Principle

Warm. He was pleasantly warm and comfortable. A light breeze ran over him and he recognised the scent of lavender. A lake surrounded by long blades of grass came to mind followed by an impression of well-being and bright sunshine. He snuggled into the warmth pressed against his body, his skin brushing against a rough fabric.

He heard a loud snort and the bulky object shifted beneath his cheek, effectively taking hold of his contentment and discarding it. Lifting his head from the jacketed chest upon which it was resting, John's eyes locked with sleep-filled blue ones.

"McKay!"

He scrambled to get away from the man but found he couldn't put more than a few inches between them. He attempted to move again more forcefully but was roughly pulled back against the chest his head had just vacated.

"McKay…What's happening?"

"I was going to ask you the same question. Why aren't you getting off me?"

"I can't…"

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can't! Something's pulling me back!"

"I've heard of animal magnetism but really, this is ridiculous. Can't you move at all?"

Pulled would've been a more accurate way of describing the feeling that kept Sheppard immovably drawn to the man. He moved slowly, sliding away and was able to lie on his back, the side of his body pressed against Rodney's from shoulder to foot.

"This isn't good…"

"Next you're going to tell me that Earth is round, right? How very perceptive of you, Colonel!"

John turned his head in an attempt to familiarize himself with their surroundings. Only bright, clear, blue sky filled his range of vision. No walls, no trees, no people…no one but Rodney McKay. His chest tightened as two words suddenly jumped the queue of his mind, demanding attention.

"Can you see Teyla and Ronon!"

"I can see them and I can feel Teyla. Didn't you see her while you were using me as a mattress, she's right there! God, it's so hot! We're all going to die of sunstroke."

"We're not! Are they ok?"

"Sure, they're still out. Ronon's been kicking me periodically but let's not focus on my discomfort since it doesn't seem to be of any concern to anyone but me! I think we were drugged earlier…"

"Yeah? Did you know that Earth is round, McKay!"

Turning away from the grumbling, glaring scientist, John shifted his position slightly to establish a new perimeter. He'd liked the one near the lake much more than this.

They were on a wooden plank and…that was it. That was the only thing he could see from this angle. Wood and sky. He turned on his side and came to rest halfway across McKay's body, a leg thrown over his.

"What the hell are you doing!" Rodney was ineffectually attempting to push him off.

"Just trying to see what's on that side."

"You could've asked! I would've told you!"

"Yes well, if I am going to figure a way out of here, I need to see where we are."

He took in the sight of Teyla, her back pressed tightly against Rodney's side, her head on Ronon's shoulder as both slept off the drug. John slid back to his original position having learned nothing that could possibly be of use. They appeared to be on a platform, high up in the air and that was all the information he was going to get from this angle.

Rodney had stretched his arm up slightly and seemed to be pulling against an unseen restraint.

"There's a force field. That's why we can't move away from each other. See…" He tried to raise his arm further but it was roughly pushed back against John's. Grasping Sheppard's hand, McKay pulled both their arms up and they were able to extend them fully. "…it's not around us as much as it is on us. It lets us move freely, as long as we move together."

"So…we're…Superglued together?"

Rodney rolled his eyes but the effect went unnoticed, John being on his back, staring at the arm he was attempting to dislodge from the field as Rodney had done a moment ago.

"No, not Superglue since we're able to move slightly apart. Let's use big boy words and stick with force field." He interrupted himself to snort in disgust and continued his explanation, having expressed his displeasure. "Now, we seem to be linked together as a group rather than to each other individually which means we can rearrange our position. You could move in between Teyla and Ronon as long as you do it without moving away completely from the person you are linked with before linking with the next person."

"When I move I'll eventually stop being pulled against you to be pulled against Teyla."

"Yes."

"Well that's good news!" It really was. McKay was an okay kind of guy, but you didn't want to be stuck with him, literally.

"I'd have to…roll over you and Teyla to get to Ronon?"

"Yes, so please tell me you don't need to change places because that would, you know, piss me off. You might be skinny but you're not light, as you just demonstrated by rudely rolling over me like I was your personal –"

Sounds were coming from below, as if a crowd was amassing. It grew stronger, quieting Rodney. They strained themselves to make out the words being spoken in what seemed to be a woman's voice. The crowd erupted into cheers when she ended her speech. For some time nothing more happened, no one spoke, but eventually the scent the breeze carried changed. No longer sweet, it contained acridness reminiscent of…

"Smoke! That's smoke! Where's that coming from!"

Then the word came, reaching for them, carried by the crowd's thunderous cries.

"Sorcery! Sorcery! Sorcery!"

"It's coming from below."

Waking up Teyla and Ronon was no easy task but they managed it quickly, egged on by the black smoke rising in menacing swirls. They explained the situation briefly, the urgent need to evaluate it bearing more weight than the immediate understanding of the newly awakened. The team slid their way to the edge with difficulty, unaccustomed to moving as a whole and peered down.

The smoke made it difficult to see, surrounding them before continuing on its way towards the heavens. They could see the crowd formed by the villagers, standing around the Celebrant and her guards. However, their attention was quickly diverted by long, hungry flames making their way to them. Fire burned, climbing the wood-covered metal posts supporting the platform. The instant the crowd noticed them, angry, hungry cries reached their ears.

"Sorcery! Sorcery! Sorcery! Destroy the Sorcery!"

Seemingly wanting to jump on the 'pertinent observations' bandwagon, Ronon spoke the obvious.

"We're going to be burned alive."

Never one to be outdone, Rodney had to propel pertinence to new heights.

"That's…much more damaging than sunstroke…"