When Daniel finally woke up again, the sun of P4A-984, also known as Krynn,
had just finished its climb to its highest point in the bright blue
cloudless sky. He was startled by the idea of how long he must've slept.
Luckily enough, he didn't remember seeing any dreams this time, though the
earlier strange visions were still fresh in his mind. Now that he thought
of it, his head was clear too, not even distantly hazy anymore, and his
back didn't hurt. He felt fine. He began to wonder if he'd just dreamed
having woken up earlier and feeling sick.
"Jack?" Daniel called out. The sound was still somewhat raspy, but definitely better than before, he thought. Without waiting for an answer, he sat up, looking for the others.
"Daniel. Still feeling funny?" the colonel asked. He was sitting next to Daniel, and Tanis and Sturm were nearby, much closer than where they had been when he had went to sleep. Something else had changed, too: there was a nasty-looking claw mark running across Jack's chest.
"I'm good, but what's happened to you?"
"Never mind that, it's not half as deep as what you've got. Won't even leave a scar."
"He tried to speak to the draconians," Tanis offered helpfully - Jack instantly cast an icy glance at him. Daniel looked at him as well, rather amused. The colonel was usually the last person to communicate with aliens.
"Some try it was, too. At least I found out that we're not important enough to talk to. It pretty much looks like that we're not important enough to get food or water, either. On the good side of things, we're obviously not important enough to be killed. It's like they've forgotten we're here."
"I could try..." Daniel begun, but didn't get too far.
"No, you won't, as fancy as it might be to have matching scratches on both sides. You sure you're okay?"
"Positive. Why do you keep asking?"
"Firstly, because you don't look all that good. Secondly since I already thought we'd lost you once. Couldn't make you wake up. Gave me a good scare."
Daniel closed his eyes and let his head droop. So, he had remembered that part correctly. It hadn't been a dream - but it just didn't make any sense!
O'Neill reached out his hands to try Daniel's forehead. He tried to pull away, annoyed. "Jack, come on, you can drop the mother hen routine. I'm all right."
Jack stared at the linguist, frowning. He didn't return the joke. "Daniel, I don't think you should be. Those cuts don't look any better, and I think you're still running a high fever."
"I don't feel like it," Daniel replied quickly and shook his head vigorously. "I'll leave the lizards alone, though, just to please you. So, have you come up with anything at all while I was, umm, asleep?"
Sturm spoke up for the first time, albeit briefly. "We have not, although we truly should!"
"There's something strange going on here," Tanis explained. "The draconians are cleaning and rebuilding the temple ruins. It looks like they're planning to return the place to its original meaning, whatever worship that might've been. I'd rather not wait here and find out that we are to be sacrificed to their dark gods..."
Daniel nodded. As he surveyed the surroundings, he could see quickly enough that Tanis was telling the truth. The view was quite different from the previous day. Most of the broken columns had been taken away or set up again, the floor had been cleared of crushed stone and grass, and dark banners were waving in the mild breeze. Without his glasses, he couldn't quite make up the images in them.
"So, what can we do..." the archaeologist mumbled. Frustrated, he gazed at his tightly tied hands. "God, I wish I could at least get the bindings off," he growled, waving his hands about.
All of a sudden, they burst into fire.
It was such a quick flash that later on, none of them could tell for certain that it had truly happened. For a second, it really seemed that Daniel's hands were surrounded by tiny but extremely bright flames. He didn't even have the time to cry out when it was over. Actually, he couldn't say that he would've felt anything at all, and his hands were not burned.
"Who-holy--ho-la-laa," Jack tried to cover his startled yelp. A draconian glared at him, but probably didn't notice anything out-of-the-ordinary, since it quickly turned away.
Daniel sighed out of relief, both because the flames had died so quickly and because the draconian had missed the most important. He lifted his hands. They were no longer tied - actually, there was no trace of the straps left.
"What the hell was that?" Jack hissed.
"I have no idea."
"It was magic! You are not what you claim to be!" Sturm declared darkly. He backed away from Jack and Daniel.
"Magic. That's what it looked like," Tanis nodded. "But it does not have to mean that they are evil - does it?" he pointed his last question at the linguist.
"It wasn't magic! I don't know anything about magic! Besides, doesn't that include all kinds of gestures and incantations?"
Even Jack was eyeing Daniel with suspicion now.
"Look, guys! Let's stick to the important things! My hands are free. That means we can escape," Daniel uttered, keeping his voice low enough not to tell their guards that something was going on.
Untying his ankles had to wait a bit. He wanted to free Jack's hands first. It was quite a task, taken that he didn't have any tools except for his rather numb fingers, and the knots were tight. At least the draconians had used crude rope, not some finer cord or metallic shackles. It was slow work, but finally, he succeeded. Now, freeing Tanis and Sturm was only a question of time. Luckily, the guards were obviously not expecting any trouble, since they weren't particularly attentive. Not letting them know that their prisoners were no longer bound was not a hard thing to do.
After what felt like hours of work, they were all free. They kept the bands loosely around their wrists and ankles, so that it would be easier to fake being tied. The next question was, of course, how they, unarmed, were going to escape from a circle of rather dull guards with big, sharp claws and all kinds of weapons, magic included.
They hadn't had much time to plan a thing, when something happened somewhere that caused the entire draconian army to go crazy, or so it seemed. Suddenly they were all running somewhere, hissing and growling orders and picking up weapons. Most of the guards left as well, leaving only two to keep watch over the prisoners.
Four against two - such odds looked a lot better than what they had had! Sturm and Tanis attacked first, offering a great example of teamwork. The half-elf caught the attention of the draconian, so Sturm got to punch it in a not-so-knightly manner, and when the lizard turned to look at him, Tanis kicked it. Jack quickly pushed Daniel aside and took care of the other with his usual, well-timed and well-trained moves.
"Jack, I think they're all heading for the 'Gate!" Daniel noted, when the two guards were down on the ground and nicely secured with their own ropes.
"All right, we'll go after them," the colonel replied immediately.
"Why should we? Isn't this a great opportunity to escape?" Tanis asked, frowning.
"Escape for us means going to that 'Gate, Pointy-ears! You can go your own way."
"But how do you think you can get through that portal of yours if all the draconians from the area have gathered around it?" the half-elf said patiently. "Besides, considering how many enemies there are and how few of us, I don't think splitting up would be very wise."
"Jack, he's right. We can leave with them, hide, observe the situation and go to the 'Gate when we know that it's secure."
"All right, all right! Let's move it!" Jack gave in. Daniel was amazed that it took him this long, since obviously following the enemies to the Stargate would not be a smart move. He suspected that those concerned glances that he kept getting from Jack might have been a part of the reason. Yep, that was probably true. Jack wanted to get him back to Earth and Doc Fraiser as soon as he could. But that would have to wait.
Daniel and Jack ran away from the Stargate and the ruins, following Tanis and Sturm, who led them back along the path that had originally brought them here, back into the wilderness.
"Jack?" Daniel called out. The sound was still somewhat raspy, but definitely better than before, he thought. Without waiting for an answer, he sat up, looking for the others.
"Daniel. Still feeling funny?" the colonel asked. He was sitting next to Daniel, and Tanis and Sturm were nearby, much closer than where they had been when he had went to sleep. Something else had changed, too: there was a nasty-looking claw mark running across Jack's chest.
"I'm good, but what's happened to you?"
"Never mind that, it's not half as deep as what you've got. Won't even leave a scar."
"He tried to speak to the draconians," Tanis offered helpfully - Jack instantly cast an icy glance at him. Daniel looked at him as well, rather amused. The colonel was usually the last person to communicate with aliens.
"Some try it was, too. At least I found out that we're not important enough to talk to. It pretty much looks like that we're not important enough to get food or water, either. On the good side of things, we're obviously not important enough to be killed. It's like they've forgotten we're here."
"I could try..." Daniel begun, but didn't get too far.
"No, you won't, as fancy as it might be to have matching scratches on both sides. You sure you're okay?"
"Positive. Why do you keep asking?"
"Firstly, because you don't look all that good. Secondly since I already thought we'd lost you once. Couldn't make you wake up. Gave me a good scare."
Daniel closed his eyes and let his head droop. So, he had remembered that part correctly. It hadn't been a dream - but it just didn't make any sense!
O'Neill reached out his hands to try Daniel's forehead. He tried to pull away, annoyed. "Jack, come on, you can drop the mother hen routine. I'm all right."
Jack stared at the linguist, frowning. He didn't return the joke. "Daniel, I don't think you should be. Those cuts don't look any better, and I think you're still running a high fever."
"I don't feel like it," Daniel replied quickly and shook his head vigorously. "I'll leave the lizards alone, though, just to please you. So, have you come up with anything at all while I was, umm, asleep?"
Sturm spoke up for the first time, albeit briefly. "We have not, although we truly should!"
"There's something strange going on here," Tanis explained. "The draconians are cleaning and rebuilding the temple ruins. It looks like they're planning to return the place to its original meaning, whatever worship that might've been. I'd rather not wait here and find out that we are to be sacrificed to their dark gods..."
Daniel nodded. As he surveyed the surroundings, he could see quickly enough that Tanis was telling the truth. The view was quite different from the previous day. Most of the broken columns had been taken away or set up again, the floor had been cleared of crushed stone and grass, and dark banners were waving in the mild breeze. Without his glasses, he couldn't quite make up the images in them.
"So, what can we do..." the archaeologist mumbled. Frustrated, he gazed at his tightly tied hands. "God, I wish I could at least get the bindings off," he growled, waving his hands about.
All of a sudden, they burst into fire.
It was such a quick flash that later on, none of them could tell for certain that it had truly happened. For a second, it really seemed that Daniel's hands were surrounded by tiny but extremely bright flames. He didn't even have the time to cry out when it was over. Actually, he couldn't say that he would've felt anything at all, and his hands were not burned.
"Who-holy--ho-la-laa," Jack tried to cover his startled yelp. A draconian glared at him, but probably didn't notice anything out-of-the-ordinary, since it quickly turned away.
Daniel sighed out of relief, both because the flames had died so quickly and because the draconian had missed the most important. He lifted his hands. They were no longer tied - actually, there was no trace of the straps left.
"What the hell was that?" Jack hissed.
"I have no idea."
"It was magic! You are not what you claim to be!" Sturm declared darkly. He backed away from Jack and Daniel.
"Magic. That's what it looked like," Tanis nodded. "But it does not have to mean that they are evil - does it?" he pointed his last question at the linguist.
"It wasn't magic! I don't know anything about magic! Besides, doesn't that include all kinds of gestures and incantations?"
Even Jack was eyeing Daniel with suspicion now.
"Look, guys! Let's stick to the important things! My hands are free. That means we can escape," Daniel uttered, keeping his voice low enough not to tell their guards that something was going on.
Untying his ankles had to wait a bit. He wanted to free Jack's hands first. It was quite a task, taken that he didn't have any tools except for his rather numb fingers, and the knots were tight. At least the draconians had used crude rope, not some finer cord or metallic shackles. It was slow work, but finally, he succeeded. Now, freeing Tanis and Sturm was only a question of time. Luckily, the guards were obviously not expecting any trouble, since they weren't particularly attentive. Not letting them know that their prisoners were no longer bound was not a hard thing to do.
After what felt like hours of work, they were all free. They kept the bands loosely around their wrists and ankles, so that it would be easier to fake being tied. The next question was, of course, how they, unarmed, were going to escape from a circle of rather dull guards with big, sharp claws and all kinds of weapons, magic included.
They hadn't had much time to plan a thing, when something happened somewhere that caused the entire draconian army to go crazy, or so it seemed. Suddenly they were all running somewhere, hissing and growling orders and picking up weapons. Most of the guards left as well, leaving only two to keep watch over the prisoners.
Four against two - such odds looked a lot better than what they had had! Sturm and Tanis attacked first, offering a great example of teamwork. The half-elf caught the attention of the draconian, so Sturm got to punch it in a not-so-knightly manner, and when the lizard turned to look at him, Tanis kicked it. Jack quickly pushed Daniel aside and took care of the other with his usual, well-timed and well-trained moves.
"Jack, I think they're all heading for the 'Gate!" Daniel noted, when the two guards were down on the ground and nicely secured with their own ropes.
"All right, we'll go after them," the colonel replied immediately.
"Why should we? Isn't this a great opportunity to escape?" Tanis asked, frowning.
"Escape for us means going to that 'Gate, Pointy-ears! You can go your own way."
"But how do you think you can get through that portal of yours if all the draconians from the area have gathered around it?" the half-elf said patiently. "Besides, considering how many enemies there are and how few of us, I don't think splitting up would be very wise."
"Jack, he's right. We can leave with them, hide, observe the situation and go to the 'Gate when we know that it's secure."
"All right, all right! Let's move it!" Jack gave in. Daniel was amazed that it took him this long, since obviously following the enemies to the Stargate would not be a smart move. He suspected that those concerned glances that he kept getting from Jack might have been a part of the reason. Yep, that was probably true. Jack wanted to get him back to Earth and Doc Fraiser as soon as he could. But that would have to wait.
Daniel and Jack ran away from the Stargate and the ruins, following Tanis and Sturm, who led them back along the path that had originally brought them here, back into the wilderness.