Life In the Shadows – Part Three
SG-1, minus Jack, were led away with the rest of the prisoners down one of the tunnels. The guard, Masa, eventually halted them and called out. "Emall!" he bellowed.
A small, but well muscled man appeared from another tunnel and gave a quick bow with his head to the guard.
"Settle them in," ordered the guard before turning back the way he had come.
Emall stood looking at the new prisoners. His small eyes glinted in the light from the lanterns, which were spaced further apart the deeper they seemed to go into the mine. The man leered at the sight of Sam, his mouth twisting up in the fashion of an evil grin, until he caught sight of Teal'c; the glare from the Jaffa seemed to chase whatever he was thinking away.
"Come!" he said abruptly and turned without waiting to see if they would follow.
He led them on into the caves. Several tunnels led off at frequent intervals. The light was getting scarcer, and the shadows flickering on the walls cast even more despondency on the new prisoners. Their eyes adjusted gradually and they noticed what seemed to be small doorways on each side of the tunnel, some with coverings over, but many not.
"Most are at work at the face, unless they are very sick or have other duties." Emall spoke as he walked. "No work, no food." He turned suddenly, stopping without warning, almost causing Sam to walk into him. He fixed her with a grim smile. "Unless you find someone willing to feed you."
Sam flushed, bristling at his innuendo. She was very worried about the Colonel and certainly didn't want this maggot of a man giving her any trouble.
The man leered at her. "You are together?" the movement of his head signified Teal'c and Daniel.
Daniel seemingly missed the implication and answered without hesitation with an affirmative.
Emall's face changed. "You are not bonded with one?"
Daniel looked at Sam, giving her a puzzled frown, while Teal'c stepped close to Sam, flexing his massive arms across his chest.
Emall shrugged his shoulders and taking a step away from Teal'c, turned to carry on walking, casting just the odd glance behind him.
"Here, these are your quarters." He spoke as if relieved to see the back of them.
"One lantern," he said as he unhooked a lantern from the corridor. He growled at the remaining prisoners to stay outside and gestured SG-1 in. He squatted near the doorway and fumbled around with the unlit lantern on the floor. Once lit, he passed it to Daniel. "Fuel you will have to earn, food you will have to earn. The harder you work, the better fed you are. Fires are permitted. You collect your own tamanz."
"Tamanz?" queried Daniel.
"Tamanz is what you burn. It burns well, and the mountain is full of it."
"What about the girls with us?" asked Sam.
"They are too young for mine work. They will work for the guards for now. Don't be concerned for them, look to yourselves." His eyes roved over Sam once more, until Teal'c and Daniel moved towards him. He backed away to the doorway. "You should rest - you will need all your strength for the morning."
"There was another with us. What's happened to him?" asked Daniel.
Emall frowned. "I do not know, but if the guards have kept him for now, you will no doubt see him later, perhaps even alive." The man laughed out loud as he left.
"That … well, that doesn't sound good somehow," said Daniel.
Sam's scalp prickled with fear for the Colonel, and she shivered.
Teal'c noticed her discomfort and pressed a comforting hand to her shoulder. "O'Neill will endeavour to join us alive," he said with confidence.
Sam nodded to him, not convinced, but there was nothing she could do for now.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
They inspected their quarters. It was a reasonably large area, with a circle of stones, blackened by previous fires in the centre. They found bowls and a small selection of utensils on a shelf hewn out of the rock at the back of the room. There was a large cooking pot and a water barrel, empty for the moment though, and two large buckets.
Sam shivered again. There were some blankets and a few items of what seemed to be clothing, amongst other things. "I wonder what happened to the last occupants," she said, to no one in particular.
"They died in a fall," said a voice at the doorway.
Sam looked around to see who had spoken, to find Daniel and Teal'c were already turned towards the doorway.
A woman, perhaps in her early forties, smiled kindly at Sam. "They all died," she said sadly.
"Oh, that's …" Sam's voice died away, unsure of just what to say.
"I am Reena. I thought I might be of help to you while you get settled."
Daniel made the introductions and invited Reena to step inside.
"You need a fire, you will get very chilled without one," she said, rubbing her arms to demonstrate.
"Err, Emall said we can get some tamanz from somewhere I think," said Daniel.
"I will show you, and you need water and some food for now."
"We haven't … Emall said we had to earn our food?" said Sam.
"Look upon it as a loan, to get you started. The good families always try to help each other."
Reena told Daniel and Teal'c to get the buckets and she showed them where to collect the fuel and the water, also the place to go for their ablutions. Teal'c stacked the fuel high and heaved the heavy bucket easily.
Once they reach the river Reena walked them upstream a little way. The pool from which the river seemed to flow was for drinking water, lower down was designated for bathing and the washing of clothes.
Daniel felt the iciness of the water as he filled the bucket. He sighed at the thought of the trips it would take to fill the barrel, but at least the water looked clean and clear.
As they walked Reena filled them in on how things were, how life was to be for them.
Each family looked after themselves. Men were actively encouraged to have partners and children. They were paid on the quantity of what they produced and the wage was paid in the form of tokens, which could be exchanged in the mine stores. Providing there was no trouble the guards didn't really intervene in the daily life. Security was strict, sometimes the guards had what they called 'fun' with a worker, but any retaliation was swift and brutal.
"You keep your heads down and work, they will mostly leave you alone. You don't work, then you will eventually starve, some are willing to help others on occasion, but not to make up for laziness," she informed them.
There were very few people about and those that were seemed to be mostly women.
"Some women are lucky enough to have a partner to provide and strong sons," explained Reena. "I have three sons, but no partner; he was also killed in a fall. My sons look out for me well. I also help take care of the sick and injured- people tend to pay in food or goods, as we have nothing else to trade."
Once back at their quarters Reena showed them the best way to light the tamanz and Teal'c and Daniel went to collect more fuel and water, making a few trips to get a stock in. Reena left Sam to scrub out the pot and returned a short while later. Reena showed Sam a small lump of meat and a few vegetables and what looked to be small beans.
"This will put a meal in your stomachs for now, until your family begin to earn."
Sam followed Reena's patient instructions on how to prepare everything, and soon a pot of what she supposed was stew, was on the fire to cook. Sam was almost tempted to taste it raw, she was so hungry. They sat around the fire, the warmth and extra light from it giving some measure of comfort.
Daniel kept asking questions of Reena, but Sam had grown quiet, staring into the flames.
"Are you alright, Major Carter?" enquired Teal'c.
Sam gave a little start as she realised someone was speaking to her. "Uh, oh, sorry, Teal'c, I was miles away," she apologised.
"You are thinking of O'Neill?"
Sam nodded her gaze steady on the fire. "I hope he's okay."
Reena heard the exchange. "O'Neill? There is another of your family?"
"Jack, our … le… friend, he's being held by the guards," explained Daniel.
"What did he do?" she asked, her face showing her concern.
Daniel began to explain their capture, but Reena held her hand up to stop him.
"He struck a guard?" she questioned. Sam nodded and the woman's colour seemed to drain before her eyes. "Then we will be summoned to witness his punishment. The guards will deal with him harshly."
Sam's mouth dried, she could feel the bile rising in her throat and she swallowed convulsively as she cast a glance at Daniel.
Her team mate seemed to be fairing no better, his face was pale and his eyes behind his glasses were large and mirrored her fears.
"When work is finished they will summon us. I must go now and prepare a meal for my sons. When you hear the bells ring, that shows the work has finished - the next bell will probably be to summon us to the hall." Reena rose as she spoke. "I will come for you, to guide you."
xoxoxoxoxoxo