looked red and angry, but not life threatening.  But those combined with his previous injury could be dangerous.

Teal’c stood with the crowd while Sam was sitting with Janet and the archaeologists in the shade of the council building.  Reynolds was walking the perimeter of the plaza.  Jack found himself pacing, his eyes alternating between Daniel, Sam’s group, and the council building. 

Suddenly, the doors of the building opened and Eshmun and the other council members exited, descended the steps, and headed for Daniel.  The crowd parted to let them through, and the council members stopped in front of Daniel and turned to face the crowd.

More of the villagers began filling the plaza as Eshmun addressed the crowd. 

“Citizens of Carthia, it is now sundown and the prisoner has completed his punishment.  No one may take any other action against him.”

He motioned to the guards who quickly moved to release Daniel from the post. 

~ ~ ~

Someone taking hold of his arms roused him.  At first, he thought someone was striking him with a reed, but there was no pain.  No, they were untying the ropes.  He opened his eyes and turned his head, seeing one of the guards working on the rope.  Another was undoing the rope around his ankles.  As the ropes came undone, he started to pitch forward, but a guard caught him and eased him gently to the ground. 

“Let me through!”  That was a familiar voice.  He turned his head, searching, until he saw Jack pushing his way through the crowd.  Close on his heals was Teal’c.

“I’ve got you,” Jack said as he took the place of the guard holding Daniel.  “Teal’c, help me get him out of here.”

They each took an arm and pulled him upright, or as close as they could get him with his legs not working.  Realizing they would end up dragging Daniel, Jack motioned to Teal’c who grabbed Daniel’s legs.  Jack grabbed him under the arms and Daniel let out a grunt of pain.  They began carrying their friend, but Eshmun stepped in front of them and bowed.  When he rose, he extended his arm towards the council building in what appeared to be an invitation.  It was the last place Jack wanted to go, but his first priority was to get Daniel checked out by Janet, and that was probably the best place to do it.

Jack nodded his head in agreement and Eshmun and the other council members led the way back to the building.  Sam, Reynolds, and the four archaeologists were invited to join them. 

Once inside, they were led to a different set of rooms.  Eshmun entered one, inviting them to follow.  It was a drastic change from the rooms they had occupied earlier.  It was much larger, contained a real bed, a table laden with food, and several long couches. 

Jack and Teal’c carried Daniel to the bed and laid him down.  Janet quickly moved in to check him over.  Sam joined Jack and they both hovered behind Janet.  Teal’c and Reynolds moved about the room, checking for any threats, while the others made themselves comfortable on the couches. 

“Janet?” Sam queried. 

“His fever’s back up.  I need to treat these welts as well as his wound, and then we’ll see how he’s doing.”

Daniel laid quietly, eyes closed, while Janet worked, an occasional grimace his only reaction to her ministrations.  Yara had become Janet’s shadow, and she was in the room and by Janet’s side before she had finished assessing Daniel.  Yara helped remove the old bandages, and then cleaned the wound.  Sam moved closer, accepted a damp cloth from Yara, and began wiping Daniel’s face.  Jack could hear her talking softly to him as she stroked the cloth across his face.  Janet applied medicine to the wound, patiently working around the two women, then bandaged it again with Yara’s help.  She also applied ointment to the ugly welts peppering his body.

Eshmun and three of the other council members had waited in the room while Janet tended Daniel.  When the wounds had been treated, Eshmun approached the bed.

“I am sorry I could not prevent this, Daniel Jackson.  Acharbas will be punished for interfering with the council’s ruling. We would still like to discuss the possibility of friendship, if it is not too late.”

“I would like that too, Eshmun,” he replied, opening his eyes.  “I think our people would still be willing to talk.”

“That is good news.  Rest and we will save the discussion until morning.”

“Thank you,” Daniel said. 

Yara held a water skin for Daniel while Sam tilted his head to drink.

“Daniel, what’s he saying?” Jack asked.

“That they would still like to discuss an alliance, Jack,” he replied as Sam eased him back to the pillow.

“Are you kidding me?  After what they did?”

“Jack.”

“We’ll talk about this later, Daniel.”

Daniel sighed; he really wasn’t up to a debate right now.  It could wait until morning.

Eshmun opened another door that led to an adjoining room, indicating the group should use it.  He and the other council members then bowed and left.  Daniel was given food and more water, plus Janet’s pills.  He settled back into the bed, relishing the softness of the sheets, and was soon asleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“First, we want to thank you for respecting our laws and for agreeing to speak with us even after all that has happened.” 

Eshmun and the other council members had come early the next morning and were seated in the large bedroom, along with the SG members and archaeologists.  Daniel was propped up in the bed with several pillows stuffed behind him.  It had been decided to hold the meeting there rather than moving Daniel.  Jack and Sam had taken turns sitting with him through the night, with Janet occasionally checking on him, while Teal’c had installed himself as guard, stopping only briefly to kelnoreem.

Jack had watched Carter sitting on the edge of Daniel’s bed, soothing him when he became restless, and gently wiping his face with a cool cloth to ease the fever.  Jack could see the connection between the two had become even stronger during their ordeal, and that Carter was reluctant to leave Daniel’s side.  He had only been able to get her to go to bed by ordering her. As Jack took his turn sitting with his friend, he found himself hoping this bond would be strong enough to keep Daniel from leaving them.

“Now, tell us where you are from.  We have never encountered people who do not speak our language,” Eshmun continued. “Philos and Melqart say you are the only one of your group who does.” 

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, each wound protesting as he did.  He had been given a soft, loose, Carthian shirt to wear, which covered the welts without irritating them.  Janet had treated his wounds again, and he had been dosed with antibiotic and pain reliever, but he still felt like crap.

Daniel considered Eshmun’s questions, and, not knowing how the news that they had come through the stargate would be received, he decided on a different tack.

“Yes, I am the only one who speaks your language.  I know many languages and my job is to communicate with people we meet.  These four people,” he gestured towards the archaeologists, “are from a place far away, in the opposite direction of the sacred city.  I believe their ancestors and yours may be the same.” 

“What about you and the woman, and those that have come to take you back?  Where is your home?”

He really wanted to tell Eshmun the truth—what else could he say that would make sense?  If they became allies, they would have to know sooner or later.  But he didn’t want to risk any retaliation for what he was going to say.

“Eshmun, before I answer, do I have your permission to speak freely without fear of being punished?”

Eshmun gave him an appraising look before turning to the other council members.  “I agree; what do the rest of you say?”

The council members all consented to listen without reproach. 

“Daniel?”

“Jack?”

“You’re supposed to be translating.  What did they all just agree on?”

“I want to be able to tell them about the stargate without offending them.”

“And?”

“And, they agreed.”

“Your friend is upset about what has happened.  He is very protective of you,” Eshmun observed.

“Yes, his job is to make sure we are safe and he feels he has failed in that duty.”

“Ah, I see.  I hope he will forgive us and be open to establishing a friendship.”

“Um, he’s working on it,” Daniel replied with a sideways glance at Jack, who narrowed his eyes at his friend, wondering what was being discussed.

“Now, as to where we’re from,” Daniel hesitated briefly before continuing, deciding he would have to tell them eventually, “we came through the stargate from a world far away called Earth.”

The council members all looked startled at this revelation. 

“Are you saying you came through the holy ring?” Eshmun asked.

“Yes, it is a portal that goes to many worlds.  We are explorers who travel through it, making friends with those we meet.”

“But the ring is only used by Mot,” another member said.

“No, it is used by many different peoples.”  Taking a chance that he was right about their feelings towards Mot, Daniel continued.  “We have met many different races in our travels; some have been friendly, some have not.  We know of a very powerful race who takes on the role of gods, usually ruling entire planets and sometimes enslaving people.  Teal’c,” he pointed to his friend, “was once in service to this race—the Goa’uld—until he realized they were not gods and left.  He joined us to try and free people enslaved by the goa’uld.  He knows of Mot and says that he was killed many years ago.”

“It is a lie!”

“I do not believe it!”

“Could this be true?”

The members were clearly upset and shocked by Daniel’s words.  He remained silent while they continued to discuss what he had told them. 

“Daniel—wanna fill us in?”

“I told them we came through the stargate.”

“Is that wise?”

“They’re going to find out sooner or later.  It’s better to tell them before we actually have to go back through it.  And . . . I also told them about the Goa’uld and that Mot was one of them.”

“You just told them their god isn’t a god?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, that’s what they’re discussing now.”

The group appeared to finish their discussion and Eshmun turned back to Daniel.

“This is a very controversial subject, Daniel.  Let me tell you a little of our history and maybe you will understand our situation.”

“Many of our people believe that our ancestors were created by Mot, and that he established the sacred city of Byblos from which to rule.  Others believe our ancestors came from another world and were brought through the holy ring by Mot.  Mot would occasionally leave through the ring, sometimes being gone for long periods of time.  He always instructed the people to continue to send offerings to him through the ring until he returned. Then a time came, many, many years ago, when Mot left through the ring and did not return.  Years passed, and this caused much disagreement among the people of Byblos on what should be done.  One group decided to leave Byblos and establish their own city—Carthia.  They continued to visit and trade with the people of Byblos, who continued to live in the sacred city, until one year our people returned and discovered the city in ruins and the people gone.  Fearing Mot had punished them, our people sought to make sure they did not displease him, in the event he returned, and continued to make a pilgrimage once a year to send offerings through to Mot.  They hoped that in this way they could appease him and he would not return to punish them.  It is also the reason we have kept his laws.”

Daniel closed his eyes, thinking of all the years these people had continued to send offerings through the gate to appease a ‘god’ who had been dead for centuries.  And he had endured his punishment because they had been afraid of going against Mot’s laws.  But he had seen that many of these people might be open to hearing the truth—that they wanted change if they could be sure they wouldn’t be punished for it.  And if they would trust him--if they would let his team show them the truth of what the gate was—they could be free to make those changes. 

Jack had waited semi-patiently while Eshmun had given his little speech, then watched as Daniel closed his eyes without responding.  Jack knew Daniel wasn’t really up to a lengthy conversation; the beating had been a setback to his healing.  A few seconds of silence was all Jack could take.

“Daniel?”

As Daniel remained silent, Janet moved to his side, checking him for fever.  “This may be too much for him, sir; he’s still very sick.”

“No, Janet, I’m okay.”  Daniel opened his eyes again and met her concerned look.  His gaze drifted to Jack and Sam who had risen from their chairs and were standing next to his bed.  He could see Teal’c standing a few feet away, watching him.  He suddenly felt overwhelmed at the concern these people— his friends—had for him.  Jack and Teal’c had pushed themselves for two days to catch up with him and Sam.  Sam—she had stayed behind to talk him into staying on SG-1 and ended up being forced to walk cross-country with a concussion, all the while looking after him.  How could he even think of leaving them?  What could he possibly do with his life that would be as fulfilling as going through the gate with them?  So they had been skeptical about Sha’re’s son—could he blame them?  It did sound a little far-fetched.  But he knew that if he asked them, they would put their doubts aside and do whatever they could to help him.  Hadn’t they allowed him to go through with the punishment, even though they wanted to put a stop to it, in order to give him the chance to form an alliance with these people?  He realized that he had been blinded by his grief; even though he would no longer be searching for his wife, he knew that he needed to continue going through the gate.  He couldn’t go back and change the past; he could only go forward and try to make a difference in the future.  It’s what Sha’re would want him to do.

He was suddenly tired, as though the last of his strength was had been drained away, but he knew he still needed to convince Eshmun and the council that what he told them was true, and in doing so, free these people from the shadow of the Goa’uld.

“Eshmun, come with us to the holy ring and let us show you that what I’m telling you is the truth. You can even travel through the ring with us.  This is a chance for your people to be free to determine the course of their own lives—to no longer let Mot and his laws govern them.”

The council members discussed Daniel’s offer while Daniel explained the situation to everyone else. 

“We accept, Daniel,” Eshmun said.  “However, your group must undergo the cleansing ritual before they can enter the sacred city.”

“We will gladly honor your tradition, Eshmun,” Daniel agreed, relieved that they were willing to return to the ruins and hopeful that they had just made new allies.

Daniel informed his friends that the council was prepared to go to the ruins and see how the stargate worked.  He shifted in the bed and let out a moan as wounds protested the movement.

“I suggest we leave as soon as possible, Colonel,” Janet said.  “Daniel’s infection is being stubborn and I really need to get him to the infirmary where I can check him out more thoroughly.”

“Janet?”  Sam’s simple inquiry was full of concern.

“He’s holding his own for now, but I’d really feel better if we could get him back as soon as possible.”

“All right, what are we waiting for?” Jack stated.  “Daniel, ask if we can get that litter back.”

“Jack—“

“And don’t even think about telling me you don’t need it.”

Daniel snapped his mouth shut, cutting off any retort.  But then his lips curved into a smile at the way his friend anticipated his response.  “Okay.”

“No agrum--  What?”

Daniel continued to smile as he asked Eshmun if they could leave right away, and if they could get the litter that had brought him here.  Truth be told, he knew there was no way he was walking back to the gate.  At the moment he was having trouble just keeping his eyes open.

The council agreed and left to prepare for the trip while the SG members did the same.  Jack contacted the SG teams that were in hiding and told them to come to the council building.  A short time later, Philo and Melqart came to the room carrying Daniel’s litter.  They informed everyone that they would be joining them on the trip back to the city.  Daniel was transferred to the litter, Jack and Teal’c taking hold of the ends, and everyone made their way to the entrance of the building.

When they reached the entrance, the SG teams were waiting for them at the base of the steps.  Word had traveled quickly, and a large crowd had gathered, waiting for the council members to arrive.  Jack and Teal’c set Daniel’s litter down at the top of the steps.  Guards approached and handed them their confiscated weapons.  Sam moved to Daniel’s side and knelt down next to him.  His eyes were closed again, and she gently roused him.

“How are you doing?” she asked, laying a hand on his arm.  His eyes opened at her touch and she could see the fever hadn’t relinquished its hold.

“I’ll be fine, Sam,” he replied, placing his own hand on top of hers, taking in her bandaged wrists and feeling overwhelming gratitude that they had both survived.  “How’s your head?”

“Much better—Janet thinks it’s only a mild concussion.”

“Thanks for looking after me on the trip here, Sam.”

“I think you did your share of looking after me, Daniel.” She hesitated for a couple of seconds, getting up the nerve to plunge ahead with what she needed to say.  This might be her last chance to convince Daniel to stay with SG-1.

“Daniel, when you were really sick I promised to help you find Sha’re’s son.”

He looked confused.  “I . . . I don’t remember that.”

“That’s okay, your fever was pretty high and I heard you calling for Sha’re.  I just want you to know that I do believe you and I want to help you look for the boy.  I know Sha’re’s gone, Daniel, and I know how much that must hurt, but we’re still here and we care about you—we don’t want to lose you.”

“Thanks, Sam, but—“

“Please, let me finish,” she pleaded, squeezing his arm tighter.  “Daniel, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.  If you hadn’t spoken to them in Phoenician and asked for Mot’s mercy, they would have killed us.  Instead, we have new allies.”

“She’s right, Daniel,” Jack added as he moved closer to them.  “That’s why we need you on the team.  Who else would have been able to do that?”

“Thanks, guys,” Daniel replied, touched by their words and their efforts to keep him on the team. He had already considered what it would be like to leave the SGC.  To never see Sam again.  To never sit with her and discuss new discoveries over a cup of coffee. He thought of Teal’c, the man who had ended his wife’s life.  No, he could now think of him as the man who had ended her suffering.  Daniel knew he would miss that comforting presence he had come to rely on.  And he would miss the look on Jack’s face as he tried to follow one of Sam’s technical explanations.  But would he miss Jack’s clichés?  His short temper?  His strength?  His friendship?  Of course he would.  He thought about what it must have taken for Jack to stand by and not interfere while he was beaten.  He couldn’t have asked for a stronger show of faith from his friend. 

He realized that the pieces that had been torn from him throughout his life had been replaced with new ones. The pain of Sha’re’s loss would always be with him, but it would be softened by the friendship, support, and love given to him by these people—these friends—this new family he had become a part of.  Daniel was sure now of where he belonged.   

“I’ve thought about this a lot—“

“Daniel, we really need to talk about this when we get back and you’re feeling better,” Jack said adamantly, hoping with time they could change Daniel’s mind about leaving.  “And there’s one other thing,” he added, going down on one knee next to his friend.  “I’m sorry about what I said, you know, back at the ruins.  I was angry and, well, I said something stupid.”

Daniel was touched by Jack’s apology.  “It’s okay, Jack, really, but I’ve already made up—“

“Don’t say you’ve already made up your mind.   Take some time to think about it,” Jack interrupted once again.  Surely once they got Daniel back to the SGC and he had time to heal, they would be able to convince him to stay. 

Daniel held up his hand, asking them to stop.  “I was going to say that I’ve already decided to stay on SG-1.”

“You--  What?”

“I’m staying.”

“That is indeed good news, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said.

Sam threw her arms around Daniel’s neck and hugged him while Jack continued.  “Oh.”  He paused a few seconds considering Daniel’s change of heart.  “You’re sure you don’t want to go back to archaeology?”

Daniel returned the hug before Sam released her hold and sat back. 

“And give up all this?” Daniel replied, using his arm to indicate his injured body.

“Fun, huh?”

“Jack, you have a warped idea of what ‘fun’ is.” 

“Why, thank you, Daniel.  Now—this calls for a team night.  How ‘bout a barbecue at my place when we get back?”

“Would this also involve the viewing of a movie?” Teal’c asked.

“You can pick it, big guy, as long as it’s not “Star Wars.”  Teal’c simply raised an eyebrow.

“Colonel,” Janet said, moving closer to the group.  “I think you’d better postpone that barbecue for about a week.”

“Janet?” Daniel said, looking her with concern.

“I’m going to be keeping you in the infirmary at least that long,” she replied.

“But, Janet!” Daniel whined.

“Doctor’s orders.  No arguments, Daniel.”

“Jack!  Do something!”

“Sorry, Daniel.  It’s time for my physical—need I say more?”

Daniel closed his eyes, laying his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose.  Was he really surprised?  Janet always went way beyond thorough—the thought of being in her clutches for a week, subjected to every test imaginable, eating bland infirmary food, and given an embarrassing number of sponge baths, made a shiver run up his spine that had nothing to do with his fever.

At that moment the council members appeared at the top of the steps.  Eshmun moved forward and addressed the crowd.

“People of Carthia.  Our new friends wish us to form an alliance with their people.  Two council members will remain here while the rest of us will travel to the sacred city to learn more about their people.  Now, all of those traveling will take part in the cleansing ritual.” 

One of the council members stepped forward holding a large bowl, a towel draped over his arm.  Eshmun gestured for the first person to approach.  Each villager dipped their hands in the water and then dried them with the towel; afterwards Eshmun said a few words over their bowed head before moving on to the next.   All of the SG members and archaeologists followed the same ritual, with Eshmun coming to Daniel’s side to deliver the cleansing. 

When everyone was finished, Eshmun addressed the crowd again. 

“As a sign of our friendship, I wish to present our visitors with a small gift.”  Another council member handed him what looked like a round piece of metal on a strip of leather.  He moved to Daniel’s side, Jack and Teal’c helping him to sit up.  Eshmun lifted the medallion over Daniel’s head and draped it around his neck.

“Thank you,” Daniel responded, taking hold of the shiny medallion and looking it over closely.

“Thank you, Daniel,” Eshmun said in return, “We look forward to becoming allies and to trade with your people.”  He then returned to the top of the steps, directing the group to move out, as Daniel translated.

“There better be an awful lot of naquadah here, because I can’t imagine what else these people could possibly have that we’d want to trade for,” Jack muttered quietly as two members of SG-5 lifted Daniel’s litter.  Jack, Teal’c, and Sam all positioned themselves next to their friend as the caravan of people began to descend the steps.

“Daniel?”  Sam asked as she moved next to him, her eyes on his medallion.

“What is it, Sam?”

“Can I see your medallion?”

“Sure,” he replied, removing it from around his neck and handing it to her. 

Sam took it, turning it over in her hands.

“Carter?”

“To answer your question, sir, this might be something worth trading for,” she said, holding up the medallion.  “I think this is trinium.”

Jacks eyebrows lifted in surprise.  “Really?  Sweet!”

As their group began its journey back to the gate, Daniel smiled, looking at the friends that surrounded him, and thought to himself,  Yes . . . yes it is.

Fin