Ancient Power

Chapter 11

Jack led the way into the dark passage, moving slowly with the light held out in front of him, zat in the other hand. Soon they found themselves descending narrow stairs slick with algae that squished between their toes as they stepped. For a while, the only sounds were their breathing and the clinking of the chains still dangling from their shackles. As they continued downward, the air became cooler and damper and they felt a slight breeze which told them there had to be an exit somewhere.

"Why haven't you used this to escape before now?" Jack asked Meryet.

"The Jaffa watch us closely. It would be difficult to escape this way without being detected. We also know that if any of us escaped, our families would be punished."

"What made them fight back today?"

"Daniel told me something was going to happen and that when it did, I should get you to safety. I thought he must be going to use his power against the Jaffa, so I told my people to be ready to take advantage of it."

Smart girl. "I hope they were successful," Jack replied.

"As do I."

The stairs ended and the group found they were in a passageway carved from the rock the castle was built on. There was a new sound here: the sound of dripping water. They had a choice of going left or right. It was equally dark in either direction, but the breeze was coming from their left, so that was the course they took. They stepped off the stairs into the passage and immediately water engulfed their legs up to mid-calf level. Jack looked questioningly at Meryet, who smiled and nodded her head in reassurance that they were on the right path.

Jack wished they had been wearing some kind of footwear when they were kidnapped—even house shoes would have afforded some protection. There was no telling what might be lurking in the water waiting for a bare foot to step on it.

They moved slowly, cautiously placing their steps on the uncertain path. Teal'c had the extra burden of carrying Daniel. Jack's concern grew with every minute that passed with Daniel still unconscious. They stopped and checked his breathing and heart rate, resuming their journey when they were satisfied that he wasn't getting worse.

Jack consoled himself with the knowledge that Daniel had been unconscious a long time after their encounter with Ba'al. His thoughts returned to the scene in the throne room—an entire room of dead Jaffa, Daniel hanging by his wrists, and no Anath. Had Daniel been responsible for the explosion they'd heard? Is that what had killed the Jaffa? And where was Anath? He had a feeling his questions weren't going to be answered any time soon.

The cold water they were trudging through, combined with the cool breeze blowing across his bare chest, sent a chill up Jack's spine. Not to mention the increasingly sharp pain in his side. He hoped they would come to the end of the passage—the sooner the better. They'd be lucky if they didn't all catch pneumonia. He turned back to look at Daniel still hanging limp over Teal'c's shoulder. This couldn't be doing him much good, either.

"How's he doin'?"

The group came to a halt as Sam checked him over.

"About the same," she announced. She used a corner of her T-Shirt to reach over and wipe another drop of blood from under Daniel's nose. She looked up at Jack, concern creasing her face.

Damn. Jack had no idea what was wrong with Daniel and there was nothing they could do for him. They didn't even have a first aid kit. They needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

"All right, let's keep movin'. Any idea how much further we have to go?"

"I am sorry, I do not," Meryet replied.

Swell. But he didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded his head.

A splash brought them all to a stop again.

"What was that?" Sam asked.

"Fish." Jack said.

"Fish?" Sam's voice was tinged with doubt.

"Yep, fish. Let's pick it up." Jack didn't sound convincing to his own ears, but there wasn't much they could do about it.

They increased their pace, sloshing through the darkness, no longer cautious of their steps. A yelp of surprise from Sam broke the silence.

"Carter?"

"Something brushed my leg."

"Just a fish. Keep moving."

"Yes, sir."

A startled "Ah!" from Meryet a few seconds later had them increasing their pace yet again. Jack felt more than one smooth form brush his own leg. A loud splash was followed by Sam's "Sir!" and then she was twisting and turning and kicking.

"What's wrong?" Jack said as he splashed through the water towards her.

"Something's got a hold of my leg—wrapped around it maybe."

Jack handed his torch to Meryet and took Sam's torch from her while she leaned against the wall and lifted her foot out of the water. He tried not to wince as he looked at the ugly, lumpy gray mass wrapped around Sam's ankle. It was scaly and had a long, thick body that hung from her leg. At first glance it looked like a symbiote, but a closer inspection proved it clearly wasn't. Jack reached over and tried pulling it off; it had a firm grasp on her leg and wasn't letting go.

"Zat won't work," Jack observed. "It'd get you, too, and with this water, probably the rest of us."

"I will use my staff weapon."

"Uh, isn't it gonna be a little hard to do that without hitting Carter?"

"You doubt my ability?"

"No, no! It's just, you've got Daniel, too, and it's kinda . . ." Who was he kidding? Teal'c could probably do it blindfolded. "Go for it."

Sam looked up sharply at Jack, eyes wide with a kind of 'deer in the headlights' look.

"I will take great care, Colonel Carter."

She transferred her gaze to Teal'c and relaxed slightly. "I know you will."

Leaning back against the wall, Sam raised her leg as high as she could, holding it as steady as possible. Teal'c backed up a few paces, lifted his staff one-handed, and took aim. Jack and Meryet used the torches to illuminate the target. Teal'c fired, the flash filling the chamber around them, the shot severing the body just below Sam's leg. The part that was still wrapped around her ankle released and fell into the water along with the severed piece. A frenzy of splashing followed as other creatures went after the severed pieces.

Carnivorous, then. Jack could tell the others were thinking the same thing.

"You okay?" he asked Sam.

"I think so."

"Good. Let's move it while these guys are busy."

They moved quickly, not encountering any more schools of the carnivorous creatures. Finally, a faint light began to glow far down the tunnel. Minutes later they found themselves facing a jumble of stones that had apparently broken off from the ceiling and were now partially blocking their way. There was an opening though which some light was shining, but they were going to have to climb to get to it.

Jack drew in a shaky breath and let it out, running a hand through his hair. They'd had nothing to eat or drink in who knows how long and the pain in his side was constant now, stabbing him if he took a deep breath. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but he had to hold it together—had to get them out of here and hopefully to a place where they could all regain their strength and find help for Daniel.

He surveyed the rest of his group, all looking as worn out as he felt. They were going to have to push on a little longer, though. But no way was he going to be able to climb carrying both torch and zat. Hopefully, they wouldn't need the light anymore. Choice made, he extinguished the torch.

"I'll go first and check it out. Teal'c, you bring Daniel next, then Sam and Meryet can follow."

Jack got no argument, so he turned and began climbing over the rocks. Even though sharp edges bit at his feet, the climb turned out to be fairly easy. He soon reached the top of the pile and looked out into the fading light of evening. Below him the land sloped downward then leveled out into an area of dense trees. They would only have to travel a short distance in the open before they reached the cover of the trees.

Turning back to the others, he urged them forward. Teal'c began climbing, Daniel still over his shoulder, using his staff weapon as a climbing stick. Soon they were all out and descending towards the trees. Looking back to the opening, Jack could see it was well-hidden by boulders strewn across the slope.

Once they reached the trees, they continued on a short distance until Jack called a halt.

"Let's take a break."

Jack helped Teal'c lay Daniel down on an area of soft grass. Sam checked him out again, announcing his condition unchanged. They all found a rock or tree to lean against and sat down, thankful to get off their feet.

"Meryet, is there a Stargate here?"

She looked confused and he tried again. "Chappa'ai? Big metal ring?"

That clicked. "The Portal?"

"Yes, where is it?"

"It is two days journey from here. Why do you need to visit the Portal?"

"Long story." Two days. He didn't know if any of them were up to a two-day trek.

But, if they were going to attempt it, they would need to rest and eat first and regain some strength. And maybe Daniel would wake up.

Meryet seemed to know what he was thinking. "If you are going to make the journey, you must first rest. We are not far from my village, and in the darkness we can enter without being seen. We can give you food and water and a place to rest."

Jack wondered if the Jaffa were out looking for them already; if they were, he knew where they'd go first. But what other option did they have?

"Sounds good. You do know that as soon as the Jaffa realize we're gone, they'll search the village."

Meryet smiled. "We are used to hiding things from the Jaffa."

That was something the villagers had figured out fast, Jack was sure. "Okay, lead the way."

TBC