A/N - Sorry for the delay in posting, but real life jumped up and bit me in the butt this week. I have been living 6th grade all over again and, frankly, I really didn't enjoy it the first time around. Anyone remember anything about integers? Yeah, me neither.

This chapter was a bear to write. Hope it makes sense. Leave me a note, and let me know!

Chapter 10

"Turn on the lights!" Harry cried, his voice betraying his near panic.

Jack reached for the small flashlight he was carrying, though without any particular sense of urgency. He flipped the switch and directed the light in Harry's direction. The beam of Daniel's flashlight followed his, and Harry squinted and raised his hands to shield his face.

"Jeez, Harry. Relax, will ya?" Jack said, trying to suppress a grin. Harry merely glared at the military man in response.

Jack and Daniel swept the space with their flashlights, and the light bounced off of the damp stone walls that surrounded them. It appeared they were in a short tunnel that ended at a set of stairs that descended into darkness. As the group moved closer to the stairs, they noticed a marked drop in temperature. The distinct smell of mildew emanated from the somewhere below.

With an air of excitement, Daniel bolted down the stairs, followed closely by Teal'c. Jack grabbed a reluctant Harry, and pushing the would-be friar in front of him, took up the rear. After several steps, the stairway ended at a large earthen landing. Yet another tunnel, much wider than the first, ran into the unfathomable distance.

Daniel didn't hesitate to walk into the larger passageway, sweeping his flashlight back and forth before him. The light revealed smaller tunnels leading off of the main one and multiple recesses set at intervals along both walls, each containing long dead occupants in varying stages of decay.

Harry shivered once and threw his arms up in the air. "This place is huge! Not to mention creepy. How are we supposed to find the Knights of the Round Table in here?"

Jack inclined his head in Daniel's direction. "He'll figure it out. He's in his element now." The archeologist had begun muttering to himself, occasionally stopping to examine various parts of the wall on either side of the tunnel. He continued to wander down the crude hallway, followed closely by Teal'c.

Harry sat down on the bottom step of the staircase. "Fine. When he's got it, he can let us know."

"Oh, please, feel free to stay here, your Highness," Jack said, his voice brimming with mock deference. "We'll just pick you up when we're done." With that, he walked off, taking the flashlight with him and leaving Harry in almost total darkness.

Harry sprang to his feet. "No! Wait!" he yelled. Suddenly he let out a high pitched scream, practically throwing himself into arms of their military leader, who had turned around at the commotion.

"Gah! Get off of me!" Scowling, Jack pushed Harry away. "For cryin' out loud, you scream like a little girl."

Harry was breathing hard, and his eyes were wild. "Something crawled over my foot!"

"It was likely a rodent," Teal'c said from further down the long tunnel. "I have encountered several since we descended."

Harry began straightening his clothes, in an attempt to regain his composure. "Well that makes me feel so much better," he mumbled sarcastically, though this time he stayed close to Jack when he turned to follow the others.

One hour passed, and then another, as Daniel led them deeper and deeper into the catacombs, looking for some indication that Sir Bors or the other Knights of the Round Table were buried there. Like Harry, Jack was quickly beginning to lose his patience, due in no small part to his concern for Sam. He knew that Baal wouldn't kill her before the wedding, but he was growing increasingly concerned about what he might do to her in the meantime.

Daniel had been studying a small alcove off the main tunnel for several minutes. Jack watched him closely and tried to suppress the urge to yell at him. He sighed and shifted uncomfortably.

"Hmm," Daniel said finally.

"What?" Jack barked.

Daniel grasped his chin and rubbed his jaw. "Well, according to the dates on the crypts in this part of the catacombs, I would expect any Knights who lived during the time of King Arthur to be buried in this area here, but as you can see..." He gestured at the smooth stone walls of the empty alcove.

"DanielJackson," Teal'c called from just outside the small space. "I believe there is writing above the entrance."

Daniel and Jack and Harry joined Teal'c just outside of the alcove and followed his gaze to the space above the archway to the alcove. "Jack, shine your light up here," Daniel directed. He squinted up at the faint marks over the opening to the alcove. "I can't believe I didn't see this. It's in Latin. It says, 'The Bridge to Avalon may only be traversed by the pure of heart.'"

"Well that rules you out," Jack immediately said to Harry.

Daniel's eyes lit up and he began speaking quickly, his tongue almost tripping over his words, a sure sign of his growing excitement. "This has to be it! Avalon is a place straight out of Arthurian legend. It was supposedly the final resting place of King Arthur, who was taken there by Morgan Le Fay after being mortally wounded by Mordred in battle. According to legend, Arthur never really died but remained in Avalon awaiting the time when he would return to lead his people once more." He paused only to take a quick breath. "There must be an entrance around here somewhere. Look for a secret door or hidden passageway of some sort."

The four of them spread out to examine the walls of the alcove, but they found no cracks in the stone or any other indication that there was a hidden doorway nearby. Daniel was studying the exterior archway closely, wondering whether he might have missed something else, but it was Teal'c who ultimately discovered the crucial clue.

"Perhaps this is what you seek," he said, as he ran his hands over the rough stone, just inside the entrance to the alcove.

They gathered around the spot Teal'c indicated. Approximately half way up the wall was a small circular engraving, no bigger than a half dollar.

"It's a tree. Some sort of fruit tree," Harry offered, his nose pressed almost to the stone.

"Of course!" Daniel exclaimed. "Avalon was also known as the Isle of Apples."

Harry reached for the stone and gave it a push. "No, wait!" Daniel yelled, but nothing happened. He glared at the ex-NID agent. "It has to be activated by someone who is 'pure of heart.'"

"Told ya," Jack smirked.

Harry gave Jack a snarky sideways glance. "Well I'd say that rules out all of us."

"It is unfortunate that Colonel Carter is not here," murmured Teal'c.

"Yeah, it is," Jack agreed, his voice rougher than he intended. The truth was he was really getting worried about her, and the longer Baal kept her captive, the more anxious he became. He tried to tamp down on his worry, but he knew if Baal harmed her in anyway, he'd never forgive himself.

Deep in thought, he absently ran his hand over the stone. To his utter astonishment, it began to glow. He jumped backwards. "Whoa!"

Suddenly, the stones on the floor inside the alcove lit up in a circle.

"Uh, Jack? What did you do?" asked Daniel warily, looking at the ground as it glowed beneath his feet.

"Nothing! I just touched the tree."

"I believe this is a transportation platform," Teal'c said calmly.

Quickly, Daniel moved inside the circle to stand beside Teal'c. Jack grabbed Harry by the back of his robes and pulled him into the center of the floor as well. The next instant, they were surrounded by five sets of rings rising in quick succession from the floor, and in a flash of light, they were transported to an entirely different room. By the look of the familiar stone walls, Jack surmised they were still somewhere in the catacombs.

"No offense, Jack, but I've read your file, and I'm gonna have to question their definition of 'pure!'" Harry protested.

"Hey!"

Daniel cleared his throat. "I think it must have something to do with your Ancient gene..."

Without warning, an elderly man with a long white beard and ornate robes appeared in front of them. Harry let out another girly scream, but Jack silenced him with a firm jab to the ribcage.

The elderly man spread his hands wide and smiled. "Welcome, good knights, to Avalon."

"Er, thanks," Jack replied.

Daniel leaned toward Jack and said in a low voice, "I think it's a hologram, Jack. Like Thor on Cimmeria?"

"Ah. Right. I knew that."

The hologram continued. "You are no doubt nearing the end of your quest. Now, I encourage you to find what you desire, but I must caution you to take only what you need." Just as quickly as he appeared, the old man was gone.

"Well that was helpful," Harry said wryly.

Daniel nodded. "Yep, that's about what we've come to expect."

The group began to look around the new room in which they found themselves. It's gray rock construction was similar to the rest of the catacombs, but the space was much larger than any other they had yet seen, with a domed roof and no discernible exit. Thirteen raised coffins were positioned in a circle around the center of the room, each adorned with statuary chiseled from stone, presumably in the image of the individuals buried inside. The entire place seemed to glow with an eerie blue light.

As Daniel examined the coffins, he became increasingly excited. "This is incredible! If I'm interpreting the inscriptions on these coffins correctly, we have actually discovered the final resting place of the Knights of the Round Table!"

"Focus, Daniel. Let's just find this Chariot and get the hell out of here," said Jack.

Teal'c shoved the top half-way off one of coffins, causing Daniel to cringe. He peered inside. "That may prove difficult, O'Neill." Jack looked at the Jaffa questioningly. "There does not appear to be anything of value here." Jack peered inside the open casket and found only bones and the tattered remains of whatever clothing had adorned its occupant.

Harry was already opening his third casket, his initial fear of the dead now forgotten with the promise of a potential windfall. "You know, I'm not finding much of anything, either." He turned toward Daniel, who was still examining the inscriptions on the outside of the coffins. "I thought you said there would be thirteen treasures here."

"No," he corrected. "I said there were Thirteen Treasures of Britain, but I have no way of knowing whether they were brought here or not. Plus, I suppose it's possible that someone else has already discovered them."

"Now you tell us this?" Jack asked, his tone incredulous.

Harry was already nose deep into casket number four. "Wait a minute…what have we here?" he asked, as he stood up holding a small item between his thumb and forefinger.

The other three gathered around him. "It's a ring," said Daniel. "And it has a picture of a winged chariot on it!"

"That's it?" asked Jack. "That's the Chariot?"

Daniel raised both eyebrows. "It would seem so."

"Cool," said Harry, as he slipped it on his finger.

"Harry, wait!" yelled Daniel.

But Harry just stood there, as all of them stared at him expectantly waiting for something to happen. "Well that was anti-climatic," he said after several seconds.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the floor began to shake violently, causing everyone but Teal'c to fall to the ground. Several of the open coffins also tumbled over, including one that landed right next to Harry, scattering the dusty remains of its occupant all over the ex-NID agent's prone form. The moment he realized what had happened, he scrambled to his feet, screaming madly, as he tried to beat the dust from his hair and clothing.

"You were warned!" bellowed the hologram of the old man, which had apparently chosen that moment to make a reappearance. He raised a ghostly arm and pointed it at Harry. "Those who are not pure of heart are not welcome here! You will perish!"

"See!" Jack yelled over the din as he found his own feet. "I was right!"

"We have to get out of here!" Daniel screamed. As quickly as possible, they made their way back into the center of the transportation rings, pushing and pulling each other into the center of the floor, as it continued to shake. Desperately, they looked around for some way to activate the rings, but found none. By then, pieces of the ceiling were raining down around them. "Jack, do something!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Jack cried, as he ducked and covered his head to protect it from the debris that seemed to be falling all around him.

"I don't know…just, just think about getting out of here!"

Jack closed his eyes and concentrated on getting to safe place. After several seconds, he cracked open one lid to see the rings rise up to surround them, just as the ceiling seemed to implode.

When the rings fell away again, they found themselves back where they started, in the empty alcove off the main tunnel in the catacombs. Aside from a few lingering pieces of ceiling that fell harmlessly to the floor, there was no other sign of an impending cave in. In fact, everything was completely calm. As soon as they realized they were no longer in imminent danger, three pairs of angry eyes turned to glare at Harry.

"Give it to me," said Jack.

Harry feigned confusion. "Hmm?"

"The Chariot, Harry. I know you have it. Now hand it over."

Reluctantly, Harry pulled the ring from a pocket in his robes and placed it in Jack's outstretched hand. Jack examined it closely. It was large and heavy and seemed to be made of some sort of gray metal, like pewter. The top was flat, its only decoration a stylized picture of a winged chariot carved into the metal. He placed it on his finger, and the moment he slid it on, Jack felt a low level buzzing in his hand, almost as though the ring was vibrating.

"Anything?" asked Daniel.

"Feels kinda…tingly." Jack shrugged. "Now what?"

"Try thinking about moving to a different place," Daniel suggested.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and was instantly transported to a spot immediately behind Harry. He tapped him on the shoulder, causing the would-be friar to jump and let out yet another high pitched scream. Jack chuckled.

Teal'c cocked his head to one side. "It appears we have successfully located the Chariot."

"So, this thing will take me where ever I want to go?" asked Jack.

Daniel shrugged. "Supposedly."

"Sweet!" Jack looked sideways at his companions. "Uh, I'll be right back."

Before they had a chance to protest, he closed his eyes and disappeared.

TBC...