Chapter 6
O'Neill looked back toward the cave to find Carter standing in front of the opening with two men kneeling before her. One appeared to be a frail old man. Beside him was more of a threat - a large well muscled young man.
The old man, Phlan, was a shaman whose gray hair and braided beard were entwined with beads and small bones, his hands and face were tattooed. The young man, Griss, had only a few tattoos and was the apprentice and guardian of the old man.
This cave was sacred in the traditions of their people. The cave, unvisited for centuries, its precise location had been lost to legend. It was said to be the opening through which the first people poured forth to populate their world or so the ancient tales told. Finding it had been the life quest of the old shaman. The emergence of the golden goddess this very morning was a sign. Her young attendant behind her had the tiny image of the fertility goddess in his hand. And this is how they knew for sure and fell to their knees.
O'Neill and Teal'c didn't think the old man was capable of hurting Carter but the young man might be a different story. With weapons visible and accessible they ambled over, not to appear to be threatening but protective of their teammates. The old man, still elated at the appearance of his long awaited goddess in the cave of myths, was not frightened by the heavily armed men. The young man looked warily upon them. This was his world, the cave was of his ancestors and the woman was one he would lay claim to.
Daniel invited them into the cave to view the handprints and the old man cried with joy. It was where the first ones had left their mark. The young apprentice was outraged that the foreigner had touched something so sacred, the fertility idol. He was incensed they had been in the sacred cave, and that they had been in the presence of the beautiful woman, the fulfillment of their goddess in the flesh. If he possessed the incarnation of the goddess his status among the people would be unsurpassed.
At first Griss thought the young blue eyed man was the mate of the golden one and would have to be done away with. But he realized quickly the one who held the power was the brown eyed, gray haired man. It took no time for O'Neill to see the young native was yet another of the men to fall to Carter's allure. The poor guy not only looked at her with lust, she was adored.
Phlan invited the foreigners to the village by the hot spring. Phlan explained the series of handholds and secure spots to place their feet in the almost vertical wall of stone. This first time down Griss and Phlan would lead the way. Griss took the feeble old man on his sturdy back and carried him back over the hill and back to their village. To Jack he resembled a spider or a crab scuttling down the cliff. SG-1 followed in his footsteps using the handholds carved into the rock face.
Most of the villagers were intrigued by the visitors, it was a rare event. They were polite and welcoming but totally dismissed the shaman's theory of Sam being the embodiment of the goddess. They regarded his beliefs as old nonsense.
Jack let Daniel do most of the talking to these people who were a bit reticent - they were strangers after all. They did understand one another mostly without needing Daniel to translate. Speech between them was somewhat awkward and halting but clarity was increased with time and some patience.
It was their custom that the various clans visited the hot spring during the parts of the year when neither crops nor herds needed tending. There were 3 small stone structures built into the side of the cliff but most of the shelters were hide tents, all of which were occupied by the families that brought them. There was some space for the team to set up their tents and a pair of large fur throws were scrounged up to soften their bed. They were invited too to share the food by the family groups. The meal was good. And soon they all became more at ease with one another.
Daniel, at Jack's behest, stood and thanked the people for their hospitality and generosity in sharing their hot spring and the meal. O'Neill beside his rose to assure them that as soon as it was safe they would return to their home. And thanking them again they sat to finish the meal.
Griss wanted Carter to come with him, to share the tent that he occupied with Phlan. She demurred but Griss took her hand and tugged gently toward his dwelling. O'Neill glared at Griss and he dropped her hand and huffed. O'Neill had learned his lesson years ago - she stays with the team, well, with him.
They set up the two small tents they had brought - Daniel and Teal'c in one and Carter and O'Neill in the other. Sam set it up much as she had the cave but with the fur throw under all for comfort. They were placed far enough from the hot spring so it would be cool enough for sleep and quiet enough not to hear the splashing and laughing of the evening bathers. Jack hoped that whatever might be hopping and scurrying around in the furs didn't hop on him. He had given it an almighty good shaking before handing it over to Sam.