6.
Between wind and water
Jack finds himself sitting cross-legged in front of a blazing fire. It's a little too warm, but it makes the room - if you could call it that - dry and he figures that's pretty much the whole point of it. That and tea, apparently. He accepts a small, smooth bowl of steaming liquid from one of the cheetah kids, as he has now labelled them, but raises it only far enough to give an experimental sniff. He glances at Daniel to his right, who seems more interested in the pottery than the tea itself, and tries to catch his eye.
When that doesn't work he clears his throat, and Daniel's gaze finally shifts to meet his.
"How rude would it be if we didn't drink the tea?" Jack says.
Daniel's eyebrows go up, but the faraway look in his eyes makes Jack suspect that the archaeologist has heard precisely nothing.
Time to go for the more direct approach, he thinks.
"Carter?" he calls, his focus still on Daniel.
"Jack?"
The insouciant tone in her voice makes it difficult for him to keep a straight face, but he continues to eyeball Daniel sternly. Sam get's it immediately though, and reaches across to rest a hand on Daniel's knee. Jack smirks as Daniel blinks and turns towards her, attention finally on something other than his own thoughts.
"Don't drink the tea," she says, tilting her head and raising one eyebrow. It's like she's addressing a child and Jack can't help but like the command in it. Even Teal'c looks over at her with a mixture of interest and amusement.
"I assure you that the tea is quite safe."
It's Jack's turn to be caught by surprise as he swivels in the direction of the voice, spilling some of the tea in the process. It scalds one hand and he winces, shaking the hot liquid off. He hears a few of the cheetah kids giggling; they sit just at the edge of where the walls would be if these strange huts had walls, and he tries to ignore the fact that there is quite an audience gathering out there.
"I did not mean to startle you," the man says, and Jack watches him drop to his knees before the fire and take the pot from the woman who had been preparing the tea. "My apologies."
"You speak English," Jack says without thinking.
"I speak the language of the Gods," the man corrects. He is wiry, with a long, silvery beard, and wears a simple tunic with trousers that are tied just below the knee. Again, it reminds Jack of Vietnam, and for a moment it distracts him from what the man has actually said.
"The language of the Gods?" Daniel repeats.
Ah. That.
"Yes," the man says simply. The older boy - leader - of the cheetah kids appears at the man's side, bowing one knee and offering another small bowl on the palm of his hand while the older man seats himself across from Jack. "Thank you, Anoki. To-ba."
The boy smiles, and Jack thinks that it's just as unsettling as it was earlier - all teeth and cold eyes.
Charlie would never have smiled like that.
The memory of a partially toothless grin reflected in a rear-view mirror one wintry day many years ago is like a kick in the gut and he has to look away for a moment. When he looks back the boy is gone and the man is pouring himself some of the tea.
"Please," the man says, and takes a large, deliberate swallow.
Jack doesn't know whether the show is for them or for the people outside, but he supposes that it doesn't matter. He glances at the bowl in his hand, half full now since spilling some, and hesitates.
"Please," he says again.
Beside him, his team are quiet, the roar and crackle of the fire loud in the space; he can almost imagine the collective holding of breath around him.
He never thought that tea could be so important.
Daniel coughs, and Jack throws him a glare before finally holding his bowl out to their host. The old man's mouth stretches into a broad grin as he refills it, his weathered skin crinkling around the eyes.
"I am Sani," he says, placing the pot back on the hot stones by the fire, smile still firmly in place.
Jack takes a sip of the tea - it's surprisingly sweet. "Jack," he says, "and this is Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c."
Sani nods at all three in turn.
"Why do you call it the language of the Gods, Sani?" Daniel asks, and Jack catches his eye.
"The language is sacred," Sani says. "Only priests speak it, but it is well recognised, and so Anoki came to fetch me immediately."
"Yeah, great kid," Jack says, and this time shares a glance with Sam.
"So only your spiritual leaders speak the language?" Daniel asks, taking a sip of his own tea.
"Yes," Sani replies, "although there are not many of us."
"Huh," Daniel says to no one in particular. "Like Ecclesiastical Latin."
Sani smiles again as if he understands Daniel's cultural musings, and Jack can't help but feel for the man.
"Anoki tells me that you came through the Great Ring."
"Chapaa'ai," Teal'c says.
"We call it a Stargate," Sam adds with a nod, and Sani inclines his head questioningly at her. There's something else in the look which Jack doesn't quite like, but it's gone before he can analyse it further.
"We have not had visitors through the Great Ring in quite some time," Sani says.
"It is kind of a walk, isn't it?" Jack says.
Sani grunts in what can only be amusement. "We would travel much greater distances to answer the summons of our God."
Jack just manages to stop himself from openly cringing, forcing the aborted expression into something closer to interest. "So who is your god?" he says, trying hard not to stumble over the 'who' when he feels that the Goa'uld are closer to a 'what' - ascribing any kind of humanity to those parasites is damn near impossible for him.
A wistful look falls over Sani's features and Jack feels physically ill at the reverence in it.
"Did you not feel the very wind itself greet you? Did it not direct you here?" Sani says, and then more loudly, "Ru-ak merish!"
Jack knows that the latter must be for the benefit of the people, but Sani's expectant gaze rests heavily on him and he has no idea how to respond.
"Umm..." he says helplessly, straightening a little and giving Daniel a hard look which he hopes conveys that their cultural expert should be stepping in round about now.
Daniel looks genuinely baffled, and blinks several times before clearing his throat. "You believe," he pauses, "your deity commands the wind?"
Sani looks pleased. "He is the God of the wind."
Daniel narrows his eyes at that, pursing his lips as though he is trying to recall something.
"Amun," he says finally. "Is your god, Amun?"
Jack hears a note of something in Daniel's voice that worries him, but also fills him with a strange sense of anticipation. He glances at Teal'c to see what the Jaffa makes of this and sees the man's stoicism drop, one eyebrow lifting in surprise.
"You see!" Sani says, raising his arms in an open gesture at the team, "Amun is known to all!"
As if on cue a sibilant hum rises from the people gathered around them, and if possible they all seem to press in closer. Jack turns his attention on them and there is nothing but smiles and nods and wide eyes; the old man was certainly putting on a show.
Jack thinks about Kawalsky and what that thing did to him, and suddenly feels so much... rage.
It claws its way up his throat like bile and he has to make himself swallow it, remind himself of why they're here. With some effort, he resists the urge to hurl the stupid tea bowl at something and places it on the ground in front of him, staring at it for just a moment.
When he looks back up it's Sam's eyes that he finds, and he can't help but feel like she sees right through him; she's seen him angry like this before, after all.
He should feel exposed, but instead, it's oddly comforting.
The murmuring starts to die down, but one of the cheetah kids - a very young one - tries to push through to the front of the group, is batted away by one of the older children, and promptly proceeds to cry.
Jack is grateful for the distraction, watching the kid be scooped up and quietly bundled off while his anger ebbed, morphing into something closer to pity.
"My apologies. It appears that our little ones have become quite overcome," Sani says. "Our God is great indeed."
"Sure," Jack says, biting back his initial reply - out the corner of his eye he notices Teal'c shift but the Jaffa remains quiet.
"Jack, in Egyptian theology Amun was the god of the wind," Daniel continues in that same tone as before, and Jack wonders what he's missing.
"I think that's been established," Jack says.
"His consort was Amaunet."
Ah.
"Daniel," Sam says, blue eyes wide and focused intently on the archaeologist - Jack marvels at how she manages to convey so much in a single word.
"Um, Sani," Daniel says, seemingly ignoring her. "Do you have a temple?"
Sani is taking a sip of his tea and Daniel watches him closely, his own bowl long forgotten. Jack can see how badly Daniel wants this answer to be an affirmative; the other man is practically vibrating and Jack can't help, selfishly, but think of Skaara before swiftly pushing the thought away.
"We do," Sani says with a nod, and Jack can feel his team straightening, the atmosphere shifting.
The look on Sani's face is disquieting, like he knows he has something they want, but of course, Jack thinks, he could just be projecting - the old man was a bit smug when it came to his so-called 'god' and maybe all he was seeing was simple pride.
"Is it close to the village?" Daniel asks.
"Daniel..." Jack starts to interject, but Sani cuts across him.
"I would not say that it is close. Half as long as the journey to the Great Ring, maybe. But to the west."
"Would it be possible for us to visit it?" Daniel says quickly, and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "For study?"
"Thank you, Sani," Jack says before the priest can reply, and the look Daniel throws at him at his interruption can only be described as wild, "but it sounds like your temple is far enough away that we may need to stay overnight. Perhaps even a day or two, for study, if that's alright with you?"
He looks at Daniel pointedly then, hoping that he will read between the lines and stop pushing; Jack knows he's understood when Daniel's posture sags a little, tension replaced with palpable eagerness.
"Of course," Sani says. "You are most welcome to stay. We can arrange somewhere for you to rest for the evening."
"Oh, no," Sam says then, reaching for her pack, "that won't be necessary. We have everything we need to set up camp."
Sani turns towards Sam and that strange expression from earlier ghosts across his face before dissolving into a warm smile. "Nonsense," he says. "Amun would be most displeased if we failed to offer hospitality."
Sam opens her mouth, Jack guesses to protest, but Sani raises his hand in a silencing gesture. "And even more displeased if it was not accepted."
The fire flickers as a gust of wind blows through the space, and Sam looks from Sani to him, uncertainty clear in her eyes.
Oh yeah. He knows that feeling, alright.
"Then we humbly accept your offer," Teal'c says suddenly. The Jaffa dips his head slowly towards the old man and Sani turns to face him, pressing his palms together and bowing his head in response.
Jack blinks, a little caught off-guard. "Uh, yes," he adds. "Thank you for the hospitality."
"Excellent," Sani says, hands still pressed together, and Jack can't help but think 'Mr. Burns'. "Forgive me, I must leave you now to make arrangements.
"Please," he continues, and gestures at the fire. "Stay. Drink tea."
The old man then slaps his thighs with finality, apparently bringing their meeting to a close, before climbing to his feet and making his way out of the hut. The crowd parts for him easily, and Jack is relieved to see the people begin to dissipate quickly with their priest's departure.
For a while, there is just the sound of the fire and the shuffle of feet on soft earth.
"Well that was int- "
"If their temple is- "
"What was that about, T?" Jack asks, raising his voice over Sam and Daniel who subsequently both fall quiet; it was not like Teal'c to take control of a conversation like that, and Jack suspects that there is something he's missing.
"I feared hesitation on our part might appear suspicious," Teal'c says. Jack remembers what Teal'c said the night before about hospitality on Chulak and relaxes a little. "The priest also seemed uncomfortable when Doctor Carter addressed him."
Damn. "You noticed that too, huh?" Jack says, grimacing and shifting his position so he could stretch out his legs. "Was hoping it was just my imagination."
"Is it usual for women to be subservient in Jaffa culture?" Daniel asks, obviously realising that his desire to talk about the temple was temporarily derailed.
"No," Teal'c says, turning to Daniel. "But it is not unheard of."
"But we're not sure that they are Jaffa," Sam says.
Jack can't tell if it's a statement or a question, but her expression is thoughtful, and he thinks he can guess at at least some of the lines that big brain of hers might be running along: Sani's reaction to her might explain the little girl's behaviour.
It's not exactly comforting, but it's something they can work around.
Hopefully.
"Jack," Daniel says, evidently unable to hold back any longer. "If their temple is like the cavern on Abydos and it's linked to Amun's territories..."
Daniel trails off suddenly, and frowns, his gaze turning distant. The firelight catches his glasses in such a way that, for only a second, it looks like his eyes are glowing.
Jack swallows thickly, shaking off the prickly sensation rising at the nape of his neck.
He waves a hand in Daniel's direction. "...then it might give us a lead on Sha're?"
"'Amaunet' is the feminine form of 'Amun'," Daniel continues, attention snapping back to Jack.
"Okayyyy..."
"It means 'the female hidden one'," he says, wagging his finger in a gesture Jack recognises; meaning Daniel had just realised something that Jack may, or - he wasn't afraid to admit - may not, want to hear about.
"And this seems to be, or has become, a patriarchal society," Sam says, grabbing Daniel's arm in apparent excitement.
Jack tries not to scowl at the two of them - it's like they're back in the cavern on Abydos reading each other's minds again.
"And?" he says.
"'Amun' might, in fact, be 'Amaunet'," Daniel says.
"You see, over time the feminine form may have been replaced-"
"Carter," Jack says, cutting her off. He resists the urge to wince at the glare she levels at him and continues more gently then, "I get it."
"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c says. "Would that not mean that it has been many years since the Goa'uld visited this planet?"
"It seems likely," Daniel replies, his expression falling a little. "At least, that's what Sani implied."
"It's still a possible lead," Sam says, giving Daniel's arm a final squeeze before drawing her hand back into her lap.
They are all quiet for a minute, and he feels her eyes on him as he resolutely stares into the fire. He has no doubt that she wants to say something about Skaara, but he can't bring himself to think that far ahead.
Doesn't want to, really.
He thinks she understands that.
Another gust of wind, stronger this time, kicks up the coals. The fire hisses and pops as the kindling resettles, but despite the sudden flare of heat the breeze is cold against his still damp fatigues and it sends a chill all through him.
It's such a damn cliché.
A/N: Please know that this story is not abandoned. Things have simply changed quite a lot for me this year, and I've had to reprioritise some stuff. I also cannot put any kind of timeline on updates, but I sincerely hope they will be more regular than yearly! Also, I am rusty - so have mercy.
As always, thank you so much all followers/favouriters/readers/reviewers!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Stargate franchise. All other characters mentioned in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.