Cassie checked her watch and sighed impatiently at the irrefutable fact that it had only moved on five minutes from the last time she had looked at it. Jonas had left for his dinner with Goy three hours before, accompanied by Rya'c who was acting as back-up in case Goy reacted badly. Vala had slipped down to the bar an hour earlier after sharing a simple meal with Cassie in their rooms. It was frustrating to be left but Cassie knew a married woman wouldn't be seen as belonging in a rowdy bar without her husband on Cartegia.

Her mouth went dry at the idea of sipping down a beer. She grimaced and shook away the longing that curdled in her belly. She couldn't afford to get drunk and make some kind of slip that would blow their cover story out of the water; the mission was too important. Of course, more to the point, she just couldn't afford to get drunk.

She lurched off the bed, determined to do something; anything. Ama had told them the rooms had been used by SG1, Cassie mused; perhaps she should search them.

'Right, Cassie,' she muttered to herself, 'because it's not like the Cartegians haven't already looked through the rooms or SG3 when they beamed down to search for SG1.'

But hadn't she told Landry that nobody knew SG1 better than she did? Think, Cassie, she encouraged herself.

If the Lucian Alliance had grabbed SG1, or even if they hadn't, someone on Cartegia had to have known something. SG1 were the best; they had to have suspected something. And, Cassie thought excitedly, if they suspected something maybe they had left some clue behind in case something happened to them.

So if she was SG1 and wanted to leave a clue where would she leave it? Cassie glanced around as though the walls could offer her a suggestion. The problem was that it would depend on who left the clue and it wasn't somewhere obvious otherwise it would have already been found.

She started in Vala's room with the closet, examining the panels for hidden compartments. None appeared; the closet and its drawers were empty except for a few of the strange items that Vala had stowed and which Cassie decided she didn't need to examine too closely. The desk was the same. There were no loose floorboards; nothing under the two twin beds; under the mattresses. She knew Sam kept things stowed on the top of her closet and she fetched a stool. The top of closet yielded nothing but dust and a sneeze.

Cassie moved onto the room she was sharing with Jonas. She searched as thoroughly as she had done in the first room and when it too yielded nothing, she stood in the centre, hands on hips, feeling disappointed. She was certain SG1 would have done something.

Her eyes caught on the desk. She had checked the drawer but a memory tickled her mind; she had lost her passport and Sam had suggested checking to see if it had fallen at the back of the drawer. Cassie slid the drawer fully out and reached into the space behind it. Her fingers brushed against a small slip of paper. She opened it up and smoothed it out. It was a note.

Col. Carter, you are in danger; you and your people should leave. A friend.

Cassie's heart started to beat madly. Sam had been warned by somebody. Somebody on Cartegia. Which meant SG1 had known something was going to happen as she had thought. She sat down on the bed abruptly.

When had Sam received it? The first night? The second night? SG1 had been unable to leave; they'd had nowhere to go. She could imagine them discussing the situation. Was it because someone opposed the new treaty or for some other reason? And why Sam? Why had they singled Sam out in the note? It would have worried the guys. As much as they knew Sam could take of herself, they would have been worried – just as they had been the whole time Sam had been out in Atlantis.

Sam had hidden the note purposefully. Cassie was sure of that. It had been left behind as a clue to what had happened. And if there was one clue, it was possible that there was more.

Cassie tucked the note in her pocket and strode into the third room with renewed purpose. She searched the usual places and came up empty. She chewed her lips as she stood in the centre of the room and gazed around.

OK, who else in the team was most likely to leave a clue?

That was easy: Daniel.

He was the one who always had paper with him. The one who could write in any language he wanted to disguise the message. So where would Daniel have hidden something in the room? Her eyes caught on the bookshelf. It had a couple of books for the guests. Her gaze narrowed on them. She hurried over and rifled through them; the note was tucked away into the second book as though left behind like a book-mark.

It was written in Ancient. Cassie frowned. Why hadn't Daniel used Goa'uld? Because it was the Lucian Alliance behind it all, or for some other reason? She shook her head.

A sound drifted through the connecting door to the middle room and made her freeze.

Cassie held her breath. It had sounded like the door being unlocked. She bit her lip. Jonas had insisted she lock herself into the room and even Vala had told her not to open the door to anyone but one of them. They had no idea who was responsible for SG1 and...she halted her chaotic thoughts.

She closed the book, replacing the note inside of it. She kept hold of it as she tiptoed to the connecting door and peeked into the middle room. She winced at the sight of the open desk drawer and the wide open closet. It seemed too evident to Cassie's mind that she had been looking for something.

The door began to open.

Cassie grasped the book tightly. Maybe she could knock someone out with it. Or throw it at them.

The door was almost fully open.

Cassie took a step forward into the middle room; her heart raced furiously...

A foot appeared...

She took another step forward, and raised the book, holding her breath...

A maid entered. She caught sight of Cassie poised to attack her, gave a cry of alarm and dropped her bundle of towels.

Cassie lowered the book immediately. 'I'm so sorry.' She placed a hand over her mouth and tried to catch her breath. 'It's just...you startled me.'

The maid, a young woman about the same age as Cassie, waved her away as she stooped to help her pick up the fallen items. 'It was my fault, madam. I forgot to knock. Ama is always reminding me.' She gathered up the towels. 'I'll get you fresh.' Her eyes strayed to the open desk drawer and on to the closet.

'I was looking for parchment.' Cassie explained quickly.

'We don't keep any for guests, madam. But the market it will have it tomorrow.' The maid said politely. She gave a small curtsy and left.

Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. She retrieved the key from the bedside table and locked the door again. She collapsed on her bed, holding the book to her chest. She couldn't help jumping when there was a soft knock at the door. She slid off the bed and hurried over to unlock the door again.

Cassie's eyes widened at Vala. The former thief was holding a stack of towels but beyond that she had skinned the knuckles on her right hand. 'You OK?' She ushered the older woman into the room.

'What?' Vala looked at Cassie questioningly.

Cassie motioned at the hand.

'Oh, that!' Vala waved away her concern. 'It's nothing.' She placed the towels on the bed. 'I met the maid, Saki, in the corridor; she said these were for us.' She absently reached into her jacket pocket and drew out a Goa'uld healing device.

Cassie shuddered at the sight of it; the memory of Nirrti stood over her flickering through her head like a bad movie.

'You could probably do this.' Vala mused out loud as she fingered the device. 'You have some naquadah in your blood, right?'

'Not a lot.' Cassie knew the naquadah in her body was minor compared to Sam's or Vala's. Hers had been artificially added to create a bomb whereas Sam's and Vala's naquadah were the result of their experiences as hosts to a symbiote. 'I'm not sure it would work.'

'Try it.' Vala tossed her the device.

Cassie frowned. It was heavier than she had expected. She slipped it onto her hand, the crystal lying snugly in her palm. It would be useful if she could use it; if SG1 was injured, Cassie would be able to help Vala heal them.

'Focus your mind on the device.' Vala instructed. 'Remember something that has meaning to you; you need a strong emotion to power the device.'

Cassie held the device over Vala's injured hand and closed her eyes. She remembered the dream she'd had; of Teal'c and his hand stretching out to her...

The device hummed in her hand and Cassie opened her eyes, briefly catching a glimpse of warm amber light before her amazement cut off the previous emotion and killed the device.

Vala flexed her healed hand and grinned. 'You're much better than Samantha.'

'What happened?' Cassie asked pointedly, handing her the device. She walked over and clambered back onto the bed; sitting up against the pillows.

Vala sprawled across the foot of the bed and shrugged. 'One of the drunks got a little too frisky. I punched him.' She smiled. 'Ama hit him with a pot.'

Cassie blinked, unsure whether to believe her. 'Really?'

'Have the boys checked in?' Vala asked, changing the subject.

'Not yet.' Cassie's lips tightened. She was worried about them. If Goy did know something and got suspicious...

'Shall I wait until they arrive?' Vala yawned and made a gesture of apology before she covered her mouth with the back of one hand.

'We'll both wait.' Cassie said, revealing the notes she'd found and waving them at Vala.

'What are those?' Vala plucked them out of Cassie's hands and her eyes widened as she read the note Cassie had found addressed to Sam. 'They were in trouble.'

'Can you read the other note?' Cassie asked. 'I can't read Ancient.'

Vala wrinkled her nose as she concentrated and her fingers traced over Daniel's handwritten words with an air of reverence. 'He's using an old variant.' She said eventually. 'I can't make out much more than there's some danger to do with a dragon.'

'A dragon?' Cassie frowned. 'Are you certain?'

'Yes.' Vala sighed. 'Maybe Jonas will be able to translate more.' As though her words had conjured him up there was another knock on the door. 'Looks like we won't have to wait long.' She quipped, handing Cassie the notes before she went to open the door.

The four of them all settled cross-legged on the bed to debrief.

'Well, Vala was right about Goy knowing something.' Jonas allowed when Cassie motioned for him to begin.

Vala smiled smugly. She examined her fingernails studiously. 'A less generous person than I might say I told you so.'

Jonas's lips twitched. 'I was also right. Goy isn't involved either.'

'What do you mean?' Cassie asked confused. She pushed her auburn hair back behind her shoulder and tried to surreptitiously hide her tiredness.

'Perhaps it would be helpful to begin at the beginning.' Rya'c remarked. The Jaffa looked the most alert of all of them.

Jonas nodded. 'Goy and I made the usual political niceties during the meal; exchanged cultural stories – that kind of thing. We were relaxing over something which tasted like coffee but wasn't when he started to ask me about how we're dealing with the extreme religious groups on Langara who are continuing to follow Origin.'

'Jonas Quinn had mentioned them before.' Rya'c inserted.

'I asked Goy why he wanted to know.' Jonas explained. He rubbed the back of his neck. 'He made some rambling explanation about an old religious sect that Cartegia has; he called it the Cult of Dragon.'

Cassie and Vala exchanged a sharp look.

'I believe he suspects this Cult to be responsible for the disappearance of my father and the others.' Rya'c added. 'He kept referring to them as harmless but it was evident that he did not believe it.'

'We think Goy latched onto the Lucian Alliance as a suspect because Earth suggested it given the nature of SG1's disappearance but he still suspects this Cult was involved somehow.' Jonas concluded. 'But as he's clearly not part of the Cult himself...'

'He wasn't involved in whatever happened. So he suspects but he doesn't know.' Vala sighed. She gestured at Cassie. 'We might have something to corroborate the Cult of the Dragon angle.'

Cassie handed Jonas the notes, briefly explaining her search and findings.

Jonas's brow creased as he read the note. 'This is the same Ancient that was on the tablet about the Lost City.' He sighed. 'The SGC has a translation program which would be better but I can make out the gist.'

'Which is?' Vala asked impatiently.

'Well, I think the first line is 'if you're reading this we're in trouble...''

They all smiled.

Jonas smoothed the note out on the bed in front of him. 'He mentions the Cult of Dragon have targeted Sam as some kind of important figure in their religious prophecy.'

'That explains the other note.' Cassie said. 'It was clear whoever wrote it believed Sam was in danger.'

'He says here that our assumptions about the history of Cartegia are wrong; that there is a manuscript in the library which will tell us more.' Jonas sighed. 'That's it.'

'According to Ama,' Vala jumped in, 'SG1 retired for the night at around eleven local time and their rooms were found empty at seven the next morning when Saki went up to fetch them for the breakfast they had ordered. Ama said that she didn't hear a thing and mentioned how awful it was that there was technology out there which had the ability to spirit people away. There was no sign or evidence of a fight.'

'My father would not have allowed himself to be taken without a fight!' Rya'c responded hotly.

Jonas gave a nod of agreement. 'I can't see it either so this Cult must have had some way of subduing SG1.'

'Maybe they drugged them.' Cassie suggested.

'Or maybe they have technology the rest of Cartegia doesn't have access to like the Asgard beaming technology.' Vala suggested.

'I hate to say it but it could be possible the Cult killed them.' Jonas hazarded.

Rya'c glowered and Cassie felt her heart stop for a moment at the suggestion. No, she thought determinedly; they were alive. They had to be.

'But their bodies would have been picked up by the Odyssey, or at least their transponders.' Vala argued, clearly unwilling to believe SG1 were dead.

'What else did Ama say?' Cassie asked.

Vala sighed. 'Not much else; how nice SG1 were and how terrible it was that they were missing.' She tapped her boot absently. 'How she had warned Samantha that walking on the mountain would bring her bad luck.'

'The mountain? You mean the one behind the town?' Jonas clarified.

Vala tilted her head thoughtfully. 'Samantha told me before she left that the reason why the SGC allied with Cartegia in the first place was because the initial surveys found traces of naquadah running through the mountain range.'

'But naquadah isn't part of the alliance treaty?' Jonas clarified.

Vala shook her head. 'The Cartegians refused to allow any geological survey teams on the mountain. Sam was hoping to take a closer look on the pretext of an innocent hike.' She frowned. 'Daniel also said he was looking forward to spending time in the library; that's probably where he came across the information about the Dragon.'

'Sounds like we have a couple of leads.' Cassie commented.

'I suggest we start at the library.' Jonas waved at her with the notes. 'The more we know the better prepared we'll be for whatever's on that mountain.'

'Then that's the plan for tomorrow.' Cassie said, glancing around to get nods of agreement from Vala and Rya'c. 'We start with the library and see what we can find out about the real history of Cartegia and this Cult of the Dragon.'