A/N - Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, or reviewed this story. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!
"Wait a second," Jack jogged as best he could to catch up to the large man. "Do you have a Stargate here? A Chappa'ai?"
"I do not understand. What is a Stargate?" he asked, without slowing his pace.
"Big ring of metal, like a circle? Big enough to walk through, lots of funny looking symbols on it?"
The man glanced at Jack. "I have never seen a ring of metal such as you describe, but there is the Fainnecloch." The man spat, then indicated the circle of stone monoliths near the downed X-302.
Jack swore under his breath when he saw where the man was pointing. Stonehenge wasn't going to cut it. It was looking less and less likely that they'd be contacting the Asgard anytime soon, much less going home. Assuming there was a home to go back to.
They continued to walk into the woods for another half hour, but Jack was growing impatient. He was extremely concerned for Sam. She hadn't moved or spoken since the large man began carrying her. On top of everything else, he was having a hard time keeping up with the group given his injured knee. In fact, his knee was screaming, but he wasn't about to admit that to the strangers.
He had been studying them carefully. The man carrying Sam seemed to be the leader; he was certainly the largest, and he reminded Jack a bit of Teal'c – if the Jaffa were fair with an unruly mass of brown hair and big, bushy beard. The other two, though not quite as big, were almost as tall, one with bright red hair and the other with dark hair, like the leader. All seemed to be in good health with no obvious problems with their appendages, Jack noted wryly.
Jack sighed. At first, he had been encouraged when all but these three had peeled off and gone in a different direction, but he now realized their fewer numbers made little difference. It was highly unlikely he would be able to overpower all of them if things went south, especially without any weapons. He would just have to trust these people and hope to hell they could help Sam.
"Hey, where are we going?" Jack yelled after the large man carrying Sam.
"I've told you," replied the large man. "We are taking her to the Crone. She is a healer and the only one who can save her now."
"What do you mean?" Jack felt a rush of panic and struggled to catch up to the man. He looked at Sam and had to stifle a gasp. Beneath the blood that seemed to be everywhere, she was deathly pale and clearly unconscious. "How close are we?"
"We are here," he replied.
At first, Jack didn't see anything but the forest. Upon closer inspection, however, he spotted what appeared to be a small house covered in foliage, as if the surrounding woods were slowing reclaiming the structure. The red headed man walked up to an oaken door that seemed to materialize from one moss covered side of the cottage and knocked soundly. Within moments, the door opened just a crack.
"Gytha, we need your help," said the leader.
Jack watched as an elderly woman emerged from the house. She was bent over so low, she almost touched the ground. Her hair was white and completely wild. Though she looked frail, her eyes were bright and sharp, one blue, the other brown.
"Who are these strangers you have brought to my home, Garrick?" she asked, peering closely at Sam's wound.
"They've come from the sky. Yet I do not think they are demons," the large man responded.
"No. No, they are not demons, though this one has been marked." She gestured toward Sam with a liver spotted hand.
Jack pushed his way to the front. "I've been told you can help her. She needs medical attention."
The old woman paused and stared at Jack for several seconds. She studied him carefully, looking him up and down, and Jack felt his skin crawl. Her assessment apparently made, she spoke. "Bring her inside. I will see what I can do."
Garrick stooped to enter the cottage, careful not to jostle Sam as he squeezed through the entry. When Jack attempted to follow, the Crone barred his way. "Only the woman," she said.
"Like hell," replied Jack, but as he moved to force his way inside, Garrick pushed him back out. Jack could just see Sam lying on a bed of some sort before the door was closed.
"The Crone does not allow others to observe her magic," Garrick stated.
At that moment, Jack saw an orange light emanating from the windows of the cottage, faint at first, then growing steadily brighter.
"Magic! What the hell is going on here?" Jack tried again to force his way into the cottage, but this time he was grabbed from behind. He quickly freed himself but was brought up short when Garrick and the red head unsheathed long daggers and blocked the entrance to the cottage.
Garrick spoke quickly. "Your woman is at death's door. This will not help her. Stand down, and let the Crone complete her work."
Jack knew a stalemate when he saw one. He sat down on the ground, and put his head in his hands.
This mission had been FUBAR from the very beginning. Not only had they not made it to Abydos, but there apparently wasn't a Stargate on this planet, or at least nowhere close, which meant they were unable to get the help for Earth they so desperately needed. And now he might have killed Sam, if not by virtue of his less than fancy flying, then certainly by handing her medical care over to some strange old woman who was planning to cure her by "magic."
God, what if she didn't make it? The thought made his blood run cold. He realized long ago that his feelings for his Second were much more...involved than they should be, and he wasn't sure he could live with himself if she didn't survive. If he had killed her. He let out a long breath and stopped that train of thought in its tracks. He'd already been down that road once, and it led nowhere good.
Garrick's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What is your name, stranger?"
He ran his hands through his hair and looked up. "Jack."
"And the woman?"
"Sam."
"Odd name, that."
Jack sighed. "Yeah, well, it's short for Samantha." A reluctant smile formed at the corners of his mouth. "But I call her Carter."
"I see," he replied slowly, though he clearly didn't. "She is your mate, no?"
Jack paused only for a moment before responding. "You could say that." The team had learned a long time ago that, when in doubt as to the standing of women in any given society, it was better to claim Sam was attached to one of them, if asked. Sam had initially resented the practice but soon appreciated that it avoided a lot of unnecessary attention from would be suitors, not to mention those with less honorable intentions.
The large man gestured to himself. "I am Garrick. This is Beldon and my brother, Thane," he said, as he indicated the red head first, then the dark haired man.
Jack looked around him. "So, Garrick, where are we? What is this place?"
"This is Cian, and I am sorry you have come here. It is...not a good place." He exchanged glances with his two companions.
"Yes, well, I guess it would have been too much to ask to crash land on a nice, temperate planet with lots of peaceful and happy locals..."
Jack's musings were interrupted when the door to the cottage opened, and the Crone emerged.
"I have done all that I can. Her wounds are healed, but she has lost much blood, perhaps more than can be replaced." With that, she turned and reentered the cottage.
Jack was on his feet quicker than his bad knee should have allowed. When he walked through the door, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. He crossed the room toward Sam, who was lying, still unconscious, on the bed he'd seen earlier. He lifted the heavy blanket that was covering her and saw that she had been stripped to her skivvies, leaving most of her skin exposed. Amazingly, there wasn't a cut on her. Jack reached out to touch the smooth, pale skin of her abdomen where the glass had been embedded. At the last second, he remembered himself and stopped short.
"How did you do this?" He asked, trying to keep the awe out of his voice.
The Crone looked at him over her shoulder and gave him a knowing smile. "Your knee is injured, no?"
"A little, maybe," he replied cautiously.
"Then perhaps you will let me heal it." And as she turned to face him fully, Jack saw the glowing crystal of Goa'uld healing device radiating from the palm of her outstretched hand.
