The Mercy of Mot
Chapter 11
Daniel instinctively resisted the guards as they pulled him toward the post. This couldn't be what it looked like, but he knew it was. Why hadn't he considered it? It was a common practice among the Phoenicians just as it was with other peoples of that area and time. Alexander the Great had nearly wiped out the male population of Tyre in the same manner.
The guards stopped him in front of the crossed beams and untied his hands. Panic fluttered in his chest as they turned him around so his back was against the post. Taking hold of his arms, they stretched them out to either side against the horizontal beam. The panic eased when he saw them pull out lengths of rope—he would be spared the nails. The guards began lashing his wrists and upper arms to the beam, and, as someone removed his boots and socks and began tying his feet to the bottom of the post, he realized his feet would be firmly on the ground. Eshmun really had tried to make this easier on him.
He winced as his left arm was stretched out, pulling on his wound. The infected arrow wound could make this more difficult. He put his head back, finding the post was just tall enough for him to rest it there. He could get through this-all he had to do was stand here.
"Daniel!"
He heard his name being called and saw Jack, Sam, and Teal'c pushing their way through the crowd. They reached the front and tried to make their way to him, but were stopped by guards blocking their path with spears.
The guards finished securing Daniel to the posts and stepped away. Another guard faced the crowd and addressed them.
"By decree of the council, the prisoner will be set at post until sundown. No one may touch him except by the reed. At the end of the punishment, the prisoner will be freed and no one may take any other action against him."
Another guard moved forward and placed several sturdy reeds, each about three feet long, on the ground in front of Daniel. Four guards took up position around him.
Until sundown. Daniel guessed that couldn't be more than nine or ten hours. He could handle it, right? But the reeds that had been placed at his feet were another matter. He had a pretty good idea what they were going to be used for. His assumption was quickly confirmed.
A man stepped from the crowd and bent down, picking up one of the reeds.
"For defiling the sacred city," he spat, moving in front of Daniel and striking him across his right arm.
"Ah!" Daniel jerked as the reed struck his arm, which continued to sting.
"Hey!" he heard a familiar voice shout.
The man returned the reed to the pile and rejoined the crowd. Some of the people began to leave, evidently satisfied with Daniel's punishment. A few congregated in small groups and continued to watch from a distance.
~oOo~
Jack stopped as his path was blocked by a guard's spear. He had been relieved to see that Daniel was only tied to the post and that his feet were firmly on the ground. A vision of Daniel being nailed to the beam and hoisted to hang from it had passed through his mind. This, at least, would be survivable. Except that Daniel had still not recovered from the infected wound.
Jack's plan had been to stay close by and keep an eye on Daniel to make sure he was handling it all right, until a man from the crowd picked up some kind of reed and struck Daniel's arm with it.
"Hey!" What the hell was going on?
Part of the crowd had dispersed, but several groups remained standing nearby. Jack watched as another man left one of the groups and headed for Daniel. As he picked up one of the reeds, Jack rushed at him.
"Teal'c! Give me a hand," he shouted, grabbing the man's arm before he could strike Daniel.
Teal'c grabbed the man's other arm, but at the same moment, two of the guards leveled their spears at them, moving until they were inches from Jack's and Teal'c's faces.
They shouted something—Jack didn't understand the words, but the meaning was clear.
"Jack!"
Jack turned his gaze to Daniel.
"Jack, don't. If you interfere, they might rescind their ruling and reinstate the death sentence. You have to stay out of it."
"Daniel, I'm not going to stand here and let them beat you. It's bad enough you have to stand tied to that post!"
"It's only until sundown—I can handle it. Eshmun said he was against this, but the others are afraid if they don't follow the old laws, Mot will return and punish them. Don't you see, I think these people would be open to hearing the truth about the goa'uld. They could become our allies."
"Daniel Jackson, your previous injury will make this punishment more difficult."
"I know, Teal'c, but I have to show I'm willing to follow their rules; then I think they'll listen to us."
Jack released the man's arm and motioned for Teal'c to do the same. As they backed away, the guards lowered their spears. The man moved close to Daniel, and, without making a statement, brought the reed down on Daniel's thigh. His thick BDU pants absorbed some of the sting, but not all. He flinched but didn't cry out.
The man returned the reed to the pile and walked away, glaring at Jack as he passed.
Janet and Reynolds had joined Sam, with the archaeologists following close behind. All of them came to stand behind Jack and Teal'c.
"Sir," Janet said, "I don't think Daniel can take much of this. He was still running a fever last night, and by looking at him, I'd bet he still has it."
"I know!" Jack snapped. "Sorry. I don't know what else to do. Daniel insists we shouldn't interfere, but I don't want to stand here and watch these people beat him. Ideas, anyone?"
A young man, probably in his mid-teens, walked hesitantly to the pile of reeds and bent down, picking one up. Teal'c turned towards him and made a low, growling sound. The youth looked up at the Jaffa, eyes wide, then quickly dropped the reed and took off running down one of the streets.
"Well, that's an idea," Jack said. "We can just have Teal'c stand here and scare them off."
"It would be my pleasure, O'Neill."
"Knock yourself out, T."
"I fail to see how that would aid our situation, O'Neill."
"Just an expression—it means 'go ahead and give it all you've got."
"I see."
"Sir," Sam interrupted the exchange, "What about the SG teams? Do you think they can get in, help us get Daniel, and get out again without casualties?"
"I don't know, Carter. It's hard to tell how many of these troops they have in the city. Plus, they haven't returned our weapons, yet. I'd really like to get them back before we try anything."
"Maybe they're waiting for this to be over before they return them," Sam suggested.
"That'd be my guess. Well, for now, let's get comfortable here where we can keep an eye on Daniel," Jack said.
Jack, Sam, and Reynolds sat down close to Daniel while Janet took the archaeologists back to sit on the steps of the council building. Teal'c continued to stand, his presence a strong deterrent to anyone who might want to hurt his friend. No one else had approached Daniel and Jack hoped that had been the last of the disgruntled citizens.
A short time later, Jack looked up to see Yara and Melqart coming their way. Yara was carrying a water skin and Melqart held something wrapped in cloth. Jack and Reynolds got to their feet as they approached.
Yara said something and held up the water skin, pointing it towards Daniel. Jack nodded his head in agreement, and she walked up to one of the guards and spoke to him. He allowed her to pass and she moved to Daniel, offering him the water. When he finished drinking, she handed the water skin to Melqart, took the cloth from him and unwrapped it, revealing some bread. The guard held up a hand, stopping her from giving any to Daniel. She spoke again, but the guard shook his head. Yara recovered the bread and handed it back to Melqart, scowling at the guard. Taking a cloth, she poured water on it and wiped Daniel's face. Yara said a few more words to Daniel before rejoining Jack. She offered him the water skin, which he took gratefully, and a short time later the SG members had all quenched their thirst. Melqart left the bread with them before he and Yara returned to the council building.
Another hour passed before someone else approached. This man was about as tall as Teal'c and almost as solidly built. Teal'c gave him his best threatening look, but it didn't deter him. He picked up one of the reeds and marched up to Daniel.
Daniel tried not to show any fear as the big man leaned into his face.
"Your punishment should have been greater for defiling the sacred city, but I will abide by the council's ruling." With that, he unleashed a powerful stroke across Daniel's chest, leaving a bright red stripe.
"Ahhh!" Daniel threw his head back against the post, his breathing becoming faster as he dealt with the pain lancing across his chest.
"Hey! That wasn't necessary!" Jack yelled, springing to his feet. The guards readied their spears in anticipation of a confrontation.
The big man gave Jack a sour look before dropping the reed and walking away.
"Daniel, are you all right?" Sam called.
Daniel didn't answer, but stood with his eyes closed, trying to slow his breathing.
Jack started to walk over to him, but the guards stopped him.
"It's . . . it's okay, Jack," Daniel said, still gasping. "Won't be . . . much longer."
Jack turned away from Daniel and nodded for Carter and Teal'c to join him.
"I think we should chance bringing in SG-3 and 5. We really need to put an end to this."
"I believe that would effectively end any chance of an alliance with these people," Teal'c stated.
"Yeah, well, at this point I don't really care if we make friends with them or not."
"Sir, we would still have to get all the way back to the gate. These people would probably come after us, and this is their territory—they would have the advantage."
Jack pulled off his cap, slapping it against his knee in frustration. He could call in SG-3 and 5, get Daniel out, and try to get all of these people all the way back to the gate. There was a good chance that people would be killed. Or, he could sit and wait it out while Daniel continued to suffer, and maybe get these people to help them get back to the gate. He knew what Daniel would say: don't risk a lot of lives for his. Easier said than done.
Jack looked back at his friend. Daniel's eyes were still closed, but his breathing had almost returned to normal. A few more hours—could Daniel hang on that long? He hoped so, because it looked like they were going to wait it out.
He touched his radio. "Warren, Coburn, what's your status?"
"Still taking cover behind some buildings. We've seen a few more people, but no one's spotted us."
"Coburn?"
"Just outside the city gate near the harbor."
"Stay put until you hear from me. Looks like we're gonna let this play out. Hopefully, I'll be getting back to you around sundown."
"Understood, sir," both replied. "Good luck, sir," Coburn added.
Pulling his cap on, Jack turned back to Sam and Teal'c. "All right, we wait."
~oOo~
The late afternoon sun was beating down on the plaza and on those waiting for the day to end. There wasn't a single tree in the plaza—nothing to provide any shade to those standing vigil or to the focus of that vigil.
Jack wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at his friend. It had to be worse for Daniel; tied to a post, welts from being struck with reeds, and an infected arrow wound. His friend's head hung down, sweat dripping into the dirt. Resting or passed out? Fortunately, the only people to make a move to pick up a reed in the last several hours were some young boys—probably not more than ten years old. Teal'c hadn't even had to give them his threatening look; the guards had shooed them away. Apparently, only adults were allowed to inflict punishment.
Jack checked his watch again, guessing there were only a couple of hours left before Daniel was free. Movement from the direction of the council building caught his attention. He watched as two council members—unmistakable in their purple robes—exited the building with one of the village men. The two councilmen argued briefly before one of them spoke to the villager, who turned, descended the stairs and disappeared into the town. The councilmen went back inside the building, still arguing.
Jack watched the man go with a feeling of unease. Earlier, during a calm moment, Daniel had briefly filled him in on what had happened with Melqart and Adon, and now Jack was worried that some of the council members weren't going to be content to let things play out as Eshmun had decreed.
Glancing back to the council building, he saw Yara and Melqart appear again, carrying more water and food.
Yara was allowed to tend to Daniel again, rousing him to take the water, but again the guards wouldn't permit him to have food. Afterwards, the rest of them were offered the same.
"Thank you," Jack said, knowing they wouldn't understand the words, but feeling the need to say something after all she had done.
Yara seemed to understand and smiled, patting Jack on the arm.
"O'Neill."
Turning at Teal'c's call, Jack saw another man walking towards them. He stooped and picked up one of the reeds, then marched up to Daniel. Without a word, he brought the reed down on Daniel's left arm. There was a sharp intake of breath as the reed bit into his skin. Jack clenched his fists, helpless to intervene; he'd hoped they'd seen the last of those who wanted to punish Daniel.
Instead of leaving, the man brought the reed down on Daniel's arm again, and this time Daniel did cry out.
Teal'c moved quickly, grabbing the man's arm as the guards moved in. They took him from Teal'c's grasp, and two of the guards led him away while the other two went back to their posts.
Jack looked closely at his friend with his head hanging down and his eyes closed, and wondered how much more of this Daniel could take. Jack glanced towards the horizon once more, willing the sun to sink below it.
Voices brought his attention back to the plaza. A group of about a dozen men, faces contorted in anger, was crossing it, headed straight for Daniel.
No, no, no! Jack saw Teal'c look his way, ready to take on the entire group if Jack gave the word. Instead, Jack shook his head. But was he really going to stand by while these men beat his friend? The same arguments he had considered earlier made an instant replay in his head. Personally, he didn't think any amount of naquadah was worth this. His hand itched to reach for his radio—to call SG 3 and 5 to come in, guns blazing. But he knew he wouldn't. Not yet.
The group reached Daniel and stopped. One man grabbed a reed, walked up to Daniel and without a word, struck him hard on the right shoulder. Daniel didn't even lift his head, but only flinched and released a moan. When the first man finished, a second man picked up a reed and unleashed it on Daniel's left forearm. Jack watched Daniel's body flinch, but this time no sound escaped.
Carter was suddenly at his side, eyes bright with unshed tears. "Sir, we've got to do something—they're going to kill him!"
A third man landed a stroke on Daniel's shoulder.
"What? What do you want me to do? We've got no weapons; any move we make will bring the guards down on us." He hadn't meant to unleash his anger on her, but he couldn't hold it in.
She continued to try and find a solution. "What about SG—"
Her question went unfinished as they watched Adon and Cadmos push their way to the front of the line. Jack tensed; surely the boy Daniel had saved wouldn't hurt him?
Instead of picking up one of the reeds, Adon pulled an arrow from his quiver, broke it in two, and laid it on the ground at Daniel's feet. Next, he walked up to Daniel and made a deep bow, then backed away, keeping his head bowed. When he finished, Cadmos did the same.
The group that was there to punish Daniel looked around nervously as more people began to file into the plaza. Two more men picked up reeds and, one at a time, struck Daniel on the stomach and arm. Jack could see Daniel's body jerk in response, but his head remained down and no sounds came from him.
Melqart watched the young men, then, with a word to Yara, joined them in front of Daniel, offering his own deep bow. Jack recognized other members of the group that had captured his teammates begin to cross the plaza, joining in. The guards looked unsure of how to handle the situation. The group continued to grow, more townspeople coming to join the crowd until the area in front of Daniel held several dozen people. The guards looked tense, but made no move towards the people who were all outside of the area where Daniel was.
More people continued to join the crowd and Jack guessed that close to fifty people were now bowing in respect to his friend. Jack was surprised and relieved at their show of support for Daniel. Frankly, he had expected to see a long line of people interested in punishing the stranger who had broken their law. But they hadn't materialized-there had only been a handful, including this group that was obviously working for one or more of the disgruntled council members. Maybe more people were against this than for it. And maybe these people would be open to hearing the truth—maybe even worth forming an alliance with.
The crowd that had come to support Daniel remained standing in front of him as the minutes ticked by. No one else came to lift a reed against him. The rest of the group that had come to hurt Daniel slunk back into the village, obviously intimidated by the size of the group opposing them.
The minutes stretched into an hour, and still the crowd stood in front of the man tied to the post. Jack glanced toward the horizon; sunset was not far away. It couldn't be fast enough for Jack as he appraised his friend's condition. Daniel hadn't raised his head in the past forty-five minutes. The welts looked red and angry, but not life threatening. However, combined with his previous injury, they could prove to be dangerous.
Teal'c stood with the crowd while Sam sat with Janet and the archaeologists in the shade of the council building. Reynolds was walking the perimeter of the plaza. Jack found himself pacing, his eyes alternating between Daniel, Sam's group, and the council building.
Suddenly, the doors of the building swung open and Eshmun and the other council members exited, descended the steps, and headed for Daniel. The crowd parted to let them through, and the purple-robed men stopped in front of Daniel and turned to face the crowd.
More of the villagers began filling the plaza as Eshmun addressed the crowd.
"Citizens of Carthia, it is now sundown and the prisoner has completed his punishment. No one may take any other action against him."
He motioned to the guards who quickly moved to release Daniel from the post.
TBC