Chapter 2: Living Shadow
"You're sure that your king is up? It looks a bit quiet in there to me." Jack replied.
"I am certain. He is awaiting your arrival in the library. He would not break his oath." Replied one of their welcoming party members.
"As long as you're certain."
"I am."
"Well then, lead the way."
SG-1 was lead through the large doors of the palace, and into the entry way. The area was large, large and moonlit. Silent shadows crept from the corners and met in the room's centre, Pooling in silent darkness. Across the room, a set of stairs stretched to the second floor, and beckoned to the team, while doors on either side of the room, opened into other large, shadowed rooms.
"Wow." Jack replied silently.
"This way." Replied the man who'd been speaking to them. They were lead to the foot of the staircase, and as they climbed, the hollow sounds of their footsteps drifted around them.
At the top of the stairs, the man who had been leading them moved to the side of the corridor they had just entered, and a second later, a small spark ignited a wooden torch. A torch which the man took from the wall and turned back to them.
In the dancing firelight, the face of the man was just visible. His eyes were pale, threateningly pale, blue or green. Jonas couldn't tell which. Not at the distance he was from the man. Jonas could see that their leader's hair was a pale blonde that seemed to glow in the firelight, creating a sort of halo effect around the slim face and pale eyes.
"It's not far now." The fair-haired man replied somberly.
There were no replying remarks from any of the SG-1 members and in silence, they followed through the shadows until they finally halted outside a large oak door that was slightly ajar. From inside there was the sound of a crackling fire, and hushed mumbling amongst unseen presences.
The door was pushed open, and they were lead inside, where a solidly built man slowly got from a chair, and placed an open book on the table next to him. The man looked to the newcomers and broke into a gentle, but strained smile. The man looked as though the wight of the world rested solidly upon his shoulders. His grey eyes were strained and slightly dulled, while the lines on his forehead showed as deep creases and line around his eyes were incredibly pronounced.
"Welcome. I suspect you got a fair welcome?" The man asked, his voice was soft and kind, yet he sounded as though he were trying to appear more collected than he was feeling.
"Yeah, the welcoming party was great, a bit subdued, but nothing to be worried about." O'Neill smiled tightly.
"That is good news at least. It is a shame we cannot get more good news." The man said.
"What do you mean?" Jonas asked curiously.
"We have had a few mishaps in the past couple of months. Mishaps that none of us are very fond of. People are even afraid to go out after dark now for fear of what may become of them."
"So, that's why everything is so silent?"
"That is why. However, let us not speak of such things at the present moment. I am very pleased to have you pay a visit to us. I am Johnston Brimere, you have met Tanely Kystin I am certain." Johnston replied.
The head of the welcoming party nodded in greeting, and Jonas saw that in the better lighting, his eyes were more like a mix between green and blue, and very pale. His skin tone was also pale, and in the light, the man looked almost delicate.
"Yes, I believe we have. I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, this is Major Carter, Jonas Quinn, and Teal'c." Jack said, quickly shoving aside the introductions.
"It is a pleasure." Johnston said certainly.
He dismissed his men and told them to go home and get some rest. All obeyed, and slowly left the library.
"Keep in the open!" Johnston yelled after them.
There was an uncomfortable silence that greeted the exclamation and Jack found himself shifting uncomfortably in it.
"If nobody dares to go out after dark, why are they leaving?" Jack asked.
"They live in the guesthouses, less than a minute's walk from here. If they keep in the open, they should be fine."
"And if they don't stay in the open?" O'Neill asked.
From below, in the street, a terrified scream crashed down on the silence, and all rushed to the window in an attempt to see what was causing the ruckus. Below, they saw a member of the welcoming party being pulled into the shadows.
Johnston's face went two shades whiter than it had been, and Jonas hurried out of the library, hearing the rest of the team coming behind him.
"Where are you going? You cannot go out there!" Johnston called.
"Watch us! We're not going to let that man die!" Jack called back.
"You cannot leave! Not at night!"
SG-1 ignored the pleading calls of Johnston and continued to run, hoping that they would not be too late.
Jonas was the first to stumble into the yard and he hurried around the castle, to the place they had last seen the man. A desperate search, turned nothing up, no signs of the man, and no signs of injury.
In the shadows, Jonas saw a figure, moving swiftly toward him. He quickly drew his weapon and fired. The shot seemed to make a solid connection with whatever was hiding in the shadows, for it hit the ground stiffly, with a sickening thud.
"Jonas?" Came the desperate call of Colonel O'Neill.
"I'm fine, Colonel, I think I got it." Jonas replied.
"Got what?" Jack asked, coming up next to him.
Jonas turned back to the shadows, and saw nothing where the figure had just been moments before.
"I thought I got it." Jonas replied, correcting himself.
"Got what?" O'Neill asked.
"I don't know what it was, but it was something." Jonas replied, he turned back to the empty spot where the thing had just been, and still saw nothing.
"How do you know it was anything at all? We've been in strange situations before." O'Neill asked.
"Colonel, it was something. I'm sure of it."
"If it was something, it's nothing now. There isn't anything there."
"I know." Jonas replied, his gaze still focused on the empty shadows.