Scene 17

Jack addressed Folcan, “How long we got ‘til this Drogor guy gets antsy ‘bout you not turning up?”

“We must deliver the princess to him by loss of sun on the morrow after morrow. Else my wife will pay with her life, as will Valton’s, and Revan’s son--”

“-Okay, I get it.” Jack waved off the list. “So, we have two whole local days,” Jack nodded ( Read more... )

Scene 16

“Easy there, Tiger.” Jack led Daniel over to a large tree stump near the campfire and set him down gently to warm up and dry out. “Rest up a minute while we take care of business.”

The colonel gestured to Sam to look after Daniel, then moved off to assist Teal’c. He wanted to be sure the threat was properly neutralized.

Sam set down her ( Read more... )

Scene 15
The campsite

Daniel’s eyes were playing tricks on him. Dehydration, pain and weariness were making him hallucinate. He thought he caught a movement in the woods. It was probably just an animal of some sort. There had to be some local fauna; though he’d not been aware of any during their trek. Not that he’d been thinking about it, he’d had ( Read more... )

Scene 14

Meanwhile...

Jack acknowledged Carter’s concerns about pushing the horses too hard. He was pretty saddle-sore himself and would have appreciated a couple of hours’ shuteye without the constant movement of equine muscles beneath him.

But at dusk Teal’c had postulated that they were catching up and were now not far behind their quarry. A few ( Read more... )

Scene 13

Nightfall

Daniel had completely given up trying to keep track of time. This planet’s ‘day’ felt as if it had lasted a week by the time Valton finally called a halt. Daniel was pretty sure it hadn’t actually been that long, but it had definitely been way more than twenty-four Earth hours since they’d last stopped to ‘rest’ for the night.

( Read more... )

Scene 12
Elsewhere in the woods

It had been hours since SG-1 - minus one - had come upon the fallen log where Daniel had hastily managed to carve his initials using the edge of a cent, which he’d dropped as he’d been pulled roughly to his feet. Teal’c theorized that this had been where their prey stopped for a quick lunch. For evidence he cited odd ( Read more... )

Scene 11

Deeper in the woods

Mid-afternoon and the pace was still brutal, the deluge relentless. Daniel ached from head to toe and his shoulders burned with the strain of carrying the princess. Despite the soggy mud that squelched underfoot and clung to his boots, every step felt to Daniel like he was treading on hot coals. His socks felt as if they ( Read more... )

Scene 10
On the trail

“I believe this is where they rested for the night, O’Neill,” Teal’c declared. He had dismounted and was examining the saturated remains of the campfire, which the Mendans had made no attempt to hide.

“So we’re still more than a half-day behind them,” Jack deduced. “We need to shorten their lead before nightfall.”

“Seems like the ( Read more... )

Scene 9
Deep in the woods

By mid-morning the rain was torrential and the seven Mendans were as soaked through as their two captives. The pace had slowed somewhat as their boots squelched in mud, making them feel as if they were wading through treacle. Valton continually berated them all for their tardiness, though he too was being more cautious as ( Read more... )

Scene 8
Mendan settlement

True to his word, Jack rose even before the sun did. By the time there was sufficient light in the sky to see their way safely, the innkeeper had packed them up with fresh provisions for the journey and Ruygan had saddled the horses. They were ready and eager to be off.

Sam thanked Ruygan and the innkeeper for their help. ( Read more... )