Sara POV

"Stay close," Ronon told me as he released my hand so we could follow Erik around the outside of the ring. The melee in the middle was still going on – albeit with less intensity – but we managed to reach the far side of the ring and scale the stairs that led upwards without trouble.

My heart began to pound as we drew level with Rydan's patio. A quick glance confirmed that his body was just as I had left it, slumped sideways in the chair with my knife embedded beneath its jaw. The others approached to take a closer look – or maybe to check if he really was dead – but I hung back. I knew without a doubt that he was, and I certainly didn't need to see him again.

Ronon and Erik could not know that it was my handy-work they were admiring, but the Colonel and Rodney knew otherwise and I felt their eyes upon me.

"We should keep moving," the Colonel said to the others – whether for my benefit or that of the mission I could not be sure. Either way, I was relieved when Erik finally led the way inside.

"You okay?"

I turned to find Ronon beside me, an odd look upon his face.

I nodded. "It's just this place. It gives me the creeps." Well, that certainly wasn't a lie anyway.

"This won't take long," he told me, his eyes holding mine.

A pang of longing swept through me. What I wouldn't give to be alone with him, far away from everything right now. "Good."

He arched his eyebrow but before he could respond we entered Graystone and were swallowed up by the pandemonium inside. There were so many people around us that at first it was difficult to move. Ronon, who was a head taller than me, grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me towards a clear space where we were quickly joined by the others.

I looked around at the chaos as people pushed and fought with each other over the room's many valuables. The gemstones embedded in the concrete pillars, statues, goblets… even the red velvet drapes were being torn from their hangings.

"It's a free-for-all," the Colonel said as he looked around. "I guess this explains why everyone was heading in this direction." He looked to Erik who was closest. "You see the guy you're looking for?"

"Not yet…" Erik gripped his sword and began to move deeper into the room.

The rest of us followed, the huge wooden table that Rydan had once greeted us from looming into view. The surrounding chairs were now all overturned and a woman stood bent over one end, her skirt hitched up around her waist while a man took her violently from behind. Her mouth was open and she emitted loud gasps of pleasure, careless of anyone who might be watching. Embarrassed, I looked away. Their act might be explicit but at least it appeared consensual.

"I don't see him anywhere," Ronon's voice drew back to the present. He appeared not in the least bit distracted by the sights going on around him.

"Keep looking," Erik replied, equally as focused. "He'll be here somewhere."

Suddenly I thought of the rooms I had seen on my last visit, the rooms with the padlocks on the doors. According to Marissa, the doors were locked because Rydan kept women imprisoned inside them. What would happen if nobody came to let them out? Or worse, what if they were discovered by someone with ill intentions? I touched Ronon's arm to get his attention. "This way," I said as I gestured towards the door at the end of the room. "There's something I need you to see."

He followed me without question, as did the others. Most of the valuables appeared to be contained in the main hall, so the short hallway I sought was basically empty when we entered. The area was just as I remembered it, the stairwell that led to the cells below on my right, and all of the other doors – bar two – closed with large padlocks on them.

We approached the first of the unlocked doors and Ronon signalled he was going to take a look inside. He shoved the door open abruptly to reveal a man, still partially dressed in a guard's uniform, hunched over a woman who lay on the bed in front of him. From the way she was struggling, it was obvious she was not there with him by choice.

Ronon did not hesitate. He raised his gun and the impact of his stun sent the man sprawling onto the floor. The woman sat up and immediately tried to re-straighten her clothes.

"Get out," Ronon told her. "It's not safe to be here anymore."

In bare feet, she clutched her torn blouse to her chest and dashed past him out the door.

"I don't believe it," Rodney said as she passed. "This place is like something you'd see on late-night HBO."

Having no idea what he was talking about, I turned and watched as Erik chose one of the remaining locked doors at random and smashed his foot against it. it splintered inwards on its hinges and revealed two young women – so young as to almost be considered girls – huddled together in a corner.

Erik looked at them and jerked his head in the direction of the door. "Head for the gate," he told them. "Don't stop until you get there."

One girl appeared a little braver than the other, and she held her friends hand as the two of them fled the room. Sick to my stomach, I watched as the three remaining doors were kicked down to reveal occupants of a similar nature.

"Still don't see any sign of the Rat," Ronon turned to Erik as all of the rooms were finally cleared. We approached the final door – the other of the two that were unlocked – and looked inside.

I don't know what I expected to see, but it was certainly not the luxurious room done out in red and black décor that met my eyes. The room's main feature was a huge bed covered with a thick, silver-trimmed quilt and I knew immediately that it was where Rydan slept. As I looked more closely, I noticed an assortment of leather attachments fitted to the bed. There was also a table with rows of odd-looking metal instruments and two black silk scarves laid out on top of it. A shiver went down my spine as I recalled Marissa's refusal to wear a blindfold. It was all too easy to imagine the horrors she must have endured inside this room.

Without a word, every one of us backed out and returned to the main hall. I could see no sign of the women we had released and I hoped they were all safely on their way towards the gate by now.

"Over there!" Erik's exclamation made me jump, and I turned to watch as he and Ronon rushed towards a man who was crouched at the base of one of the stone pillars. He was busy trying to dig out the gemstones that others had missed so he did not see them until they were virtually upon him. When he did look up, he blanched visibly.

"I guess this is our guy," the Colonel muttered as the rest of us quickly hurried over.

The man reached into his pocket as if to retrieve something, but Erik abruptly kicked his hand away. "Don't even bother," he growled as he pointed the tip of his sword towards him. "Stand up."

The man obeyed and I got my first proper look at him. His eyes were small and squinty, while his nose appeared too large for his face. Something in his expression made me want to shrink away from him. He looked… untrustworthy.

Ronon strode over and withdrew some kind of small device from the man's pocket. He then dropped it on the ground and brought the heel of his boot down on top of it. I realized belatedly that the shattered pieces belonged to some kind of taser gun, and Ronon seemed to be taking quite a pleasure in destroying it.

"Not so brave now, huh?" he taunted.

The man held up his hands. "I ain't meanin' ya no harm," he protested. "Had a job ta do, was all…"

Erik sneered. "A job you enjoyed just a little much for my liking."

The man shook his head. "I was unda orders…" he protested. "All's ya gotta do is ask the boss man. He'll tell ya."

"Ask him yourself," Ronon replied. "You'll find him outside with a knife in his throat."

I balked at the sudden unwelcome vision and had to look away. Because of this I missed whatever the man did next, but a scuffle broke out and I looked back to see Ronon wrestling him to the ground. He punched him in the jaw and then dragged him back to his feet to land another.

"Wait," Erik called. "That's enough. I have a better idea."

Ronon gave the man a forceful shove and reluctantly stepped back. As the man pitched forward a small leather pouch fell from in his shirt pocket and spilled a number of gemstones out onto the floor.

Erik stooped and picked up the pouch that held the remainder of the stones. He tucked it back into the man's pocket and gave it a pat. "I'm going to let you keep these," he told him.

Ronon frowned, but before he could protest, Erik continued. "There's an empty cell downstairs that has his name on it."

A look of fear passed over the man's face and Ronon slowly smiled.

"You ain't serious…" the man said. "You ain't gonna leave me down there."

I had no idea what the three of them were talking about, so I was surprised when Erik suddenly turned to me. "The day you came here… How did you get down to see us?"

"There's a stairwell in the corridor," I told him. "But the door at the bottom is fitted with some kind of combination lock."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Ronon lifted his gun slightly.

Erik poked the man in the stomach. "Move," he instructed.

We had to wait while three men struggled past carrying a gold statue between them, but otherwise reached the stairwell without incident. Ronon took care of the door at the bottom and I shivered at the change in temperature as we entered the corridor beyond. It was a wonder Ronon and Erik were not both ill after living down here for a week. We passed the cell I had visited them in and then suddenly froze in place as something moved in the corridor ahead.

"Should we be expecting company?" the Colonel asked as he raised his gun.

Footsteps resounded against the stone floor, one set, moving slowly.

"Hold your fire," Erik cautioned. A moment later an elderly woman rounded the corner and he relaxed. "Damn," he shook his head in exasperation. "You almost got yourself shot, old woman."

I watched as she approached. Overweight, she waddled more than she actually walked. "What's happening?" she asked Erik in bewilderment. "Who are all of these people with you..?"

Erik looked at her with genuine concern. "These people are my friends. They mean you no harm."

She looked at the man he held at the point of his sword. "What are you doing with Hank?"

"You don't need to worry yourself about that," Erik told her. He paused, and then smiled as if an idea had just come to him. "In fact," he turned and plucked the leather pouch back from the man's top pocket, "He'd like you to have these."

"Hey!" Hank immediately protested. "That's—

"Shut it," Ronon cracked him across the jaw with his forearm.

Erik lowered his sword and approached the woman. Gently, he dropped the pouch into her palm and pushed her fingers closed around it. "Take this and get to the gate. You don't want to stay here any longer, it's too dangerous."

The woman uncurled her fingers and looked at the pouch in surprise. "Oh!" she gasped as she looked inside. "I can't take these. They aren't mine."

"They are now. Think of them as a parting gift from your employer."

"But…"

"Rydan's dead. You need to leave this place." Erik gave her a gentle push in the direction of the stairwell. "Go. Find your son."

The woman stumbled a little but then began to walk. "Thank you," she paused and turned back to Erik. "I don't remember the last time anyone was so kind…"

Erik smiled and turned away. I looked from him to Ronon, who was staring at Hank with a glint in his eyes. "Bet you wish you could trade places with her, huh?"

Hank nodded. He knew he was in deep trouble and was suddenly over-anxious to please. "I could see 'er to the gate safe… if ya were ta lit me go."

Ronon smirked and shoved his gun towards his chest. "A wraith worshiper belongs with his own kind."

"Wraith worshiper?" The Colonel exclaimed. "Just back up for a minute here… Is there something the rest of us here are missing?"

I looked to Ronon for answer, while Rodney shot a nervous glance down the corridor as if he expected a wraith might appear at any moment.

"There's some kind of arrangement going where the wraith come and pick up people from here," Erik explained.

"And this man willingly hands those people over to them," Ronon nudged Hank in the back with his gun so that he entered the large, empty cell in front of him.

"Not jist any people," Hank turned to plead. "Old or sick ones… Only those that don't have no value no more."

"Looks like you fit the description then." Ronon snatched the keychain that dangled from his belt and stepped out of the cell so Erik could slam the door closed.

"Save your protests for the wraith," he told him. "I'm sure you'll find them understanding."

Hank's voice followed us down the corridor as we began to walk. Nobody stopped or looked back though, and before long it faded into the distance.

"Does this mean we're ready to go now?" Rodney spoke for the first time since entering the corridor. He glanced at Ronon and Erik, "Unless of course the two of you feel the need to torture or execute anyone else?"

Ronon turned and gave him a pointed look and Erik laughed out loud.

"Oh, very funny. I come here under my own free will to rescue you, and in return you make a joke at my expense." He shook his head, "I should have known that the word gratitude was not in your vocabulary."

Ronon arched his eyebrow and thumped Rodney on the shoulder. "Thanks. I appreciate you coming."

"Oww! He cupped the area with his hand. "Why do you insist on doing that? Not everyone has the hide of a rhino like you, you know. Some of us are of a more… delicate make up."

"Nobody ever died from a pat on the shoulder, McKay," Ronon rolled his eyes and walked on ahead.

"No?" Rodney countered. "Well how about hepatitis then? I probably contracted that from sitting on those seats outside, you know. At your expense, I might add." His face contorted as if he was in physical pain. "There could be numerous kinds of micro-organisms multiplying inside me right as I speak…"

His complaints continued right up until the moment we left the corridor and stepped into the ring outside. I squinted as the bright sun hit my eyes, but the warmth of it on my skin was a welcome relief. The fighting appeared to have finished, although the evidence of it was present in the numerous bodies strewn out in the dirt around us. A glance at the seats above showed them to be mostly empty but for those too drunk to stand or the odd small group who had decided to linger.

"I'm going to call the Daedalus," the Colonel said. "I take it nobody has any further objections?"

There was a series of muted responses, none of which were opposing, and Ronon came to stand beside me. He had just put his arm around my shoulders when the Daedalus beamed us to safety.

oOo

A/N: Sorry this chapter turned out to be so short, this just seemed like a nice place to leave it. There will be Ronon and Sara mushy stuff coming up soon! Thanks Chesi66 for your lovely review of my last chapter