Part 9 (2/2)

He lay on his back on a straw pallet, his s.h.i.+rt pushed up to expose the gash in his side. Meagan had washed out the FastClot and he felt better for it. There was no new bleeding either, which he took as a good sign. Then she'd covered his wound with a herbal poultice that she claimed would prevent infection - interesting, he'd noted through the pain, that she knew the word 'infection' - and redressed the wound with a sterile dressing from Daniel's pack.

As she tied off the bandage, Daniel opened his eyes. The worst of the pain was over now and he could concentrate on the world again.

”Daniel Jackson.” Teal'c sat at his side, watching him with the steady focus he'd learned to interpret as concern. ”Would you like me to administer a dose of morphine?”

Yes, he thought. And no. He started to tug his s.h.i.+rt down, but Meagan batted away his hands and did it herself with an irritated tsk-tsk. She was one of the oldest women in the group, although it was difficult to judge her age accurately in the smoky yellow light of their lamps. He thought he'd put her at about forty. Not old by American standards, yet she was clearly treated with the reverence of an elder here and it was unsurprising given that everyone else looked so young. Her hair was graying, braided and beaded like all the others, her eyes merry with lines around them that crinkled when she smiled. ”Morphine?” she said, considering the word. ”What is that?”

”It helps with pain,” Daniel explained, wincing as he s.h.i.+fted to allow her to readjust his s.h.i.+rt. ”But it leaves you pretty out of it.”

Meagan frowned at the expression. ”It clouds your mind?”

”Yes,” he said, and glanced at Teal'c. ”Maybe later?” He wanted to talk to these people while he was still lucid, first and foremost about the whereabouts of Jack and Sam.

Teal'c nodded and turned his eyes on the rest of the room. He was uneasy, but that was an improvement on his previous state of 'extremely p.i.s.sed off'.

When Teal'c had woken from the stun blast halfway into the cave network, the confrontation had almost proven disastrous, but luckily Teal'c's reflexes had been fogged by the stunner and Daniel had been conscious enough to talk him down before he could do too much damage. Nonetheless, a couple of Aedan's men were sporting bruises and black-eyes and casting Teal'c wary glances from the far side of the room or, rather, the cave. Teal'c had set himself up like a sentry next to Daniel and, despite being unarmed, was watching the whole room as if daring anyone to challenge him. So far, no one had accepted that dare.

”Can you help me sit up?” Daniel asked Meagan.

”You're a stubborn one,” she said, but not without approval. She nodded to Teal'c. ”Take his other arm, help me.”

In silence Teal'c did so and between them they eased Daniel upright. There was something solid behind him, like a heavy cus.h.i.+on, and he leaned against it for a moment as he adjusted to the new level of pain and then waited for it to recede.

Meagan watched through narrowed eyes. ”I'll fetch you something,” she decided, ”for the pain and the fever. It'll not cloud your mind.”

Daniel nodded his thanks, teeth gritted and still unable to speak. Next to him, Teal'c s.h.i.+fted restlessly.

”I am concerned for O'Neill and Major Carter,” he said, his gaze turning toward the room to which they'd been taken to sleep off the effects of the stunner. ”Why have they not woken yet?”

”Junior?” Daniel managed, with a feeble gesture toward Teal'c's stomach. It was the obvious explanation, but Teal'c didn't look convinced.

Meagan returned then, holding a steaming wooden cup in her hands. ”Here,” she said, offering it to Daniel. ”It'll help.”

He sniffed - it smelled herbal, faintly acrid.

”Are you sure that is wise, Daniel Jackson?”

Meagan frowned. ”It'll do him good,” she said, offended. ”I've a fair bit of skill in medicine.”

”I can tell that you do,” Daniel said, smoothing things over. ”And, really, thank you Meagan. For everything.” He blew on the steaming liquid and took a tentative sip. It was soothing, if just for the heat alone, and he felt himself start to relax. ”It's good,” he said, taking another sip. ”Very good.”

Megan cast Teal'c a triumphant look and stood up. ”When you've supped that,” she said to Daniel. ”You should rest.”

”Okay,” he said. ”But first I was hoping I could ask a few questions... ?”

Her head tipped to one side she said, ”About what?”

”Um, well, everything really.”

”Everything is a big subject.”

He laughed a little, and then winced at the jolt of pain. Although, actually, it was more like discomfort now that he came to think about it. He eyed the drink with rather more respect and took another sip. ”Let's say, your world then,” he said. ”What's it called?”

Meagan shrugged. ”We've no use to call it anything of note. It's our home and nothing else.”

”But what about when you speak of it to others?”

”Others?” She frowned, but then her face straightened into a sterner expression. ”The only 'others' are the Devourers. And we don't speak to them.”

There was that name again. Devourers. It sounded terrifying and Daniel wondered what sort of people it could describe. He hoped they'd have no call to meet them any time soon.

”But what about your lives, the history of your people?”

”Ah...” Megan gave a small smile, settling a little, her eyes creasing. ”Then you should speak to Elspeth. She wastes her days learning about such nonsense.”

Nonsense? Okay. He glanced around the room. ”And Elspeth is... ?”

Meagan looked about and then called out, ”Elspeth Burne!”

Elspeth was the girl from earlier, he remembered now, from outside the caves. She was sitting on the other side of the fire, eating one of the MRE's Daniel had dished out in exchange for their help, and looked up, startled, when Meagan called her name. ”Come here, girl,” Meagan said, beckoning her over. ”The stranger wants to ask you about all that nonsense you peddle.”

With a muttered word to the women she was sitting with, Elspeth stood up - taking the MRE pack with her - and made her way over to Daniel.

”h.e.l.lo,” he said as she came to stand in front of him, looking down with an appraising expression. ”I'm Daniel. I, ah, didn't mean to disturb your meal.”

Meagan made an impatient gesture and Elspeth sat on the end of the Daniel's pallet, crossing her legs beneath her. ”You didn't,” she said, and carried on eating. She glanced again at Meagan, and then at Daniel, and said, ”What is it you wanted to know?”

”Everything,” Meagan said, with a roll of her eyes. ”So that should keep you talking all night.” She gestured again to Daniel. ”Drink it all, and then rest. You'll feel better tomorrow.”

He watched her as she made her way across the room. Aedan had emerged from one of the pa.s.sageways that led onto the room, and they stopped to talk together. This room, Daniel figured, was a kind of central point - a gathering place and living s.p.a.ce for the small community.

”Meagan doesn't hold with tales of the past,” Elspeth said, sniffing at a packet of crackers. ”She thinks it's a waste of time learning them, she only wants to learn what she can use now. Like herb lore and so on.”

”Well, she has a point,” Daniel said, turning back to the girl. No, girl wasn't right. She was a young woman, hardened and lean like all her people. ”But I think that stories of the past can help us too, they can teach us lessons - point in the direction we should travel.”

”Aye...” She looked at him with surprise, eyes widening. ”That's what I think, that's exactly how I feel. But no one here agrees, they say there's no time for that. They say I've a head full of dreams.”

He laughed. ”Oh, I can so identify.”

The expression puzzled her, but didn't dim the light in her eyes. He recognized it at once, the pleasure of discovering a kindred spirit.

”So,” he said, ”tell me about your people. Meagan says this world has no name.”

Elspeth pursed her lips and then said, ”She's right in a way. You'll not find a soul in this room who'd give it a name, though I've seen it called the Lallans.”

”Seen it?” asked Daniel. ”Where?”

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