Jack smiled to himself as he walked up to his room that night, coat folded carefully over his arm. It was past midnight, and the stars twinkled cheerfully at him through the long, thin windows that lined the stairwell.
Daine and Numair were such pleasant company, really. They had eaten supper, some sort of pasta dish, on the balcony once again, relating more stories about stars. Numair had taken Jack's coat, and before Jack's eyes he had strengthened Mistress Carra's spells. Jack, after seeing Daine with Red and other animals, had come to accept the strange laws of physics here. Even still, seeing Numair infuse the much-loved garment with a strange, glittering dark power had been fascinating.
Reaching the next landing, Jack walked through the doorway and then turned around, pushing the door to his room with his shoulder, still ruminating on the questions he'd asked Numair about the mage's power.
A strong, musky smell assaulted his nose as the door opened, and Jack looked up in surprise.
"Oh," he said, scowling in dismay at the creature on his bed. "It's you."
-Of course it's me,— the badger growled, sitting up straighter on the duvet. –Have you thought over our bargain?— It was large as ever, its shaggy fur surprisingly sleek, the white stripes on its face and sides shocking in their purity. In the moonlight that peeked from the window, the animal truly did look like a god.
Jack sighed. In all honesty, he'd forgotten. This place was so pleasant, and he'd been enjoying himself. His visit to Tortall almost seemed like a holiday. He paused in the doorway, unsure for a moment and then straightened his shoulders. Jack strode confidently over to the small armoire that sat on the other side of the room to hang up his coat. "Yes, I have," he lied, his back to the badger as he thought furiously.
-Well?— The creature behind him sounded impatient.
"What can you tell me about King Jonathan?" Jack asked. He turned to walk to the bed and sit beside the badger. "How would he respond, if he knew what I am?"
The animal regarded him with black, intelligent eyes. It cocked its head, as if listening, and then turned back to Jack. –I cannot speak for two leggers,— it said slowly. –And the Great Gods cannot say truly either; we do not control mortals. But I am told that the Goddess believes that he would react with surprise, but he would be unlikely to harm you. If you agree to our bargain, then we will make sure that he is on your side.—
"And when this bargain is fulfilled," Jack continued, "he will let me leave. That is not negotiable."
-If that is what you wish,— the badger replied offhandedly. –Do you accept?—
"I will not be detained in any way," Jack told it. "If I am imprisoned, the deal is off." He made a slicing gesture with his hand for emphasis.
-We cannot control all mortals,- the badger reiterated.
"If I am imprisoned by the King of Tortall's desire, or his order," Jack specified. "If he, or his people, try to experiment on me, or hurt me or kill me without my permission, then the deal is off." Jack was determined; he was not going to be taken captive or otherwise tortured or enslaved by any government again, not if he could help it.
The badger nodded, agreeing to his terms. –We will do what we can for your freedom,— it said. –The King and the Queen will listen to us. Do we have a deal, Captain Jack Harkness?—
"You will owe me," Jack told the badger firmly, thinking fast, "Ten favors. From the gods. Helping along the way doesn't count; I have to specify." Infinite favors would probably end badly, and ten seemed like a nice, round number. Besides, he could always ask for more.
-Very well. Have we a deal?— The badger was clearly getting impatient. It shifted its weight and curled its upper lip, watching Jack with disdain.
Jack smiled, slow and unpleasant, in response. "We do indeed," he said.
The impatient lip went down, covering the badger's teeth. -Very good!— It nodded. –There are things you must know.—
"Go on then," Jack said, lying down on the comfortable bed, hands folded on his chest and head turned towards the animal. "What have you got?" His posture was relaxed and friendly, but his shoulders were tense and his eyes sharp, calculating.
-I fear that we do not know,- the badger growled softly. –The gods have power only over this planet. We have a Guardian at the Gates, who allows nothing through. He was stolen away three human months ago, and since then, things have been… uncomfortable. We can sense things coming toward us, but without the Guardian, we do not know what they are, or if they will even land here. We are afraid, and we want insurance.— It looked at Jack long and hard. -You cannot die. You will be our insurance.—
"I'm not staying here forever!" Jack spluttered, arching his neck away from the badger indignantly.
The badger snorted, but it advanced onto Jack's retreat until it was leaning down, almost nose to nose with him. -Then fix it, Captain Jack Harkness. Find our Guardian, lock the Gate; do something. We are powerless, and the gods do not like such a feeling.—
Jack scowled, not flinching from its unblinking, black eyes. "What about the weevils?"
-Disgusting creatures!—the badger cried vehemently, jerking away, much to Jack's relief. It paced restlessly twice lengthwise across the bed. –They came shortly after you did. We have no control over them and we do not know what they are.—
"Right, okay," Jack said, sitting up. "So, basically, you want me to guard you against the alien hoard."
It paused halfway across the bed and turned back to look at Jack quizzically. -You could put it that way, yes.—
"You want me to recreate Torchwood," Jack muttered miserably, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "What if I trained humans to do it?"
-No.- The badger stared at him, flat and bottomless. –Mortals must not have powers that gods lack.—
"Yeah, okay, I can see why you would think that," Jack scowled and rubbed his face. "But I can't stay here forever."
The badger walked back over to look up at Jack. -Then fix our Gate, find our Guardian.—
"I can't do that unless you show me where the Gate is, or give me a way to track your Guardian," Jack said, exasperated. "Is it a god, a mortal? Does it have a DNA signature that I can trace? It's not like I can look for it on any CCTVs, since this place is in the backwaters of nowhere," he ended with a growl.
-I do not know, - the badger replied simply. –These things are utterly beyond me. If you need help, ask for it; we now owe you ten favors, of course. We may intervene along the way. The mage will help you – Numair, the stork-man. Even Daine will know more than she seems; they are both sharp. I do not know, Jack Harkness. I only know that this must be fixed.-
"Yeah, alright," Jack muttered reluctantly, already regretting the commitment. He looked away from the animal.
-The Guardian of the Gates is male,- the badger continued, ignoring Jack's discomfort, —he has the tail of a rat, the fur of a wolf, the horns of a goat and the shape of a man. He should be twice your size. It is said that he holds a golden net, in which he snares all who try to pass him, and a great spear, with which he pushes outsiders away from the entrance. That is all I know; I have never met him.—
"Myths and legends," Jack muttered sourly. "Great. Can I go to sleep now? We're heading for Pirate's Swoop in the morning."
The badger huffed at the casual dismissal. -Very well. Gainel will guard your dreams, Captain. Farewell.— There was a burst of silver light that made Jack blink and squint, and the badger was gone.
Jack wiped his eyes, which had started streaming defensively from the dramatic light of the badger's exit. Showy entrances and exits must be a function of being a god. This place was weird. Jack doubted that he wanted some dream god peeking into his brain. There was too much that he wanted to forget there.
Then again, better to have a dream god's favor than his disfavor. That could be unpleasant. Jack sighed and prepared himself for bed.
That night he dreamed, and in his dreams, Ianto smiled at him.