The alien sun's first rays leaped forth from the horizon, reflected from
the polished stone of the stargate and the crumbling ruins, and made Jack
O'Neill regret the fact that he had lost his sunglasses at some unknown
moment during the last few days.
The day's first light also revealed a sight so amazing that Jack could hardly believe his eyes, even though he had spent the last few years seeing pretty amazing things every day.
Beside him were Sam, Teal'c and the assorted aliens that they had run into in this world. To the left of them was a huge gathering of draconians and to their right, some scattered Jaffa bearing the emblems of various goa'ulds. Luckily, each group was following the scene before them so keenly that they did not pay any attention to each other.
Before them lay the opening, and at its far end, straight across from Jack stood the stargate. At the foot of the ramp leading to the Gate were three figures, or perhaps two, since the third was vague, despite its overwhelming size. It was hardly more than a huge, fuzzy, shapeless, slightly transparent dark mass, much bigger than the Gate. Like a still cloud of thick black smoke, or a shadow climbing upwards from the ground. The sunlight passed right through it as if it wasn't there at all. And from it emanated an inexplicable feeling of dread and horror, strong enough to make Jack wish he could just run away and hide.
The other two figures were not nearly as imposing as the huge dark thing, though one of the certainly gave it a good try nevertheless. She was tall as well, but just tall for a human. She was clad in a suit of shining black mail, decorated with a collection of nasty-looking spikes. The helmet wasn't on, so her curly, black hair was clearly visible. But even from this distance, Jack could see it wasn't Sha're. Though, judging from her commanding stance, her totally tasteless clothing and her choice of weaponry – a staff-weapon and a hand-device – she was definitely a goa'uld.
The third was, of course, Daniel. He looked smaller than ever, caught between the huge and horrible dark shadowy thing and the tall, armor-clad goa'uld lady. And no matter what magical powers he might possess, Jack couldn't help thinking that he looked horribly vulnerable as well.
Just what the hell did Daniel think he was doing there, anyway? Of all the troublesome situations he had gotten himself into this was definitely the most spectacular. He would get himself killed, and this time, it would be permanent! More than anything, Jack wanted to do something to help, but he couldn't think of a way. He had no idea of what the situation really was, but there was a countless number of enemies surrounding them in every direction.
***
There was the opening – and the stargate – and before the stargate, there she was! She was waiting for him! Daniel rushed forward, running even faster, even though he had thought he had been going at top speed all the time.
Finally, he had reached her. After the continuous struggle against parties of Jaffa, the endless running across forest, plain and ruined city – after the two years that he had spent looking for Sha're, reaching her and loosing her again – he had finally found her, and this time, he would not let go of her. Never again.
But when Daniel had made his way across the opening and stood in front of her, looking at her beautiful face and her black curls, he knew that something was not right.
"Your search is over, beloved, and you have done well," the voice rang in his head – but the woman's lips were not moving, and her face did not repeat any of the voice's feelings. Instead, she gazed at him with glowing eyes that held a mixture of amusement, disbelief and disdain. A look to be expected from a goa'uld queen, such as her. Such as Amaunet... But...
"Now, my Daniel, you must destroy her, and I shall be free of her forever!" the voice commanded, but now it sounded cold and menacing, and there was a feeling of dread that was growing, approaching slowly, creeping from behind.
Suddenly, the woman in front of him let out a strangled scream. Her eyes, now wide and wild with fear, were not on Daniel anymore, but looked past him, over his head, at something behind him. What was wrong with her – Sha're – Amaunet – Sha're – But no – No!
Finally, the truth that Daniel had been trying to ignore for so long struck him in full force.
It was not Sha're in front of him, and not even Amaunet. It was some entirely alien goa'uld queen, a dark lady that he had never even seen before. The realization fell on him like a physical blow to the head, like one of those bolts of lightning that he had been casting. It was enough to make him feel sick and dizzy. He swayed on his feet.
But with understanding came also the feeling of responsibility. He had done horrible things, horrible beyond imagining – and why? Only because he believed that Sha're was somewhere nearby? No, he would never accept that, it could not be the whole truth!
"What are you waiting for? Do as I say! You have the power, slay her!" the voice repeated from behind him, louder than ever before, so loud and so demanding that it was quite impossible to resist it.
Daniel had already raised his hands to point at the goa'uld queen and opened his mouth before he managed to gain control of himself again. He crossed his arms, pressed his fingers against his sides, closed his mouth tightly, and turned around to face the source of the voice and the horrible feeling of fear, threat and overwhelming authority.
It was a thing out of someone's darkest nightmares, a creature more wondrous and more horrible than anything Daniel had ever seen during all his travels through the stargate. Still, it did not appear completely alien, since it was so familiar from numerous myths and tales. It was a huge dragon, and it had five heads, each of them different in color, the scales shimmering in shades of red, blue, green, black or white. It was beautiful, so beautiful that he wanted to kneel down and worship it, although there was a very concrete air of malice about it.
Without even noticing it, Daniel had fallen down to his knees, gazing at the five-headed dragon in awe. "Wh- who – what are you?" he stuttered.
Apparently the goa'uld queen was desperately clinging to the remains of her dignity. She was still standing proudly, and she answered Daniel's question before the dragon had said a word. "I am Takhisis, Queen of..." she began, only to be interrupted by a much louder voice overlapping hers, repeating the same words.
"I am Takhisis, Queen of Darkness and a true goddess of Krynn," the five- headed she-dragon bellowed, with the very same voice that had guided Daniel to this place, although much louder. "You dare call yourself with my name, you who are nothing but a pathetic parasite hiding within a mortal! Compared to me, you are less than a drop of water next to an ocean, you are a mere grain of sand that calls itself a mountain!"
"And now, you shall die! You cannot resist the orders of your goddess, Daniel. Finish that pathetic creature for me, and then I may be merciful and let you and your pitiable friends live."
***
This was totally ridiculous, and on the other hand, pure torment.
Jack had no idea how long they had been waiting and watching, and holding their breaths. Only the sun's slow ascent showed that some time had actually passed. And it was not just he and his team, but also the group of locals they had allied with and the Jaffa. They were all waiting for something to happen. On the other hand, the draconians seemed pretty busy. They were muttering, or chanting, or something like that, keeping up a continuous low mumble in their snake-like tongue.
The scene in front of them had hardly changed since the moment he had seen it. Daniel was still there, caught between a huge dark something and a smaller dark goa'uld-queen-thing.
Only a moment after they had arrived, the goa'uld had let out a low scream, apparently looking at the shadowy mass, which, Jack had to admit, really was pretty scary. Then Daniel had mumbled something that sounded a lot like "No", and for a moment, it had looked like he was going to collapse. But instead he had lifted his hands to point at the goa'uld, only to pull them back quickly before anything had happened. Then, he had turned to look at the dark thing too, and stumbled to his knees, mumbling something that Jack couldn't quite catch. The goa'uld had replied something equally inaudible, and stopped again.
Everything stood still. Both Daniel and the goa'uld queen cowered as if waiting for some blow to fall.
***
Even though Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, the Five-Headed Dragon, was standing in all her glory in front of Daniel's very eyes, he found that he could think more clearly now. Of course, he was scared out of his wits, and had already followed her orders a few times before he could stop himself. Still, he was now able to see the obvious fact that she had been using him all the time, turning his love and longing for Sha're and his hatred for the goa'ulds against him. Although he didn't understand why she had chosen him, and he couldn't explain how she had done it.
He had done magic, cast magic spells, just like Raistlin had done before. But unlike Raistlin, it had not made him tired, let alone sick. Instead, he was still feeling remarkably good, which was perhaps a bit odd, but certainly not a bad thing. Although it would not last long, he was sure of it. He had refused to do what she asked, and now he was only waiting for her retribution. She would cast some spell powerful beyond anything he had seen, or perhaps strike him down with one swift sweep of those huge, clawed hands. He had no means to fight such an enemy – but then again – just maybe – maybe he did!
This time, realization wasn't a sudden thing that fell on him. Instead, it dawned slowly but inevitably, like the sun that was just peeking up from behind the nearby buildings. Takhisis had not given him the magical powers. Those strange mages in his dream yesterday had said something about giving him a force to match that of the enemies. It all added up. They had mentioned two enemies, a familiar one and an entirely new one. So, here he was caught between a goa'uld queen planning to take over this world, impersonating the local evil deity, and – as ridiculous as it sounded – the actual evil deity herself.
Time slithered on slowly, but nothing seemed to happen. No blow of any sort, no magical strike. Still, the overwhelming fear caused by the dragon- goddess-alien was a continuous strain, and it was growing stronger. Or perhaps he was growing weaker. He knew that sooner or later he would give in and attack the false Takhisis. And if that fight would not kill him, then the real Takhisis would. He had no time to waste.
***
All right. Jack had had enough of this useless waiting and hanging around. He was just about determined to cross the opening and meet up the dueling trio to ask what's going on, when something finally happened.
Slowly and steadily, without any sign of hesitation, Daniel stood up straight again, facing the scary dark thing face-to-faceless-shadowy-mass. And continuing the same movement, he lifted raised his hands, reaching directly up, towards the slightly clouded sky.
The awaiting atmosphere felt denser than ever, almost suffocating in its thickness. Even the draconians stopped their so far ceaseless muttering.
There was a blinding flash of light, so bright that it forced him to turn his face away. It was soon followed by a thunderous bang. Jack's first thought, of course, was that it was a bomb of some sort. His ears were ringing so loudly that he couldn't even hear his own voice when he shouted, "Take cover!" to the others and ducked to the ground, waiting for the pressure wave to hit and make the ruins come down on them. But that didn't happen. There was a gust of freezing cold wind, and something veiled the sun so completely that darkness fell, but only for a passing moment.
When Jack scrambled to his feet and looked at the opening again, the sun was shining down from a cloudless, clear blue sky. And in front of the stargate stood Daniel, unmoving, arms crossed against his chest. Behind him on the ground was a heap of spiked black mail and dark curls, the remains of the goa'uld lady. And in front of him, there was nothing. The dark, shadowy alien thing was gone as if it had never been there.
The day's first light also revealed a sight so amazing that Jack could hardly believe his eyes, even though he had spent the last few years seeing pretty amazing things every day.
Beside him were Sam, Teal'c and the assorted aliens that they had run into in this world. To the left of them was a huge gathering of draconians and to their right, some scattered Jaffa bearing the emblems of various goa'ulds. Luckily, each group was following the scene before them so keenly that they did not pay any attention to each other.
Before them lay the opening, and at its far end, straight across from Jack stood the stargate. At the foot of the ramp leading to the Gate were three figures, or perhaps two, since the third was vague, despite its overwhelming size. It was hardly more than a huge, fuzzy, shapeless, slightly transparent dark mass, much bigger than the Gate. Like a still cloud of thick black smoke, or a shadow climbing upwards from the ground. The sunlight passed right through it as if it wasn't there at all. And from it emanated an inexplicable feeling of dread and horror, strong enough to make Jack wish he could just run away and hide.
The other two figures were not nearly as imposing as the huge dark thing, though one of the certainly gave it a good try nevertheless. She was tall as well, but just tall for a human. She was clad in a suit of shining black mail, decorated with a collection of nasty-looking spikes. The helmet wasn't on, so her curly, black hair was clearly visible. But even from this distance, Jack could see it wasn't Sha're. Though, judging from her commanding stance, her totally tasteless clothing and her choice of weaponry – a staff-weapon and a hand-device – she was definitely a goa'uld.
The third was, of course, Daniel. He looked smaller than ever, caught between the huge and horrible dark shadowy thing and the tall, armor-clad goa'uld lady. And no matter what magical powers he might possess, Jack couldn't help thinking that he looked horribly vulnerable as well.
Just what the hell did Daniel think he was doing there, anyway? Of all the troublesome situations he had gotten himself into this was definitely the most spectacular. He would get himself killed, and this time, it would be permanent! More than anything, Jack wanted to do something to help, but he couldn't think of a way. He had no idea of what the situation really was, but there was a countless number of enemies surrounding them in every direction.
***
There was the opening – and the stargate – and before the stargate, there she was! She was waiting for him! Daniel rushed forward, running even faster, even though he had thought he had been going at top speed all the time.
Finally, he had reached her. After the continuous struggle against parties of Jaffa, the endless running across forest, plain and ruined city – after the two years that he had spent looking for Sha're, reaching her and loosing her again – he had finally found her, and this time, he would not let go of her. Never again.
But when Daniel had made his way across the opening and stood in front of her, looking at her beautiful face and her black curls, he knew that something was not right.
"Your search is over, beloved, and you have done well," the voice rang in his head – but the woman's lips were not moving, and her face did not repeat any of the voice's feelings. Instead, she gazed at him with glowing eyes that held a mixture of amusement, disbelief and disdain. A look to be expected from a goa'uld queen, such as her. Such as Amaunet... But...
"Now, my Daniel, you must destroy her, and I shall be free of her forever!" the voice commanded, but now it sounded cold and menacing, and there was a feeling of dread that was growing, approaching slowly, creeping from behind.
Suddenly, the woman in front of him let out a strangled scream. Her eyes, now wide and wild with fear, were not on Daniel anymore, but looked past him, over his head, at something behind him. What was wrong with her – Sha're – Amaunet – Sha're – But no – No!
Finally, the truth that Daniel had been trying to ignore for so long struck him in full force.
It was not Sha're in front of him, and not even Amaunet. It was some entirely alien goa'uld queen, a dark lady that he had never even seen before. The realization fell on him like a physical blow to the head, like one of those bolts of lightning that he had been casting. It was enough to make him feel sick and dizzy. He swayed on his feet.
But with understanding came also the feeling of responsibility. He had done horrible things, horrible beyond imagining – and why? Only because he believed that Sha're was somewhere nearby? No, he would never accept that, it could not be the whole truth!
"What are you waiting for? Do as I say! You have the power, slay her!" the voice repeated from behind him, louder than ever before, so loud and so demanding that it was quite impossible to resist it.
Daniel had already raised his hands to point at the goa'uld queen and opened his mouth before he managed to gain control of himself again. He crossed his arms, pressed his fingers against his sides, closed his mouth tightly, and turned around to face the source of the voice and the horrible feeling of fear, threat and overwhelming authority.
It was a thing out of someone's darkest nightmares, a creature more wondrous and more horrible than anything Daniel had ever seen during all his travels through the stargate. Still, it did not appear completely alien, since it was so familiar from numerous myths and tales. It was a huge dragon, and it had five heads, each of them different in color, the scales shimmering in shades of red, blue, green, black or white. It was beautiful, so beautiful that he wanted to kneel down and worship it, although there was a very concrete air of malice about it.
Without even noticing it, Daniel had fallen down to his knees, gazing at the five-headed dragon in awe. "Wh- who – what are you?" he stuttered.
Apparently the goa'uld queen was desperately clinging to the remains of her dignity. She was still standing proudly, and she answered Daniel's question before the dragon had said a word. "I am Takhisis, Queen of..." she began, only to be interrupted by a much louder voice overlapping hers, repeating the same words.
"I am Takhisis, Queen of Darkness and a true goddess of Krynn," the five- headed she-dragon bellowed, with the very same voice that had guided Daniel to this place, although much louder. "You dare call yourself with my name, you who are nothing but a pathetic parasite hiding within a mortal! Compared to me, you are less than a drop of water next to an ocean, you are a mere grain of sand that calls itself a mountain!"
"And now, you shall die! You cannot resist the orders of your goddess, Daniel. Finish that pathetic creature for me, and then I may be merciful and let you and your pitiable friends live."
***
This was totally ridiculous, and on the other hand, pure torment.
Jack had no idea how long they had been waiting and watching, and holding their breaths. Only the sun's slow ascent showed that some time had actually passed. And it was not just he and his team, but also the group of locals they had allied with and the Jaffa. They were all waiting for something to happen. On the other hand, the draconians seemed pretty busy. They were muttering, or chanting, or something like that, keeping up a continuous low mumble in their snake-like tongue.
The scene in front of them had hardly changed since the moment he had seen it. Daniel was still there, caught between a huge dark something and a smaller dark goa'uld-queen-thing.
Only a moment after they had arrived, the goa'uld had let out a low scream, apparently looking at the shadowy mass, which, Jack had to admit, really was pretty scary. Then Daniel had mumbled something that sounded a lot like "No", and for a moment, it had looked like he was going to collapse. But instead he had lifted his hands to point at the goa'uld, only to pull them back quickly before anything had happened. Then, he had turned to look at the dark thing too, and stumbled to his knees, mumbling something that Jack couldn't quite catch. The goa'uld had replied something equally inaudible, and stopped again.
Everything stood still. Both Daniel and the goa'uld queen cowered as if waiting for some blow to fall.
***
Even though Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, the Five-Headed Dragon, was standing in all her glory in front of Daniel's very eyes, he found that he could think more clearly now. Of course, he was scared out of his wits, and had already followed her orders a few times before he could stop himself. Still, he was now able to see the obvious fact that she had been using him all the time, turning his love and longing for Sha're and his hatred for the goa'ulds against him. Although he didn't understand why she had chosen him, and he couldn't explain how she had done it.
He had done magic, cast magic spells, just like Raistlin had done before. But unlike Raistlin, it had not made him tired, let alone sick. Instead, he was still feeling remarkably good, which was perhaps a bit odd, but certainly not a bad thing. Although it would not last long, he was sure of it. He had refused to do what she asked, and now he was only waiting for her retribution. She would cast some spell powerful beyond anything he had seen, or perhaps strike him down with one swift sweep of those huge, clawed hands. He had no means to fight such an enemy – but then again – just maybe – maybe he did!
This time, realization wasn't a sudden thing that fell on him. Instead, it dawned slowly but inevitably, like the sun that was just peeking up from behind the nearby buildings. Takhisis had not given him the magical powers. Those strange mages in his dream yesterday had said something about giving him a force to match that of the enemies. It all added up. They had mentioned two enemies, a familiar one and an entirely new one. So, here he was caught between a goa'uld queen planning to take over this world, impersonating the local evil deity, and – as ridiculous as it sounded – the actual evil deity herself.
Time slithered on slowly, but nothing seemed to happen. No blow of any sort, no magical strike. Still, the overwhelming fear caused by the dragon- goddess-alien was a continuous strain, and it was growing stronger. Or perhaps he was growing weaker. He knew that sooner or later he would give in and attack the false Takhisis. And if that fight would not kill him, then the real Takhisis would. He had no time to waste.
***
All right. Jack had had enough of this useless waiting and hanging around. He was just about determined to cross the opening and meet up the dueling trio to ask what's going on, when something finally happened.
Slowly and steadily, without any sign of hesitation, Daniel stood up straight again, facing the scary dark thing face-to-faceless-shadowy-mass. And continuing the same movement, he lifted raised his hands, reaching directly up, towards the slightly clouded sky.
The awaiting atmosphere felt denser than ever, almost suffocating in its thickness. Even the draconians stopped their so far ceaseless muttering.
There was a blinding flash of light, so bright that it forced him to turn his face away. It was soon followed by a thunderous bang. Jack's first thought, of course, was that it was a bomb of some sort. His ears were ringing so loudly that he couldn't even hear his own voice when he shouted, "Take cover!" to the others and ducked to the ground, waiting for the pressure wave to hit and make the ruins come down on them. But that didn't happen. There was a gust of freezing cold wind, and something veiled the sun so completely that darkness fell, but only for a passing moment.
When Jack scrambled to his feet and looked at the opening again, the sun was shining down from a cloudless, clear blue sky. And in front of the stargate stood Daniel, unmoving, arms crossed against his chest. Behind him on the ground was a heap of spiked black mail and dark curls, the remains of the goa'uld lady. And in front of him, there was nothing. The dark, shadowy alien thing was gone as if it had never been there.