(Telboriel, thank you. Glad you liked my cliffhanger. More Soon, not sure what else to call you... :Chuckles: ...but I am glad you are enjoying it. Tok'ra Crazy Lady, hope this next update was soon for you. Thanks. Blue Banrigh, thank you, and I see you have offered a challenge. A story about Malek is intriguing, especially because there isn't much known about him. I'll definitely think about writing a story about him. I'd have to re-watch his episodes first, and would need a story idea. After this I am most likely to write a sequel to Lantash because I left a lot of issues and unanswered questions there. AA, thanks.)

Part 5, Death

Martouf quietly snuck away, hoping he wouldn't be caught. To his luck, the sound of the Ring covered the noise he made. He took off running when he was out of the forest. Aldwin had said a search party to find him was forming. That would be at his house if they hadn't left yet.

"Martouf? Where have you been!" his father said when he saw his son running towards them.

Martouf looked around, and saw nearly the entire town was at his house. "The Tok'ra."

"The what?"

"The..." Martouf was a bit out of breath from the run. "...strangers. They are Tok'ra...enemies of Lady...Bastet."

There were gasps and murmurs through the crowd.

"Father, she's going to destroy us."

His father frowned. "Don't ever say such thing about Lady Bastet! Eush went to check out the reason the Goddess Ring activated. She must have come through knowing her enemies are here."

"Marrow and Yirp were there too," Martouf said, curious to how they got involved.

His father frowned more. "They must have followed Eush. They are going to be in-"

"Father, the Jaffa killed them."

His father's face turned white. "What?"

"He killed them, and more Jaffa are coming. They are going to destroy all of us."

"Lady Bastet would never-"

"I heard the orders directly from her!" Martouf felt bad when he saw the look on his father's face was pure shock. "Father, I'm sorry. We need to help the Tok'ra. They are the only ones who can help us."

"We will not help Lady Bastet's enemies," another man said. "Punishments were made, and it's to be expected when we were helping her enemy. Helping them now will only make it worse."

Fear was leaving Martouf, and being replaced with anger for their deaths. Martouf glared at the man. "She only knows they are here because of my brothers and our leader, and she killed them for it! Explain that!"

The man looked both surprised and insulted, as Martouf had never treated an adult in such a way.

Martouf didn't wait for a response, but headed off towards where he last saw the Tok'ra. When he arrived at their house he started to call out for them, but stopped, realizing he should probably be quiet. He tried to look into the window. "Setta?" he whispered. "Lantash?"

He jumped when he heard the sound of multiple staff weapons being fired from where he just left. Martouf ducked down, and then went to the back the house. His mind tried to search for the names of the other Tok'ra. "Lantash!" he whispered harshly. "Saroosh? Rorm?" He squatted down, listening for sounds. Tears started to run. "Anyone?"

Someone put a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped.

"It's not safe here," said Lantash's voice.

Martouf looked up. Some fear seemed to drain from him when he saw her. "You're here. More Jaffa are coming, and they are going to destroy us and you. Can you help us?"

"How many Jaffa?"

"I-I don't know." More tears came. His fear was returning.

"Are your people willing to fight?"

"I don't know. I...I don't think they believed me."

They both turned towards the front of the house when they heard the sound of someone coming.

"Stay here," Lantash said, and she disappeared around the corner of the house.

Martouf bit his lip, and stayed frozen. He heard Lantash firing some type of weapon, which was followed by the sounds of falling bodies. Martouf felt a bit more relieved when Lantash came back. She grabbed his arm. "Come."

Together they started running. The sound of staff weapons followed, and Martouf felt as Lantash pulled him behind a building. His eyes widened. "Lantash, we can't take cover here!" he whispered in panic.

Lantash fired back with a weapon that shot electricity. "Why not?"

"We keep oils in this building. If it's shot-" Martouf didn't finish his words as Lantash grabbed his arm again, and started running. His feet barely seemed to touch the ground as he was pulled. Martouf was glad to be getting away from that building while they were being fired at.

Unfortunately, one of the weapon's blasts did hit the building, and they both heard it. Martouf hit the ground hard as he was shoved down by Lantash. Lantash started to cover him, but the blast from the explosion knocked her down.

The sting in his hands and face from the shove subsided as Martouf felt more panicked. "Lantash?" he whispered, and didn't get a response. He got up carefully, and checked her. "Setta?" She made no response. He turned her over, and put his ear over her heart to listen for the beat. It was there, but she was burned. Martouf turned her back over since it was her back that was mostly burned. "Setta, wake up."

He ducked down when he heard a staff weapon shot near him. "No, no." He grabbed the weapon she had, and held it the way she had. The sound of another staff fire came at him. Martouf felt intense pain in his side as he was thrown back. He felt himself land roughly on the dirt.

Instinct and panic kicked in full speed. Quickly, he started blindly shooting the weapon the fire came from. He kept firing until he saw the faint outline of a body drop.

Martouf got up, and gasp at the amount of pain he was in. "Ohh." He dropped down. "Ow." He tried to pick Setta up, but couldn't due to pain. "Bad idea," he muttered. Instead he grabbed her arms, and started dragging her. He knew the perfect place to hide, if he could get there. "Sorry, Setta," he occasionally whispered during the drag, as he knew this would make her burns worse. Letting her stay where she was though, would be leaving her to her death.

He reached the trees, and dropped down when he heard footsteps. Martouf wasn't sure who they were from, and could only wait quietly. The heavy crunch of leaves and twigs were most likely from a Jaffa. He didn't get up until a few minutes after the footsteps were gone. Quietly, he continued to drag Setta along the forest floor, which was a difficult task.

Martouf found the abandoned den he had been heading to. He dragged Setta into it, and covered the opening with branches and leaves. He didn't go in yet, but instead backtracked to cover his tracks. He was now grateful for all the years Yirp had dragged him out in the middle of the night to do whatever Yirp set his mind to that moment. Many of the townspeople were great trackers, and they had learned to hide their tracks so in the morning no one would know that anyone had been out.

After covering the tracks, Martouf created a false set of tracks to the river. He hoped the Jaffa would think the river would be a good enough reason to lose his tracks. It was very late into the night by the time he was finished, and had hadn't heard any Jaffa in some time. However, he knew the test of how well he had done would be in the morning.

He returned to the den, and finally allowed himself to collapse in exhaustion and pain.

:.:.:x:.:.:x:.:.:x:.:.:

"Martouf."

At first Martouf thought it was his mother, and the night before had been a horrible nightmare.

"Martouf."

However, the voice definitely belonged to Setta, and in the distance was the sound of weapons. Martouf rolled over, and then cried out. He didn't remember it hurting this much.

"Where are we?" she whispered.

Martouf closed his eyes, and tears ran down. "Forest." He very carefully turned to her. "You are awake. Are you feeling better?"

"I'm dying," she replied.

"But-but you are awake."

"Lantash is doing what he can to heal me, but without any medical help, he can't do it alone. For the most part, all he can really do is ease the pain."

Martouf studied her, and then realized that she was in a lot of pain as well.

"I wish I could help you," she continued.

"Perhaps the other Tok'ra were able to help my people," Martouf replied.

"No, I...I meant you."

Martouf realized she meant his own injury. His hands, clothes, and the floor were sticky with blood.

"It took me a couple hours to wake you," Setta said. "I really didn't think you were going to."

"How did you wake up?"

"Lantash."

"Oh."

"Thank you...for trying to save me," she said. Her voice was very soft, and her eyes closed.

"Setta?" Martouf tried to move closer to her, but couldn't. "Don't leave me." He shivered, feeling very cold. He dragged himself closer, and ignored the dizziness it brought. "Setta!" he whispered harshly. He was scared. He was dying, and he was alone. Martouf wished his family was there, but his brothers were dead, and his parents probably were too. "Please, Setta."

Her eyes opened with a glow.

"Lantash." He was relieved.

"She is unconscious," Lantash said. "She asked I not wake her again if that were to happen...because of the pain."

"She's gone?"

"Setta wanted to thank you for trying before we died. I suppose I owe you thanks as well."

"You are going to die too?" Martouf was surprised, and all relief left.

"I cannot survive without a host."

Martouf frowned. "You two were injured saving me, and now I'm going to die anyway. That's not fair."

"Surely you didn't think life was."

"Well, no."

Lantash glanced upward, and then back to Martouf. "I might be able to save us both."

"Not Setta?"

Lantash's voice was sad. "She is beyond my ability to heal. We have said our goodbyes to each other, and accepted what is the come."

"How can you save us?" Martouf asked, though he had an idea of what Lantash had in mind.

"I could join you."

"Share my body?" Martouf bit his lip. "My spirit?"

"Your spirit?"

"That part of me that lives on after my body dies."

"Oh...no. Yes, you would be sharing your body, but your spirit would remain yours."

"If I don't agree, we both die?"

"That is correct. Also, if you join with me, you would be Tok'ra."

"I'd be against my goddess?"

Lantash made a gesture to the sounds of the weapons. "You can hear what being faithful to your goddess brought your village. The attacks came sooner because of us Tok'ra, but without the proper naquadah tribute in two moons, it would have happened anyway."

Martouf looked up to the sounds of the weapons.

"Bastet is a parasite," Lantash continued, "and you were merely her slaves. You will have to join with the rest of the Tok'ra if you blend with me, but that is part of the choice you are making, and I assure you, you will not be anyone's slave."

Martouf shivered again as he became colder. He looked in the direction of his town. Years of worshipping Bastet, his faith, screamed at him not to do this. He imagined his own people, his family, shunning him for life. However, he didn't even know if they were alive anymore. He had seen Bastet herself order their deaths, and he was dying. "All right...I'll be Tok'ra. Uh..." He turned to Lantash. "How do you...transfer hosts?"

"I transfer from Setta's mouth and through yours."

"Will I choke?"

"No, but the back of your throat will hurt at first. I suggest we do this now. Neither of us has much time left."

Martouf wondered how Lantash could sound so calm. His own voice shook with fear. "Oh...yes..now, probably...good idea. Where will you stay...I mean, in me."

"Your head." Lantash moved closer. "Are you sure about this? You cannot change your mind afterwards."

"Well, it's either this or die..." His entire belief system had just been shattered. "...So, yes."

Lantash moved as if to kiss him.

Closest I ever get to a kiss is so a creature can live in my head, Martouf thought. Ow! Throat. Ow! He suddenly felt as if his senses dulled, and when he tried to move his hands, he could not.

He saw his own hand move some of Setta's hair from her face. "Farewell," he heard himself say. "I'll miss you, Setta." Sadness washed through Martouf over the Setta's coming death.

Suddenly, Martouf had control again. He blinked, and moved his hands. Yes, he confirmed to himself, I'm in control again.

Relax, he heard in his head, but it sounded like his own thoughts.

"What?" Lantash?

Yes, it's me. You'll get used to me in here. Relax, while I heal you.

Martouf nodded, and then lay down to relax. He couldn't believe it. Two days ago he was normal boy who's purpose in life was to mine naquadah so his goddess would be happy. Now, he had a creature living in his head, and was part of a group that worked against the woman he had thought of as a goddess.

to be continued...