A/N - I am so sorry this took so long to post, but I hope you find it was worth the wait. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me. I promise to get the next chapter up faster. Happy Halloween!

Five miles meandering with a mazy motion

Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,

Then reached the caverns measureless to man,

And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean;

And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far

Ancestral voices prophesying war!

- From Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The River

Jack thought for sure he was a goner, so he was more than a little surprised when Reynolds began to move toward him and calmly extended his palm toward his captor in a placating manner. "Easy, Piotrowski," his fellow colonel said soothingly. "It's just us. And the man you're poking in the back with that zat is Colonel O'Neill."

Smart, Jack thought. Reynolds had given him all the information he needed. The moment he felt Piotrowski hesitate and the pressure from the zat lessen, he spun on his heel and in one swift motion disarmed his would-be assailant and pointed the weapon at his face. It was only then that he got a good look at the man, and what he saw caused him to draw in a sharp breath. He was absolutely filthy, his uniform in tatters and his blond hair sticking up on end with bits and pieces of foliage strewn throughout. If Jack hadn't known better, he'd have thought Piotrowski had been living in the forest for years, rather than days. But the most disturbing thing about his appearance was his eyes; they remained unfocused and completely wild.

Lowering the zat, Jack exchanged a wary look with Teal'c, as Reynolds tried to engage a now catatonic Piotrowski. When he simply continued to stare at a point over Reynolds' shoulder, the colonel decided to try another tactic. "Report, airman!" he exclaimed as loud as he dared, considering their hunters were still nearby.

Piotrowski snapped to attention with a curt, "Sir!"

"Pio," Reynolds began quietly, "where's Lopez?"

The fourth member of SG-3, Jack recalled. Both young and strong, Lopez and Piotrowski would have made attractive prey for the Goa'uld hunt, though the fact that he wasn't there didn't bode well.

The airman focused on his superior and for a moment appeared somber, but lucid. "Dead, sir." His gaze hardened. "The Jaffa...they brought us to the forest, set us free. We couldn't believe it. We thought maybe they were rebels." He glanced sideways at Teal'c. "But then the Goa'uld came with their arrows, and they hunted us, like animals. We managed to evade them for several hours, but we got tired. We thought maybe we'd gotten away, but then we heard them coming, and I took off. But Lopez..." he paused and his look became distant once again, "his foot got tangled in some brush and he went down. By the time I realized what'd happened, the Goa'uld were on him. They just walked up and shot him in the head. They tried to get me, but they couldn't find me." He grinned then, but it was a look of madness not mirth. "They'll never find me."

Shit, he'd been out there too long, Jack thought, forced into a harsh withdrawal from which he doubted there would be any recovery, if his experience on P4X-347 was any indication. His stomach lurched at the thought, and he knew it would only be a matter of days before he and Reynolds suffered the same fate. They had to get to the light if they were going to survive.

"We need to go back to the palace," Jack said to Piotrowski.

The man nodded as though that had been his plan all along and motioned excitedly for them to follow as he crouched down and crept low along the underside of the riverbank. The others trailed behind warily, with one eye on the unstable man ahead and one on the hunters behind. After several yards, Piotrowski stopped and began gesturing excitedly to a hollow in the bank.

Jack walked ahead and bent over to peer into the hollow. Clearly, this was where the man had been hiding, as a pile of leaves had been arranged into a pallet of sorts on the ground. The surprising part, though, was the small arsenal he spotted off to one side, including another zat and the Goa'uld version of a crossbow.

"Where'd you get these weapons?" Jack asked.

Piotrowski just shrugged. "Sometimes I find stuff the Goa'uld leave behind." He grinned again and instantly the wild eyes were back. "I'm gonna take those bastards out," he said eerily manic voice.

"Okay," Jack replied, drawing out the word. "But how 'bout you let us hang onto these for now?" Before he had a chance to respond, Jack pried the zat from the airman's hand, then handed the extra zat to Reynolds and the crossbow to Teal'c. Once they were armed, he turned back to Piotrowski. "So. What, exactly, is your plan?"

He pointed to the nearby water. "This river flows under the palace. I figured I would just float under the wall and then come up, guns blazing." He held his hands up, fingers pointed like guns. "Blow those snakes back to hell." He laughed maniacally, and Jack was certain that he'd lost his mind.

He didn't have time to dwell, though, as they heard voices just above them, on the edge of the bank. As one, they ducked down in an attempt to conceal themselves.

"They were here," said a Goa'uld, his voice vibrating with an eerie timbre.

"They could not have gone far," said another.

"So it would seem," yet a third responded.

Jack held up three fingers, indicating the number of hostiles he assumed were located just above them. Teal'c nodded once, and Reynolds whispered, "We need a distraction."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Piotrowski suddenly emerged from their hiding spot and took off running along the river, yelling at the Goa'uld and drawing their attention to him. It was a reckless move, Jack knew, but it gave them the opportunity they needed. As one, he and Reynolds stood and fired two shots in rapid succession toward the Goa'uld who were turned away, their focus and their weapons trained on the wild man. But it took a moment for Teal'c's crossbow to reach full power, giving one of the hunters enough time to shoot at Piotrowski just before he was speared through the neck by Teal'c.

Jack scanned the forest and let out a harsh curse. Though they'd ultimately killed all three Goa'uld hunters, the arrow from the last had found its mark. He could just see the twitching form of Piotrowski lying prone in the dense foliage ahead.

Like a shot, Reynolds bolted through the trees to kneel by Piotrowski's side, Jack and Teal'c not far behind. The airman was clearly badly wounded but still alive.

"Did we kill some Goa'uld, sir?" he asked Reynolds on a rasping breath.

Reynolds nodded. "Yeah, Pio. Yeah, we did."

He smiled. "Good," he said, before his eyes glazed over and his head lolled to one side.

Jack stifled another curse. All of Reynolds' team was now dead. He watched the man wrap a tight fist around Piotrowski's dog tags and yank them free, before bowing his head over the still form of the airman. Jack knew his fellow leader was still trying to process the loss, but the scene called to mind his own team, half of which was still trapped in the palace. He had to get to them now.

The forest was silent for several seconds before Teal'c said solemnly, "I am sorry, Colonel Reynolds."

Finally, Reynolds stood and briefly met the Jaffa's eyes. "Not your fault, Teal'c." He steeled himself, then walked past them, toward the fallen Goa'uld. "Now let's go get the rest of those bastards," he growled without looking back.

The three of them quickly divested the dead hunters of their weapons, leaving the burdensome crossbows but increasing their arsenal by three zats. Quickly, they made their way to the river. Jack's gaze tracked the direction of the water. He was fairly certain he could see the lights of the castle through the trees, just a few klicks ahead.

"Let's go," he commanded, and they began picking their way downriver as fast as possible.

As they neared the castle, Jack noticed that physically he was feeling much better. However, he found his thoughts drifting back to the prior evening, specifically to his experience with Sam. God, he was worried about her - not only about what might be happening to her now, but also whether he would ever be able to make things right between them, assuming they ever got off that god-forsaken planet. Honestly, though, he wasn't sure he could ever stop thinking about her - the way she'd felt wrapped around him, the slide of her silken skin against his, her heady scent, and the sounds she made as he moved inside her. Hell, he was pretty sure he never wanted to stop thinking about it.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said suddenly, drawing Jack's attention back to the current situation. Glancing up, he was shocked to discover that they were already at the palace. With a great deal of effort, he focused his attention on the matter at hand.

Just as Piotrowski had described, the river flowed under the palace walls. No doubt it was intended to be an attractive part of the interior decor, and Jack couldn't help but think it was just like a Goa'uld to put ostentatious design ahead of security. In this case, though, it was to their advantage. He smirked. Far be it for him to look askance at the unintended consequences of unbridled hubris.

With a quick hand gesture, he led the three of them into the waist-deep water. It was cold but bearable, and so he slipped beneath the surface, hoping they would remain unseen once they were inside. It was only a matter of moments before the current carried them beneath the wall. Jack dug his feet in the bottom of the riverbed and considered their options. Unfortunately, it was almost as dark inside the palace as it was outside, making it impossible to tell whether there was anyone else around from underwater. Steeling himself in anticipation of unexpected company, he broke the surface and hastily scanned the area.

They were in a large, open room filled with several green and flowering plants in every shape and size. A glass ceiling through which moonlight shone led Jack to conclude it was an atrium of some sort, and as far as he could tell, it was completely abandoned. After confirming that there was no one else there, he motioned to the others to exit the river. Without a word, the three of them hoisted themselves onto the perfectly groomed riverbank.

"It would seem we are alone," Teal'c said quietly.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. I guess there aren't many people who try to break into the palace." Now that he thought about it, though, he wondered why anyone would want to leave. It was beautiful there, and his entire body was buzzing with excitement. Sam was there, too, somewhere. He needed to find her.

"We should make our way to the pleasure dome," Teal'c offered when neither Jack nor Reynolds made any further move to leave.

"Right," Jack replied. That was where Sam was. God, she was beautiful. He wanted to feel her move beneath him.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c whispered urgently.

Jack whipped his head around to face the Jaffa. Shit, he was losing his edge. By the glazed look in Reynolds' eyes, he wasn't much better off. "You're going to have to keep us focused, T." With a slight incline of the head, Teal'c indicated his understanding. "Do you think you can take us to the dome?"

"I can," he replied. "Follow me." With that, he quickly led them out of the atrium.

Jack kept his gaze pinned on the back of the large Jaffa, concentrating only keeping up with him as they moved with surprising speed through the empty halls of the palace. It wasn't difficult; after all, he was taking him to Sam, and she was the only thing he wanted. If he could only find her...touch her...be with her...

In what seemed a matter of minutes, they were standing outside the grand entrance to the pleasure dome, the one Jack could only assume was intended for the Khan's guests, as opposed to the dark and hidden entrance they'd been lead through as slaves. Huge columns topped with long-tongued dragons carved from stone stood on either side of two massive wooden doors adorned with intricate metalwork. Red silk panels hung from ceiling to floor all around the space as well, giving the area a lush and sensual feel.

Quickly, Teal'c darted behind one of the columns and crouched down, motioning for Jack and Reynolds to follow. From their position near the door, Jack could hear the strange pulsating music from inside. Waves of desire washed over him in time with the irregular beat of the song. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He had to get inside.

"T..." he began in a strangled voice, unable to finish his sentence.

Teal'c gasped his shoulder in a firm grip. "You must stay with me, O'Neill." He looked over Jack's shoulder. "And you as well, Colonel Reynolds. "Do not look at the light."

Jack nodded, but he was no longer sure to what he was agreeing. Mimicking Teal'c, he unholstered his zat, although he had no idea why he might need it. There was no time to ask, however, as the Jaffa immediately rose from his hiding spot, walked up to the large doors, and pushed them open. On autopilot now, Jack stood and simply followed the Jaffa inside.

The moment he entered the pleasure dome, he was completely captivated by the light. Instantly, he began to move unthinkingly toward it, drawn by sensuous waves that rolled over him and the rest of the room. On some level, he was aware that Teal'c and Reynolds were with him, though he had no time to concern himself with them. No, he had to find Sam.

All around him, people were having sex beneath the waves of light, and he felt a surge of jealously. She was his, dammit! If he caught anyone else touching her, he'd kill that person, whether human or Goa'uld. He looked at the zat in his hand and knew he had the means.

With a growl of frustration, he began barreling through the crowd in search of a blond head, pulling people apart over their vehement protests, unheedingly moving from one group to the next. From somewhere nearby, he heard Teal'c yell his name, but he was motivated now by a singular purpose, and no one was going to stop him from finding her.

"Halt!" a Goa'uld bellowed from across the room, and the sheer rage in his voice was enough to make Jack pause and look in the direction of the sound.

When he glanced up, he saw that Teal'c was standing next to the light and had partially dismantled the housing beneath it. From across the room, the Khan was sprinting toward him, but just seconds before the Goa'uld reached him,Teal'c calmly raised his zat and fired two shots in quick succession before flipping a switch under the machine.

With that, the room plunged into darkness, Jack instantly snapped to attention, and all hell broke loose in the pleasure dome.

TBC...