Blood Moon
Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is the second in the Reflections Series, so if you haven't read "Valley of the Shadow," you really should go read that now. To avoid any confusion, I'm going to lay out the timeline of the series so far:
1. Miranda's arrival at the SGC early season three.
2. The events of "Blood Moon" mid season three (after Devil You Know but before Hundred Days).
3. Miranda's first trip offworld early season four.
Got it? Oh, and in case any readers were observant enough, there were two mentions of Greer in "Valley of the Shadow." Did you catch them?
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"The word 'haunted' really means nothing to you, does it?" Jack O'Neill demanded of his friend. Daniel Jackson gave Jack one of his signature looks and didn't reply. Jack turned to look at the blonde woman behind him. "Do you think tromping around a haunted forest is a good idea, Carter?"
Samantha Carter smiled tolerantly. "You don't actually believe what the Icenii said about the Daemos, do you, sir?" she asked in a rather patronizing tone of voice.
"Well, as Daniel is constantly reminding me, myth is based on fact, so there's probably a darn good reason the Icenii think this forest is haunted."
"And do you not think it is wise to investigate such a myth?" Teal'c asked in a bass rumble. Jack blinked at the big Jaffa.
"Uh, no, not really. Wait, what was the question again?"
Sam and Daniel both rolled their eyes. Teal'c merely lifted an eyebrow towards the serpent emblem imbedded in the center of his forehead. Jack shook his head at his team and scanned the forest again.
He understood why the natives thought it was haunted. The trees resembled conifers and were dripping with moisture and moss. Very little sunlight filtered through the dense vegetation, resulting in a dark, dank environment. He shivered involuntarily. This place was downright creepy.
"Keno said the stones were only three miles into the forest," Daniel said, gesturing further up the path. "If we hurry, we can make it before sunset." He glanced in the direction of the sky. "The first one, at least."
Jack had a love-hate relationship with binary systems. More hate than love, actually. In this case, he really didn't mind. Both suns were small and white, their combined heat equivalent of Earth's one. However, they would still have three hours of light after the first sun went down.
"Will that give you enough time?" he asked Daniel.
"I thought we were going to camp out here," the archeologist said, adjusting his glasses. Jack's eyebrows nearly met his hairline. "We've camped in spookier places," Daniel rebutted Jack's silent protest.
"Oh, yeah?" Jack asked. "Name one."
"Um…" Daniel pushed his boonie hat back to dangle around his neck. "Netu?"
"Unpleasant, not spooky."
"Okay…how about the Land of Light?"
"Not."
"The Labyrinth on Cimmeria?"
"Didn't camp."
"Well, I don't think this place is spooky," Daniel said firmly, waving his arm for emphasis. His backswing caught a branch, which unloaded its burden of water squarely on his head.
Jack choked on a laugh as Daniel stood blinking with surprise, drips running down his glasses and off his nose. He made a disgusted noise and dug a bandana from a pocket to dry his face off.
"Just wet and miserable," Jack said once he had regained his straight face. Daniel shot him an icy glare and stalked away down the path. Carter shook her head as she passed him, and Teal'c didn't deem him worthy of a glance. Jack sighed and fell in behind them. Sometimes SG-1 didn't appreciate him…
*****
Daniel crouched in front of the stone, his face inches away as he examined the faint carvings. The thirteen rough pillars had been placed at even intervals in a perfect circle around this taller pillar. It bore a striking resemblance to the stone circles the Celts built back on Earth.
He sat back on his heels and lifted his camera for another picture. The inscriptions were worn with age and would have to be enhanced, but this was the best way to record them.
Across the circle, Sam was frowning at one of her hand-held sensors. She had yet to track down the source of the faint power readings she had been picking up since they neared the circle. There was always the possibility that the stones were emitting the energy.
Jack and Teal'c were roaming the perimeter, making sure there were no surprises. Daniel glanced at his watch. It was an hour until full dark. They would have to start setting up camp soon. He rose to his feet, wincing as strained muscles protested the movement.
"Sam?" he called. "Any luck?"
"No!" she replied, sounding frustrated. "I can't pinpoint any source, not even the stones! What about you?"
"Well, the placement of the stones is indicative of Celtic ancestry, but the designs themselves are more Germanic. Norse, even. The Hand of Tyr has come up a few times, but here's the Trinity spiral and what is that?" He interrupted himself, staring at a single line of script carved into the stone.
"What is what?" Sam asked, trotting over to join him.
Daniel pointed wordlessly and Sam bent closer to read the words. She blew out a slow breath. "That's…faintly disturbing," she muttered.
"Having fun, kids?" Jack asked as he strolled towards them. "Because it's almost curfew."
Daniel rolled his eyes. What was it with Jack? The Colonel had seemed on edge since the Icenii first told them about the Daemos. Keno's story had given Daniel the chills, too, but he seriously doubted that there were demon-like creatures in these forests that hunted and devoured wayward travelers.
Except maybe an Unas. Wouldn't that be ironic?
"Sir, come look at this," Sam called, waving him over. Jack cocked his head inquiringly and obliged. "What do you make of that?"
Jack frowned, his jaw working from side to side. "Well, I was the one who thought this place was spooky. Anyone agreeing with me, yet?"
The three of them stared at the crude inscription, questions blossoming in their minds.
Here mortals dare not venture.
*****
Major Samantha Carter did not mind the lack of privacy that resulted from being the only woman on the team. By now, she was used so used to living and working with these three men that she didn't give it a thought when Daniel stripped to his boxers in order to get all the tiny, screw-like seeds out of his battle dress uniform.
"Now, what have we learned, class?" Colonel O'Neill asked sardonically as Daniel shook out his t-shirt. "Don't trip and fall into random alien bushes."
"You wouldn't be laughing if it had been you," Daniel grumbled. Sam winced at the sight of the numerous tiny welts on his skin and had to agree.
She folded her jacket neatly and sat down to unlace her boots. It was cool enough to warrant setting up the tent, but she left her footwear outside when she crawled in. Her sleeping bag was the furthest from the entrance. She couldn't figure out if that was a pro or a con, but then, she didn't care. She just wanted to go to sleep.
As she snuggled into her bag, she heard Daniel and O'Neill talking in low voices. Teal'c's rich, deep voice joined in after a moment, and she let the familiar sound lull her to sleep.
Here mortals dare not venture.
The words blazed through her mind, jerking her back awake. She stared at the sloping wall of the tent, pondering their meaning.
Daniel finished dressing and crawled in to the bag next to her. She returned his mumbled "goodnight" absently.
Here mortals dare not venture.
There was no doubt it was a warning, but who had written it? An Icenii or a Daemos? Did the Daemos actually exist? If they didn't, why would mortals not dare to venture?
Here mortals dare not venture.
How many of Keno's stories were true? What had happened to the villagers who had disappeared? Finally, she slipped into uneasy slumber, her dreams troubled with dark images.
*****
The intruders sleep, oblivious to the danger. The scent of warm flesh awakens the hunger. For now, they will be patient. They will be one with the forest until the right moment. The thrill of the hunt, the bloodlust, the taste of fear; these make up for the bittersweet agony of waiting.
Soon they will feed.
*****
It is so hard to resist the hunger. I am almost weak with the longing for blood, human blood. I can still remember the taste, salty and rich and full of life. These newcomers, these trespassers, are so foolish. The lure is so great, yet I fight the call to hunt. I will not sacrifice more lives to the hunger.
I will save them if I can.