Samhain Part 3
~oOo~
Daniel fought against the fog that enveloped him. Like strong arms holding him in a vice-like hug, it held him so firmly he struggled just to breathe let alone attempt any concerted escape. Over the blood pounding in his ears he could hear voices calling to him. Female voices, their keening shrill calling to him like sirens in the night, both alluring and alarming at the same time.
Occasional breaks in the fog afforded him a view of lights off in the distance, tantalizingly close. If he could just break free it would be nothing but a quick run to get to the closest house and the safety of the village.
He couldn't move though, and every attempt he made to get away was met with opposite force as the grip the fog had on him became tighter and tighter. Suddenly the voices got louder, wailing at him, taunting him in a thick brogue that his tired mind was having trouble translating. Turning quickly to the meditation techniques Teal'c had taught him, Daniel tried to raise a mental shield and block out their incessant chanting, but it wasn't working. Like tendrils of the fog holding him in place, the voices seemed to wrap themselves around his mind, and with an air piercing scream, they gave him a glimpse of oblivion before sending him spiraling headlong into it.
~oOo~
After finding no way to escape their cell, the three members of SG-1 settled in to wait. Jack set watch assignments as usual, though none of them were able to get much sleep. They were too worried about their fourth teammate and what might be happening to him. Continued efforts to reach him by radio were met with silence.
Thin shafts of pale light alerted them to the fact that dawn had arrived. The clanking of a heavy door was their second clue.
The three teammates stood tensely as Pallaton and Laird entered the room.
"It is dawn and safe for you to leave the village now."
Jack narrowed his eyes, the muscles of his jaw clenching and unclenching as he tried to rein in his temper. "What about Daniel?"
"No one has seen him since last night. I fear he may have encountered the Aos Si'."
"You know, I'm gettin' tired of hearing about these Ossie guys."
"We will be happy to explain it to you, colonel—"
Jack held up a hand, stopping Pallaton's discourse. "Later. Right now, were going to look for Daniel. If any of your people want to help, we'd appreciate it."
"There are several of us who will gladly help you. Unfortunately, most of the townspeople will not; many are afraid to leave the boundary of the village, even in the daylight."
"Fine. Could we have our weapons back?"
"Of course. Please remember, the days are short during Samhain; you must be back within the village by dusk."
"Yeah, I got that." Jack took his P-90 from one of the men who entered carrying their equipment. One handed Teal'c his staff weapon, quickly stepping back as the Jaffa gave him a threatening look.
"So, where did these kids last see Daniel?" Sam asked, checking her own P-90 over as it was handed back.
"I do not know but we can ask them."
If it helped them narrow their search area, then Jack was all for it. But could Daniel afford the time it would take? They had no idea what had happened to him. Jack tried to blot out the thought that these Ossie things had done something to his friend. Maybe he'd better take the time to talk to Pallaton about them after all.
"All right, let's go. Time's a wastin'."
~oOo~
An hour later, Jack stood gripping his P-90 tightly as Teal'c inspected the old barn and broken pipe where Daniel had helped Maddock and his dog.
Why hadn't he come back to the village afterwards? What could possibly have kept him from returning? Jack shook his head as he thought about what Pallaton had told them of the Aos Si'. They were supposedly the original inhabitants of this world, killed in battle by invaders, and now spirits who returned from some 'Otherworld' to check up on their old stomping grounds during the three nights of the Samhain—the only time they were allowed to roam the world of the living. If anyone was caught outside the protected boundary of the village, the Aos Si' took them as one of their own. Jack didn't usually put much stock in myths and folktales, but this was Daniel they were talking about. And, he'd learned over the years not to dismiss normally unbelievable claims out of hand. They'd met a lot of unusual aliens in their travels, not all of them friendly.
Teal'c bent down and picked something up, holding it up for Jack to see. Daniel's flashlight. His gut clenched at the sight.
"Any sign of which way he went?"
"I see no footprints to indicate which direction Daniel Jackson went."
"How can that be?" Carter asked in disbelief.
"Someone carried him?"
"I see no footprints other than Daniel Jackson's and the two boys. And the dog."
"Colonel," Pallaton interrupted speaking softly, "you must accept that he has been taken by the Aos Si'. We may or may not find him."
"Doesn't matter—we're gonna keep looking."
Pallaton dipped his head in acceptance.
"Any ideas on where to look?" Jack asked pointedly.
Pallaton hesitated, looking nervously at each of them before resting his gaze on Jack. "He could be anywhere, but I would suggest the Scrin."
"Scrin?"
"It is their holy place—a shrine."
"Okay, which way?" Jack held his impatience in check—barely.
"First, I must stress again the importance of being back within the village before dusk."
Jack took a menacing step towards the village spokesman. "Just tell me which way."
Pallaton didn't appear intimidated by Jack or his tone, but instead his eyes held concern and sadness and Jack knew he was truly worried for them. He lifted a wrinkled hand, pointing to a path leading in the opposite direction of the village. "It is some distance down that road. You will see the Scrin at the top of a tall mound ringed by stones."
"Thanks," Jack replied more gently. "Let's go," he instructed turning back to Carter and Teal'c. He didn't care what kind of goblins were floating around this place, he wasn't leaving without Daniel.
~oOo~
Even at their brisk pace, it was still a half an hour before they reached the Scrin. Just as Pallaton had said, it was a good sized hill, the base of which was surrounded by rectangular stones, each about five feet high. At the top of the mound was a small building made of the same gray stone, its open door facing them behind ivy-covered columns. Somehow, Jack knew Daniel was here.
Thumbing his radio, he tried one more time to contact his friend. "Daniel." Teal'c and Carter both turned to look at him, obviously hearing the same thing he had—his own voice echoing from somewhere close by.
Slipping through an opening in the wall of stones, the three teammates scanned the area inside the ring.
"Sir." Carter bent down and picked something up, holding it up for them to see.
They'd found Daniel's radio. Too bad Daniel wasn't with it. Even more certain they'd find him in the shrine, Jack motioned them forward, weapons held ready.
Approaching the doorway, he took note of the only marking visible: a circle of twisted rope carved into the lentil. He had no idea what it stood for—Daniel would know. Signaling Carter and Teal'c, Jack took point, going gun first into the shaded interior of the Scrin. The day was cloudy and dreary, but it still took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darker interior. Carter and Teal'c fanned out on either side of him, turning on the lights on their P-90s.
The room was empty except for a tall stele with carvings running from top to bottom, and a stone table directly in front of it. Stepping around the table, Sam called, "Sir!"
Jack and Teal'c rushed to her side, finding Daniel propped up against the bottom of the stele.
Going to his knees next to his friend, Jack reached over and felt for a pulse. "Daniel?"
There was no response, even though Jack could feel a slow but steady heartbeat beneath his fingers. Shaking his friend's shoulder, Jack called again, "Daniel! Wake up, buddy."
Jack pulled his hand back as Daniel stirred, blinked his eyes, and looked up blurrily. "Wh—?"
"You okay, Daniel?" Sam asked leaning in closer to scrutinize him.
"Uh, yeah. Why?" He squinted as he looked around the dark room as though seeing it for the first time.
"Why? You mean, being out all night, not answering your radio," he saw Daniel automatically reach for the spot where his radio should have been and then knit his forehead in confusion, "is all normal to you? Not worth worrying about?" Jack felt his anger rising and took a deep breath
Daniel was obviously trying to sort out what had happened, his forehead creased deeper than Jack could ever remember seeing it.
"Do you not remember what has transpired, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c was aware of Daniel's confusion, too.
"Well . . . I was looking for Haben and Maddock and . . . I found them. Maddock was stuck in this old pipe. I helped him out and then . . ." Daniel trailed off, reaching up to rub his temple.
"And then what?" Sam coaxed.
"I, uh . . . I remember a dog, and then . . . that's it."
"You don't remember how you got here?" Jack asked, not happy with the gap in Daniel's memory.
Daniel looked around again as though still trying to connect the dots. "This isn't the barn, is it?"
"That'd be a 'no'," Jack snapped irritably.
"We are in a shrine," Teal'c offered. "Pallaton called it the Scrin."
"Really? I guess I must have got disoriented in the fog and fell asleep in here."
"Daniel, its three klicks from the village!"
Jack's anger faded as he watched shock spread across Daniel's face. He could tell Daniel was mentally reviewing his memories, obviously worried about what had happened to him during the night. Jack's own unease was growing, causing his gut to tighten again. Goblins or not, something strange was going on.
"I think we'd better head back to the gate. Someone else can come back and negotiate."
"What?" Daniel was suddenly rising to his feet, a bit unsteadily Jack noticed, putting a hand out to get his balance. "Jack, I'm fine. There's no reason to call off the mission."
"Daniel, somethin' weird's goin' on here. You're missing a big chunk of time and the rest of us spent the night locked up. I'll talk to General Hammond about sending someone else back—"
"Jack, you know General Vidrine is going to be very unhappy if we come back empty-handed. General Hammond assured him we could handle it. What are you going to tell him? That I fell asleep and you got locked up? That's not going to go over very well."
"He's right, sir. This could reflect poorly on General Hammond."
Jack looked from Daniel to Carter and back. They were all aware of the pressure being put on the SGC to procure naquadah. And the last thing he wanted to do was make Hammond look bad. If they went back now, Jack would feel like he had let the man down; the man who'd stuck his neck out for SG-1 more times than Jack could count. He scrubbed a hand over his face and looked at Teal'c. "Anything to add?"
Teal'c arched an eyebrow. "I would only be repeating what Daniel Jackson and Major Carter have already stated. Besides, you have already made up your mind."
Jack snorted; Teal'c could read him like a book. In fact, all three of them could. "All right, we'll stay, but we'll all stay together; no going off on your own—anyone. Got it?"
Receiving three positive responses, Jack called for them to move out.
"Missing something, Daniel?" Jack held up the radio that had been abandoned at the entrance to the mound.
"Oh, thanks, Jack," he said reattaching it. He patted his pockets and then searched the area where he'd been sitting.
"Lookin' for something else?"
"My glasses."
"They are here," Teal'c replied reaching down to pick them up from their resting place on top of the stone table.
"Thanks, Teal'c." Daniel wiped them on his shirt and put them on, gazing around the chamber again. "Wow, this is amazing! Jack, could we stay for—"
"No! You've done enough exploring for one day, er, night. Whatever. Let's go."
Daniel started to argue, but Jack could see him think better of it, instead nodding his head in acquiescence. Leaving the Scrin, the teammates headed back to the village.
"Jack, why were you locked up?"
~oOo~
TBC