The Mercy of Mot
Chapter 6
Something cool and soft was being wiped across his face, threatening to bring him back to awareness. The motion was soothing, though, and he let it lull him back into that fuzzy place between wakefulness and sleep. A buzzing sound penetrated the haze surrounding him, keeping him from drifting completely away. It persisted, and, giving it his attention, he realized it was a voice. He tried to remember where he was and who might be talking to him. The voice continued speaking until he could finally distinguish the words.
"Daniel."
The voice was calling his name, trying to get him to open his eyes. He decided to try, managing to open them slightly. A blurry face leaned over him.
"Daniel, it's Sam. Are you awake?"
Sam? That's right, we were working in the ruins. She was standing by the stargate and-- No! People were shooting at them! Suddenly, the events of the last two days came rushing back. He struggled to sit up but was stopped by a flare of white-hot pain in his left arm and chest.
"Take it easy. Don't try to get up."
That sounded like a really good idea at the moment, so he complied. An image of a huge cat attacking Adon flashed through his mind and he looked to Sam.
"Adon?"
"He's going to be fine. He was bitten on the arm, but it wasn't too bad. Yara just finished treating it."
"Good," he said, closing his eyes again, willing the pain to ease.
"Daniel, stay with me," Sam gently ordered, brushing his cheek with her fingers.
"Mmm," he mumbled, that fuzzy place trying to pull him in again.
"Daniel, Yara needs to take care of your wound. She's going to have to take the bandages off and clean it. Do you understand?"
"Um hm . . . clean."
Sam was more than worried now. It was obvious Daniel's fever had risen—he was burning up—but now she was having trouble getting him to stay awake. When she'd heard Adon shout, she had turned and run back to where they had left the two, Cadmos on her heels, as had some of the other people close enough to hear. Seeing Daniel on the ground, unmoving, the wound on his chest bleeding freely again, had made her chest tighten with fear. She had reached his side and thrown herself to the ground, groping for his pulse with her tied hands. She had felt the reassuring beat against her fingertips and almost cried with relief before she had been yanked away by Cadmos.
Other members of the group had flocked around Adon, who kept pointing at Daniel and the cat, and a large branch lying nearby. She could see the arrow sticking out of the beast and knew Adon had shot it. Piecing together Adon's movements and injury, she had come to the conclusion that the cat must have attacked Adon first, Daniel had hit it with the branch, and Adon had then shot it. She didn't know how Daniel had found the strength to use his left arm, but it was clear that using it had cost him.
Several of the men had picked Daniel up and carried him to the area where the rest of the group was waiting. Adon had walked on his own, cradling his arm.
Yara and Sam had managed to exchange names before Yara proceeded to pantomime to Sam what she needed to do to Daniel. Sam had hoped he would stay unconscious while Yara cleaned the wound, but evidently that wasn't going to happen. And on top of that, she wasn't sure that he understood what Sam was trying to tell him.
She looked up at Yara, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head. Yara patted Sam's bound hands and smiled, then called out to three men who came forward. After removing Daniel's t-shirt, she gave a couple of brief instructions and the men moved so that they were holding his legs, head, and wrists. Another woman brought some clean cloths and a couple of bowls, setting them next to Yara.
Sam moved close to Daniel's head and whispered a few soothing words to him while Yara began removing the old, soiled cloths. Daniel didn't stir until she reached the final layer which had stuck to part of the wound. Yara was gentle, taking great care not to pull too hard on the cloth. Daniel began to moan and tried to turn his head, but was held fast. One final pull and the old cloth came free of the wound. His eyes flew open and he tried to move his arms and legs, with no success.
Sam leaned in so she was in his line of sight. "Daniel, it's okay. Yara removed the bandage. She's going to clean it now. Hang in there."
His eyes locked on to hers and she could see he was trying to calm himself. "'Kay," he whispered, his breaths coming fast as he dealt with the pain.
The wound looked terrible; there was no question it was infected.
Yara took a cloth, dipped it in the bowl of water, and proceeded to gently wipe the wound. Daniel squeezed his eyes shut and hissed as the cloth made contact with the infected skin. Next, the woman picked up another cloth and dipped it in the second bowl which contained some type of yellow paste. Giving a quick glance to her helpers, she began dabbing the paste onto the arrow wound.
Daniel cried out and tried to arch off the ground before going limp. The men released their hold on the now unconscious man, but remained close by while Yara finished applying the paste. When she was done, she took more cloth and wrapped it around Daniel's chest, covering the wound.
Sam reached over and brushed back sweat-soaked strands of hair from Daniel's forehead. She hated to see him suffer, but she was helpless to do anything for him. He needed to be back at the SGC in Janet's care, but it didn't look like that would be happening any time soon. She just hoped that whatever medicine Yara had used would stem the infection. And that they hadn't waited too long to treat it.
Yara put her hand on Sam's shoulder, drawing her attention. She smiled and gestured to Sam's hands. Understanding, she held out her bound hands as Yara moved around Daniel so she was sitting next to her. Taking hold of the rope, the woman began untying it.
"Stop."
Sam looked up to see Melqart standing over them. She had a pretty good guess what he was saying.
"I do not believe she will attempt to escape without her friend. In fact, I do not believe they wish to hurt us at all. Let me treat the rope burns and you may re-tie her," Yara said, expecting an argument.
Melqart looked over at Daniel and then back at Sam. Sam saw the hardness in his features dissipate before the big man nodded to Yara and stepped away. Sam didn't know what Yara had said to him, but his attitude towards them appeared to soften.
Yara finished taking the rope off and treated the burns with the same ointment she had used on Daniel. Sam hissed as it was applied, stinging her wrists; no wonder Daniel had passed out. Once the initial sting eased, it began to have a cooling effect. Yara wrapped a strip of cloth around each wrist before saying something to Melqart.
The big man approached and bent to pick up the rope. Taking hold of Sam's arm, he pulled her to her feet. Hesitating, rope in hand, he looked searchingly at Sam. She thought he almost looked apologetic before he began re-tying her hands. When he was done, he gently guided her back to sit on the ground next to Daniel.
Sam refocused her attention on her teammate, checking his pulse, not missing the heat of fever pouring off of him. He didn't respond to her touch and she thought it was just as well—rest was probably the best thing for him.
Another woman brought a water skin and helped Sam drink. She knew Daniel needed some, too, but had no way to give it to him.
Two men appeared with a makeshift litter. They placed it on the ground and then lifted Daniel onto it, covering him with a thin blanket. Then Sam was being pulled to her feet—it was obvious they were on the move again. Adon and Cadmos walked up to stand next to her and Daniel's litter. Adon's arm was in a sling and his bow was slung across his back. She watched as he moved closer to Daniel, looking him over, his expression full of concern. If Daniel had hit the big cat after it attacked, he may have saved the young man's life. And it might be the reason Melqart's attitude had softened. Maybe their chances of getting out of this situation had just improved.
The group began moving once more and Sam reluctantly started walking. Her head was beginning to pound again and she missed the support of Daniel's arm around her. At least it was no longer raining. She still hoped that wherever they were going, it wasn't much farther.
~oOo~
The midday sun beat down on him as Jack sat on a rock drinking his water. Thankfully, the rain had stopped earlier but it left the air almost unbearably humid.
They had been moving at an increased pace ever since they had found the abandoned campsite that morning. Jack had lost track of how many hours he had gone without sleep. He had reluctantly taken this short break to give his feet a rest and quench his thirst, wondering how long he could keep going without real rest, knowing he wouldn't stop until he'd found his teammates.
"O'Neill."
Teal'c had taken a few steps on down the path and was now calling to him with some urgency. He got up as quickly as he could and joined his teammate.
"What is it?"
"A struggle took place here, between two men and a beast."
Jack didn't like the sound of that, but took it as a good sign that there were no bodies lying around.
"One of the men wore soft boots and the other wore SGC issue boots. There are clearly spots where each of the men fell to the ground. However, it appears the beast was killed. Here is where it lay."
Jack looked to where Teal'c pointed, seeing flattened grass and some blood stains.
"You're sure it's the animal's blood and not . . ." he left it unfinished, not wanting to put into words his fear that either Daniel or Sam had been attacked and possibly injured further. But he had said two men. Had it been Daniel?
"I am sure, O'Neill. The SGC boot prints belong to Daniel Jackson. It appears as though someone carried him from here as I see no prints leading away that belong to him. The second man appears to have walked away on his own."
So not what he wanted to hear. "You think Daniel was injured by the animal?"
"Possibly. I believe we should make haste in following them."
"I agree. Let's go."
His energy was renewed, or maybe it was just his fear pushing him on. In any case, he wasn't about to waste any more time. Capping his water, he adjusted his MP5 and took off down the path at a quick pace behind Teal'c.
TBC