CHAPTER THREE

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Teal'c slowly opened his eyes to the candle burning before him. He bent slightly and blew out the flame, sending a snake of smoke curling toward the ceiling of his tent. He felt once again refreshed, his body relaxed, his senses sharp, his mind aware. He straightened his legs and stretched the muscles then pushed aside the tent flap and emerged into the middle of SG-1's campsite. O'Neill sat quietly near the fire, his expression leading Teal'c to believe his friend was---lost in his thoughts.

"O'Neill."

The colonel started slightly then looked up. "Oh, hey, Teal'c, you all done---you know---Kel-no-reeming?"

"I am indeed."

"Good," replied O'Neill. "All's quiet out here. I guess watch was a little unnecessary, but those ruins give me the creeps."

"Is it not better to be safe than apologetic?"

O'Neill snorted. "That's sorry, Teal'c---better safe than sorry and yeah, I guess you're right."

Teal'c bowed his head once in acceptance as a wave of amusement swept through him. After spending so much time with his Tauri friends, he'd come to know quite of few of their sometimes nonsensical sayings, yet he enjoyed---pulling his friends' chains, especially O'Neill's. He quirked an eyebrow; yanking, he amended. He enjoyed yanking his friends' chains.

O'Neill stood and stretched. "I guess I should wake Daniel."

"I will take final watch, O'Neill."

"Funny, I was just going to say the same thing," announced Major Carter as she exited her own shelter.

"Daniel agreed to take final watch, you two, so if I don't wake him, he'll no doubt think we're coddling him---which we most certainly would be."

"I disagree, sir."

"As do I."

The colonel shook his head. "Hey, I'm willing to sit out here a few more hours just so he can sleep, too, but you know how he gets if we don't let him handle his fair share----cranky. And I for one do not want to deal with a cranky archeologist on our trek back to the 'Gate. Do you?"

Without waiting for a response, O'Neill crossed the campsite and knelt before the tent which he shared with Daniel Jackson. Teal'c watched as his friend slipped a hand between the two flaps and pulled one back. He knew instantly from O'Neill's reaction that something was terribly wrong.

"What is it, sir?" asked Major Carter already crossing the small distance between her tent and the other.

"He's gone."

"What?"

"Damn it! The back of the tent's open."

"Well, maybe he just had to----you know," offered the major hopefully.

"Why would he go out the back?" asked O'Neill as he stood up. He looked around at the surrounding trees. "Daniel!"

Teal'c hurried to the side of the shelter which faced away from the center of camp and looked down at the parted flaps then beyond them to the ground. "I do not believe that Daniel Jackson left alone, O'Neill."

"Crap, then we can only assume he didn't leave voluntarily."

"You didn't see or hear anything, sir?"

"Carter, if I'd seen or heard anything, would I have this expression on my face?" snapped O'Neill. He stood and met Teal'c's eyes over the top of the tent. "Do you see a trail we can follow?"

Teal'c quickly scoured the area. "It appears they are headed toward the ruins."

"Carter, you stay here in case Daniel comes back. Teal'c and I will follow the tracks. We'll stay in radio contact."

The major looked as if she would question O'Neill's orders then nodded. "Yes, sir," she responded crisply.

"And Carter," added O'Neill gently. "We'll find him, okay?"

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The sky was just easing into morning when Sam finished striking camp. The colonel and Teal'c had checked in only ten minutes earlier stating that they'd lost the trail in the ruins of Teóti, but that they'd check the area further before giving up. Sam's eyes fell on Daniel's backpack which sat next to hers. Someone or something had silently stolen her friend under the darkness of the night. She shivered; Daniel had spoken of the darkness mentioned in the Alaran writings and she wondered briefly if he'd been right when he'd believed it to be tangible.

"Samantha?"

The major turned quickly, her rifle already up and aimed at the intruder.

Tezca raised his hands defensively. "Please, do not shoot," he begged.

"What are you doing here?"

"I sensed something was wrong, Samantha," replied the white-haired holy man. "From what you are feeling, I believe I was correct."

Sam kept her rifle aimed, but lifted her eye from its sight. "Daniel's missing."

"The young one?"

The major nodded then she furrowed her brows. "Wait a minute----what do you mean, from what I am feeling?"

Tezca stood with his hands still up but a slight smile touched his lips. "I am able to sense emotions, Samantha. I see them as a wide array of colors in my mind."

"Like Kaatzál?"

The old man's charcoal eyes widened easily conveying his surprise. "Then it was him all these years."

"What are you talking about?"

"I have much to share with you, Samantha. Your young friend is in serious trouble. I believe I can help you find him."

Sam motioned with the barrel of her rifle for the old man to sit. As she watched him comply, she fingered the button on the side of her radio pocketed in her vest. "Colonel, do you read?"

"Go ahead."

"Sir, I think you and Teal'c should get back here right away. Tezca is here and he says he can help us find Daniel."

"We're on our way back now, Major. Keep a close eye on him. Right now we can't trust anyone, understood?"

"Yes, sir, understood."

"O'Neill out."

Sam sat on the log they'd pulled up to the fire the previous night, keeping her rifle poised, her finger on the trigger. Only a few minutes passed when she caught movement from the corner of her eye.

O'Neill barreled into camp and stopped short of Tezca, looming over the smaller man his own rifle in hand. "You know where Daniel is?" he demanded angrily.

"I do not, but I believe I can assist you in the search."

"How?"

"Perhaps you should sit, Colonel. I have much to share with you."

"We don't have time, Tezca! My friend is out there somewhere and Lord only knows what's happening to him!"

"O'Neill, should we not listen to what the old man has to say?" suggested Teal'c. "Especially if it will assist us in our search for Daniel Jackson?"

The colonel sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, all right, spill. What is it you have to tell us?"

"I believe Kaatzál has taken your friend, Colonel."

"Kaatzál----why?"

"As I am certain Daniel discovered, the ruins of Teóti are not those of the Alaran people."

O'Neill shifted on his feet, his eyes still focused intently on Tezca. "He mentioned that possibility---go on."

"My people came to this world through the Ring of Stone many centuries ago. We were exiled from our home world because of our belief in peaceful ways. Teóti was our leader and we lived in peace, raising our families, living a very simple life. Then just over a thousand years ago, a woman gave birth to twin sons. One son was purely good, the other purely evil, this my people could sense. Teóti was unable to kill an infant so he banished the boy to an inhospitable land across our great sea. His father went with the boy to care for him and to hopefully instill a sense of goodness in him."

"He was not successful?" guessed Teal'c.

"No," replied Tezca dejectedly. "The boy killed his father and returned to Teóti."

"The darkness walked among them," said O'Neill.

The holy man regarded the colonel speculatively. "I see Daniel was successful in his translations."

"Apparently."

"What was left out of the historical records, Colonel, was why the---darkness returned. It wasn't just for revenge against Teóti, but also to sate his hunger."

"Hunger?" repeated O'Neill.

"He fed off the emotions of others."

"Oh, my God," gasped Sam.

"So you're telling me that Kaatzál is this----darkness, the evil son?"

"I am, Colonel."

"And you are the other," stated Teal'c.

"Yes."

"That was over a thousand years ago, Tezca."

"A thousand years is a single lifetime for my people, Colonel."

"How could you not know he was your brother?" asked Sam as she rose to her feet. "I mean you lived with him in the same village for all these years."

"When many of my people began disappearing from Teóti, my mother took me away. She knew it was my brother and she knew that I was in danger. I'd never met Kaatzál and as you can see, we are not identical in appearance."

"But you had to know he was different----like---like you."

"While I was away with my mother, Colonel, she taught me how to control my feelings so that my brother could not sense my presence if he were to seek me out. I can only assume my brother did the same. When my mother died, I returned to Teóti only to find it tumbled in ruin. No one was left of my people, but in the years I was gone, another people had arrived through the Ring of Stone."

"The Alarans."

"Yes, Teal'c. As I was afraid for their safety, I joined their village and was soon turned to as a holy man. When young children began disappearing sporadically, I knew my brother lived among them as well. There were others of great age so I did not know it was Kaatzál and I could not sense any stronger emotions than what was normal for all the Alarans. I did not know it was he until----now." Tezca dropped his chin to his chest. "I am ashamed at my failure to save your friend."

"You said you could help us find him," prompted Sam. She moved across the site to stand next to the colonel.

Tezca looked up at her. "How long has Daniel been missing?"

O'Neill flipped open his watch. "About two hours now," he replied. "Teal'c and I lost his trail in the ruins."

"I believe you followed a false trail, Colonel. I don't believe my brother would return to Teóti and I came by there on my way here. I did not sense Daniel's presence as I did when you arrived through the Ring of Stone."

"Why Daniel?" asked Sam. "All four of us are very emotional beings although Teal'c is Jaffa and has been trained to be more detached, he still feels just like the rest of us."

"Daniel's colors are much more vivid, Samantha, because he is experiencing a loss, one for which he believes he is responsible."

Sam nodded as realization dawned. "Jacobsen," she whispered.

"Daniel Jackson did state that Kaatzál found his presence---refreshing."

"As do I, Teal'c," replied Tezca. "However, I do not need to feed as my brother does."

Sam looked at O'Neill to see her fear for their friend mirrored in his eyes.

"What's he doing to him?" the colonel asked, his voice strained.

Tezca's face showed his sorrow. "That I do not know. Some of the children he took returned, but they were----lost to us. Others never returned."

"Daniel said that when Teóti was found, he was----disturbing."

"That is an accurate translation," replied the old man gently. "He was a mere shell of who he once was. His mind was stolen from him, lost to our people and that is why they chose to end his life----for it was not a life at all."

"Oh, my God," murmured Sam. "Colonel, we've got to find him."

"Oh, we will, Carter," replied O'Neill with steely resolve. "That I promise you, we will."

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Somehow he knew something wasn't right.

He could feel the warmth of the sand beneath his tiny sandals, could feel the breeze against his face, the happiness gurgling up through his body to break free in gleeful laughter as he ran from his dad under the Egyptian sun, but Daniel still knew something wasn't right. For a moment, he let himself go. The arms that wrapped around his little body and lifted him from the ground to swing him around were real and warm and strong. Daniel inhaled the scent of hot sand and his father's sweat and he remembered.

He remembered.

Daniel slowly opened his eyes to darkness and the smell of freshly turned earth, a cold floor of dirt beneath him. Gone was the warmth of the sun, the warmth of his father and the archeologist knew they'd only been memories. He often dreamed of Egypt, but never had the dreams been as vivid, as tangible as what he'd just experienced. His body still tingled with the joy and happiness of those childhood days and he felt the sting of tears at their loss, a grief so deep it hurt. He struggled to pull his mind back together, to focus on the cold damp earth on which he lay. He remembered Jack leaving their tent and then the sensation of being suddenly cold; a cold that turned so intense it seemed to turn his blood to ice.

He gasped. Hands, he remembered the touch of hands on his face and the smell of something so dark, it made his skin crawl. He'd felt a strange heat quickly flowing through his body and he'd tried to scream, but no sound had escaped his lips. He'd tried to move, to fight off his assailant, but his muscles hadn't cooperated.

Fear so powerful, he felt nauseous suddenly hit Daniel and he tried to sit up only to fall back, his muscles failing to respond to his brain's commands. He turned his head and vomited what little he had in his stomach. Then the stench hit his nostrils and he heaved again. He turned his head away and slowly inched his sluggish body away from the vile mess.

He lay quiet for a long moment, the only sound reaching his ears the erratic rasp of his own breathing. He shivered from cold and realized all he had on was his t-shirt and his pants. Gone were the rest of his clothing; his vest, his jacket, his socks, and his boots. He shivered again.

"Jack," he managed weakly. "Jack."

But his friend didn't answer.

Daniel closed his eyes and once again felt himself swept away into remembrance.

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Jack felt his anger building. "You said you could help us find Daniel," he spat. "We've been looking for hours now, Tezca. Where is he?"

The elder man turned, his charcoal eyes oddly dull in the late-morning sun. "I'm sorry, Colonel. I thought I could sense his presence if he was nearby, but I can't. He must be somewhere I can't reach."

"That is so not what I wanted to hear," retorted the colonel sharply.

"Now what, sir?" asked Carter.

Jack raised his hand to signal his two following teammates to stop. He took off his cap and scrubbed his fingers through his sweat-dampened hair.

"Sir?"

"I don't know, Carter. I guess that's up to Tezca now isn't it?"

"Perhaps we should alter our plan of action and search for Kaatzál instead of Daniel Jackson," offered Teal'c. "He may not be aware that we know of his identity. It is possible he returned to the village."

"That is a possibility," replied Tezca with an optimism Jack didn't feel. "He would want to appear as normal as possible just as he did during the others' disappearances."

"Business as usual?"

"Perhaps----yes, Colonel."

"Damn it," muttered Jack. He let his gaze take in his surroundings briefly noting all the damned trees. They'd walked away from the ruins of Teóti and the further they'd gone, the more he felt it was wrong. He knew he couldn't sense Daniel in the same way Tezca could, but he still had a niggling sensation that his friend was in the ruins somewhere. He wondered how he could tell Teal'c and Carter that little tidbit without them thinking he was off his rocker. Maybe he was off his rocker, but Jack knew Daniel in a way he'd never known anyone else and every ounce of his being was screaming at him to go back to the ruins.

"O'Neill."

Jack started slightly and turned his gaze to his warrior friend. "Okay, why don't you and Carter go back to the village with Tezca, contact Hammond and let him know what's happening, get him to send us some help. I'm going to go back to Teóti."

"Daniel is not in Teóti, Colonel."

"I just need to check again, Tezca."

The old man looked hesitant then he nodded once in acceptance.

"Keep in radio contact," continued Jack. "If Kaatzál is in the village, make sure you don't tip your hand. He's the only one who can lead us to Daniel."

"Yes, sir," replied Carter. "We'll keep him under surveillance." Her gaze moved beyond Jack to the white-haired holy man who stood in front of him. "How long can he go without----without feeding?"

"I'm uncertain, but I do know he needs to be in physical contact with Daniel in order to quench his need."

Jack swallowed the bite of bile rising in his throat.

"Sir, what if Kaatzál isn't in the village?"

"Then you wait, Carter. I'll join you there by nightfall."

"You are wasting your time---."

Jack held up his hand stopping the other man's words. "I know, Tezca, he isn't there, but my gut tells be otherwise." He looked first at Carter then at Teal'c. "Keep in radio contact at all times," he repeated pointedly.

Teal'c nodded once in acknowledgment. "Good luck, O'Neill."

"We'll see you later, sir."

Jack stood and watched as the three walked away from him back toward the Alaran village then he turned in the direction of Teóti hoping his gut was right.

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TO BE CONTINUED