Four people in green camouflage fatigues came through a heavily fortified door together. They had been called soldiers, scientists, scholars, warriors, and government agents. For the past years, however, what they had truly been were adventurers. Day after day they had stepped through a portal into the unknown and faced challenges and dangers for which there was no way they could have prepared. Yet through cunning, determination, and the sheer luck of heroes they had managed to prevail time and time again, staving off destruction and winning rewards of knowledge and technology. They were SG-1.

They stood in the "Gate Room" deep beneath the earth in an underground complex known as "The Mountain", more formally called Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base. In the center of this room stood a strange ring that had a diameter of twenty two feet—large enough to drive a truck through with ease. A ramp led up to this giant device. Surrounding the ring on all sides were soldiers dressed in combat gear on full active alert.

As SG-1 prepared for another of their missions, the group walked to the bottom of the ramp. Colonel Jack O'Neill was the leader of the team. He had a deep love for and loyalty to each of his three companions but had developed a casual, nearly sarcastic way of observing everything around him that made him seem slightly disinterested. That couldn't be further from the truth, unless of course, the other members of the team were talking about physics, archaeology, equations, or mythology.

Which was something they were doing almost all the time. Slightly in front of him was a blond haired woman with bright, intelligent eyes talking to a relatively young, brown haired man wearing glasses. The woman's name was Samantha Carter, a name that the top physicists in the world would recognize. Talking with Major Carter was Daniel Jackson who looked a bit out of place in the uniform, not as athletic as the other team members.

The final regular member of the team was Teal'c, who was not actually regular at all. He was a Jaffa, a humanoid implanted with an alien symbiote with the sole purpose to serve as one of the guards of the alien race and regard them as gods. Yet, Teal'c had turned against his masters, denied their godhood, and even destroyed the one who had enslaved him. Yet, despite this treachery against the aliens, he was possessed of a loyalty unsurpassed. He felt no loyalty to those who would enslave his people, but the greatest of gratitude and kinship to those who helped free them.

The team was met at the bottom of the gate by a stern-looking, boldly bald man. General Hammond could be stern when necessary, a highly practical man, however he cared for each and every one of the personnel under his command. Having shared numerous near-death experiences with SG-1, though, he had a particularly deep respect for them. He went over the mission goals with the team once more as they prepared to leave.

Colonel O'Neill nodded to the general and let him know they were well prepared with a characteristically flippant summary: "Right. So, go to the other world and make friends with everyone. Try not to make many enemies. Bring back good stuff. Don't bring back bad stuff. Try not to kill stuff, but if we got to we got to. Avoid dying as much as possible. I think we got it."

A sarcastic reply like that to a general and base commander would earn most soldiers some serious discipline. Fortunately, he knew that General Hammond knew that he had earned the right to get away with remarks like that. Instead of a reprimand, the general simply agreed but with a final reminder. "And don't forget to come back."

O'Neill nodded again, wryly. "Right." He turned towards the portal and threw his hand up as a sort of half-wave of goodbye. After thousands of missions, some of the thrill of departing across the galaxy had worn off.

Up in the control center, the technicians began to dial the gate. The gate began to spin, the 39 unique symbols whirling around at an increasing pace. One by one, seven of the nine chevrons on the gate were engaged and locked in place. After the sixth chevron locked, the room began to fill with ambient energy until, finally, the seventh symbol was locked in place.

When that happened, the empty space inside the ring was filled with an explosive discharge of energy and spatial distortion. The distortion field rapidly expanded out of the gate and then seemed to implode backwards like an underwater explosion. When it settled, the gate looked like it held a rippling pool of water suspended vertically in the air, but only in two dimensions.

Major Carter was the first to step through the gate. From all appearances she was just walking into water. She was followed by Colonel O'Neill, then Daniel Jackson. Teal'c was the last to go through the portal, symbolically taking up a rearguard position.

For an instant they each felt the sensation of being within an immense tunnel of energetic light and a disorienting sense of a loss of all directionality. Then they were decorporealized and their entire physical being converted into a form of energy. It was a feeling they had felt each time they had stepped through the Stargate, yet still something to which they could never fully get accustomed.

That was when something went wrong.

Back in the SGC, just heartbeats after SG-1 stepped through the gate, the blueness of the wormhole suddenly turned pitch black and winked out. For just a moment, tiny tendrils of shadowy energy snaked around the Stargate like black lightning. Then it was gone.

Hammond looked up at the control room. "Did they make it through to the other side before that happened?" he demanded. The technicians in the control room had no idea.

Colonel Jack O'Neill knew something was wrong even before he was fully reintegrated at the other side of the wormhole that had shunted him across the galaxy. During transit there was always some sense of reality, though it was incredibly brief and had no analog to what can be described by the physical senses. Jack couldn't explain it to anyone, even other Stargate travelers, but he knew that things had "turned" strangely and it was as if the path had suddenly become "dark", if that meant anything in such a state.

When he did finally become fully integrated was when he noticed just how really bad things were. He knew they hadn't reached P8F-202, their intended destination. For one, P8F-202 was a much brighter place than the gloom into which he had arrived. Second, P8F-202 had a Stargate on the other side. The odd portal he had just come through was not a Stargate. Perhaps most telling of all, the probe they had sent over to their intended destination had sent back telemetry that had no indication of the walking dead. This place had plenty of them.

As soon as he was able to process the thought, he turned towards Carter, "What the h—," he started to ask, but was cut off as a rotting human corpse swung a clawed hand at his throat and he was forced to duck.

Tamil Farlong looked over at his companions and nodded. Khelgar Ironfist bashed the door open with the haft of his axe and charged into the room. Tamil followed him in with her bow raised and an arrow knocked, ready to fly. As the two burst into the room the third member of their group silently trailed in behind them and slipped into the shadows.

Tamil stopped and looked across the chamber they had entered. At the far end was a robed figure standing with a hand pointed menacingly at another figure, which stood back against the wall, seemingly in a daze. At the sound of the trio's entrance, however, the robed figure turned to face them. From beneath a dark hood came a sinister male voice, "Ah, fresh materials to work with."

Whatever questions Tamil had remaining about attacking the dark robed man were answered when he dramatically raised his hands into the air and the dozen or so corpses at his feet crawled up off the ground. Yep, this was an evil necromancer. She let her arrow fly towards man. Unfortunately, he had already surrounded himself with a shield of faith. Recognizing the magic, Tamil made a mental note: evil necromantic priest.

Khelgar didn't hesitate to charge across the chamber. In the eerie magical light cast by the altar and torches in the room, Khelgar's diminutive form glowed eerily. Khelgar was a shield dwarf, which meant he was shorter than all but the shortest of humans. That didn't diminish from his stature as a warrior, however. His bald head was shaped like granite and he wore his thick brown beard with pride. He led into the fight with his fine dwarven waraxe, tearing a chunk of flesh from the first zombie he encountered.

Neeshka did not find this sort of battle much to her liking, however. While not exactly weak, her lithe form was not optimal for a straight up battle. She preferred to battle in the shadows, being able to spot an enemy and take it unawares. She attempted to sneak along the walls of the room where the light did not fully illuminate, hoping to bypass the reanimated dead to strike at the human who had raised them. To her dismay, however, a pair of the undead sensed her life force and trudged in her direction, cutting her off from getting to their master. Neeshka sighed and readied the twin daggers she carried.

The robed priest gauged the threat a trio of adventurers posed to his plan. He came to the conclusion that the threat was serious enough that he should call on the powers of his master. Using his force of will and the connection to the darkness of the Plane of Shadow, he attempted to draw a living shadow into the world to aid him. Somehow, though, something went wrong and he lost control of the connection.

Oddly, the connection to the Shadow Plane became entangled with the shadow portal which allowed him and the other priests of shadow to communicate through the Shadow Plane. To the priest's shock, the portal widened to nearly twice its normal dimensions and expanded outward briefly before retracting and changing to an odd ripple. That was when one figure, then three others stepped out of the air and the portal from the Shadow Plane abruptly collapsed completely.

One of the newcomers turned to the others and muttered something the shadow priest found completely unintelligible. The man was cut off from finishing, however, as the nearest zombie turned and took a swipe at him. The foursome spread out along the back wall, moving away from the priest's undead minions and started pulling out strange objects from their multi-colored green and brown outfits. There was a sudden crack of thunder and the zombie who had attacked the stranger jerked backwards.

Jack O'Neill pulled the trigger on his P-90 submachine gun once more and the walking dead thing jerked to the opposite side, but kept coming. Seeing the undead creature continue to pursue his friend, Teal'c leveled his Ma'Tok staff weapon at the creature. The ends of the staff snapped open and an orb of plasma shot out and blasted the corpse into small pieces.

Tamil Farlong observed the coming of the newcomers with interest. She recognized them as human and noted their odd attire. When the zombies started attacking them and they attacked back, she figured they were on her side, or at least not on the side of the dark priest. Not wanting to risk hitting them with an errant shot or risk them misunderstanding, she dropped her bow and drew her long sword. With an intense look on her face she began striding towards the creatures and humming rhythmically.

She noted that Khelgar had just finished chopping a second zombie apart. His axe had cleanly cloven through the first abomination of life and gone on to strike the shoulder of the next in line. Now that one was down and he was off to rip through the next. Neeshka was stabbing at the corpses advancing on her and then dancing back out of their reach, trying to lure them off so she could slip around them and get to the evil priest.

Tamil saw one of the newcomers, a blond haired female, point one of their odd looking weapons at a zombie. Then she heard the noise of several short thunderous explosions and fire erupt from the hole at the front of the weapon. Tamil watched as the zombie in front of the female from the portal was jerked repeatedly back and forth, its flesh literally ripped to pieces. One of the green clad humans said something, but Tamil didn't understand what it meant.

The strange necromancer priest witnessed the destruction of his minions and heard the communication as well, though understood it no better. These newcomers were clearly not sent by his dark master to aid him. With a snarl, the priest targeted the biggest of them, the one carrying the staff weapon that had blown one of his zombies to pieces, and quickly chanted a spell.

Colonel O'Neal saw Teal'c blow one zombie apart with a single shot from his staff weapon. Then Major Samantha Carter fired a stream of bullets into another. The creature went down, but only after a lot of ordinance was spent on it. Not knowing when they would be able to re-supply, it would probably be a good idea to save the limited ammunition they had. "Everyone, switch to zats. Three shots."

That was when Jack noticed the priest gesturing at Teal'c. The Jaffa warrior was turning to point his weapon at another zombie when the dark robed figure finished saying whatever indecipherable thing he was saying. To Colonel O'Neill's shock, he saw his friend freeze in mid-movement. Teal'c was paralyzed where he stood.

Samantha Carter pulled her zat'nik'tel from behind her back and trained her weapon on the nearest walking dead. She fired a quick burst of energy at the creature. The energy, much like electricity, cackled around the creature, but with seemingly no effect. She fired a second burst. This time the creature lurched, but it still continued towards her. Her third shot, though, struck the creature and turned it completely to dust.

She noticed the surprise on the face of the short bearded person who was chopping away at the zombies with abandon. There were two others in the room fighting against the undead creatures. One was brunette swinging a sword and humming rhythmically, the other was a fire haired female who, oddly enough, seemed to have a tail.

"Be careful not to hit the friendlies!" she shouted to the rest of SG-1.

Dr. Jackson looked at her for a second then noticed the others combatants in the room. He fired his zat at a nearby zombie. Seeing it continue to come after him he fired at it again and began to backpedal. His shot missed and he began to get a little frantic.

Colonel O'Neill lost only a little time holstering his submachine gun and pulling out the Goa'uld zat'nik'tel he also carried. Without hesitation he took aim at the priest who had done something to Teal'c and fired. He looked in surprise as it appeared that the energy discharge was simply absorbed by some sort of surrounding field. He saw the priest muttering something and gesturing towards him. Jack fired again, but again the energy was absorbed.

Just as the necromancer was coming to the end of his chant he was struck by an iron blade that tore a gash through its arm. The priest gave a yell, ruining whatever he was trying to do to the colonel. Tamil Farlong brought her sword back into a guard position as the priest drew a cudgel and glowered at the woman. She didn't notice the zombie coming up behind her.

Jack O'Neill did. He fired off three consecutive blasts with his zat, instantly disintegrating the creature.

Samantha Carter took aim at one of the zombies engaged with the strange girl with a tail and ended its existence with three careful shots. Then she turned to the creature that was slowly approaching to threaten her and did the same thing to it. Fortunately, the things moved at a slow pace and spreading out had worked to SG-1's advantage. She looked over to see that Daniel had finally managed to vaporize the creature coming after him as his last shot was at point-blank range.

Tamil was impressed by the firepower of the newcomers. Their lightning weapons were fast and efficient against the undead creatures. It seemed they had no fear of using up all the charges they had against these weak undead. The priest's force of zombies had been reduced to less than half their original numbers and he was now the one who was outnumbered as well as out-classed.

Khelgar Ironfist was insulting the undead creatures as he fought with four of the remaining six zombies. They were too slow and awkward to pose much of a threat and his chain-steel shirt was sturdy enough to turn away their clawed hands when they did manage to strike him. Their rotting flesh did not stand up so well against the bite of his axe, though.

Tamil Farlong saw the priest feint and try to strike her for a stunning blow to the head, but she was skilled enough to evade the strike. She continued to hum a cheerful tune and trade strikes with the dark priest. He wasn't a bad fighter, perhaps were this a one on one fight they would have been evenly matched. But she had a rogue on her side who, now free of the engagement with the two zombies, had positioned herself for a deadly strike to the priest's exposed back. Neeshka drove her blades into the necromancer's back and Tamil finished the murderous spellcaster off with a thrust to the gut.

Explosions of electrical discharges around the room informed her that the foursome who had appeared out of the dark portal was taking care of the rest of the undead in the room. Khelgar ripped another zombie apart with his axe to turn and find the last three he faced had been destroyed. He complained loudly about that.

With the undead destroyed, Tamil made sure her companions were uninjured and then turned to the newcomers. She stood with her sword drawn, but lowered. They kept their weapons in their hands as well, but pointed at the floor. Tamil greeted the group in Common. When none of them seemed to understand, she tried orcish, elven, draconic, celestial, infernal, and abyssal. At hearing the attempt to communicate, one of the brown haired males stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Daniel Jackson. We came here by accident. We mean you no harm." Daniel repeated this phrase in several languages with his palms turned up to show he was interested in peace. The woman standing across from him with the sword in her hands did not seem to understand. He turned back to the rest of SG-1. "Well, she's not speaking English, Spanish, ancient Egyptian, Ancient, Russian, Arabic, German, or Goa'uld. In fact, we can pretty much rule out any…"

Daniel's comment was cut off abruptly when the woman with the swords said something and suddenly reached out and touched him on the shoulder.

Colonel O'Neill quickly raised his weapon to point at the woman with the sword. She had reached out and touched his team mate without warning. However, she quickly stepped back and said something.

"Wait, do not attack me!" Tamil said to the stranger who had been trying to communicate with her. He gave her a surprised look and said something back to her. Now that she had a good look at him, she could see that he was not much older than she and wore an odd pair of spectacles. "I cannot understand you yet. I used a spell that allows you to understand my language, but it does not let you speak mine." The man turned to his companions and said something. The one pointing the weapon at her lowered it again. "I will cast the spell again, this time on myself, but I need to touch you again for the spell to work."

Daniel Jackson looked at the woman in surprise and related the information to Jack and Sam. "She says she needs to touch me again so that she can understand me. Apparently, she believes it's some kind of magical effect. Whatever it is she did, I can definitely understand everything she's saying now and I don't seem to be hurt." Daniel extended his hand. The woman spoke something then reached out and grasped his hand for a second.

"My name is Tamil Farlong. My friends and I thank you for your assistance against the necromancer priest and the undead. What is your name?" Daniel was taken aback by the warmth of her expression. Now that she was standing close, he got a good look at her and realized she was beautiful.

"I'm… uh, Daniel Jackson." He adjusted his glasses nervously, "Doctor Daniel Jackson. We're not really from around here and don't really understand what just happened there. But, uh, we're glad to have helped." Daniel's uncertainty caused him to be just as uncertain in his speech.

Tamil turned her attention to the wounded soldier back in the corner and the fourth member of Daniel Jackson's group. "We should see to your companion and the other wounded man." The other man, the one who had pointed his weapon at her when she touched Daniel's shoulder spoke. Tamil turned to Dr. Jackson. "Please tell your friend that your other companion should be fine."

Daniel looked at Jack. "She said Teal'c will be okay. She can understand what we say now, but her technology, or 'spell' as he calls it, only seems to be able to make you understand the meaning of what someone else says, not let you speak other languages."

"So," Jack quipped with a straight face, "sort of like the same as you." Daniel took a second to digest the comment. By that time, Jack and Sam had reached Teal'c. Just as they reached him, he took a stumbling step forward.

"Teal'c! Are you alright? Can you move everything?" asked Samantha.

The Jaffa nodded. "I seem fine, Dr. Carter. The effect was temporary. I was immobilized, but heard everything that happened."

Tamil Farlong walked over to the man standing against the wall. She noticed he was wearing the uniform of a soldier of Neverwinter. Though she didn't have much experience with soldiers, it was apparent from the decorations on the uniform that he was an officer. "Commander Tann?" she inquired.

The soldier confirmed his identity and told her about the circumstances of his capture. Tamil explained that she'd been contracted by Lieutenant Vallis, his second in command at the fort, to find out what had happened to the patrol. She asked about how serious the threat from the necromancer was. Tann stated that he thought there must be more to the threat than what this one priest had at his disposal. Then he asked for help in searching for the rest of his men.

Now that the team could see that Teal'c was fine, it was time to get some answers. Daniel asked Tamil if they had seen a Stargate, describing what one would look like. Tamil shook her head. "I've never seen anything like that. Or even heard of anything like that. What you are describing sounds like magic well beyond anything I've ever dealt with before. I'm really just a girl from a small village. I only started being an 'adventurer' about a week ago after my village was attacked.

"We might be able to find out more information in a larger city like Neverwinter. I'm on my way there myself with my companions. If you'd like to join us we could help you get there." Daniel repeated her words to the rest of SG-1. "Right now, though, we have a more immediate problem. This is Commander Tann from a local military fort. He was separated from his men before he was captured. He's worried for their safety. I'm hoping you would be willing to help."

Answers were going to have to wait. After searching the room and taking anything valuable from the necromancer and the chest by the altar, Tamil led the group back to the doorway that Khelgar had broken in and into a much larger chamber. Captain Carter pointed out several skeletal remains and rotting corpses that had fallen to the ground. Moving to a corridor, Tamil gestured for Neeshka to take the lead.

Colonel O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 watched as Neeshka moved to the front of the group. At first glance she seemed to be a slender human female about the same height as Major Carter. She didn't need to come too close, however, before they realized she was not human. In addition to having large, triangular shaped ears that pointed back sharply along either side of her head, she had both horns and a devil-like tail. The twin horns curled up from her forehead turning back delicately and pointed back over her head. Her tail was long and thin, with a thick pointed end that seemed to wave about aimlessly. Despite these alien features, as well as red pupil-less eyes, she had an attractive and very feminine look.

Whatever she was, she moved soundlessly, carefully examining the walls and floors as they moved along the corridor. Her hand shot up in a silent signal and everyone froze in place. O'Neill scanned the distance for enemies, but it soon became clear that she had located something on the floor. She pulled out a set of small tools and expertly set to work.

"Booby traps," Colonel O'Neill explained for Daniel's benefit. Now he understood why the strange woman was sent first. In the dark corridor he could barely see, but she had no difficulty spotting near-invisible wires and pressure plates on the floor. Looking ahead, Jack spotted a few forms slowly lumbering towards the group. More zombies.

A few zaps from his zat as well as Major Carter's, plus an explosive blast from Teal'c's staff weapon and the undead were all the way dead again. Neeshka called something out and started moving forward. SG-1 and the others followed close behind.

They came to a door on the left-hand side of the corridor. There were faints sounds of someone struggling and the sound of metal hitting flesh. Neeskha waited while Tamil, Khelgar, and Commander Tann moved up right behind the door. Colonel O'Neill noted that the soldier suddenly seemed unhurt, whereas earlier he had appeared gravely wounded. Tamil Farlong had Daniel explain that she, the dwarf, and the commander would charge in first and that she wanted his group to cover them with their weapons.

It was a good plan. When Khelgar swung the door open and began his charge they could see that the room was filled with undead zombies slowly backing a single soldier into a corner. As Tamil charged in, she started to whistle a sort of marching melody. Upon hearing it, each member of the group felt stirred by a feeling of resolve and determination.

Not that they needed it. While there were a large number of zombies, those fell very quickly to the power of the zat'nik'tel and Ma'tok staff weapon. A few of the creatures sensed the new arrivals and turned to attack them, but they were far too slow. SG-1 had clear shots at slow moving targets that made no attempt to dodge the blasts. The few that actually engaged the three lead combatants were quickly cut down, but the encounter was over in less than a minute.

Commander Tann expressed his gratitude to the group for helping rescue his soldier. The man was scratched badly and had several deep gashes from where he had been raked by the clawed hands of the zombies. Tann pulled a vial from a loop on his belt and handed it to the solider who promptly drank it. To SG-1's surprise, the large gashes closed up and many of the smaller scratches disappeared completely.

"My guess is that's the local version of Red Bull," O'Neill joked. "Make a note to bring some of that stuff back when we finally find the Stargate."

Tamil regarded SG-1 with a slight frown on her face. "I'm grateful you are willing to use your powerful items to help out, friends, but these zombies are really not much of a threat." Daniel repeated her words in English. "You should really save their magical charge for something more dangerous. I only wanted you to help out if one of us was getting overwhelmed. Otherwise we can handle it with our weapons. Again, I really appreciate you using your magic to help, but I don't want you to use it all up so easily."

Colonel O'Neill raised his eyebrows as he heard Daniel's translation. His respect for the dark haired female as a leader grew. A good leader knows to conserve resources while not needlessly endangering those under their command. "Daniel, please assure the lady that we have more than enough 'magical charges' that we won't run out any time soon. And tell her she's welcome."

With that, the group went on to rescue the rest of Tann's patrol. After coming to a dead end, they backtracked and went down another passageway. Neeshka signaled the party to halt several times while she disabled a number of booby traps.

They came to a second room and discovered an entire pack of rotting corpses in a circle in the middle of the room. They were eating one of Tann's men. There were nearly twice as many of the undead this time. There was also something other than zombies as well. These pale skinned creatures looked up from their feeding when the group charged in and were quick to turn and attack. They moved fast.

Some rapid firing from SG-1 took down most of the ghouls, but one managed to reach Khelgar and swipe at him. The dwarf gave a "hmph" sound in reply and split the creature in half with his axe. It took a bit longer to destroy this group, but most of the zombies crowded around the dwarf, Tamil, and Commander Tann. Neeshka intercepted a few that broke off from the main group, giving SG-1 time to blast them. Despite being a somewhat longer battle, there were only a few minor scrapes to take care of once it was over.

After briefly expressing sympathy for the fallen soldier, Tamil poured a bottle of water on his remains. She explained to Daniel that it was holy water and would prevent there being any chance that Tann's patrolman would become one of the undead himself. Then the group moved on in search of the last of Tann's lost patrol.

Neeshka led them through a few trap-strewn rooms. She noted that these traps seemed to be set by a different person than the pervious ones. She pointed out that several zombies had set off some of the traps and been destroyed. There were only a few remaining and SG-1 very easily wiped them out with energy weapon discharges. After going through a few rooms and finding a hallway filled with a series of traps which Neeshka expertly disabled, they located the last of Tann's men who had collapsed with exhaustion at the end of a passageway.

With the remaining two of the commander's men safe, the group headed out of the crypt they had been in. As soon as they were outside, Major Carter started studying the star configurations in the night sky above them. Commander Tann sent the two rescued men ahead to apprise the fort of his coming. He promised his rescuers food and shelter at the fort.

"Well, that was fun," offered Colonel O'Neill. "I sure hope this is just a local thing, because if we've gated into the 'Night of the Living Dead' planet this is going to be one lousy mission. I hate that movie."

Daniel was about to ask some questions but Tamil interrupted him. "Sorry, Daniel Jackson. I'll answer your questions later. The magic I used to allow us to communicate will be wearing off in a minute or two. I'll gladly explain things to you tomorrow, but first I will need to rest and meditate to regain my magic. We need to make camp once we get far enough away from the graveyard." She thanked him for his help, but midway through her comments her words suddenly became incomprehensible again.

When Daniel explained the situation to the rest of SG-1 they were surprised. Teal'c suggested that their technology may be solar powered and the batteries had run down. Samantha Carter thought that was a good possibility. Colonel O'Neill had his own take.

"I'm guessing that it's sort of like mobile phone service. Our friend just has a magic translation plan that only gives her a certain number of free roaming translation minutes per day. Whatever plan she's using, I suggest we go with a carrier with unlimited minutes."

Daniel Jackson woke in the morning on a hard surface a little bit confused as to where he was. As he opened his eyes he saw a beautiful face and a friendly smile staring back at him. Then he noticed the woman's red eyes and the slender horns protruding from her forehead. Daniel pushed up on his elbows and took a closer look. The red eyes and horns remained, but so too did the smooth skin, alluring curves of a well-shaped bosom, and a very slender, feminine waist. She was saying something he didn't understand as she smiled and turned to walk away.

Daniel blinked a few times as he watched the woman's tail and hips swing seductively. Then he remembered the mission. He and the rest of SG-1 had arrived out the other end of a wormhole, but there had been no Stargate. They had joined with another group in a crazy fight against the cast of Night of the Living Dead and some weird Goth guy who could apparently freeze people in place.

Dr. Jackson crawled out of his bedroll and packed it up for travel with practiced efficiency. While he had never acquired the same competence as a career soldier when it came to combat or survival skills, he had long ago begun pulling his own weight. When it came to deciphering ancient languages and figuring out cryptic clues or face defeat and death, though, Daniel did much better than merely pulling his own weight. He was a polyglot and pure genius at linguistics.

"Morning, Sunshine," came Colonel O'Neill's playfully sarcastic greeting. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c sat together by a small fire eating a breakfast out of their MRE pack. They wouldn't be eating local food until they could test it for harmful microbes. "Seems our friends from the crypt want to break camp and get going in a short while. You'd better eat a bit before we get going. It might be awhile before we get to this fort you said we are heading for."

Daniel joined them and began eating. The group discussed their situation as they finished their meal and prepared to leave. Obviously, their first priority was finding a Stargate. Dr. Carter explained that while a pair of Stargates formed a stable connection of immense power, it was possible for position of one end of the tunnel through space-time to shift or redirect if there was a sufficient pull from another source. They had previously experienced such a pull due to a solar flare which had caused the wormhole to redirect to a different Stargate.

"The problem though, is that portal we came out of was apparently nowhere near as stable as a Stargate," Carter expounded. "My guess would be that it was the nearest point through space-time through which the wormhole could establish a temporal/spatial vortex. The Stargate we were supposed to come through could be anywhere. It could be a few miles away, on the other side of this planet, or even in another star system." Samantha paused a moment to let her companions think on her words. "The good news, though, is that we have some basic telemetry from the probe to P8F-202 that will narrow our search to a specific terrain, and we know it has to be aboveground. If there are some accurate maps of this world we may be able to locate our way home."

"So, things could be worse," Jack said and nodded. "Okay, so we head to the nearest city and find a good map store. In the meantime, let's see about learning more about their translation technology and medicine."

After breaking camp, Tamil Farlong followed along with Commander Tann. She considered the large group traveling with her, none of whom she had known for more than a couple weeks and most of whom she had just run into. The dwarf was the easiest to figure, he was basically a goodly sort and loyal, but with a short fuse and a love of battle. The tiefling was a bit of question mark, obvious a roguish sort not above a bit of deviltry (even having the horns and tail to prove it), but she seemed genuinely grateful for her rescue and was making an effort to "earn her keep." The commander, of course, was just along until they reached his fort. The four humans who had dropped out of a giant wall of rippling shadow, though, they were an entire different sort altogether.

As the group reached the outer walls of Fort Locke, Tamil was cut off from her contemplation by the approach of three soldiers. Taking the lead was Lieutenant Vallis, the one who had contracted her. Obviously, the two soldiers which they had rescued had arrived before them and announced their successful return.

"Commander, it's good to see you alive and well. I'm sure you will have a report ready once you arrive at the fort," Vallis greeted the Commander Tann. He looked at the size the party had grown to with a little concern.

"That I will, Lieutenant. We have much to discuss. Assemble the officers. I'll be with them shortly," came the commander's warm reply.

"You will report directly to me, and I shall brief the officers. I'm relieving you of duty," Lieutenant Vallis said as he drew his sword.

"What's gotten into you? I've given you your orders. Now carry them out," Tann replied with a bit of impatience.

"I am the commander of the fort, now, Tann" Vallis said. He glanced back at the soldiers to his left and right—soldiers newly promoted by the lieutenant. "You will brief me and then return to your quarters, or I will have you arrested for insubordination. I am not about to watch you return the garrison to its undisciplined and shoddy state, Tann. The loss of three patrols was a direct result of your failure to prepare the men properly. You are unfit for command."

Commander Tann drew his sword. Tamil Farlong drew her sword as well. Khelgar drew his axe and got ready to charge ahead. Neeshka, very carefully, began to edge towards the back of the group partly to get herself out of the dangerous front lines, but tactically to position herself to slip in behind the enemy if the chance came. Tamil signaled to Khelgar and Tann to hold their ground.

Lt. Vallis and his soldiers charged the group, but before they got even halfway SG-1 had their zats out. The serpent-shaped Gou'ald weapons extended the tops of their heads in preparation of firing. Then triple jets of whitish, electricity-like energy zapped out and engulfed each of the charging men. Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, and Daniel Jackson all hit their mark and the unsuspecting soldiers all dropped to the ground writhing in pain until unconsciousness took them.

Tann heartily thanked the whole group and then ran ahead to bring men from the fort back to deal with the mutinous lieutenant. Tamil turned to SG-1 and smiled. She spoke some words which SG-1 now recognized were not the same as when she was talking to the dwarf or horned girl, and then she held her hand out to Daniel. Daniel took her hand.

"Thank you for your help, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter, Jack O'Neill and Teal'c. Give me a moment to cast the spell again on myself, please." She repeated the strange words, which once again Daniel could not understand despite understanding the rest of Tamil Farlong's speech. Then she took his hand again for a second.

"I guess you are wondering what just happened there. Lieutenant Vallis was the second in command of the fort. He sent me off to investigate the disappearance of several patrols, including the commander's. But he didn't expect Commander Tann to return, so he decided to mutiny rather than return the garrison to its rightful commander. We should give them a minute to take care of things." Tamil hesitated for a second before asking her next question, "Did your weapons kill those soldiers?"

Daniel interpreted for the rest of the group. Then he answered the bard. "No, a single shot from a zat won't kill a person. It does stun and incapacitate for quite some time. Not to mention causing intense pain." Daniel frowned for a second remembering being struck by the weapon. "Two shots in a short period of time, though, is fatal. And three shots will disintegrate you. I'm not really sure how the physics works on it, but it has something to do with the energy building up and not dispersing until a certain amount of time has passed."

Tamil furrowed her brow a bit trying to make sense of what Daniel had said. The word "physics" had not translated and a few of the other words he had said that were translated into Common were things she didn't understand. Still, she got the general idea. A single shot would stun, two would kill, and a third meant no body for a resurrection.

"Could I ask you about the technology you are using to let us communicate? How does it work? And why did it wear off?" Daniel hoped she didn't think the question too sensitive. Too often others with advanced technology would deny them information on how their technology worked.

To Daniel's relief, Tamil didn't mind him asking. To his consternation, her reply didn't help him at all. "It's a simple arcane spell. It's not overly common, but there's usually someone around who knows it." When Daniel asked her how the "magic" worked, how it was accessed, she laughed. "Daniel Jackson, that's either a really silly question, or so incredibly philosophical that it's silly to ask someone like me. Some schools of mages have spent generations debating that question and who knows how many temples are set up simply to venerate the source of magic."

Daniel explained what he'd learned to the rest of the team. Then he turned back to Tamil with an odd look on his face. "So, Tamil, are you considered a wizard?"

Tamil laughed again. "Oh, no." Daniel relaxed for a second. "My friend Amie was a wizard apprenticed to Tarmas…" she trailed off, pained by the memory of her friend's tragic death.

Then she continued, "But no, no, too much book reading, that's not the life for me. For me, I find magic through music. I'm an aspiring bard." For a moment, the first real moment since her home had been destroyed and many people she had known had died, Tamil let her natural levity return. "Tamil Farlong, songstress of the Meredelain, greatest teller of tales in the whole of West Harbor." She swept in a low, grandiose bow and came up with a big grin on her face.

Daniel smiled appreciatively. "Very charming," Daniel gave a slight turn of his head. "I'm afraid, though that I'm one of those book readers."

"Oh? So, you're a wizard? I had thought you were a physician. When you introduced yourself and the woman in your group I thought you had called yourselves doctors." Tamil frowned slightly.

Daniel explained that the title doctor in this instance meant "doctor of philosophy" instead of "medical doctor" and that he and Dr. Carter had both gained their titles through study. Apparently, there was no equivalent in Common. There seemed to be gaps in how the translation 'spell' worked.

"It seems you have many customs and ideas that are very different from anything I've ever heard of. You must be from someplace very far away," Tamil ventured. "Not that I have much experience with such things, but it seems that you are from another plane of existence."

Before answering, Daniel conferred with the rest of SG-1. They had no reason to distrust the young woman, but coming right out to explain things was not always the most prudent course. "I think we should tell her everything, Jack," Major Carter said. "We've experienced shifts in reality before, and if that's what Tamil means by 'plane of existence' then we must learn what she knows about this."

After a bit more discussion, it was agreed that they would take a chance on revealing their origins and mission even before finding the Stargate. Daniel explained to Tamil how the team was from another world and traveled from planet to planet through the use of giant ring shaped gates. A few times he had to explain some concepts, such as wormholes, in roundabout ways, but she showed no sign of shock.

"So, on your world you call magic 'technology' and wizards and sorcerers are called 'physicists' and 'engineers', right?" Daniel immediately corrected her.

"Not quite. Physicists and engineers create technology which allows us to do things, but it isn't magic. It's done with machines and science. We don't think there is such a thing as magic." Daniel paused, trying to think how to say it delicately.

"We don't mean any offense in saying so. But, we've encountered several advanced alien races who enslaved less advanced races by calling their technology 'magic' or the 'power of the gods'. We even know a benevolent race who disguised their science as magic so they could protect younger races without risking them harming themselves with knowledge too great for them."

Tamil considered the four Earth soldiers. "From what you said I can understand why you would doubt magic. But I assure you, there is magic here. I feel it. It's a part of life here. I'm sure you'll learn all about it."

After Daniel translated for the benefit of SG-1 Carter expressed her extreme incredulity towards the existence of magic. She went on for several minutes with nobody really arguing against what she was saying. Finally, she just shook her head.

Neeshka watched the discussion with interest. She had no idea what the blond girl was saying, and that irked her. It wasn't so much that she cared about the blond girl from another plane of existence so much as she wanted to know if they were talking about her. That and she really wanted to know what the brown haired man who wore the odd but cute spectacles was saying.

"You know, Tamil," Neeshka began, "it's really not fair, to you I mean, that you have to listen to all the things the new guys say and translate back and forth for us. That's got to be really annoying, right? If we're going to be traveling with them all the way to Neverwinter we should probably figure out a way to take the burden off of you." Tamil didn't buy Neeshka's motive for suggesting they find a better solution than casting and recasting the Comprehend Languages spell. However, she didn't disagree. Tamil said as much.

By that time, the soldiers had come and dragged the unconscious lieutenant and his soldier goons back to the fort. Tamil, Khelgar, Neeshka, and SG-1 all headed into Fort Locke and had a quick chat with Commander Tann. While they were discussing the fort and the local situation, Neeshka said a quick, "Be right back!" and dashed off to speak with the local priest.

By the time things were settled, Neeshka was back with a grin on her face. "I've arranged for getting a permanent way to communicate for our friends. Tor, the priest there, has just the right magical items that he'd be willing to trade."

Tamil recalled that Tor had requested help regaining his holy symbol from bandits. She guessed that Neeshka had talked the priest into trading the items for the holy symbol. When she asked how Neeshka knew he had such items, the tiefling explained that priests of Ilmaeter dealt with many shady sorts as priests of the Crying God were well known for their willingness to offer healing and aid to anyone in need, even criminals. Frequently they would even find themselves dealing with races unable to speak Common and so many would carry simple magical items that would grant the wearer the ability to speak the common tongue.

Tamil called a conference with SG-1. She explained that they had a way to gain a more convenient way of communicating without the time limitations that casting the spell repeatedly had. She explained the quest to regain Tor's holy symbol of Ilmaeter.

Colonel O'Neill was initially opposed to the idea. He explained that SG-1's mission, when it wasn't lost and trying to find a way back home, was to make allies and find technology. Making enemies or interfering with local politics was not part of their program. Tamil explained that the bandits were simply outlaws, not a political faction. However, what decided the matter was when it was revealed that the bandits had taken to kidnapping travelers and holding them for ransom. Major Carter argued persuasively that putting an end to a menace and helping the defenseless would likely help with diplomacy with the local authorities once the team had found a Stargate and could return back to Stargate Command.

The group traveled to the hidden bandit camp that Neeshka conveniently happened to know the location of. Initially, Tamil and Khelgar planned on going in the front gate of the complex and simply doing battle with the entire camp. Colonel O'Neill came up with a much better plan. "As much as I like the thought of walking straight into an enemy encampment and shouting, 'Here I am, please shoot me', I have a better idea."

After scouting the area using binoculars and walkie-talkies for communication, O'Neill sketched out a strategy for a stealth assault. Using the cover of darkness, SG-1 managed to pick off the majority of the camp's guards with shots from SG-1's zat'nik'tel weapons. The remaining guards were quickly overwhelmed by Khelgar's mad charge and furious ax.

The bandit chief's headquarter building was taken with relative ease. They managed to clear the initial hallway and first room by surprising the thieves and hitting them with quick blasts with zats. Once the bandits became aware of the intruders, SG-1 wisely fired from cover around corners and from within doorways. Some of the bandits managed to dodge the zat discharges, but those few were met by the fierce dwarf and the bard.

The team ran into a little trouble when a door opened and a man wearing a strange red robe noticed them in the hall. He pointed at the group with a stick and a bolt of lighting shot out into the hallway. Neeshka managed to dodge, but Colonel O'Neill and the dwarf were both hit by the blast of pure electricity. Khelgar grimaced but charged ahead. Jack was momentarily stunned, but managed to pull himself to his feat with a loud "Ow." Samantha Carter zatted the lightning shooting wizard, but the energy appeared to simply disappear into the man's red robe. It didn't matter, however, as Khelgar promptly arrived and struck him a critical blow with his axe.

The rest of the building was much easier. The only time any of the group was actually threatened was when Neeshka noticed an area of the floor designed to trap intruders and set about disabling the device. A pair of bandits charged at her while she worked, but Daniel shouted a warning and managed to zat both of them before they could reach her. Neeshka turned back and beamed a grateful smile his way, then continued on down the hall with her daggers in her hands.

When the group reached the bandit chief, the man tried to talk his way out of the situation. He offered to release the kidnapping victims and stop his men from continuing the practice in return for letting him go. When Daniel translated the conversation for SG-1, Jack wasn't satisfied. "We could do that." Without hesitation, he simply zatted the bandit leader and half of his men. "Or, I could just shoot you." The rest were easily subdued.

SG-1 and the rest of the group returned to Fort Locke with a score of prisoners and every single one of the kidnapping victims. Tamil and Neeshka sorted through much of the bandits' treasure. There were several magical items as well as Tor's holy symbol.

Things were looking up.

Tamil returned Tor's holy symbol to him and in return, the priest of Ilmaeter handed over four simple looking silver headbands. She took the opportunity to sell several semi-precious gemstones and other pieces of treasure recovered from the bandit hideout. When all the transactions were completed, the bard fixed Neeshka with a hard stare. Neeshka tried to feign innocence but in the face of Tamil's continued stare, she reluctantly returned Tor's holy symbol to him again. Tamil had obviously noticed her pickpocket it.

"What?" Neeshka asked defensively. "Well, if he lost it again and we recovered it again we could probably get another reward out of him!"

SG-1 put the silver headbands on, the magical devices completely encircling their heads and showing visibly on their foreheads. The circlet looked somewhat natural on Dr. Carter. Jack and Daniel were not very pleased by their very un-macho appearance, although Daniel was surprised when the horned girl commented that it looked nice on him. On Teal'c, however, the silver band clashed with the golden mark etched into his forehead.

The priest of Ilmaeter commented on it. "Tell me, traveler, what does the symbol on your forehead represent? It must be of great importance to you for you to desire to wear such a mark."

Teal'c responded to the enquiry somewhat coldly, but without hostility. "It is the symbol of my former master, Apophis. All Jaffa are branded with the mark of their god." Tor examined the raised golden etching with interest. Teal'c, seeing this, continued his explanation. "My marking was carved into my skull with a ceremonial knife and filled in with molten gold, a symbol of my high status in the service of Apophis." Teal'c took this moment to look directly into the eyes of Tor.

"But I take no pride in this symbol. It is a symbol of a false god and an oppressor. I rose against him and with the help of SG-1 gained my freedom. Now I fight against this tyranny, against all who would enslave people into the false belief that they are gods." Teal'c regarded the priest before him carefully to watch for any violent reaction.

Though not violent, Tor was clearly appalled. "You turned against your god? Against your faith? How can you speak so openly against the gods?"

"I speak against them because they are not gods. They are false." Teal'c saw the incredulity in the man's eyes. "I know this because in seeking to free my people I helped kill Apophis. Now my people are free of him, though they still struggle against other false gods who would again attempt to enslave their minds to their worship and their wills to a dark cause." Teal'c's voice was strong and resolute. "Those who rule through fear, force, and superstition are not gods at all."

For a moment Tor measured Teal'c's words. Then he responded carefully. "Perhaps your gods were false gods. I cannot judge you for turning against them, especially if they enslaved people through force and violence." Having said that, Tor looked directly back into Teal'c's eyes, not in challenge, but in earnestness and sincerity. "But I can tell you this. Ilmaeter, the god I serve, is truly worthy of worship. He does not oppress nor does he inflict pain, except in rare cases where he, in his divine wisdom, does so to end unjust torment. Just as I will not judge you for turning against this god or false god you call Apophis, which is unknown to me, I ask that you do not judge me for my faith until you understand Ilmaeter."

After a moment, Teal'c nodded his head slightly. Before he turned away, however, the priest chanted something briefly and a golden light spread out from Tor, bathing everyone nearby in a divine warmth. Despite the pleasantness of the sensation, each member of SG-1 was slightly startled.

Samantha Carter was the first to voice her concern. "What was that?" Tor told them that he had simply blessed them with the grace of Ilmaeter to help them on their journey.

"Thank you, Tor," Tamil Farlong showed her appreciation. Khelgar and Neeshka offered their thanks as well. "Good to have someone watching out for us."

Leaving Fort Locke behind, the trio started heading out on the road once again. The conversation about deities, however, was not finished. SG-1 explained about the Gou'ald and how they used technology to claim godhood. To their surprise, both Khelgar and Tamil expressed very positive views about the gods of this world.

Daniel, noticing that Neeshka hadn't said anything, asked her opinion. She was excited by his interest in her thoughts and spoke in some detail about how she had been an orphan raised by priests of Helm. She went on about how they were strict and ran out of 'I forgivest thou's after some point in her very mischievous childhood. From there she explained how she had left the monastery early and ever since had to deal with discrimination because of her horns and tail.

"Well, Neeshka, we're not going to judge you because you have some physical differences," Daniel assured her. "Traveling from world to world I've seen people who look all different ways. Just because you have horns and a tail doesn't mean you're the child of the Devil or something like that."

"Well, actually," Neeshka corrected, "it really does. Not that I'm a direct child of a devil, but I've definitely got devil blood in me. Hence the horns and tail. Not very common here, but there are some. We're called 'tieflings'.

Before Daniel had a chance to respond, or open his mouth with nothing coming out due total shock, the group rounded a bend and came face to face with a large group of diminutive figures standing in the middle of the road carrying swords. A group of gray-skinned dwarves, similar to Khelgar but somewhat shorter and much drabber looking, surrounded a central figure who had tiny spikes growing out from various points on his arms, legs, and neck.

"No place to run this time Kalach-Cha. That which you have stolen, hand it over, and we will let you live," the creature said. Then it added, "Hand the shard over, or we will take it from your corpse!"

In answer, Tamil pulled out the long sword she had taken from the bandit chief. The blade hummed with energy. "Come and take it then."

"FOOL! I shall enjoy killing you!" The group of gray dwarves, duergar as Tamil later explained to SG-1 with some uncomplimentary embellishing from Khelgar, attempted to move. Before they could, though, tendrils of green plants suddenly sprouted from the ground and began wrapping around the feet of the creatures.

"For Meredelain, and all within it!" came an odd battle cry as a woman dressed in a rather plain brown robe charged down from over an overlooking boulder accompanied by what appeared to be an exceptionally large badger. She carried a simple sickle in her hands, but with the dwarves and bladeling caught both by surprise and by the tangle of vegetative growth, she quickly slashed one of the creatures to death before it could respond.

Some of the creatures broke free of the clinging vines and charged at the group. One of these was impaled on Tamil's humming sword, which she had set to take the charge. The gray dwarf died instantly. Another of them was bitten in the leg from behind by the odd badger and turned to face it. Khelgar faced off with a third, his axe cutting a gash in his opponent while the tower shield he had taken from the bandits deflected the duergar's return strike. Neeshka took advantage of the confusion to get behind one of them and drove her daggers into it.

SG-1 was initially taken aback by the abrupt encounter, and particularly the oddity of the entangling plants. But once a couple of arrows flew into the group's midst, fortunately hitting no one, they quickly had their zats out and walked into range to take out the archers. By the time they had disabled them the rest of the fight was over.

Once the fighting had stopped, the woman called her badger friend over to her to make sure it was unharmed. Then she took a look at a long wound on her arm which she had taken during the fight.

"You're hurt." Samantha Carter said and started to pull out medical supplies from her pack. Before she could do so, however, the woman chanted something and placed her hand on her wound. The area around the wound, including the surrounding air, glowed white for a few seconds. Sam looked at the wound again and noted with shock that in just that instant the wound had mostly healed. There was still a line of tender skin where the gash had been, but it was as if it had been healing naturally for weeks.

With post-battle cleanup out of the way, the group gathered around to find out who the newcomer was. Now that they could see her up close, it became apparent that the newcomer wasn't actually human, either. He features were far more delicate, her face too exotic with almond shaped eyes, and her ears were pointed up through her hair. She was a wood elf.

She introduced herself as Elanee and explained that she had been tracking the group's attackers through the swamp around West Harbor and then to Fort Locke. Khelgar apparently had no use for her, calling her a "tree hugger", to which she took some offense.

"Tree hugger?" Jack O'Neill asked. "Like, as in an environmentalist. Chain yourself to trees to prevent them from being cut down?"

"Sounds similar, but I think it's different from… where you are from. Elanee is a druid. She is able to call on the magic of the land. Rather than tie herself to a tree, she'd probably get the tree to tie up the people trying to cut it down." Tamil explained. Her step-father being an elf gave her a much different perspective, a much more positive one, than Khelgar's.

"I see. So, that's how she is able to talk to animals and make grass grow out of the ground to tangle up her enemies." Daniel said. Samantha gave Daniel an incredulous look.

Elanee had some questions of her own. She wanted to know why these creatures were attacking. SG-1 was interested to know the answer to that as well.

Tamil explained. "These creatures are attacking because of me. Something I carry. It's a chunk of silver, apparently a shard of something else that was broken long ago. Several weeks ago now, a large group of these creatures attacked the village where I live, West Harbor. There were hundreds of these creatures and many people in my village died in the raid.

"After the town militia fought off the attackers, my father sent me and one of my friends to retrieve this shard from an old ruin. When we came back, my father took me aside and told me I had to take this silver shard to the city of Neverwinter and have it examined. We need to know why these creatures attacked. Since then, I've been attacked by these same creatures a few times, so it seems that my father was right that this is what they are after."

Jack O'Neill interjected something. "Why not just give it to them? If they're attacking you for something and you don't even know what it is, why not just hand it over?"

Tamil gave Jack a cool look. "Well, that might be an option if we knew this wasn't part of some sort of artifact of immense power that they wanted to use against us." She shook her head. "Heroes in epic poems don't hand over the magic item the great evil dark lord needs to complete his evil plan just because it's easy. Nor do bards who sing about such heroes."

Sam looked at Jack. "They have a point. Imagine if that were plutonium, or perhaps even naquadah. Would you turn this shard over to a group of Jaffa if you knew one of the System Lords were hunting for this? Or would you take it back to a lab to be examined first?"

"Ok, point taken." Jack conceded.

Elanee then offered the group her help. "There is a druid sanctuary not far from here, the Maiden's Glade, where members of my Circle would go for refuge when traveling the land.

I can lead you there, and with no further attacks from these hunters of yours. Not that you can't handle yourself, but I am sure you're growing as tired of these attacks as I am."

After some harrumphing from Khelgar and some further questions into how long Elanee had been watching Tamil, the group agreed to follow Elanee to this sanctuary and allow her to travel with them to Neverwinter. She took them off the High Road and through deep brush that would normally be impassable, but for her and the rest of the group the thorns and thickets pulled aside. For hours they traveled, never in a straight line, and always scraping against brush and plants.

When the group finally arrived they were tired and complaining. At least, there was no way an enemy could have followed them. Elanee told them the animals of the forest would protect them.

That was when the wolves decided to attack.

It was an easy thing for the adventuring group defend themselves, but in doing so most of the wolves were killed. Elanee didn't understand why they would attack her and those she invited to the glade. She didn't understand until she saw a clearing filled with animals which had been ripped apart by some monstrous thing.

"No wonder they attacked us. Something is here that is slaughtering these animals." The elven druidess asked the group to try not to kill any of the animals and to seek out the cause of the harm. The group agreed, some reluctantly, but with SG-1's zat'nik'tel that would not pose a real difficulty. After stunning several animals who charged at them, they soon came to a clearing where there was a huge bear standing around the carcasses of a few dead wolves.

"Holy Smokey the Bear!" Colonel O'Neill remarked on seeing the thing. It was much, much larger than any bear that could be found on Earth. "Anyone have a pic-i-nic basket handy?" He looked around at the rest of the group. "No? Then I guess we're going to have to stop it."

Elanee attempted to enspell the creature with magic designed to hold it in place, but as soon as she cast her magic the beast felt it and charged at them in a rage. Colonel O'Neill shot the beast with his zat, but that failed to even slow the creature. Khelgar, Neeshka, and Tamil all charged the huge bear with weapons drawn. Then, to everyone's surprise, Elanee jumped forward and transformed in midair, landing on all-fours as a large wolf and bit into one of the bear's great hindlegs.

"Tranq darts!" Jack called out. As fast as they could, O'Neill, Carter, and Teal'c dropped their packs to the ground and pulled out specially designed tranquilizer weapons. By the time they got their weapons out, the large beast had already taken some powerful hits, particularly from the dwarf's axe and Tamil's sonically powered longsword.

Jack called out, "Move so we can get a clear shot!" Tamil obliged and the three fired their darts into the massive creature. After struggling for a few tense seconds, the bear slumped to the ground.

Elanee shifted from her wolf form back to human form and went to examine the unconscious bear. "You've knocked it out without killing it. Thank you." Then she gasped.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"This bear, he's a druid. A member of my Circle. I know him." Elanee looked at the large creature in shock. "But why would he attack the animals of this glade? I don't understand!"

At Tealc's suggestion, the group bound the bear's legs together and then waited for the transformed druid to awaken. O'Neill took the opportunity to ask Elanee about her transformation into a wolf. She explained that experienced druids could learn to shift into various woodland animal shapes, and even more powerful creatures. It was called wildshaping.

The bear/druid stirred. As soon as it came fully awake, its large head looked up to see Elanee. The bear spoke to her. Elanee revealed that the druid was named Kaleil. Then, after learning the druid had become trapped in the animal form and had been driven mad for a time, she helped him transform back into his normal shape.

Kaleil was a relatively short man. He wore a brown robe much like Elanee's. He seemed tired and weary, not just drowsy from the after-effects of the tranquilizer darts.

"Thank you for saving me from my madness. Elanee, it is good that you are safe and that you have left the Mere." The druidess looked at him in concern. "The deeper you go into the swamplands the greater the danger. I tried to connect with the land, but I found it dark and… tainted. It's as if the land itself speaks with another voice. I had lost contact with all the others of the Circle and so I tried to leave, to find you and Elder Naevan for help."

"Then we must go back to help the others!" Elanee began.

"No. Elanee, listen. Whatever it is that is in the Mere, caused a great darkness to enter into me. It was all I could do to fight it, but even then I found that I was trapped in my bear form and slowly lost all sense of anything. All I could feel was darkness and despair. So… I… lashed out at everything. Even the animals of the glade…" Kaleil began to weep. "Promise me, Elanee. Promise me you won't go back there."

Elanee put her arms around her friend's shoulders. "You're safe now, Kaleil. You are free of your madness. And you cannot be blamed for what happened. You should go and find Naevan and warn him." Elanee looked back at Tamil. "But I must go another way. This Harborman is seeking knowledge I believe may be connected to the darkness in the Mere. I must go with him into the city and find the truth of this so that we can know what we face."

Kaleil nodded. After resting a bit in the glade, the two druids cautiously and carefully reached out to the animals and soothed their anger. With the land at peace again, the two bade their farewells. Kaleil walked out of the grove headed towards Neverwinter Wood to find Naevan with renewed spirit.

Elanee turned to Tamil and the rest of the companions. "Thank you for your help here. I hope you will welcome me on your journey. I believe our goals, while not exactly the same, are linked together. And I would share with you all the blessings of the land."

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to have a woman who can turn into a wolf on our side. Let's go." Colonel remarked.

The group set off again.

Elanee knew animal paths and ancient trails that led the group around danger and as quickly to Highcliff as the High Road would have. Being further from the Mere where she was most at home, she lost her sense of direction a time or two, but the trees would whisper where to go with nobody else in the group the wiser. There were no more encounters with gray dwarves, spiked creatures, or temporarily insane druids trapped in the form of a bear.

SG-1 had a bit of a heated debate about the gods and magic of the world. Daniel was starting to believe that magic did exist here. He thought that at least they should keep an open mind about things. Sam couldn't believe that a fellow scientist could even consider that idea, especially a scientist with Daniel's experience seeing mythology explained by advanced technology. Teal'c took Dr. Carter's side, his aversion to magical explanations as a source of superstition, and through that enslavement, swaying his opinion. Jack just stayed out of it.

As a way of ending the conversation, Daniel simply pointed towards Elanee. "She turned into a wolf." After a last protest by Sam, Daniel concluded, "Look, we don't know of any science so advanced it can cause a transformation that quickly. Not even the Asgard can do something like that. I'm just saying we should keep an open mind about this. Perhaps their magic is a principle which can be understood by science given enough study, but if it still works as advertised, couldn't it still be magic?"

Before Samantha could respond to that, the group found themselves coming out of the wilds to a rocky beach with man-made docks. As they walked up they saw a man ordering his crew to set sail while another man was warning him not to leave. By the time the group reached where the conversation had taken place, the ship had already set off into the harbor. Moments later, they all knew why the harbor master had warned them not to leave—the ship sank rapidly.

Colonel O'Neill looked at the rest of the group. "I hope we've come to this place because they have a regional airport."

To the soldier's dismay, he soon found out that they had been booked on a ship. The captain of the Double Eagle was an old friend of Tamil's foster father. Unfortunately, there was no way they could actually sail out any time soon. The harbor was being sabotaged. Any ship that left port would soon be scuttled by groups of an amphibious race of creatures known as lizardlings.

"How far is it to Neverwinter by foot?" Daniel asked. The answer was that it was too far and through a brutal and lawless bit of land beyond the patrols of the city or any of its outlying military posts. They would be risking meeting up with large bands of outlaws, vicious monsters, and likely whatever group that was after the shard of silver in Tamil's possession.

Tamil took up the issue of getting boats out of the harbor safely with the Highcliff village elder. He was a practical man who explained that the town was a chartered settlement of Neverwinter, but did not have a regular garrison like Fort Locke did. He had no idea why the lizardlings had started attacking boats or where they were striking from. With Tamil volunteering the group to help out, the elder wished them all luck and suggested they ask the local farmers if they had spotted strange movement that could indicate where the lizardlings were.

A short trip from Highcliff brought them to a tidy, well-kept farm with a path leading from the main road to a quaint farmhouse and barn. A somewhat comely woman with short blond hair approached. She wore the sort of plain drab clothes expected of a farmer. She introduced herself as Shandra Jerro and asked what the group was doing on her farm. When the group explained they were hoping to end the lizardling attacks, the woman seemed pleased, but not overly optimistic.

That changed when the group spotted a pair of lizardlings sprinting across the farm with torches in their hands. Without hesitation Sam and Jack pulled out their zats and blasted the bipedal humanoid lizards with the stunning energy of the alien weapons. The creatures crumpled to the ground in pain before losing consciousness, their torches spluttering out. "Are those the lizardlings you were talking about?" asked Jack.

Shandra's regard for the group changed instantly. She invited them all in her house and offered them a meal. "It's nice for once to have someone actually do something to help. I hope you are as successful getting these attacks to stop as you were keeping them from burning down my barn." Tamil befriended Shandra when she explained how she also came from a farming background. While her father was a forester and did not tend farms or domesticated animals, Tamil had plenty of experience with rural life and its difficulties.

After hearing of the vandalizing behavior of the lizardlings, Elanee offered some insights into their motivations. In their culture it was normal territorial behavior to try and force out unwanted neighbors by destroying property. They would avoid causing deaths, which would lead to war, but cause property harm instead.

Teal'c suggested that it may be possible to negotiate with the lizardlings. Khelgar was incredulous at the suggestion. "Negotiate with the lizards? What's next, should we be sending ambassadors to armies of invading orcs?"

"Perhaps not, Khelgar, but I'm sure I can convince these two that we're all good friends," Tamil smirked.

When the lizardlings awoke, they found themselves listening to the bard playing a song with her lute. The music was spellbindingly beautiful, literally captivating them. In their state of fascination, Tamil sang soothing words and carefully crafted a simple suggestion into the song: show us where your camp is so we can help you get home.

SG-1 was just as fascinated, but in their case it was not a magical affect. Samantha was excited about the hypnotic elements of the song. Daniel just said, "I've got to ask her to record this for my iPod." Jack protested, jokingly claiming that he was Tamil's new manager.

The lizardlings, under the influence of Tamil's hypnotic melody, led the group to a ruined castle. When they reached the castle entrance the group was in for a surprise. Outside the doorway was a single lizardling, larger than the two who had been captured, surrounded by zombies trying to drag him to the ground. The lizardling was fairly strong and agile, however, and was fending off their attacks.

Between rotting zombies and lizard-creatures, it was obvious which the group preferred. Khelgar dove in with his axe, Tamil charged in with his sword, and Elanee in the form of a wolf knocked one zombie down. In no time at all the lizardling was free of the undead, but now facing a far more dangerous foe.

"Stay back. Slaan no fight you. Must get help," the lizardling called out in a half rasping, half hissing voice.

After a short discussion, Slaan was convinced to take the group to the lizardling chief in return for help rescuing his warriors from the undead. After some questioning Slaan explained that the lizardling team sabotaging Highcliff boats had been using the castle ruins as a base, but after several weeks without a problem, they suddenly found themselves set upon by large numbers of the walking dead. His warriors had managed to barricade themselves in a room while providing enough of a distraction for Slaan to slip out to go for help.

SG-1 pulled out their alien weapons and marched into what was once a level of a castle, but now was just a rotting series of corridors leading nowhere anyone wanted to go. Not wanting to be caught from behind, the group cleared each room they came to. Neeshka led the way, finding and disarming traps that she noted had been placed just recently.

After clearing a hallway of the creatures, the group came upon a room with an open door. A dark priest, dressed identically to the one they had seen in the graveyard where SG-1 had emerged on this world from the wormhole, stood surrounded by a group of zombies whose physical condition made it apparent that they had only recently died. Behind the priest were an altar and a shadowy portal projecting an image of a bald man wearing ornate black robes.

"Master of the Fifth Tower, you grace me with your presence," the priest bowed to the figure respectfully.

"Yes, I'm certain. The raising of the army and the attacks on Fort Locke... how do they proceed?" The image, similar to a hologram in appearance, was apparently able to hear and see what was going on in the room. He had a voice that brooked no nonsense.

"There have been complications, milord. One of our disciples near Fort Locke has been slain. It shall not affect our plans at the Fort, nor the raising of our troops.

Our power runs strong here... The war our master pursued here so long ago still fuels our magic. Our enemies shall not prevail."

"As long as Neverwinter is occupied, then you have served me... and through me, your master." It was clear that the image was accustomed to authority and considered the priest a subordinate.

The priest seemed to resent that somewhat. "We are all in the service of the King of Shadows, Lord Garius. Sometimes we forget he is all around us, and there are no ranks and hierarchies before him."

"Think what you will, as long as you carry out my orders." Garius, the robed man in the image, did not seem put off by the priest's words. However, as he spoke he noticed the party of adventurers outside the door listening in. His next remarks made it quite plain that he was put off by this intrusion. "Ah, it seems someone else has come to pay their respects, priest. Perhaps the same ones who slaughtered the priest at Fort Locke. I suggest you deal with them before you share the same fate."

With the element of surprise gone, the group charged in. The priest quickly cast a spell and then another that surrounded him with protective shields. That didn't didn't help much against Khelgar's axe, though, and the priest was quickly knocked to the ground for the dwarf to continue pounding on. Once again, SG-1 destroyed the slow moving zombies with triple shots from their alien zat'nik'tel weapons and Teal'c's powerful staff weapon, which destroyed each one it hit with a single shot.

Unfortunately, the battle ended in a way the group would not have preferred. The priest managed to get to his feet and cast a spell that filled the area with a dark energy, similar looking to a flash of ultraviolet light. Khelgar staggered back from the discharge of negative energy, only to be replaced by the lizardling warrior, Slaan. Slaan killed the already injured priest with swift stabs of his twin short swords.

Jack O'Neill, just done blasting the last of the zombies in the room, looked over at the robed priest lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood and sighed. "Well now, that's going to make it hard to question him about the big evil plan we were just hearing about."

Despite not being able to get any answers from the priest, the chamber they entered did have some secrets to reveal. For one, the priest conveniently kept a journal that mentioned experiments in raising the dead. There were also a few valuable items that the group gathered up to be examined later. Most significant for SG-1, however, was the shadow portal that remained intact after the fight.

Samantha examined the portal and the altar. She took some measurements using equipment in her pack, but the readings did not seem promising. Tamil spent some time examining the portal as well. After comparing notes with Dr. Carter, a few things became clear. First off, it was clear that they had little idea about how the portal actually worked. Second, this was definitely not a Stargate. Third, there seemed to be no way to use this to send SG-1 back to Earth. It seemed to be designed only for sending and receiving messages, and no more.

With the priest dispatched, it was only a matter of destroying the undead in the corridors and rooms. That went fairly well until the group came upon a hallway with a great mass of undead facing a closed door, apparently trying to break it down. SG-1 fired into the mass of undead with their zats, followed by a charge from Khelgar, Tamil, Slaan, and Elanee. But they were surprised when a door behind SG-1 burst open and a swarm of undead creatures rushed out with surprising speed.

At such range it was nearly impossible to fire a weapon. Teal'c used his Ma'tok staff as a blunt weapon, smashing the creatures with practiced strength. Jack was able to draw a combat knife and fend them off. Samantha and Daniel, though having some training in hand to hand combat, were overwhelmed. They were scraped, clawed, and even bitten. What was worse, Daniel felt a coldness paralyzing him from where the creatures grabbed him. He would later learn he had been affected by the touch of a ghoul.

That was when Tamil pulled a golden cup out of her pack and spoke a word of command. Instantly, a great white light flashed out. The light covered the whole group. Daniel immediately felt his wounds heal, though he was still unable to move his muscles. The undead creatures also felt the power of the light, many of them falling to the ground as plain corpses once more.

This freed Elanee to step back from the fight and begin chanting. She looked up to where the roof of the building had broken in, where the sky was clearly visible. Then, as she finished her evocation, the sky instantly darkened and a thick cloud appeared just above where Elanee stood with her hands raised. In an instant, the room was filled with bursts of lightning streaming through the opening in the ceiling. The blasts of electricity blew the remaining zombies, ghasts, and ghouls to pieces.

As soon as the group recovered, Daniel regaining feeling in his limbs, Jack walked over to the druidess. "I love trees," he said. "I just wanted you to know that. And I have made donations to Green Peace before." She looked at him, not knowing how to take that. In the end, she decided he was saying thank you in an odd way.

Elanee cast healing magic on those suffering wounds from the chaotic encounter and then the group prepared to enter the last room in the hallway. It was locked, Neeshka just smirked at it when she pulled out her tools. The old door's locking mechanism was trivial for her.

The door swung open and there were the lizardling warriors. They appeared prepared to fight to the last man. That was not to be, though, for Slaan walked in and explained the bargain he had made for "warm bloods" help. Upon hearing that the lizardlings made no protest in bringing them to see their chieftain.

It took some talking, but Tamil convinced the chieftain to stop the raids on Highcliff's farms and cease sabotaging their boats. She had first appealed to justice and neighborliness, but those had failed. Then she pointed out that sooner or later the lizardling camp would be discovered, that Neverwinter would send troops, and that both humans and lizardlings would suffer. That argument worked, and the chieftain agreed to work things out with Highcliff and promised no more attacks so long as Highcliff left them alone.

The village elder was somewhat dubious about trusting the lizardlings, but he agreed to try and coexist with them, so long as they did not raid any more farms or cause more harm to shipping. Ships began to set sail again and it was time for the group to finally head over to Neverwinter to get their answers about the shard of silver, the necromantic priests, and the location of the Stargate on Toril.

The town elder surprised the group with a gift. While Captain Flynn of the Double Eagle wouldn't ask Tamil for any coin for her passage thanks to his relationship with Daeghun, he did want something for taking on the rest of the group. The town of Highcliff pitched in together to donate an amount enough to pay for the whole group's passage. He also personally donated a set of magical armor that had been in his family for generations; armor that fit Elanee's frame perfectly.

The short trip across the ocean was uneventful. The Double Eagle arrived in Neverwinter port and began offloading the cargo. Captain Flynn bid Tamil farewell and pointed her in the direction of the Sunken Flagon Inn where she was to meet with the proprietor, her foster father's half brother.

When Tamil addressed the half-elf working the tables and asked if her uncle was around, the man took a quick look at the heavily armed group behind her and made a very practiced story up about Duncan not being worth a penny and not having been around for some time. Tamil saw right through the roguish man's prevarication, though, and grinned. This was her uncle. She decided liked him. "Daeghun sent me," she said.

Upon hearing that, Duncan relaxed and welcomed the group wholeheartedly. He immediately offered to put Tamil and all her friends up in the inn as long as they were in Neverwinter. When requested to see the second silver shard in his possession, Duncan just gave it to Tamil. There was instant trust between them and Tamil explained how West Harbor had been attacked and Daeghun's belief that it was about the shards of silver.

Duncan explained that he had them examined before, but there had only been traces of an enchantment on the item. Just as he was speaking of this, the wizard who had examined it in the first time came in. The two exchanged several rounds of halfway good natured jabs at each other in a challenge of wit, with Duncan taking by far the worst of it. After another sarcastic insult, the elven wizard continued, "I heard my name mentioned, and oddly enough, almost in a tone that suggested I could help."

Duncan said he'd like Sand to attempt to learn more about the shards of silver as he had before. Sand, took them and cast a simple divination on them. To SG-1's astonishment, everyone in the room felt an immense power swell up. The power knocked Tamil, Sand, and anyone near them to the floor.

Getting up, Sand shook his head. His tone was one of mild disbelief and pain, "Well... it seems to have some... resentment to being scryed." He took another look at the shard. "That is quite different than last time. Are you sure these are the same shards? The power in them... Why, it's definitely stronger than last time, much stronger."

After a good amount of ribbing from Duncan, Sand explained that neither he nor any other wizard would be able to learn more without finding out more about the history of the items and its composition. Fortunately, there was someone in the city who was an expert on these matters. They could visit Aldanon the sage.

Colonel Jack O'Neill took the opportunity to ask about the Stargate. Sand took a look at him and sniffed disdainfully, but gave a frank answer. He had never heard of anything like what Jack described. After a bit of prodding from Tamil, and Samantha asking with a good measure of flattery thrown in, Sand gave them a lead. "I suppose if there is a record of this ring you are talking about, a copy of it could likely be found in the city archives."

They thanked Sand, but he deflated their hopes as quickly as he pumped them up. He informed them that both the archives and the sage were in a district of the city they could not get to now. Blacklake district was on lockdown due to a series of high profile murders.

The knowledge they were seeking was probably there, but good luck getting it.

"Wait a minute. You're telling me that the whole area is locked down so tight that nobody can get in or out? That's kind of hard to believe." Jack looked at the pointy-eared snob incredulously. "This is a fairly big place. It would take a lot of manpower to do."

Tamil thought about that for a minute. "He's right, and I don't think he's even considering magical means such as invisibility, teleporting, phasing through walls, plane shifting, or polymorphing into something tiny. How do they expect to enforce such a lockdown?"

"What, what, what, what, and what?" Jack asked looking at Tamil. Then after a moment, he turned back towards the one named Sand. "What he said."

Sand looked at Tamil appreciatively. "Well, well, Duncan, it seems that at least someone in your family has a fully developed brain. You are, of course, right. It would be foolish for Nasher or the Many-Starred Cloaks to think they could prevent entry into Blacklake District entirely, nothing short of a mythal could accomplish that. Their strategy, as well as I could glean from my contacts in court, is to use the lockdown to force the killer to use magic to circumvent it and then detect whomever it is as they attempt to flee or strike again.

"Which means, that while I am certain that you could actually break into the area, I suspect you could not do so without being spotted or detected magically and then thrown into Neverwinter's prisons." Sand directed a purposeful look at O'Neill. "I'm assuming that this is an outcome you would rather avoid." Looking back to the group, he continued, "The only way for you to gain access to the information you want would be for someone with authority to permit you to do so. The only ones capable of doing that who aren't already in Blacklake district would be one of the City Watch captains."

"Or possibly you could arrange it through bribery. But that would take more than just coin to do. It would need the backing of someone with real muscle and influence," Duncan volunteered.

"Well, now there's an idea," Sand responded sarcastically. "You can just walk up to a criminal organization and ask them to please help you get into Blacklake."

"Well, there you have it. You can try and persuade someone high up in the law to give you a pass, or descend into the criminal underworld. If you want someone to try and help you from the Watch side you can always try Marshal Cormick. He's a Harborman from West Harbor like yerself and Daeghun. That might help you. Or if you want to go the other way, Moire's gang is the one you'd want to try and contact. One of her enforcers, Caleb, likes to hang around this area sort of in open defiance of the Watch." Duncan's summary was met with approval from Sand.

Sand bade the group farewell and turned to leave, his gray and black wizard's robes flowing around him as he walked to the door. Before exiting, however, he let everyone know he was available for consultation in his shop, for a fee.

Despite Neeshka's preference not to work with the law, it was quickly decided that the group would approach Marshal Cormick and ask for permission to go to Blacklake. Jack decided he would go with Tamil to represent SG-1's interest and Khelgar decided he'd join them. Neeshka preferred staying as far away from the Watch as possible while Elanee was still getting acclimated to staying indoors for extended periods of time. Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c stayed at the inn to unpack their equipment and rest up.

Jack, Tamil, and Khelgar didn't even get halfway to the Watch building before they were suddenly set upon. The group jumped out from the alleyway screaming the words, "Kalach'cha! Kill her!" and brandishing swords. All of them were bladelings.

"What the hell? How'd they get into the city?" Jack asked.

There was no time to ponder that. Khelgar charged to meet them and Tamil drew her Astral Blade, as she had called it. The two of them intercepted four out of five of the creatures. The last of them saw an apparently unarmed human and decided to head for Jack.

With practiced efficiency Jack pulled his 9mm Berretta from its holster at his side, took aim, and squeezed the trigger. The report exploded like thunder and the creature was knocked back with a massive hole in its head. The sound startled the other combatants who took a look back to see what had just happened.

Then Khelgar recovered from the slight shock and disemboweled one of his opponents. Tamil was still engaged with two, but a second shot from Jack's handgun and Tamil was dealing with a very demoralized enemy. The bard and dwarf finished off the last of them quickly. They sheathed their weapons and Jack holstered his gun.

They looked at him for an explanation. "What?" he responded. "It's a handgun. It fires a bullet, kills bad guys."

The noise attracted a group of uniformed men. These turned out to be a group of the Watch posted to the area. On seeing the bodies of the bladelings, they immediately sent a man to escort the group to the district Watch building. A patrol was immediately sent to search the rest of the district for any more of the creatures.

The group walked in on a discussion between two officers about lacking manpower for a "sweep" they wanted to do. The more senior officer grumbled about apparently corrupt men under his command. Apparently there was some conflict with the wishes of higher authority. When Tamil walked in, though, the senior officer's mood brightened.

"Good to see you, Tamil, glad to see you made it to Neverwinter safely." Marshal Cormick shook Tamil's hand and offered the reward he had promised her for helping out with Commander Tann. "And I recognize your friend by his clothing. I understand from the commander's description that he was instrumental in helping to rescue the lost soldiers and put a stop to the banditry in the area. What can I do for you?"

Tamil Farlong explained her need to seek out a sage in the Blacklake district. Jack added that his team needed to look for information in the Neverwinter archives. Cormick listened, but his expression wasn't optimistic.

"I wish I could help. If it were up to me I'd write you a pass without hesitation. Unfortunately, it would take an order from Captain Brelaina to let you through, and I'm afraid she won't just take my word for it. There's no way she'd let anyone who wasn't actually a member of the City Watch through, and even then…"

Tamil asked about a temporary job with the Watch. Cormick looked over at his lieutenant and smiled. "I thought you'd never ask. We could certainly use someone like you. Unfortunately, we only have enough money in the budget to hire one additional recruit and we've only got one extra cloak and no equipment. But if your friends wanted to chip in on the effort, they would enjoy special status in the event of any confrontations…"

Tamil accepted the offer and Cormick promised to put in the request to the captain immediately. "In the meantime while we're waiting for her response, there's a matter I think you are better equipped to handle than any other Watchman on the streets. One of the local merchants has refused to pay protection money to the local gangs and has asked the Watch to protect him from reprisals. If you could see to that it would help greatly."

Neeshka sat in the room with Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson, eyeing their equipment surreptitiously. She had no idea what any of it did, but she was sure it was worth a fortune.

"We've got to figure out a way to recharge the batteries in these laptops. If we're going to be here for as long as it looks like we will, it would be a tragedy if we only have five hours to use our computers," Samantha lamented. She had her computer open pouring over the Stargate Address database and was cross-referencing everything she could think of related to wormhole anomalies.

Daniel was equally busy. He had the journal of the necromantic priest they had encountered in the castle ruins near High Cliff open and was busy transcribing the words and their meanings phonetically and morphemically into a specialized database. "So far we've gotten pretty much zero cognate matches between Common and any Earth language. Of course a few matches, but with so many words and so many languages a few coincidences are probable." Daniel had his headband off so that he could transcribe the language instantly translated for him. Then he put it back on and went back through marking pronunciation in IPA and meaning using English.

"I just wish we had even some local maps. At least then I could check the topography for likely sites for the Stargate. It would be even better if we had star chart. It's just too bad all the maps are in that locked down area." Samantha sighed in frustration.

"Hey, I could show you to some shops that might have some maps and some more books," Neeshka volunteered. Daniel turned to look at the girl with the horns. "That snooty elf was right that the best maps and information are locked in that archive, but there's a market in this district not far from here that may have something, and even more shops in the Merchant Quarter that you might find interesting," she added.

Daniel saved his work and shut down his computer. "Sam, you can keep working on what you're doing. I'll go with Neeshka to look for books and maps that might help us out. Maybe there'll be some books that will give us some information on how the 'magic' they use works and if there's a connection to higher technological races." Then he added, "Or maybe I'll just find a book of spells I can cast," just to needle her.

As Daniel and Neeshka began heading out, Teal'c joined them. "I will accompany you and the alien woman, Daniel Jackson."

"I don't think we need a chaperone, Teal'c," Daniel joked.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that!" Neeshka said with a grin and playfully slapped at Daniel's rear end with her tail. Daniel was taken a little aback, not knowing how to react.

"I do not worry about your honor, Daniel Jackson. It is your safety that concerns me. I would feel more at ease if I am with you. I believe Dr. Carter and the one called Elanee will be safe in this establishment. But the frequency with which we have encountered strange beings, the walking dead, and beings who can cause harm by merely speaking makes me feel the world outside is dangerous."

Daniel smiled and welcomed Teal'c along. Neeshka put her hand on Daniel's shoulder as they were heading out the door. Teal'c smiled, thinking silently to himself that perhaps he was needed as a chaperone, for Daniel's sake.

Neeshka led her friends through the streets of the Docks district, giving the two the grand tour. She made no bones about the fact that she had made her living as a thief, but at the same time expressed a great fondness for the city and its people. Just as they were getting to the market in the docks, which was by the bridge leading across to the Merchant Quarter, she came across some of the people of the city she had far less fondness for.

"Coming back to the city was a mistake, Neeshka. You didn't think you'd slip in unnoticed, did you?" The speaker was a bald man wearing patchwork leather armor, which Daniel could only describe as a medieval urban gang get-up, identical to what the two men with him wore.

"No, I'm just surprised it took you this long to notice. So who's wasting their money on you this time, Bennon?" Neeshka gave the thug a defiant toss of her head.

"Leldon's still got a bounty out on you, goat-girl. He's even upped the price for those horns." Bennon pounded his fist with his hand as he talked. It was clear he intended to collect the bounty himself.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daniel held up his hand. "Nobody is hurting Neeshka, and especially not because she looks different." Daniel's hand went to his holster of his 9mm gun. He hadn't taken the zat'nik'tel with him, not anticipating this sort of trouble. He'd rather have paralyzed them, but if they were planning on killing one of his friends he wouldn't hesitate—much.

"Find another bounty," Teal'c spoke in his deep, calm tone. "This one will not be easy to collect." If his friends were threatened by evil men, the Jaffa would not hesitate at all.

"So what'll it be then, Bennon? Run now, or let me remove that empty head from your neck?" Neeshka wanted to turn to her friends and hug them, but for the moment she settled for antagonizing Bennon.

"Brave talk, girl, but your luck's run out. I'm going to send you back to the Nine Hells where your kind belongs," the thug said as he was about to attack.

"Hey, home is where the heart is... and I'm staying right here in Neverwinter," Neeshka shrugged and then pulled out her daggers.

She never got a chance to use them. The thugs charged, all three of them focusing on Neeshka, thinking to take her out first and then move on to Daniel and Teal'c. Before they reached her, though, Daniel pulled out his handgun and fired. Tealc's staff weapon blasted a second one. Neeshka danced around the third, but then Teal'c fired again.

"Hey, thanks for backing me up, there! We'd better get out of here before the Watch shows up. They're not big on believing people are innocent just because they say so!" Neeshka turned to head into the shadows, but it was already too late. A trio of watchmen were sprinting their way towards them with swords drawn. "Come on, we've got to run!"

But Daniel and Teal'c didn't budge. "We're going to stay and play it straight, Neeshka. You go on ahead and go if you'd like, I understand you don't want to be caught at a murder scene when you have horns growing out of your head." Daniel gave Neeshka a smile. "Don't worry, we'll cover for you."

After a moment of hesitation, Neeshka stayed.

"Hey, what's going on here?" one of the guardsman demanded. They took a look at the dead men and the weapons on their bodies. They especially noted the gaping burn wound on two of them and the bloody hole in the chest of the third.

"We were attacked," Teal'c said in his level, matter-of-fact manner.

One of the men noticed Daniel and Teal'c's military fatigues. He said spoke to the leader of the group in a low whisper. The man visibly relaxed. "I see," he said. "The two of you are part of the group with Tamil Farlong?" he asked for confirmation.

"Yes, we came with her into the city and you can say we're part of her group," Daniel replied.

One of the soldiers took a look at the dead bodies. "Sir, these men are known as enforcers for one of the smaller gangs in the Merchant Quarter. They're wanted criminals."

"And this one is with you?" the lead soldier asked, pointing to Neeshka. Daniel and Teal'c both agreed. "Okay, then. We'll report this back to headquarters and let them know that Farlong's friends helped us deal with a group of thugs." He gestured towards the tiefling who had moved meekly behind her friends, "As for her, keep her out of trouble. She looks a lot like a rogue we suspected of thievery a few months back." With that, the watchmen went back to report and send a team to deal with the bodies.

"Wow, thanks, guys, sorry I was all ready to bolt earlier. I'm just not used to people believing me when I say I'm innocent. Even the times when I really am."

"It took real courage to stay with us when your instinct said for you to go, Miss Neeshka," Teal'c said to her with his typical gravity. "It was my honor to stand beside you and acknowledge you as a companion and friend."

Daniel smiled, "And it was my pleasure." Then Daniel's smile faded a bit. "But I'm concerned about this Leldon guy who put a price on your head. I hope there won't be more trouble with him or other bounty hunters, but if so don't worry. You have us to protect you." Neeshka was speechless for a moment. Then she gave Daniel a hug.

Neeshka led them to some suitable vendors and they managed to find maps of the areas surrounding Neverwinter. There were no maps of the city itself, though, and Daniel was surprised to learn that it was illegal to make one. Daniel found a few books discussing the nature of magic, local beliefs about cosmology, and a story about the Hero of Neverwinter.

Daniel, Neeshka, and Teal'c returned to the Sunken Flagon Inn with their purchases. Dr. Carter and Elanee joined them in the inn's common room once they had put the books and maps away.

"It seems that our friend Tamil has become a member of the City Watch. I'm guessing she joined in order to get access to Blacklake and the sage located there," Daniel said. He filled the group in on the details. "Unfortunately, it seems we have a problem. There's somebody in this city who seems to want to kill Neeshka."

The door to the inn suddenly burst open. Jack was there with gash on his chest, panting and out of breath.

"Everybody grab your weapons. There's a war going on out there and we're right in the middle of it!"

Jack, Tamil, and Khelgar headed out of the City Watch district headquarters and wandered around a little bit trying to find Hagen's shop. The district was full of cheaply built wooden buildings. On each side there were rows of residential buildings crammed together somewhat haphazardly. The whole area looked as if it had been thrown up in just a few years rather than carefully developed.

After asking around, the three finally located the small antique shops which turned out to have a prime waterfront location facing the wharf. The three walked in the building and were soon met with a chilly reception from the proprietor's daughter. Hagen, however, expressed his gratitude that the Watch had sent someone to look out for things.

A couple of hours before the shop's closing time, a group of ruffians carrying crude clubs walked into the shop. These did not look at all like customers who might be interested in dealing with antiques. They looked much more like the type to either steal them or smash them. Sometimes looks can be deceiving, but that was not true in this case. The ruffians immediately threatened Hagen if he didn't pay them "protection money" immediately.

Tamil gave the group a glare. "You're all under arrest for extortion."

The group of four thugs laughed and mocked Neverwinter's newest watchman. Jack wasn't quite sure what "hound" meant, but he guessed it was derogatory. He carefully pulled his zat from where it hung from his pack. Tamil issued an ultimatum and then the bloodshed began.

It was a heavily one-sided battle. Khelgar and the dark-haired bard worked their blades with far more grace and skill than the thugs, knocking their opponents' weapons aside with skillful moves followed by thrusts or slashes that opened up bloody wounds on the ruffians. The man who went for Jack got a face full of zat energy and went down with a crash. The last of the thugs tried to get around behind the dwarf, but in doing so allowed Jack to get line of sight on him and another burst later he was also down on the ground. Khelgar's opponent followed, then Tamil's, but neither the dwarf nor bard were as gentle in their attacks. The thugs they fought had been mortally wounded.

Hagen was more than impressed. He had expected perhaps a single watchman who might have run off and gotten reinforcements. Instead, he was delivered from harm by a powerful group blasting lightning into their enemies and clearly outclassing the ruffians.

Marshal Cormick was pleased. He was a bit surprised that the group had managed to bring back two of the assailants alive. Usually they fought to the death rather than risk capture since the gangs all too often killed any gang member coming out of a Neverwinter jail, suspecting them of being an informant. With that threat hanging over their heads, the two thugs quickly divulged that their boss was Caleb, one of Moire's enforcers.

Caleb was even easier to take down. Jack held Tamil and Khelgar up a few yards short of the criminal and the two thugs with him. Tamil announced Caleb was being put under arrest. When Caleb tried to threaten them, Colonel O'Neill simply fired three short bursts with his zat'nik'tel and they were all on the ground. When Caleb came to, he was initially resistant to turning informant, but when Jack suggested they would release him and spread word among the Watch that Caleb had fully cooperated with their investigation and was released to act as a snitch, he panicked and quickly agreed to give information in return for being allowed to leave the city.

Unfortunately, it was this rapid success that set off retribution from Moire's gang. Just as Cormick and Lt. Roe were organizing a "sweep" based on the information Caleb was providing, one of the watchmen rushed into the headquarters. His uniform was torn and there was a panicked look on his face.

"Sirs! There's a riot in the docks. Moire has set her men loose on the docks and they're targeting watchmen!" Screams and the ring of steel on steel could be heard from the outside.

"Lieutenant, you stay here and watch the prisoners. Tamil, come with me. Your friends would be welcome as well, if they want to come." Marshal Cormick grabbed his sword and headed out the door.

Tamil pulled her bow from off her back, opting for a weapon with range. Khelgar followed. Jack shrugged his shoulders and walked out after the other two. This wasn't his fight, but maybe a few shots from a zat would calm things down. In a small place like this, how bad could it be?

Jack was completely unprepared for the chaos. Watchmen ran about with swords drawn or crossbows cocked chasing twice their number of armed thugs. That was something Jack expected, though not with such numbers. It was the men in robes throwing magical blasts from their fingertips or firing arrow-shaped acid missiles that really surprised him.

Jack pulled out his zat and started firing. He tried to keep up with his two native companions, the dwarf and bard, but they were soon in the midst of combat. His zat blasts soon drew the attention of a group of thugs with bows and arrows, and worst of all, one of the robed wizards.

Jack ducked behind a building as several arrows whistled past. A pair of thugs charged at him with swords drawn, but he was able to quickly disable them with the energy weapon when they got close. Jack took aim at the bowmen, but they were wise enough to fire from cover, so he switched to target the wizard. He fired his blast, but to his consternation the energy just disipitated around some sort of shield. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Then the wizard pointed in his direction. Suddenly, the ground around him was covered by a slick oily substance. Jack slipped to the ground. He slowly struggled to his feet. That was when he felt a jolt of electricity course through his body. It felt very much like the feeling of being hit by a zat, which was to say, extremely painful, but without the blacking out that those weapons induced. Arrows flew through the air and Jack attempted to dodge out of the way. One of the arrows grazed right along the side of his neck, causing him to feel a terrible stinging sensation.

The wizard finished muttering something else and Jack saw three vibrant blue dart-shaped objects form next to the wizard. "This can't be good," Jack muttered to himself and he dived back behind the building as the magical blue missiles streaked after him. Jack managed to stay on his feet, but he was literally floored when the three darts followed him around the corner to strike three burning welts onto his back.

"All right. That's it. No more Mister Nice Soldier," Jack yelled out. Holding onto the side of the building, he moved back out of the range of the grease pool. Jack pulled out his P-90, skirted the edge of the magical grease, and came out around the cover of the building.

The wizard was preparing another spell, but Colonel O'Neill let him have a burst of lead in the chest. The bowmen were trying to get a fix on his position, but the former black ops soldier was faster and his submachine gun much more efficient than their bows. The bullets striking them made one them release wildly, but the second got a clear shot at him. Fortunately, Jack was moving as he fired so the arrow merely scraped across his chest rather than impaling him head on.

Jack turned to see how Tamil, Khelgar, and the rest of the City Watch were doing. The answer was not very well. The first thing he saw was the sturdy dwarf, already with blood dripping down his armor from several wounds, get a sword stuck in him through a tear in his armor. Tamil, her black hair drenched in sweat, was standing with a group of uniformed watchmen against several combined gangs of thugs. She was singing loudly and boldly as she took aim with her longbow, the other watchmen apparently responding to her rallying by fighting with greater fervor, but then Jack saw the bard struck by several magical blue missiles and fall to her knees.

Jack made a decision. Rather than try to go John Rambo on the lot of the thugs, wizards, and magically summoned wolves trying to bite his leg (Jack shot it in the head), he'd get reinforcements and come back. He took off for the inn at a run. A group of thugs saw him get to the door, but before they turned on him he had already delivered his message.

"Everybody grab your weapons. There's a war going on out there and we're right in the middle of it!" He turned to fire his P-90 at the incoming thugs. "Khelgar and Tamil are seriously hurt, we need to get back to them."

Elanee was the first one out the door, but Jack stopped her. "We'll need you to do whatever it is you can do to heal people. Stay behind us." Teal'c came out carrying his staff weapon followed by Daniel and Major Carter. Neeshka came out as well, but she slipped into the shadows of the buildings as soon as she was out the door.

With all of SG-1 behind him, plus a woman who could turn into a wolf and heal people and a scary looking devil girl guarding their back, Jack was fully confident they could save their friends and the district. Jack led the squad forward rapidly, turning to fire on a few straggling thugs who were looting and beating non- combatants. They came to where the fighting was most intense with the City Watch grossly outnumbered and being pushed back towards their burning headquarters. Khelgar was lying in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by the bodies of four thugs. Elanee ran to him and started speaking in that strange sort of language again, placing her hands on him. A bright white light flashed around him and seemingly was absorbed into his body. The tough dwarf stirred to Elanee's ministrations.

He looked up into her eyes and groaned. "Never thought I'd be owing me life to skinny, tree huggin elf. But I thank you. I'm owing you for this." He struggled to his feet and pulled a small flask from his belt and brought it to his lips to drink. Immediately, vigor returned to the injured dwarf and several of his wounds closed up.

"Where's Tamil?" Elanee asked with obvious concern.

The group caught sight of the lady bard lying on the cobblestone. She was surrounded by watchmen, some fallen, but most still on their feet, though it did not appear they were likely to stay that way. A group of thugs were pressing them hard and magical arrows of acid were fired through their ranks by wizards.

"Teal'c, go for the wizards. Zats are no good against them because of their shields. Daniel, Sam, take out as many of them as you can." The three nodded their assent.

Teal'c fired his Ma'tok staff weapon while Jack used his P-90 on the wizards while Daniel and Sam methodically zatted the thugs attacking the watchmen. In a matter of seconds, the tide of the battle turned and the watch had the upper hand. Elanee sprinted behind the line of watchmen and urgently began to use her healing magic.

While SG-1's focus was on the largest group of combatants, a pair of thugs with crossbows came around a corner and took aim on the group. One was about to loose a quarrel towards Daniel Jackson, but the thug instead found himself choking on Neeshka's dagger. The thug's partner pulled out his sword and the two began dueling. Without the benefit of the element of surprise, the tiefling found herself evenly matched with her opponent.

Tamil was revived as the fighting ended. Most of the remaining thugs fled, but some were captured, among them the ruffian Neeshka had been fighting. Several of the city watch had perished, as had scores of thugs. Marshal Cormick returned from the fighting to take stock of things.

Neeshka was faster. She was quick to loot the bodies before anyone else claimed them. The thugs were all carrying gold. The wizards had even more, as well as some useful items.

Marshal Cormick looked at the burned-out headquarters. His voice was flushed with anger and emotion. "They burned the place down with the prisoners and watchmen inside. As soon as they drew off most of our patrols with the fighting they set the place on fire. The act of cowards. Lieutenant Roe was a good man."

The marshal gave orders to several men on how to clean up after the mess, including the disposal of the bodies and how to deal with prisoners. "Tamil, I need you to come with me. Your friends, too, all of them." His look changed from stern anger to one of gratitude. "Without your help I'm sure every watchmen on duty would have been slaughtered to a man. I'm going to see to it that Captain Brelaina recognizes your efforts and lets you all into Blacklake without delay."

"Captain, without these folks' help, Moire's gang would have over-run the Docks and I'm sure we would all have been killed in that mass riot. The least you can do for them is to approve their pass to Blacklake. They've certainly earned it."

Captain Brelaina listened to Marshal Cormick's description of events cooly. She was a woman in authority and was clearly accustomed to being listened to. "No doubt they were as instrumental in the defense of the Docks as you have described, Marshal, and they have my, and the City of Neverwinter's thanks." Her voice was crisp. "However, I am the one who decides what rewards they will receive, not you. And in the matter of Blacklake, while a pass with my signature would allow a messenger through, I am under strict orders from the Nine only to send someone through if it is absolutely necessary.

"I grant you that the performance of these individuals went above and beyond the call of duty, and for that I will authorize a reward in gold for each of them. As for Watchman Farlong, a promotion is in order. Congratulations, Lieutenant." Brelaina saw the chilly response her rewards were met with. Cormick was starting to speak up in protest. "As for you, Marshal, you should consider yourself fortunate I do not put in a reprimand for allowing the situation there to become so volatile."

She saw her threat had the desired effect. Cormick went from being critical to being defensive. "Nevertheless, I understand what a difficult job you have. I will NOT be putting in a reprimand. But now is not the time to be divided. It is a time to rebuild and strike back." Captain Brelaina looked over the assembled adventurers appraisingly. "You have proven yourselves loyal to Neverwinter and quite capable. There is a place for each of you in the City Watch."

Colonel O'Neill gave the City Watch captain a half smile. "Well, as nice as it sounds to sign up with your little merry band, I'm afraid we're going to have to decline." Seeing that the Captain wanted to ask why, he continued. "You see, we're already employed by our own government and it would be against our oaths to swear allegiance to another military. We wouldn't want to lose our benefits."

Daniel quickly interjected. "Yes, Colonel O'Neill is right. We can't swear allegiance to your city. However, we are here on a mission of exploration and diplomacy. It was our intention to approach your government through official channels once certain issues on our end were worked out."

"Certain issues?" Brelaina inquired.

"Ahem... we, uh," Daniel looked to the side a bit uncomfortably, "are sort of having a problem getting home. We're from far away and our normal means of transport is… not available."

Tamil explained in more detail in a way the captain would understand. "Captain, they're from another plane of existence. I witnessed their arrival on this plane and have been traveling with them since then. Not only have they proven trustworthy and honest, from what I've seen they have a lot to offer Neverwinter."

Captain Brelaina considered for a moment. "Planar travel is not a common thing, but it does explain their odd clothing and their strange weapons. And their actions in Neverwinter thus far, from all reports, have been honorable. Very well then, I will send word to Lord Nasher of their unique situation. He may decide to invite them to Castle Never for an audience, and if that is so I will send you, Lt. Tamil along with them."

"And what of the rest of you?" Captain Brelaina asked the remaining companions.

Khelgar spoke up first, "Well, it was all good fun fighting those thugs, and I reckon fighting more of them would be good practice, but like my human friends, I can't rightly go swearing my axe to Neverwinter. I'm an Ironfist. Even though I left my clanhold I've still sworn my loyalty to my clan first." Then Khelgar looked over to Tamil. "But as long as that lass there needs my help I'll be helpin' her. So, you can keep your pretty cloak and all, but just the same I aim to help."

Elanee declined as well. "It is a kind offer, but I'm afraid I cannot accept, as well. My journey is tied up with this young lady who is in your City Watch, but I am not a part of the city. My life and loyalties belong to the land." Then Elanee turned to Tamil. "But if ever I can be of help to you, do not hesitate to call upon me. I will always be there for you."

"Yeah, well…" Neeshka began.

"No need for explanations from you, young tiefling," Captain Brelaina smiled. "You earned yourself quite a little reputation before you left. However, we can overlook that in light of your recent contributions. And it seems you will not want for powerful friends within the Watch."

Brelaina turned to the group. "Unfortunately, you will all need to be careful while the Watch sorts this out." When Jack asked what she meant, she gave them all a meaningful look. "I'm afraid that you are all now marked for death. Moire has set a price on each of your heads."

"Well, that's just wonderful," Jack remarked to the rest of SG-1.

Captain Belaina either didn't hear the remark or ignored it. "It is time for us to strike back at the thugs for the damage they caused. Our informant has revealed that a shipment of weapons is coming in. Lieutenant, I want you to intercept the shipment and make sure it does not make it into Moire's hands."

Samantha Carter spoke up. "Excuse me, Captain. I think I have an idea of how we can be of help. It will be a good way for us to show our goodwill, help Tamil, and take care of this little problem of us being marked for death."

The human and the tiefling each pulled a vial of purple liquid from their belts, un-stoppered it, and drank it down. As soon as they did so their forms faded from the shadows until they were completely invisible. Silently, they went to work.

Tamil quickly moved up to the cart and pulled a small, black object from out of her belt bag. As instructed by Jack O'Neill, she peeled a thin sheet of slick paper off of one side, found the tiny switch on the device, and then stuck it to the underside of the wagon. Then she carefully made her way back to the rendezvous spot and drew a line in the dirt to let her partner know she was done.

While Tamil did this, Neeshka silently walked up in front of the watch members and pulled out the strange metal box that Daniel had given her. When she clicked the knob at the top, a small circular opening on the front extended and the back side of the box displayed a moving image of everything in front of her. She held the box which Daniel had said was called a "digital camera" in front of the face of each of the corrupt watch and pressed the button on the top. An image of their face froze on the screen for a second and was stored for later use.

Neeshka made her way to the spot she was to meet Tamil at. She noticed the mark in the dirt and made a cross through it. She watched as the mark was erased. The rogue grinned to herself and headed back out the way she and the bard had come. This was her sort of mission.

Back at the Sunken Flagon inn, Samantha Carter checked the receiver. The signal suddenly came to life and Major Carter smiled. "The signal is live. We'll be able to track that shipment to anywhere in the city."

"Great," Jack said, "but how long will these batteries last?"

"The tracker can send a signal for two weeks without the batteries needing to be replaced. We'll recover the device long before that happens. The real problem is with the receiver and the computers. The computer batteries are only good for about 10 hours, after that they'll need to be recharged."

Jack looked around the room. "Uh, Carter, I'm not seeing any place to plug these things in, and we didn't bring a generator with us on this mission."

"I've thought of that, Jack, and I think I have a solution. Finding a place to plug it in isn't a problem. It's easy enough to make a receptacle. The real problem is making sure the voltage and amperage are just right so that we don't fry the boards. For someone with no experience with electronics it would be a bad idea. Fortunately for us, I've got experience rigging power supplies for Stargates and alien spacecraft with much more specific energy needs. Rigging a capacitor with the right output will be a piece of cake for me."

Jack gave Sam a wry smile. "Oh, Carter, you look beautiful when you're bragging."

Without missing a beat, Major Carter continued, "Thank you, sir. The only real issue is with the source of power. There is no ready source of fuel that I've seen here, finding material to create solar panels may be a challenge, and thus far nobody has shown up in a Delorian with a poster from the future telling us where and when a bolt of lightning will strike. But I think we can use the power from a zat to make it all work."

Daniel jumped in, "Good idea. But there may be another solution." Carter and O'Neill looked at him. "Maybe there's a 'magical' way to generate electricity. You'll still need to build a way to regulate the flow, but we might not need to use a zat to power it."

Sam shrugged. There was the possibility of adapting this 'magic' technology for this purpose. "Either way, we should be able to have power to recharge all of our electronic equipment."

"There is another resource we need to discuss, Samantha Carter," Teal'c added gravely. "The ammunition for our projectile weapons is of a very limited amount. Once our supplies are depleted we will only have the zat'nik'tel and the one staff weapon for our defense."

"I've been considering that as, well, Teal'c," Major Carter replied. "Follow me." Samantha led SG-1 into a room near the back of the inn. Inside were three odd-looking benches and tables. Going over to one table, she pulled out several small instruments. "Look at these tools: precisely measured vials and bottles, smelting instruments, finely calibrated calipers… With these tools and the right chemical ingredients I will be able to make nitroglycerin, graphite, smokeless powder, and even swaging machinery for the production of cartridges.

"Hobbyists and dedicated survivalists make their own bullets all the time. They usually order the machinery for production but then produce their own bullets. Fortunately, we have the precise information for manufacturing military grade smokeless powder stored in our computers in the event we are authorized to trade technology."

Jack stared at the benches. "Doesn't this seem a little odd to you that these benches are conveniently located here when we need to start replenishing our stock of ammunition?"

"I too find it somewhat dubious that these objects are placed here for our needs. This may be a ploy designed to obtain knowledge of our weaponry," Teal'c agreed.

Daniel shook his head. "I don't think so. That bench there with the machinist instruments and the anvil is clearly a smithing bench. This one here with the calipers and measuring vials is obviously used in alchemy, the medieval precursor to modern chemistry. I'd bet the last bench over there is intended for magicians. This fits with what I've been reading in some of the guides written by an author named 'Volo' who lists various inns as having special furnishings for adventuring wizards, alchemists, and crafters."

"Ok, then, we'll see about getting the supplies we need." Colonel Jack O'Neill had good reason to be wary of overly fortuitous coincidences. He also had good reason to trust his fellow team members without reserve.

A short while later, Tamil and Neeshka returned from their mission. Neeshka somewhat reluctantly returned the camera back to SG-1 and Tamil reported that she successfully placed the device onto the cart as instructed. It was a successful mission.

The weapons were taken to a warehouse in the Merchant Quarter. Sam, Jack, and Tamil reported to Captain Brelaina. She seemed pleased with the results.

"Watchman Farlong, you will go to the location where the weapons were sent and destroy the stores they have. Try and recover any information they may have on where the final destinations of the supplies are. Bring your allies with you, or you may have a squad of watchmen to go with you."

"Actually, Captain Brelaina," Samantha Carter interrupted, "I have another suggestion." She pulled a dagger out from a bag and held it up. Then she carefully detached a plate from the hilt to reveal small wired device hidden within the hilt. "Instead of a raid, we'll send a single agent, Neeshka, into the warehouse using stealth. She'll switch out the best items in the warehouse for these which have listening devices installed on them. She'll also take photos of whatever records they have, just like she did of the watchmen we discovered.

"Instead of revealing to the thieves that we know their location by raiding it, we'll let them continue their operation. They'll lead us to the ones organizing their operation. Meanwhile, we'll take the corrupt watchman we've identified and interrogate them individually. While we quietly go about purging the ranks of the Watch of turncoats, we can use those who have yet to have been arrested to send false information back to their leaders."

Captain Brelaina arched her eyebrows. Standing face to face with Major Carter, Jack couldn't help but notice the physical similarity between the two. While Brelaina was a brunette and Carter a blond, they both had short hair and similarly shaped faces, as well as several other superficial similarities.

"You can really do this?" the watch captain asked. Jack assured her they could. "Then it seems to me this will solve a lot of our problems."

On the way to the warehouse, Neeshka ran into one of Leldon's goons and a few additional henchmen. Tremmel, a thug sporting a yellow Mohawk, had been a low level enforcer. Now he was looking to make partner. Bringing in Neeshka's horns was his ticket to the next level.

Unfortunately for him, she was being escorted by Khelgar, Tamil, Jack O'Neal and Teal'c. In the fight's outset half of Tremmel's men were down to Gou'ald energy weapons and those remaining wished they had been that lucky when the dwarf ripped into them followed by the bard. The tiefling barely even had to lift a finger.

It was time for an explanation. Neeshka described her former dealings with Leldon. They had been partners in crime, slipping in and committing heists where less skilled rogues failed or were wise enough not to try. Then, on a particularly impressive score, Leldon decided to take more than his cut and tried to force his way at sword point. The tiefling got her tail, and horns, out of there, but later returned and stole a good portion back. Leldon put a price on her head and she was forced to leave the city.

Tamil expressed his support for the rogue, but suggested they find a way to resolve the issue within the law. They could send watchmen to arrest Leldon. It would be a simple enough matter since the man was a criminal.

"Please, don't get Brelaina involved," Neeshka pleaded. "If we send members of the watch to settle this it will seem like I can't handle myself. No one will ever trust me again." Tamil understood the value of reputation, so asked her how she'd rather handle it. "He's got a soft spot for this special coin. We can steal it from him and that will really unnerve him. He should be pretty easy to deal with after that."

After a little discussion, the group agreed they would let her handle it her own way. Then the group headed over to the warehouse. Jack handed Neeshka a walkie-talkie. "Use this if you get in trouble. Give us a shout on this and we'll come in with weapons drawn to get you out."

The precaution wasn't necessary, but Neeshka greatly appreciated the concern for her safety. When she returned from the warehouse she handed over gifts for her new friends without thinking of holding anything back. At least, with the exception of a few choice gemstones. She was grateful for their friendship, but she wasn't a saint.

With the success of that mission things slowed down for the group. It took some time for the weapons to be distributed. Samantha Carter kept herself busy assembling the components for making a device to store energy to use for recharging all the battery-based technology. To her surprise, the gruff dwarf turned out to be a great help when it came to fabricating the actual items from her designs.

"Eh? What's this? Looks like some flamin' gnomish contraption if ya ask me." He shrugged his head distrustfully after seeing what Sam was working on. "But that ain't too hard to make," he had said and started to manufacture the fine parts using the smithing bench in the room without being asked.

Dr. Carter had to admit he had a good touch for someone who seemed much better suited to breaking things apart than manipulating fine tools. With Khelgar's help the wiring and all the metal work was completed without difficulty. With that taken care of, she could concentrate on creating ceramic molds for receptacles and the non-metal parts of the capacitor.

Daniel quickly ran out of books to read. While each book was thick and had many pages, they were all hand written and the size of the writing was much, much larger than typeset books. "Sam, I'm going to visit that 'wizard' who came into the inn when we first arrived. He may have some books about the area that I can borrow, and I can check on that idea about producing electricity using magical means." Sam nodded and Daniel headed out.

Daniel entered the shop and saw the elf at the back of the shop. The wizard was dressed in a gray robe with interesting patterns. "Hi, Sand, isn't it? I'm Daniel Jackson… one of Tamil's friends… staying with Duncan at the Sunken Flagon…"

"What can I do for you," Sand's honeyed merchant voice greeted Daniel in what sounded to him to be a less than sincere tone.

"I was hoping you had some books you could lend me." At the elf's sour look, Daniel added, "I could pay you a small fee for your trouble and I would return them to you once I finished…"

The merchant's demeanor changed immediately. "I'd be glad to let you look through some of my collection." The elf showed Daniel to a large shelf of books full of writing. A large portion of the books were in a language Daniel did not recognize. At Daniel's inquiry, Sand replied, "Those books? They are written in the elven tongue. I'm afraid they will not be of any use to you."

Daniel looked over the collection with great interest. After a short perusal he noticed a selection that looked familiar to him. "Hey, Sand, aren't these copies of Volotham Gedarm's guide books?"

"Yes, Volo's works have been translated into many languages. I must say you have a good eye for illustrations to spot that." Sand was beginning to take an interest in Daniel.

"You wouldn't happen to have a sort of primer for learning the pronunciation of a standard elven dialect up here would you? Or a description of how the mouth should move to pronounce the sounds?" Daniel asked the latter without any real hope of that wish being fulfilled.

Sand's smile became genuine. "My, my, it seems we have an actual scholar here. I must admit I had not expected to meet another lover of languages from among Duncan's friends." Sand immediately went to a section of his book collection and selected a couple of tomes. He handed them over to Daniel and watched approvingly as Daniel flipped through appraising the book, pausing at crucial sections.

Daniel selected a dozen or so books and walked over to the counter at the back of the room. He started fumbling through his pockets for some gold coins, but Sand held up his hand. "No need for that, Daniel," Sand said in a kind tone. "It's my pleasure to help someone learning about elven languages and society."

Daniel fumbled the words to thank the merchant, truly surprised. Still, he continued to pull out some gold. "Oh, er… wow, really thanks. Uh, Sand, I have another question for you, about magic."

"Oh?" Sand turned and saw the gold set out on the counter.

"Yes, uh, we encountered some wizards who somehow… threw lightning at us. Is there some way to sort of control how much electricity is released? Is there perhaps some sort of a device a wizard, like yourself, could make that could be used to discharge electricity in small amounts?" Daniel explained the purpose of the electrical bursts.

"Yes, that can certainly be arranged." Sand measured the amount of gold Daniel had put on the counter with an appraising glance. "The amount you have there will be more than enough." Sand added in a quiet, almost conspiratorial tone, "In the future, I suggest negotiating first before producing your coin. Not all wizards are as scrupulous as I and many would not hesitate to take advantage of your… trusting nature."

"Great, you can have it delivered to the inn or send someone for me when it's ready," Daniel said. He turned and was about to walk out of the shop when, on an impulse, he turned around once more. "Do you think you could explain how magic works for me? Where I'm from it's not something I can really study."

Sand took a few moments to consider Daniel as well as to decide on his response. "Mm, yes, I think I could explain the basics to you." Sand's eyes looked at Daniel piercingly. "Come over here and take a seat."

Now that he had settled into Neverwinter, Khelgar was intent on getting over to the temple of Tyr. His entire reason for travelling to Neverwinter and joining up with the human bard in the first place had been to find the order of monks that was headquartered in the city and learn the martial arts they practiced. The dwarf had never seen anyone fight as devastatingly as a monk, as he had learned when he had started a fight with one in a tavern and had been promptly trounced.

"I appreciate yer takin' me to see them monks, Tamil," the dwarf said to his friend. She gave him a smile. "I'm bettin' they'll be more inclined to teach me with a member o' the City Watch there with me." The dwarf banged his fists in anticipation. "I been waitin' fer quite a while."

The bard laughed. "They'll be lucky to have you, Khelgar, though I guess you'll find their approach to fighting to be a bit of a surprise to you."

"Would it be acceptable to you, Tamil Farlong, if I accompany you on your visit to the temple?" Teal'c asked the two. "I would like to see these priests and monks." Tamil hesitated a second, remembering how Teal'c had reacted to the priest of Ilmaeter. Seeing the hesitation, Teal'c continued, "Do not worry, I will not seek to upset the priests. I have no wish to cause any difficulty for such a worthy friend as Khelgar Ironfist."

With that pronouncement from the Jaffa, Khelgar outright insisted Teal'c join them. The trio set out for the Merchant Quarter but were interrupted before they got even three steps. Tamil's uncle by adoption, Duncan, was standing on a corner of his inn arguing with three young women wearing the robes of Neverwinter's academy for wizards. Duncan immediately turned to Tamil, demanding she take care of the situation.

"Whatever your problem is, take it elsewhere," Tamil commanded sternly. Two of the young mages haughtily declared that they were wizards of the academy and that they would be taking care of the third girl, Qara, because of her insults. Tamil sighed. Noble born and wizards.

"I don't care who started it, you will not be attacking each other outside of this inn. Take your problems back to your academy and leave the Docks alone." Tamil turned to clearly show her City Watch cloak.

That would have defused the situation, but then the copper brown haired girl opened her mouth and started spewing insults and began bragging. Her comments about how much more powerful she was than the other girls reignited the conflict. The two groups started preparing to hurl spells at each other.

Tamil sighed. Before any of the three began their incantations, Tamil began one of her own. She quietly whispered a few words in the language of the arcane and gestured towards the three wizards. Instantly, the sound of their bickering ceased. For a second, the two wizards threatening the one named Qara continued to move their lips without any sound coming out. Then they turned with their eyes open wide to see Tamil standing there with a smirk on her face and her bow in her hands. They fled in a panic.

"There you go, Duncan," she said without fully looking back. "I guess you can handle it from here?" With that taken care of the three set off again for the temple.

The Temple of Tyr occupied a prominent place along one of the major thoroughfares in the Merchant Quarter, sitting opposite the rear of the City Watch building. It was a large, gated building, and judging by the ornate decorations the clergy was obviously fairly well-off. As the three approached they noticed a number of supplicants entering and leaving the building.

Teal'c carefully observed everything from the moment he stepped within the temple gate. His face remained completely impassive, but he watched everything with great interest. He noticed the way the common folk addressed the priests, the manner in which the priests responded and the rituals of the priests praying.

Khelgar approached a priest named Hlam about training as a monk. The priest explained that anyone seeking to join the order needed to first pass three trials: The Trial of the Evenhanded, The Trial of the Maimed, and the Trial of Justice. The priest expounded on the meaning behind each trial. When Khelgar insisted he was ready to start the trials, Hlam said that each person faced the trials in their own way.

The dwarf was thoroughly nonplussed. Despite the setback, he was determined to meet each of the trials, but had no idea where to start. Tamil gave him some encouraging advice and much needed sympathy concerning the seemingly esoteric nature of the trials. "What a bunch of nonsense! Fight by not fighting?" the dwarf grumbled.

Despite himself, Teal'c was impressed by the doctrines espoused by the temple. He had expected the teachings to be focused on getting worshipers to venerate the deity and follow his commands without question, but instead they focused on principles of justice, loyalty, righteousness, and honor. This did not at all match up with his expectations of the behavior of beings professing to be gods.

"Reverend Hlam, I would speak with you concerning your beliefs," Teal'c asked when Khelgar had moved on. The cleric naturally assented and asked what Teal'c's name was. "My name is Teal'c. I am from a different land. The teachings you have expressed are different from those of the ones claiming to be gods where I am from. While I cannot see myself ever again bowing to another as my god and master, I find your devotion to this god Tyr to be worthy of my respect." Hlam thanked Teal'c for his words.

"I hope you will not be offended by my questions. I am ignorant of the deities of your world. Might I ask why it is that you worship other beings as gods?"

The cleric smiled in reply. "It is a choice that not everyone makes. Tyr teaches what I know to be the truth. I serve his will because I believe it to be the correct course of action, the right way to live. In return for my service, Tyr grants me powers to perform as he would. With Tyr's blessing I can do much good in the world."

Hlam pointed over to a lesser priest ministering to supplicants suffering from disease. The priest spoke a magical prayer and the malady was healed. "Without Tyr's guidance, I believe I would still seek to act as I do now, only with far less ability to achieve good and a far more imperfect understanding of truth."

"I see. That is also quite different from my home." Teal'c spent a few minutes explaining to Hlam about the Gou'ald, the enslavement of the Jaffa, his former position in the army of Apophis as well as his role in seeing the tyrant destroyed. The priest of Tyr listened raptly.

"That is quite a tale, Teal'c. I can sense the truth of your words. You have my greatest respect and sympathy for your many losses at the hands of those false gods." Hlam was clearly sincere. "You did your world a great service by destroying that evil being."

"Thank you for your words, Hlam of Tyr. Again, I mean no disrespect, but I feel I must ask one more question. How do you know the one you worship is the right god, or a god at all? Perhaps he is something like what I have seen in my world, perhaps similar to the Asgard?" Teal'c truly hoped his question would not offend.

The cleric sucked in his breath. "That, Teal'c, is a difficult question for me to answer for you. Like your world, there are evil gods here, and some that while not exactly evil, are certainly not good or kind. Dark gods such as Cyric, Gruumsh, and Lloth spread hate and fear, especially among their followers. But I must admit that they, too, are gods, even if I detest their teachings. It is a question of power and authority and it cannot be denied that they have such power. The difference between them and your 'Gou'ald' is that the power of the false gods you rebelled against was largely illusory and based on deception. You will discover that the gods of this world are no illusion.

"Why Tyr is the one I have chosen to follow is something I have already explained to some extent. However, there is more to it. There is a connection between a priest and his god that runs deeper than the average person who merely pays respect to the gods but does not serve. I expect what I experience is different than what a follower of Cyric would, and their reason for following would likely be different as well. However, choice of deity is a personal matter, and I can understand how the forest elves feel better suited to Corellon Larethian than to Tyr or Lathandar."

Teal'c listened and thanked the priest for his explanations. "Thank you, Hlam of Tyr. You have given me much to think on and a better understanding of your beliefs and the people of this land." Teal'c bowed his head slightly in his usual manner of paying respect. He paused a second, "I hope you will consider the request of Khelgar Ironfist. He is a worthy friend and I believe your order has much that it could teach him, not only about the martial skills."

Hlam smiled. "That is a matter for Tyr to decide, though I will welcome your friend to the Even Handed Order if he passes the trials." The cleric paused for a moment, then bade Teal'c wait for him a moment. Hlam retrieved a book from his quarters and handed it to Teal'c. "This is a copy of some of the sacred writings and prayers of Tyr for you to study if you wish. I finished penning this copy only last week and cannot think of a more worthy person to receive it. Please accept it as a gift from Tyr." The former Jaffa took the book solemnly and promised to read it carefully. "I will pray for you on your travels."

While Teal'c was discussing things with Hlam, Tamil had been talking with Judge Oleff, the head of the temple. Initially they discussed Khelgar's situation, then when that turned out to be unsatisfactory, did some trade. During the discussion and negotiation Tamil noticed the cleric was troubled over something. Oleff had explained that one of their priests had gone missing in the Tomb of the Betrayers and needed rescuing, but the vows of the order prevented anyone from the temple from entering the building except at appointed times.

Tamil went up to Teal'c and explained the situation. "Well, Teal'c, do you think you could convince the rest of SG-1 to come help out with this? With those lightning weapons you have it should be a simple matter to deal with whatever undead problem they have in there. We should also bring Neeshka along to deal with the traps they have there."

"It would be an honor to help rescue a priest of Tyr. I am sure O'Neill will agree to accompany us on this mission," Teal'c said gravely.

Tamil smiled. "This has been a profitable little side trip."

"It has indeed," said Teal'c.

"Harumph!" came Khelgar's complete disagreement.

Khelgar, Neeshka, Tamil Farlong, and all of SG-1 stood outside the Tomb of the Betrayers which stood up on a hill overlooking the Merchant's Quarter from behind the Temple of Tyr. The Earthlings pulled out their flashlights. Neeshka led the way in, quickly proving useful as she found and disabled a series of traps in the first corridor they came to. They also found that the excursion was not going to be as easy as they had thought.

"I think I see a shadow moving up ahead," Daniel called out.

"Oh, that's just your imagination, Daniel," Jack replied chidingly.

Then they all saw shadows moving. Lots of them, and without bodies to cast them as they would have expected. There were around a dozen of the black humanoid shaped creatures of blackness. "Uh, Jack, that's not his imagination," Tamil replied in a chiding imitation of the colonel.

There was a palpable aura of menace to the things. On Colonel O'Neill's order, SG-1 opened fire with their zats and the Ma'tok staff weapon. The energy bursts passed right through them. "Um, Tamil? What the hell are these things?" Jack asked.

"They're incorporeal shadows. I've heard of such things, but never really faced one before this," the bard shrugged. She flashed the group a smile. "Just think, if you'd had stayed back at the inn you'd have missed this opportunity!" With that, the bard pulled out her Astral Blade, its sonic hum matching the tune she was producing with her voice.

Despite the gloom of the tomb and the shadowy foe they faced, the group immediately felt a lift in their spirits. Teal'c took aim a second time with his staff weapon and fired at the same shadow he had previously hit. The blast passed through the creature again, but this time the shadowy figure faded away. "These shadows seem to be able to be disrupted by physical or energy means," he reported to the rest of the group.

That seemed to be the case indeed as Khelgar and Tamil were able to take several of the creatures apart after a few solid strikes. It was slow work as the creatures were not substantial making it difficult to tell where the darkness of the hallways ended and the red glowing-eyed shadows began. Still, with some effort the enemies faded to nothingness.

Neeshka was not faring so well. Her short sword and dagger did little damage to the entities and she was overwhelmed. She groaned as their insubstantial hands passed through her. A reddish glow surrounded the area where they made contact, energy flowing from the tiefling into the shadows and then disappearing. Daniel pulled out his handgun and fired a couple shots into, and through one of them. Jack barked at him to save his fire as the weapon had virtually no effect.

"Ok, enough of this crap," Jack said with annoyance. He pulled a grenade from his belt and tossed it beyond the range of the front line fighters. The explosion shook the entire hallway, sending fine dust cascading down upon the whole group. It also destroyed all the shadows in the blast radius, leaving only those few already engaged with the dwarven fighter, human bard, and tiefling rogue.

Tamil finished with her shadow and turned to aid the beleaguered horned girl with her assailants. Teal'c called out a warning and the bard stepped back as the staff weapon blew through a creature. Tamil thrust her weapon through to follow that up and the shadow dispersed into the darkness. Khelgar defeated his opponent as well and quickly joined Tamil and Teal'c in protecting Neeshka.

When the battle was ended, the bard pointed to the hallway. "What in the Nine Hells was that?" Tamil asked Jack a bit tersely in regard to the grenade. "It could have killed us if the blast had been any closer."

"It's a grenade, and you're welcome for me not killing you," the colonel shot back. "And why the hell are there Nine Hells?"

"Well, first off, Tamil, Jack knows exactly what he's doing with our weapons. He knows the blast radius," Samantha Carter noted. "On the other hand, though, I don't think he knows about the structural integrity of this underground cave quite as well. You might want to go easy on the explosives in this place, Colonel."

"And there are Nine Hells, Jack, because there are apparently nine arch-devils who each have their own little realm of hell to torture souls who are damned for different specific reasons. Apparently, it's possible for a living person to travel there and come back again, though it's also possible to get caught, killed, and have your soul devoured by a devil. All really fascinating stuff," Daniel added. "I've heard there's a special hell there reserved for people who blow up their friends with grenades while running about in tombs."

"You mean, Grenada?"

Everyone groaned. Loudly. Tamil handed Neeshka a vial filled with a greenish liquid which she gulped down. She explained that it was a restorative that would return the energy Neeshka had lost to the shadows.

Most of the rest of the tomb was handled fairly easily as they searched it for the missing priest. Between Neeshka's expertise in tomb raiding and the zat'nik'tel disintegrating most of the undead, especially the slow-moving ones, there was not much of a challenge. The only really interesting moment came when the group was suddenly ambushed by a large group of ghouls and ghasts which were lying in wait. During the sudden commotion the flashlights were knocked to the ground and went out. Despite the sudden darkness, the creatures were rapidly dispatched.

"Um, guys, I can't see a thing and can't find the flashlight," Jack complained.

"Heh, that's what ya get fer living so long above ground," Khelgar smirked. "My vision's just fine in the dark." Neeshka quickly scoffed at him, mentioning that tieflings, elves, and even orcs could all see in the dark just as well. With noting to say about that, the dwarf harrumphed and made a rude remark about someone with demon heritage.

That was when the group heard a bit of muttering in a language they did not understand. Suddenly, two lights appeared in the air. One was floating above Tamil Farlong's head. The other was floating just above Daniel Jackson.

"Ah, thanks there Tamil, much better. But why'd you just give Daniel a light over his head and not the rest of us," Jack asked.

"I only cast one light spell, Jack," Tamil shrugged as she spoke. "I don't know who cast the one on Daniel, but I'm pretty sure Neeshka can only make darkness and Khelgar isn't a spellcaster at all."

The group turned and looked at Daniel. He shrugged, then said a little sheepishly, "Well, Sand sort of taught me a few things."

Samantha Carter nearly had a stroke trying to express the incredulity in her heart and mind. She half spit as she started to say something, bit it back, and then tried to say something else. Finally, she managed to utter, "Daniel, please tell me that you've figured out how to work their technology and this was your way of letting us all know!"

Daniel half cocked one eye in an apologetic expression and gave an even more pronounced shrug. "Well, more sort of like I've taken up wizardry as an added area of professional interest." Seeing the look of absolute incredulity on the rest of SG-1's faces Daniel added, "Come on, it's only a minor cantrip. It's not even that hard."

After that the group conversed about Daniel's knowledge of magic non-stop. They didn't even pause while they were zatting undead creatures. Daniel's magical light eventually winked out, though Tamil's was still going strong. Jack waited expectantly for Daniel to cast the spell again. Dr. Jackson had his recovered flashlight out, but seeing the rest of the group looking at him, he turned off the electric light and cast his light spell again so that they could see him doing it.

Finally, the group found the priest. They explained to him that Judge Oleff had sent them in to rescue him. The priest looked at them with despair in his eyes, "Then Oleff has sent you to your doom. We're trapped. The spirits have grown restless and one of the greatest traitors in the history of Neverwinter has arisen to lead them. I tried to overcome him, but I was unable."

He explained to them that there was a lever which controlled the lock on the door to the crypt which was guarded by a ghost. SG-1 and the other adventurers left the priest, who was too frightened to move from the chamber he had locked himself into and faced off with a swarm of undead, as well as another force of shadows. Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, and Dr. Daniel Jackson handled the ghouls and zombies with their zats while Khelgar Ironfist, Tamil Farlong, Teal'c and Neeshka struck at the shadows.

When they defeated the undead in the corridors they opened the chamber where the spirit of one of Neverwinter's greatest betrayers stood. Fenthick Moss, as the group would later learn, was considered among the city's greatest traitors for helping spread an artificially created plague around the city. By most accounts he had used his position of trust to give a group of cultists in the guise of priests access to the city; however, another version of the story painted him as a tragic figure duped by the cult leader and literally left swinging on the gallows by the political leaders to appease public outrage. Whichever was the real history, the elf was out for blood now.

"Where's a proton pack when you need one?" Jack quipped as he narrowly missed being struck by an arrow shot by the ephemeral spirit. "And how is it that a ghost can hold a bow and arrow but darts shooting out of the walls pass right through him, huh?"

Zats hadn't worked. Teal'c had trouble hitting the speedy ghost as it ran around the room, the explosions from the plasma discharge eating into the stone wall. Khelgar had attempted to engage him in melee with his axe but the ghost promptly took off running around the room while darts shot out to strike the determined dwarf before Tamil had called him back. The bard had a bow out but it wasn't having much effect.

"Well, this is as good a time as any to try this," Daniel said. He spoke the words to a spell and with concentration pointed at the ghostly creature. A small glowing dart of bluish white light raced out from the air to strike the apparition. Samantha, who had given up firing her zat and handgun after seeing their lack of effect, just stared at Daniel.

Tamil looked at Daniel for a second, and then pulled a slender stick made of bone out from her pack. She handed the wand to Daniel. "Do you know how to activate this?" she asked a little dubiously.

Jack looked over at Daniel and smirked. "If you get a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts I'm going to laugh at you."

"Well, I don't know, I've never… oh." Daniel looked at the markings on the wand and realized immediately what they meant. He pointed the wand at the ghost, spoke the activation word, and three more magical missiles shot out to strike at it with unerring accuracy. At Tamil's urging, Daniel continued to speak the command word, each time firing more bursts at the ghost.

Teal'c eventually managed to hit the mark with the staff weapon and the ghost visibly weakened, the glowing aura around it fading momentarily. Each time the ghost tried to get to the Jaffa with the staff weapon or Daniel with the wand of magic missiles it was met by a wall of blades wielded by the roguish Neeshka, the inspirational Tamil Farlong, and the indomitable Khelgar Ironfist and forced to flee back to the room full of darts where the fighters did not dare follow. Finally, with a last burst of energy from the wand the spirit of Fenthick Moss gave a cry of frustration as its connection to the living plane was finally severed and returned fully to the realm of the dead.

With that, the task was completed and the group escorted the grateful acolyte of Tyr from the temple. "So, why do they have a building full of ghosts sitting within the city, again?" Jack asked once they were out. The bard explained that it was the burial spot for all those executed as traitors. Rather than desecrate their enemies, Neverwinter believed it should show respect for the fallen dead, even if they were traitors. The clerics of Tyr watched over the tomb, which was usually much quieter, but something had disturbed the place making it suddenly and unexpectedly deadly.

"Well, Daniel, if I were you I'd be careful," Colonel O'Neill said thoughtfully. The archaeologist looked at Jack quizzically. Jack gave him a smile and completed the joke, "The way Sam is looking at you, I'm pretty sure she thinks you belong in there for betraying science."

Samantha Carter looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks.

The surveillance on the organization of thieves had yielded astounding results. The names and locations of over two dozen gang leaders who reported directly to Moire were discovered. One by one the leaders and then their subordinates were quietly arrested. Those that attempted to hide were often discovered because one of their number carried a weapon with a hidden tracking device.

While the thieves launched accusations of being a turncoat amongst each other, the Watch was becoming increasingly unified. Like the thieves, the guardsmen Neeshka had photographed were locked up individually and quietly. As those were questioned even more corrupt Watch members were disclosed. There was some fighting back, but with SG-1's help and their zat'nik'tel there were few injuries and no deaths during the arrests. The prisons were overflowing and guards who were once paid to look the other way now begged forgiveness and swore oaths of loyalty to the City Watch in return for probationary status.

While this was going on Daniel and Sam were busy maintaining the surveillance. Doctor Carter's makeshift capacitor allowed the computers to be charged for two hours from a single burst of electrical energy from the magical wand the elven wizard, Sand, had provided. According to the merchant, the wand would operate twenty five times before its magical energy was spent completely. They had attempted to use the zat as a power source, but the power output of the weapon ended up damaging the device.

Jack O'Neill got up early in the morning to continue the calisthenics routine he used to maintain his physical fitness. When he went out the back of the inn he was surprised to see the dwarf, bard, and part-demon girl already up and working out. The dwarf and the bard were going at it with great intensity using wooden versions of their favored weapons. Jack watched the two admiringly for a few minutes.

Neeshka walked over to him and gestured towards the knife Jack carried strapped to his leg. "You any good with that?" she asked.

"Not that good," Jack replied, pointing to the dwarf and human who were sparring furiously.

"Yeah, Khelgar is pretty tough. I wouldn't want to fight him," Neeshka agreed. "And Tamil's a lot stronger than she looks." Neeshka pulled out a wooden practice weapon shaped like a long knife and tossed it to Colonel O'Neill. "Let's see how well you Earth-boys fight without your… whatever those things are."

After a halfhearted protest, Jack gripped the handle of the weapon with the blade pointed down and settled into a crouching, defensive pose. Neeshka pulled out a second practice weapon with a grin. The two quickly began circling, feinting, and striking out at each other. Jack had slowed a bit with age, but he was still in excellent shape and had been highly trained in close combat fighting during his time as a black ops commando. His initial selection for the fated mission through the Stargate to Abydos had not been accidental, nor was it only due to his willingness to die if the mission called for it. He was a fine tactician and more than capable soldier.

However, he soon found Neeshka's skill with a knife exceeded his own. While he had spent hours focusing on perfecting his aim with firearms and using explosives to destroy high value targets, Neeshka had worked on mastering the use of light weapons. Her strikes broke through his defenses far more often than his did hers and she managed to strike vital points on his body when she defeated his defense while Jack scored mostly what would amount to minor wounds.

"Hey, I'm impressed," she said to him after they broke to take a break. Jack cured mildly under his breath. He knew it wasn't all due to getting older. Neeshka tossed him the second practice knife. She went to her pack and pulled out a pair of longer wooden weapons, practice versions of short swords. "Ok, let's see how you do with two weapons."

For some time Moire had dropped from sight, but she had now resurfaced, trying to rebuild the criminal underground that the Watch, with technology provided by SG-1, had just dismantled. She had returned to one of her old hideouts in the Docks, unaware that her every word was being listened in on. It was time to take her down.

Elanee was with Tamil on this trip, though she would not be part of the raid into the building. She was waiting out the back door of the building with the second squad of watchmen in case Moire tried to bolt out the back. With Elanee, her badger friend Narloch, and a half dozen guards, there was little chance she'd be able to escape. If she attempted to fight, she'd be facing a tough lot of the city watch bolstered by the magical song of a heroic and inspirational bard.

Elanee whispered words of magic and touched the four watchmen who would serve as the front line. Their skin was surrounded by sparkling sunlight momentarily. When the magical light washed away, their skin appeared exactly like the bark of a hardwood tree. The other two guardsman drew their bows and stepped back.

Moments later, the back of the door burst open and a vicious looking woman wearing an odd, cat-shaped mask charged out with a rapier pointed at the nearest of the watchmen. She was followed by two thugs, one of whom appeared to be severely wounded. As Moire, the masked woman, exchanged thrusts with the guardsmen, Elanee began chanting again and raised her hands up to the sky. The sky answered with a rapidly formed cloud and flashes of lightning.

Unbelievably, the cut-throat rogue somehow somersaulted out of the way before the electricity could strike her. The hired muscle with her, however, were not nearly as lucky or as talented. The electrical energy staggered them, one of them falling to the ground with a vacant look on his face. The other was shaken and would likely fall to attack quickly.

Then Tamil was out the back door followed by the second squad of watchmen. As soon as the bard appeared with her shining green eyes, her smile of easy confidence, and voice a-hum with an energetic melody, Elanee and the watchmen with her felt their spirits lift. Moire, on the other hand, just felt an increase in hostility.

"Wish I had time to kill you slowly, Farlong. You've been a thorn in my side for far too long," Moire nearly growled at her.

"Oh, you won't be killing me, Moire," Tamil replied calmly. "But if you're lucky, I'm sure we can arrange to spend plenty of time together. You in chains, and me asking you questions."

The underworld boss scowled. "I'll not turn rat like those filthy turncoats!" Moire spat.

Tamil put her hands on her hips and just laughed. "Oh, that's rich, coming from someone who believes power comes from paying people off and threatening their families if they don't compromise their morals whenever you say." The bard continued to smirk as she gave Moire a pointed look. "Funny thing is, it wasn't one of the Watch who fingered your hideout. It was your own 'loyal' men who led us to you."

Moire's face turned a furious crimson. "After I'm done with you, I'm gonna find that rat and he's gonna pay for this!"

"Actually," Tamil grinned, "it was him." She pointed to the thug who had been with Moire and had gotten electrocuted by Elanee's lightning. She bent down and pulled a dagger from the dead thug's belt. Then she found the spot on the hilt that released the cover and showed Moire the tracking device hidden there.

Moire screamed in anger. She turned her wrath on the watchmen near her. Tamil was ready for that, though, and quickly sang a rhythmic chant that resounded through the bodies of all her allies. Where before Moire had been trying to pierce through tough skin of bark from Elanee's magic, she was now trying to cut through skin of iron. Unable to seriously harm her opponents, she was quickly overwhelmed, but refused to surrender. She died with a curse on her lips and a city guardsman's blade through her gut.

Tamil had some of the guardsmen cleaning up the mess while she and Elanee headed back to the Sunken Flagon Inn. Halfway to the inn, Elanee noticed movements in the shadows. To her surprise, it was another druid trapped in the shape of a wolf and unable to revert to human form. Elanee tended to the druid and soon found that the druids of Neverwinter Wood were encountering the same sort of darkness and madness found in the Mere. After a quick discussion, it was decided she needed to seek out the elders of the Neverwinter Wood Circle without delay by contacting them through a special druid sanctuary not far from the city.

Tamil and Elanee returned to the inn only to see the Sunken Flagon surrounded by more than a score of wizards wearing apprentice robes marking them as being from Neverwinter's Academy. They formed a ring around three familiar figures. Neeshka, Daniel Jackson, and the girl Qara who had earlier been about to fight outside the inn were at the entrance to the inn, apparently being ambushed just as they had stepped out.

"Qara. You disgraced our sister, Glina. She was kicked out of the Academy along with many of our friends. Now you and your ragamuffin friends are going to pay," one of the wizards was saying. Then without warning the entire contingent began chanting and gesturing towards the trio.

Before Tamil could intervene by placing a silence spell in the area, the carnage had already begun. Sheets of flame and dripping globs of neon green acid in the shape of arrows flew out from the fingers of the attacking wizards. An explosion of fire rocked the ground and almost all the wizards gathered on the right hand side of the surrounding mob were knocked flying to crumple to the ground. Finally Tamil managed to loose her spell, engulfing most of the left hand side of the attackers in suffocating silence.

Neeshka was grimly stabbing one of the student wizards still casting spells outside the area of silence when she looked up and realized something was wrong. The tiefling had long ago developed an uncanny ability to jump out of the way of danger, flattening herself on the ground and rolling away from spells of destruction or discharges of fire or electricity created by cleverly placed traps. Where others might be lucky to only be wounded rather than killed, she tended to not even be injured. This time she had gotten a little singed, though her tiefling heritage provided some protection. Others, though, would not be so fortunate or as agile.

"Where's Daniel?" she asked. The scholar was nowhere to be seen. For a few tense moments, Neeshka felt a sharp anxiety.

The resonant sound of energy discharging caught the rogue's attention. Daniel Jackson suddenly appeared standing behind several of the attacking wizards with his zat in hand. He fired of several shots at close range and the students crumpled to the ground.

Without warning, a voice boomed out over the area. It was the sound of a man accustomed to being listened to. Magister Jochris, one of the heads of the Neverwinter academy the wizards belonged to, put an end to the conflict, promising punishment to all the students who had taken to fighting in the streets of the city. He also promised retribution on Qara.

When the mage finished his threats and left, Neeshka ran over to a surprised Daniel and gave him a big hug. When she asked how he escaped the attack he replied, "I managed to turn myself invisible just before the other wizards finished their casting. All those wizards targeting me had to switch to someone else."

"Well, let's just hope there are no more surprises," Tamil sighed as she was about to re-enter the inn to have a word about his 'solution' to the problem with the sorceress.

No sooner had they gotten through the door than Tamil got another surprise. "Hey, I've got a message for the girl with horns," said a boy who looked very much like a street urchin. "It's from some Leldon, a big guy over in the Merchant Quarter…" The message was an ultimatum to meet for a showdown in the small park located in the Merchant District.

"So, who's this kid?" the bard asked.

"Oh, that's just Wolf. He sort of looks out for the other street kids. He showed up a couple weeks ago after you saved him and a few of the others from abuse while you were on patrol," Neeshka informed her. Tamil took a closer look and recognized the boy from an incident on the street. "He's been running messages and reporting what the kids see to us here so Duncan put them all up in a couple unused rooms in the inn," Neeshka finished.

"And this Leldon, the one who's been sending people to kill you, why has he suddenly decided he wants to meet in person?" Tamil asked.

"Probably 'cause I broke into his headquarters and robbed him again just the other day. He tends to take that personally." The horned girl snickered and tossed a coin in the air. "And he can't stand to lose this particular 'lucky' coin."

Tamil slapped her forehead in mock exasperation. "Well, can't say this guy doesn't have it coming to him." The bard gave the rogue a playful smirk. "So, how do you plan on dealing with this?"

A few hours later when the night watch began, Neeshka found herself standing in a park face to face with her former partner in crime, Leldon. Leldon was a fairly large, brutish man with a menacing voice. Brandishing his sword, he demanded she return the coin she had stolen from him. When she refused, he attacked. As soon as that happened, though, three figures in the park suddenly appeared: Daniel Jackson, Colonel Jack O'Neill, and Teal'c, each firing a single burst from their zats. Leldon and his two backup goons fell painfully into unconsciousness.

"Useful little… spell you have there, Daniel. Wish you could have done that for us a few times on some of our earlier missions," Jack complimented him.

"Yeah, though it was lucky we had picked up a couple extra scrolls. I can only manage to turn two of us invisible before I need to study again. It's so odd how the memory of how to do it fades away after using it." Daniel looked at his two clearly visible friends. "And this popping back visible if you perform an aggressive act seems… poorly designed." Then Daniel looked over at Neeshka and smiled, "But at least we could help out our friend."

Tamil and several members of the City Watch stepped out to haul Leldon and his goons off to prison. "Well, this wraps things up here. Don't think there could possibly be anything standing in the way of getting into Blacklake to see that sage and find out how to get all of you home now with all the success we've had cleaning up these streets."

Jack and Daniel exchanged glances. The bard had just jinxed them.

Tamil walked into the Sunken Flagon Inn with a dark look on her face.

"Let me guess," Jack said with a dry look, "the good captain isn't going to let you see the guy you need nor let us in to visit Neverwinter's archives, right?" At a nod from the bard Jack shook his head. "What is it now? Too many people loitering in the streets now that they're safe?"

Tamil gave an empathetic 'hmph.'. "I'm starting to think I should have joined the thieves instead of arresting them." She stormed over to the bar and grabbed a pint of ale the bartender hastily poured for her. "No, apparently it's some kind of emergency. An emissary from Waterdeep has gone missing and the commander at the outpost he was supposed to have passed through has called for help looking for him. The captain volunteered me for the mission." Tamil drained half the mug and then turned to look at Jack. "I know your top concern has to be finding that 'Stargate' device that will send you home, not playing watchman with me, Jack, but you and your team would be welcome if you wanted to accompany me."

Not for the first time Jack realized how charming and beautiful Tamil Farlong was. Her dark black hair curled naturally around a face that seemed born to sell skin care products. She had an athletic build, though that in no way detracted from her femininity, which was certainly distracting during morning workouts. Then there was her voice, which Jack having heard her singing out during battles knew held a compelling power when she wanted. Right now, though, he was noticing her eyes. They were clear and bright, a shade of blue that reminded him of sparkling topaz.

Jack realized that even if Tamil had been a complete stranger and approached him for help he'd have a hard time refusing any sensible request from her. In fact, Jack couldn't imagine any man refusing her with ease. But Tamil Farlong was no stranger and had become a trusted friend. He could count on one hand the number of people he would trust more than the bard, and most of those fingers were taken up by his SG-1 teammates. After a quick check with the other members of SG-1 he was happy to let her know he would be lending a hand.

"Teal'c and I can join you in your search and we'll bring all of the walkie-talkies. Daniel and Sam are still working on trying to find information to help us locate the Stargate on this world, if there is one. That is, they're looking when Daniel isn't trying to blow up something by talking to it or filling the room up with a cloud of stinking gas," Tamil grinned remembering the results of Daniel's experiment with a magic wand. "It was bad enough when he could talk me to sleep before he learned how to do it using magic," Jack sighed.

"Great, Jack, thanks," Tamil said and flashed him a brief but brilliant smile. "The druidess, Elanee will be traveling with us partway there, she needs to talk to a lake or something like that." Jack gave the bard an odd look. "Hey, don't ask me. She talks to animals and trees all the time. I guess speaking to a lake is not that great a stretch."

Samantha Carter was hard at work finding the right mix of alchemical ingredients to use in producing replacement bullets for the P-90's and 9mils. While she had access to the formula and specifications for the smokeless powder, not all of the ingredients available were exactly the same as those in professional manufacture. She was experimenting to find the right chemical composition to create the right sort of explosion without leaving any residual chemical by-products that could jam the weapons.

"Hey, Sam," Daniel interrupted. Major Carter spared a moment to shoot Daniel a dark look. "There's something I really think you should look at."

Dr. Carter didn't even move away from the alchemist's workbench. "Daniel, you know I'm busy. If you're trying to get me to join you in your daily sorcery lessons again, you can forget it. And you should be focusing on trying to find us a way home instead of indulging in the superstitions of the locals." The last part was said with a measure of accusation, though in truth the astrophysicist was less bothered by the fact that Daniel was studying up on the subject than that the magic defied any attempt she made at a scientific explanation.

"Well, first, I'd hardly class studying the rules governing the manipulation of an energy force that has observable effects in the real world as superstition," Daniel met Sam's denial with a fast-spoken rebuttal she could not easily refute, but which he slid right by in a preamble as he often did when dealing with such skepticism from teammates. "But that's not really the point of my visit to your 'lab' here. While I haven't found any references that sound like it might be a Stargate–and I am looking, thank you–there is something in the writing Sand is directing me to which seems to be discussing wormholes and possibly even gate travel. The problem is that I can't make heads or tails of what it is saying since it seems to be written in terms of quantum physics."

Samantha Carter gave Daniel an incredulous look. "Come on, Daniel, I'm not going to fall for that. These people are so technologically backwards they still don't have running water or electric lights. There is no way they have the slightest idea about wormholes or even space flight for that matter." Dr. Carter pointed out towards the inn's exterior, "They are still getting around on horseback!"

"And in flying cities, instant teleportation over great distances, flight without machine aid, and according to Elanee walking into a tree in one place and out of a tree far across the land," Daniel countered. "You've seen Elanee's transformation into animals and I've been reading about magic that would let me do almost the same thing. That's biogenetics on a scale we've only seen the Ancients be able to match." Daniel paused for a second to change tact.

"Whether or not this magic that is in use all around us is some sort of elaborate scheme by an alien race, I can tell you for certain that it is certainly not being used to keep people in ignorance. The theories and formulas to use this magic are challenging. I mean, I've had to borrow off my knowledge of trigonometry and calculus while studying this stuff. If it weren't for us having had to reprogram alien technology on half the missions we've gone on I doubt I would have made as much progress as I have without a serious refresher on math."

Dr. Carter knew Daniel's limitations. When it came to understanding systems of language and the use of symbols he was beyond brilliant. He had a knack for making intuitive leaps that more often than not turned out to be right. However, when it came to math and physics he was only as good as your typical university graduate. She, on the other hand, was one of the very top of the field among those of Earth and was far ahead of anyone who had not had the chance to join the Stargate program. So, if there was some sort of advanced math or physics, she would be better able to handle it.

"Alright Daniel," Sam sighed, "show me what you've found. But this had better be scientific and not about magic."

"Well," Daniel hesitated slightly, "it's both."

Daniel pulled out a book filled with arcane symbols. "This book talks about a way to open a sort of a temporary gateway between two places. Unfortunately, there are some things about how it's done that I don't understand, especially since Sand is not much into conjuration and this is a conjuration spell." Daniel turned to some pages, "But here is where it starts talking about how to target the area where you are to arrive. This is a bit beyond me. But together, we might be able to get this 'Dimension Door' to take us home."

Jack O'Neal, Teal'c, Tamil Farlong, Elanee, Khelgar, and Qara made their way to a hidden lake known to the druids as 'Sky Mirror'. It was quite a ways off the beaten path, but not too far out of the way to the encampment of Neverwinter soldiers. Elanee became visibly more comfortable as the cultivated lands of Neverwinter city gave way to wilderness, her confidence and ease returning with each step into tangled bushes. During her time in Neverwinter she was often bewildered and at times withdrawn, only really conversing with Tamil other than to remark how odd she found city behavior to be.

Qara, on the other hand, complained loudly about the discomforts of travel. "Eww! Tree sap!" the adolescent said as she wiped her hands on a nearby tree, but only managed to add bark to the mixture coating them. "Gods, I hate these woods. If my legs get scratched by one more thorn I'm going to fireball the whole area."

"No, you will not," retorted Jack. "Light a fire here and the whole place might go up."

"Good. Let the whole place burn for all I care," the impetuous teen responded.

"Let me rephrase that. Light a fire here and the whole place might go up with all of us burnt to a crisp within it." Jack pointed towards the built up dead leaves and fallen foliage on the ground. "See that? That's several seasons' worth of build up. If a flame hit that the whole area would be engulfed in a matter of hours. There hasn't been a fire here in several years, which means when this place does burn, it will burn fast, hot, and dangerous."

"Just like me," Qara added, needing the last word.

Elanee was surprised by Jack's understanding of forestry. After discussing the Earth practice of lighting controlled fires and the intervention Faerûnian nature spirits in the case of most wildfires in this land, Elanee had a much greater respect for SG-1 and the people of Earth. She had not expected people who relied on technology to be conscious of such things as conservation and protection of the wild. Allowing Jack and Teal'c to see the sacred waters of Sky Mirror was no longer a concern of hers, though she still had doubts about Khelgar and even more worries about Qara.

After hours of walking through difficult terrain they reached their destination. There was a peaceful stillness to the land and the great lake of pure water around them. Elanee walked up to a tree that would be virtually indistinguishable from any other tree to the uninitiated, but to the druidess it stood out as if it were bathed in a warm light. She looked within the wood and found the carving of an animal, the meaning of which was perfectly obvious to her. After a moment of contemplation, the elven maiden of the Meredelain murmured words of power and cast a spell upon the tree. She repeated this with three more trees. In answer, a token was released and fell lightly down to her hands.

"Give me a moment to center myself. And then, I can try to contact the druids of Neverwinter Wood," Elanee said as she touched the water. After a few seconds, a shimmering mist arose from the center of the lake and a misty image of a male elf appeared in the center of the lake. A moment later, the image spoke.

"Elanee, child is that you?" The voice had a gentle, paternal quality to it. Qara, of course, had a smart remark to make about the druidess being referred to as a child, but she was ignored.

"Elder Naevan? Can you hear me?" came Elanee's question in response. The elder druid seemed somewhat confused about how he was being contacted so she explained. "I am touching the waters of the Sky Mirror, but I had thought to contact the druids of Neverwinter Wood, not one of my own Circle."

Tamil tried to ask a question, but Elanee explained that the druid elder could only hear her, so she relayed the question on. Elder Naevan answered her, "I was traveling for the past season, not as long from the Mere as you, perhaps, and only recently have I returned from the Sword Coast." After another question from Elanee he added, "My path has been a long one. What I found, and what I have not found, has been troubling."

Jack rolled his eyes. "He sounds a lot like Daniel or Sam when they know something but don't have it completely figured out yet. Always sounding cryptic to cover the fact that they don't know it yet."

Unable to hear Jack's comments, Naevan continued, "Like you, I have had no success in contacting the druids of Neverwinter Wood. I suspect they are avoiding me - or have cut themselves off from others."

Now it was Elanee's turn to tell the elder druid something, "We encountered one in Neverwinter, and he had come in search of one of Circle of the Mere, either you or I, but had found no one, not even Elder Vashne."

Jack directed a look at Tamil, who just shrugged and turned her hands palm up.

"That is troubling news. And part of what drove me here. I returned... because I felt something was wrong with the Mere, and I have not been able to reach any of the other druids. This feeling from the Mere - it is like a black silence stretching through the Merdelain, and even seeing through the eyes of animals and birds has proved useless."

"Elder Naevan, there's something else we must tell you. While we were in one of the druid sanctuaries on the way to Neverwinter we encountered another druid of our Circle. It was Kaleil, but he had been driven mad, he had slaughtered the animals there!" Elanee's voice took on a very emotional tone when talking about this.

"What?" Naevan was incredulous.

"Without the aid of some travelers who joined me I do not think I could have subdued Kaleil, but with their help we were able to bring him down without harming him. He said he had been infected by something in the Mere and warned us not to return there. I helped cure him and help him return to his natural form, and hee said he would search for the druids of Neverwinter Wood or for you," Elanee paused. "Elder Naevan, we came here to ask the lorekeepers of Neverwinter Wood if they knew anything of what was happening at the Mere. And we fear that whatever is occurring in the Mere is tied to a set of silver fragments we carry."

Elder Naevan questioned Elanee about the shards and their mission. He was particularly keen about their origin. "The darkness clouding the Mere, it is familiar in some respects to events that occurred at the time of the discovery of those shards. During the war against the King of Shadows many years ago, a similar darkness infested the land, though not as thick as it is now."

"King of Shadows?" Jack and Tamil said at the same time. Jack added, "Isn't that the guy the evil, goth priest guy with all the zombies said he was working for?" Tamil nodded and Elanee relayed that information back to the elder druid as well.

"Can he have returned? There were many battles fought in the Mere, and at its borders, one even at West Harbor. Elanee, I must continue on to the Mere, and try to find what became of Vashne and the others. Even if they are dead, I must see it with my own eyes... and see what I can do to find out more about this threat and the shards you speak of."

With that, the communication via the Sky Mirror ceased and the misty image dissipitated into nothing. Mulling over all that had been said, the group turned back to leave the road when Elanee suddenly noticed a change in the environment. "Did you hear that? Something is wrong. We are no longer welcome here."

With that, the group walked away from the lake and began the trek back to the exit with their weapons drawn and protective spells cast from bard, druidess, and sorceress. When the corpses of creatures who died trying to enter the sacred area and great beings of water rose from the ground to attack them, they were glad they had been prepared. It was a simple matter to destroy them, but without the protective spells their may have been some injuries.

When they finally arrived at the entrance to the protected grove, the group realized the reason for the sudden hostility from the land. Another one of the necromantic priests and a large group of ruffians to back him up barred the way. Jack heard the priest rant off something about darkness coming for the druidess and decided he didn't like him.

"Qara, now these guys are people you can burn to ash," Jack began. Qara smirked and immediately began chanting. "Just don't kill—" Qara's fireball blasted the shadow priest and those nearest him, "—the priest."

Despite that unfortunate lost opportunity, the battle went very well for the group. Teal'c used his staff weapon, but Jack didn't even need to pull out his zat. The fighting was over in less than thirty seconds. Then it was on to Old Owl Well.

Jack woke up in a sweat. It was one of those nightmares he had where everyone he knew had become possessed by a Gou'ald. He hated that dream. It was much too similar to real situations SG-1 had encountered for his comfort. Of course, there was also that recurring dream where he would wake up on some alien world with no way to get home.

At least this wasn't a barren ice world or an artificially created hell. "Good morning, O'Neal," Teal'c nodded to him from where he sat. Jack looked over to the former Jaffa. Teal'c was reading the books the priest of Tyr had given him.

"Does it have a good plot?" Jack asked.

Teal'c responded to the human's question as if it had been asked seriously. "This is not a novel, O'Neal. It is the sacred writing of the worshippers of Tyr. Part of it is a moral treatise; another part describes the prayers and invocations one would recite if a follower of this deity."

"Sound much like Gou'ald or the Asgard?" Jack asked more seriously.

"No, it would not seem so, though if it is a hoax it is more like that of the Asgard. The teachings are clearly intended to be benevolent." Teal'c paused for a moment. "Perhaps our experiences with aliens on our worlds have clouded our judgment about the gods here." At a further prompt from Jack, Teal'c continued. "If Tyr truly embodies the virtues expressed in this book, then he may indeed be a being worthy of veneration."

Jack studied his long time friend for a second. Since the passing of his wife and son Jack O'Neal had very little use for any sort of religion. But if Teal'c were to see something to it, then he wouldn't gainsay it.

The group broke camp a short time later. The trek from the druid sanctuary to Old Owl Well would still take them most of the day. While SG-1 had gotten used to traveling by foot on many of their off-world missions, Jack still wished there were better roads or at least horses to ride. There were some well maintained roads closer to Neverwinter, but once you left the High Road travel became troublesome.

Elanee led the group through the forest with uncanny skill. They were able to avoid dangers from animals and bandits alike. She had taken to using the hand signals she had seen Jack use when leading the team and called for a halt with an upraised fist when she heard sounds up ahead. The group knelt down while Elanee did a quick search of the area. Realizing the sounds were from someone singing on his own, the group emerged from hiding and approached.

"Whitethistle, whitethistle all in a row; in Neverwinter Wood they all grow!" were the cheery sounds coming from the diminutive figure.

Not one for tact, Colonel O'Neal asked Tamil pointblank, "What is that?" He indicated the tiny man with frazzled yellow hair. He was clearly not human with rounded features that were certainly not fat but certainly not muscular either.

"'That' is a gnome. There are some in Neverwinter, though I guess you never ran into one," she replied. "They're mostly harmless."

Jack had to repress a laugh. Before Colonel O'Neal could explain about the unintended reference to Ford Prefect's description of Earth in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the gnome started introducing himself. After about the fourth tangent the gnome went off on as part of his introduction, Jack wanted to shoot the little guy. Instead of doing that, the US Air Force colonel short circuited the conversation with some very terse and pointed interruptions.

"So, Grobnar, what you're saying is that you're a gnome and a bard. What are you doing out here in the middle of the wilderness alone?" Before Grobnar got halfway through the preamble to what was obviously going to be a really long story, Jack stopped him again. "Ok, skip ahead to the part that happened just before we showed up."

Grobnar blinked a few times and then started talking about a dangerous encounter with some sort of monstrous creature. When the gnome started getting off track, Jack abruptly brought him back. "So you've recently moved to Neverwinter. You're lost and afraid something is going to kill you. Now you want to tag along with us thinking where we're going you're going to be safer."

"Oh, it's not about being afraid of getting killed by some terrible monster Mister Colonel Sir, it's about being killed by some terrible monster all alone. I'd feel much better about it if I knew I had friends dying alongside me." At the not-so-enthusiastic looks he got in return, Grobnar quickly added, "Not that I wouldn't want my friends to keep living, just that if I'm going to be eaten by something nasty, I'd rather not face that by myself. Better to share that with someone special."

Jack got through what might have been a half day's worth of conversation and stories in under fifteen minutes. "Good work, colonel!" Tamil whispered. "I thought he'd never shut up."

"Working with Daniel has finally paid off," Jack said, only half-joking.

Khelgar grumbled about taking on an oddball gnome, but he resigned himself to the fact that it would be much more effort to get rid of the gnome than to simply just let him tag along until they reached the greycloak outpost. It would have been a dishonor to dwarven hospitality to leave the bright-eyed little gnome out there. He was just about the right size to be a decent mouthful for some of the larger monsters that made the forests of Toril home. Someone had to look out for him. Of course, the fact that Khelgar was not much larger didn't even enter his thought process.

When the group arrived at Old Owl Well, Commander Callum was initially a bit distrustful of the newcomers. He was a busy dwarf with a lot of responsibility trying to organize the local peasantry into a force that could repel marauding orcs. However, when a sudden attack by an orc raiding party was cut short by quick fireball from Qara and the remaining handful were blasted away by Teal'c's staff and Jack's zat before any of the greycloak militia even engaged the raiders, the hardy dwarf quickly reassessed the group's usefulness.

"What were those things?" Jack found himself asking again seeing the bodies of the pig-faced creatures that looked to him like particularly ugly cave men.

"Those were orcs," Khelgar was the first to reply. "Foul, bloodthirsty brutes. Most of them are cowards, but get enough of 'em together and they make for some trouble. And there are more than enough of 'em around here to make for a ton of trouble." However much Khelgar might dislike elves or distrust tieflings, that was nothing compared to his feelings about orcs.

Then again, there were few goodly folk who had any love of the creatures, and with good reason. While there was sometimes some semblance of honor among the hordes of orcs and occasionally there would be one that wasn't evil beyond redemption, that was the exception to the rule. Nine out of ten would stab each other in the back if it would help them, and the things they would do to those who weren't orcs was much, much worse. In small numbers they would band together to raid soft targets like farms or unguarded travelers. In large numbers they would delight in destroying small communities, without mercy or any sense of decency. Their emotions were a twisted mix of hatred, fear, misplaced outrage, and jealousy. Usually their chaotic nature prevented them from organizing to pose a significant threat, but when there was a powerful unifying force, their sheer numbers made them a dangerous.

That was the present case. The orcs had unified under the banner of a single powerful chieftain and were plundering and murdering around the area where peace had once held. The garrison at Old Owl Well was a response to this more organized threat. Where once Neverwinter was content to allow the land to be held by a local orc tribe that did little actual damage, now they sent in forces to drive out the orcs and hold the geographically and logistically critical area of the well.

After checking in with the commander, Tamil, SG-1, and the rest of the group set off to try and locate any sign of the emissary from Waterdeep. It wasn't long before they intercepted a scout with a report that orcs had apparently waylaid the emissary and taken him captive. The group split in two to scout the area using the walkie-talkies to keep in contact. Elanee, Tamil, and Khelgar went one way while Jack, Teal'c, Grobnar, and Qara checked the other direction.

Samantha Carter stormed into Sand's magic shop with a vengeance. Sam rarely ventured out of the inn unless accompanied by other members of SG-1 so it really spoke to her state of mind that she had come out on her own. Even more telling, she marched past the shadow being standing behind the counter acting as a merchant in the absence of the actual merchant without stopping to investigate. Instead she marched straight back to the hidden back room and began banging on the back door.

"Daniel Jackson! Open this door before I kick it in and throttle your skinny butt!" she yelled.

When the door opened she was faced not with her long time friend, but with an irate elf with hawkish features and a well practiced glare. "What is the meaning of this intrusion? You cannot simply barge into—"

Sam pushed past Sand and strode into the room to face her friend. Daniel was standing in the middle of the floor dressed with some odd robes over his uniform. He was looking over a large tome, which was not surprising for him, but the fact that he was glowing was a bit odd. Sam ignored all of that.

"How could you do that to me, Daniel, after all we've been through? I trusted you!" Sam stood there with her short blond hair glaring at Daniel with her flashing blue eyes.

Daniel looked up from the book with that slightly-out-of-touch-with-the-present look he often had when he was called away from something he was intently studying. He made a few confused sounds, "Wh-… uh… Carter? What do are talking…" Daniel trailed off as Sam pulled out a scroll and showed it to Daniel. "Eh, that's blank, Sam."

"I know it's blank, Daniel. The problem was that it wasn't blank before I read it!"

"Oh… were you reading out loud?" Daniel was trying his very best to look concerned and not break out in a smile.

"You were the one who was telling me I should subvocalize when reading foreign texts! I can't believe you would trick me like that!" Sam continued glaring. "Don't pretend you didn't know what would happen when you put that scroll in with my learning materials."

"What did happen, might I ask?" inquired the merchant/wizard who was too intrigued to remain upset about his privacy being violated.

"A ball of liquid shot out from the scroll and splattered onto the wall in front of me. The liquid reacted just like acid." Sam was still staring with accusing eyes at Daniel Jackson.

Now it was Sand's turn to turn a disapproving eye towards Daniel. "You let an untrained mind practice magic without any supervision? You know there's more to spellcasting than just reciting words and making gestures. And an Acid Splash spell, while just a minor cantrip, can still do some serious damage."

Daniel set the tome he was holding down and turned to defend himself from their arguments. "Look, she's fine. Pissed off at me, but fine. I gave her a scroll, not a spellbook, so that way if there were some sort of accident she wouldn't have to know how to control the power of the magic since it would be written into the scroll. And sorry, but that acid spell was the simplest conjuration spell we had a scroll of." Turning from Sand to Dr. Carter, Daniel continued, "Sorry about this, Sam. Honestly, I had hoped you would get curious about the scroll and try to use it on your own as an experiment, but I never expected you'd accidentally cast it."

Seeing Sam about to go back on the offensive, Daniel continued. "Look, Sam, I know how strange you feel about all the spells, wizards, and magic here. But you've read enough from what I've shown you to know that there's something to this. If there's a gate somewhere or a way back, this is our best chance to find it, and we're going to need you to understand it if we're going to have a shot to get back home."

Sand raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be expecting a lot from the girl, here, Daniel. Just because she can cast a simple spell from a scroll does not mean she'll be much of a wizard."

Daniel looked back at Sand. "Oh, I think she'll do just fine." Daniel turned back to Sand. "You know how you were surprised that I was progressing so quickly, thinking I must have studied magic before? Then I explained a lot of the things you were showing were like math and science principles and that some things in magic, especially the formulas, were already familiar? Well, that will go double for Doctor Carter. The sort of things she works with in theoretical physics make the magical formulas you've shown me look tame."

"Oh, don't think you can get out of this by just flattering me, Daniel," Sam threatened. Daniel smiled knowing she was already no longer angry. She turned to Sand, "Alright, I hope you'll teach me how to make a bolt of lightning so I can electrify Daniel."

Sand replied with a simple, "Oh my."

Jack, Teal'c, the gnomish bard Grobnar, and the acerbic sorceress Qara were following the orc trail they had picked up. Jack sighed, wondering how he ended up in this strange situation. The bard, dwarf, and elf had radioed in that they hadn't found signs of orcs their way, but they had found some of Khelgar's kin with a problem. Jack had offered to join up with them, but the dwarf had said the three of them could handle it and to keep scouting in their direction. Now Jack was walking into dangerous territory with a silly gnome and a teenager.

Jack had to admit, though, that the gnome had been pretty helpful so far. He was nowhere near as skilled outdoors as Elanee, but he knew a little bit about everything. More importantly, he was quick to follow directions, unlike the auburn haired adolescent with a chip on her shoulder the size of a Gou'ald mother ship. Grobnar's humming and singing while they were walking was at first irritating, but Jack soon found there was a rhythm to it that had a similar effect to Tamil's music. Despite himself, he found himself humming along… and liking it.

Jack walked up a small, well beaten path when the rock wall on his left suddenly opened up to reveal a group of pig snouted orcs. Though not particularly attentive, they had no problem seeing Jack and the rest of the group. With a shout that sounded none too friendly, they started to charge out with weapons bared. That is, those of the vile creatures who were not carrying bows.

Jack ducked as a black arrow shot clear over his head. Jack pulled out his zat and the weapon snapped open ready to fire. The first of the oncoming creatures was blasted back by a burst of energy from Teal'c's Ma'tok staff weapon. Jack zapped the second and third ones with quick bursts from the zat. They dropped to the ground in great pain before passing out.

Colonel O'Neal noted Qara muttering something and then suddenly she vanished. Then he felt a searing pain as one of the orcs managed to hit him with one of their arrows. It didn't have the same numbing effect a high caliber bullet would have before the pain got to you. The arrow started off hurting right away. Jack soon noticed a large wolf jumping at the orcs, though he had no idea where the wolf had come from. Apparently it was obeying the gnome.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Jack aimed his zat again. He missed with his first shot, but managed to hit one of the bow-carrying orcs with the second shot. Teal'c missed with his staff as well, but the explosion of dirt and rock from where the energy hit stunned the orc anyway. Suddenly a green, dripping arrow appeared in the air and flew to strike one of the orcs. The creature yelled and dark smoke wafted up from where the arrow struck. That was when Jack noticed that Qara had reappeared, now with a semi-transparent shield around her.

A few more shots with his zat, an arrow or two from Grobnar, and a direct hit from Teal'c finished off the orcs in that little opening in the maze of sandstone they had entered. Finally Jack had time to look at the wound. It wasn't very deep, and he wasn't in danger of going into shock from it, but it would need to be patched up.

Or perhaps there was another way. "Hey, what's your name, eh, Qara. Could you do something about this wound I have?"

"What do you want me to do about it? I could give you a nice burn to go with it if you like."

"Could you not heal it?" Teal'c asked.

Qara snorted. "Do I look like a paladin or a cleric? Or do you think I'm some sort of nature freak like Elanee?" Seeing the unkind looks on their faces, Qara got defensive. "Look, I don't need the land or the gods to use magic. I've got my own. But my magic is not about playing nurse, it's about real power. So, if you want someone to take care of that scratch, you'd better go to a temple or something."

Grobnar jumped into the discussion at that point. "What I think she means to say, Mr. Colonel, sir, is that healing is done with divine magic. Wizards and sorcerers use arcane magic. It's a lot like pine cones and poisonous mushrooms: Both grow in the forest, but you can only eat one of them." Jack boggled at that a bit, but the gnome continued on. "Druids, clerics, and even some bards know how to do healing magic, but sorcerers can't really do anything when you are injured. Well, they can turn you into a zombie, but that's not exactly the same thing." Grobnar continued on, "I had a few potions of healing that would have done the trick, but I gave mine to Miss Tamil. She said she keeps all the gear for our party."

"Colonel O'Neal, you should check in with Tamil, Elanee, and Khelgar. If they are finished with the dwarf's business they can return quickly and heal you," Teal'c said gravely.

Jack radioed back to Tamil. The trio had apparently had success helping the Ironfist clan of dwarves reclaim their ancestral home from some monstrous types of beings. When Jack told her he'd taken an arrow, she let him know they were coming to rejoin them and was bringing the healing supplies.

"Oh, hells! I'm sorry, Jack! I should have thought to divide up the healing potions with you. We should be able to get to you shortly, don't try and go on until we reach you, just find a concealed place until we arrive. I'm sure Elanee will be able to track your path back. Over. Is that right? I'm supposed to say 'over,' right?"

After the quick conversation Jack looked at the small camp the orcs had ambushed them from. Unfortunately, it was definitely too exposed. They'd need to head back out a bit down the trail they had followed in and find a place to…

That was when the wolf Grobnar had summoned caught the scent of more of the orcs and charged after them. "Wait! No, Whitepaws! Don't go chasing after the bad orcs!" The gnome chased after the wolf who was running straight for the orcs that were waiting just a little further up the trail.

"Oh, hell," Jack sighed and the rest of the group dashed after them.

What happened next was chaos of a sort Jack hated, the kind that got people killed. Jack took up a position where he could get a good shot at the incoming orcs and started firing. Teal'c and Qara followed him around the outcropping of stone. The girl started gesturing, her eyes intent on a cluster of archers. Teal'c ran forward to get within range to use his staff weapon. Grobnar was shooting arrows into the orcs who were slashing and stabbing at the wolf.

That was when another group of orcs appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Jack felt as if his arm were on fire as an orcish ax ripped through it, and he dropped the zat to the ground. Jack tried to turn, tried to pull out the knife he kept sheathed at his legs, but everything was going in slow motion for him. Then he felt something sharp and jagged being thrust through his back and stomach. He saw the bloody point coming out his front and knew immediately that he was mortally wounded. That was a bad thing when there were no Gou'ald sarcophagi, magic potions, or druids around.

Elanee hurried down the path in a way that usually she would consider reckless. Her sharp senses and carefully honed survival instincts might allow her to avoid an orcish ambush, but if so that would be in spite of the group's pace, not because of proper caution. The group's natural leader, Tamil Farlong, was as worried as Elanee had ever seen her. So, the druidess rushed forward following the obvious signs of passage her quarry had left behind for the sake of the girl from West Harbor.

Elanee had watched over Tamil ever since before she was even born, a fact that had recently been revealed at Sky Mirror during the conversation with the druid elder. Initially, Elanee had been sent by the Circle of the Mere to observe the conflict there and report back the outcome. What she had seen was a strange battle involving frightful creatures and equally unnerving arcane magics. Then in an explosive climax, Elanee witnessed the death of Tamil's mother, who died shielding the child from the worst of the devastation.

Unfortunately, the child was not completely protected and was nearly fatally injured herself. Only the quick ministrations of the local priest of Lathandar as well as that of Daeghun Farlong, who would become Tamil's guardian, saved the child from an early death. Those actions of devotion and communal unity drew Elanee to the town of West Harbor time and time again, the young druidess spending as much time watching and observing the growth of the young woman as watching over the swamplands in the druid circle's care.

Now the young West Harbor bard was fearful that her lack of foresight might lead to death or disaster for others, and Elanee had no desire to see the young girl have to deal with that sort of emotional burden. So, she let the pace exceed what was normally prudent in the hopes of arriving before something could go amiss. When they reached an area that showed signs of a lot of traffic, she slowed the pace down and looked for signs where the other four members of their party might have turned to set up a camp. She wasn't disappointed and soon noticed a trail that few orcs could spot, but was simple enough for her to make out.

The camp was a fair distance from what was apparently the approach to a major orc lair, obscured by a break in the rocks. Elanee nodded approval of the location, easy enough to hide in, but not too easy to surround, and still defensible. Tamil was obviously relieved. The human sorceress, the gnome, and the powerfully built Jaffa were sitting together in front of a tent.

Those in the camp first heard Khelgar's approach which set them on their feet. Soon, though, they relaxed when they noticed it was the dwarf, elf, and bard returning. Despite their relief at the return of the rest of the party, there was still an odd feeling to the camp.

Tamil looked around the camp quizzically. "Where's Jack?"

A moment later, the Earth soldier emerged from the small tent. "Right here. Just taking a quick nap."

Elanee moved to examine Jack's wounds. His camouflage uniform had a tear over his right arm and a giant rent in both the back and front. However, the man himself apparently didn't have a single scratch on him.

"Yeah, I know. I'm fine. Thanks to Teal'c."

Then he saw the colonel fall, just as a burst of flame spread outwards from the human girl. None of the orcs near her or by Jack survived the blast. But it was too late. Jack was already down.

There were still several of the pig snouted brutes standing, though, and Teal'c simply did not have time to stand around trading plasma blasts from his staff with them and their arrows. The big man dropped the Ma'tok staff weapon and swiveled the P-90 machine pistol he had strapped behind his back around to fire on those still standing. A primal scream of rage erupted from the former Jaffa as the report from the firearm burst like bottled thunder and an arc of lead flew out to cut the orcs to bloody messes.

Qara had seen the Gou'ald weapons firing before and hadn't been overly impressed. She could do that much damage and more with some of her spells. The FN P-90 was something else entirely. While the 5.7x28mm rounds individually were far less lethal than fireballs or plasma blasts, the fact that on full auto the weapons fired 15 rounds in a second was impressive. Teal'c rotated and shot the orcs in the other direction before they recovered enough from their shock to even be able to flee in terror. The sorceress viewed the weapons with much greater respect.

For Teal'c, though, there was no other thought other than getting to his friend's side. He sprinted over to the fallen soldier. What he saw only confirmed what he had seen earlier. Jack was bleeding from a wound that would surely leave him dead. Nothing short of a miracle would be able to save the man he had fought beside these past few years, the man who he had come to trust and think of as family.

In his anguish, Teal'c wanted nothing more than to find some way, any way, to make this not be true. The dark, gold-tinged jaffa looked up to the sky to demand an answer as to why this had to happen. In his anguish, he put a name to his importuning.

"Oh, Tyr, Even-handed! They say that you are a god of justice! That you are a champion of right!" Teal'c raised his hands up towards the heavens. "If this is so, if you are truly a god of justice, if you are truly good and not a false god, as my former masters were, then show me your justice! Save the life of this just man and I will know that you are a god worthy of serving!"

No sooner than Teal'c finished speaking than an answer of thunder rolled out across then cloudless sky, and then a brilliant column of light descended from the heavens. The Jaffa felt a presence penetrate though his mind and heart, an intellect that was vast and a will much greater than his own. He knew in that moment that all his thoughts and all his deeds were open to this power, that there was no way to hide anything from it. Then he heard its voice in his mind:

'Teal'c of the world of Chulak, of the world of Earth, I judge you worthy. You are worthy, but you are not yet pure. Is it the desire of your heart that I purify you?' He knew the answer in his heart to be yes, he could not deny it even if he had wished it. 'Then so be it.'

Teal'c was filled completely with light, illuminating every particle of his being. Then he felt a severing with something that was dark and impure. He was bathed in brilliant warmth.

Then the light was gone. But there was left a sense of wholeness and certainty, that he knew himself and the choices he would make. Most importantly, though, there was also left a very shaken, but very much alive Colonel Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neal. His wounds were fully healed.

"No, Colonel O'Neal," Teal'c corrected, "it was Tyr who saved you."

Jack shrugged and then deadpanned, "You, Tyr, some Ancient yet to reveal himself, or Puff the Magic Dragon. Not sure who is responsible, but one thing is certainly clear: I lead a charmed life."

Tamil grinned fully. "I'm totally jealous of Grobnar now. He was there to experience all the excitement firsthand. He's got to have come up with some amazing song based on what happened. I bet in his version, Tyr appears in the form of the Wendersnaven or something!"

The knowing smile that played on Grobnar's face was the closest the kindhearted gnome ever came to a smirk. Then he noticed something about Teal'c he had not seen before. "Um, Mr. Teal'c? Didn't you used to have gold markings on your head that looked something like rams horns surrounded by a circle?"

Teal'c nodded.

"Well, now the picture is different. Looks like a set of balancing scales on top of a giant hammer."

Teal'c turned towards the rest of the group for confirmation. It was true. Where once there had been the mark of Apophis's First Prime on Teal'c's shaven head, carved into the bone and filled with molten gold, now the symbol of Tyr, the Maimed God, appeared in its place. Teal'c raised his hand to his forehead to feel it. To his surprise, his forehead was completely smooth.

Jack came up to the towering man who let him inspect his head. Jack put his fingers over the mark and was surprised to feel a warmth to it. He could not feel where the Chulakian's natural skin ended and the mark on his head began. The mark was part of Teal'c's skin. "It's like, an incredibly, incredibly good tattoo."

Tamil shook her head. "That's no tattoo. It's the mark of a god." Tamil looked with wide, awe-filled eyes. "It's a mark that you are highly favored by Tyr."

Jack nodded. "Figures. Teal'c is one of the most experienced around at being chosen and favored by different gods."

Teal'c shook his head. "This is something different, O'Neal. When I threw off my enslavement to Apophis I vowed to never again serve another's will as I did then. But when I saw your life being taken and when I thought of the words of the priests of Tyr, I resolved that if Tyr really is a just being and could truly save you, then I would serve him." Teal'c paused. "A month ago I would have thought such a vow a betrayal of all I had fought for. Even as I decided that if I could save you by serving another, I would, I doubted if my course were right. But in the moment when Tyr touched me, while he was healing you, I could feel the rightness and justice of Tyr. Just as I know you and have faith in you, Colonel Jack O'Neal, I know and can have faith in Tyr."

Jack looked at his friend, "Well, I can tell you one thing. You sure traded up. And, that," Jack gestured to the mark on Teal'c's forehead, "looks totally badass."

"Thank you, O'Neal."

With that, the soldier pulled out a pair of binoculars. "Now, let's scout that cave out and figure out how to get in and find the emissary."

The assault on the Bonegnasher lair was delayed by a rockslide. Jack thought it prudent to scout around the path away from the lair to avoid getting outflanked by any orcs behind their position before dealing with the blockage. He was not surprised to find another orc patrol on the road around the corner the other direction. He was surprised to find the massive green-skinned troll who charged in and started dismembering and then eating the orcs. Jack was even more surprised when the monstrosity ran straight through the blast from his zat when the troll finished with the orcs and came after him and the rest of the party.

Khelgar, however, was ready for that and charged in to face it. The burly dwarf dodged the monster's swipe and cracked it in the knees with his axe. The beast howled in pain and tried in vain to strike the wily Ironfist. Dwarves had long been fighting such creatures and were taught from an early age how to make their small stature an advantage rather than a disadvantage against much larger opponents. It was infuriating for the larger creatures, but fun for the dwarves. That is, when they didn't make a mistake and end up getting squashed.

With that height differential between his ally and enemy, Jack had no trouble zatting the creature again. And again. He was surprised that even the third shot, which would normally disintegrate something even of that size, had almost no effect. When Khelgar and Tamil dropped the creature, only to watch its wounds begin to regenerate, Colonel O'Neal shook his head wearily.

"Whoever taught this guy to get up when you fall did a hell of a job. Seriously, what does it take to kill this thing?" Jack asked. Qara stepped forward and pointed her hand at the creature and a gout of flame leapt out to engulf it. The troll finally stopped struggling to rise and its wounds no longer continued to knit together. "Ok, so it takes a bratty teenage pyromaniac to kill it. Lucky we have one of those."

Qara shot Jack a dark look. Jack responded with one of his quick smiles that seemed to say, "I'm not smiling with you, I'm smiling at you." Qara continued to glower.

The group continued down the same path and met several more trolls, though luckily only one at a time. Rather than use the ineffective zat, Jack pulled out his Beretta M9. When the first one charged at an expectant Khelgar, Jack got a clear shot and drilled the monster right between its grotesque eyes. The creature dropped to the ground. When Jack and the rest approached to see his handiwork they saw the tissue around the head wound slowly starting to close up. Teal'c aimed his staff weapon at the creature and fired a plasma burst into it point blank. Charred troll splattered all over the rocks, the flesh still sizzling. Jack gave a nod to his friend.

After that, when the huge green-skinned creatures charged, Jack would hit the monster center-mass with the 9mm while Grobnar, Elanee and Qara contributed arrows and bolts from their bows. Khelgar and Tamil would charge in with their axes and blades and disable it before Teal'c could get in range with the Ma'tok staff weapon to finish it.

Eventually, they found a cave with more trolls inside. Despite some of these creatures being even larger than those they encountered outside the cave, the same tactics still worked and the party cleared the cave with Tamil and Khelgar getting little more than scratches. That was when they found the box of blastglobes.

"We'll take these back to Carter. I'm guessing she'll be able to do something with them." Noting Grobnar's interest in the alchemical explosives Jack added, pointing to the gnome, "I think that's a better idea than giving 'em to him."

Having thoroughly scouted the area behind the blocked approach to the lair, Jack was satisfied they could proceed with the assault. Jack rigged the rocks blocking the path into the Bonegnasher lair with charges of C-4 he had in his pack. The explosion blew an opening in the rocks and the party moved forward.

Khelgar would remember what followed with great frustration. Jack instructed him to stay back and the dwarf obliged, expecting to be sent in charging when the time was right. But then Jack and Teal'c just stood behind the rock wall and fired on the beastly orcs with the zat and staff weapon from cover. Despite the staff weapon's inaccuracy and limited range, the explosive plasma charges sent the orcs running away or charging into Jack's fire, each discharge of the zat'nik'tel dropping an orc to the ground in pain. When Teal'c was able hit his opponent, they were simply blown apart beside their gaping comrades. The dwarf had to admit this was a devastatingly effective method for killing the hated and hateful creatures, but it took all the fun out of it for him. Even if he could have been the one blasting them away with energy weapons, he would still have preferred to have done it with his axe.

When they got to the actual lair, it was pretty much the same. Teal'c and Jack would fire on the hapless orcs from doorways and around corners. Occasionally orcs would manage to make it all the way to the group, sometimes emerging from nearby passageways unexpectedly, but these were perhaps the least lucky of all. Khelgar took all his frustration at being held back out on these poor creatures, who fell just as dead and just as quickly.

Seeing the effectiveness of SG-1's appropriated Gou'ald weapons in this sort of raid and against these opponents, Tamil switched to her bow, joining Elanee and Grobnar in peppering any oncoming orcs not yet targeted by Jack or Teal'c with arrows. Qara was eager to release her magical powers at the creatures, but found few real opportunities. A couple times she was able to make a first strike, blasting large groups of the monstrous humanoids with powerful balls of fire, but mostly she was reduced to firing the occasional crossbow bolt while waiting for the zat'nik'tel to disable them all.

But then suddenly everything almost fell apart. The group came around a corner when a large group of orcs appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Startled, Jack barely had time to fire a single shot from his zat before the orcs were upon them. Teal'c was forced to use his Ma'tok staff for melee as the combat was too close for him to extend it to fire. Jack rolled away from an attacking orc and came up with his zat holstered and his long knife in hand.

The initial combat would have been disastrous for the group if it had not been for magical protections. Just before entering the cave, Tamil had instructed the druid and sorceress to put some basic defensive enchantments on the mixed group, with priority going to those without any armor. Elanee had touched Jack, Teal'c, Qara, Khelgar, and Grobnar speaking the words of her spell as if she were importuning something greater than herself. Their skin had grown hard, like the bark of an oak tree. Qara, in turn, had muttered several incantations and a translucent field of energy shimmered into being around those she had touched. She had also cast another spell on herself, creating a barely visible bubble of force around her, but explained that this shield could not be cast on another.

Jack had seen these magical protections before, though he had never had the mage armor cast on him and still felt very strange about the barkskin spell turning him into a walking tree. He had been about to make a joke involving the word Noxema when Teal'c had surprised him. The big man was looking around oddly, as if seeing something that wasn't there. Then Teal'c chanted something himself and a golden light spread out from him in a wave of warmth. "The blessings of Tyr are upon this endeavor," he intoned gravely. Jack had felt something and he turned to regard his friend again.

Jack was grateful for these protections, and Tamil's foresight, as several blows from orcish blades bounced off the magical armor or deflected off his rough, enchanted skin without doing any damage. He even felt lucky as he fought back with his long knife, his blade sliding past theirs with a grace that he was sure was just a little better than what he could normally achieve. He was taking a few nicks and rough blows, but those daily practice sessions with Neeshka, Tamil, and Khelgar were paying off.

It also helped that despite their different approaches to music, Tamil and Grobnar were able to blend their tunes into something even more harmonious and inspirational than their individual music. Their singing and chanting bolstered the morale of every member of the party, especially in the midst of the chaos of the battle. With a grin at each other, the woman and the gnome broke out into even more powerful songs and chants. Tamil chanted a tune that covered the very skin of all her allies in a flexible coat of iron while Grobnar's tune was an eerie song that promised punishment and pain to their enemies.

Just as Jack and Teal'c were getting a handle on their situation, the last orcs they were facing about to fall, a door opened beside them and outpoured more of the evil creatures. One of the orcs chanted something and a giant boar appeared in the hallway to charge at the already engaged adventurers. That was when Qara got impatient.

A ball of fire flew through the air and exploded at the doorway. The explosion of heat and energy blasted apart some of the attacking monsters and injured many more. Unfortunately, it also damaged members of the party as well. Khelgar, being nearest to the door at the time, took the worst of it, only avoiding the full blast by raising his shield. Jack had also been dangerously close to the blast, but as he saw the attack coming he threw himself backwards and rolled away from the danger.

"What the hell was that?" Tamil screamed at the adolescent spellcaster. Qara just shot the furious brunette an uncaring look. Unfortunately, the explosion brought even more orcs to the area from all directions and the party was soon surrounded once again and in a now desperate fight. Tamil Farlong didn't have the chance to continue to scold her group member.

The explosion, though, had created a small crack in the ceiling. Elanee wasted no time calling on her own magic to aid them. Streaks of lightning poured into the room through the hole in the cavern roof, reaching out and selectively striking only the orcs. Those nearest to Jack and Teal'c were either slain by the electricity, or blasted enough that it was a simple matter for the pair to finish them.

That was all the room Jack needed. He pulled his FN P-90 around from where it had been strapped to his back and called ahead to Tamil to get down. Glancing back, she saw what was in Jack's hand and hit the floor, rolling away from the orcs. Jack aimed high and pulled the trigger, holding it for three quick bursts of fire. The bullets ripped through the orcs' armor like nothing they had ever seen before. They heard bursts of thunder and saw death. Those that remained fled. Teal'c turned his attention to the orcs in the other direction, his staff firing a plasma burst that blew to gooey chunks the entire upper-body of one that was causing Grobnar. Jack swiveled, switching the assault weapon from full-auto to semi-automatic, and quickly pulled the trigger again.

When the dust cleared, no orc was left standing in the hallway where the ambush had taken place. With the fighting over, Khelgar let out a groan and slumped against the nearest wall. "I could use a bit of healing over here," the stoic dwarf said matter-of-factly. He had severe burns from Qara's poorly planned fireball and multiple slashing wounds over his body, visible now that the ironskin enchantment had expired and his skin had returned to normal.

Elanee moved to attend the dwarf, but Teal'c was there first. He laid his hand on the dwarf and spoke words that flowed into his mind from the same connection he had felt when he had saved Jack. Khelgar was immediately much, much better. The burns had disappeared completely and most of the wounds he had taken had closed, though they still were not fully healed.

Teal'c looked at the dwarf with some surprise. "Why are you not fully healed as Colonel O'Neal was?"

Elanee looked at Teal'c questioningly. "You healed Jack from a mortal wound with a single spell? That is very powerful magic, Teal'c. Usually it would take a healer several castings to fully restore someone on the brink of death, as you can see with Khelgar."

Teal'c pondered her words for a moment, then cast another healing spell, this time releasing less magic. The wounds improved dramatically anyway, but were not completely gone. The former Jaffa raised one eybrow. "It seems I was given a special gift from Tyr for O'Neal's sake. I was not aware before that there were different degrees of healing." Teal'c regarded the dwarf for a second. "I shall endeavor to restore your body completely."

Khelgar shook his head and jumped up, flexing his arms and rotating his head around. "No need, Teal'c. I feel good as gold. Ye' have my thanks. Now, lets go bust the rest of those orcs' heads!"

"Wait, Teal'c, you mean you did not ask Tyr for specific spells to cast? You just used the magic you thought of without praying for those spells the night before?" Elanee asked.

Teal'c shook his head. "I did not know I was supposed to. However, if that is how the Even-handed wishes me to do, then I will do so."

Elanee shook her head in response. "No, Teal'c. It seems you have a special connection to a very powerful and benevolent deity. There are druids like this as well who have a direct link to the land and do not need to pray to a nature deity for nature magic as I must do. Druids who can do this are called shamans. I had not heard of a cleric equivalent except in legends. It must be extremely rare."

Qara snorted. "Well, I don't need to pray to anyone to have power. And I don't need any god or tree to power my magic. It's all my own. So if—"

The red-headed mage's arrogant speech was interrupted by a hand to her throat. Despite Qara's still active shield spell and mage armor, Tamil Farlong had managed to grab her and shove her up against the cave wall. The bard's bright green eyes veritably shone with fury.

"I don't care where your power comes from, or how much of it you have, Qara." In a show of strength, the girl from West Harbor lifted the Neverwinter sorceress off the ground with one arm. "If you ever endanger the lives of my friends again you will pay for your stupidity in blood."

Qara had tried to struggle, but in vain. When Tamil released her, she sunk to the ground gasping. Qara stood up with a spell on her lips, but found a sword at her throat in response.

"Don't," came Tamil's terse warning. Seeing nobody in the party coming to her defense, Qara turned her head away in defiance, but made no further move to attack.

"Alright, come on now, we need to keep moving," Jack said, breaking the brief silence. "The girl was an idiot for shooting that… whatever it was off when she did, and she was stupid for shooting her mouth off just then. But we came in as a team and we'll go back out as a team."

Tamil lowered her blade. "Don't attempt to cast a spell on me and I won't turn my blade on you, Qara. You have your weapons. I have mine." The dark haired woman pulled back for a second, then added, "Let's just make sure we hit the orcs with them, not each other."

Between Elanee and Teal'c the rest of the party was quickly healed of the comparatively minor wounds they had taken. As they went through the remainder of the caves looking for the Waterdeep emissary with the zat and staff weapon clearing the way, they came upon a half-orc mining chief and his crew locked in a prison. A blast from Teal'c's staff later and they were free, about to run off to the outside.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah!" Jack held them up. "Before you run off, can you tell me if you've seen any sign of other human…ish prisoners? Maybe from Waterdeep?"

The miner, named Pentin, gave a quick response before urging his men to make a break for the surface. "Prisoner? No, Yasoig doesn't usually let people live. My crew was spared because I'm a half-breed, but there's no telling what he was planning to do with us. There was another human here, but when I yelled at him to let us out he just laughed." He nodded at the group. "Now, if you don't mind... OK, men, I said MOVE!"

The rest of the orc cave was simple easily cleared with Jack zatting and Teal'c blasting. When they finally confronted Chief Yasoig, however, there was a little concern. The beastly orc spoke Common.

There was no question that the orcs were typically the aggressors in the conflict with Neverwinter. But the fact that they were intelligent and were organized with their own governmental system through Jack a serious political problem. SG-1 was not authorized to take sides or interfere with any conflict between sovereign groups, or even between differing factions, for that matter. Joining the assault on the orcs would definitely be a big no-no if they had have had a chance to repot to General Hammond before going.

Teal'c, however, pointed out some key issues that helped settle the matter—at least as far as Jack was concerned. First, orcs were inherently evil. Teal'c had read as much in the religious writings he had received from the temple of Tyr. In their entry on Gruumsh, patron deity of the orcs, there was some comment on orcs and gnolls stating that while there were a small minority who did not develop into creatures of evil, most were quickly slain for being "weak" and it was incredibly unlikely that a person would kill an innocent one. Orcs were like really dumb, pig-faced Gou'ald minus all the technology, symbiotes, glowing eyes—actually, they weren't really like Gou'ald except that most of them deserved to be killed without hesitation.

Second, SG-1 had been stranded on this world for a few months with a very strong possibility that they would not be able to return. Standing orders for a stranded team on a world inhabited by humans, without means to return, were to blend in with the local populace and not cause disruption to the culture. Blending into the city of Neverwinter by assisting Tamil and the City Watch was in keeping with those orders. Fighting orcs was something the people were already doing, and the orcs had no knowledge of the existence of Earth.

Yasoig begged for his life, hoping to flee. Jack just zatted him.

When the group found a lone human in a fairly comfortable chamber behind the orc chieftain's room with no bars and a door out, they were suspicious. When he tried to pass himself off as the Waterdeep Emissary, Teal'c instinctively knew he was lying. When the man tried to cast a spell, Jack zatted him, too.

On the way back to Old Owl Well, Tamil chuckled to herself. Without Jack they probably would have just killed everybody and had nobody to question about the where the emissary really was.

Commander Callum was startled when the group returned with Yasoig Bonegnasher and the fake emissary. When he learned that the party had single-handedly smashed Yasoig's tribe, he was even more impressed. As a member of the Nine, he knew the sort of skill that would be required to accomplish a feat like that and the Neverwinter dwarf envied Khelgar's place in the party.

Tamil approached the captured emissary with a smile on her face. The man sneered in response. "Come to torture me? Go ahead, do your best. Do with me as you like. I've seen through much worse before, I assure you. You'll get nothing from me."

"Torture you?" the beautiful bard asked innocently. "Why, dear friend, I why would I want to do such a thing to you? No, dear, dear, man." Tamil pulled her lute out and began to play a lovely tune. "I haven't come to hurt you. I've come to entertain you."

On some level Olov knew what she was doing. But the music and her voice were just too enchanting, and when she began to cast her charm spell, his resistance to its effects had dulled to the point that he readily succumbed. Then the information about the conspiracy between the priests of shadow, the orc tribes, and Olov's master from Luskan poured out of him. The purpose of the plan was to completely break the will of the Waterdeep emissary and then use him to prevent any aid from reaching Neverwinter from the Lord's Alliance.

Yasoig did not even need to be charmed to give up his information. He was more than willing to trade the location of the Eyegouger lair for his release. He made an attempt at subterfuge, but Teal'c knew immediately when the orc chief lied. Not only did the older, more experienced orc give up the path to Logram Eyegouger's base, he revealed the secret underground entrance the shadow priests were using.

As the greycloaks at Old Owl Well began mustering for the upcoming raid, Jack approached Tamil to talk. "Good work there with the interrogation. It would probably be outlawed back where I'm from, but it worked like a… well, nevermind." Tamil nodded, and Jack continued. "So, when are you going to cut the sorceress loose?"

Tamil looked at the colonel questioningly. "What do you mean? I know I was angry with her, but we all got out of there in one piece and I don't think she'll make the mistake of accidentally hitting us with a fireball again."

"You're right. Next time she hits us with a fireball it won't be an accident."

The bard frowned. She wanted to argue, but knew Jack was right. The girl had a temper and never was suited to working together with others. And knowing how the girl treated people who held her back or threatened her, Qara was likely to turn against them. "So, what do you suggest?"

"Give her a generous share of the treasure we've collected. Tell her she won't need to go back to the Sunken Flagon, we'll handle her debt to Duncan—not like the gold wouldn't have been more than enough, anyway. Suggest she avoid her enemies back in Neverwinter and make a new start somewhere else. The treasure should get her to another city and set her up," Colonel O'Neal offered. Tamil nodded in agreement.

The group, minus an indignant Qara the fire-loving sorceress, started off towards Logram Eyegouger's secret lair entrance when they were interrupted by an orc raiding party heading towards Old Owl Well. The orcs were just being finished off when reinforcements arrived from a hill above. However, these new arrivals were in turn ambushed by another group led by what appeared to be an armored man wielding a hammer.

"Hey! Those are our orcs!" Khelgar exclaimed indignantly.

The second contingent of orcs was smashed between the two forces. In less than a minute not a single one of the brutes remained standing. The leader of the other force approached and asked what they were doing in the mountains.

"We could ask you the same thing," Jack responded, "but I think we both know what you're up to." After that Jack introduced the group and explained their intended rescue of the Waterdeep emissary.

The man introduced himself as Casavir, a paladin of Tyr, and expressed his shock that the orcs had actually attacked a well guarded person like the emissary. Then he noticed the holy symbol on Teal'c's forehead. "Tell me, Sir Teal'c, how is it you come to have the symbol of the Maimed God upon your head?" After a brief explanation, Casavir became immediately impressed with the group and wanted to join them.

"I believe this is a sign from Tyr that I should join you. We cross paths while you are seeking Logram when I can tell you how to reach his lair." The paladin's eyes rose slightly towards the heavens as he spoke.

"Actually, we already know the way." Jack pulled out the map Yasoig had drawn and indicated the front entrance. "And we're not going that way. There's a small force of greycloaks that are going to attack there to draw their attention. We're going," Jack indicated a secret trail that skirted the camp's defense, "in through the back door."

"Still, I would be honored to join you for the opportunity to take the fight to the enemy. But, I will need to take a spot from one of you to do so," Casavir said.

"What?" Jack looked quizzically at Casavir.

"One of your group must remain behind so that I might join," the paladin explained.

"And, why?" Colonel O'Neal asked, raising one eyebrow.

After a few seconds of contemplation, the knight could not think of a good reason. So, he joined them anyway. Casavir immediately struck up a conversation with Teal'c. It was very reserved.

When the group arrived at the rock-face that hid the secret entrance to the Eyegouger lair, Jack prepared the C-4. After checking his watch to make sure the greycloaks had begun their diversionary assault, he detonated the explosives and then followed that up with a smoke grenade.

Logram and the shadow priests never knew what hit them.

"Um, Teal'c, I can't help but notice… that isn't the symbol of Apophis on your forehead anymore. And it's blue now…" Daniel remarked to the former Jaffa after greeting him as he walked through the door of the inn. Sam's attention was also immediately drawn to her teammate and friend's altered appearance.

"That is correct, Daniel Jackson," came Tealc's immediate reply.

Jack, following the bigger man into the inn, elaborated in a slightly enigmatic way. "Yeah, Teal'c here has become a holy man." Teal'c nodded in acknowledgement as the colonel continued, "and in the process prevented me from becoming a holey corpse." Jack pointed to the massive rips on the front and back of his uniform where he had been impaled.

Daniel raised a finger in the air to begin speaking, but as he opened his mouth, words failed him. He closed his mouth, lowered his finger, and lowered his eyebrows in consternation. He couldn't even fathom the question he should be asking. How did Teal'c go off with Jack to find an emissary and come back some kind of priest for a local god?

Samantha Carter was equally astounded. She immediately insisted on inspecting Teal'c. It took her about five seconds to find something odd. It took twice as long for her to make a shocked face, look up and talk to Teal'c about it. "Teal'c, your symbiote pouch is gone." When Teal'c simply agreed, she repeated herself for emphasis. "Your symbiote pouch is GONE."

"Yes, Dr. Carter. When I was given the power to save O'Neal's life by Tyr the Even-handed, he also cleansed me of the taint of the Gou'ald." That comment sparked off questions and concerns about his health. The symbiote had been serving as Teal'c's immune system, as symbiotes did for all Jaffa. Without it he would quickly succumb to sickness and have no means to fight off any sort of infection. Teal'c forestalled their worries. "I too would indeed have worried, if it were not for my trust in Tyr. And my faith has not been misplaced. Since my cleansing I have not fallen ill. In fact, I have noticed that the minor wounds I have sustained in combat have closed and healed on their own faster than previously."

After more questions, mostly originating from Dr. Carter, conversation finally shifted to discuss the mission. Before the debriefing actually started, though, Daniel thought to ask where Tamil and the rest of the party had gone. Only Teal'c and Jack had returned to the Flagon together. There was some worrying as to the well-being of their new friends.

"Eh, believe it or not, our group has actually grown by one. We were joined by a couple more of the locals, you'll meet them later. But we had to ask Qara to leave." Jack explained how the sorceress had been reckless in her magical attacks and how her attitude had not improved in the least.

"Good riddance," Neeshka chimed in from a table where she was drinking some of the house ale.

Jack gave her a nod of agreement. "When we got back to Neverwinter, Captain Brelaina immediately assigned Tamil to help the Harbor Master deal with a ship that just got into port. Apparently it's from some place called 'Luskan' and the captain is afraid that the ship will resist authority when they are turned away. I'm not sure as to the why, but…"

Overhearing the conversation, Tamil's foster "uncle" decided to fill in some details. "Oh, I can tell you why they aren't welcome, alright. Luskan," Duncan's smooth face crinkled with disgust as he said the name, "is largely responsible for the present ills of Neverwinter. Just as the city was recovering from a wretched plague, the city of Luskan attacked us, trying to put Neverwinter under their control. Rumor was that they were working with the very ones responsible for the plague in the first place.

"Now we're recovering from that war, but it is still affecting things," the innkeeper continued. "I'd wager ya noticed a surplus of thieves and bandits since you've been here. Part of that is because the cost of rebuilding takes money away from the Watch. But another part of it is that the war thrust a lot of men into the role of soldiers. They got experience fighting and using a blade, and then suddenly it's all over and these men are sent back to ruined houses, destroyed farms, and broken dreams. Without the availability of honest work, it's no wonder a good number of them turned to the gangs. And even now the Luskans are still trying to put people back in the city to undermine us or to serve as spies."

SG-1 certainly couldn't fault Neverwinter for not wanting more to do with Luskan. Sam, however, had something she wanted to show everyone. Luskan wasn't the only place that had shady dealings going on. Dr. Carter brought everyone into the back rooms where she had some video footage to play.

"Take a look at this."

A well dressed, dark-skinned man sat behind a comfortable desk. From the angle of the camera, it was clear that the office was well-appointed. It looked much like a fairly wealthy merchant's house would appear. Then there was a knock, and a woman in a hooded cloak was shown into the room by some burly men. The woman sat down and waited for the men to leave before she removed her hood. It was Captain Brelaina.

"Thank you for coming, Captain," the man said.

Brelaina frowned. "Let's skip the pleasantries, Axle. What is it that you want? I had half a mind to ignore your 'summons' and insist you come into my office to have this chat."

The camera didn't show the man's face, but he leaned forward and his tone became slightly menacing. "Let's not get testy here, Captain Brelaina. You and I both know neither of us wants our dealings to come to the attention of your higher-ups. Were I somehow to be arrested, the bribes I paid to ensure your promotion and placement in the position you now enjoy would be brought to Lord Nasher's attention. We're in the same boat, you and I. Let's not rock it."

The City Watch Captain grumbled. "Do not think to threaten me, Devrie. Your cushy position here in the Merchant's Quarter with its convenient river access could be taken away much easier than my rank in the Watch. I would not need to expose your direct criminal activity to make things difficult for you."

Axle's response was more placating. "Captain, please, I called this meeting to smooth over our misunderstandings. Not to antagonize you. I have no intention of giving up your valuable contact or of embarrassing either of us."

"Arresting your lieutenant, Moire, was no misunderstanding, Axle. You let her and your men loose on the city and it was all I could do to reign in the Watch so that you were not destroyed along with her." Brelaina's voice was cool and controlled. "I did my best to curb the purging of your informants and influence, but the proof my new recruit brought back was undeniable. My hands were tied."

Axle sat back in his chair. "That issue is not the matter. In fact, the miscommunication was that you thought Moire was acting under my instructions when she performed her more brutal actions. The fact of the matter is she went against my instructions when I ordered her to handle things with delicacy. As capable of an enforcer as Moire was, she lacked the finesse of your Lieutenant Farlong and her stranger friends."

Captain Brelaina smirked, but seemed obviously mollified. "Yes, my new recruits have strengthened the position of the Watch throughout the city… at your expense. So, what do you propose now?"

Axle clearly didn't like how the conversation had gone, but really had no easy way to steer things back to a position of power. "I need… some favors from you. You are right that you have greatly weakened my position. All the sources and informants I had within the Watch are closed to me now, save for my most valuable one—yourself. Without the sort of power I had before, though, my influence on the street is no stronger than any gang with knives. I need you to help me put some men in position to look the other way at the right times."

"And in return you will continue to keep the worst of the chaos from spilling over to where it does not belong?" Captain Brelaina stood up and pulled up her hood. "I'll get back to you on this. Have one of your boys get picked up for something minor and sent to me." She walked out of the room.

Breaking the silence, Daniel said, "The good news is that now we have a pretty sure way of getting all of us into Blacklake. We'll get to see the more detailed records in the archives that will hopefully reveal the location of the Stargate. And Tamil can get to see the sage about the pieces of silver he needs examined."

"And we can get the tin man a heart and the scarecrow a brain, yada, yada," Jack deadpanned. Teal'c and Neeshka, understandably, didn't get the humor. Daniel and Sam did, unfortunately and let out a groan, though Sam smiled.

Sam needlessly explained that the video feed was setup before Moire's arrest and death while following one of her bodyguards who was unknowingly carrying a tracking device. Axle's place had been a difficult house to bug, but obviously well worth the effort. Captain Brelaina had obviously thought the surveillance had stopped with Moire's capture, or perhaps she just had not realized that the team had managed to penetrate to Axle Devrie's hideout.

A few minutes later, Tamil Farlong walked into the inn muttering about Luskan idiots. She had a few cuts and burns on her which she waved away as minor when she was asked about them. She was followed by Khelgar and Elanee, and then Casavir and Grobnar entered the inn last. After everyone played a brief game of "let's share back stories" and introductions were taken care of, Major Carter brought Tamil back into the room set up for video monitoring and showed her the surveillance footage.

Tamil whistled. "Well, that her reluctance to arrest corrupt watchmen before we showed her the video evidence." The bard looked to Jack. "What do you suggest we do with this? Find a member of the Nine?"

Jack shook his head. "No, I think the captain deserves to at least be confronted by us about this before we go over her head. But when we ask her about Blacklake this time, we don't take 'no' for an answer."

When Tamil and SG-1 came into Captain Brelaina's office and asked to speak to her alone, she asked what the matter was about. When Jack dropped a subtle hint about a house with access to Neverwinter River, she ordered Marshal Cormick to leave. When Sam played part of the audio between her and Axle, the watch captain's calm expression and self-assurance were replaced by paleness and anxiety.

"So, before we turn this over to the Nine or Lord Nasher, is there something you'd like to say?" Tamil asked with a voice that sounded like a honey coating on a poisoned dart.

Captain Brelaina took a few moments before responding. Her demeanor became a mix of embarrassment and resolve. "Look, I know this doesn't look good. And it isn't good. But it is not as bad as it appears. Yes, I admit I do have an arrangement with Axle Devrie, and I know he's connected to the Neverwinter's underworld. But he doesn't own me." Hearing that the watch officer wasn't attempting to hide anything, SG-1 and Tamil were a bit heartened, despite having seen her in what was obvious corruption.

"When I first got involved with Axle, I was a lieutenant in the Watch and I thought he was just one the many wealthy merchants in Neverwinter who wanted to play politics. It started out with him doing favors for me, eventually resulting in getting me promoted to captain. I didn't even realize Axle was connected to crime until he demonstrated that he could put an end to some embarrassing robberies in the Merchant Quarter that the Watch had been unable to handle. Eventually it became clear that he expected me to allow the watch to be infiltrated and for me to look the other way on bribed patrolmen. In return, I was promised that he would keep things from getting out of hand.

"I know it was against the oath I took to uphold the laws of Neverwinter. But I went along with it because I knew the only way to keep crime from getting out of hand was to have a criminal leader who could control things. I knew Axle did not want to destroy Neverwinter. And I made double sure that he was not involved with Luskan. I know I'm guilty of accepting bribes, but I swear that my loyalty is to Neverwinter, not to the thieves."

Teal'c turned to the rest of the group. "I sense no deception in her words. She believes the things she has said are true."

Jack gave Captain Brelaina a critical appraisal. "You sound a bit guilty to me." When the captain started to protest, he forestalled her. "Which is good. Because if you sounded like you didn't feel guilty at all I'd have to think you didn't really care about the oath you made or serving Neverwinter. And if you sounded a lot guilty then it would be hard to believe the story you just told all of us."

"So, now what?" she asked.

"Now, we do things our way. And if you do things our way, by the time things are over you will have nothing to fear from anyone hearing or seeing what we have recorded. You'll continue serving Neverwinter and you'll have a clear conscience," Jack paused for a second. "But that doesn't mean we're not going to use this for a little blackmail. But all we're asking is for what you've already promised. Tamil needs to get into Blacklake to see someone, and Daniel here needs to see the Neverwinter archives.

"But more importantly, you're going to tell your commanding officer about Axle. You can still give Axle what he wants, within reason, but you're going to let him know that it will be on Neverwinter's terms, not his. Back where we're from we use criminals in much the same way as you planned, but it all has to be on record or things get messy. The men you let take bribes from Axle's people will need to be the ones you can trust to come and report it all to you, and you need to keep your superiors informed."

Captain Brelaina smiled, and then she went to her desk and pulled out some documents. "These are the signed orders allowing all of you access to Blacklake district. Despite some additional murders while you were away, I had already intended to let you in to the district. Originally I had planned to keep your visit on a tight leash, but in light of this… situation, I'll write a further note to your escort letting him know that you are in charge of the visit.

"However, before you make use of these documents, there is one more service I need to ask you to do for the Watch." When Tamil began to protest, Captain Brelaina shook her head and continued, "This is more of a personal assignment related to you, Tamil. When you first arrived in Neverwinter, you reported to Cormick that West Harbor had been attacked and that you had been repeatedly ambushed by an enemy on Neverwinter controlled lands. Correct?"

Tamil nodded and then the captain continued. "Recently, watchmen have reported sightings of creatures matching the descriptions you gave out at night in the streets of Neverwinter. From the looks of things, they are scouting the city to find you specifically, Lieutenant. They are apparently assassins. Under my orders, the infiltrators have not been stopped, but followed back to their hideout. Originally, I was going to turn over this matter to the Nine to handle as I did not think the Watch could deal with the threat without sustaining unacceptable losses. But with you returned and Commander Callum's report of your exploits against the orc tribes, I believe there is no one in the city better suited to dealing with the threat." Captain Brelaina paused to give Tamil a chance to digest all the information. "So, Lieutenant, will you handle this last assignment in service of Neverwinter before making your way to Blacklake?"

As beautiful as Tamil was normally, now she was just as frightening. When she thought of all the people in her village who were killed in the attack her blood ran cold. She looked the captain in the eye and pointed to the Watch's map.

"Just show me where they are," she said with vengeance in her eyes.

The house serving as the base for the creatures which had attacked Tamil's hometown and pursued her on the road to Neverwinter was unremarkable and easily overlooked. It appeared to be some sort of older boarding house near the warehouse district between the docks and the Merchant Quarter. Tamil, SG-1, and the other friends they had made on this adventure had passed that very house many times while working with the Neverwinter City Watch, thinking the building just another abandoned structure. Now they knew it housed those responsible for tragedy that tore at Tamil Farlong's heartstrings.

Neeshka was the first to the building, expertly disabling the locks on the front door. Tamil was the first through the door, followed by Khelgar, Jack O'Neal, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and then Neeshka bringing up the rear once the rest were through the doorway. Tamil hadn't asked the others to join up as this was not really their battle, aside from Elanee who was helping Casavir and Grobnar settle into the inn. The members of SG-1, Khelgar, and Neeshka had all been attacked by those minions who were once more trying to strike at their friend and so they had a stake in this operation. But that was nothing next to what Tamil Farlong felt as she entered the domain of her enemy.

The bard unsheathed her weapon, the Astral Blade taken from the bandit chief back at Fort Locke and prepared herself for the battle to come. Daniel took the opportunity to begin quietly chanting spells he had spent hours learning and then practicing. One by one he touched his friends, encasing them in a magical barrier that would turn aside attacks. When he finished with that he spoke an incantation and suddenly there were four Daniels standing next to each other, all moving in perfect synchronization. Jack looked at his long time friend and quirked his eyebrows. But when Samantha Carter started chanting and multiple images of her appeared around him, his jaw dropped.

"Aw come on! This is really getting ridiculous!" he said in mock complaint. "Carter, I thought you were opposed to the whole magic thing." On some level he really did feel he was being left out of things, but for the most part he was joking.

"I'm not fully convinced this isn't some kind of advanced technology, but I have to admit I have no idea really how I'm doing this without it being magic." Major Carter's voice came simultaneously from all the images so that Jack had no idea which was really her and which were just mirrored versions. "But in a situation like this, I'll take all the protection I can get."

In addition to the mage armor placed on everyone by the archeologist-turned-magician, Teal'c also invoked the blessing of Tyr on everyone present for more protection. Sam and Daniel added another magical shield for themselves each; ones Jack remembered Qara saying could only work on the person who made the spell. Tamil intoned a spell of her own and she was surrounded by an aura that made her seem to come into focus, as if she were larger than life. Then she started humming a tune that sent shivers of energy through each of them as if they had heard their national anthem.

Usually, Neeshka would lead the way into an unknown environment to make sure there were no traps, but Tamil wasn't waiting. As soon as the group was all set, each one glowing with the magic protecting them, she kicked open a door and charged forward to face those who had been dogging her steps. She immediately came face to face with the pale, greenish gray-skinned humanoids she had seen leading the attack against her home. Her eyes narrowed as she struck out at the first surprised githyanki.

It was a vicious, bloody battle. Tamil engaged with several of them at once, her blade piercing through one of the creatures in front of her. Several others moved to surround her, but they approached recklessly and her blade caught one as it came on. In addition to the githyanki, with their protruding chins and oversized teeth, there were also lesser foes she recognized as bladelings, which along with the grey dwarves had made up most of the attacking force which attacked West Harbor. Tamil's heart was filled with rage, reliving the moments of battle where her people were senselessly attacked without warning or parlay.

The creatures she faced were dangerous, far more so than the foot soldiers who had attacked the village of West Harbor on that dark day just a few months ago. They were more skilled with their weapons and physically tougher. But then, so was Tamil Farlong. The long road and intense practice she had engaged in had honed her skills both with blade and battle songs to a fine point, and she was driving that point straight through the hearts of those that had hurt her. In some ways, they were responsible for making the instrument of their own destruction.

Khelgar Ironfist was a tenacious fighter, and brutal in his use of his axe. Usually Tamil had a hard time keeping up with the burly dwarf. But the Ironfist clan warrior was having a hard time matching Tamil's savagery augmented by the heroism she had imbued herself with. Her human body was not nearly as tough as his, but she was not slowing as she took cuts and hits from her attackers. Of course, she was giving far worse than she was taking, and their opponents began to fall to the ground with twisted screams of hate on their lips.

Jack, Daniel, and Sam came into the room seeing the melee and initially didn't really see how to help. Teal'c aimed his Ma'tok staff, but could not see a clear target. That was, until reinforcements for the creatures started coming in through the doorway ahead. As bladelings or their masters carrying large great swords rushed through the entrance, they were picked off one by one by zat fire or a plasma blast.

Tamil finished the last of her standing opponents and stalked off to find more of them. The rest of the group had to hurry to keep up. She was soon not disappointed as several of the githyanki and bladelings poured in to continue the battle. When a large number of enemies managed to surround the party, entering the room from two different entrances, Tamil suddenly disengaged from her attacker and with a dazzling flourish spun her sword into her shield-hand while sliding a lute around to her front hip. She strummed a short sequence on the instrument while singing a eerie tune that could only be a curse. Waves a music-borne magic radiated from Tamil, crashing discordantly into every hostile creature around.

Jack didn't hear the tune, except for a sudden deep note, but he could see the effect. All the spike-faced creatures and humanoids that looked like post-Apocalyptic zombie people with giant teeth seemed to stagger in pain. Even after the short riff from the beautiful woman had ended, even when she was again slashing and stabbing with her blade, Jack could still see that the effect of whatever it was she had done was still hampering the movement of the creatures.

One of the bladelings stabbed Daniel Jackson through the stomach, only for him to simply vanish. A few steps away, the real Daniel pointed his zat at the smaller spine-faced brute and blasted it. Then seeing a pattern in the combat where several enemies roughly formed a line down the room, he chanted quickly and pointed his finger in the direction of the enemy. A bolt of lightning shot out from his fingers, striking through all of them with a crackling power.

The power of Tamil's Curse Song set the enemy back on their heels and the bard pressed the attack without hesitation or remorse. "This is for Pierson!" Tamil growled as she stabbed one of the githyanki through the neck. "This one is for Vera!" she said grimly as she slashed through a bladeling. One of the creatures with a large two-handed sword was backing away from Khelgar, who was busy finishing off one of the bladelings. Tamil Farlong took the opportunity to stalk it down and stab it straight through the gut, look it in the eye, and add, "And that, was for Amie, you big-toothed, grey-skinned bastard!"

All of Tamil's companions were taken aback by her savagery. They knew she was tough and a far cry from being a shy little girl, but they had never known anything bloodthirsty about her character. Even that rather minor profanity was unlike her generally well-spoken manner. They all knew that her apparent refinement was a matter of natural grace, but so was the carefree zest that so often infected the group, even the more reserved of the companions. The attack on her home had struck her deeper than they had known.

There was one more room in the back section of the house, and when Daniel opened it, thinking it had to be empty, he very quickly closed it shut again and hoped none of the thirty or so githyanki had seen him. "Um, guys, lots of bad guys in here."

Neeshka, seeing Daniel's reaction, gave him a mischievous smile and went to take a look herself. "Next time, let me check for 'bad guys'. Wouldn't want to… whoah. You're right. LOTS of bad guys in there."

"Lots, you say?" Jack walked over rather casually. "Alright. I'll take care of this one." He opened the door and threw in three grenades.

After a powerful explosion, a few greatly weakened 'bad guys' staggered out of the room choking on black smoke. They weren't in any condition to avoid being stunned by zat'nik'tel fire. Khelgar, Tamil, and Neeshka looked at Jack with wide eyes waiting for an explanation.

"Grenades," he said. When he got something that resembled a "why didn't you use them earlier?" stare from them, he explained. "We've had these all along, but not many of them. After we brought back that crate of 'blast globes' though, Carter promised she'd be able to use the chemicals to make some more."

With the back areas of the place cleared out, the group walked down the halls to the front section. There was a single room with a giant portal shimmering strangely to a place far away. One of the creatures stepped through the portal followed by a giant metal golem with long blades for arms. The golem slashed the creature, quickly dispatched another two githyanki in the room, and then turned its attention on Tamil and SG-1.

Three zat blasts in succession did nothing to it.

"Uh oh," Jack said simply.

But Khelgar and Tamil didn't hesitate to run up and engage the monstrosity. Teal'c leveled his staff weapon and fired a blast at it. The golem staggered back. It looked like the thing was going to continue fighting, but then it suddenly turned and ran back through the open portal. Then the portal exploded.

"Just to make sure my eyes aren't lying to me - a huge suit of armor did smash through here, attack the githyanki - and us - then we drove it back to the portal?" Khelgar asked.

"That was a robot!" Carter exclaimed. "I knew it was alien technology causing this all along!" She ran over to the remains of the portal. "Hopefully we can learn more about this gate. I bet if we can find who made these robots we can find our way back home."

Daniel rained on her parade. "Sam, that was a magical robot. They call them golems. Though, I don't remember reading about that particular kind. They move autonomously using spirit energies and enchantments, not circuitry and microprocessors."

They rounded up the stunned githyanki, bound them, and took them to the Merchant Quarter headquarters of the City Watch. They were met by Captain Brelaina and an officer under the command of the Neverwinter Nine. After some wrangling about jurisdiction and properly following orders, the githyanki were turned over for questioning. It would turn out to be a moot point. They would say nothing, other than those who killed themselves shouting out, "For Zeeaire!"

They had never heard the name before, but they would hear it again soon.

Daniel Jackson was getting used to being a wizard. The study and contemplation necessary to practice arcane magic came naturally to him. While the metaphysical aspects of drawing energy from the universe and manipulating its properties were challenging, understanding the nuances of the writings about magic was not. He spent most of each day buried in tomes on magical theory, practicing enacting what he was learning for brief periods to make sure he had the correct understanding.

The study of magic was his new love, but the study of people, their cultures, and their language was his first love. He had exhausted Sand's library of cultural references the first month he was in Neverwinter. Now that he had access to the Neverwinter city archives, he was in a Nirvana of information. Unfortunately, the books and city records were organized haphazardly, shelved according to the date they were acquired or stored. There was a lot of information that didn't pertain to potential locations of a Stargate or to other means of travel between worlds that Daniel would very reluctantly set aside… sometimes. Sometimes he would get so absorbed in a reference work that by the time he realized it was not really related to his research topic he had already digested most of the work.

Most of the records in the archives were in Common, which Daniel had learned to master without the need for the translation amulet. There were also several records recorded in high elven that he was able to understand without much trouble, occasionally needing to resort to magic or take notes so he could ask Sand for a proper interpretation. In rare cases, a record was written in another language, such as Dwarven or even Netherese. In such cases he would cast the Comprehend Languages spell, the first spell he had sought out beyond what Sand had offered to teach him. He would first write the meaning of the text back into English or Common and then take a photo of the original text for later analysis.

While Daniel was given full access to the main archives, he was respectfully denied direct access to the restricted archives. Occasionally he would find a reference to a promising lead and he would ask for a record that was included in the restricted section, in which case he would need to make a petition to have the record brought to him. Daniel was fascinated by the fact that the librarians would don a magical veil that would blind them from seeing the texts but would allow them to retrieve them whenever his petitions were approved.

Dr. Jackson had just gotten one of the librarians to let him try one on to see what it was like when the screaming began. Daniel removed the veil and saw that the librarian who had loaned him the veil had just run out of the room to see what was going on. Then the archaeologist heard voices yelling in coarse Common, "Kill all who resist! Find the location of Haven! Find the records of the betrayer!" Then there were more shouts and Daniel heard the sounds of people dying and the frightening sound of something familiar: "For Zeeaire!"

Daniel quickly cast a spell that rendered him invisible. He was in the library alone, the rest of SG-1 had remained at the Sunken Flagon or accompanied Tamil to see the sage Aldanon. Not expecting to be attacked in a library, he hadn't taken his zat or FN P-90 with him. He did, at least, have his 9mm, but only one ammo clip. Carefully, Daniel walked out to get a better view of what he was up against.

Daniel saw at least two dozen of the creatures fanning out through the library, turning over shelves of books, apparently looking for something specific. Even if he were a perfect shot, and he was far from Jack's or even Carter's proficiency levels, he'd need to kill three opponents with each bullet he fired to take them all out.

So. Time to put his magical training to the test.

Jack sat in the upscale manor house of the sage Aldanon. His choices had been to go with Daniel, accompany Tamil and Sam, or go back to wait at the Sunken Flagon. For starters, there was no way he was going back to the inn while that gnome was still singing in the common room. Grobnar's "adventurous experiments with music" as Tamil called them would probably be outlawed as a form of psychological torture on most worlds Jack had visited. Between going to a library with Daniel or going to visit an old eccentric with Tamil and Sam, he had been sure the eccentric old man would have nothing on Daniel in terms of boring rambling.

Boy had he been wrong.

"… And so the githyanki are scavengers on the Astral..." the man kept droning on and on. Jack's eyes were drooping again, as they had been off and on for the past couple of hours. Tamil Farlong and Samantha Carter were apparently enthralled by whatever the guy was yakking because they kept asking him questions which inevitably led to even more yakking. "…which is why Ammon Jerro…" Jack was hearing something about a court jester and silver swords and probably something about heaven. Sam was poking him in the shoulder.

"Uh? Wha—" he blinked his eyes a few times and hoped he hadn't been drooling on himself during that… interview.

"Time to go, Jack," Sam said.

"About time. If I had to listen to another minute of that sort of prattle I would zat myself. Three times," Jack complained.

"We need to go meet up with Daniel at the archives," Tamil smirked.

"Where's my zat?" Jack responded.

Sam, Tamil, Jack, and the watchman assigned to escort them through Blacklake made their way from the sage's mansion up towards the castle area where the Neverwinter Academy and the Neverwinter Archives stood. When they got to the library the doors were wide open.

"I've heard of an open library, but I think they're taking this a little too literally," Jack remarked.

The watch member waited outside. As soon as the three entered the library they heard the sounds of battle. There was the sound of an explosion and then what was clearly the report of a handgun.

Jack cursed to himself and sprinted ahead. "Daniel!" he called out. The leader of SG-1 came to an opening into a large chamber filled with shelves of books, some of which had be overturned. The bodies of several librarians were lying around with large gashes in their bodies. Just up ahead was Daniel, or actually, several Daniels, which Jack now recognized were illusory copies of the original, each surrounded by translucent shields. Down the hall Jack noticed several groups of grey-skinned githyanki all charging towards his friend with swords drawn.

Jack pulled out his Beretta and prepared to fire. He wished he had brought his zat with him. He didn't think he had enough rounds for an extended fight and these weird creatures hadn't been willing to back down thus far. Just before Jack was ready to squeeze the trigger, Daniel extended his hand and a brilliant bluish white burst of lightning streaked out from his fingertips to electrify a group of the gith that had foolishly run in a straight line between shelves of books. Two of the three dropped to the ground and were not getting back up.

Jack fired several shots at the group coming from the right, dropping a couple more. But there was a third group converging on Daniel's position. There was no way he would be able to shoot them before they reached the scholar turned wizard. Once they reached Daniel he couldn't risk shooting into them. Sam and Tamil were still coming, but they wouldn't get there in time, either. Jack holstered his handgun and then reached down to his thighs and unsheathed the short blades he wore there.

The githyanki got to Daniel first, but luck was on Daniel's side. The attacking creatures' strikes missed their marks, were deflected by his shield, or they struck one of the several illusions Daniel had surrounded himself with. Then Jack reached them and he struck with the twin short swords he was wielding. Daniel raised his eyebrows seeing how Jack stabbed through the enemies' defenses and then danced back out of the way, his two swords working with precision, looking very much like Neeshka's combat style.

Just as the remainder of the other githyanki group arrived, three blue streaks of magical energy struck one of those already engaged in the combat. Moments later, the sound of Tamil Farlong singing filled the room and a tingle of magic created a magical skin of iron around their bodies. Then Tamil drew her sword and joined Jack while Daniel and Sam backed away and fired magic missiles into their assailants.

"You're getting pretty good," Tamil remarked as she gave Jack an appraising look and wiped the gith blood from her humming sword.

"I'm still not a match for you, though," Jack responded as he sheathed his weapons again and brought his 9mm back out.

Tamil nodded. "Probably not yet, but I'd definitely take you seriously. You move really well for an older man. And you've got superb instincts."

"Yeah, that's me. An old man with instincts," he joked then aimed his gun back quickly in Tamil's direction and fired. A few feet behind her another githyanki soldier died.

The group moved in the direction of the restricted section of the archive just in time to witness one of the githyanki give directions to the others and then vanish in a flash of light.

"The Kalach-cha! Kill her!" came a cry from the githyanki. Sam, Jack, and Daniel all opened fire with their handguns killing half of those in the room before any of them even started to move. Then Jack had his swords out and was joining Tamil as she engaged the remainder. With Sam and Daniel adding magic missile attacks to the engagement it was soon over with all the raiding githyanki lying on the floor dead.

Daniel quickly gathered up the stack of papers the gith who had vanished had been reading. After reading over it a few times he looked up, puzzled. "This is just a record of someone named Ammon Jerro and his properties."

Sam quickly joined Daniel reading it. "Oh no. This is serious."

"Why?" Daniel asked. Jack added, "Yeah, why?"

"Come on, Jack, you heard what Aldanon said!" Sam said in exasperation.

"Refresh my memory."

"Ammon Jerro was the wizard who had somehow gotten possession of one of the githyanki silver swords. The silver swords can kill people on the Astral Plane and are highly prized. Tamil had a piece of a shattered sword and they attacked her village home to find and get it. Now they've found there's a living relative of the one who took the sword, the farmer Shandra Jerro. Back in Highcliff. We've got to go back and warn them."

Jack took it all in. "You mean the place we went to so we could take a boat to get here to find out about all this stuff? The one with all the lizards? The one we spent so much time trying to leave? We have to go back there? So, we wasted all our time coming here?"

"Well, no, not entirely," Daniel contradicted. "I did manage to find quite a bit of information in these archives before the githyani attacked."

"And…?" Jack demanded.

"Well, I need Dr. Carter to confirm my theory. I think we can set up what we need while you and Tamil make arrangements for us to get back to Highcliff."

Neeshka, Grobnar, Casavir, Tamil, and SG-1 all gathered by the Neverwinter Docks. Jack had arranged for passage aboard The Barking Hound headed for Highcliff. Khelgar and Elanee had declined to travel on the boat making vague claims of things they needed to do.

Jack regarded Daniel and Sam, both of whom were looking at the ground more than looking at him. "Okay, out with it. What did the two of you find?"

Major Carter took a few moments to respond. "Daniel was correct, sir. Using precise laser measuring tools, I detected a variance between the attraction between two bodies different from what we would find on Earth." Realizing what she had said, Carter blushed for a second. "By bodies I don't mean people, I mean physical objects…"

Jack's patience for science talk was already wearing thin. "Get on with it."

"Right, sir. Well, as I was saying, by measuring forces between two objects of a known mass and accounting for physical conditions that can influence the measurement, it's possible to calculate the gravitational constant which governs the proportionality in the law of universal gravitation. Now, due to the weakness of the force we're dealing with, getting a high degree of precision in the measurement is problematic but…"

"Get to the point, Carter."

"Well, sir, the gravitational constant of the universe is different here than it is back on Earth." At Jack's blank stare she continued. "Everywhere we've ever gone, from Abydos to Chulak, gravity in the universe has been the same. We've encountered different effects that have affected gravity, but the laws of physics have been the same. But here, a universal constant is different."

"So?"

"So, we're in an entirely different universe," Daniel explained. "Not just a different world, it's a different universe. We won't find a Stargate anywhere."

"Even if we did, I doubt it would work," Dr. Carter elaborated. Or if it did work, we wouldn't be able to make it take us where we want it to. All our calculations and all the Ancients technology relies on a certain degree of precision in knowing this constant. We're stuck here, Jack."

Jack looked at the two for a few moments wordlessly. Then he shook his head. "Nope. We're not stuck here." Before either of them could protest he gestured behind himself. "We're not stuck here—we've got a boat to take."

Shandra Jerro was having a quiet day. Ever since the adventurers had saved her barn and negotiated with the lizard tribe, things had settled down. She had managed to hire a couple hands to help get her harvest into town to sell and made quite a tidy profit, which was not much of a surprise considering that virtually all the other farmers had been hit by the lizardlings or abandoned their property until things settled. Now it was a matter of preparing her property for the next growing season and Shandra was out repairing a fence when she heard a shout.

"There she is! Capture her! Zeeaire wants her alive!"

She turned and saw a group of the oddest looking people she had ever seen. They had grey-green skin and dull, cruel eyes. They were also carrying swords.

Shandra Jerro had been in dangerous situations before. She had even helped fight off attacking monsters raiding merchant caravans. But she had never faced danger alone. She had always had someone there to lead the fight, someone to rely on. Now there was just her and dozens of the strange, dull-skinned creatures. Worse, they all were carrying weapons and she was not.

So, she ran.

She could feel her heart pounding with each step, her fear of what was behind her growing even as she ran for the imagined safety of her farmhouse. A sudden thought came to her- Gods, what if they have archers?

She thought she heard a voice calling out for her, but she didn't hesitate for even a step. She bolted inside her house and slammed the door shut behind her. Now where was the sword her father had given her?

Suddenly, she heard bursts of some kind of a metallic whooshing sound followed by an explosion. Then there were horrible screams. She could hear the backdoor opening and shutting. They were inside. She heard a low gravelly voice call out to search the house.

She hadn't even had time to begin looking for where she had put her sword. Then there were several strange high pitched sounds, followed by the sound of muffled thumps. Frantically, Shandra looked around for something, anything, to use against her attackers. Then the door burst open and she spun around to face—

"You?" Shandra spluttered.

.

Jack O'Neal was the first one up the path to the farm. As soon as he got there he let out a curse. The farm girl Shandra Jerro was being chased by those grayish green-skinned creatures. Githyanki. At least she was keeping ahead of them.

Jack, Sam, and Daniel all pulled out their zats and started firing at the githyanki that were chasing the woman. Tamil tried to call out to her, but Shandra ran into the farm house without turning to see them. A blast from Teal'c's staff weapon brought down a pair of the creatures unlucky enough not to avoid the blast.

"The Kalach-cha!" one of the creatures exclaimed. "Things have turned out well for us, brothers. The girl and the Kalach-cha are both within our reach."

A small group of them turned off to head for the farm house. The rest turned to face the approaching group of adventurers. The ones who attacked the powerfully armed adventuring group were slaughtered first. The ones who chased the unarmed farm girl into the farm house lived a little longer.

The first group of githyanki were met with debilitating blasts from zat'nik'tel and an explosive boom from the ma'tok staff as well. The front ranks fell apart and those remaining behind were soon met head on by a nearly six foot tall holy warrior dressed from head to foot in solid plate mail armor and dispensing justice with every swing of his hammer. He was backed up by the lovely form of Tamil whose sword was singing through the air in time with her voice and a matching hum from the diminutive Grobnar.

When SG-1 and their adventuring companions burst through the back door, the githyanki were just setting themselves to search the house. A quick burst of the zats later, those creatures were on the ground as well. Tamil was the first through the door, followed directly by Jack.

"You?" came Shandra's shocked cry. There was a terrified look of distrust on her face. It was clear she was wondering if there was a connection between the githyanki and the appearance of the adventurers. "Don't come any closer!"

That was when the front door burst open in flame and an even larger team of githyanki poured into Shandra's home. SG-1 did not hesitate, but quickly trained their weapons on the intruders and began zatting them. In such close quarters with their targets bunched so closely together, the blasts of the gou'ald weapons couldn't help but hit. Teal'c, however, did not want to risk the integrity of the farm house with a staff blast so he joined Casavir, Neeshka, and Tamil in charging them and cutting them off from reaching Shandra.

As soon as the attackers were all zatted or slain, Colonel O'Neal took charge. "Sam, Teal'c! Go back and cover the rear entrance to the house. Daniel, you, Neeshka and the gnome take one of the front windows each. Don't let any of them get around to the sides."

"Okay, Jack. Quick reminder, keep behind cover when you're firing. If they can't get line of sight on you they can't target you with spells," Daniel volunteered as he moved into position.

"What's going on here?" Shandra demanded as the sounds of weapons fire once again began to fill the room.

"We're trying to save you," Tamil answered.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but why are you guys back here to save me again? And what happened with the dwarf and the elf?"

"It's kind of a long story, but basically these ugly berks want to capture both you and me. In my case, I guess it's either kill or capture, but it seems they want you alive. At least for now. Since you were running away from them, we figured you didn't care to take them up on their offer of being captured alive?"

"Not particularly fond of that idea, no."

"Then do not be afraid, Miss Shandra Jerro," interjected the deep voice of Casavir. "We will not allow any harm to come to you.

"Casavir is correct, Miss Jerro," chimed in the equally seriouis and baritone voice of the former Jaffa from Chulak. "We will succeed in delivering you from your assailants and they will be made to regret attacking an innocent person such as yourself." Teal'c then turned his attention to Jack. "Colonel O'Neal, it appears the githyanki have abandoned their attempts to enter the building from the rear entrance. However, I believe it is their intention to light the building on fire and force us to evacuate and be caught in an ambush."

"WHAT?" Shandra protested.

"Then let us take the fight to them! If the cowards are unwilling to come in to face us in honorable combat, then we must go out and meet them," Casavir pronounced boldly.

Jack looked at the paladin, "Laying it on pretty thick, aren't we?" While Casavir tried to make sense of Jack's response, the Earth soldier continued, "But he's right. If we wait until they succeed in setting the lady's house on fire we'll be at a tactical disadvantage when we do go out."

"Jack, I think I've got something that might give us the advantage," Daniel broke in. "Just hold them off long enough for Sam and I to get prepared and we should be able to make our exit a lot easier."

A couple minutes later, Teal'c returned from guarding the back entrance once more just as the group prepared to make their exit from the front. Casavir threw the door open, planning to take the brunt of any assault the githyanki had planned, but there was none forthcoming. Teal'c fired his weapon once, but then it was Daniel Jackson's turn to inflict some damage. Daniel concentrated, his lips giving voice to the arcane magic he had been studying, and then with a gesture, he hurled a ball of fire out towards a group of the oncoming attackers. The group of enemies exploded in screams of pain, and then everything just beyond the doorway went dark.

"What the...?" Colonel O'Neal was wondering aloud when Neeshka pushed him out the door.

"That was me, ya big dummy! Now let's get out the door before their archers start trying to shoot through the darkness!"

The group charged out, skirting behind the magical darkness. With the githyanki assault in disarray following the fireball and the sudden darkness, SG-1 got into perfect position to fire on the enemy. The raiders were taken completely by surprise and were quickly cut down by weapons fire and blade alike, for those few that actually managed to make it past the steady stream of energy discharge into melee range.

Then it was all over and the group was once again standing with Shandra Jerro on her farm surrounded by dead or unconscious enemies. After a quick discussion, the group convinced her to follow them back to Neverwinter. There was no telling how many more of the creatures there were.

.

Jack saw the trouble starting as soon as Daniel started trying to empathize with Shandra just as he typically did with anyone in need. It was just Daniel's nature to try to be reassuring and helpful to anyone who seemed emotionally vulnerable. And apparently, it was just Neeshka's nature to bite the head off of any female who got any attention from a man she was interested in, such as Daniel.

"Uh, Carter, you think Daniel realizes what's going on here?"

"I don't think he has a clue, Colonel. But when Neeshka saw Daniel put his hand on Shandra's shoulder when he was talking to her, I could swear the temperature on that boat went up ten degrees."

"I knew Neeshka could be annoying before, but now I can see why she has the horns and the tail!" Jack commented. Despite this, Colonel O'Neal had mostly positive feelings about the young tiefling. He had learned a lot from her, especially the two-weapon fighting style she favored. "So, do you think we should say something to Daniel?"

Samantha Carter gave her commanding officer an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? And miss all the fireworks when it all finally comes to a head?" Then the blond Air Force major flashed a mischievous smile at her long time friend, "Besides, I'm much more interested in what's going on between you and Tamil."

Jack opened his mouth for just a moment then closed it again before deciding on a proper comeback, "Nothing's happening between me and Tamil." Then Jack gave his own mischievous smile, "At least not yet. Besides, I've noticed the little looks you've been giving the knight in shining armor over there."

The tips of Sam's cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. For just a moment the two adventurers' eyes met and the feelings for each other surfaced, leaving the two of them with nothing either of them had the will to say. Abruptly, and with a few embarrassed excuses, the two decided to change the subject and pursue other urgent matters involving other places of the inn.

The Sunken Flagon was in a state of excitement. Ever since Tamil had arrived, the Flagon's income had been steadily increasing. While Duncan had never asked her to perform in return for allowing her and her friends to use his inn as their home in Neverwinter, the bard from West Harbor was all too happy to play any number of songs she had learned in front of a tavern audience. And she was far and away the best performer the inn had ever had, her voice alone enough to stir the souls of the occasional traveler or Neverwinter citizen seeking revelry away from their home in the docks.

When Grobnar joined the group of adventurers, the gnome's odd sense of humor and jovial spirit found its own place in the inn's entertainment. While Tamil Farlong was clearly the favored performer, Grobnar's humorous songs drew cheers and laughter of their own while Tamil took some rest or simply enjoyed herself in conversation among the patrons. The two bards even collaborated on some pieces. The reputation of the Flagon as a place for a good ale and great entertainment began attracting audiences from outside the docks district.

After the group returned to the Flagon and Tamil introduced Shandra to Duncan, the innkeeper became particularly generous, even offering a free round to everyone in the inn. This was followed by a short discussion of what the githyanki wanted from Shandra and promises to offer her protection through the City Watch. Whatever information she had about Ammon Jerro and the githyanki silver swords, it was clear the githyanki were determined to have it. After an exhausting day, Shandra was ready to turn in early.

"There's got to be more to this than a simple silver sword," Daniel Jackson began once Shandra was out of earshot. "From what I could see from the records, the location of Ammon Jerro's Haven was intentionally obscured, and there were indications that when Neverwinter sent agents to search for it, they ended up dead. If this were just about a sword they wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to distort the facts. There was also a reference to needing the blood of a Jerro to even be able to enter, so I think we should keep this information just among ourselves for now."

After discussing things a little further, the group decided it was time to get some sleep. Figuring out a way to get home without a Stargate would have to wait until after everyone was fully rested. They had some difficult decisions to make.

General Hammond stood in the Operations Room in the SGC waiting with his hands behind his back. In five years of operations, the commander of the base had sent his men on literally thousands of missions to explore hundreds of worlds across the galaxy. This was the part that always made him most anxious, waiting for an overdue team to arrive and report. Usually, the delay would turn out to be nothing, getting stuck in an unexpected storm, or negotiations taking longer than expected. But far too often this was when he would hear the worst.

The most heartbreaking for him had been losing SG-1. While every person under his command was important to him, the four members of that team had earned a special place in his heart. As soon as there had been an abnormality in the gate after SG-1 had departed those months ago, he had ordered a MALP sent through after them. When that went through without a problem he sent another SG team to find them. All they had found on P8F-202 was dessert sand and the ruins of a civilization long dead. Weeks passed and SG-1 did not return. Then it was months and he stopped expecting them to return.

The missions had to continue. SG-2 was assigned SG-1's missions and exploration of distant worlds, and the search for technology that could provide a defense for Earth went on. Even with the recent addition of Jonas Quinn, the Lantaran wunderkind who was amazingly able to do some of what Dr. Jackson and Dr. Carter had before, the program had been hard hit with the loss of their flagship team. Now SG-2 was returning once more, hopefully with some good news.

SG-2 had been overdue by over a day when the transmission of their GDO codes were received. A long delay, but not yet alarmingly so. The Stargate had been dialed in and the blueness of a gateway had opened back on Earth. Major Louis Ferretti, Jonas Quinn, Captain Michael Griff, Lieutenant Sands, and Sergeant Bell stepped through the event horizon of the wormhole. SG-2 began walking down the ramp and General Hammond welcomed them. Just as the Marines guarding the room started to lower their weapons while SG-2 disembarked, the general noticed something odd about their formation. There was a purpose to their movements, as if they were getting into position for—

SG-2 brought their weapons up to fire just as General Hammond was about to order a lockdown. Several Jaffa emerged through the gate, their staff weapons quickly turning to fire on the soldiers guarding the room. A gou'ald invasion was underway.

"Close the iris! Lock down the gate room!" Hammond shouted the order. But a moment later, he was covering his ears as a piercing hypersonic sound assaulted his senses. Back in the gate room, those Earth soldiers who were able to keep a hold of their weapons were unable to aim them effectively, the rest simply dropping them on the ground in order to cover their ears. The incoming Jaffa and the obviously compromised SG-2 continued their attack, unaffected by the sonic weapon.

General Hammond pulled himself off the ground and forced himself to stagger over to the iris control. It was agony to pull his hands away from his ears, the cacophonic pitch increasing in intensity as he did so, but he made a lunge for the control. He missed on his first attempt, but steadied himself to make another try. His hands reached over and managed to trigger the shield to block the gate. No more Jaffa would be coming through.

.

"Alarm, Alarm! Everyone grab a weapon! The Flagon is under attack!"

Colonel Jack O'Neillrolled out of bed at the sound of the shouting. For a moment, Duncan's cry of alarm didn't register. It was just too incongruous that someone would attack the inn. Then he heard shouting and the sounds of combat.

Jack turned to see that Teal'c had already risen as well. Daniel was still on his bunk. "Daniel, wake up."

"Huh, what time is it? It can't be—"

"The Flagon is under attack."

"The what is under what?"

"Someone is attacking the inn."

"Oh." Daniel got out of his bunk and started putting on clothes with a look of confusion on his face. After a moment, he turned back to Jack and asked, "Um, why?"

"Beats me. Probably because we are here and the universe hasn't met its monthly quota for sending bad guys at us," Jack retorted as he grabbed for the locker where his weapons were stored. "Doesn't matter why. Let's get out there and help."

By the time Jack had finished responding, Daniel had already begun chanting an arcane spell. When the archaeologist turned-universe explorer turned-wizard finished, his skin was suddenly covered in what appeared to be rock. He took a few seconds to cast a couple more protective spells as Jack and Teal'c prepared their weapons.

Then the trio was out into the hallway, Daniel and Teal'c following as Jack checked around corners. They quickly ran down the hallway just in time to see Tamil Farlong emerging from her room, sword in hand. The three dashed forward to join up with her. When they reached the corner of the hallway they rounded the corner in time to see a surprising sight.

There was Tamil's foster uncle engaged with two githyanki. Duncan was completely unarmed and still wearing his barkeeper's apron, yet he was still deftly deflecting the sword strikes of his attackers and even managing to punch back at them. Despite his thin frame, it was obvious that there was more to the barkeep than just pouring drinks.

Without hesitating, Jack and Daniel zatted the creatures and then moved on towards the sounds of battle coming from the inn's common room. When they got there they saw chaos, as dozens of they grayish green githyanki were crowded around several groups, their swords striking out at several defenders. Despite their numbers, though, the battle was not going in the githyanki's favor as they were being swatted by the holy hammer of the paladin, Casavir, chopped in half by a raging dwarf, mauled by the druidess who had taken the shape of a bear, and pelted by arrows from Grobnar and a human Jack didn't recognize.

Unfortunately, though, the attack had already taken its toll on those within the inn. There were several patrons who had been stabbed or slashed lying on the floor of the inn either moaning in pain or, worse, in silence. Jack knew he couldn't get a shot off in this chaos, so he holstered his zat'nik'tel and drew the short swords from the sheaths on his legs and charged in to help Neeshka, who was not faring as well as the other companions. Daniel immediately began chanting a spell, concentrating on a group of the creatures trying to overwhelm Grobnar.

But it was Teal'c who was most affected by the carnage in the inn. He had seen thousands of deaths in his time as a Jaffa serving Apophis and was no stranger to senseless slaughter. But it was a different thing to know innocent people sit around a hearth fire and share music or a meal with them and then see them murdered without cause. The injustice of it burned in his mind like a flame. Without even knowing what he was doing, he called out to Tyr, the god of justice whom he had embraced.

Teal'c received an answer in the form of a column of fire that appeared from nowhere and consumed several of the githyanki in the room. This was followed by an eruption of lightning that tore through several more of the creatures. The effect was devastating, annihilating a large group of gith, allowing the remaining defenders to link up together, as well as turning several tables and chairs in the hall into splinters.

"What the hell kind of magic was that, Daniel? Lightning and fire mixed together?" Jack asked while he snapped several sword strikes at a pair of githyanki caught between himself and Neeshka.

"I did the lightning, but the fire strike wasn't me…"

"That was Tyr," Teal'c clarified as he smashed his staff into one of the remaining githyanki with great force.

"Technically," Tamil interjected, borrowing one of the phrases she was constantly hearing Daniel and Sam use, "It was Tyr through you. He supplied the power, but you were the one who used it."

Tamil took the opportunity to gut the last of the intruders before turning back to Jack. "You're getting better with those swords, Jack. Between you and Nesshka those gith didn't stand a chance." Tamil paused thoughtfully a moment as the group inspected the dead opponents. "Which brings us to the point of why they attacked in the first place. Usually they come straight for me yelling 'kill the Kalach-cha' or some such nonsense before. This time it seemed like they were just trying to cause as much damage as possible."

"Maybe they missed you?" Jack quipped.

"The lass, Shandra, she's been taken!" Duncan announced to the group as he entered the tavern's hall. "How the hells did those githyanki get into the city?"

"Probably been here the whole time. They must have had a second hideout the City Watch didn't locate and attacked in force once they learned we were back in Neverwinter," Daniel reasoned. "This whole attack was a distraction to capture Shandra."

"Does that matter? You'd better hurry if you want to get the woman back," came a voice from over in a corner of the inn where large casks of ale were stored. A man was kneeling over the corpse of one of the githyanki, one riddled with arrows. "Look, this one has a sprig of duskwood trapped in his boot. That means they came from deep within Luskan territory… and that's where they'll be returning to."

"The githyanki must have been getting supplies from the outside. But with this attack they're sure to be leaving the city with whatever force they have remaining. They'll probably link up with a larger force outside the city on their way back," Daniel said, his brow scrunched up in contemplation.

Jack gave Daniel a nod. Despite his brilliance at languages and intuitive understanding of operating alien technology, Daniel had come to SG-1 the rawest kind of green when it came to any sort of military action. That he had surmised as much as he did from the situation showed his growth in matters of tactics. Daniel was still not yet the equivalent of a soldier, but he was becoming far more able than he was before.

"Luskan? That's your territory, Bishop." Duncan was directing his comment to the man who had spoken up about the githyanki.

The man turned to regard Duncan. His eyes were cold and his voice sounded intentionally harsh and antagonistic despite what could be considered a boyishly handsome and fair face. "Yes, but it's not my problem. I'm not going into Luskan territory for some farm girl, and certainly not with any kin of yours, Duncan."

That was when Jack realized something. "Hey, where's Carter?"

Daniel's eyes went wide. "She was sharing her room with Shandra…"

Duncan answered Daniel's unspoken question, "She wasn't in the room either. Seems they didn't know which blond haired human was which. They've taken both of them."

"Looks like we're going after them," Jack said, loading ammunition into his weapons.

Tamil walked over to where the bowman was standing. "Look, if you're familiar with Luskan and that's where those creatures are going, we could really use you. Shandra and Samantha's lives are at stake. We need your help."

Despite the situation and the beauty of the woman asking for assistance, Bishop just sneered at the request. "Is your whole family deaf Duncan? Like I said, not my problem."

Duncan stared at the man in disgust, then said with resolve, "You'll help them, Bishop, whether you like it or not."

"What makes you think…" Bishop began contemptuously before noting the deeper meaning in Duncan's eyes. Bishop's expression changed to a smirk. "Calling it due, are you Duncan? Are you sure?"

"Peoples' lives are at stake. If that's what it takes to motivate you to do the right thing, then so be it." Duncan retorted. The tension between the two grew to an icy chill.

"Fine, it will be worth it to be rid of you - and for such a small price, too. You're a fool, Duncan." With that, Bishop turned away from the innkeeper as if he were no longer of any consequence and turned to Tamil and SG-1. "All right, pack your bags and grab your weapons. We're bound for the Luskan border."

.

Stargate Command was in chaos. The defenders in the Gate Room had been either slain or stunned and a large number of Jaffa were quickly assaulting the corridors outside of the room. Fortunately, the iris was holding and the sound of several dull thuds against the titanium alloy shield protecting the gate were evidence that the general's effort to close it was preventing many more hostiles from joining the other Jaffa.

Still, the steady sonic scream of the gou'ald weapon was making it all too easy for the intruders to make it through what should have been a staunch defense. Air Force and Marine personnel retreated from the piercing sound or died where they stood as they were overwhelmed by an enemy unaffected by the debilitating noise. The Jaffa were quickly making it around the corridors and stairways separating the Operations Room from the Gate Room.

Then the wormhole on the other side of the gate collapsed and the sonic pitch was silenced. Whatever it was that they were using, it was originating from the other side of the gate. Earth's soldiers began to pull themselves off the ground and some of the Jaffa began to fall to the machinegun fire of Earth's military.

But it was too late. The Jaffa had already gained the corridors and stairways leading up to the Operations Room. Too many of the slave soldiers had gotten through to the SGC before Hammond managed to get the iris closed and they had more than enough firepower to hold what they had gained long enough to re-open the gate and bring more reinforcements through the Stargate.

General Hammond knew this.

A pair of Jaffa blasted the door to the Operations Room open with their staff weapons. The officers within were all military personnel, but they were not combat veterans. Still, they tried to fight off the attackers with the handguns they carried before most were unceremoniously zatted into unconsciousness by the incoming Jaffa.

Major General George S. Hammond made his last stand, firing his service weapon into one of the attackers. The big soldier dropped to the ground bleeding to death only to be replaced by another attacker with a zat'nik'tel aimed for him.

"Hold," came a command from behind. The Jaffa obeyed, lowering the zat, but grabbing Hammond's arm and twisting it.

Jonas Quinn walked into the Operations Room and took the gun from General Hammond's hand. "Lord Khonsu will want to question this one." If Jonas's actions hadn't been enough of a giveaway, the dead voice with which he spoke made it clear he was being subject to mind control. Which made the next statement the Langaran made even more chilling, "But first, we will need to break his mind to get the deactivation code for the self destruct device that he has initiated."

.

The trail pursuing the githyanki was easy to follow. They were a large group and left plentiful signs. Bishop led the way, making the occasional remark about different indentations in the ground or breaks in the foliage meaning something significant. Daniel, Jack, Teal'c were also joined by their adventuring friends Tamil, Neeshka, and Casavir. The rest of the group were either recovering from injuries back at the inn or helping the City Watch search for any remaining githyanki in Neverwinter.

"We can't be much more than an hour behind now," Bishop remarked. "We'd best be on our guard for ambushes they might set. They have to expect some kind of pursuit and they can't be trying to hide their trail."

"So, they'll likely leave a few archer groups behind to throw off any pursuers with hit and run attacks," Jack concluded.

Bishop nodded. "That's what I would do, yeah. We'll just have to see if these spotted green bastards are smart enough to think of that."

While the ranger's tracking skills were excellent, especially once the group crossed out of Neverwinter controlled territory into Luskan lands, his frequent derisive and often insulting comments were already grating on the nerves of nearly everyone in the group. Tamil had taken on the role of mediating between Bishop and Casavir while Jack would try and soothe things over with Teal'c, or vice versa.

Then there came an opening in the forest, revealing a small town. It appeared to be a simple settlement, a dozen or so buildings arranged in two neat rows divided by a roadway. A well was set at the front center of the town to provide it with water. A large number of tracks led into the town, but there was nothing visible there now.

"Hold on, something isn't right," Bishop wearily stated.

"This entire town isn't right," Daniel remarked. "There are vines growing up over the sides of all the walls, but the street itself seems well maintained. The arrangement of the buildings is careless, especially with such a close tree line. The town is vulnerable to attacks from monsters and raiders."

"He's talking about the people, Daniel," Jack remarked. "There's nobody here. Doesn't make sense unless the whole town has been abandoned. Which, considering the tracks we've seen cannot be the case."

"And there's no livestock," Tamil Farlong added.

"Good eyes. I noticed the villagers, but you're right about the livestock," Bishop remarked. It was the first complimentary thing the ranger had said since setting out.

The group quickly came to the conclusion that there was probably a trap ahead. As a precaution, Jack and Daniel prepared their FN P90's. Daniel and Tamil also cast a few magical protections on themselves. Casavir, Tamil, and Neeshka led the way into the town while Jack, Bishop, and Daniel held back.

Their fears proved to be warranted, as no sooner than the three entered the town center than large numbers of githyanki burst out from every doorway in the village. The placement of the houses allowed the gith to immediately outflank the group. Unfortunately for the gith, despite their superior numbers, though, they were no match for the well armed and prepared group of rescuers. Jack and Daniel were not worried about conserving ammunition. They were much more concerned with saving time and rescuing their friends. Colonel Jack O'Neill took down several of the charging creatures with three-round bursts while Daniel just loosed a stream of 5.27x28mm bullets that dropped an entire line of the charging creatures.

Bishop was stunned by the power of the weapons. Back in the inn the group had used swords and magic because of the close combat and fear of hitting allies. Out in the open like this and in pursuit of their teammate, the soldiers were free to display the full devastating effects of what they carried. Not a single one of the githyanki were able to get past the front line.

Several of the githyanki in the back managed to cast some protective spells on themselves, but this brought the immediate attention of Tamil Farlong and Teal'c who dropped a silencing spell over them and blasted them with the ma'tok staff weapon. The few that were not cut down by gunfire or blasted by Teal'c were quickly slain by Casavir, Neeshka, and Tamil. Bishop barely even had time to loose a few arrows, although these found their marks.

The typical bravado Bishop would usually have displayed, aggrandizing his own role in the fight, was lost in the wake of the revelation of what a couple of automatic weapons could do. He walked over towards Jack and Daniel with a very interested look in his eyes. He was about to open his mouth when another group of the creatures charged from behind the village.

These were met with a fireball from Daniel and a plasma blast from Teal'c. Between Tamil singing a protective song, Jack firing three-round bursts with the practiced efficiency and accuracy of a former black ops soldier, and the rest of the team mopping up those few remaining gith, the attack from the reinforcements lasted little longer than the first.

Bishop looked around at all the corpses, still impressed by the FN P90s. "They left a large force in this village, which means it will be easier on us when we catch up to the others. As long as we catch them before they go to ground."

"Yes," Colonel O'Neill agreed. "But with a much reduced force they'll be able to travel much faster and cover their trail. We won't keep gaining on them the way we did before this ambush."

Tamil nodded at Jack. "I was about to say the same thing, colonel."

Bishop looked over at Jack as well. "Well, aren't you a bright ray of hope," he smirked sarcastically.

Casavir immediately leapt to Jack's defense. "He was merely pointing out the realities of the situation, Bishop. I—"

"Keep your opinion to yourself, paladin. The colonel there, as his people seem to call him, knows how to speak for himself. As I was about to say, he's right. And since they won't have enough men to leave for another ambush they won't be leaving us an obvious trail."

With that, the group prepared to move on. That was when one of the villagers emerged from her home and ran up to see what was happening. Bishop verbally skewered the woman for the villagers' cowardice in not repelling the githyanki and allowing them to use their town for an ambush. Tamil came to their defense and the ranger turned away in disgust. Tamil asked how the villagers were. It turned out the woman knew Shandra from some trading that went on between Highcliff and this town on the Luskan border.

"If we're through wasting time," Bishop rolled his eyes at the exchange.

The group was again just about to depart when there was one more interruption. "It's you! The one who will destroy Ember!" A little child stood there pointing at Tamil.

"What?" she responded in surprise. "I don't mean this place any harm. It's the githyanki who were threatening you. They are gone now, no need to worry."

The boy cocked his head to the side. "Wait... no... I was mistaken. Strange... the killer looks like you, but isn't. Ember cannot be saved. All within the village when the time comes will perish except one - me."

The boy told a story about the coming destruction of the town and that he needed something to be able to survive. It sounded a lot like a con job, the boy trying to beg an item from the group. Eventually, he settled on asking for a hunting knife from Bishop. When the ranger balked, Jack stepped in and handed the ranger a number of gems the group had collected. Bishop called Jack a fool, but took the gems and handed the knife over to the boy.

"There ya go, kid," Jack smiled with a pat to the young boy's head.

When Jack touched the boy, he looked up into Jack's eyes. "Thank you Colonel Jonathan Jack O'Neill of Stargate Command." The boy's voice was low, as if speaking in a monotone. "Your charity towards me because I resemble your own son when he was younger, before he killed himself with your weapon, will be rewarded with knowledge."

Jack and Daniel's jaws dropped. The boy had everyone's attention.

"Before you I see a dark place, full of danger and darkness. There is a door, a door guarded by a devil and another door guarded by a demon, two doors that lead to a circular, watery gate surrounded by symbols. To pass through the doors to get to the gate you must learn to master the devil and destroy the demon. Do this and your friends will be saved. Fail, and you will lose your soul and darkness will cover this land."

Then the boy blinked and he looked up at everyone. "Well, thanks!" His voice had returned to a natural tone. He looked at Tamil, "I'll see you again soon."

Then the boy ran off, leaving the group standing in silence.

Shandra Jerro had her wrists and ankles tied together with some kind of cloth. The githyanki had come and taken her hostage during the night. After all that effort those adventurers had gone to save her at her home and she was unceremoniously kidnapped from the inn where they had told her she would be safe. The abductors had just walked in and paralyzed her in place with a spell from a wand, then with another spell rendered her invisible for the intruders to carry out.

She did at least have the comfort of knowing that she wasn't alone. One of the adventurers had also been abducted, the one named Samantha whose room she had been sharing. Shandra wasn't surprised they had taken the other girl, too. She and the other girl looked a lot alike, and when all they had on were their smallclothes for sleeping there was really very little difference between them.

"Do you have any idea where they are taking us?" Shandra whispered to her fellow captive when she noticed the other woman was awake.

"I would guess wherever their base is, but I have no idea where that is," Sam replied earnestly. "Quite frankly I have very little understanding of the geography of this world. I'm not from here and didn't have an opportunity to study it before I arrived."

That revelation took Shandra aback. "Not from this world? You mean, you are from another plane of existence? So these githyanki are…"

"Not after me. They're from another plane of existence too, as you call it, but not the same world as my friends and I. Colonel O'Neill, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c and I came to this world accidentally. We are explorers looking for different worlds to learn about and trade with, but something went wrong on our last mission and now we're stuck here." Dr. Samantha Carter waited for Shandra to process what she had just said before continuing.

"We were lucky we ran into Tamil when we entered this world. She helped us adapt and offered to assist us in trying to find a way to get back to our world. The githyanki were already after her when we met her, though."

"Oh gods!" Shandra sympathized, "It must be so awful for you. Stranded on an alien planet and now kidnapped? And I thought that I had it bad."

Sam smiled. "Actually, this isn't my first kidnapping. In fact, every member of our team has been targeted for abduction at least once. I'm sure Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c are on their way to rescue us right now. But we have to stay alert for any chance we can get out of this ourselves. Who knows, maybe they'll get into trouble and need us to come rescue them," Sam joked.

"Well, that would be a nice change. I'm so tired of being rescued by you guys all the time. But I wouldn't mind at least one more time."

A harsh voice called out from nearby. "You can forget about being 'rescued' by your friends. By now they have walked into a trap and are dead. Your only hope is to cooperate when you are brought to Zeeaire and beg for her mercy. But I would not count on that."

"I wouldn't count on that, either," Sam retorted. "Whoever this 'Zeeaire' is, she won't get our cooperation by kidnapping or torture."

"Fool!" the creature spat back. "Five minutes with Zeeaire and you will be begging her to allow you cooperate, if you last that long." Then a sly smile crossed the creature's face. "But perhaps I could spare you that anguish. If you tell me the location of Haven, I could send forces to verify it and Zeeaire need not be burdened with dealing with you. She might leave your fates up to me…"

"Well, if you weren't busy trying to burn down my house, kidnap me, or kill innocent people in an inn, that might have been a tempting offer," Shandra responded with a glare.

The creature cursed in a language neither of the humans understood. "Fools. We will be at the cave and to the portal in an hour. You have wasted your last chance!" With that, the creature roughly tied a cloth sack over their heads leaving the two to walk wearily in darkness.

.

Bishop led the group to an old, abandoned trail winding up a steep hill. The ranger snorted. "Well, seems we didn't manage to overtake them after all. Seems this whole trip was for nothing."

Tamil walked up to Bishop and tossed a small pouch of gold directly at his face. The ranger managed to catch it, but not before the coins hit him on the bridge of his nose. "Here. We can make it back on our own. We'll see you back at the inn when we're done and let Duncan know you guided us where we needed to go."

The ranger took a quick look at the purse of coins in his hands and the party of heroes preparing to move up the mountain without him. He swore to himself. "Forget that, bard. I won't have Duncan claiming I didn't finish the job and holding that against me." The ranger tucked the pouch of coins into his belt, but started scouting out the path.

The path up to the githyanki lair was patrolled regularly by a single scout at a time. That made it all too easy for Jack or Daniel to zat them as they came down. More troublesome were the checkpoints where small camps of githyanki stood with bows ready. The giths' strategy was to light fire to a line of pitch while shooting arrows at approaching enemies. The gith checkpoints were not a serious obstacle, but the trick was incapacitating them all before any could raise an alarm. Fortunately, the checkpoints were spaced out far enough that the next group never heard the explosions or energy discharges from the previous checkpoint.

It took the group little time to work their way up to the githyanki's main lair. The group paused just outside to make preparations. Tamil passed several flasks around to everyone in the group, explaining the use of each: some for healing, some for boosting physical strength or agility, and some that would counter poisons. Daniel cast several spells that would protect him from harm leaving him looking like a shimmering, blurred statue of living rock. Teal'c briefly closed his eyes muttered a short prayer to Tyr, and in response a warm energy spread out from him to bless the entire group.

Then they stepped through mouth of the cave. They were in a very large cavern that widened out considerably and then narrowed again into a smaller passageway at the other end. Just as they were getting their bearings, and telling Bishop to shut up after he made some rude remarks about women, a large group of githyanki emerged from the passageway and fanned out along the back wall. One githyanki with an odd feathered headdress confidently walked to the forefront of the group, an elegant katana that warped the air around the blade held in his hand.

Tamil Farlong tensed up when she saw the gith. She whispered to the rest of the group under her breath, "That's the one who led the attack on my village." Her voice was full of venom. Then with an even lower tone she added, "and killed one of my best friends."

The gith looked directly at Tamil and spoke with imperious self-importance, "Zeeaire has foretold your coming, Kalach-cha. She sent me here to end you."

"So, this 'Zeeaire' is the one who kidnapped our friends?" Jack interjected.

"Your friends, as you call them, will serve Zeeaire's purposes. Their blood will be spilt to open the way for us and—" the gith was cut off by the untimely arrival of a messenger. The messenger was clearly agitated by something, but the lead githyanki brushed him aside and turned his attention back to the group. "As I said, their blood will be spilt for Zeeaire, as will yours. For Zeeaire!"

Jack wasn't waiting for the githyanki to charge. As soon as the githyanki leader said they would spill Sam's blood he was pulling out his 9mm. "Oh hell no!" he swore and put a round directly in the forehead of the lead githyanki swordstalker. Then all the githyanki charged and weapons started being fired on both sides.

.

General Hammond awoke to a very unpleasant feeling in his head. Standing before him was Jonas Quinn with a glassy-eyed expression on his face. The general groaned as he recalled the situation he was in. The situation the world was in.

The Operations Room was now being staffed by members of SG-2, all of whom had fallen prey to some sort of mind control. Back in the Gate Room, the soldiers who had been stunned and not outright killed were being herded together where they knelt down under guard by Jaffa warriors. It appeared as if the gou'ald had a foothold on Earth. Once Cheyenne Mountain was breached, a steady stream of enemy soldiers would come through the Stargate.

Jonas Quinn stared directly into his eyes. "General, we need your security code to deactivate the self-destruct. Major Ferretti has entered his code, but it takes two codes from ranking officers to override the system. I would prefer you give us the code and not force us to take it from your mind."

One of the Jaffa pushed his way to the general's side. "What are we doing talking to this ha'shak instead of forcing him to open the Chaapa'ai? Just give him the serum and he will worship Lord Khonsu." The Jaffa began to grab the general and push the protesting Jonas Quinn aside.

The butt of a staff slammed into the Jaffa's skull. "Di'dak'dida?" came the angry demand of another of the Jaffa. "Her'ak has ordered us to obey Jonas Quinn on this mission as if he were Lord Khonsu himself. We are to prove our worth to our master by our obedience and loyalty."

The brainwashed Langaran straightened himself and turned an angry glare on the Jaffa who had pushed him aside. "The serum would give us what we want, but it needs twenty-four hours to take effect. The self-destruct will happen in five minutes." Jonas turned his attention back to Hammond. "Make that four minutes. In four minutes your base and all your men will die. It is a needless death. Give us the code and you and as many of your men as possible will be spared."

General Hammond stood as straight and tall as he could and looked Jonas in the eye defiantly. "I will never surrender this base. We'll all die, be that as it may, but we will never allow the Earth to fall under the control of a gou'ald. There is nothing to negotiate here."

Jonas sighed, then pushed the general down into a chair. He produced a silver gou'ald ribbon device. "One benefit of living on a planet with stores of naquadria is that trace amounts of it build up in your blood if exposed to it long enough." Then Jonas activated the device, creating a mental link between himself and the helpless general. The general immediately felt an intense pain throughout his psyche.

After a couple of intense minutes, Jonas stopped the device, turned to the computer and punched in the code he had stolen from the general's mind. The Langaran scientist, addressed the other members of SG-2. "The self-destruct has been deactivated. Now, let's get the iris open and send a message back to Her'ak. He will want to know of our progress."

.

Shandra Jerro and Samantha Carter were dragged into a large square room. In the center of the room were several metal spikes inscribed with white glowing runes. The spikes curved up towards a central point, forming a perfect spherical shape. Within that spherical space was a glowing white bubble of light, in the center of which was an ancient armored figure carrying a very large sword.

"Zeeaire, I present you with the descendant of Ammon Jerro." The githyanki who spoke bowed low.

"The descendant of the betrayer?" The voice that spoke was harsh, though matronly, and there was a metallic ring to the words that made them sound distant. "The record from Neverwinter only spoke of one surviving Jerro. How is it that you have brought me two prisoners?"

Sam looked at the woman from where she stood and realized she was looking through a portal to another plane. It was a much larger version of the portal that was destroyed when they fought the bladed construct in Neverwinter. The githyanki were using those portals to move between worlds. Curiosity and outrage at being abducted warred within her.

"Excuse me," Samantha Carter spoke up. "Why have you taken us hostage? We have done nothing to you."

This statement brought the immediate attention of woman within the dimensional portal. Her voice was full of scorn and malice. "Nothing? Daughter of Jerro blood? There is enough guilt and harm running through your blood to deserve a far worse fate than what we will bring to you. It was you who brought a nameless darkness to our realm to slay countless of our people."

"That's ridiculous!" Shandra retorted. "Neither of us have ever gone near your home, much less caused anyone to die. You can't hold us responsible for what one of our ancestors did!" The farmer continued to take her cue from Major Carter. Revealing that Sam was not a Jerro would make it far more likely she would be killed.

"Silence!" Zeeaire screeched the command. Shandra fell silent beside her former rescuer and fellow-captive. "It does not matter if the crime happened before your lifetime! The sin is passed from parent to child, and thus you bear as much responsibility for the actions of the betrayer as the betrayer himself." The githyanki leader made a gesture and the gith guards nearest the humans immediately seized them. "Throw them in the cage until—"

At that moment there were screams from the outside. A githyanki ran into the room with fear evident on her face. "Zeeaire! There are creatures from the lower planes within the cavern! They just appeared and are making their way here now!"

Zeeaire let loose a low, guttural grunt of anger. "Go, then! Fight them off. They must not be allowed into this chamber!"

The humans were thrown together into a tall rectangular cage. The door to the cage clanked shut behind them, locked. Sam took the time to glance around the room. There were carvings and writings all around them. The architecture was clearly that of some long lost civilization. She muttered, "Daniel would love this place. He probably wouldn't mind being kidnapped if he had the chance to study this room." Then she glanced back at her captor standing within a portal to another plane and realized that having the opportunity to examine that portal, she wasn't all too put out by her abduction herself.

Zeeaire directed her minions to guard the door. A few of the creatures chanted strangely and traced invisible symbols on the door. "Hold that portal closed! It must remain shut against the demons until the Kalach-cha arrives! She comes soon, but the demons must not be allowed here before her arrival!"

Sam's attention snapped back to the githyanki leader. Kalach-cha was the name the githyanki had been calling Tamil Farlong. If she were coming, then no doubt the rest of SG-1 would be with her. She had to be ready for when they made a rescue attempt.

"Great, demons outside and ugly gray-green skinned creatures inside. And now there's some Kala something on the way, too," Shandra lamented.

Sam moved closer to Shandra and whispered to her. "Help is on the way, but when they get here things will probably get messy." Samantha Carter walked up to the door of the cage, glancing at the githyanki to see if any were watching. All their attention was on the door to the outside. She quickly whispered the words to a spell she had been practicing and then surreptitiously knocked her hand on the bars. There was a soft click as the door unlocked itself.

Shandra's eyes went wide. "You're a wizard?" Shandra whispered to her incredulously.

"Sort of," Sam reluctantly replied. "I'm really an astrophysicist, but I'm studying magic to try and understand how your portals work..." Sam stopped herself short and silently berated herself for getting off the subject, "But yes, I know a few spells. Not enough to get us out of here, much less overcome this many githyanki, but maybe enough to give us an edge. Something's about to happen, and when it does we have to be ready to move." She looked the farm girl in the eye and asked, "Are you with me?"

Shandra nodded.

.

Tamil picked up the powerfully enchanted katana from the swordstalker Jack had shot at the start of the battle and whistled. It was a fine weapon, the enchantment on the blade causing the air around it to warp with the sonic pulse it was releasing, even more powerfully than the astral blade the bard carried. Mastering the style needed to wield an exotic blade like that would be almost worth the time it would take to learn. If only there weren't so many other things to do. Still, a weapon like this would fetch a fine price from any merchant.

It took little time to loot all the fallen bodies. They had all learned the necessity of searching fallen opponents for needed items, whether merely stunned or dead. In this case, however, none of the githyanki were left alive. The group could not afford to have any return to consciousness and attack them from behind.

The group moved carefully out of the entry chamber with Neeshka scouting ahead. She found a series of traps cleverly concealed in the floors, which she expertly disabled. They were clearly serious about keeping intruders out. This was surprising, since as soon as they rounded the next corner they found they were not the only intruders in the githyanki's base.

Just ahead, Jack saw one of the stranger sights he had seen on his adventures. Up ahead there were a trio of githyanki, but one of them was fighting against the others. There was also a strange winged creature flapping around and shooting off small bolts of magical energy at the two gith who were fighting the third. But most unusual of all was the winged woman who was striking at the gith with clawed hands.

As Jack and the others began to approach, the winged woman turned to face them. Her wings were black which contrasted with her red hair and pale skin. She was beautiful, with a full figure revealed by a very skimpy outfit that looked very impractical for combat. Colonel O'Neill was intrigued by the oddity of such a woman being in the middle of a lair such as this when she started to say something in an odd language and pointed towards him. Then their eyes locked and he knew he would do anything, anything to protect her from harm. Jack turned back and pointed his zat at Daniel Jackson and fired the weapon twice.

Daniel felt an odd tingling feeling as the energy of the gou'ald weapon washed over him. Fortunately, he had protected himself from energy attacks with a spell designed to withstand the force of a small bolt of lightning. "Jack?" he asked quizzically?

"Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired as well as the colonel turned his weapons towards the rest of the group.

"Quick, ZAT HIM!" screamed Tamil. Then she put her hand up in front of Bishop who was training his bow on SG-1's leader. "He's under a spell!"

Daniel brought out his own zat and fired on Jack, but the soldier rolled away and fired more bursts at Daniel. Tamil directed the group to take out the creature that had charmed Colonel O'Neill, but there was chaos as the group dived for cover to avoid being hit by the paralyzing and deadly weapon. Several of Daniel's mirror copies winked out around him as Jack mistook them for the real person. Meanwhile, Bishop fired arrows into the group of githyanki indiscriminately while Casavir and Neeshka charged them with weapons drawn.

The imp and the githyanki easily fell to combined attack of Bishop, Casavir, and Neeshka. The succubus was a different matter. Before Tamil reached the demoness, the creature curled her clawed hands inwards and enacted an enchantment that rendered her form partially ethereal. Tamil struck at her with her sonic weapon, but the weapon struck insubstantially and the creature was unharmed.

Daniel took several hits from Jack, his false images all having been destroyed by energy discharges. But finally, he was able to hit his friend with a single zat burst. Colonel O'Neill collapsed to the ground, stunned. Daniel let loose a sigh of relief.

Teal'c saw Tamil fighting desperately against an enemy who was unharmed by her attacks. She was humming a tune that aided her attempts to dodge the incoming swipes from the creature, but it was clear she was going to take the worst of the fight as long as the creature had its magical protection. The former Jaffa lowered his staff weapon and fired it directly at the succubus from short range. The creature was knocked backwards with a massive wound blackening her chest.

The creature turned to look at Teal'c with hatred in her glowing eyes. "Foolish male!" it screeched. "You will pay for that!"

"I do not think so," he calmly replied and blasted the demoness again. With that second blast its entire form turned into black smoke and dissolved away.

Jack quickly came to, no longer under the control of the succubus. He had been struck by zat fire so many times in his many run-ins with gou'ald that he was building up a small immunity to the paralytic effects. Where before it might take an hour for him to revive from its paralysis, he was up again now in mere minutes. Still, the effects were disorienting, but the group continued on their way.

The rescue party encountered several more groups of combatants, some larger than others, but without major difficulty. Even a pair of succubi attacking a familiar looking blade golem were easily beaten as the group struck them hard before the demons could enact their magical protections. Their luck changed, though, when they came to a room filled with several demons, githyanki, and what appeared to be a bald man with eerie glowing tattoos on his head giving orders to all the creatures. The man left as soon as the group arrived, but the force of demons and githyanki he left behind quickly turned into a challenge when one of the succubi managed to charm Colonel O'Neill again and Jack immediately turned and shot Casavir with his zat'nik'tel.

"Oh crap," Daniel said as he backpedaled, firing zat bursts at the gith and the demons.

"Shoot him with your lightning weapon, you fool," Bishop cursed at Daniel as he had to duck incoming attacks from githyanki who were suddenly too up close and personal for his tastes.

"A second shot would kill him."

"Better him than us!" Bishop yelled back.

Tamil Farlong realized the danger of the situation and swore to herself. Then she chanted a magical song the likely saved the lives of the group, turning their skin to iron and deflecting most of the harm from the strikes of their opponents. She quickly gulped down a potion and directed everyone to kill the githyanki first.

Teal'c walked directly towards his long time friend purposefully. "Colonel O'Neill. These actions are not yours. They are the actions of evil beings." Jack turned his attention to the tall warrior from Chulak, his arm leveling the zat at him. But Teal'c was faster. Knowing his course to be right, Teal'c called on his god to aid him and he was filled with power which he focused on the charmed colonel. A cleansing light filled the area and Jack blinked his eyes.

"What happened?"

Daniel answered, "Oh, you tried to kill us all again for a demon woman who would take your soul and use your body."

"Again?"

"Again."

"I gotta stop doing that."

"Yeah, I figured you would have learned your lesson after what happened with Hathor," Daniel concluded.

With the githyanki down, the group concentrated on the succubi. Unfortunately, Casavir was unconscious for the fight and Bishop's arrows did no more damage than Tamil's sword. When Jack and Daniel tried to zat one, they found it to be ineffective as well. Fortunately, the succubi had just as difficult a time piercing the ironskin provided by Tamil's chant. If it weren't for Teal'c and the ma'tok staff weapon the battle would have lasted much longer. He destroyed two of the creatures with plasma blasts. The combined attacks of the rest of the group, particularly an impressive onslaught of magical missiles from Daniel, finished the other one.

"What was that, Daniel?" Tamil asked curiously when the battle concluded.

"It's called Issac's Lesser Missile Storm," Daniel replied, "one of the strongest spells I've learned. It's an odd bit of magic when it comes to aiming; it tends to spread out over several targets. But when there's just one enemy, it's pretty powerful."

The group hurried on after Teal'c revived Casavir with a little touch of healing magic from Tyr, eventually going down a flight of stairs. They were immediately greeted by the sight of a trio of succubi tormenting what appeared to be a somewhat elderly man trapped in glowing circle and standing in front of a shimmering wall blocking the way forward. Getting no response from the trapped devil, the demons soon turned their attention to the group adventurers.

"Okay, Jack, remember: don't try and kill your friends," Daniel teased. Jack merely nodded and fired a 9mm shot at one of the winged creatures.

The succubi attempted to charm Teal'c and Daniel, however Teal'c had too strong of a will for their spell to work while Daniel was still protected from any mind altering affects cast by evil beings. One of the creatures was slain before it managed to shield itself. Teal'c destroyed the others with his staff weapon while the rest of the group held them in place.

When the fighting was done, the man in the circle very politely thanked them. As soon as he spoke it became clear that he was not human at all. Nor was he even the well-dressed mortal that he appeared to be. His voice had an ominous depth to it.

Neeshka was immediately on the defensive. She explained her unease to the rest of the group. She had a natural sense about things related to devils and demons, just as she did around holy beings such as Casavir and now, even Teal'c. The being in the circle was giving her an especially strong devilish sense.

Her uncomfortable feeling multiplied when the being addressed her kindly. There was far more to this guy than he was letting on. She said as much to the group.

Despite her misgivings, there was little menace from the being. He very politely explained that he would very much like to help the group as a reward for benefiting him by destroying the demons that had been tormenting him. He pointed to the barrier behind him and explained that he was bound to the circle where he stood to maintain the barrier. In order for the group to continue onward, they would need to bring the barrier down, and the only way to do that would be to banish him from the world.

"Um, Jack, I don't think freeing a devil would be a good idea," Daniel said to the group. "There's no telling what kind of harm a being like that could cause."

"Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about letting this guy go as well."

The devil overheard them. "Very astute of you to consider the long reaching effects of releasing me. Generally speaking, it is terribly unwise of mortals to release devils for any reason at all. However, in this case, it is better on the balance to release me from this plane so that less harm may come. More importantly, there is no choice. Your way lies forward, and I am bound to hold the barrier before you as it is so long as I remain. You must release me or you will not be able to pass this gate."

Tamil was for freeing the devil so they could continue. Casavir was opposed to speaking with the creature at all. Neeshka cautioned them that they could trust the devil to keep his word, but only exactly what he said. The wording of any agreement could be twisted to benefit the devil, and likely would be, no matter how polite he was.

"Jack, remember that boy in the village we passed? He said we would need to master a devil and destroy a demon?" Daniel whispered. "I don't think just letting him go will get us what we want. We need to find a way past that wall there without freeing him. That might give us an edge."

Jack pulled Tamil aside and asked her opinion. When they finished talking, Jack turned his attention back to the devil, who was standing patiently in the middle of the circle. "We've talked it over, and we've decided to pick door number 2."

The devil looked at Jack with puzzlement. "There is but one door."

Jack smiled and waited for Daniel and Teal'c to finish planting the plastic explosives around the wall to the side of the doorway. When they finished, he pulled the detonator from his pocket. "There are two now," he said as he pushed the button.

A small explosion shook the chamber. When the dust and rocks settled, there was a large gap to one side of the barrier to the hallway ahead. It was more than large enough for them all to pass.

"Wait," the devil requested as the group prepared to move forward. The group paused to listen. "You have found a way past the barrier I was commanded to maintain. I commend your cleverness. However, it is still in both our interests if you free me. I cannot say more than this, but my freedom will benefit you."

Teal'c glanced at the group, "I find no deception in his words."

"Okay, tell me who summoned you to create this barrier," Daniel asked.

"The githyanki summoned me," the devil replied. He was about to continue when Teal'c interrupted.

"That is a lie," the favored of Tyr responded. He could sense the wrongness of the words as they were spoken.

"Well, bye then," Jack waved as the group prepared to move on.

"Wait!" the devil protested again. "I cannot tell you the identity of the one who summoned me here. I am forbidden to."

Teal'c nodded to show the devil's words were truth.

"Was it the bald man with glowing tattoos we saw earlier?" Tamil guessed.

The devil smiled. "I cannot confirm it was him, but I need not deny. I can even deny it was anyone other than him."

"I see," Daniel nodded. "So, you can get around your agreements exactly as Neeshka warned us. Thanks for confirming that, though we really had no doubt." The tiefling gave a very happy smile at Daniel's remark. "I don't see any reason we should trust you. Letting you go free could be a terrible mistake."

Again the devil forestalled them from leaving. "Yes, you are right to be skeptical. A devil always makes bargains in their own interests. And you can only trust them as far as you know the bargain you make will benefit them. That is our nature. But it is the truth that my freedom is in your interest as well.

"Since I do not have anything you need and I wish a further benefit from you, there is much that I can offer you. Riches, power, items. All are within my power to grant to you. And I can promise that no harm will come to you if you release me."

The devil explained that any agreement they reached would be binding upon both parties in a way that could not be broken. Daniel checked with Teal'c and Neeshka explained more about it as well, explaining the power of pacts and true names. Devils were bound by any pacts they made as well as forced to obey any command given to them with their true name. It was as much against their nature to break their word as it was in their nature to commit acts of evil.

"Okay, I have one question for you, then," Daniel looked at the being bound in the circle who waited for the terms. "Can you send me and my friends home? And I don't mean home as in the inn in Neverwinter. I mean home as in to Earth, in our own universe."

The devil paused as it was opening its mouth and closed it again. It seemed to ponder what was being asked of it before answering. "What you are asking is complicated. There are laws and older laws involved which I must obey. But yes, I can do as you ask.

"In order to set me free you must speak my name and order me to be banished from this plane. I will then complete my end of the bargain. Before I tell you my true name, you must agree that you will only use my name for the purpose of banishing me from this plane and no other purpose."

Daniel smiled, "I promise. I will only use your true name to banish you from this plane of existence and nothing else."

Daniel moved close to the devil to hear the true name. "My name is Mephasm," the devil said to him. "Now use the name to banish me and the agreement will be sealed."

Daniel turned to the rest of the group. "Tamil, could you banish this devil from the plane? His name is Mephasm. Oh, and make sure he doesn't cause any harm to anyone as a result of us releasing him."

Tamil smirked, realizing Daniel's clever ruse. He had agreed to be bound not to use Mephasm's name for anything but banishing him, but she had not. By asking her to banish Mephasm, Daniel was indirectly fulfilling his part of the bargain—only using it to banish him. Had he attempted to tell her for another reason it most likely would not have worked, being a violation of the agreement.

"Thanks, Daniel. That was brilliant. Mephasm, I command you to return Daniel Jackson, Colonel Jack O'Neal, Teal'c and Major Samantha Carter back safely to where they came to this world from. I further command you that you shall not intentionally cause harm to any mortal being or allow harm to come to them as a result of us releasing you this day. Further, I command that you aid us in any way you can in rescuing Shandra Jerro from her captives., then you are banished from this plane."

Mephasm shook where he stood for a few seconds. "Very clever," he said, but without any hint of anger in his voice. "I must obey these commands. However, I cannot give any assistance here beyond my absence. Another has already commanded me in this regard and I must obey those commands as well." The barrier that had been blocking the way shrunk down to a small circle. The devil gave the circular object to Tamil. "Here, this has been attuned to the lower planes. Use this on the portal you will find beyond the door ahead and it will allow me to open a gateway for your friends back to their home. But I must return to the lower planes to make the necessary preparations for this to work."

Tamil smiled. "Looks like you all will be going home. Mephasm, I command you to be banished from this plane to prepare to send my friends back to their home on Earth."

A burst of crackling fire erupted from the ground where the devil stood. As he departed, he added one final, ominous warning. "Well done, mortals. It shall be as commanded. However, I must warn you, that your return to your home shall be linked to my return to mine. Bear this in mind before thinking to summon me to this plane again."

Tamil Farlong and the rest of the group made their way around the circle where Mephasm had been imprisoned, now filled with hellfire which eerily burned in the air despite the fact that there was nothing there for it to consume. The barrier the devil had been holding in place was now just a tiny circle in Tamil's possession. The rubble around the edges of the wall where SG-1 had blasted it made the group tread carefully as they continued forward.

"Ammo check," Jack called to his teammates from Earth.

"I've got half a clip for the P90. The 9 mil is fully loaded and I've got an extra mag," Daniel reported.

"I have one full clip of P90 ammunition remaining," Teal'c replied.

"And I'm down to one clip for my M9 and about half a clip for the P90," Jack informed the rest of the group. "Aside from what Carter had in her weapons, that's all the ammo we brought with us from Earth. After this we'll have to rely on Carter's improvised ammo when go back to restock."

"Hopefully, we won't need to restock. If Mephasm was telling the truth…"

"Daniel," Colonel O'Neill gave the archaeologist an incredulous look. "You're getting your hopes up about a devil keeping his word. It's a long shot at best."

An ambush cut short their conversation. Fortunately, it was just a single githyanki and one succubus trying to kill them. A couple shots from a zat and a beat down on the demon from the rest of the group took care of that threat. However, just past that, there was an even larger threat standing between them and the next doorway forward. In fact, it was a much larger threat.

Standing between two succubi was a huge blue-skinned demon. Its head was located at shoulder level, with no apparent neck but still at least eight feet tall. The massive creature had a crown of horns on its head to complement its angular snout. The creature was pounding on a door directly before it, which surprisingly was withstanding the thing's blows. Its arms were as thick around as a human torso and ended in razor-like, clawed hands. When it noticed the approaching group and turned to face them, the group also discovered that it liked to refer to itself in the third person.

Everyone in the group felt the unpleasant sensation of a vile presence speaking directly to their minds. The creature telepathically sent a message promising impending death and destruction, 'Zaxis does not know how you got past the barrier, but Zaxis is pleased to see you. All our bashing and rending have failed to open this door, but our claws will tear you easily.'

"Uh, Jack, this guy doesn't seem to be at all friendly," Daniel noted.

"Yeah, I noticed."

Bishop suggested attacking without waiting. For once, the paladin agreed with him, suggesting they strike from a distance. Before the demons even started to approach, the group launched their own assault.

Tamil, Neeshka, and Bishop made use of their bows, firing the most powerfully enchanted arrows in their quivers. Likewise, Casavir attacked long range with an enchanted crossbow he had taken from fallen orcs. Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson didn't even consider using zats against such a massive enemy, immediately opting for their P90s. Teal'c, of course, leveled his staff weapon and fired, taking aim at the succubi.

Despite all the firepower being thrown at it, the demon Zaxis charged forward. Arrows and bullets bounced off its tough, thick hide or only made superficial wounds. If that weren't bad enough, the creature brought with it a tremendous stench. As soon as the demon got close, Daniel felt his insides begin to turn queasy and he gagged on the foul air. The others were similarly affected, Neeshka also finding it particularly difficult to cope. Casavir and Tamil, though, valiantly put away their bows and charged the beast to give the others room to continue firing.

Of them all, only Teal'c was unaffected the creature's stink. While he smelled the same stench, he did not feel nauseated or weakened by its effects. The former Jaffa calmly fired his staff weapon until both of the succubi were blasted back to wherever they came from. Then he turned his attention to Zaxis.

The monstrosity was roaring, swinging its massive claws at the small attackers hitting it with hammer and sword. The arrow attacks were mostly ineffectual, but the creature was bleeding from numerous wounds. The damage was beginning to add up. With a bulky creature of that size, Teal'c had no difficulty avoiding hitting his allies. He pointed his ma'tok staff and fired a shot.

The creature took a direct hit, but did not go down. It was certainly hurt by the blast, though, chunks of its demonic form burning off of it, and Zaxis roared in protest. It grabbed Casavir, who was unable to avoid the creature's sudden turn in his direction, and it bit down through his armor right over his shoulder. The holy warrior fell to the ground, blood pouring out from his wounded neck.

Teal'c fired his staff weapon directly into Zaxis again and again. Finally, the creature exploded in gore and guts before burning away into bluish smoke that returned to its home plane. The last demon standing between them and their friends was now destroyed.

Tamil rushed to Casavir's side, a stricken look on her face. Teal'c was soon there as well. Casavir looked up at the pair, his voice rasping out. "It is good that you all will live to see that justice and right prevail. This is a good death for me, falling in a cause I believe in."

Behind them, Bishop gave a snort of derision. "Hardly what I'd call a good death, being snapped in half by a demon that reeks. I'd much rather go in my sleep, a pair of women crying over me in the morning."

"Then you know nothing of honorable death," Teal'c retorted. "But it is not your time to die, my friend," he continued, turning back to the stricken paladin. "Tyr still watches over you and has greater things in store for you before he is ready to accept your sacrifice."

Teal'c's hands glowed with white intensity. Right before Jack and Daniel's eyes, the wounds the demon had inflicted on the paladin knitted together. Casavir's skin, which had become pale as it lost blood, regained some of its color. The paladin rose to stand unsteadily on his feet. Another burst of healing magic poured from Teal'c, and Casavir looked almost as if he had never been wounded.

The paladin stood solemnly before the man who had just healed him. "You are truly favored of Try." Casavir took the former Jaffa's hand. "From this day on, you and I are brothers in the faith."

Teal'c gave a slight bow of his head. "I am honored."

"Aww, isn't this sweet, two grown men professing their eternal love for each other," Bishop said snarkily. "If you two are finished making my stomach turn, I believe we've still got a useless farm girl and another fool to save."

Jack gave Bishop a cold look for his insensitivity, but then got ready to get back to the business of the rescue. "Well, first of all, I think we need to figure out a way to open that door the demon was pounding—"

The door swung open of its own accord revealing a room filled with githyanki surrounding a strange portal.

"—on," Jack finished. "Well, problem solved…"

"Uh, Jack, I think we should take a moment to prepare ourselves before we walk into the ambush?" Daniel suggested.

"Right you are, Daniel. Do your Harry Potter thing while Tamil plays us some 'walking into an ambush' music."

Daniel adjusted his glasses then started recasting spells that had worn off. Tamil considered the sort of battle they were likely to be walking into and started humming a tune to bolster everyone's nerves and confidence. Teal'c invoked a blessing of Tyr on the group.

When Daniel finished with his spellcasting, he pulled out one of the flasks Tamil had distributed. They'd want an extra edge, although members of SG-1 had thus far resisted using magic potions. Jack took out a potion of bull's strength and looked at the concoction dubiously.

Daniel looked at Jack, then lifted his flask in a toast. "Here's to the Army and Navy, and the battles they have won. Here's to America's colors, the colors that never run," Daniel quoted.

Jack O'Neill didn't miss the reference. "May the wings of liberty never lose a feather," he concluded and downed the potion in one gulp.

Teal'c and their companions from Neverwinter all looked at the two quizzically.

"It's from Big Trouble in Little China. It's a classic," Daniel explained. Everyone nodded, not really understanding, but not really bothered by not knowing anyway.

Then Tamil and Jack lead the way into the room with all the githyanki. To Jack's immediate relief he saw Sam and the farm girl, Shandra, over in a cage in a corner.

"Carter!" he called out.

"We're over here, Colonel!" she responded.

"Silence!" came the imperious demand of an armored githyanki woman standing in the middle of what appeared to be a blurred bubble of space within the room. The woman fixed her gaze directly on Tamil Farlong. "While these demons were unanticipated, your arrival was not. I have seen it burning in my visions for some time."

Her voice was cold and her tone menacing. "How long did you think you could escape us? You have stolen our shards, defiled them with your touch. And now you will die, Kalach-Cha," she accused and threatened all in one breath.

"Whoah, hold on!" Daniel spoke up. "Where do you get off accusing us of stealing anything? You're the one who attacked us and kidnapped our friends."

Zeeaire didn't even glance at Daniel.

"They believe they have the right to punish even the children of anyone who wronged them in the past," Sam called out. "It doesn't matter if we did anything or not."

Tamil Farlong looked at Zeeaire with death in her eyes. "What does matter," the bard said, "is that these githyanki are guilty. They killed people I cared about. They hunted me and my friends. And now they bloody kidnap my companions while murdering innocent people."

Zeeaire appeared unfazed by Tamil's counter-accusations. "While you have slaughtered many of our people. And you hold in your possession relics sacred to the githyanki, a… silver sword of our people—or fragments of it," the ancient githyanki leader responded, hesitating when it came to mention of the sword.

"Don't pretend that you give a care about the lives of your people, or any people for that matter. You recklessly threw your people into harm's way chasing these chunks of metal. Sent them as assassins and as murdering thieves. Not only are you responsible for killing the innocent people of my village and the city I serve, but you sent your own people to their deaths even after you knew my friends and I were no easy marks."

"You—" Zeeaire attempted to interrupt and wrest the conversation away, but Tamil was not done.

"No, you. You have attacked without parley. You have harassed and attacked without cause. You have sent your servants to die. And now you have taken our people, my FRIENDS. And of all this, you are guilty and cannot deny it."

Zeeaire seethed in anger from within her dimensional bubble. Without warning, she pointed a finger directly at Tamil. The silver shards in the bard's possession flew from her packs into the portal and to Zeeaire's waiting hands. "Fool. Did you really think you could keep such relics of my people? They do not belong to you."

Tamil's eyes went wide with fury at being robbed in that manner.

"Odd," Zeeaire continued. "I now possess all the shards you carried, yet it seems you still possess one." The ancient gith leaned forward to more carefully examine the bard. Again she gestured, trying to gain possession of the elusive shard. This time, though, there was resistance as magical light erupted from Tamil's chest. There was a long pause as everyone in the room looked on in surprise. Then Zeeaire revealed the mystery, "You have a piece of the sword inside you. And I shall remove it from you by force!"

The moment of shock shattered into a maelstrom of action as attacks began to fly on all sides. The first thing Tamil did when the battle began was use her musical ironskin chant to protect herself and all her allies from physical attacks. The second thing she did was mark where the githyanki spellcasters were standing and drop an area of absolute silence directly where they were. She was able to disrupt the casting of two their wizards before they had a chance to do any damage.

Daniel was also prepared to act as soon as the fighting commenced. He quickly cast a spell that energized the entire group, allowing them to move nearly twice as fast as before. Then he turned and shot the nearest githyanki with his zat gun.

In the confusion, none of the githyanki noticed the door to the metal cage open and Samantha Carter run out. Or, actually, several Samantha Carters run out. Before kicking the door to the cage open, she had cast what protection spells on herself that she knew. She sprinted through an area devoid of combatants towards her teammates. She pulled up when she saw Neeshka being attacked by a pair of large gith with big weapons and began casting a spell. A burst of acid in the shape of an arrow flew out from her hand and struck one of the tielfling's attackers in the back.

"Carter!" Jack yelled, seeing the astrophysicist free of the cage. "Gun!" he called out as he tossed his M9 9mm Beretta to her.

"Careful not to damage the portal!" Daniel yelled out

He didn't need to worry. Nobody in the room had any desire to damage the portal. For the githyanki, it would be certain death at their leader's hands at the end of the confrontation if they inadvertently damaged Zeeaire's portal. For SG-1 it was a way home. For Tamil, Neeshka, and Casavir it was a way home for their friends. For Bishop, well, he was pretty sure if he damaged it that someone would want to kill him for it.

The power of the zat'nik'tel turned the battle into a rout. The githyanki quickly fell to a weapon that had the power to painfully disable them with one shot. Those gith wizards who had protected themselves from energy were left to stand alone and quickly cut down. Soon, only Zeeaire remained, protected from attack within her portal but able to cast blasts of electricity out from it while uttering impotent curses. It was time to turn her portal against her.

Tamil removed the small, disc-shaped dimensional rift Mephasm had given them from her pack. "Okay guys, get ready. I have no idea what's going to happen when I combine this with the gith portal." Then she focused her will on the planar object and watched as it elongated from her hand into a thin line until it reached the portal and then abruptly merged with the astral bubble.

Zeeaire screamed. "WHAT? NO!" Fire burst through the portal and the ancient gith was forced to leap out of her bubble between the Astral Plane and the Prime Material Plane to land physically in the room.

It soon became clear why Zeeaire had risen in the ranks of the githyanki. She was a formidable warrior with superior equipment. It took Casavir and Tamil combined to match her. She rained down powerful blows with a large, deadly sword.

"Go on!" Tamil yelled at the members of SG-1 as they stood watching the battle, looking for a clean shot at Zeeaire. "We can handle her. Get through the portal."

"Come on, Carter, this is our way home," Colonel O'Neill ordered.

"But, how?" she asked.

"We sort of made a deal with a devil," Daniel explained. "Well, made a deal with it, then forced him to agree to more conditions…"

"What?"

"Just get in there before it closes, that's an order!" Jack commanded.

Samantha Carter gritted her teeth and then ran into the spherical space created by the githyanki portal. Hellfire licked around her body, but she did not feel burned. Teal'c was the next to enter, turning to give a salute to Casavir before joining Sam in the circle. Daniel was about to run forward next when he was interrupted.

"Daniel!" Neeshka called to him. Daniel stopped and turned to the tiefling. There were tears in her eyes. "I'm really going to miss you," she said. Then, impulsively, she grabbed the archaeologist from Earth and kissed him full on the mouth, and didn't let go. Daniel's hands were wrapped around her shoulders by the time the kiss ended and there was a stunned expression on his face.

"Come on lover boy, stop chasing that tail and get moving!" Jack prodded and headed into the circle.

Daniel was the last to join them, looking back as Tamil, Casavir, and Bishop stood triumphantly over a fallen Zeeaire.

As soon as he was inside the portal, three gigantic spikes of earth rose up from around the group, forming yet another portal. Aburplty, the sound of deep, devilish laughter rumbled out of the dimensional rift, sending shivers of dread down the spines of all who heard it. The spikes of earth from the lower planes then descended, taking SG-1 with them into the hells.

Jonas Quinn stood at the bottom of the steel ramp leading up to the Stargate alongside a Jaffa with short blond hair. It was Her'ak, leader of the Jaffa invading the SGC for the gou'ald, Khonsu who had earlier arrived with his force of Jaffa. Behind him was General Hammond, kneeling on the floor in handcuffs along with several other SGC personnel. Blue shimmering energy filled the gate, marking the existence of a wormhole to another planet somewhere across the galaxy. A pair of Jaffa emerged from the gate, followed by a figure dressed in an elegantly decorated deep red outfit, with a large upturned collar revealing a black studded interior and a tunic of concentric rings rising up to his neck.

Several of the Jaffa in the Gate Room knelt as the man and two more Jaffa guards followed him down the ramp. When he finally reached Her'ak and Jonas, the man stopped. His eyes glowed with a yellow light as he spoke and his voice was a deep, altered sound, as if spoken from under water. "Her'ak, why have you launched this attack without my authorization?" The newcomer was the gou'ald himself.

"Lord Khonsu," the Jaffa said with a slight bow of his head, "this attack was an opportunity. When we captured these Tau'ri, we only had a short time before their codes to this base would become inactive. If we delayed to send you word, we would not have been able to use their men to infiltrate the base and send in your troops." The Jaffa leader with a gold brand etched upon his forehead looked steadfastly on the gou'ald.

"I should kill you for your impudence and presumption, Her'ak. Now, take your men and go back through the choppa'ai and await me there. I will extract what I want from these Tau'ri myself." The gou'ald commanded imperiously.

Her'ak did not move or bow. "As I thought," he commented. Then he looked to his left and right. The Jaffa warriors at the bottom of the ramp immediately grabbed the Jaffa guarding Khonsu, and two more grabbed the gou'ald. "You are no true god. You are a traitor—a Tok'Ra!"

"What is the meaning of this?" the alien demanded as Jonas leveled his zat'nik'tel at him. "How dare you—" he blustered as his hands were secured behind his back.

"I will take you to Lord Anubis, Tok'ra spy, where you will be executed for your…"

The blond-haired Jaffa never finished his sentence as the Stargate began to activate. One by one, the chevrons matched up with symbols and began to lock in place. Then wormhole energy burst out of the gate like an underwater explosion, only to implode back and reform as the gate's event horizon once again. It was a sight that had been seen thousands of times in Stargate Command.

But then something unexpected happened. The event horizon suddenly became utterly black and a dark mist began swirling out of it. Just as suddenly, there was another burst from the Stargate, but this time it was nothing like blue water, or even the black mist that had started to pour out from the gate. What it was, was an inferno of fire that blasted outwards with an intense heat that raised the temperature of the entire room and set the ground briefly ablaze. Then the fire was sucked back into the gate and the wormhole collapsed.

Leaving SG-1 standing there on the ramp.

Colonel Jack O'Neill looked at the SGC and let out a great sigh of relief. He was home. There it was. The Stargate. Stargate command. Military people. A room full of Jaffa holding General Hammond and all the soldiers as prisoners.

Damn.

.

"Well, this wasn't the welcome I had expected," Jack said as he was being lined up against the wall as a prisoner with the rest of SG-1.

The Jaffa had quickly stripped SG-1 of their energy weapons, firearms, and explosives. Somehow, the SGC had fallen to a gou'ald attack in their absence. There was apparently also a new member of SG-2, and all of that team had decided to betray the Earth. There was plenty of bad news all around.

"Well, colonel," Sam replied with a hint of a forced smile, "it could be worse. We could have arrived after aliens had completely destroyed the entire world. At least we're getting back in time to be captured as the invasion is just starting."

"Major Carter speaks the truth, O'Neill. It may be fortuitous that we are arriving precisely at this time." Teal'c added with his deep voice speaking softly.

The group watched as there seemed to be some confusion among the Jaffa. Oddly enough, it seemed as if the First Prime was giving the orders while the gou'ald was actually a prisoner. It was clear there were some divided loyalties.

"How dare you raise your hands against a god!" the deep, altered voice of the alien was thundering. Several of the Jaffa still standing on the sidelines looked uncomfortable.

"Because, traitor, you are not a god. You are an imposter. You work against the System Lords, while I, I serve the greatest of all gods," Her'ak said dramatically and with the conviction of a fanatic.

Daniel saw that all of the Jaffa had their attention on the discussion between Khonsu and Her'ak. None of them were paying any attention to disarmed prisoners. He did a quick check of what he was still carrying to see if he had anything that might still be of use.

"Guys, the Jaffa didn't take my wands when they were taking our weapons," Daniel whispered to the group. "Of course, they have no idea what they are, so not surprising."

"But, will they even work here?" Samantha Carter questioned. "If it's magic that makes it work, they might only work in that other universe. Who knows if magic like that even exists here? If on the other hand, it turns out to operate on some sort of advanced alien technology which works on principles we don't understand, though admittedly I am starting to doubt that theory myself, still, if that's the case, then will it still function away from that world? It could be like cellular phones and won't do us any good without a satellite in orbit."

"Only one way to find out," Daniel whispered, handing one of the thin magical items to Dr. Carter. How about you, Teal'c? Still feeling any connection to Tyr?"

The former Jaffa paused as if contemplating. "Not like when we were still on the world of Toril, Daniel Jackson. Still I do feel a connection, but it is as though he is very far away. I would not count on being able to contact Tyr for assistance if something goes terribly wrong." But then Teal'c slowly turned his head to look at the rest of the team. "However, I do feel a sort of energy within me, the energy I receive to do the work of justice in Tyr's name. I believe I may still be able to use it even while back here in our own universe."

"Well, worth a try. Worst case scenario, we attack the Jaffa with a bunch of sticks that do nothing at all and they think we're insane and shoot us all," Daniel said. "Sam, how about if…"

.

Back in the middle of the room, Khonsu could see his bluff had failed. The Tok'ra operative had underestimated Her'ak, both in terms of his fanaticism to the myth of the false gou'ald gods, and Her'ak's ability to see through his acting. He couldn't blame the Jaffa with Her'ak, either. After all, he was not really a deity, and it was hard to ask them to continue to believe such a falsehood when he was being held down by his own servants. What kind of god couldn't see something like that coming?

"You are right, Her'ak, I am no god. None of the gou'ald are," Khonsu declared loudly for all the Jaffa to hear. "The Jaffa shall be free people, no longer under the oppressive yoke of the System Lords. Stand up now and fight for your freedom. Do not be fooled Her'ak's false claims of serving yet another god gou'ald."

The gold-headed Jaffa leader sneered and shot the fully revealed Tok'ra agent with a zat'nik'tel. Khonsu fell to his knees in agony, the energy of the weapon curling around his body like electricity. But he did not lose consciousness.

Her'ak took a step towards his former superior, but then paused when he noticed something was wrong.

"Where is SG-1?"

The Jaffa who had been guarding them turned back to look at where the group was supposed to be kneeling to see nothing at all. There was a hasty look around the Gate Room, but none of the four could be spotted anywhere. They had simply vanished.

"How do four prisoners escape from in the middle of a room full of Jaffa?" Her'ak screamed. "Who is responsible for this? They could not just have disappeared on their own!"

But he was wrong. It was several seconds later as the guards in the room looked for the missing prisoners that a bolt of lightning exploded out of nowhere directly through an entire line of Jaffa loyal to Her'ak and Anubis. On the other side of the gate room, a giant ball of fire exploded where a group of Jaffa had clustered together. Burnt fragments of the fanatic soldiers blew apart across the room.

The group of Marines who had been sitting unarmed and under guard suddenly sat up with guns in their hands and opened fire at those who were supposed to be guarding them. Colonel Jack O'Neill appeared beside them as if he had been invisible (which in fact he had been) with an M9 9mm Berretta and fired at the Jaffa in the room.

A column of flame descended down upon a pair of Jaffa sentries guarding the doorway out of the room. Teal'c became visible, startling the Jaffa near him. "All Jaffa who would be free," he cried out, "throw down your weapons and you will be free of the hold of the gou'ald!"

Some of them did as the legendary former First Prime of Apophis, and member of the team who killed Apophis, bade them. They threw down their weapons and prepared to surrender. But not all of them did so. Some of them tried to shoot their weapons at Dr. Daniel Jackson and Dr. Samantha Carter, who had appeared on each side of the Gate Room with strange slender sticks in their hands. The Jaffa missed both of them horribly.

The pair moved faster than humanly possible. And where they pointed their little wands, bursts of lighting or fireballs erupted to explode through the air. Between the two of them, a suddenly re-armed human force, and both Jack and Teal'c firing their weapons under the effects of a haste spell, it was a clear rout.

Her'ak saw things fall apart right before his eyes. He didn't know what was happening exactly, but he did know he was about to lose. He called out to the members of SG-2 up in the Operations Room to dial the gate to Anubis's home planet. It took a minute for the gate to dial and in that time most of the Jaffa Anubis had given him to command were slaughtered. Her'ak began to run towards the gate.

Khonsu rose up to prevent his escape. Jonas Quinn, still under mind control, saw Khonsu trying to prevent his master's excape and shot the Tok'ra with a 9mm. Khonsu fell to the ground and Her'ak made it through to the event horizon. Jonas tried to follow, but he was cut off by Daniel Jackson who ran up the ramp ahead of him.

Without hesitating, Jonas fired three rounds directly into Daniel's chest. The Langaran blinked in surprise as the bullets bounced off from a magical barrier. Jonas tried to rush past Daniel, but the archeologist/wizard was moving much too fast and managed to grapple him to the ground. Unfortunately, once on the ground Daniel's speed advantage was negated. Jonas Quinn quickly took the upper hand in their grappling match.

But the real battle was over. Those Jaffa who had not already been slain raised their hands over their heads in surrender. Jonas was pulled off of Daniel as the wormhole closed, and the brainwashed member of SG-2 was restrained by Marines with a lot more upper-body strength than Daniel.

The voice of Khonsu drew everyone's attention to the Tok'ra agent laying at the bottom of the ramp. "Please, forgive me." The Tok'ra struggled to rise to a sitting position. "I did not intend for this to take place on your world. I am, as he said, a Tok'ra agent." The man's voice became weaker.

Teal'c was at his side in a moment. "Hold on. I will heal you through the power of Tyr." Moments later, the healing magic had the badly wounded person back on his feet. "Bring any of the wounded to me. I will see what I can do for them."

General Hammond had just witnessed several minutes of events which he had no idea how to process. SG-1 had mysteriously come back to save them from a Jaffa who was attacking a gou'ald? The Stargate shot fire out instead of wormhole energy? Daniel and Sam were throwing lightning and fire at the Jaffa? Teal'c was healing the wounded with a touch?

"What the hell is going on here?"

"That should be 'hells', sir. 'What the hells is going on here," Jack corrected. "You see there are several of them. We passed through at least two hells just to get here."

.

Tamil Farlong looked around the portal room where Zeeaire had entered and SG-1 had left. Githyanki bodies were strewn around everywhere. There were bullet holes in the walls. With a shake of her head, Tamil began picking through the many bodies lying there.

"Well, that was fun," Bishop muttered sarcastically to no one in particular. The ranger ran his fingers over several wounds he had taken in the battle. He hadn't traded blows with Zeeaire, he had kept his distance and put as many arrows as he could into her, but he had taken some wounds from her underlings.

Neeshka stood staring at the portal where her friends had departed and wondered what happened to them, especially Daniel. Would she ever see them again? She barely even cared about all the rich loot the group was collecting from the dead. There was a hole in her heart now that SG-1 was gone.

Shandra Jerro approached the heroes with a calm that surprised her. After all she had been through she was sure she should have been an emotional wreck. Instead, she just felt normal. "I am getting so tired of you guys coming to rescue me. At least once I'd like it to be me rescuing you for a change."

Tamil turned to the farmer from Highcliff and gave her a smile. "Well, I think all that is over, at least. We can finally go home."

Bishop didn't waste the opportunity to insinuate that Shandra owed him a debt she could pay in his bedroll. The comment earned him the contempt of everyone in the group. Casavir was particularly protective of the innocent farm girl, warning the ranger to . Bishop waved contemptuously and started back through the caverns ahead of them.

The group slowly made their way back out of the githyanki cave. It was time to head back to Neverwinter to recover. There was a lot to think about on their return trip, and time to consider things now that there was nobody who needed immediate rescuing.

"So, Tamil, now that the threat to your home has been answered for, and you know the origins of the shards that drew them to you, what will you do?" Casavir asked.

The bard chuckled. "Well, there are still some questions left unanswered. Like, how did I get a piece of a githyanki silver sword stuck inside my body? And who the hells was that bald guy who thought it would be fun to bring the demons and devils into the gith caves? I'd sure like to have a conversation with him. And then there's that 'Garius' we were hearing about."

"Sounds like a lot of trouble to me," Neeshka commented.

"I agree," Bishop added, "Why is that any of your concern? You've done what you needed, got rid of the threat. Just let the world fend for itself."

"Eww," Neeshka made a face. "Bishop agrees with me, yuck." The tielfing glanced at the cocky, ill-mannered human and thought what it meant that the most disgusting person she knew, next to Leldon, thought the same way she did about something like that.

"It may not be our problem, Bishop," Casavir retorted, "but if there is something wrong in this world it is the responsibility of those capable of dealing with it to do so."

"Oh, please. Bloody fool paladin," Bishop snorted.

"Well, I don't know about it being a duty. Nothing says we have to go looking for every trouble in the world to right it," Tamil responded. "Anyways, we really have nothing to go on about these mysteries for now. I think I'll go back to Neverwinter and finish out the rest of this month with the Watch. And then I think I'll head out with Elanee to see what's going on with the druid circle and the strange things in the swamps." Tamil gave a pointed look to Bishop. "It may not be my problem, but I'm sure the druidess has earned our help in at least checking into this. I won't leave her to this alone."

The group travelled along the road back to Neverwinter, making a straighter course of their journey than the last time when they had to trail the githyanki. Soon they were back on the high road and making good time. The walls of the City of Neverwinter quickly came into view. Somehow, however, some of the grandeur of the city seemed to be missing.

"I wish Daniel, Jack, Teal'c, and even the blond girl were still with us," Neeshka sighed.

"I hear ya," Tamil echoed. "It was a lot more fun with them along."

Chapter 26: Debriefings

SG-1 sat around a dark stained meeting table with General Hammond and SG-2. They were in the briefing room they were accustomed to with their commanding officer, but this was clearly not a normal meeting. For one, a group of Marines stood guard in the room, their weapons pointed both at SG-1, SG-2, and the SGC's other guest. The identity of the other guest, Khonsu, was the other abnormality.

"So," the General began, not really knowing where to begin, "let's talk about what just happened, first. Khonsu…"

"My real name is Khon'shu'la, general. I adopted the name of the false deity years ago in my attempts to infiltrate the gou'ald." The Tok'ra agent spoke, sounding embarrassed about the name. The man's eyes ceased glowing and a soft-voiced human sounding voice followed, showing that the host was speaking rather than the symbiote. "And I am called Kendil. I want to apologize for our part in the tragedy here at your base. Had we known this would happen we would never have instructed Her'ak to capture SG-2."

"So, you did have your men capture my team? I think you had better explain yourself," the base commander replied gruffly. His patience with alien allies was heavily tested when his men were placed in danger.

Once again, the symbiote took over to explain. "Our original intention was to have your team captured so that we could relate some vital information back to the Tok'ra underground. Once I had the chance to pass on the information, we would then have released your people during a staged Jaffa uprising. Those Jaffa closest to me are rebels, seeking freedom from oppression. I would have sent several of them with your team.

"Unfortunately, Her'ak did not follow my instructions. He was supposed to bring the prisoners directly to me, completely unharmed. He must have already expected I was a spy against the System Lords before he left and used the opportunity of having SG-2 allow his men in as a final proof. As Kendil said, we are truly sorry for the harm we caused, no matter how unintentional."

"And SG-2?"

"They will be fine. The serum that was used on them is powerful, but has no harmful side effects once out of their system," Kendil reassured. "In fact, now that they have been given an antidote, they should have an increased resistance to any attempt to affect their minds by other means, such as through a hand device, for quite some time. And they will be entirely immune from any further attempts to use the same serum against them. That is one of the major drawbacks of this method of mind control, and one of the reasons it is rarely ever used by the gou'ald."

"And we do thank you for helping to provide the formula for the antidote, Khon'shu'la… Kendil."

"That was the least we could do. Now, general, we must be getting back to the resistance to relay our message. The movements of Anubis pose a serious risk to our people, and to the Tau'ri," the Tok'ra requested. "Please arrange for my men and I to be gated to a planet controlled by rebel Jaffa. I will make contact with my people from there."

After the Tok'ra agent left, the briefing continued with a very sheepish SG-2 reporting everything about their capture and how they were affected by the serum. Jonas Quinn, who apologized profusely to Daniel in particular, was introduced to SG-1. When he got done apologizing, the scientist from Langara expressed his deep admiration for Daniel's and Sam's technical abilities.

"That's enough, Jonas. Next time you want to thank SG-1, try not shooting them," Hammond said jokingly. Then he ordered SG-2 for further medical studies. Very reluctantly, the other team left the briefing room.

"Now," the large base commander began, "Can you explain to me where you've been for the past half a year? And please don't tell me you don't remember."

"Oh, drat. That was what I was going to go with first," Jack said, snapping his fingers in mock exasperation.

"Well, sir, this is going to be difficult to believe," Dr. Carter began. Considering that they were in a secret base that sent people to other worlds across the galaxy, regularly dealt with aliens and more than a few global threats, saying the general would find it hard to believe was a bold preface. "We've been in another universe."

"Or, plane of existence if you prefer," Daniel chimed.

"Fighting zombies," Jack offered.

"In another universe fighting zombies?" General Hammond repeated their statements with a hefty dose of incredulity.

"It is indeed as they have said, General Hammond. We were in another universe and we did fight zombies, among other things," Teal'c confirmed.

"Oh, and Sam and I have become practicing wizards," Daniel added. Sam covered her face with her hand. "Not wizards like in the KKK, of course, wizards like as in…"

"…Oz," Jack finished. "And before you ask, I'm pretty sure we were not in New Zealand, even if a good part of what we saw looked like it could have been part of the Lord of the Rings."

"Let me get this straight," their commanding officer asked. The four of you were gone for half a year because you travelled to the land of Oz. And became wizards."

"Don't look at me," Jack said, holding his hands up in protest. "It was Daniel and Sam." Then Jack swiveled around and gestured towards Teal'c as if he were tattling.. "Oh, and that one went and found a new god and became a priest. Though in his defense, he did pretty much bring me back from the dead."

.

Tamil opened the door to the Sunken Flagon and strode in with the rest of her companions filing in behind her. A cheer went up from the patrons in the common room, acknowledging the return of the establishment's most prominent entertainer. Grobnar, who had been playing a tune trailed off in the middle as his audience left, but then bounded over with a bright smile on his face when he saw the group had returned.

The short, bearded form of Khelgar Ironfist was next to join them, putting down his mug of ale from the bar and charging over. He looked the group over, seeing Shandra Jerro but none of the members of SG-1. His face turned grim.

"Found the hideout of the remaining githyanki in town. Most o' them had already cleared out, but there were a few still hanging around. Me, the marshal, that tree huggin' lass, an' some of the boys from the Watch cleaned 'em out good. Should think we won't be havin' any more o' that lot bustin' things up in the city. That's fer sure."

The dwarf paused for a moment before broaching the subject of the rescue mission. "I can see ya' brought back the farmer lass, Shandra. That's a good thing," but then the dwarf became solemn. "But if our friends from another world were lost in the attempt, well…" the dwarf trailed off a bit, not quite sure what to say.

"No, they got through it fine," Tamil reassured her shorter friend with a smile. "In fact, they managed to find a way to get back to their world. All four of them. Rescued Samantha when we got Shandra back. Gonna miss having them around."

"Aye, me too, lass. They were good in a fight an' always had yer back. Especially the tall dark fella with the mark on his head," the dwarf concurred, pointing out how useful Teal'c was in a battle.

Duncan found his way over and congratulated them on making it back alive and in one piece. Tamil took that as a way to manage to segue into the topic of the missing shard. She pointedly asked Duncan how she managed to have a shard of a magic sword in her body all this time, and what else he had kept from her.

Her foster "uncle" very awkwardly explained how West Harbor had been the scene of a battle back when she was still a very young child, just barely beginning to walk. A warlock referred to as the "King of Shadows" had brought an army of demons into town and they were met there by forces of Neverwinter, the town's own militia, and some kind of shadow army. In the course of the battle there was a massive explosion, an explosion that killed Tamil's birth mother and left her wounded and bleeding from her gut. Apparently that was when the sword shard became lodged in her, but nobody had realized it.

As to how she survived and even thrived with a piece of magic sword inside of her all this time, the guessed it must have been one of the properties of the piece of sword itself. Some especially powerful swords even heal their wielders. Other than that, they had no idea how it was possible.

After discussing that, Tamil reported that Bishop had faithfully completed his assignment, even sticking through to the end fight. Duncan gave Bishop a nod of appreciation. In response the ranger surprised everyone by suggesting that he wanted to stay on with the group, to "fully repay" his debt. Tamil was extremely skeptical of the ranger's intentions, but Duncan told the ranger he could continue to stay at the inn without charge.

With that, the group settled back into their routine for the next few days before planning to set out to discover what was wrong with the swamplands around West Harbor.

.

After the debriefing finished, General Hammond ordered SG-1 to undergo a thorough medical examination. Major Janet Frasier was extremely surprised by her findings, most of all with the former Jaffa.

Dr. Carter and Dr. Jackson checked out as fully fit. They had a few new unknown antibodies in their system, but that was not unusual for teams to develop immunities to diseases from worlds they were on for any length of time. Their brain scans showed nothing abnormal, although both had somewhat higher brain function activity from before their mission, but nothing to be worried about.

Jack had been more of a surprise. His heart rate and overall health had improved remarkably. He was in better shape than he was when he was younger. It was as if he had returned to his prime, but with increased strength and agility. He explained the change as a product of the training and exercise he began on the other world.

But Teal'c had completely shocked her.

"Teacl'c, we have good news. During your absence, SG-2 made an amazing discovery. We have a way of removing a symbiote from a Jaffa without compromising their immune system. It's called, Tretonin."

"That is excellent news, doctor. This will enable many of my Jaffa brothers and sisters to be freed of their dependence on gou'ald symbiotes."

"Yes, and we'll be able to do the same for you, once we've made sure you are in proper health. Now, please remove your shirt."

Teal'c complied with a serene smile on his face. "As you can see, Dr. Frasier, I will not be needing to use this Tretonin you spoke of. Tyr has taken care of that."

Major Janet Frasier looked at Teal'c's abdomen. It was completely unmarked. There was no sign that at symbiote had ever been introduced in the way that Jaffa were created. The man before her was no longer a Jaffa. "How is that possible?"

The SGC's Chief Medical Officer ran numerous tests. The results she found were astounding. Not only was Teal'c functioning without a symbiote, he was functioning just as well as if he had one. He showed a powerful resistance to disease, superior stamina to when he had first been examined (and that was already quite impressive), and healing as if he still had the symbiote. Yet all scans showed there was nothing wrong with him, no abnormalities. His brain scans were a match to his previous scans.

Doctor Frasier was at first very skeptical of his claim of having been healed by a divine being. But when Teal'c got out of bed and healed several patients, some who had contracted an alien infection that was resistant to antibiotics and some who had been injured by falling, her skepticism was blunted. She had no explanation for how Teal'c was able to do what he was doing.

"Well, Teal'c, that's the last of your test results. You're cleared to return to duty on the base," the doctor proclaimed. Dr. Frasier looked around her near empty medical room and back to the surprising former Jaffa. "I'm afraid you are going to put me out of business, Teal'c."

Teal'c smiled warmly. "I do not believe that will be the case, Major. As I understand the teachings of Tyr, the gifts given me are rare, and meant to aid the cause of justice and help people develop faith. Likewise, there must be a balance of struggle and sickness to try that faith and create a balance necessary for justice to exist." Dr. Frasier nodded at the wisdom in the man's words before Teal'c continued. "However, I fear the power I was given is nearly depleted. I have expended most of what was given to me. And unlike in Neverwinter on the world of Abeir-Toril, the power I expended has not been restored. I fear we are cut off from the power of Tyr."

Dr. Frasier couldn't help but voice her skepticism of Teal'c's newfound faith. "You know," Dr. Frasier suggested, "if Tyr can't reach across to our universe, perhaps he is not really a god?"

Rather than be affronted as Major Frasier feared when she decided to express her doubts, Teal'c gave her a nod and a smile. "I have wondered the same myself. But I have decided it does not matter whether the Even-Handed is a god on his world or if he is simply an advanced benevolent entity. I do not regret any action I have taken in service to that being and I am grateful for what Tyr enabled me to accomplish. I find Tyr's teachings to be worthy of emulation and intend on continuing to follow them, be he a god or otherwise."

Doctor Frasier smiled back at the Jaffa. "That's very admirable. I can accept that. Perhaps you might tell me about this god of yours some day. If I could learn to heal people the way you've done it would be a great help to my career."

Teal'c acknowledged her jest with smile and a slight bow before leaving the infirmary.

.

Colonel Jack O'Neill loved being home on Earth. He loved being able to eat food he was used to. He loved being able to sit back and watch a bit of TV. He was incredibly happy to have all the modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing, electric lights, and air conditioning again. Neither the githyanki nor the undead were the true horrors of what Jack had experienced in that other universe. That honor went to the chamber pot in the Sunken Flagon.

But back on Toril, traveling with a group of hardcore adventurers, he had gotten used to a training routine. When morning came, he found himself wide awake, ready to stretch his muscles out. All that lying or sitting on a bed while the doctor poked and prodded him in all the uncomfortable places that doctors poked and prodded people had given him enough of just sitting around.

After running around the nearly empty gym facility in Cheyenne Mountain, most of SG-5 showed up. These were Marines whose missions were often combat oriented rather than exploratory, taken from Marines Special Forces teams. They were heavier on training than the more exploration or diplomacy oriented SG teams and had the habit of being early risers for an extra workout to keep them sharp.

"Good morning, Colonel," one of the younger members said. Davis, if Jack remembered correctly. "Kind of early to be up running, isn't it sir? Got something on your mind?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders and explained he just felt like working out. Before long, Colonel O'Neill had joined them in their routine, the older former black ops soldier surprising them by being able to keep pace with them. They were in for a bigger surprise when Jack suggested they practice hand to hand combat with him. Unarmed, Jack beat his sparring opponent one on one, though it was a close contest.

But then Sergeant Soong decided to see what the veteran could do in a knife fight. He tossed Colonel O'Neill a practice knife with a, "Let's see what ya really got, old timer," and came in to attack. Soong felt Colonel O'Neill's practice weapon stab into him once, then twice, his own attack being knocked away. Jack scored several more blows, before disarming the soldier and taking the second weapon.

General Hammond was walking by the base gym facilities when he heard a commotion. A large crowd had gathered around an open area of the floor. A bit concerned, he walked over to hear the sounds of shouting and cheering. As he approached, the men and women made way for him. When he saw what everyone was looking at, he became a bit alarmed.

Three soldiers, all armed with their practice knives, circled Colonel Jack O'Neill looking for an opening in his defenses. They would lunge in with a quick strike, followed by an attack from the soldier on the opposite side. But Jack was too quick. At the moment one began to strike, he would step at just the right angle so that he could defend both attacks at once. Or, he would commit to a single direction, scoring several quick hits, his hands moving as nearly a blur, defeating one opponent and turning to face the other two. The group of three would occasionally land a glancing strike to an overexposed arm or leg, but Jack was scoring quick, decisive kill strikes to the chest or necks of his opponents. Fortunately for them, the rubber practice weapons only left bruises rather than fatal cuts.

"What the blazes is going on here?" General Hammond demanded.

The members of SG-5 quickly put their practice weapons away and turned to salute the General. Jack lowered his weapons, relaxing from his combat stance to something more casual and threw his arms out a little wide in a "don't look at me gesture". "I'm just having a little workout with some of the men, sir. Getting some exercise."

The practice broke up with several of the men from SG-5 walking up to give a pat on the back to the colonel and thanking him. There were murmurs of what almost sounded like awe from several of the spectators. Jack hadn't realized exactly how much he had improved in melee combat since he first arrived on Toril. If there was anything he was going to miss from that place, other than some of the more colorful companions, it was going to be those practice sessions.

.

Samantha Carter was right back at home in the SGC. She was surrounded by computers, monitors, and controls of all different shapes and sizes. Glass marker boards had physics equations on them and graphs and charts interpreted data into a model of how the universe worked. Carter was once again immersed in the real love of her life: science.

She could almost forget that she was a wizard. That is, if she wasn't trying to explain some of the insights to the universe she had gained by the use of incantations and magical portals to another universe to a group of very skeptical scientists. The basics of the laws of magic were simple enough that a typical university student could grasp the rudiments. But to understand the higher order of magic took a brilliant mind. Like the mind a genius astrophysicist with a deep grounding in theoretical quantum and string theory.

Dr. Carter enthusiastically discussed her insights with her colleagues. Her experiences supported some of the current theories, while some longstanding ideas were either cast in doubt or discredited entirely. Occasionally, she would turn to Daniel Jackson and ask his opinion on one thing or another and he would express his understanding of the topic she asked or relate some text he had read to the discussion.

Daniel was absorbed with his own tasks, though. He had all the equipment they had brought back with them down from Toril and was labeling it for testing. There were a few minor magical rings that provided various forms of protection. There were several magical wands, each with their own special function. They had used up all but four of the potions Tamil had handed out, and of those four, three were meant for healing minor injuries, the fourth being a potion that was supposed to bestow greater dexterity on the drinker. And most intriguing, especially to Carter, was the weight and size reducing magic bag that Teal'c had been carrying.

Then there was all the data he had recorded from the Neverwinter archives and Sand's personal library. These were languages that had entirely new orthographies, lexis, and even some syntactic structures that had no parallel in any Earth language. Each record was a lifetime's worth of work for many linguists or anthropologists. It was at least enough to keep Daniel busy for months.

And then there was his spellbook. He had both his travel copy and his digital photos of it from the camera. There was so much to those writings that Daniel could very easily obsess over every little nuance of how they were written. In most languages orthographic distinction was usually of minor importance in comparison to language features with more bearing on semantics, perhaps related to the medium by which the language was transmitted. However, with arcane scripts, the details of different curves, the degree of boldness of a stroke, the relative spacing of symbols- it was all relevant to a deeper meaning.

On some level Daniel knew that Sam was asking him something, but he was lost in his thoughts.

Daniel Jackson was by far the least excited about having returned to Earth. Sure, he was relieved he had gotten home, but there was so much that he had lost. There was an entire world, rich in a completely new culture with no roots or connection to Earth and all he had were a few notes. As big of a loss as that was, it was not the greatest of his losses. After all, he was in the Stargate Program. There were other worlds to visit and explore, other cultures to study. But none that had what Toril had.

He was the first to realize that he could no longer memorize spells. He could remember the symbols, but they no longer translated into power that he could expend as magic spells. He still retained the magic he had memorized before arriving back on Earth, what was left of it, but Daniel was the first to realize that once he cast any spell he could not get it back by studying it. He wasn't sure what this meant. He guessed that the power of magic still existed, but the Weave of Mystra as the books called it, was not present to allow him access to it.

"Daniel?"

And then sometimes he would remember that first, and last, kiss from Neeshka. She was so different from Sha're, his wife from Abydos who had now passed on, but in some ways she had the same warmth and affection, as well as the vulnerability that had drawn him to her. Of course, the fact that Neeshka was part demon was something to seriously consider, but he could tell the tiefling was not evil. He had felt evil when he had passed through two hells. No, Neeshka was just roguish, but in a cute, charming, bedeviling way. He was going to miss her more than he wanted to admit, more than any of the other friends he had made there.

"Daniel?" Carter asked him for the third time.

Dr. Jackson broke away from his thoughts to respond. She wanted to know his opinion on a particular physics equation and the principles of magic. He shook his head. He had no idea about this.

"Damn. Now that I'm back, I wish I had more time on Toril to learn more of that…. magic stuff."

"Me too, Sam." Then Daniel looked at the digital photo of him and Neeshka together and repeated again more softly, to himself, "me too."

Chapter 27: Sought out by Trouble

Tamil Farlong eased back on her stool at the bar of the Sunken Flagon, sipping on the cinnamon ale one of the patrons had bought her. Tamil never turned down an offer of a free drink or meal from her growing throng of fans. She didn't tell them (or remind them) that as Duncan's kin, by way of being adopted by Daeghun, she could get any drink or any dish for free. The bard was glad for every silver or copper they tossed her foster uncle's way.

As the bard from West Harbor took a swig of the spicy brew, there was an abrupt hush to all noise in the busy tavern. Curious, Tamil turned away from the bar to face the common hall, and caught sight of what had caused the abrupt silence. A man stood in the inn's main entryway dressed in a crisp blue uniform with the emblem of an ornate arcane eye emblazoned in white on the chest of his tunic. The sign of Neverwinter, and the garb of one of the Neverwinter Nine.

Despite herself, Tamil felt slightly intimidated. Here was a man who had the ear of Lord Nasher Algondar, Lord of Neverwinter. Nasher was king in all but title, and under his direction the Nine had authority to do virtually anything. There were laws and procedures that both Nasher and the Nine followed, but it was still intimidating to know someone with that much power was standing in the doorway.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Tamil asked, assuming her role as an officer in the City Watch. She had not yet informed Captain Brelaina of her decision not to renew her employment with the Watch after her current duties were up. Perhaps the Nine were interested in recruiting her for one of their special squads of soldiers.

The knight of Neverwinter fixed his attention on Tamil, his business clearly concerning her. "I am Sir Nevalle of the Nine. I am here because you have been accused of a crime."

"What crime?" Tamil immediately responded, a serious tone to her voice.

"You've been accused of slaughtering a village just over the Luskan border. Have you ever heard of Ember?"

There was a moment of shock where she could say nothing at all.

"Ember? I passed through it, didn't slaughter it." Tamil gestured towards Casavir, Neeshka, and Bishop. "We were actually ambushed by an enemy there, but as far as I recall none of the villagers were hurt in the battle. They stayed out of it. When we left, everything was fine. Who is making this accusation?"

"Torio Claven. The ambassador for Luskan," Sir Nevalle said with obvious disdain. "Look, I have no intention of turning over a loyal member of the Watch to Luskan. But, unfortunately, according to our treaty, we have to turn anyone in our city accused of a heinous capital offense against Luskan over to them."

Tamil Farlong's eyes went even wider. "But I'm innocent! And they're enemies of Neverwinter!"

There was a sudden unrest in the inn. A number of the Flagon regulars, mostly docks workers and local sailors, stood up and drew weapons. "You won't be takin' Tamil anywhere, boy-o!" one of the bolder ones called out. "You'll be havin' to go through all of us if you wants to take her in. An' I don't care if yer the friggin Lord o' Neverwinter hiself!" There were many cries of assent and even more of the inn's patrons stood up to confront Nevalle.

Tamil's friends were among those prepared to fight for the bard. Neeshka was at the front of the crowd, looking fiercely protective of her friend and former rescuer. The stout form of Khelgar Ironfist, decked out in his best armor and brandishing his axe interposed itself between the member of the Nine and the bard. Elanee was quick to stand behind Tamil, though without drawing a weapon.

However, not all of the adventurers appeared prepared to jump to her defense. Casavir was hanging back, looking incredibly uncomfortable with a dark frown on his face. Bishop was sitting at a table drinking a beer, callously aware of what was going on and making a show of not caring. Grobnar was clearly excited, and started to gush about how exciting this was all becoming, though it was unclear where he was going to fit into it.

Tamil raised her hand and made a piercing whistle, quieting the crowd in the inn. "Sir Nevalle did not come here with a troop of men," she noted aloud, pointing it out for those who had not yet registered the fact. "He could have come with a squad of soldiers, or flanked by wizards from the Many-Starred Cloaks." Several people in the room blanched at mention of the famed magician's guild and began to back down. Having settled the crowd, Tamil continued, "I will go with Sir Nevalle peacefully." There were murmurs of discontent from those still standing. "But I will remember this support," she concluded warmly and turned to flash her supporters a smile.

A much relieved Nevalle forestalled the bard's surrender. He explained that his real purpose in coming to the inn was not to arrest her, but to inform Tamil of the accusation and suggest a course of action to prevent being extradited. In Luskan, any commoner accused of a serious crime and brought to their "justice" system was automatically considered guilty. Only by participating in a ghastly gladiatorial sport, their Prisoner's Carnival, could a person be spared—if they survived the macabre contest. Considering Tamil's extraordinary service to the City Watch, Lord Nasher had approved a plan forwarded by Captain Brelaina, to have Tamil become part of the Neverwinter nobility. Nobles were not subject to extradition, and she would at least be afforded a fair trial in Neverwinter's courts.

With that, Sir Nevalle took his leave, with a final comment about sending a "friend" to help out with preparing Tamil's defense. A few minutes later, the friend showed up. A very unsettled looking wizard entered to offer his services. The elven wizard and shopkeeper, Sand, had come to help mount a legal defense.

.

"Unscheduled Off-world Activation!" came the announcement over the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base intercom.

Dozens of Marines quickly filed into the Gate Room to join the current compliment of guards in the there and immediately trained their weapons on the center of the gate. General Hammond arrived a few seconds after the announcement, his office located near the gate specifically so that he could oversee any incoming activity. Jack O'Neill and Dr. Samantha Carter, both recently reinstated to active duty, were also quick to arrive. As members of an active SG team, it was one of their duties to be present if they were on the base during such an occurrence.

"Where's Jackson?" General Hammond asked his team mates.

"Still playing around with that magic bag we got from Neverwinter. Testing out the limits of how much it can carry, etc. He was putting my DVD collection in last I saw."

"DVD collection?" Sam asked.

"He said something about needing something small and thin for testing numeric limits and retrieval something or other."

Sam nodded. "He might be right. It may be that the magical function has a finite amount of memory for storing the virtual addresses of items stored within the pocket dimension, but an infinite expansion of space to store the items. If that's true, the question is if that is a safety feature in response to a limitation of the dimensional space, a limitation of the dweomer used to—"

"Sam."

"Yes, sir," Sam smiled as she let Jack cut her off, knowing the colonel's lack of patience with technical jargon.

When the seventh chevron locked, the wormhole exploded outward as it usually did, looking like an explosion of water which was then sucked back inwards. As there was no incoming signal to show who was coming, the general ordered the iris closed. The near impenetrable metal shields closed over the gate.

"Nothing sir. Nothing is coming through," the technician monitoring gate activity reported.

Suddenly, black energy swirled around the circumference of the gate in lightning-like tendrils and an odd black mist began floating directly through the iris, as if it wasn't even there.

"CODE BLACK!" General Hammond ordered. Sirens began going off all over the base.

"What is that?" Sam asked with wide eyes.

"That," the general explained as the base began going into lockdown, large steel doors coming down to block corridors, "was what happened the day you disappeared."

A burst of hellish fire erupted directly through the iris, emerging from the black mist. "And that is what happened the day you came back!" he added, gesturing to the fire.

Three spikes of earth from the hells burst up through the ramp in front of the Stargate. In the center of the unnatural spikes, a ball of fire blazed into being. Then from within the center of that fire, the sound of a deep, rasping voice called out.

"Jonathan Jack O'Neill. Samantha Carter. Daniel Jackson. Teal'c. Your time here is finished and the bargain that brought you here now demands your recall."

Jack began, "Oh, I don't like that sound of—"

One second Jack and Sam were standing beside General Hammond in the Operations Room, the next they were standing in the middle of the ball of hellfire down in front of the Stargate, joined by a shocked Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. The fire did not burn, though it was extremely disconcerting for everyone who saw it.

"—that."

Which was the last word any of them could say before they were once again swallowed up into the hells.

.

SG-1 emerged from the portal with smoke pouring off of their uniforms as an explosion went off around them, the portal they emerged through blasted by hellfire. The four fell to the hard ground, rolling away from the center of the portal they had come through. When they stood up, they were in a familiar room, ancient symbols decorating walls and doors in the large chamber. There were a number of corpses around them.

Luckily, this time none of the corpses were moving.

"Cage." Daniel said simply, pointing out the metal cage in the corner of the room.

Samantha Carter looked at the metal container with its door hanging open. "Yeah, I remember that. Lots of fond memories."

"And I remember these guys," Jack looked at the dead githyanki scattered over the room. "I think I shot that one." Jack paused and turned to Sam. "Mm, Carter, aren't the Stargate wormhole thingies supposed to be a one way trip?" She nodded, so he continued. "Then, how is it that the gate dialed in, but we were transported out?"

"Actually, sir," Dr. Carter answered, "the wormholes themselves don't have any sort of direction at all, not in the sense we are used to thinking of, anyway. But the gates only work one way because the sending gate always converts matter into a form that won't be destroyed by the conditions of the wormhole, while the receiving gate translates that energy back into its physical form."

"So, then why did we end up going into an outgoing wormhole?

"Well, not that I completely understand it yet, but what actually came through the portal was a sort of piece of the hells, and we were summoned into it. We didn't need to be converted into energy or reintegrated on the other side because what went through the gate was part of another dimension, not our physical forms."

"Okay, then if when we normally travel through the gate our bodies are converted into energy, then how do we see the wormhole? I mean, our eyes get converted too, right?"

"Good question. My guess is that when we are converted into energy, we enter a state similar to that of an ascended being. We aren't actually seeing the gate with our eyes, but through whatever senses—"

"You've just got an answer for everything, don't you," Jack cut her off, regretting asking the question in the first place. She just gave him a bemused smile and shrug.

Daniel examined one of the corpses. "Judging by the degree of decomposition here, I'd guess we've been gone just about a week. No serious time difference between our two universes, apparently." Daniel took a look at the githyanki portal they had just returned through. The curving spikes that formed the portal had all been ripped apart, the strange metal they were composed of twisted and warped in places. "Looks like we won't be able to use that portal to go back this time, assuming we can find another devil and have it decide to tell us its true name."

Jack noticed Teal'c standing still and looking upwards as if he were staring at the ceiling. The four of them had travelled through gates between worlds so often that by now they took it for granted that everything would be fine. Seeing his friend standing like that, though, Jack felt a moment of concern. "Teal'c?"

"I am fine, Colonel O'Neill. I am just feeling a renewed connection to Tyr," the former Jaffa informed his friend.

"Well, that will come in handy. Especially since we didn't prepare any equipment for this trip." Jack had noted they were once again stranded on a dangerous planet, but none of them were carrying any weapons at all.

"Oh, wait," Daniel said. Then he produced the magic bag he had been carrying when the group was summoned into the portal. "I was still testing out the limits of the magic bag when we were all suddenly pulled back here. This bag has tremendous military and commercial applications. Profits from this could quite possibly fund the Stargate program if we were able to produce mass quantities of these bags and sell them. You see, so far as I have been able to discover, there is no weight or mass limit to what you can put in it. In fact, the bag actually reduces the physical weight of the objects placed within by sixty percent. Anything you can fit through the top of the bag is stored within, well beyond the volume of the outer dimensions of the bag. There is, however, a limit on the number of items you can put in it."

"Daniel, this isn't the time for show and tell," Jack interrupted again, already weary of long explantations.

Daniel held up one finger, signaling to wait, that he was coming to his point. "Interestingly, a single individual round for a firearm," Daniel pulled out a 9mm round from the bag, "counts as much against the limit as a full ammunition clip." The archaeologist pulled a magazine for a P90 from the pouch. "And even more interestingly, a P90 with a full magazine counts as much as one with no magazine." The archaeologist pulled the weapons from the bad and handed one of the weapons to Jack, the other to Sam.

"You didn't happen to put a 9mm or a zat gun in there did you?" Jack asked hopefully.

Daniel pulled out an M9 and a zat'nik'tel for each member of SG-1. He then pulled out Teal'c's ma'tok staff weapon, the weapon being clearly longer than the height of the bag. "Here you go, big guy," Daniel said to the former Jaffa as he tossed the weapon to Teal'c.

"Daniel, all that stuff has to weigh a ton. Even with a sixty percent reduction in weight, how can you manage to carry it all?" Sam asked with a curious look on her face.

"I've been working out," he deadpanned. The other members of the group looked at Daniel dubiously. "Okay," Daniel conceded, "I emptied several containers worth of helium into the bag. It seems no matter how much helium I put in, it only counts as one item. But I have to put it all in at one time and the helium leaks out of the bag at the same rate it would leak out of a normal bag of this material." Daniel set the bag down on the ground. "In about five minutes it's going to be too heavy for me to lift."

Over the next few minutes, SG-1 went over all the items Daniel had placed within the bag. There were 140 items in total. Daniel explained that there were 142 "memory slots" and he had taken an item out before he was summoned into the gateway. The last slot was taken up by the helium.

Going through the inventory, there were several books on ancient cultures in various languages, clearly taken from Daniel's collection. There were also dozens of DVDs, plastic containers, and food items in various stages of being cut or eaten, as well as boxes of MREs. There were also a few other items which were clearly part of Daniel's attempt to understand the limitations of the magic bag and not really useful.

"Great, Daniel. How are we supposed to play these DVDs? Or is there some magic spell that will do that?" Jack asked.

"First of all," Daniel said pulling another object out of the bag, "there is another laptop. As long as the power cord is plugged into the computer, the computer and adapter take up one slot. But if it's unplugged, it takes up two," Daniel said with a smirk. "Secondly, we did leave a lot of equipment behind at the inn. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it back.

"But you're going to love this, Jack," Daniel continued as he pulled another of the 140 items out of the bag. "I brought an LCD projector. All we need is some popcorn and we can have an SG-1 movie night while back at the inn."

Among the inventory was a full case of 5.7x28mm ammunition for the FN P90 automatic weapons (the entire case only counted as a single item). Daniel also pulled out additional uniforms, explaining that the bag tracked each piece of clothing separately even when part of a set, and even if placed into the bag bound together. Then he pulled out Kevlar vests, which counted as a single clothing item each, despite including ceramic pieces that fit within it and multiple detachable parts.

The last things Daniel pulled out were all of the magical items they had brought with them to Stargate Command, minus the potions which had been taken for analysis. Daniel had determined that magical items took up the same amount of slots as non-magical ones. With a final explanation that 10 small identical items, such as grenades, placed into the bag at the same time counted as one slot, while some smaller items, such as batteries, could be placed into the magic bag in groups of 99.

Daniel had a slightly smug, satisfied look on his face as he looked at Colonel O'Neill.

Jack took a look in the now empty bag. "What, no kitchen sink?"

After gearing up in the body armor and loading their weapons, the group was set to head back out through the now abandoned githyanki base. Teal'c took the magic bag, which had once again become too heavy for Daniel to carry now that all the equipment was back in and the helium had been leaked out and then released.

"Well, we're stuck here again. At least this time, we have an idea what we're in for," Daniel remarked.

"Yeah, could be worse," Sam remarked.

"Well," Jack said with wry smile, slipping on the magical headband that allowed him to speak the common tongue, "let's see if we can find Tamil and go say hi. Should be a surprise."

.

Tamil turned in her City Watch cloak to Captain Brelaina with a slight sadness. True, the position had been a means to an end, and not her choice of career, but she had felt proud wearing the uniform. It had meant something to be a symbol of order, administering the laws of this powerful city. She had intended to quit the position in a few days, but now that she was forced to hand it over, suspended until she either proved her innocence at the trial or got executed, she was reluctant to let the position go.

"This is only temporary, Lieutenant," Brelaina commented. "I'm certain that you are innocent of what you are accused. The trial will prove this."

"Thank you, Captain. And thanks for recommending that Nasher allow me to be made a squire to avoid this Luskan trap."

"No thanks are necessary. I dare say Marshal Cormick was even more vocal in your defense. I had never seen his face turn red from anger before, but it certainly did when he was saying how wrong it was that Luskan would accuse you of anything like that." The City Watch captain sighed. "But be careful, Lieutenant. Not everyone knows what an honorable woman you are and will believe the lies that are being told. Some citizens may try to take the law into their own hands."

"Thank you, Captain. I understand. I'll be back tomorrow to formally accept the oath and swear my allegiance to Neverwinter."

With that, Tamil Farlong stepped out of the headquarters of the City Watch in the Merchant Quarter and started down the cobbled streets of Neverwinter towards the bridge that would take her over Neverwinter River and back to the docks. It was because her mind was so preoccupied with these events that she didn't notice as several people stepped out of the shadows to follow her. As Tamil stepped onto the bridge between the city sections, even more gathered together. Captain Brelaina's words were more true than she knew.

It didn't take Tamil long to realize she was being followed by a small mob. She hurried her steps, hoping to make it to the other side before they got to her. It would not do for her, a woman accused of slaughtering a village, to be seen with the blood of Neverwinter citizens on her sword. And she didn't exactly like these odds, either. She felt alone without her friends to back her up.

Just as she was approaching the end of the bridge, she noticed another group approaching from the other side. It was an ambush They spread out along the bridge to prevent her from sprinting around her. Tamil heard the sudden charge of the mob coming from the Merchant Quarter side.

"HALT!" Tamil yelled out. Her voice carried with a powerful weight, and the mob on both sides came to a standstill. "Look, there is no need for this to come to bloodshed"

"Oh, I disagree," came a rough, menacing voice. "You've been trouble in these parts for far too long."

Tamil recognized the sound of that voice. It was one of the thugs who had been arrested and later released. The bard realized that part of this mob consisted of criminals, probably in league with the Shadow Thieves. They were taking advantage of her vulnerability.

"My brother lived in Ember!" came another voice, this one less menacing, but far more passionate and angry. "You slaughtered my brother without any cause. So, don't tell me there's no need for bloodshed, when your hands are already covered in it!"

Tamil turned to face the speaker. "That is not true. I don't know what you have heard, but I did not kill your brother or anyone else in that town." Tamil tried to put as much heart and sincerity into her tone as she could. If she could get those out for revenge to rethink their actions, perhaps there was a chance for a peaceful resolution.

The thugs would have none of that. "SHE'S LYING!" They yelled and started to charge at her, pulling knives and short swords out to attack.

In an instant, Tamil had her sword in hand, its sonic energy blazing around the blade. But the girl from West Harbor had no heart for butchering these people. Some of them, she knew, were just innocent folk who had lost someone they loved.

Without warning, there were several bursts of a familiar metallic ringing energy. The lightning like power crackled around several of the charging assailants, who fell to the ground in pain before losing consciousness. Everyone froze in place and looked back in the direction of the Merchant Quarter where four people stood tall in the camouflaged uniforms of the forces of Earth, holding black weapons that had the appearance of striking snakes pointed at the mob.

"Hi there," came Jack O'Neill's voice in a friendly tone. The calm with which he greeted everyone was a perfect counterpoint to the powerful effect of the weapons that had just disabled six attackers. "What's going on here?"

"Jack!" Tamil yelled out.

"Heya, Tamil. Wanna explain what's going on here?"

The small mob of attackers quickly parted as SG-1 approached and let them through to join up with Tamil. They hadn't broken and run yet, but they had no stomach to fight without an overwhelming numerical advantage, especially an enemy with powerful weapons.

"I've been accused of murder," Tamil explained. "Some of these people are here for revenge because they believe the lie," Tamil said loudly, so attackers could hear. "But others are criminals here to take advantage of the situation."

"I see," Jack said to Tamil then turned to address the rest of the crowd. After warning them that SG-1 would not allow them to hurt their friend and admonishing them to let the law handle things, Jack lowered his zat. The mob broke up, several running away.

As the five began to walk back to the Sunken Flagon, Tamil's curiosity got the better of her. "I'm so glad to see you all again. But what happened? Weren't you all supposed to get home?"

Daniel answered, "Well, we did get home. But then just yesterday we were suddenly brought back here."

The bard found that odd. "How? Why?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. But let's get back to the Flagon, we've got something to show you. Hope your uncle didn't destroy all of our stuff."

Tamil smiled, "No way I'd let him do that. Way to valuable on the black market."

Daniel interrupted the banter, "Now what's this about you being accused of a murder?"

"I have no idea why they're saying I did this, but now that you guys are back, I feel a lot better."

Despite themselves, each member of SG-1 couldn't help but thinking, "Me too."

Chapter 28: Gathering Evidence

The Sunken Flagon was alive with excitement. The moment Jack, Teal'c, Sam, and Daniel walked in, they were greeted with both hearty welcomes and curious questions. Of all the companions they had adventured with, Khelgar, Casavir, and Neeshka were the most obviously enthusiastic. The tiefling, however, soon found herself red-faced when seeing Daniel again and avoided being one on one with him at first. Between the return of the team from Earth and the news of Tamil's situation, there was a lot going on.

After SG-1 related the events of their return home and subsequent summoning back to Faerûn, it was their turn to ask about what had happened while they were back on Earth. They were surprised to find that Sand had the most information about the situation and that the elf was now actually staying with Tamil at the Flagon rather than living in the room above his shop. The elf was a bit evasive about his involvement but explained that he was more familiar with Luskan politics than most people in the city were.

Sand explained the treaty to the group. Several years after the war between Luskan and Neverwinter, Lord Nasher met with a contingent of Luskan's Arcane Brotherhood to seek stability in the region. One of the provisions of the treaty included a reciprocal clause that allowed both cities to demand the surrender of anyone from the other city found attacking lands controlled by the opposing power. This clause was put into place to put a stop to a series of retaliatory clashes by former soldiers on both sides raiding villages across the border. For some it was a matter of vengeance, but for others it was just an opportunity for banditry.

However, as a matter of Neverwinter law superceding the treaty, any member of the nobility had to first be found guilty within Neverwinter's courts by a Justiciar of Tyr or the Lord of Neverwinter before any foreign power could extradite them. Unfortunately, members of the City Watch were not nobles. Tamil had been born in West Harbor, a chartered town of Neverwinter, but he had no noble parentage and the town have lacked any power to appoint nobles any government would recognize.

There were several ways to enter the Neverwinter nobility, but each had its own requirements and not all of them would be practical. The easiest way would be to purchase a title, but unfortunately, a person needed to have lived within the city for a minimum of three years before purchasing a title was legally allowed. The second method was to marry into the nobility, but Tamil would scarcely consider that course of action. Service to the crown could be rewarded with knighthood, and even the squire of a knight was considered a member of nobility. The last method of becoming a noble required one to have noble parentage and certificates either within Neverwinter's archives, or from a recognized authority, which Tamil did not have.

Luckily, a plan had been formulated by which Tamil would enter the Neverwinter knighthood as a squire. Until the ceremony by which she would become squired to the knight, however, she was forbidden to leave the city. Fleeing would make her a fugitive and Luskan could then send search parties to enter Neverwinter lands to hunt for her.

"So, what about the trial? What burden of proof needs to be met?" Daniel asked of Sand once the details of the situation had been related. "Is Tamil considered innocent and must be proven guilty by the prosecution, or is she considered guilty and must prove her innocence?"

Sand nodded at his friend, "Very good questions, Daniel. Were Tamil to be tried as a commoner under Low Justice, she would be required to provide sufficient proof that she had not committed the crime. In the case of a capital offense, two judges would be chosen by the accuser, two by the accused's advocate, and an impartial judge would be chosen by the overseeing justiciar. A majority of the judges must believe the accused to be innocent, indicated by a lit torch, otherwise he or she is found guilty. A judge can indicate at any time in the trial that they believe the accused to be guilty by drawing a blade.

"Fortunately, High Justice does not follow this system. Rather, the accused is tried by the Justiciar of Tyr in Neverwinter, possibly in the throne room before Lord Nasher. If Lord Nasher is presiding, then he is the one who determines guilt or innocence according to how he perceives the case. Otherwise, it is the justiciar who determines the guilt or innocence of the accused and then makes a recommendation to Lord Nasher who then decides what penalty will be meted out."

"So," Daniel said with a frown, "it all rides on being able to convince either Lord Nasher or the Justiciar."

"Not exactly," Sand corrected. "These trials are always a public spectacle. Depending on who is being tried, it can draw quite a crowd. And believe me," Sand bit off his next words with some poorly hidden vitrol, "Lord Nasher takes more than a little notice of how the crowd feels about a case, especially if there are many of the nobility in attendance."

"Then we're going to need to be very convincing," Colonel O'Neill broke in. Then he turned to Tamil. "Don't worry. We'll prove your innocence. This won't be the first time one of our friends had been wrongly accused."

"And I assume you won the case?" Tamil replied teasingly.

"Won the case, saved the world, and had a parasitic alien removed from our friend," Jack said matter-a-factly. "And our opponents were super-genius aliens with really big space ships. This will be a piece of cake."

.

Tamil sat alone out beneath the starry skies. She took a moment to lean back and look high up in the sky at the beautiful sight of Selûne, the moon of Abeir-Toril, followed by what looked like glittering jewels following in its wake. The Tears of Selûne, asteroids large enough to be visible and reflect the light of the sun, trailed away from the bright moon tapering off partway across the black void of space high above the planet. It was a beautiful night to be out pondering her life.

Sir Grayson had sworn her to uphold the Knight's Code and left her outside the walls of Neverwinter in what was known as Solace Glade. All around her were the farmlands that thrived under the protection of Neverwinter's frequent road and land patrols. It reminded her of home.

She had spent her life growing up in a farming community. Her adopted father hunted and traded, putting his skill in the wilds to use augmenting the community's agricultural trade with skins and meat from local animals. Unknown to many, he was also responsible for putting down many dangerous monsters that roamed too close to the small town of West Harbor.

Being the adopted daughter of a ranger who was away from town most of the time would have been a lonely life if not for her friends. Of them all, Aimee was the one closest to her. Then there was Bevil Starling, the boy who had a crush on both her and Aimee for as long as the two girls could remember. Tamil even thought fondly of the Mossfield boys, all of whom were trouble just looking for a place to happen. They were good kids, just with no outlet for the energy of their youth. They were all back there in West Harbor. All except for Aimee.

She had gotten vengeance for her friend. In truth, by now, between her and her companions she had slain at least a dozen of the githyanki and their servants for every one of the dead of her home town. That had never been her goal, only to see the threat ended, but still it felt balanced and complete. The blood of her enemies no longer bothered her the way it had those first few times. It had been necessary, and now she felt so in her heart.

She thought of her new friends. She was uncommonly lucky to have teamed up with Khelgar when she had. The two of them had made a fine team and they had learned so much from each other. She fondly recalled rescuing Neeshka from the corrupt soldiers from Fort Locke. The young tiefling for all her past folly and thievery was so fiercely loyal as to challenge even the dwarf's devotion. Of course, there were also the lovable Grobnar and the upright Casavir who had recently shown themselves to be worthwhile companions.

But SG-1 was something else. Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c were so dear to her now. She had helped them, but in return, they had done so much more for her. Without them, she wondered, how much more blood would be on her hands? Could she have been able to bring down the corruption in the docks without their amazing knowledge or technology? She didn't know, but she was certainly glad they were back with her again.

Tamil heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Of course, they weren't actually with her now. They were camped out of earshot while she performed her vigil before becoming a squire. She was alone.

The bard grabbed her weapon and spun towards the sound. When she saw who it was, she quickly sheathed her weapon and smiled. The farm girl. Shandra.

Shandra Jerro had come out to check on her protector. The two chatted comfortably for a few minutes. Tamil Farlong felt a kinship to the young and sturdy woman from Highcliff. The farmer had lost her parents years before and had inherited the property she worked. Not many people her age were prepared for responsibility like that.

"Did you hear something?" Shandra asked, turning towards the direction of the sound.

Tamil followed her gaze to see a trio of armed men heading her way. They did not look like Neverwinter guards. Two of them were distinctly half-orcs, their ugly faces and snouts giving their parentage away. The leader looked at Shandra with disdain and then addressed Tamil. "I didn't expect the girl to be here. We'll spare her the grief of crying over your corpse and kill her as well."

Before the bard could make a retort, Shandra drew her father's short sword and brought up her blade. "I'm right here, you know. Why don't you try!"

Tamil could see from the position of her arm and the way she held the buckler she had pulled from behind her waist that Khelgar had been given the farm girl some lessons. The bard grinned and pulled out her own sword and shield. Yeah, she was definitely feeling a kinship with the farm girl.

"Three big tough men against two meek little women?" Tamil said, cocking her head to the side. "These odds are unfair." The men started to laugh and the leader started to open his mouth to comment. Tamil cut him off. "Shandra, back off," she shot the farm girl a wink, "to even it up."

The assassin leader was making some kind of retort, but Tamil was already humming a tune and by the time the fight began, the bard and the farmer were both encased in a skin of iron. The leader and one of the half-orc brutes concentrated on Tamil. The other half-orc struck at Shandra.

What Shandra quickly discovered was that her opponent was not nearly as good of a fighter as Khelgar was. While she was practicing with the dwarf he had complimented her on how well her father had trained her, and her skills were coming back. Then the skilled dwarf knocked her around until she was able to fend off his attacks and learn to strike back. She hadn't yet managed to even touch Khelgar, but her half-orc foe was shocked when she batted aside his attack and slashed him across the arm.

The assassins had heard of Tamil Farlong. She was supposed to be pretty tough. They figured two of them should be able to take her, and three would come just to make sure. After the first exchange, they realized they had underestimated their opponent. Tamil dodged one strike and blocked the other with her shield, all while deftly bringing her own blade around to stab at her opponent's exposed midsection. The blade hummed in her hand and when it ripped through the man's flesh, he felt the vibration tearing at his guts. And she was singing a chipper song as she was slicing through her opponent.

The half-orc facing Shandra managed to trade blows, striking the farmer across the shoulders with his poisoned blade. The tip failed to even break through her skin. Shandra, however, had no trouble slashing through the bone and muscle of the brute's chest. The half-orc staggered back and the blond haired farmer came on. She was protected both by Tamil's magical ironskin chant as well as the armor she wore, fresh from a session with Khelgar. The assassin got a swing in, and Shandra felt the bite into her arm, but that didn't stop her and she drove the blade home through the stunned brute's heart. She was going to have to thank Khelgar.

Tamil saw one of her opponent's charging her position and easily countered with precise footsteps that left her enemy off balance and the full weight of her attack aimed at the assassin leader who had been left exposed by his companion's recklessness. The bard knocked his weapon aside and slashed the man's throat. Then she turned to handle the remaining assassin. Only now, the odds had changed. With Shandra there, the two made quick work of the overwhelmed half-orc.

.

Sir Grayson arrived back at the Solace Glade to find his new squire sitting cross-legged in front of a pair of bloody corpses. A third littered the ground several paces away, its black blood smearing the grass. The knight quickly surmised it was the work of assassins trying to stop Neverwinter's plan from preventing them from getting Tamil. The bard doubted it was response to the plan to make her a squire, suspecting it was an attack of opportunity, but held her tongue. She did, however, insist on Shandra returning with Sand and SG-1 before the bodies were disturbed. Samantha Carter had already carefully explained to all of them how an investigation should work.

When SG-1 arrived, Dr. Carter had everyone carefully step back while she pulled out the digital camera they had retrieved from the Flagon after returning. She took pictures of each of the slain assassins, their weapons, and especially, the hand of the leader which was found to have a strange ring with small spikes around its circumference. Then, she removed their belongings and carefully handed the ring and several small vials of thick liquid to Sir Grayson.

"Here. We need you to bring these items to Blacklake for safekeeping."

The knight was uncomfortable with handling what were obviously vials of poison. He voiced his dissent and asked why he had to be the one to do so. Sand was also curious why such potential evidence needed to be handed off to someone else.

"Sir Grayson, this is a matter of honor. Since I am a friend of Tamil's, someone could argue that I switched these items for something else. You, however, are a knight of Neverwinter with an impeccable record. Nobody would doubt your honor. Even though Squire Farlong is your charge, when you testify that you obtained these items from where your squire was attacked, your word will be accepted."

With that reasoning, the knight accepted the items into his care and the group discussed their next steps for the investigation. It was clear that whatever occurred, they would need to leave Neverwinter in order to gather evidence. They would need to travel to Port Last, where the crime was first reported, and the village of Ember, where the crime was said to have taken place.

"We should split up," Daniel suggested. "We can cover more ground that way."

"Uh, bad idea," Jack protested. "Every time we split up something bad happens."

"Such as?"

"Oh, I don't know. One of us getting a gou'ald implanted in us, being sent to an alternate universe through a mirror, getting sent through an Asgard trap for gou'ald and Jaffa… with a Jaffa, or, how about being stabbed through the chest?"

"Okay, Jack, I'll grant you that," Daniel retorted, "but how about stowing aboard two separate gou'ald ha'tak motherships to save the Earth? Preventing the Tollan from getting blown up from orbit when their ion canon defenses were sabotaged? Or having our favorite former Jaffa become chosen of a powerful being who heals us just when we need it? We had to split up to accomplish those missions, right?"

Jack stood there with his finger in the air and opened his mouth once, then twice. Then he just shrugged. "Alright, fair enough. We'll split up. Daphne, Velma and Scooby can search the spooky woods while Shaggy and Freddy take the Mystery Machine to the haunted house."

When all the Faerûnians gave puzzled looks, Jack explained, "It's from Scooby Doo. It's a cartoon… er, a show, from the late 1970s and early 80s. On an Earth calendar. Never mind. Okay, Tamil, Teal'c, and I will go to the town where this was supposed to have happened to collect evidence. Daniel, Sam, and the pointy eared guy can go investigate Port Last, or whatever the town's name is."

"Perhaps it would be better," Sand broke in, "if I were to go with Ms. Farlong? I am more familiar with the local customs and could no doubt point out certain irregularities that you might miss without the benefit of my knowledge."

Daniel gave a short frown and then pursed is lips before turning to face the elf. "And if Tamil were going to Port Last instead, rather than Ember, then I suppose your expertise would be better put to use dealing with the local authorities there?"

The wizard gave his protégé a shrewd look as he affirmed Daniel's suspicions, "Why yes, I do believe that would be the case."

Daniel nodded. Then he pulled Jack and Tamil over to speak with them in private. "It seems that Sand has been asked to do more than just assist us. He's been sent to keep an eye on you," Daniel said, looking towards Tamil with that last statement.

"So, we should give him the slip?" Jack asked.

"No, I don't think so. Since we are sure Tamil is innocent, we just go along with this arrangement. Wherever Tamil goes, Sand goes, too. In fact, if we can have more witnesses to the investigation, it would be better."

Turning back to the rest of the companions, Daniel asked whom the courts would trust as witnesses. It was explained that aside from the Neverwinter Nine of Nasher's court, none were held in as high esteem as knights and clerics in the service of Tyr. After a brief discussion of the circumstances under which Casavir left the service of Neverwinter and how Teal'c would be viewed, it was decided that Casavir would accompany Tamil to Port Last while Teal'c would observe as Daniel gathered evidence in Ember.

.

Despite not being familiar with the lands they were walking, Elanee led the group heading to Ember over the terrain without any difficulty. Without Tamil or Jack in the group, leadership seemed to naturally fall to the druidess, at least when it came to matters of travel and rest. Grobnar was happy to follow behind, whistling a cheerful tune as they went, much to both Neeshka and Elanee's annoyance. Daniel noticed, though, that the gnomish bard would make no noise at all whenever they were in a dangerous area. Teal'c, who certainly had experience in leadership, seemed content to defer to the elven druidess.

Daniel, of course, knew he was not suited to leading the excursion through the wilderness. He had thought that Neeshka might take up the point position as she had done in the various underground dungeons they had been in, but she seemed much less at ease out of doors than inside a city or even inside a monster and trapped filled labyrinth. She also seemed to have gotten over her shyness at Daniel's unexpected return and was quite comfortable walking along beside him. Remembering the passionate kiss she had laid on him just before he was about to return to the SGC just a week ago, the archaeologist was not as comfortable.

As soon as they arrived at the village, they noticed the stench of death. Whatever untruths the Luskans were telling, the massacre itself was a fact. Bodies of the villagers were left lying were they had been slain, flies buzzing about the corpses in swarms. Everything within the village had been butchered, even several cats that had been hacked apart.

Daniel, taking charge of the group for the investigation, instructed everyone to stand back from any of the corpses and not to touch any of them. He took careful photos of each corpse as they had fallen and then several close-ups of the fatal wounds. After taking initial shots, he pulled away clothing near the wounds and took further photos.

Shortly, they came across a corpse with a different pattern of discoloration from the rest of the victims. The skin around the wounds were a ghastly black and the wounds were not nearly as deep. After snapping the photos, Daniel commented to the rest of the group, "This one didn't die of stabbing or slashing wounds." Gobnar and Neeshka came closer to listen to his explanation. "These wounds are all superficial. I'd say it's a pretty good guess that this victim died of septic shock, through some poison administered on the blade."

"Did not Tamil Farlong indicate that she and Shandra were attacked by enemies who coated their weapons in poison and carried such poisons upon their person?" Teal'c asked. "In fact, I had to treat Shandra for poison when she returned to see me."

"Yes, she did, and thank you again," Daniel answered as he took several samples of flesh as well as a few vials of blood from the affected wounds. "The question will be if these poisons match."

After he did so, he heard a crackle from his walkie-talkie. "Daniel?" came the voice of Samantha Carter.

"Yeah, Carter," he responded.

"We're pretty much done here in Port Last. We spoke to a couple witnesses here. One was obviously lying and after a little careful questioning, Tamil convinced him to recant his entire testimony. The other, though, was a woman Jack, Tamil, Shandra and Casavir all recognized. She says she is completely certain it was Tamil who led the killing. Sand suspects some sort of magical disguise."

"Any trouble there?" Daniel responded to the radio.

"A few of the local militia wanted to provoke a fight, but Tamil talked them down. Other than that no trouble. But, Daniel, one of the merchants here was asking about the dead bodies in Ember. She seems to be worried that they'll be left unburied and rise up as undead due to the violent nature of their deaths. Do you have any wyrmsage on you?"

"No, but I think I know how to solve that problem."

"You're not going to zat the bodies are you?" Carter asked with a little concern in her voice. "I know that would eliminate the bodies, but it's… disrespectful."

"No, not that. I'll have Teal'c make some holy water. He should be able to do that with the powers he has from Tyr," Daniel replied.

"Good thinking. Tamil heard from a local ranger that there was a disturbance in the woods bordering Ember. We're going to check out that area to see if we can find any more potential witnesses. And be on the look out for a mining prospector with red hair. Carter out."

Teal'c began converting the groups waterskins into pouches of holy water while the rest of them inspected the rest of the village. Among the things that were found was a journal kept by the town quartermaster. Daniel carefully leafed through the book, turning the pages by the very edge. Then he sealed the book up in a watertight map pouch.

After burying the bodies of the villagers, the group prepared to leave when they heard a sound coming from the well. It sounded as if someone or something was moving around from inside. Daniel radioed to the other group that they were going to investigate noises from the well before using the bucket and rope to lower the members of the team down.

What they found at the bottom of the well was both surprising and disturbing.

First, the water source for the town was flowing through an underground cavern that was lined with rich minerals and metal. While this would be an excellent place to begin mining ore, it was a terrible place for a water well. The minerals from the rock were seeping into the water, and would slowly begin poisoning the people. If they hadn't died already, they were certain to begin getting sick.

Secondly, they found the young boy, Marcus, cowering in a corner. But when the boy saw Daniel, Teal'c, and Neeshka, he stood up straight and approached without fear.

They asked the boy what happened and he explained that he had seen the beginning of the massacre. Someone disguised as Tamil, through some form of magic, was ordering everyone to be killed without mercy. When asked about the disguise, the boy shrugged and just said that illusory magic just never fooled him. He was able to hide in a small space. One of the attackers had come down after him and had run into the corridors ahead, but the man never returned.

Marcus handed the knife he had taken from the ranger, Bishop, back to Daniel. "This saved my life. I've been hiding out down here until you came. I knew you would return, though I was getting a little worried it would be a long time from now."

Grobnar pressed the boy for details. Marcus explained how he had hidden from the raiders and the occasional monster, living off rodents and insects. "You lived off of rats? How exciting! Are there any recipes for rat that you've discovered that you would like to share? And do tell me, how did you know it would be us that would be coming?"

Of all the odd questions the gnome had asked, the last one was the least odd. However, it was also the one that received the most curious of responses. As soon as Marcus heard the question, his demeanor changed and his eyes took on a strange vacant quality. When he spoke, it was as if he were speaking while in a dreamlike trance.

"You, Grobnar Gnomehands, I did not see. In your place I saw a giant metal man with great blades for arms and your blood spilled upon its chest." Then the child seer turned to face Elanee. "Elanee of the Circle of the Mere, child of the land and the elves, I saw you return with shadows gathering behind you. The King of Shadows has tasted the power of the Circle and seeks to bring every last druid of the lands to his side, as slaves of shadow. In the end you have a choice; you must succumb to the shadow, or leave this land behind forever to face exile on a world where the land has long ago lost its voice."

Elanee was visibly shaken at this pronouncement. Grobnar's eyes had gone wide. "Oh my word," he muttered, "I can't believe this."

"Daniel Jackson, you and Samantha Carter have begun a journey into the secrets of magic. Mystra herself has taken notice of you. At the moment of choice you may choose to escape the snares of darkness to join The Lady of Mysteries, sharing secrets of magic and creation beyond your dreams, or you may leap into the unknown and the mysteries will follow after you."

As Marcus spoke each pronouncement in turn, Daniel noticed a slight flicker of Marcus's eyes. It was as if a different source or personality was speaking through the boy. When the boy finished speaking to him, it was as if a small flash of blue was fading away to be replaced with a warm whiteness when Marcus turned to Teal'c.

"Teal'c of Chulak, favored of Tyr. The Even-Handed is pleased with your course. Wherever you walk, you shall be an instrument of justice and ever a blessing to those who walk the path or righteousness with you."

The change from Marcus speaking to Teal'c and speaking to Neeshka was like an abrupt shift. The boy seemed to flinch, before settling back into calm and turning to the tiefling. "Young Neeshka, Princess of Stygia. Your path is shrouded in mystery. Gather strong allies and choose wisely the side you are on. There are bonds of blood and greater bonds which will tie you to your fate."

And then Marcus was standing there, blinking for a moment, but once again just a little boy. He climbed into the bucket and began hoisting himself back out of the well. When Daniel and Elanee protested that they would escort him to safety, the boy simply smiled and said that now they had found him, he knew he would be safe on his way. He assured them he would see them again before the trial and testify on Tamil's behalf.

"I can't believe this," Grobnar repeated again. "What a stroke of luck! I've heard the prophesy of my own death!" Everyone turned to regard the curious gnome. "Don't you see? I have nothing to fear now except a giant metal man with giant blades for arms! And even that doesn't seem that scary since I've already seen one of those before. Oh, what an extraordinary discovery!"

Ignoring the gnome, Daniel suggested they continue on. Elanee was not so keen on going further into the tunnel, but Dr. Jackson was insistent. "According to Marcus, one of the attackers came through here. He might have left some more clues as to the identity of the real murderers." Grudgingly, the druidess agreed to continue forward through a door that led into a deeper cavern.

Despite being somewhat shaken by the curious pronouncement about her fate, Neeshka took the point position as they continued walking forward. It was fortunate that she did, as she found a very cleverly designed trip wire that would fire off powerful crossbow bolts at high velocity. She disabled it and noted to the group that this was a particularly nasty piece of work. Whoever put this here was clever.

A warning cry came from the tunnel in front of them. Just ahead were several short figures, shorter even than Grobnar, carrying weapons of various shapes. They were green-skinned creatures with tattered gray leather clothing that may once have been armor. Their faces were misshapen with bulging red and yellow eyes. The duo from SG-1 had never seen their like before, but the look on Elanee and Grobnar's faces made them pull out their weapons.

The creatures shouted out something that sounded like coarse Common, but Daniel had a hard time understanding what they were saying. The accent was too rough for him to properly understand without the magical translation circlet he had stopped wearing. Fortunately, Grobnar explained things.

"These are goblins, warning us to stay away. Most are very nasty creatures, will try to kill you without provocation, but some can be reasoned with," the gnome explained.

This group of goblins turned out to be the latter kind, refugees from a larger band, who had holed up in this cavern for safety. They had encountered a human several days before who had run into their lair and slaughtered many of their kind. Many more would have died as well, but this particular goblin tribe had an advantage: most of them had developed magical powers after living in this cavern for so long. With their magic, they had managed to kill the intruder before too many of their goblin brothers and sisters died.

Daniel explained that they were looking for the human, and that he may have been an enemy. The goblin guard allowed them to enter the cavern to speak with the goblin chieftain, Glek. Glek's ability to speak Common was better than the guard's, and Daniel was better able to understand what was going on.

Daniel pulled out his camera and began recording. When the goblins hissed in protest, he explained its purpose. They relaxed. Glek gave explained everything in detail, including what the intruder looked like. Then he displayed the items he had taken from the man.

When Daniel asked if he could have the ring, the goblin chief initially declined. Then he made the group an offer: if the group could help wipe out a colony of spiders that was preying on his tribe, they would give the ring to them. Everyone agreed.

The cavern broke off in two directions. To the left was a corridor filled with huge glowing spiders. Neeshka started forward when suddenly the corridor was filled with white sticky tendrils of webbing that exploded from the walls. She was trapped in the corridor as the large spiders began crawling rapidly forward.

Daniel didn't hesitate. He quickly grabbed his P90 and took aim. A couple quick bursts killed the first of the huge arachnids. They were simply too big to miss. An explosion from Teal'c's ma'tok staff weapon turned the following creature into purplish goo that splattered all over the cavern. The next nearest giant spider was further back, not immediately a threat, but it was approaching.

Grobnar and Elanee shot at the creature with arrows. Elanee was mentioning something about abominations against nature. Daniel lowered his automatic weapon and raised his hands in a sort of throwing gesture as he uttered the words to one of his offensive spells. A ball of fire roared down the corridor exploding in the cavern. The spiders gave off the sounds of high pitched chittering, their versions of screams of pain.

Between Teal'c and Daniel, the spiders never even came close to Neeshka. The webbing slowly faded away, Daniel realizing it was magical rather than truly biological in nature. The tielfing was soon freed and the group searched to the end of the cavern. Neeshka looked to her companions with a smile on her face.

The goblins honored their agreement and turned the ring over, though that was likely more because they had no desire to battle an enemy capable of wiping out the spiders as easily as the group had than that they cared about honor. Daniel filmed the ring being handed over. Teal'c kept the item in a small pouch brought for that specific purpose. That was another key piece of evidence.

Before leaving, Grobnar asked to explore the remainder of the cave. With the goblin chief's consent, they took the right hand tunnel towards a chamber heavily guarded by many goblins. In addition to the goblins, there was a curious pool of what looked like liquid metal and on the opposite side of the room, a white glowing sphere resting directly within the water reservoir.

"That pool looks like it's made of mercury, but somehow I doubt that's what it really is," Daniel remarked.

"I believe that glowstone is the source of the abnormalities in this cavern," Elanee said, nodding over to where the goblins guarding it bristled.

"It's surprising none of them have developed cancer with all the impurities in the water around here," Daniel added. "But I'm betting that someone important knows what's underneath this town, and the people here were killed to obtain it."

Elanee looked at Daniel in shock. "Do you think someone would covet the treasures of nature so greedily as to murder an entire village?"

Daniel looked back at the elven lady with a sad frown, "I'm afraid worse had been done for less. That makes more sense than slaughtering them all simply to frame Tamil. From what I can tell, the frame job was just a bonus."

The group discussed what they had discovered and the meaning it had while they explored the rest of the cavern. Daniel and Teal'c remarked on several ore deposits that would be extremely valuable. Grobnar remarked on what he found down a side tunnel.

"It's a gigantic intelligent spider! Much larger than those other ones!" he beamed.

.

Casavir took the lead position on the way from Port Last to the Duskwood, with Tamil beside him. Jack, Shandra, and Khelgar served as rearguard, while Sand and Dr. Carter were protected in the middle in case of an ambush. Reports of strange movements in the woods near the village of Ember were a scant lead, but it was something they could follow up on before meeting back with Daniel and Teal'c's party. As they approached the wood, there was a strange heavy feeling in the air that slowly settled upon them.

Sand warned the group about the magical dampening effects of the Duskwood, rendering most arcane spells and protections useless, or at least unreliable. Tamil thanked Sand for his warning and then began singing a song. Immediately, the entire group felt a surge of confidence. Apparently, the dampening effect did not hinder musical enchantments and most magical items continued to function normally.

The group quickly came to a split in the path, one fork taking them higher, and the second going lower. Tamil decided to take the higher fork. A short while later the group realized that, apparently, so had a large pack of dire wolves.

In the gloomy darkness of the Duskwood, the wolves were upon the group before anyone spotted them. Tamil and Casavir drew their weapons and hefted their shields to meet the creatures' charge. These were no small dogs, but massive beasts grown to the size of a small pony. They lunged and snapped, trying to bring the front line down. More of the creatures circled around to the back of the group, only to be met by Khelgar and Shandra's axe and sword.

This might have been a bloody, tough battle, especially were the group relying on the group's wizards, Sand and Samantha Carter, for magical firepower. But the pair from SG-1 had more than enough firepower without relying on magic. Alien technology was much more effective in this situation. The sound of zats discharging their energy burts rang out, the pair blasting the dire wolves one after another. The large brutish creatures gave out a yelp from the pain and fell motionless to the ground.

"Two shots," Jack ordered. "We wouldn't want any travelers following us to run into this bunch. They might not have ever taken one of these," Jack flourished his zat'nik'tel, "from a gou'ald host before."

The path they took had an unusually large number of wolves and dire wolves on it. The smaller wolves simply ran off, while the larger ones would charge them in small, concerted groups. They were easily dispatched, though, thanks to the zats. What was most unusual, however, were the two gnomes who were sitting a little further up the road near the entrance to a cave.

Jilla and Mirri were two chatty female gnomes who were out collecting bugs. In the middle of a pack of dire wolves. Despite the oddity of that, they were happy to tell what little the knew about the village of Ember. Which was that they had seen nothing of the attack.

"Strange girls," Jack commented from the back as the group left the pair of female gnomes to enter the cave. "You think we should bring Grobnar by and see if they hit it off? Those two were strange enough for him, I think."

"They seemed a bit wary about us entering this cave," Tamil commented back over her shoulder.

Her look back almost cost her a bite to the face. The cave was filled with a huge pack of dire wolves who charged at her the moment they smelled the group in the cave. Only her shield prevented the creature from trying to tear out her throat.

The bard gritted her teeth and drew her weapon. Casavir was already striking back at a second wolf that had the group bottlenecked in a narrow part of the corridor. Jack and Sam had their zats out, but couldn't get an angle to shoot without risking hitting one of their companions ahead of them. Those first several seconds of the savage fight were a matter of strength and determination.

Fortunately, for the non-animals in the group, Tamil and Casavir were far more determined not to be eaten than the wolves were to bite or claw them. They shoved the creatures back with the shields, stabbed at them with a sword or bashed them with a hammer. The wolves, their spiked-heads bloodied, their muzzles and forepaws cut and bleeding, fell back before the concerted efforts of the bard and paladin. The two continued to push forward, slicing through and then stepping on the fallen bodies of the first animals they had already slain to continue to attack the second ones were slaying.

As soon as they backed the wolves into the wider den area, the battle was over. Sam and Jack blasted the creatures with quick, bursts of alien energy. With a few yelps, it was over.

It was over until they got to the back of the cave and discovered the bones of several devoured bodies, a red-headed corpse, and a small living area just the right size for a pair of gnomes. No sooner than Jack let out an "uh oh" than the group turned around to see yet another pack of dire wolves filling up the back of the cave with a small pair of gnome-sized bipedal wolf-creatures at their head. Oddly enough, the creatures were still able to speak, though with a much thicker voice than one would expect from someone their size.

"We didn't want to do it," one of the small furry werewolf gnomes began. "We never want to. But the blood…," she said in her deeper-than-a-small-body-like-that-should-sound kind of voice, "the smell," she said pausing as if each word were delicious, "it fills you up."

The other nodded its furry, fanged head, "Yes, Jilla, just so."

The two werewolf-gnomes stood there at first, carrying on their conversation, and the wolves bristled behind them, waiting for the signal to attack. Werewolves were natural pack leaders. Jilla and Mirri ever so apologetically explained how they had become werewolves, turned into lycanthropes by the previous occupant of the cave.

Tamil looked back at the red-headed corpse on the ground. "The man on the ground. You killed him?" She hoped the answer was no and that they had just found him and devoured him. Perhaps they could leave the cave without having to kill the two of them.

"We came back from hunting sheep, and he was here, in our cave... tapping at our wall in the dark," Jilla explained

"We try to stay away from folk... we truly do. We hunt animals, and when we can't catch any, we eat our specimens. We gorge on beetles and grubs," Mirri continued, looking at her companion.

"But when meat wanders into our lair... then the scent fills us up, and there's naught we can do..."

"The blood, flowing warm between our teeth... the taste of soft, yielding flesh... just so..." the two werewolves were salivating as they turned their attention on the group. And then—

The report of a 9mm handgun going off sounded just as Jilla was pouncing. The gnomish werewolf slumped to the ground, instantly dead, a bullet in her skull.

"Protect yourselves and concentrate on the normal wolves," Samantha Carter was shouting as she tried to aim at the small darting figure of Mirri.

The group did as instructed. Those closest to Mirri shielded themselves from her bite and claws while the rest killed the wolves around them. Jack managed to zat the diminutive werewolf, but the creature just shrugged off the energy as if it were nothing.

Sam had a more difficult time hitting the second werewolf in the chaos of the battle, missing with her next shot. She managed to shoot it in the leg, and it yelped. It tried to claw at Khelgar, but the sturdy dwarf's tower shield and sturdy armor prevented it from harming him. A second shot took the little creature through the abdomen and it turned towards the source of her pain with what would pass as a gnomish roar. A fourth shot missed. The creature charged and leaped, but Sam fired again and that bullet caught it full in the chest. It landed with a thud as Sam dodged out of its way.

"I didn't think your weapons would work on a werewolf," Tamil commented in surprise, catching her breath. "Werewolves are extremely resilient to anything but—"

"Silver," Sam finished, ejecting the cartridge from her 9mm and showing the silverized projectiles within.

"You actually made silver bullets?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Just enough for one clip," Sam replied. When Jack continued to stare at her, she threw up her hands. "Well, we're here in a world with people who can turn into animals, where Daniel and I become wizards, where devils and demons are actually running around being controlled by their names and tapped inside circles drawn on the floor. I figured, well, there are probably werewolves, too." She concluded. "I guessed right."

"So, how did you know a zat wouldn't work?" Jack asked. "I mean, it is an alien weapon."

"Yes, but werewolves regenerate from their wounds. Daniel and I have done some experimenting with this. It seems that resistance to physical damage is useless against a zat, but resistance against any sort of energy, such as fire, electricity, cold—"

"Cold?"

"Well, of course cold is not a source of energy, but resistance against cold has the same effect as resistance against heat in terms of how it protects against the zat stunning and killing effects," Sam explained. "As I was saying, resistance against any form of energy negates the build up of energy in a system that causes death or disintegration. Regeneration and spells that prevent negative energy draining abilities, such as from a—"

"Sam…"

"Well, you did ask, sir. Any way, zats will not work against a lot of different spells or abilities creatures have on this world. Regeneration is one of them."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

Sam pulled out her zat and shot Jack.

"Ow!" the colonel yelled out.

"Yes sir, absolutely."

"Well," Jack complained, turning the new ring on his finger, the one they had just purchased in Port Last, "it doesn't protect against the pain from the electrical energy discharge!"

"Sorry sir, next time we'll give the ring to Daniel and we can demonstrate on him."

"You'd better."

The group had walked back the way they had come and were coming back to the fork in the path that they had followed. If there was nothing else in the nearby area, then the wolf and werewolf activity must have been what they had spotted. They decided to walk a few hundred yards into the woods just to make sure before turning back.

"LORNE!" came an angry feminine voice. "Why haven't you held up your end of the bargain?"

A lone, strangely attired woman stood in front of a tall, twisted tree. A ring of strange animals surrounded the grove.

"Yes, Lorne," Sand said to Tamil pointedly. "Why haven't you kept up your end of the bargain with this nice dryad."

Chapter 29: Law and Order: NWN

"Lord Nasher Alagondar, Defender of Neverwinter, and Reverend Judge Oleff Uskar, Lord Justiciar of Try!" announced a uniformed soldier in formal tones.

The throne room of Castle Never was filled with spectators in the back, looking across the oval room up to the dais upon which Lord Nasher sat. The Lord of Neverwinter was flanked by Sir Nevalle on his right, wearing the blue and white tabard of one of the Neverwinter Nine, as well as Judge Oleff on his left, wearing a somber black robe. In the center of the throne room lay a white rug with golden trim spread across half the chamber, bisected by a royal blue carpet leading up to throne itself. Two simple stone podiums covered with blue cloth stood on opposite sides of the carpet, one for the accused and one for the accuser.

"Bring in the accused." Lord Nasher Alagondar decreed.

The form of Tamil Farlong walked solemnly from the blue and white checkered flooring of the hall into the throne room. She wore her armor, decorated with the trappings of a Neverwinter City Watch lieutenant, but with no helmet or arms. Following her were Shandra Jerro, Sand, and Daniel Jackson. Jack and Sam stood in the back with the rest of the crowd. Sand took his place at the podium with Tamil, Shandra, and Daniel standing beside him.

"Reverend Judge, let the trial commence." ordered the Lord of the City. Nasher sat on the throne, a simple golden circlet crowning his balding head. Nasher was an aging man, but he wore the ceremonial armor Lord Halueth Never comfortably. His carefully trimmed facial hair and regal demeanor belied his youth spent as a powerful knight for the city.

Judge Oleff was far less imposing, but he spoke with solemn gravity as he began the trial with the ritual words. "We are gathered here to determine the truth of the crime committed in the small village of Ember, its people slaughtered down to the last man, woman, and child. Under Tyr's guidance shall the truth of this matter be revealed and justice delivered. Is the Accuser here?"

At the podium set for the accuser stood Torio Claven, Ambassador of Luskan. Torio was a tall woman with pale skin and short cut plain brown hair. She wore a white fur stole around her back and a thick dark collar around her neck, as was the current fashion in the northern city. Her white blouse was revealing, leaving her shoulders bare and revealing much of her upper bosoms.

"I speak for those the Accused slaughtered at Ember, and I am here to see that Justice is carried out this day," Torio began.

From behind Sand, the form of Daniel Jackson spoke up. "You don't speak for the dead of Ember. You are the one responsible."

There were gasps from the audience at this quick counter-accusation.

Torio replied angrily, but soon calmed down. Then she addressed the judge, hoping to exact her revenge with a legal protest. "Who is this standing with the Accused? The Accused is only allowed one counsel at the court today."

"If I may, Reverend Judge?" Sand spoke up. "With me today are the Accused, Lieutenant Tamil Farlong of the City Watch, Squire of Neverwinter" he said accenting the titles, "Shandra Jerro of Highcliff, and Dr. Daniel Jackson who has been working closely with me since coming to our fair city. The Accused has asked that Dr. Jackson be her Defender here, but since he is a visitor to our city, as thoroughly has he has studied our laws in preparation for this trial, I ask that I be appointed his assistant for the duration of these proceedings."

Judge Oleff considered this for a moment. "So granted. But by doing so, you forfeit your right to speak directly to the court. Only the Accused or her Defender may speak without permission of the Court." The judge paused momentarily, "Are the Accused and her Defender prepared for this trial?"

Tamil spoke up, "We are here and ready to bring this matter into Tyr's sight, Reverend Judge."

Judge Oleff nodded. "Very well. We now list the items presented by the Accused in their defense, and they will be shown to the people of the court, Lord Nasher, and held aloft for the eye of Tyr to see. First off…" the Judge began going through the items that had been assembled for the defense. Items such as the Ember quartermaster's logbook, the twin rings with dagger markings, and samples of poisons received a wide range of reactions from the crowd. The digital camera, laptop computer, and all electrical devices, however, met with but one reaction: head scratching confusion. Especially from the Luskan ambassador.

"The Accuser, Ambassador Torio Claven of Luskan, may now call witnesses to the stand," Judge Oleff declared.

"These pieces of 'evidence', if that is what they truly are, can easily be explained away. It may seem extensive, but our witnesses will tell a different story," she began. Torio's voice changed, taking on the tone of a skilled storyteller. "Unknown to many, the people of Ember were not slaughtered to the last woman and child. I call on Alaine, the last living resident of Ember, to speak on what she saw that fateful day."

Tamil and Daniel both watched expressionlessly as Alaine walked into the throne room. Shandra Jerro, however, vigorously shook her head as he woman she knew well walked into the room. The woman from Ember wore a simple blue dress, her blond hair tied back in a pony tail. She appeared timid as she entered the room, looking over in Tamil's direction with real fear in her eyes.

"Alaine, thank you for coming here," Torio turned to her witness, her voice becoming soothing. "I know it must be difficult. But you realize that you are the only voice of Ember that survived that terrible tragedy." The Luskan ambassador played those words out towards the crowd, drawing them in to listen intently. "Now... please, tell the court what you saw."

Alaine looked at Torio, then the figure of Tamil standing calmly at the Accused podium. "I... I saw the Accused... there at Ember... she... killed them all..." Alaine spoke with anguish and raw emotion.

Shandra wanted to protest, but Daniel held her back as Torio continued to question the Ember survivor. Alaine explained in detail how she saw Tamil killing the Ember quartermaster with a large sword. She cried and Torio made a show of acting compassionately.

The spectators in the crowd were clearly buying it. Alaine's passionate testimony was enough to convince them that the one being accused should be bound over for Luskan. Half of them wanted to hang her themselves.

Torio all but crowed in triumph. "What more proof is needed? We have a witness, a witness that saw the accused perform the deed. Perhaps we should move on to the sentence now, the Accused's guilt is plain."

Tamil interrupted. "I have some questions for her first."

Ambassador Claven smiled predatorily. "Of course. Please," she made a mocking gesture of permission, "now that the trap has already closed, there is no squirming out of it now."

Tamil turned towards Alaine, but the woman from Ember looked away. "Alaine, I understand this is difficult for you. But I need you to answer me very clearly and carefully. Who was the one who committed the murders in Ember? I'd like you to point this out for the court and tell us when this occurred."

Alaine looked at Tamil then with a little confusion, but even more anger. "It was you!" she said, pointing her finger directly at the form of Tamil standing before her. "You killed them two tendays ago in the middle of the afternoon!"

Tamil continued, "Are you saying it was the Accused, Tamil Farlong, who committed the crimes?"

"Yes! Of course, that's what I just said."

"And you're sure of this?"

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."

Tamil nodded. "How far away from the Accused were you when you saw what happened?"

"Just about as far as you are from me now," Alaine answered.

"And was the Accused alone? Or were there others doing the killing also?"

"There were others, but…"

"And you got away?" Tamil asked. Alaine went silent. "You were close enough to see the killer, yet you managed to get away from an entire group? How do you explain that?"

"I… I don't know," Alaine stammered. But then she got a steely look in her eyes. "But what I do know is that I saw you do the killing!"

"There's just one problem," Tamil said. "I'm not the Accused."

Daniel Jackson stepped forward. "I am," he said calmly.

A murmur went through the crowd. Then, the outer image of both Daniel and Tamil began to blur and bend one after another. First, where Tamil had stood was Daniel Jackson, dressed in the robes of a Neverwinter mage and scholar. A moment after that transformation, Daniel's form blurred and where Daniel had stood was the form of Tamil Farlong dressed in her own armor.

"What is the meaning of this?" Torio protested. "They're using tricks! What kind of court is this?"

"Deception by magic is not looked on favorably in matters of law," the judge began.

Now Daniel Jackson, the real Daniel Jackson spoke up. "My apologies to the Court for the deception. But it was the same deception used to frame an innocent woman," Daniel said turning his attention away from Alaine and to the judge. "I believe Tyr would appreciate the justice of this. Further, we used the exact same alteration powder as was sworn into evidence by your hand in order to affect the illusion."

Judge Oleff considered the matter for a moment before allowing it. Torio made some further protest, but Daniel countered, citing Neverwinter court custom permitting the demonstration of a magical effect occurring as part of a crime.

"Now, Alaine," Daniel continued, "Are you certain that it was the Accused that you saw committing the crime?"

Alaine looked at Daniel, whom she had a minute ago pointed to as the killer, and back at Tamil Farlong. "I saw the Accused, or someone who looks very much like the Accused do the killing."

"What?" Torio was furious. Her star witness, the lynchpin of her case, had just admitted to uncertainty. "Forget this! Clearly the witness is too distraught to give her testimony properly," the ambassador said, dismissing Alaine in disgust.

"Hold on," Daniel objected. "I am not finished questioning the witness." Over Torio's protestations, Daniel was allowed to continue his cross-examination.

"That woman over there, Shandra Jerro," Daniel asked. "Do you know her?"

Alaine nodded. "Yes, you know I do."

"Yes, you're right, I do know." Daniel agreed. "In fact, we've met before. But I have to ask for the benefit of the Court so the judge and Lord Nasher can hear." The brown haired archaeologist explained. "I tell you what, I'll get back to that question about Shandra. It's actually that first meeting that I want to ask you about. Tell me, and the Court, was the Accused there in Ember at the time of our first meeting?"

Alaine nodded, "Yes."

"Now tell me this, what happened that time when Tamil Farlong traveled through Ember?"

Alaine paused. She remembered exactly what had happened then. "The village was attacked."

"Did the Accused attack your village then?"

"No," the blond haired woman said shaking her head. "She…" Alaine paused, unsure of herself, "…she rescued it. Our village was attacked by a large group of… of monsters…"

"Githyanki," Daniel supplied.

"Yes, that's what we were told they are called."

"And what did the Accused do?"

"She helped defeat them and rescued our village."

"And do you know why the Accused was traveling through Ember at that time?"

Torio objected, trying to dismiss the witness. Judge Oleff, however, wanted to hear what had happened. The gathered crowd did as well. Oleff instructed Alaine to answer.

"She… she was tracking the gith… githyanki, trying to save Shandra from them. They had taken Shandra and were going to do who knows what to her…"

"And the Accused tracked them through Ember to save her," Daniel concluded. "And did you know that Shandra was indeed rescued? And that she has been traveling with the Accused ever since she was rescued?"

Alaine shook her head. "No, I did not know that."

"And did you see Shandra Jerro there at the massacre of Ember? Or any of the Accused friends?" Daniel asked.

"No, I did not. And I'm sure I would have noticed Shandra if she had been there," Alaine offered hesitantly.

"Thank you, Alaine," Daniel said kindly. "This has been a horrible experience for you, and I'm sorry you've been through this. But I promise you, while the real culprits responsible for this kind hide behind a phony illusion when they attack, they will not be able to escape the truth of their actions."

After Alaine left the courtroom, Torio was left with little case. But she was not about to give up. She called Shandra Jerro to the stand. Shandra protested, but with Tamil and Daniel's urging, she answered the call.

"I hope you've been treating her well," Sand remarked to the bard.

"Come now, Shandra, don't be afraid. We are in a court of law, you may speak freely here. You no longer need be afraid of the Accused."

"Talk about what? These false accusation?" Shandra retorted.

"No... I am interested only in your interactions with the accused. You travel with her, do you not?"

"I do," Shandra answered.

"Let me ask you a question. Have you ever observed the Accused causing... or near... the sort of acts of violence as what happened at Ember?"

Shandra was about to answer no, but then hesitated. "I don't really think…"

"Answer the question," Torio demanded.

"No."

"Not even at your home?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Weren't you attacked twice at your home? And kidnapped because of your connection to the Accused?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Next time I ask you a question, I want you to answer it, Shandra, without objecting and giving me exceptions. You are safe here and do not need to fear the Accused anymore." Torio made her insinuation and then thought better of pressing the matter. "I have no more questions for this witness."

"I have questions for this witness before she is dismissed, Reverend Judge," Daniel said quickly. Torio's objection was immediately denied.

"Shandra," Daniel said sincerely, "what happened at those violent incidents at your home the ambassador was so anxious to talk about?"

"Well, first, a group of lizardlings tried to set fire to my barn. Tamil and her friends managed to stop them. Then I was attacked by githyanki, and again Tamil and her friends defended me. They saved my life and my home."

"And how about the kidnapping incident? To your knowledge, who was the target?"

"I was. They were after me because of something to do with one of my ancestors. But Tamil rescued me. I was just lucky they were after Tamil for a separate reason or I might not be alive today," Shandra said with feeling. "Tamil didn't need to come to rescue me time after time, but she did. She's a hero. Sure, trouble seems to follow her around, but it's how she deals with it that makes her such noble person. To hear her slandered like this makes me angry at the... injustice of it."

"Angry enough to kill?" Torio broke in.

"By the gods, if you are accusing me of what happened at Ember…!" Shandra exclaimed.

"I make no such accusation," the Luskan ambassador was quick to correct. That had not gone in her favor at all. Then she made another misstep. She called Tamil Farlong to the stand to question her.

Torio was a practiced orator. She knew how to needle a person, how to goad them into saying something rash. But she was an amateur compared to Tamil. The beautiful bard was a natural storyteller with a voice that made a person hang onto her every word. She had learned to snare an audience, knew the sort of words they wanted to hear and how to speak them in such a way that those listening would find sincere. Sincerity was a quality Torio clearly lacked. Every barbed question Torio threw at the bard came back on her twice as sharp. Any trap she laid was exposed, and with each question, Tamil turned Torio's interrogation into a story of failed vengeance on the part of Luskan. By the end of her questioning, the ambassador of Luskan was looking like the guilty party while the entire crowd began to hold the bard up as a darling of Neverwinter.

With Torio's last call to Lord Nasher to send Tamil to Luskan for Low Justice, it was apparent that the accusers had utterly failed to prove any guilt at all. Daniel Jackson had not even started his case yet. By the time he was through, not only would Tamil be exonerated and lifted up as a hero, the Luskan authorities would be vilified.

"Method, Motive, and Opportunity," Daniel began when it was his turn to speak. "Those are the elements of any crime. Method is simply how the crime was committed. Is the person who is accused capable of doing what it can be shown was done? Motive is what separates people from animals or monsters. When we do something, there is a reason behind it. Who has this reason? And last: opportunity. Was the person accused in the right place at the right time?

"The Luskan Ambassador has failed to prove a single element of this crime. Where I come from, this failure to present a prima facie case, enough proof to show guilt even without a defense, would be enough for a judge to dismiss the case. And right now, Lord Nasher may be considering doing just that. But, I ask him to forebear and hear out the rest of the evidence, evidence of the real conspiracy which cost the people of Ember their lives. Because the people of Ember deserve no less."

Daniel paused a moment as his opening statement stirred the crowd before calling his first witness. "I call Captain Brelaina of the City Watch."

The watch captain was more than willing to come to the stand and defend the officer that had played such a pivotal role in making the City Watch stronger and more effective than it had ever been. The exploits of Lieutenant Farlong, along with her friends from SG-1, were recounted in detail. Daniel provided statistics from Watch reports, which the captain verified and put into context. "With the help of her associates, Lieutenant Farlong has been instrumental in making the Docks, which have historically been the most unlawful area of the city, a much safer and orderly place to live. I wish I could take credit for all the improvements that have been made in the last few months, but most of that credit should go to Tamil and her friends."

There were sounds of cheers from the crowd. Most of them came from the Docks.

"Thank you, Captain," Daniel responded. "Your leadership should not go un-praised. And let's not forget that recognizing and employing good suggestions from subordinates is not something many leaders can do." Daniel pointedly turned to Torio, "Do you have any questions for this witness?" He knew there were no questions she could ask that wouldn't result in further praise for Tamil. Torio, wisely, asked no questions.

Following that, he called Issani of Waterdeep, who was only too happy recount his rescue at the hands of Tamil and SG-1. This had been his first opportunity to publicly thank his heroes. Following Issani, Callum of the Neverwinter Nine and commander of the Greycloaks at Old Owl Well gave similar testimony. The dwarven commander's word carried even more weight than the emissary's did.

During Commander Callum's testimony, which included some unveiled disparaging of Luskan, Torio found an opening to attack. But the one she attacked was not Tamil, but rather, Sand. She accused Sand of being from Luskan and a former member of their hated Arcane Brotherhood. Sand was appalled.

Daniel, however, easily deflected the arguments. Daniel eloquently used his questions to argue that simply knowing someone from Luskan or having a friend from Luskan didn't make someone bad; even being from Luskan didn't make you bad. Callum retracted negative comments about the city of Luskan and reiterating how heroic Tamil and her friends had been. Daniel even managed to get the dwarven member of the Nine to praise Sand for turning away from Luskan after witnessing its evil tendencies. Sand was visibly grateful. Torio was left red-faced.

Tamil's character, even that of his counself, had been well defended. It was time to move on to the element of opportunity. Daniel called Shandra and Casavir. They both testified that they were with Tamil at the time of the attack. With Alaine's testimony giving the time of day the attack occured, the two were able to testify that they were with Tamil the entire time. Torio attempted to cast dispersion on their character, but was simply rebuffed. She had attempted to use Shandra's testimony herself, and it was difficult to get a courtroom dedicated to Tyr to doubt the word of a paladin of Tyr, whose power and holiness were dependent on being truthful and just.

Following this, Daniel began setting up the power generator Sam had created to power the electronic devices while Sand and Tamil brought out a large white linen sheet and began setting it up. Torio, Oleff, and Nasher all wanted to know what was going on.

"Milord," Daniel began, taking his cue from Sand, "we are preparing to present evidence that will prove beyond any doubt the innocence of the Accused, as well as reveal the identity of the true murderers. We ask your brief indulgence while we prepare. All of the evidence has already been checked and admitted by the Justiciar of Tyr." Unable to deny that the priest of Tyr had indeed examined all of the evidence, there were no further objections.

Minutes later, Daniel had the laptop hooked up to the LCD projector they had brought back from their short return to Earth. Tamil and Sand set the linen sheet up as a screen. Then, while the computer was booting up, Tamil addressed the court.

"Lord Nasher, Judge Oleff, my lords and ladies, and all citizens of Neverwinter here in attendance, I am innocent of the crime of which I am accused. But I do not ask you to simply take my word. I want you to see for yourself. I was not at Ember after the massacre, but my counsel was, and he will prove to you the truth of my innocence."

Daniel was ready. "I call Aldanon the sage, resident of Blacklake to the stand." Then he hit the function button and the computer switched to display its contents onto the white screen. On the screen were photos from Ember. There was murmuring from the crowd and raised eyebrows from the judges on the stand. Daniel briefly explained the function of a camera, explaining and demonstrating its use for the court. Torio was relieved to have the dead bodies taking center-stage again; she had no objection to the photos.

After introducing Aldanon and establishing his credentials as a sage, Daniel got down to his questions. "This gruesome photo was taken days after the slaughter of Ember. And the word slaughter is appropriate. These people were defenseless. The weapons used to create these wounds were cruel and designed to kill," Daniel said by way of preamble. Then he gestured to a particular set of photos, "This is a photograph taken of the town quartermaster. In her testimony, Alaine claimed that she saw a person who looked very much like the Accused kill this man with a blade. This," Daniel added, enlarging the next photo, "is a close up shot of his wound."

"Aldanon," Daniel said, addressing the witness, "please take a look at the picture of this victim of Ember. Now, take a look at this weapon." Daniel held up Tamil's longsword. "This is the weapon carried by the Accused. Could this weapon have been used to make those wounds?"

Aldanon considered the wounds for a moment. "Could it have been? Well, perhaps if it were used to push a larger sword onto the victim…" Daniel rephrased his question, asking specifically about the edge of the weapon. Aldanon considered the question briefly before responding. "Well, no. That blade is much too thin and not nearly jagged enough. The weapon that made the wound to the man there was much larger and thicker, and clearly had a jagged edge. I should know. I've become something of an expert on this lately. I spent the last several days watching how a sword cuts into dead animals."

"What sort of weapon would have made this wound, Aldanon?" Daniel held up a bastard sword, followed by a great sword, and finally a falchion. Aldanon agreed that the falchion was the most likely weapon to make that kind of wound. Hiring the sage to research the matter was paying off in the court.

Dr. Jackson clicked on a different photo. This corpse was discolored and Daniel showed how the wounds differed from the others. Then Daniel presented the preserved sample of flesh taken from the body. "This victim was different than the rest. This sample of flesh was taken from a wound on its body. Aldanon, could you tell me what you found out about this flesh sample?"

"Well first off, I noticed that it was not complete. It was just a piece of a body, not the whole thing. That was quite obvious, I thought. I also noticed that it did not regenerate a new person from the whole, so it was fairly obvious that it was not a piece of a troll…"

Knowing the sage could ramble on all day, Daniel stopped him and asked him specifically about poison. The sage confirmed that the flesh sample had been poisoned, and that the person had probably died of septic shock from poison that had been introduced by the wounds. Then Daniel brought out the sample of poison from the evidence collection.

"This sample of poison was brought to you by Sir Grayson for examination. Did you find that the poison found in this sample matches the poison sample brought to you by Sir Grayson?"

"Why yes, it does indeed match. Which is really rather interesting because…"

Torio interrupted him, "That so-called 'evidence' doesn't prove anything! People can buy poison anywhere! Poison is even sold here in Neverwinter!"

Daniel shook his head, "Not this particular poison mixture. This particular scorpion venom poison is a favorite of Luskan assassins." There was a gasp from the audience. "The same assassins who attacked Squire Farlong during her vigil," Daniel continued, gaining steam as he went. "The poison taken from the attempted Luskan murderers exactly matches the poison used to kill at least one victim in Ember. Not only was it from the same city, they were from the same batch of poison." Aldanon nodded to confirm.

"Just because the poison was from Luskan does not mean—" Torio attempted to interject.

But Daniel clicked to another slide and held up more of the evidence. Two rings. The projection on the screen clearly showed the dagger-like markings on them. "The Circle of Blades. These rings belong to a secret band of assassins that work out of Luskan. One of these was taken from the assassin sent to kill the squire. The other was found at the scene of the crime."

Torio protested loudly. "These are lies! These rings could have been found anywhere!"

Daniel clicked a button. The video of the interview with the goblin began playing. The audio was a bit low, but everyone in the room strained to hear it. They were not disappointed by what they heard. There were gasps by the audience and many glares were turned the direction of the ambassador.

Dismissing Aldanon with his thanks, Daniel turned to regard the Court once more.

"Method, motive, and opportunity. The elements of a crime. I've just shown that the method used in the killing at Ember matches that of Luskan assassins, NOT the Accused. More importantly, however, the method does match a pattern of Luskan atrocities committed not only against Neverwinter, but also against Luskan's own people."

"What?" Torio exclaimed, truly outraged by the insinuation. "Luskan has never committed any such acts against Neverwinter!"

Daniel held up a book. "I believe the Lord's Alliance Account of the Luskan War contains entries that specifically show exactly this sort of pattern." Then he clicked a mouse button and highlighted passages appeared.

"Now," Daniel continued, ignoring Torio's spluttering, "I call on Calindra of the nation of Amn, recently a resident of Port Last." Calindra took the stand. "Now, Calindra, could you tell me what you found below the village of Ember? When you went down the well what did you find?"

"You mean, aside from the goblins?" the Amnish woman asked.

"Yes, aside from that."

"Well," the miner began, "I found a rather rich vein of ore. There's a natural cavern system below there that would make an excellent spot for mining iron. When I went down to look, I discovered that someone else had already been down there. It was obvious that someone had already been down there and had done some initial surveying."

"Would this 'rich vein' of ore, as you described it, be valuable?"

"Of course," Calindra responded. "A mine in that location would provide whoever controlled it with a significant supply of iron. Over a period of several years it could be worth tens of thousands of gold. For a country at war… well, it would go a long way to help equipping their soldiers…." Calindra was happy to add her own insinuations about the Luskans, who were already at war with a smaller neighbor.

Then Daniel clicked a button on the mouse and displayed a digital photo of the quartermaster's log book. "Before I dismiss you, Calindra, do you notice anything odd about the entries in this book?"

"Well, yeah," she said with a tone expressing her surprise. "There are no notes of shipments from Luskan for the last month. That town must have been starving by the time of the attack."

"So, it would seem the city of Luskan had cut off trade to Ember just about a month before the massacre occurred. It was as if they knew the village was going to be destroyed." Daniel thanked the miner and turned to the court. "That accounts for method and motive. Or at least, half of the motive. Now for the second half, wanting to frame a loyal member of the Watch who had already thwarted Luskan attempts to infiltrate the city."

Daniel clicked on the mouse again. Another video began playing. This video appeared to be in a dark wooded area. At the center, was on odd looking tree, and standing in front of it, was a dryad. "This is Lyssa. She is a dryad living out in the Duskwood. She has some rather interesting things to say about events that transpired."

The audience watched as the dryad explained how she had come upon a force of Luskan soldiers. She overheard the leader talking to his men about blaming what they were about to do on someone in Neverwinter. So, she approached him. Seeing how powerful his forces were, she hoped he could help her obtain a magical glowstone held by the goblins beneath the village. She convinced him to aid her by providing him with a powder that would alter his appearance and voice, allowing him to impersonate the person he intended to frame.

"Quite a story," Daniel said as he adjusted his glasses. "But it's a true one. And we've got a witness to corroborate it." Torio was dumbfounded, silently cursing Lorne under her breath.

"As the Luskan Ambassador pointed out, not every woman and child in the village were killed. The assassins clearly allowed Alaine to escape, counting on her to identify Tamil. But the second survivor escaped without their knowing because he hid from them and his pursuer was slain by the goblin tried he attacked beneath the village. That second survivor is Marcus." Daniel called Marcus to the stand. "Marcus is a special boy, gifted with the ability to see beyond what is present, to see what is hidden. And he saw through the disguise the Luskan assassin used." Daniel turned to the boy. "Marcus, please tell the Court what you saw on the day Ember was attacked."

The boy nodded. "It was a huge man who killed the people in the village and led the others. I don't know how you could mistake him for her. They don't look anything alike. Maybe he used a magic disguise... but disguises like that don't fool me," Marcus said simply.

Torio wheeled on Daniel with a snarl. "What is this, a joke? You bring a child 'seer' onto the stand, ask him a question, and then have him lie for you?" Inwardly, she was gloating. If she could discredit this one witness she still had a chance to win. If it appeared the defense had manufactured all the evidence, then perhaps she could still get a conviction.

Daniel turned to Torio with a shrug. "Do you have a question for the witness or not, Ambassador? I'd take his word over yours any day."

The Luskan Ambassador smiled smugly. She supposed they would have prepared him to answer any question about the crime scene. What she had in mind, however, was something more devious. No amount of prior preparation would allow him to know the answer to her question.

"Of course I do. If he has the power of a seer, then let us test it. Marcus, what do I hold in my left hand?" Torio asked with a honeyed voice that sounded like poison.

Marcus replied with a voice that sounded other-worldly. "Your left hand holds an iron ring, the ring of Garius, the Master of the Fifth Tower," Torio went paler than usual at that pronouncement. But Marcus was not finished. "You hold it tightly, as if it would fly from you. Every time you touch the ring, you see how angry he becomes when one fails him, and you fear his ambition... it is a ring that is more of a chain than a piece of jewelry. And even more so, the ring reminds you of…"

"Enough! No more questions! It is a ring, he guessed correctly…" Torio tried to distract from the boy's performance. But nobody was paying her any mind.

Jack O'Neill whispered to Sam, "He must have read The Hobbit. Or saw the original Clash of the Titans. If you're going to make someone guess what you've got, don't go with a ring."

Marcus was not done. "The City of Neverwinter is on the brink of darkness," he said, turning to glance up at Lord Nasher, his voice becoming sturdy and his eyes light. "Shadows move behind shadows, and the land shall be turned to shadow for a time, but through the shadow lies a doorway to possibilities that may spell a new age for the city, or its final destruction."

When the boy finished his prophesy, he went silent, as did the entire room.

"Uh, Marcus?"

"Yes, Daniel?" the boy asked innocently.

"Do you see the one who did the killing in this room?"

"Yes," Marcus said, his fingers moving to point out a mountainous man who stood literally head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. "There he is. Lorne Starling, the doomed man."

Chapter 30: Mortal Combat

"I demand Trial by Combat!" Torio Claven declared.

Lord Nasher Alagondar had just finished rendering his judgment on the case when Torio made her demand. He had declared that the Luskan representatives would be removed from Neverwinter and that the Arcane Brotherhood contingent in the city was to be removed and barred from returning. As Lord of Neverwinter, he had no place to punish them for crimes that occurred on Luskan lands, but he could impose sanctions on the city for their fraud and knowingly bringing false accusations to his court. The Luskan Ambassador enjoyed diplomatic protection status, so he could not detain her or her retinue, but he could make her persona non grata as part of his verdict and evict her from the city.

"I've had quite enough of you, Ambassador," Nasher declared gruffly. He had no intention of indulging her ridiculous demand.

Reverend Oleff Uskar, however, was very reluctantly prodded into acknowledging that Torio had the right to demand trial by combat. It was the law, and not even the Lord of Neverwinter could supersede the law in a matter such as this.

"You can't be serious!" Jack O'Neill and Tamil declared simultaneously.

"Wait!" Daniel called out. He hurriedly made his point. "Torio does have the right to call for Trial by Combat. As the one the judgment has gone against, it is her right. But this no longer has anything to do with Tamil. Lord Nasher's judgment relieves her of any responsibility for Ember and she cannot be taken to Luskan." Everyone in the throne room turned to regard Daniel. "The law is very clear on this. Torio has the right to appeal the decision to hold Luskan to blame for bringing these accusations, but Lord Nasher's word exonerates Squire Farlong."

It took Judge Oleff several a few minutes to look through the relevant section of the law. When finished, he confirmed Daniel's interpretation. Trial by Combat was an appeal of the punishment levied, but did not overturn the court's pronouncement of Tamil's innocence. She was free of the accusation. As such, Lord Nasher was free to appoint anyone in his service as the champion for the city.

Torio's trap had failed. Tamil was not bound by law to enter the arena where she could send a warrior to cut her down. Worse, she was now facing Trial by Combat. Her last hope lay upon a champion stepping forward to take her place in the arena. For a few nervous seconds, Lorne hesitated to represent her. He would have loved to see Torio's head hanging from a Neverwinter pike. But he knew if he allowed that to happen Black Garius would do far worse to him than that. The brawny warrior from West Harbor stood forward and declared himself Torio's champion, and the ambassador let out a sigh of relief.

Lord Nasher prepared to name Neverwinter's champion when Tamil strode before his throne. "I will face him myself," she declared. Nasher attempted to dissuade her, offering to give the duty to one of his strongest knights, but Tamil shook her head. "I demand the right to face him, milord. He murdered a small village and muddied my name with that hateful act. He has betrayed his home, the home I love and share. Not just Neverwinter, milord, but the village of West Harbor where we are both from. If anyone has the right to stand up to him for what he has done, it is me." The entire court could hear her passion. There were cheers of approbation from the crowd in the back of the throne room. "I swear I will see justice done on the field of battle."

Nasher saw the steely resolve in her eyes. Reluctantly, he acceded to her request. He had long wanted a means of removing Luskan's influence from his city. He was putting his faith in Tamil here and hoped it was not misplaced. She would face Lorne Starling in combat to determine the fate of the city.

.

"Are you crazy?" Jack rounded on her when they were outside the castle. "That man is huge! He's like ten feet tall or something! And he looks like a linebacker," Jack saw her confusion and quickly switched metaphors. "Make that a bear. A bear with a big… massive sword."

Tamil was all sweetness for her friend. She laid her hand on his shoulder and gave him one of her brilliant smiles. "Jack, thanks so much for your concern. It's really touching." Then she pulled out her longsword and watched it humming with energy. "But you don't need to worry about me. I'm going to be just fine. It's Lorne Starling you should be worried about."

Jack shook his head. "I don't know Lorne Starling. But I know you. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Tamil laughed. "Oh, I'm going to get hurt, Jack. I have no doubt about that! I don't imagine I can go up against a brute like that without some injuries." She smirked and sheathed her weapon. "But when I'm finished, his mother will have a whole new reason to cry over him."

Daniel and Sand approached the pair, followed by Sam and Teal'c.

"Tamil," Daniel began, "Sand and I were talking about the rules of the tournament. None of us can help you once the battle begins and you will be ritually cleansed of any sort of enchantment at the start of the battle. But we have a full day to prepare and you are permitted to bring anything you can carry into the arena."

"Sounds pretty typical," she responded.

"Well, we have some ideas about equipping you. And we've still got quite a bit of gold left after all of our expenses. So, let's see about getting you a few things to improve your chances," Samantha Carter responded.

Tamil's eyes brightened at the idea. Shopping for a battle? What more could a lady-bard ask for?

Seeing Tamil's reaction, Jack motioned to Daniel to join him. "Daniel," Jack said quietly to the archaeologist, "if we ever bring Tamil with us back to Earth, make sure you never lend her your credit card."

Daniel shook his head. "Hey, I'm not the one she seems to have an eye for. I'd be more worried about your bank accounts than mine, Colonel."

Jack shook his head ruefully. He knew Tamil's flirting for what it was. "I wish, Daniel." Then for good measure, the colonel added, "But you definitely better watch out for Neeshka."

Daniel gave Jack a wary look. "I'm not worried about her using my credit card. I'd be more worried about her finding out about identity theft. That would be a disaster."

Jack and Daniel shared a glance and then followed the others to a number of merchant stalls. Hearing the girls chatting about how the colors of the gem in magical ring A clashed with magical pendant B, the two sighed heavily. It was going to be a long day for the men.

.

Tamil Farlong stood surrounded by her friends as she prepared for the combat. The group had pooled their most potent magical items for her to wear into the battle, and in the end, function had won out over form, even when it came to a question of clashing colors. Still, the lady bard looked absolutely fabulous.

The group had stopped by Werth the Armor Smith's shop in the Docks District but had been disappointed by his selection. Surprisingly, however, Grobnar had gotten some inspiration from looking at several of his suits of armor and simply purchased materials to make a suit for her. Everyone regarded the eccentric gnome (although they were fast learning that the term 'eccentric gnome' was an oxymoron) with skepticism knowing his penchant for folly. It turned out, however, that his claim of having made an exotic spring-mounted codpiece shield was probably not an exaggeration. When he finally finished late in the day, the gnome had crafted a suit of plate male armor that fit the lady bard snugly and was as light and as mobile as the chain mail she had been wearing.

Now she stood wearing the armor that shone brilliant silver in the sun's light. She was suited from head to foot in mithral. The armor was as light as if it were made of tin, but even sturdier than if it had been forged of steel. Grobnar had even managed to add ornamental details to the masterpiece of workmanship, a wing-shaped flair shooting off from her right shoulder, and decoratively shaped pieces at the waist and bosom area that did her figure credit.

As soon as Khelgar had seen what the gnome was up to, the dwarf pulled Sand aside. After a short discussion, the two had gone out to visit Repko the Weapon Smith's shop to get supplies of their own. When Grobnar finished presenting his finished set of armor, it was Khelgar's turn.

"Not bad, gnome," the dwarf had acknowledged. "That's a fine suit o' armor even a dwarf would be proud to own." Grobnar had beamed at the praise. Then Khelgar had continued, "But no Ironfist is to be outdone by a Gnomehands! The only way ta top yer armor made o' mithral, was t' make a sword that can pierce it! So…"

With that proclamation, Khelgar had produced a magnificent longsword. It was patterned after the one Tamil had taken from the bandit chief back in Fort Locke, but the blade itself was much darker and the runes inscribed on its surface were deeper and far more refined. When Tamil had first lifted the sword up by the hilt, a familiar sonic humming reverberated from the weapon, the same as from the Astral Blade she had been carrying since taking it from the fallen bandit. Only the hum from Khelgar's gift was far more powerful.

"Had Sand here enchant it fer ya when I forged it. Ain't no better weapon than when a dwarf an' elf work a forge together." Sand tacked on his own accolades.

Now Tamil stood preparing to walk into the arena with that weapon in hand. She had to admit, neither the dwarf nor the elf were wrong about the quality of their craftsmanship. This was as powerful a weapon as she had ever heard of. It was forged of adamantine, a fact which Khelgar had related with a smirk when introducing the weapon. Few things could stand up to a weapon forged of this rare ore, including suits of mithral. Sand's enchantments enhanced the weapon's raw power, and the reinforced sonic energy was deadly.

There was a last minute effort to dissuade Tamil from her course, but it was half-hearted. They all knew she was going through with her choice. Khelgar and Casavir had both offered to fight in her stead the previous night, which she had spent in the Temple of Tyr as part of a ritual vigil. There was no question then, and there was none now that the bard was determined.

"Are you sure you don't want me or Teal'c to fight for you?" Jack asked. "I could always just zat him a few times. And if that didn't work, I've got my P90 and grenades."

Tamil shook her head. "No thanks, Jack. Honestly, I think you could handle Lorne in a straight up sword fight. No need to rely on your other weapons. The last few times we've sparred we've been pretty close to even, and I was even using my magic to boost my skill against you. But I want to do this myself. I know you understand."

And with that the bard began walking down towards the arena. The place was filled with spectators. Lord Nasher and Judge Oleff were both on hand to watch the spectacle, as were many members of the Watch. There were many commoners as well, hoping nothing more than to be entertained. As Tamil crossed the threshold to the entrance, a cleric of Tyr dispelled any magics on her. Then a soldier lit a line of pitch behind her to prevent anyone from interfering.

"Daniel, maybe you can explain this for me. Or maybe you, Teal'c," Sam asked. "Why does a trial overseen by Tyr, supposedly a god of Justice, allow for such an unfair way of settling a dispute? How does this actually prove anything about who is guilty and who is innocent? I mean, even if Tamil wins—when she wins—it won't prove anything."

Tamil and Lorne approached each other and met in the middle of the arena. Lord Nasher called for each side to announce themselves. Lorne announced himself, claiming to represent Ember. Tamil gave him a dark look and announced that she was ready. Then Judge Oleff explained how the trial would legally settle the issue before them and the city.

Lorne attempted to provoke Tamil, but the bard simply gave the massive brute a cold stare in return. Then she offered a few of her own taunts.

"Your mother would be so disappointed in you, you know. So would your brother." Then she smirked at him and added, "You couldn't even beat Cormick at the Harvest Festival back in West Harbor. Sad. You have no chance at all against me."

Lorne's eyes flared with fury and he shouted a threat before retreating to his end of the arena for the start of combat. Tamil just smirked more and walked back to her own end to prepare herself.

Daniel took the opportunity to answer Dr. Carter's question. "This trial system was originally designed for the faithful of Tyr to use in disputes among themselves. But the City of Neverwinter has been under the patronage of Tyr since its founding. When disputes among nobles arose, the Lord of Neverwinter simply adopted the trial system from Tyr's temple directly without modification."

The combat began with Lorne charging straight at Tamil. Lorne's massive, jagged falchion was raised high above his head. When he got to her position, however, she simply disappeared from sight. Lorne was left looking around the arena for where the bard could have gone.

"Nice invisibility spell," Sam commented. "Tamil certainly has a number of tricks up her sleeve. That's allowed I guess?"

"It's part of the rules of combat. Any ability you have is fair to use during combat. Makes it fair for wizards like us, I guess. It's also the way that paladins and clerics of Tyr could prove they were innocent. Tyr doesn't grant his powers to the unworthy. So, a worthy combatant would have a major advantage over an unworthy one. If there were two worthy combatants, then the fight would be roughly even in abilities, but the temple believes a wrongly accused combatant will be given additional strength directly by Tyr."

"But how does this apply to Tamil and Lorne? Neither of them get their strength or power from Tyr," Jack asked.

Tamil reappeared in the arena at a distance from Lorne, but still partially transparent, her improved invisibility spell not completely cancelled by taking a hostile action. The massive barbarian had been yelling insults, calling Tamil a coward. But now it was Tamil advancing on Lorne, singing a song as she approached. Tamil's face and hands hardened visibly into iron, as did the rest of her body beneath her shining suit of armor. The illusory figures that she had called into being while invisible mimicked her every action.

With her magical protections cast, the bard pulled out the heavy adamantine shield which had been hooked behind her back. This massive piece of metal had been discovered during her adventuring rather than made for her by her friends, but Sand had taken it upon himself to add a strong defensive enchantment to the already nearly impenetrable piece of adamantine.

"It doesn't apply to them," Daniel responded, referring to Dr. Carter's earlier question. "Which is why Tamil's wearing that magical belt which makes a person stronger, and the ring that heals your wounds which Jack got in Port Last."

"And don't forget those cute matching kung-fu boots," Grobnar added, copying the mannerisms the girls had used while at shopping for items for this battle.

Lorne was a brutish fighter, but he was well trained with the massive falchion he was carrying. And that falchion had been enchanted heavily by his employers. He swung the blade in an arc trying to strike down his difficult to spot opponent. He missed, badly.

Tamil struck, cutting a quick gash across Lorne's waist, the adamantine blade slicing through the large man's armor, which was made of animal hides. The bard followed the strike up with a deft thrust that pierced the armor again, striking a point just above the man's hip. Lorne attempted to counter, turning to face the direction the attack was coming from, but only managed to cut one of Tamil's illusory images out of existence.

The bard easily tumbled away from her attacker, then struck a direct blow toward Lorne which he caught on his blade and attempted to direct away from himself. But Tamil locked her weapon on his and pushed forward, matching his brawn with her own magically augmented strength while out-finessing his parry. Her blade continued through to score a cut on his throat. She danced back, but continued to assault him.

Tamil hadn't even taken a scratch, yet. The few times Lorne even managed to strike at her, rather than an illusory image, the bard simply blocked the strike with her shield and then counter-thrust. Blood was pouring from several wounds the barbarian had taken. His side was bleeding badly, and there were many smaller cuts and gashes along the man's arms and legs. Even had he managed to strike her soundly, the ironskin enchantment she was under would have absorbed most of the damage.

And then Tamil knocked Lorne's falchion away with a powerful upwards swing, drew her sword arm back by the elbow, and stabbed her sonically charged blade straight through his stomach. The blade pierced his armor and ripped his guts open with the power of its enchantment. It was a mortal blow unless he received immediate medical help.

Lorne screamed. It was not a scream of pain, though. It was a scream of incredible rage.

The man went into a frenzy of motion. His sword slashed back and forth, wiping the remaining illusory images away in an instant. Catching Tamil off-guard, he brought his weapon across in an arc that evaded her shield and sliced down wickedly into her side. The blade caught her in a seam just where the upper armor met the lower leggings. The incredibly strong material slowed the blow somewhat as the blade passed between the layers, but it still caught her in an exposed section of her armor. Blood began to pour down the bright silver of Tamil's exquisite plate male.

"You think you've hurt me?" Lorne yelled at her. "You haven't even scratched me!" And the mountainous man came on, swinging his falchion furiously.

Tamil backpedaled, but not quickly enough. Lorne slashed again across her chest plate, too fast for her to get her shield up to block. Her armor held, but the blow rocked her backwards. Even with her magically increased strength, Lorne's rage had made his own might dwarf hers. The barbarian was now able to overpower her defenses. She knew it was foolish to stand there with him toe to toe while he was in this state. She had struck him again, but it seemed as if her blow had no effect at all now.

Tamil gathered herself and dodged to the left when the man tried an overhand chop. Then as Lorne was correcting, turning to charge at her again, she pulled a potion from a pouch on her belt and quickly downed the contents. The potion held enchantment she knew how to cast herself, but she didn't dare take the time to try to cast it while the barbarian was right on top of her. She felt the effects of the potion of speed kick in and got out of Lorne's reach.

The bard turned her back on her opponent and sped away from him, her feet carrying her away from the hulking brute behind her as if she were a champion sprinter. Lorne charged after her, quick for his size, but no match for her magically enhanced speed. He called insults at her, futilely demanding that she stand still. But she danced out of reach again, not even bothering to attempt to attack him as she turned in a circle away from him.

It took a full minute for the blood loss to set in, with Lorne constantly lunging after her, his obvious bloodlust and anger empowering him that whole time. Finally, Lorne jerked to a stop, and began panting heavily. He was wounded and winded, his spent rage sapping what was left of his adrenalin fueled energy.

Tamil, on the other hand, was already feeling better. No sooner than she got out of range of Lorne's attacks than she felt the healing magic from the ring on her finger begin closing up the wounds she had taken. She wasn't back to full health quite yet, but she was still fresh. With one blow to knock Lorne's falchion away and one more with the flat of her blade to knock him to his knees, Tamil Farlong had the Luskan champion at her mercy.

"For your brother's sake, Lorne, surrender. I've won."

"You… you think you've won?" Lorne groaned from a kneeling position on his knees. "You've won nothing! Garius lives. He seeks your death and you will not be able to stop him. So go on. Kill me. If you have the courage."

Tamil laughed scornfully at him. "It takes no courage to murder a defenseless man. That's the act of a coward. I'm not going to kill someone who doesn't fight back." And then Tamil turned her back on Lorne and began walking away, sheathing her sword.

The large man cursed Tamil under his breath, then with a last burst of adrenalin rose to his feet and lunged after the retreating bard with his jagged bladed falchion raised up behind him. A cry rose up from the crowd.

But Tamil had known what was going to happen. She had known the kind of man Lorne had become. Mercy and fairness were not words he understood any more. And so when Lorne's shadow shifted, Tamil spun and pointed the 9mm Beretta Jack O'Neill had given her for the tournament, and pulled the trigger. Lorne's corpse fell to the ground with a bullet hole over his heart.

Jack O'Neill watched the events play out. "Justice is served," he declared grimly.

Teal'c nodded. "It appears even in an arena Tyr will see that justice is done."

"Tyr, Beretta, or Tamil Farlong," Jack commented, "the result is the same."

Chapter 31: Shady Dealings

Daniel Jackson woke up on the flat, hard bunk with stiff muscles from the melee combat practice the day before. "Come on, Daniel, it will be good for your health," Jack had promised. Several bruises and a recurring pain in his neck said otherwise. "It's just a little workout with Khelgar, Casavir, and the group. Just take thirty minutes away from all those books. Carter's doing it too. It's an order." Getting constantly thrashed by the dwarf and the tall, brooding knight for thirty minutes wasn't a "little" workout. What was the point of learning to hit someone with a big stick when he already had training on using a machine gun, alien weapons, and fireballs? "Neeshka will be there. She'll teach you how to use daggers."

So, he'd gone.

Neeshka. He'd never met anyone else like her. It wasn't the horns and tail, though those were certainly a first. She had a girlish charm, like she had never grown up from playing princess, except she wasn't a princess you'd save from a dragon. She'd be a princess who would make an arrangement with the dragon to get some ransom money from her relatives, then sneak out of the dragon's lair with half of its hoard while some poor knight was getting barbecued. It wasn't malicious; she was just an opportunist.

But she had another side to her as well. She was deeply loyal to her friends and had just the right combination of playfulness and sarcastic wit. When someone showed her kindness, she responded with such enthusiasm that you could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. She gave her all for anyone who treated her right. Daniel could see how protective she was of Tamil, with an eye to dangers lurking in the shadows (whenever she wasn't lurking there herself). And she had taken to SG-1 as well. Especially to him.

She was a completely different person when someone crossed her, though. Seeing how she stared daggers at her former partner, Leldon, after he had been arrested by the Watch, it still sent shivers down Daniel's spine thinking of it. Neeshka was not someone to betray. That went doubly now after witnessing her skill when she was playfully teaching him how to knife fight. She was all teasing and flirtatious laughter, but her hands moved like lightning, faster than his eyes could follow and as unpredictable as her personality.

Daniel got up and went to take a nice hot bath. The Sunken Flagon was no five star resort hotel, but it had clean bedding, hot water for bathing in the mornings, and some fine cooking. Not quite as nice as home, but with the convenience of magic, it sure beat camping out in tents, as often happened during previous Stargate exploration expeditions.

If it hadn't been for their recent trip back to the SGC, Daniel would probably have felt that living on Earth was almost a distant dream by now as different as life was. As he dried himself off with a towel and then walked back to his room, Daniel Jackson pondered over the many changes in his life. He had seen many things some people couldn't even imagine and was still experiencing amazing things in this fantastic world he had come to.

Not too long ago, he had been just an obscure archaeologist thought to have crackpot theories about aliens and the ancient Egyptians. His life had changed dramatically when he found out he was right, was recruited for the Stargate program, helped defeat the Egyptian god/alien Ra, and ended up living thousands of light years from Earth on the planet Abydos. Then another alien, Apophis, had come to Abydos, destroying that new life, and once again Daniel Jackson's life was torn upside down. He became a member of SG-1, traveling from world to world searching for his lost wife, Sha're, and then searching for knowledge and the means to defeat the gou'ald aliens responsible for her death. For years he traveled from world to world through the Stargate with the team known as SG-1, now his dearest friends.

Then on one standard mission, the magical forces of Toril somehow became intertwined with one of their wormholes in a freak accident, and SG-1 became stranded on this world. Daniel had adapted, learning about the people, their culture, and their languages, even learning the ways of magic. He was part of a new, larger group of companion adventurers in the city of Neverwinter. Now, here he was, a wizard from Earth with a scientific background, standing in with a towel wrapped around him, with a part demon girl lying in his bed.

Neeshka!

"Um, Neeshka, hi… I'm sort of in the middle of changing now… so…" Daniel awkwardly began.

"Wow, you look a lot more muscular than I would have thought," Neeshka said, bouncing up from his bed while looking him over. "And you're hairy in places I didn't expect, too."

Neeshka sprightly crossed the room over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder for an instant before moving past him to the door. Daniel let out a small sigh when he heard the door close. He turned around to get his clothes and then he noticed that Neeshka was still in the room.

"Uh, Neeshka, I'm not dressed yet…"

"Yeah, I know," she said with a grin. "Don't worry, everyone else is out. Jack and Samantha are out with Tamil talking to 'Lord Nasher', and Teal'c is over at the temple to Tyr doing priestly things I guess." Neeshka rolled her eyes when she mentioned Lord Nasher and shrugged her shoulders when mentioning priestly things. "I stayed behind to keep you company, so, you know, it's just you… and me."

Before he knew it, the tiefling was up against him, her arms wrapped around his back. Daniel instantly felt a rush of heat through his body which only intensified when he looked directly at the playful rogue. Her short, dark red hair was cut straight back behind her head. Daniel had long been used to the sight of her twin horns which curled back above her forehead and the red of her eyes looked playful, not sinister.

Daniel was even used to her tail. But now it had wrapped itself around his leg. This he was not used to. Nor was he ready for when she kissed him on the mouth, holding him in place with delicate hands which gently squeezed the tops of his shoulder muscles.

When the kiss ended, Daniel was in a daze. She was about to lean in for another kiss when he grabbed her shoulders, and held her back from him. He didn't push her away, but gently held her in check.

"Neeshka… look, you… I…" he struggled for the words. "Neeshka, I have a wife." Daniel saw a shocked look on Neeshka's face and continued on quickly. "She… died just a few years ago. It was really hard for me. Since then, I'm not sure I can…"

Neeshka relaxed her hold on Daniel, looking up at his earnest, apologetic face. Daniel saw a look of sadness and hurt appear in her expression. Immediately, he felt a twang of regret.

"Look, Neeshka, it's not that I don't like you. I do. I do have feelings for you," he paused, wanting to make sure of himself. "Those kind of feelings…"

Daniel watched Neeshka's expression carefully. The pain he had seen just a moment ago had vanished, and a small, half-shy smile appeared back on her face. Then just as abruptly, the smile was gone and a dark, suspicious look was on her face. She dropped her hands away from Daniel.

"I get it," Neeshka said. "It's that Shandra girl, isn't it? She's been after you, hasn't she? I knew it!"

Daniel stared at Neeshka in total shock, not expecting this in the slightest.

"Or is it Elanee?" she said, staring directly at him accusingly. "Is it that whore druid elf? She's the one who's been going behind my back?" There was a dangerous glint to her eye, the kind he had only seen when she was in the middle of heated battle.

Daniel took a step forward and grabbed her hands, clasping them together. "No, it's nothing like that. Really," he said with a sincerity that she couldn't help but trust. "Neeshka, I'm not interested in anyone else. And I am…" paused again, wanting to be careful not to overstate things, "…I am interested in you."

They stood there like that for a moment, and then Daniel wrapped the tiefling in another hug. After a few long seconds, Daniel looked up at the ceiling and muttered, "Who am I kidding?" Then he put his lips to Neeshka's and kissed her long and deeply. He felt her body against his, felt her heart beating rapidly. His own was pounding.

The kiss ended after a couple intense minutes, and then Neeshka looked at Daniel with the most joyful and excited expression on her face. He could feel his heart melting then and there as he saw her happiness. It felt right.

"Daniel!" Neeshka called his name cheerfully. "I'm sooo, excited!" Then she leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Do you know what I feel like doing right now?"

The archaeologist-turned-wizard looked at her, his breath coming quickly, a flush on his face. "What?" he asked, but he had a good idea he already knew the answer.

"I want to rob the Collector's house! That would be the only way to make today even better!"

Or maybe he didn't. "Um… what?"

Neeshka was already turning to head out the door.

"Wait, hold on… Neeshka!"

Neeshka had told him about the Collector before. The most home of the most famous collector of art pieces in Neverwinter. It was said he had an impenetrable safe and high security. No thief had ever successfully gotten in and stolen the treasure. More than one had died in the attempt. Pulling off this job would seal the reputation of any thief in the city. Or seal them in a tomb.

"Wait, Neeshka!" Daniel called out desperately. He exhaled when she did so. "I've got a better idea."

.

Neeshka crept soundlessly through the hallways of the Collector's mansion. Mercenary guards patrolled the hallways, alert and attentive for the slightest sound. But Neeshka made no sound. Nor did she show a hint of her passing. When she moved, it was against the walls blending invisibly into the shadows and hidden behind decorations.

She had been good before meeting Tamil and Khelgar, already having a reputation in Neverwinter for getting jobs done quietly, as opposed to the typical cutpurses and muggers that were far more prevalent. Since then, she had only gotten better. Out with Tamil she had honed her skills hiding in dungeon shadows and then on the streets of Neverwinter planting tracking devices for the City Watch in secret hideouts when a thief would lead them to a new hidey-hole.

Now, even in the relatively well-lit lamplight of the Collector's mansion, she could find a shadow and mold herself to it, then melt away to the next spot when eyes were elsewhere. With a final little chuckle, she snuck out the door to the entry lobby where expected guests were greeted, then out the front door to the outside. With a smirk, Neeshka walked around the corner of the Collector's house.

The Collector stood there with a pair of guards.

"So, you managed to break into my home," the man said with a frown. "But in the end, you failed. Return my belongings, now."

"Don't be so hasty," Daniel Jackson's voice said softly. As he spoke, he appeared directly behind the guards. "You agreed that Neeshka could keep any gold found in the vault as part of our fee."

"Yes, if she successfully broke into it. Robbing the chests of my hired guards is not the same thing," the Collector answered smugly. "You will not be getting the gold for your fee, and you will hand over what is mine immediately."

"Alright," Neeshka said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Whatever you say."

The tiefling pulled out several small items and laid them in a pile. These were the belongings of the guards. Every item was accounted for.

"And the other bag, Neeshka," Daniel chided.

Neeshka grinned and opened her magic bag, revealing several items far too large to fit within, except for the enchantment on the container. The Collector gasped as Neeshka pulled out a set of unique elven ceremonial armor. The armor was sturdy, but its greatest worth was in the ornate markings marking the item that only an art aficionado would recognize. The nobleman immediately realized that Neeshka obviously had gone into his vault. There was no way to have faked the piece. At Daniel's insistence, Neeshka reluctantly emptied out the remainder of the items. The archaeologist had clear his through loudly twice before she finally returned the star sapphire which she could easily have sold without even needing to use a fence.

"Well, if you choose not to pay our fee, then of course you forfeit the analysis and we only keep the gold found in the vault," Daniel Jackson said as if it didn't matter to him at all. Then he continued as if he were making the comment off-handedly, "As our valuable client, milord, we would never think of revealing the weaknesses of your security to outside parties. The results of our security consultation will remain confidential and available to you if you are to change your mind." The use of the honorific "milord" sounded forced from Daniel, but the rest came out perfectly at ease.

Neeshka puzzled over Daniel's nonchalance. The Collector had backed out of their agreement. He should be furious. He should be threatening him, making him worry that someone else would be breaking in. That was certainly how she felt and she was about to voice her discontent when…

"Hold on, hold on!" the Collector forestalled, a calculating look in his eye.

Daniel smiled. He had dealt with gou'ald and other incredibly intelligent, deceptive aliens for over five years before coming to Neverwinter. False alien gods and aristocrats had a lot in common he had learned. He knew how the minds of such people worked, and how such people believed the minds of others worked as well. The Collector would assume that Daniel and Neeshka planned to sell that information as soon as possible, the vault would be robbed by another group, and Daniel would publicize that the Collector had failed to use their services and attract more business.

Daniel had no such intentions, but he knew that's what the Collector would think.

"I agree to your consultation fee. Two thousand newly minted Neverwinter gold. Now, if you will…"

"Of course, milord," Daniel said with a smile. He handed a scroll over to the Collector. "This is a preliminary report detailing what we found out from the first two times we infiltrated your manor. We'll give you a final report tomorrow to include what we found after this last assessment." Daniel pulled out a pair of objects from within his robes. "And here are your vault keys and Vania's key to the upstairs rooms."

The Collector's eyes went wide. They had taken his key from him and he hadn't even noticed.

"Neither your guards nor the vault itself need to be replaced, they are both very high quality. We found them beyond the skill of a master thief or even an accomplished wizard to simply pick or magic open," Daniel said embellishing his level of accomplishment, but the nobleman expressed no doubts on the matter. "But security is only as good as your weakest link, and if the keys are obtained as easily as that, you might as well leave your home open."

"I see," the Collector nodded, impressed.

"And I strongly suggest you consider placing your favorite painting in the vault as well. If you want to look at it more often, commission a replica." Neeshka pulled the man's favorite painting, a simple oil landscape of the sea, out of her bag. The man blanched as she handed it to him. Daniel continued, "Our report covers that, as well as storing sensitive information, such as ways to blackmail you into opening the vault."

When Daniel was finished, the nobleman was only too pleased to pay the consultation fee. For him, all that mattered was his priceless collection of valuables. The Collector went so far as to thank the two, even bowing slightly to Neeshka in respect for her abilities. Daniel knew he didn't even need to urge the man to spread word among other nobles. There was no way one such as the Collector could keep such news to himself.

As Daniel and Neeshka were turning to leave, something caught the archaeologist's eye. A half dozen adolescents dressed in long ebon robes stood inside the gates of a private graveyard conspiratorially. A lone little girl was screaming at one of them standing just outside the entrance to the gated sepulchres. One of the teenagers retorted with a threat and turned away, leaving the little girl to fume and shout insults. Then the group of black-clad youths turned and headed towards the largest of three tombs, and went in, walking in two straight lines.

"Oh, great," Daniel muttered.

"What?" Neeshka asked.

Daniel didn't answer immediately. Instead he pulled out the short-range radio SG-1 members carried when separated from the rest of the team. "Come in, Flagon. This is Daniel."

"Carter here. What is it?"

"I saw something a little odd here in Blacklake. Looks a bit like a cult. Unless Toril has Goths. They went into a tomb looking very 'Children of the Corn'. I think it's something Tamil would want to check into."

"I'll radio Tamil and Jack and see what they want to do. You stay put for now. Don't go in there alone," Samantha Carter responded.

"I read you. Oh, Carter, make sure Teal'c knows about this. If it's anything like the place we arrived in Faerûn or that place near Highcliff, it could be trouble. I've got a feeling we may need to heal some hurt kids."

"Let's just hope they don't have Kool-Aid in there," Carter added jokingly.

.

Tamil Farlong led the way into the crypts followed by Shandra Jerro, Neeshka, Elanee, and all four members of SG-1. The druid had been with Jack and Tamil when the radio report of people entering into tombs was received. She had a feeling it was somehow related to the shadows and what was infecting the marshlands of her home. She insisted on coming along.

The druid had inherited Tamil's old sword and armor, as her body size and shape fit it in the right places. They only needed to adjust the padding to Elanee's frailer frame. While the druidess was not especially weak, the bard was definitely much stronger. Still, Tamil's equipment had been much better than what the druidess had been using before.

When the group entered the Bryce tomb, they were greeted by the hostile stares of several of the adolescents. One of the older male teenagers promptly told them to get lost. Tamil stared him down, ordering them out of the tombs under the authority of the City Watch and as a squire of Neverwinter. The youth passive-aggressively refused, and refused to give any information about Lisbet Bryce, the older sister of the little girl whom Daniel and Neeshka had seen earlier.

Then there was a piercing scream that echoed from deep within the crypt.

Tamil cursed softly and led the group through a door into the next chamber. A pair of older teenagers were surrounded by four ghasts, the undead creatures' rotting flesh emitting a nauseating stench. Tamil didn't hesitate, charging towards the nearest of the walking corpses and slashing it with her sword. Teal'c was the next through, charging halfway into the room before stopping to target one of the creatures with his staff weapon. The rest of the group following, weapons at the ready.

It took less than a minute for an easy victory, with not even the slightest of wounds. The lighter weapons carried by the group had less force behind them than Khelgar's axe or Casavir's war hammer, but they still did the job. Had Khelgar and Casavir led the charge, the battle would have been over within six seconds. As it was, it took four times as long. But when the dust settled and the stench cleared, the dead were back on the ground where they belonged.

The two teenagers in the back looked stunned.

"They're… they're rescuing us. What are we going to do now?" a female with her hair cut short and dyed blue bemoaned.

"The Thralls! They're all dead! Do you have any idea how long it took us to RAISE those things?" complained the slightly taller male beside her.

Tamil's mouth hung slightly opened as she realized the import of those words, the words of comfort she had been about to utter dying on her lips. The teenagers were practicing necromancy, raising the undead rather than being threatened by them. That was why they were meeting in a crypt.

"Oh hells," Jack said, shaking his head.

The group looked back to see that the six black-robed teens from the entry room had followed them in, fanning out around the room behind them. The passive-aggressive youths were about to become much less passive. There was a darkness to their eyes.

"My fault, Vera," the spokesman from the previous room apologized. "They came in looking for Lisbet. But it was only the six of us, and I didn't think they'd have a chance against your, uh... friends. The dead ones, I mean."

Tamil smirked. "Any one of us could have handled those creatures without needing any help. The numbers may be even now, but you don't stand a chance against us."

Vera saw some of the others starting to back away. "They can't handle all of us. We'll give their corpses to Arval. He'll bind their souls to serve the King! I'll bet Arval will even let us watch," the boy said in ominous tones that enticed the fearful of the group into standing firm.

The blue haired girl clenched her hands together and raised her eyes towards the ceiling, a dark smile playing over her mouth. "His darkness is Truth! His Shadow will cleanse the world!"

And then all of the dark robed teens began chanting, magical energies swirling about their hands and bodies. Daniel recognized the spells they were casting. Some were offensive, such as Vera's fireball incantation, others were defensive such as a basic shield spell being cast by the blue haired girl. It would take them a few seconds to complete their castings.

Daniel pointed his zat at the one nearest him and fired. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c did the same. Four of the eight cultists screamed in pain and then collapsed to the floor unconscious, their spells incomplete. Tamil and Shandra had no difficulty disrupting the spells of two more with their swords. Only the last two furthest back were able to complete their spell casting.

A fireball burst out from Vera, just before Daniel could train his weapon on the necromancer and zat him. The flames roared out towards Neeshka and Elanee. Neeshka nimbly somersaulted away while the elven druidess escaped most of the flames by bracing herself against the large heavy shield she now carried. Jack and Teal'c zatted the two cultists who were facing Shandra and Tamil. Only the blue haired girl remained standing, her hands moving in the intricate motions that indicated a spell as she chanted.

The chanting stopped. The girl was frozen in place. Her eyes dilated in fear. She was held in place, unable to move.

Daniel nodded to Samantha Carter. "Good work. With her shield spell up, our zats wouldn't have been able to disable her."

Tamil gestured towards the eight immobilized kids. "Strip them of all weapons and jewelry. We don't want them activating a magical amulet or ring and escaping. We don't have time to take them to the Watch right away."

There were a few magical items on the youths which were all handed to the bard. They also found a key that fit a door leading further into the Bryce crypt. Neeshka, as usual in these situations, led the way. The tiefling was able to discover and disable several lethal devices on the way through the crypt. She also stopped by several ornate looking stone coffins and some treasure chests.

Teal'c gave her dark stare.

"Aw, come on, big guy. It's not like they need any of this!"

At Teal'c's scowl, Tamil gave him a smile. "We do have a duty to investigate this place, Teal'c. Who knows what the cult has hidden here."

Despite the bard's logical excuse, the former Jaffa grumbled. "I do not like being party to such desecration. We have no right to interfere with the burial rites of another people."

"But," Daniel spoke up, pointing off down a corridor, "Do the dead have the right to interfere with our present lack of burial?" The group turned to see a trio of ghasts charging towards the group, oozing a sickly green fog.

SG-1 targeted the closest of the ghasts, the first three strikes disintegrating the creature instantly. The second ghast managed to reach the waiting group, but was promptly cut down by the combined swords of Tamil, Neeshka, and Shandra. The third ghast became a victim of the second barrage of zat fire.

But the undead creatures had already served their purpose. By the time they had all been destroyed, the three shadow cultists in the next chamber had managed to complete their summonings: shadow mastiffs. Neeshka led the way forward, followed by SG-1, their weapons at the ready. They were met by the three creatures of darkness. They were three beasts in the form of massive hounds whose substance was shadow itself.

"Focus on the wizards, defeat them and their creatures should be dispelled!" Daniel shouted, taking aim at the black-robed youth directly ahead and missing.

Jack, however, zapped him without a problem. The cultist crumpled to the ground in a groan of pain and one of the shadow mastiffs vanished back into the blackness from which it had come. Neeshka and SG-1 had almost reached the end of the corridor which opened up into the larger chamber when the remaining shadow hounds loosed a horrendous wail.

Upon hearing the noise, Daniel's eyes went wide. The haunting sound cut through his mind, numbing it like a person plunging into frozen water. Every rational thought fled his mind. He looked towards the source of the sound and saw the beasts of shadow. An unreasonable fear took hold of him, the thought of facing those creatures becoming an unimaginable horror. The archaeologist stumbled backwards, then turned on heel and started to run away. The first beast charged after him.

"Oh no you don't!" Neeshka swore, jumping between the shadow mastiff and the archaeologist/wizard, her weapons leaping into her hands. "You will not hurt my Daniel!" Then her blades began ripping away the shadowy flesh of the creature even as it tried to swipe her away. It howled in pain, but could not get past her to pursue Dr. Jackson.

"Her Daniel?" Dr. Carter wondered aloud.

Across from Neeshka in the corridor, Elanee was affected similarly to Daniel, backpedaling in fear, her eyes wide. Jack swore, put his zat'nik'tel away in favor of the short swords strapped to his back.

"No eating the elf," Jack scolded the big shadowy creature as he worked his own weapons in a blur of motion that Samantha Carter found shocking. Jack's speed and coordination was more like that of a twenty year old than a veteran who was in his fifties. Actually, it was more like an Olympian fencer, but Colonel O'Neill was using both hands with equal accuracy. She couldn't believe his improvement. He had always been a fine soldier, and had once been a skilled black ops specialist, but this was unreal.

Shandra and Tamil charged forward to support Jack and Neeshka against the shadow mastiffs, but there would be no passing them to get to the wizards behind them. They'd have to cut through the summoned creatures first. There was no way for Teal'c or Carter to aim around the corner behind which the two necromantic cultists lurked, either. They could be a problem, especially since the wizards could target the group fighting the shadow mastiffs.

As one, the Chulakian and the astrophysicist from Earth put their zat'nik'tel away. Then they both began chanting, Teal'c the prayers of Tyr and Carter in the arcane language of magic. Teal'c finished his prayer first, and a distortion in the air flew forward to strike the furthest spot in the chamber ahead that the favored of Tyr could see. At first, it seemed as if nothing had happened, but then when the shadow mastiff nearest that spot opened its mouth to roar and no sound came out, it became clear what Teal'c had done. The chanting from the other side of the room had suddenly gone silent as well.

Carter finished her spell as well, a fiery aura surrounding her as she gathered the magic. She hurled the fireball towards the same spot Teal'c had sent his silencing spell. Fire exploded silently throughout the area, spreading forward to catch the hindquarters of the shadow mastiff battling Shandra and Jack. The creature opened its mouth in a silent roar.

But the effect of the spell combination was far more effective than just nearly killing one of the summoned mastiffs. The two black robed cultists ran out of the area of the silencing spell, aware that they were vulnerable to another fireball and unable to use their magic from that position. The only place for them to run was into plain sight. They stopped and began casting their spells again.

Jack O'Neill and Shandra Jerro stabbed their blades into the mastiff's collar bone and the creature's neck respectively and the beast disappeared back into the shadows with a howl. They turned to join their companions in dispatching the second creature, but they were too late. The creature was already disappearing back into the shadow realm from whence it was summoned. Teal'c and Samantha Carter stood there with their zats out once more, the remaining cultists unconscious on the ground.

Elanee stood with her back against the wall, fear still gripping her heart. She was aware of Jack O'Neill standing in front of her, saying something. On a primal level was aware that he was no threat to her, but beyond that she could not think. This effect lasted for a couple more minutes, until the mind numbing fear subsided. Her first real awareness was the kind eyes of Jack O'Neill looking at her with concern and his repeating the words "it's alright" and "you're fine now."

Unsteadily she nodded, then finally shook off the magical fear.

"Thanks, Jack."

He nodded, put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, than turned back towards the rest of the group. Elanee realized as her full senses returned to her that the human had protected her and seen to her well-being in a way she would not have expected. She came to realize his wry humor and apparent gruffness was a front. She had known that he was thoughtful, and considerate of nature, but she hadn't realized just how kind and caring a man he was. She thought to his touch on her shoulder, and a slight flush came to her cheeks. Then she shook her head and started forward, determined to make up for her recent weakness.

Daniel had recovered as well. Neeshka had rushed back to him as soon as the battle was over to wrap him in an embrace until the fear effects wore off, followed by a very amused Teal'c and Samantha Carter. The pair would be teasing their team mate mercilessly over the next few days. Daniel's cheeks were burning red, but he wasn't sure himself if it was from embarrassment from his friends' humorous stares, or from closeness to the tiefling.

"Before we charge forward any further through this crypt," Tamil Farlong began, "we should fortify ourselves against attack." They had entered the tomb suspecting a minor disturbance with some misguided teenagers possibly as victims, but had encountered a dangerous cult with young, but skilled spell casters. Who knew what they would face next?

The group took a minute to prepare. Elanee used her magic to turn each of the companions' skin hard as tree bark while Teal'c healed those who had been injured and blessed the group. Sam and Daniel cast mage armor on those in the group not using magical armor or bracers and then began casting their own defensive magics that soon had them glowing under multiple magical effects. Tamil hummed a new tune that had the group feeling stronger and more energetic. They were ready.

The next room was filled with six more black robed wizards standing in a semicircle guarding what appeared to be the inner chamber of the crypt. As soon as Tamil, Neeshka, Shandra, and SG-1 entered, one of the six began to wail in fear. She was rebuked by another of the group named Raven.

"Raven?" Jack asked. "Seriously? Can you be any more derivative? How come there's ALWAYS someone named Raven dressed all in black in every evil shadow cult?"

Raven chafed at the comment.

Tamil focused on the girl who had expressed her fear. Savanna wasn't the brightest of the bunch, but the bard's illuminating speech brought the girl to her senses. Getting killed in the middle of a crypt to defend a creepy shadow cult wasn't actually a good way to meet hot guys. She broke away from the others, wanting to escape the insanity.

"You want to die with them, Savanna? Well, fine! You'll be a lot smarter as a ghast anyway!" Raven screamed.

"Protect the girl!" Tamil called out, quickly casting a silencing spell of her own over cultists who stood further away.

She wasn't fast enough. Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c had all fired their zats before a single spell got off. Jack expertly angled his weapon to fire on the last remaining cultist even before Tamil's spell had a chance to take effect. She pursed her lips, watching where she had cast the wasted spell, then shrugged her shoulders.

Savanna was left with her mouth hanging open. She was glad she hadn't decided to side with the losers.

"Take this to the City Watch office near Neverwinter Academy," Tamil ordered the girl, handing her an identification document. "Tell them that there was cult activity here and have them send some men down here to take these idiots away. I'll make sure you and your family get in no trouble."

The girl nodded and ran from the room swearing to never enter a graveyard again. The group tied the unconscious youths up and removed their weapons and magical items. A copy of the key to the inner sanctum was found on Raven.

Tamil led the group into the final room of the Bryce family tomb. It was obviously a place designed to perform funerary rites, large enough to accommodate large crowds gathered for a funeral and imbued with magic to prevent the dead from rising as zombies or other undead creatures. The purpose of the room had obviously been perverted by the cult. In the center of the room was a large bluish white magical circle inscribed with necromantic runes. The body and a freshly slain woman, clearly a human sacrifice, was in the center of the circle. Flanking the magical circle on both sides were a group of cultists, these clearly not simple youths.

The leader of the cult, standing on the opposite of the room looked up from his concentration, realizing the ritual could not be completed with this interruption. His eyes locked onto Tamil's. He stopped the ritual.

"May the King of Shadows forgive you," he said in reverent tones. "Embrace him, and know light for the illusion that it is."

Tamil scoffed. The bard realized exactly what this man was and what he represented. He was a shadow priest. He was clearly a charismatic figure, and had used his way with people to quietly build up a cult among the disaffected youth. He would use lies and deception to hook people into his organization, but the man truly believed in his cause. He was a zealot, the leader that the others had referred to as Arval.

Teal'c was the one to speak up. "Neither light nor shadow are illusion. One is merely the presence or absence of the other. It does not matter if one chooses to do evil when the stars have gone black or under the noon sun, it is still vileness that will be burned away by justice at the end of the day. You will return Lisbet Bryce now."

Arval shook his head. "Lisbet has a part to play here. She will be one of the first to achieve divine union with our King... not the crude undeath which lies in store for you, but a true joining of souls," he said grandly. The girl, Lisbet stood there hanging on his every word. She had obviously been enthralled by him for some time, victim of his honeyed words. Arval continued, "And it is only the first step. I have unearthed truths known long ago, and I have already sent word of my discoveries to my brothers and sisters in Shadow."

"Some truths are better off left buried," Daniel answered. "Wise people and societies choose to forget some knowledge because the risk it carries is too great. And some powers should never be used." Daniel adjusted his glasses as he spoke. "Trust us. We have seen civilizations wiped out by knowledge in the wrong hands and we've seen terrible things that nobody should ever do to another being."

"Daniel Jackson speaks truly," Teal'c confirmed.

Arval did not like where the conversation had gone. Nor did he like the conviction he could hear in the voices of this group before him. He preferred to bandy about metaphors about light and darkness, merge the words shadow and truth into the same meaning. He preyed on the disillusioned and confused. Discussing using knowledge for evil purposes was anathema to his doctrines, and debating with a group with strong faith would be fruitless.

"I seek to save you from your ignorance, nothing more. But like a child, you persist in your fear of the dark. I pity you, truly," Arval said with a sigh. "Ah, well. Death will render you far more compliant. We will speak again, I think, after you have breathed your last."

With that, the cultists attacked.

Chapter 32: In the Line of Duty

Lord Nasher Alagondar sighed as he sat on his throne in Castle Never's Court. It was a common expression from him as he sat fulfilling his duties as the city's ruler. Before being crowned as Lord of Neverwinter, Nasher had spent his youth as an adventurer, gaining a reputation for competence and heroism all along the Sword Coast. Nasher eventually took up service as a knight of Neverwinter, quickly proving himself to be the most courageous and worthy soldier in the service of the city, and then an able and wise leader when made a captain.

It had been difficult for him to learn to sit by while others carried out his orders. While age had lessened his vigor, he was still more than capable of handling things personally, as many times he wanted to do when news of some threat came to his ears. But that was no longer his role. Neverwinter could not afford to have him slain. Sometimes, however, when his job became more a matter of babysitting the political machinations of the nobility or the pestering demands of merchant guilds, he could almost prefer an end to his life in glorious battle.

Neverwinter's Lord watched with a neutral expression as Squire Tamil Farlong, recent victor in both the political and combat arena, approached the throne after being announced. She was joined by her close companions, emissaries from a distant land, as well as the elven wizard, Sand. Nasher hoped the squire was bringing a positive report, and not another headache of politically motivated petitions.

"Ah, Squire Farlong. Have you come to make a report? And I see you have the company of the emissaries from the United States of… Earth with you?"

"America… sir. Er, milord," Jack O'Neill corrected. "We are with the United States of America. Earth is more of the land we are from…. milord."

"I see," Nasher nodded. "United States of America, then." Nasher Alagondar did not let his embarrassment show.

"My apologies, milord, for not being clear enough in my introductions earlier," Tamil cut in with a bow, taking the blame for the blunder. "And please excuse Colonel O'Neill for any difficulties he has with the formalities of our language. He speaks through a translation device as the Common language of their land is far different from ours."

Nasher nodded, acknowledging the squire's words. Inwardly, he was impressed with her court manners. Wasn't she from one of the small, rural villages out in the swamp? She certainly had a silver tongue and an understanding of how most rulers liked to be addressed.

"I do indeed have a number of matters to report on that I believe will be of interest to your Lordship and the Court." Tamil turned so that she was facing both Sir Nevalle and Lord Nasher. Nevalle was standing on Nasher's right hand side in his position as Nasher's military administrator and captain of the Neverwinter Nine. "First off, Sir Nevalle charged me with investigating the actions of one Larim, in the employ of Lord Temar."

"And?" Nevalle asked, expectantly.

"Both of them are now dead," Tamil stated bluntly.

"How could this happen?" Nevalle asked in shock. He had left explicit instructions for Squire Farlong not to attempt to arrest Lord Temar, a nobleman. Only Larim was to be questioned. Nevalle feared Nasher's displeasure over this.

"We tried to—" Jack began, but Tamil cut him off.

"Milord, Temar was in league with the Luskans. They were plotting to assassinate you, Lord Nasher," Tamil explained, indicating the Lord of Nevewinter as she spoke. "And Temar hoped to be appointed in your place. Larim was working directly for Lord Temar. They admitted as much when we questioned them, and then ambushed us with their house guards."

Nevalle was shocked. He had known Lord Temar disliked Nasher, but had no idea he would go so far as to commit treason.

Tamil signaled to Jack, indicating that now was the time to speak. "We tried to subdue them, but our weapons were ineffective. They had magical protections against our… well, it didn't work. But we did manage to take the guards alive." Said earlier, that would have sounded like an excuse. Said now, after an acceptable justification for the deaths, it was an explanation of the results.

"Indeed," Tamil confirmed. "Lord Temar and his servant both fought to the death, but the guards are even now being interrogated. It is doubtful they will know much, but there may be clues to further Luskan infiltration of the city."

"You've done well, Squire Farlong," Nevalle acknowledged. "And the assistance of the emissaries of the United States of… America?" Nevalle said, checking to make sure he had gotten it right, "…will be remembered in our future dealings."

"There's more, milord," Tamil continued. Nasher and Nevalle regarded the bard with interest. "Doctor Jackson of America and another of my companions, Neeshka, helped uncover the workings of a necromantic cult active in Neverwinter." Tamil handed over a worn book to the city leader—the journal of Arval, the cult leader.

Lord Nasher made as if to order an investigation. But Tamil forestalled him.

"The cult has already been dealt with, milord. Doctor Jackson reported the matter to me. We did not realize how serious the situation was or we would have alerted your Lordship before acting, but the emissaries of the United States joined me and a few more companions in what we thought would be a rescue attempt. But it was far more dangerous than anticipated."

Lord Nasher's expression showed concern. "I hope there were no casualties among your friends."

"Two of our group were slain during the battle. Major Samantha Carter of America, and Shandra Jerro of Highcliff."

This battle was far more intense than the previous ones had been. They weren't facing a group of adolescents with a few tricks. They were facing a group of adults with complementary abilities.

Shandra found herself facing off a pair of enemies, one of them a martial artist who smacked her sword aside with his bear hands and sent a flurry of kicks and punches her way. Despite her disadvantage, she was doing well enough at first, but then the leader standing in the back spoke some word, a word that burned her ears and mind, but worst of all her eyes. Suddenly, Shandra found herself blind.

Then the pain came. She could tell when it was the monk. His punches and kicks felt like a hammer slamming into her. She also felt the sting of a blade slicing into her flesh, finding the seams in her armor and stabbing through into her. It was agony.

Jack was having a difficult time shooting the monks. They seemed to have an uncanny ability to know where he was going to point his weapon and then, just not be there. And then he was being attacked by someone much too close. He had to drop his zat and pull out his swords.

Sam had managed to zat one of her opponents, popping into visibility when she did so. She was taking aim at another of them when she was surrounded by an eerie red light. For an instant, she felt a painful draining energy piercing her. Then her jaw suddenly went slack, her mouth opening of its own accord. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the ground in a heap.

Daniel screamed her name when he saw Carter fall, drawing Jack and Teal'c's immediate attention. All of their eyes went wide in horror and they attempted to rush over to her, but their opponents would not allow them that luxury.

Shandra slumped to the ground with a groan. The beating she had taken was more than she could endure. The blood she had lost, pouring from her side. It was too much. She fell into blackness.

Lord Nasher saw the stoic faces of the heroes before him. He had lost friends in battle many times. It was never easy. Some hid it well. Others would be emotionally torn apart and unable to function for months. In both cases, it would be a trauma they would need time to deal with. The Lord of Neverwinter tried to feel loss for every life given in service to the city. It was his duty as its ruler. One of his more painful duties.

"I see now that is why only three of the four emissaries have come before me. I'm sorry for your loss," Nasher began. He was going to add some platitudes to his condolences about dying with honor and for duty, though he knew they would be of no comfort. It was simply what a ruler had to say. But Jack O'Neill spoke first.

"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal. Happens all the time," Jack said casually, shocking the balding ruler as well as the fair headed Sir Nevalle.

"Usually to me," Daniel Jackson interjected.

"Apparently, it was 'blonde day' on Death's calendar," Jack nodded, "Apparently it was their turn this time."

"You must forgive their strange ways, Lord Nasher," Tamil said, fighting her smile. "Traveling with them has taught me that humor is how they deal with stressful situations," the bard explained. "And do not think ill of them for their cavalier attitude, it is not as bad as it seemed."

"Then, they did not die?" Sir Nevalle asked.

"Oh, no, they died," Daniel corrected. "But they got better."

The carnage was over. Lisbet Bryce stood in shock over the death of Arval. She couldn't believe he was gone. She watched as the adventurers who had disrupted their ceremony rushed to their fallen friends, ignoring her and her pain.

"Oh gods! Shandra!" Tamil cried, tears streaming down her face.

The farmer who had come to her for protection lay still on the ground, her blood pooling beneath her on the stone floor. The bard channeled her magic into a healing prayer and laid her hands on her friend. White magical light poured over the wound, but the healing magic found no answering life to cling to. It was too late.

Jack leaned over Sam, his hands compressing her chest over and over again. He breathed into her mouth, his lips forming a seal on hers through which to breathe air back into her lungs. She wasn't responding. She had no pulse.

Teal'c had already tried his healing magic on her. It had failed, just as Tamil's attempt with Shandra had. They were dead. The spell that had struck Dr. Carter had taken her life, separating her spirit and body. Healing magic had no way to take hold.

They all sobbed there in anguish and anger.

And then Teal'c clenched his fists, shaking his head. "No, this cannot be. Oh, Tyr, god of justice, please heed my call and return these two noble souls to us!"

Nothing happened.

Then the former Jaffa from Chulak bent down and placed his hands on Carter's forehead, the words of a divine prayer coming to his mind and out of his mouth. There was a sudden glow all around her body. For a moment, it appeared as if a translucent image of Carter hovered over her body, slowly settling into her form. Then she sat up with a sudden gasp.

"What happened!" Carter exclaimed.

"You died," Jack answered, stunned momentarily.

"Yeah, I know. But…" Carter was saying.

"Teal'c," Daniel explained. "Somehow, Teal'c brought you back to life."

"I saw… I saw…" Carter was stammering. But she couldn't put it into words. She was going to have to rethink a few things she had been very skeptical of. She tried to stand, but pain flashed through her. She had returned to life, but was weary to the bone. She rose slowly.

"Teal'c!" Tamil called out the Chulakian. "Can you heal her, too?" Hope filled her voice.

"I shall try, Tamil Farlong," Teal'c offered.

The favored of Tyr laid his hand on Shandra's forehead as well and exerted his will as he had done with Carter. He uttered the words of the divine prayer he had just used. As it had happened previously, the magic surrounded the body of the dead and the spirit returned to it. Shandra's eyes snapped open and she took a ragged breath.

"It worked!" Tamil exclaimed. "Praise to Tyr! You did it!"

Teal'c noted that Shandra's wounds remained severe. He placed his hands on her wounds and filled them with healing magic. Within moments, the worst of the damage done to her body was repaired. The fair haired farmer-turned-adventuress staggered to her feet. Teal'c continued to heal Shandra, then hurried back to Carter to administer to her as well.

Lord Nasher regarded Teal'c with new respect. Nasher had already been informed that one of the emissaries from a faraway land who traveled with Squire Farlong was favored of Tyr. That fact had greatly increased the standing of the group in the Lord of Neverwinter's eyes. Nasher was himself a Divine Champion of Tyr, a special class of holy warriors dedicated to a particular deity. He knew that few followers of any deity were favored so highly that they were granted the power to bring the dead back to life, usually only the head priest of a temple was that powerful.

"While the task was difficult, Lord Nasher, that was not what prompted me to seek audience with you and Sir Nevalle to directly give my report. It is what we found after we had defeated the cultists that is the most disturbing."

Tamil indicated the journal she had handed over to Lord Nasher and then continued. "That record belonged to a powerful shadow priest named Arval. He was conducting experiments, trying to recreate a dark ritual connected to the King of Shadows."

Lord Nasher's eyebrows rose. References to that name had been popping up in more and more reports. It had been nearly two decades since the last rise of this "king" who could summon darkness. There had been many deaths and many disturbing events culminating in a short series of battles dubbed "The War of Shadow" during that time. Coming on the heels of the war with Luskan and the devastation brought by the Creator Race and their Wailing Death plague, it had been a most unwelcome event.

Now Daniel Jackson spoke up. "While we don't completely understand the ritual, Lord Nasher, Sand and I have been able to piece together its purpose."

The wizard/merchant inclined his head, taking his due credit with pleasure. He didn't mind sharing the spotlight with the human. He was proud of Daniel's achievements in spellcraft, having been the one to teach the human. It was true, Daniel's education in science had greatly facilitated his rapid growth in the study of magical lore, but nevertheless his progress was certainly remarkable. In the span of less than a year, the scientist had achieved a level of power few practitioners would ever achieve in their lifetime. Indeed, Daniel had surpassed the general level of knowledge Sand had possessed when they had first met. Continued collaboration with the human had led to Sand's own depth and breadth of magical aptitude rising alongside the surprising human.

"The purpose of the cult was to draw young wizards and sorcerers to Arval for his experiments with the ritual, and ultimately use them as tools," Daniel continued.

"It seems he targeted young, unpopular students at the Neverwinter Academy. According to what little the squire was told," Sand added, referring to Tamil by title, "when they were being taken to be locked up, some of the older cultists revealed that Arval had been using the Academy as a source for human sacrifices for at least a couple years." Sand gave a slightly sadistic smile as he added a little barb to the end, "Perhaps someone should speak to Magister Jochris about how he has been running Neverwinter's fine school for gifted magicians."

Lord Nasher didn't like Sand's tone in regards to the magister, but could not deny the truth to his words. Sand was proving a useful asset, and from all appearances, one loyal to Neverwinter. Even Sir Nevalle, who had always distrusted the elf, was realizing that perhaps his feelings were unmerited, despite Sand having formerly been a Luskan Hostower mage. Still, Sand had a double dose of elven hubris. Even if he was worthy of trust, it didn't mean the knight had to like him.

"What does the ritual do?" Nevalle asked.

Dr. Jackson answered. "It is intended to create a link between the soul of the subject of the ritual and the Plane of Shadow. According to Arval's notes, the desired result would be a merging of the subject and shadow, while retaining the knowledge and magical powers of the individual."

"The Shadow Priests found working with the orcs near Old Owl Well were doing similar research. They were also using the bodies of former Academy students," Tamil added. "They had managed to create reanimated zombies, but able to use their full magical capabilities. Arval was, apparently, taking the ritual a step further."

Nevalle remembered this mentioned in one of the reports to the city council from Captain Brelaina of the City Watch. This new report fit in with other reports of cult activity around the area. In light of this news, the report was indeed alarming.

"And does this ritual work?" Lord Nasher asked.

Daniel, Jack, Tamil, and Sand all looked at each other.

"We're not sure," Daniel responded in the end.

"Keep away from me! He isn't dead!" Lisbet Bryce yelled.

Tamil Farlong quickly backed away, not wanting to agitate the young girl any further. Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to do.

"I can bring him back!" Lisbet cried. With that, she finished her part of the ritual, the part that activates the magic, before anyone could prevent her.

The chamber suddenly became dark despite the torch light. Not the darkness of the night, but the darkness of a nightmare. The very air became heavy with blackness that absorbed the light of the flames. The bodies of the slain cultists, their corpses showing the scorch marks from Elanee's powerful lightning storm and Daniel's firebrand, were covered in a deeper shadow that mirrored in its darkness the light of the power Teal'c had used to bring life.

Then living shadows rose up from each corpse, with clawed hands of pure darkness and evil red eyes of malevolence. Once more SG-1 and their companions were plunged into battle.

Tamil's powerfully enchanted adamantine sword sliced through the shadows, tearing at their substance as she evaded their lumbering strikes. She noted however, that their hands passed through her armor as if it weren't there. She only avoided their life draining touch by jumping backwards.

"Careful!" she shouted in warning. "These things can reach right into you. If you have an enchantment on your armor it will work against them, but the metal itself will do nothing to them. Do not let them touch you!"

After shouting that out, she began to sing again. Her song filled them all with a feeling or invulnerability. Indeed, the music itself helped to ward away the shadows, though creatures of darkness pressed against and through the enchantment, trying to strike the living flesh before them.

After managing to elude a pair of the giant shadows and find a spot safe to cast a spell, Daniel began chanting a spell he had just recently been researching. Tamil had found the spell scroll and given it to him to scribe into his spell book. Daniel had practiced it, but had never really seen its effects. He wasn't even sure he had it right. It was designed to return the undead to the state of death. As soon as he finished his spell casting, he saw the results. Every shadow in the radius of the spell's effect suddenly reeled, and a pair of them simply faded back away into natural shadows.

"Do that again!" Jack called out.

"Sorry, Jack. I only prepared one use for the spell. After casting it… it's gone until I study again."

The living shadows staggered again, and this time the rest of them broke apart into darkness. Daniel spun around to look at Dr. Carter. Had she already caught up to him?

"Don't look at me, Daniel. I haven't figured that one out yet," Sam said, shaking her head.

"It was me," Teal'c acknowledged. "When I heard your spell, I realized that Tyr would grant me the power to banish shadows as you did. I do not know how I knew this, but it was true."

Jack put his swords back in his scabbard. He'd been struggling to hit the things, half the time swinging at a false shadow, and even when he connected his blades did little against the darkness. He looked at his team mates appreciatively. "Good work," he said.

"It didn't work," Lisbet bemoaned. "He's gone. Really gone."

Tamil shot the girl a scathing look. "Oh, it worked fine. Or did you miss the shadows and the fighting and the killing?" Her sarcasm was biting.

"No…" Lisbet broke down crying. Through her tears she said, "…no, you don't understand. The ritual didn't work. I wasn't strong enough. Those shadows were just... echoes." The girl's eyes were full of anguish and shame. Seeing those emotions, Tamil's glare softened and she let Lisbet continue to speak. "Arval and the others," she began again, "they should have been joined with the King of Shadows. Don't you see? That's why we made all these symbols, all these markings. I said the words, but I," she stumbled over the words, "I was too weak." She choked on a sob. "Arval said he loved me. He said we'd be united in Shadow, joined to this beautiful ancient being."

Jack rolled his eyes. "You really were doing all this just to kiss a guy? Teenagers." Jack threw up his hands in mock surrender to the stupidity. "You know he was just using you, right?" "This," Jack said pointed to the necromantic symbols on the magic circle, pointed to the young girl who had been sacrificed. "This isn't love."

"Well, I'm not sorr," she argued obstinately, "Maybe Arval didn't love me, but I loved him. That's more important than light and shadow and everything else. It isn't wrong, and it isn't stupid."

Jack O'Neill's eyes went cold. He walked over and grabbed the girl by her shoulder and shoved her face down to see the lifeless bodies of the cultists they had been forced to kill.

"Jack," Carter called out, to restrain the colonel. He wasn't in a mood for restraint.

"You're not sorry?" Jack asked incredulously. "Look at these dead bodies and tell me you're not sorry again!" He let her go, but she remained on the ground, whimpering. Jack flung his arms out wide to indicate the crypt and the summoning room. "This is not love, and you are only fooling yourself saying you loved him. I know love, and I've lost love," Jack declared darkly.

"Love isn't selfish. Love doesn't hurt others," he scolded. "But this, this was selfish. And if you think this had anything to do with love, then you are deluded."

The group watched as Jack regained control of his emotions. The members of SG-1 knew of Jack's pain, the loss of his son and later his wife, and understood. Tamil, Neeshka, and Elanee were seeing this vulnerable side to the hero for the first time.

A stunned and shamed Lisbet Bryce followed the group out of the crypt. Time would only tell if she would gain wisdom from these events.

"We interrupted the ritual," Daniel explained. "We're not sure if it failed because of our interruption, because it wasn't performed correctly, or if the ritual is still flawed."

"But we did get to fight a lot of shadows," Jack remarked. "Big, human sized, soul eating shadows."

"There is something else," Teal'c added. Everyone turned to regard the generally reserved Chulakian. "We also discovered that the ritual needs to be performed by both arcane spell casters and priests in conjunction. That was why Arval needed Lisbet to help him test the ritual. She was a cleric. He needed another who could access divine powers to test it first to ensure that the ritual was safe."

Lord Nasher sat back on his throne. They had given him much to think about. When he had sighed earlier, hoping for something more than political wrangling, he had not expected something quite like this.

"Thank you Squire Farlong, Sand, and honored emissaries of the United States of America," Lord Nasher said, preparing to dismiss them.

"Sire," Tamil interrupted. "There is another matter."

"Oh?" the Lord of Neverwinter said, giving leave for Tamil to continue.

"The sage, Aldanon has been kidnapped from his home. You should be getting the report of the incident soon from Sergeant Brockenburn."

Lord Nasher was alarmed at this. Aldanon was a brilliant sage. At times, Nasher had needed to call upon the eccentric old man's knowledge himself. He could be annoying to speak to, but he was a valuable asset to the city.

"Nevalle, we must prepare a rescue mission at once," Nasher began. "We must learn who is behind this and track them down to wherever they have taken him."

"I believe we already know who is behind this, milord," Tamil stated. "We witnessed the standoff between the kidnappers and Sergeant Brockenburn's men on our way back from the crypts to make this report. They had a friend of mine, Marshal Cormick of the Watch, held captive. So, we intervened."

Tamil related how the group had freed Cormick, healed his wounds, and then entered Aldanon's estate. The bard related the events in a straightforward manner, concentrating on relevant facts of the events. Were this a tavern tale, its telling would have lasted as much as half an hour, full of embellishment and witty word play. But Tamil knew when to draw out a story, and when to give an executive summary. Lord Nasher appreciated the clarity and focus on relevant details. The bard and her companions were rising swiftly in is estimation.

Aldanon's mansion had been much easier than the crypt. Zat'nik'tel fired from behind a doorframe was devastating to those vulnerable to its debilitating effects. All of the thieves they had encountered were vulnerable. With Neeshka able to disable the traps the thieves had set, it had been a simple matter to snipe out all the thieves before an alarm could even be given. Every one of the servants survived unharmed and the entire gang was captured alive.

"Unfortunately, while we were able to save Aldanon's servants, alas, we arrived too late to do anything about his abduction. However, Old Scab, the leader of the kidnapper group, is being interrogated as we speak. Before coming to report, we were able to get some information from him by use of an enchantment," Tamil revealed. "Assuming the information was truthful and the thief was not feigning being caught in the enchantment, the person behind the abduction is a wizard from Luskan by name of Black Garius. And from past evidence, it is clear that Garius is in league with the King of Shadows cult."

"More Luskan interference," Lord Nasher muttered. "Just what we needed."

"Unfortunately, Old Scab did not seem to know where Aldanon was being taken," Tamil sighed. "But perhaps more thorough interrogation from the Watch will reveal that information. There was one more important piece of information we received though."

"Please go on," Nasher prompted the bard.

"Aldanon's assistant relayed an important finding the sage had made before being abducted. In the course of investigating an issue related to the githyanki attack on West Harbor and subsequent infiltration of Neverwinter, Aldanon found a strange link between this and the mysterious murders happening in Blacklake."

Lord Nasher's breath caught. Of all the trifling troubles in Neverwinter, the deaths of several high profile nobles had caused him the greatest headache. The nobility was powerful in Neverwinter. There were always murders happening, but because these murders had all been of highly influential noblemen, Nasher had to be seen to take action to protect the nobility. It was pressure such as this that forced him to institute the lockdown. Finally solving this would silence a lot of criticism and allow him to worry about more pressing matters.

Tamil completed her report. "It seems the three noblemen who were murdered were part of a fraternity of nobles who dabbled in arcane magic. The connection between them all was that they passed around a fragment of a githyanki silver sword found after the War of Shadow for observation and study. There is a fourth surviving member of the fraternity that Lord Dalren, Lord Brenick, and Lord Hawkes belonged to. The final member, Lord Tavorick, is still alive and most likely in possession of the shard."

"Cyran!" Lord Nasher exclaimed. "I will not allow him to suffer the same fate as the others!"

Major Carter said aloud what everyone was thinking. "Let's hope we're not too late this time."

Chapter 33: Bedeviled (Part 1)

General Hammond sat back uneasily at the head of the briefing table as the rest of the staff filed out. SG-2 had returned from their latest mission with a message from the Tok'ra. The power of the gou'ald Anubis was growing. Twice the returned System Lord had attempted to attack Earth. Shortly after SG-1 had gone missing, the gou'ald had used an Ancient device to attempt to destroy Earth by overloading the Stargate. Only the quick thinking of Jonas Quinn had saved them. Then Jonas and SG-2 had been captured and used against the Stargate Command, only for the miraculous return of SG-1 to prevent Anubis from invading Earth through the Stargate.

Now there were reports that Anubis was secretly destroying lesser gou'ald, and absorbing their armies into his own. For now, he was working covertly. He was carefully supplanting alien rulers with underlings allied to him. In one instance, he had craftily maneuvered one minor ruler into attacking another, after forging a treaty with the one being attacked. Anubis stepped in, only to absorb both forces into his own, in the end forcing his "ally" to swear allegiance to him.

The Tok'ra suspected that he was building his armies in an attempt to overthrow all of the System Lords and emerge as the sole power in the galaxy. If he succeeded, he would be a hundred times more terrible in his reign than Ra had been. Somehow, Anubis was accumulating power and technology beyond that of any previous gou'ald.

This most recent mission brought even more worrying news. Rumors were being unearthed pointing to a new super weapon Anubis was busy searching for. Unfortunately, all they were getting were scattered fragments of information and symbols that made little sense. The best linguists among both the Tok'ra and Earth were trying to decipher it, but it was taking too long.

George Hammond shook his head. Where was Daniel Jackson when you needed him?

.

Daniel glanced up from his book to look at the monitor screens. They were uneventful, just as they had been the last time he had looked at them. Captain "Black" Ballard stood alertly by the stairs leading to the second floor of Lord Tavorick's estate mansion, two of his men stood with him. Blacklake District City Watch veterans Guff and Wetherly stood watch at the inner doors, Guff pacing back and forth in the foyer that served to greet guests to the house. Upstairs, Lord Tavorick was in his chambers, sleeping soundly.

Lord Nasher had ordered Tamil to protect Cyran Tavorick. It had been Sam's idea to use the recording equipment SG-1 had brought their first time to Faerȗn as security cameras, setting up one of the unused upstairs rooms as a makeshift security room. Being the only ones with any training in the use of technology, each member would take a shift monitoring the computers.

The Tavorick estate was not a bad place to stay. The wealthy lord had quite a lavish place. The lower floor had once been where the nobleman had hosted large social gatherings, with a wide foyer for receiving large numbers of guests leading into a great hall with a high roof enough space to accommodate hundreds of guests at once. A line of fine banquet tables lined one corner of the hall, the space mostly intended for dances or mingling.

The mansion was now fairly empty, but Tavorick still had the best stock available. His storerooms and kitchens were stocked with cured meats and fine wines. At his advanced age, the eccentric nobleman was free with his possessions, and all members of the force guarding his life were given a taste of the nobleman's life. Of course, this might have been more of an attempt to woo Squire Tamil Farlong, whom the unrepentant lecher had fawned all over as soon as she showed her fair face.

Khelgar had insisted on joining this mission, too, though not out of any desire to enjoy the fineries of a mansion. He had bemoaned having been left out of the fight with the cultists and was spoiling to lay either fists or hammer to whomever might be coming after Lord Tavorick. At the moment, the Ironfist dwarf was in one of the upstairs bedrooms snoring away, still dressed in his armor. His shift had come and gone uneventfully, be he would be prepared for action as soon as the call came.

Casavir and Grobnar were currently on watch. The paladin had volunteered immediately upon hearing Tamil's task, considering the protection of the weak one of his knightly duties. He had abandoned the politics of Neverwinter, but the good of its people continued to be his primary concern. Grobnar had jumped at the chance to see something new and possibly life threatening. He was hoping miniature gigantic dragons or perhaps space hamsters were involved. The gnome had been even more excited when he had found a pair of barrels containing blast globes that hadn't been opened in decades. The pair took turns patrolling the storerooms and south of the building.

Neeshka and Teal'c were also in the mansion, though it was not yet their turn for watch duty. Teal'c was meditating in the room with Khelgar, while Neeshka slept in a separate room. It would be their turn to take a shift soon enough. Elanee, Shandra, and Sand had been the only members of the group who had not asked to join this protective detail mission, the druidess wanting to take some personal time in the wilderness surrounding Neverwinter. The farmlands were tamed areas, but she still preferred them to staying enclosed in a stuffy mansion for extended periods. Shandra felt like her body needed a break from the intense physical training she was undergoing, and Sand just didn't have any interest in guard duty.

Daniel looked back down at the chapter he was reading about the Illefarn elven dialects. He had run across a number of scripts which were difficult for him to read, only for Sand to explain that these were from an ancient empire that had once existed primarily to the south of Neverwinter. The nation of elves and dwarves and faded out of history many years ago, but there were many ancient texts written in that variant of Elven still in this area that Daniel might come across.

He was so engrossed in his reading, Daniel didn't notice the monitors when the torches in the halls began to burn a ghostly blue.

"About time for my turn in that chair," Major Carter said as she came up behind the archaeologist.

Daniel turned to her, about to reply, when a red light began flashing on the screen.

"Something's tripped the sensors in the foyer…" he was saying when another indicator went off. "And in the storage rooms on the main floor," he quickly spun back, grabbing the walkie-talkie.

"Uh, guys, this is Daniel. We've got movement in the house. Main entrance and the lower store rooms…"

Colonel O'Neill's voice came back over the radio. "Alright, all clear up here so far. Get down to the lower level and check things out. I'll stay up here with Deorwin and and Finn." The two he mentioned were two of the four men under Ballard's command also tasked with protecting the nobleman.

Daniel and Sam raced downstairs, joined by the dwarf, the tiefling, and Teal'c. Captain Ballard stood at the steps with a pair of his guards, but there was a cry coming from the foyer. Grobnar burst out of the northwestern storage chamber with a cry of alarm.

"YIPES!" called out, "A bunch of flying, stinging creatures are after me! They just appeared in the middle of the room!"

No sooner had the gnome yelled out his warning than Guff and Wetherly emerged from the foyer with a similar report. Except that they had seen something big and nasty in addition to the small flying imps and mephitis, but had been smart enough not to stick around on their own to find out. Major Carter ordered the pair of veteran soldiers back to the steps to use their bows. Casavir was nowhere to be seen.

"Casavir!" Carter called out as the first of the winged creatures began flying out from the open doors.

The sound of battle came from the second store room. The paladin apparently refused to give ground to an evil enemy. He would rather die than retreat from them. He was battling several winged creatures who had suddenly appeared in the room just as he was inspecting it.

"Casavir!" Sam cried again. "We need you out here!"

With a last stroke of his hammer, the paladin abandoned the store room. He would sooner die than retreat from battling evil, but he would rather be slowly tortured to death than fail to protect his friends. The paladin ran into the manor's great hall and saw to his dismay that the room was also filled with flying imps and fire mephits.

Dr. Carter and Dr. Jackson took aim with their alien weapons and fired a barrage of energy into the creatures. After several misses, Carter managed hit one of the flying creatures, but the beast just turned a baleful glare towards the astrophysicist and continued flying. The creatures were immune to fire, which also shielded them from the energy build up from the zat'nik'tel that would caused unconsciousness, death and finally disintegration.

"It's no good," Carter said with a shake of her head. "Zats won't hurt them."

Fortunately, Casavir was having a much better time with his hammer. The paladin could feel the weapon's eagerness to battle the imps, creatures aligned with chaos and disorder. The paladin channeled the holy power of Tyr within him to inflict even more damage on the creatures.

Unfortunately, against the swarming, flying monsters of the Abyss and the Hells, handguns were not particularly effective. Their haphazard flight patterns were difficult to track. Daniel gave up after a couple of wasted shots.

"I heard gunfire," Jack's voice came over the radio. "Should we come down to join you?"

"Negative," Daniel replied. "They're some sort of demons. Mephits and imps, I think. AND succubi… and that's an Erinyes," Daniel added hastily as several scantily clad female devils and demons entered the fray, firing deadly flaming arrows.

"We're coming down," Jack insisted.

"No, sir. You need to keep Tavorick's bedroom guarded, Jack," Daniel reiterated. "They're all being summoned directly into this building. There's nothing stopping the summoner from sending them directly up to you instead of down here. They're probably just waiting for you to leave the upstairs unguarded to do just that."

Major Carter watched as the battle took place, and realized that things were not going too well. There were too many of the creatures coming from too many directions. Neeshka and Casavir were doing their best, but too many of the creatures were getting past them to attack the vulnerable bowmen. Grobnar's Ironskin chant was protecting the group from some physical damage, but the creatures were sending arcs of flame and unstoppable magical missiles that were taking their toll. Teal'c was healing the guardsman, but had little time to use his staff weapon against the succubi and erinyes.

Sam had just finished casting her best protective spells, rendering her body impervious to all but the most powerful strikes. She now had shields of force and stony skin between her and any potential damage. She sparkled with an aura that absorbed the fire spat by the creatures of the hells, even dousing the flames of a fiery shaft sent her way by one of the devils. She had also invoked the power of the Cat's Grace and Bull's Strength to augment herself. She was ready to step up and join the battle. After one last spell.

"Casavir, Neeshka," she called to get their attention. "Fall back closer to the steps, I'm going to Haste the group," she explained. Obediently, they fell back, allowing the attacking creatures to fully surround everyone. But it was just for a moment that they were giving ground.

Sam completed her casting and immediately the entire group felt a thrill of speed grab hold of them. Neeshka and Casavir redoubled their efforts and the creatures were quickly pushed back away from the steps once more. But to everyone's surprised, the fighting pair were soon joined by Samantha Carter who leaped into the mass of creatures, twirling a magical quarterstaff in her hands while a half dozen copy images jumped in synch with her.

Daniel was speechless, momentarily unable to react to anything at all. Sure, Sam was using some nice defensive spells, including an improved Stoneskin that gave even better protection than what Grobnar's Ironskin chant provided, but that was not what impressed Dr. Jackson the most. It was how she was fighting. Major Samantha Carter was spinning her enchanted quarterstaff and smashing creatures nearly as well as Neeshka was. She dodged out of the way of claws and dodged flaming arrows like something out of a comic book.

Daniel knew the effects of augmenting spells like Bull's Strength and Cat's Grace, having been the one who had made a copy for her, but this was more than that. Carter was good. Unlike Daniel, she was a soldier. She had gone through basic training and despite Daniel's great improvement over the years, Dr. Carter was still more proficient than the archaeologist in combat skills. But this was something else entirely, more than just that.

"Wow, that stone statue creature kicking the bad guys' butts looks an awful lot like Carter," Colonel Jack O'Neill mentioned to Daniel, coming down the stairs from the level above.

"That is Carter," Daniel responded, still shocked.

"Shandra and Tamil did say she was improving," Jack said with an appreciative nod.

"Aren't you supposed to be up there guarding Lord Tavorick's room," Daniel replied. "They might attack up there directly."

"They already have. That's why we came down here."

Before Jack or the other soldiers had a chance to lift a hand, the last of the flying demons and the succubi were destroyed. Freed from having to heal the wounds of the guards, Teal'c had been able to use his staff weapon against those creatures, blowing them back to the hells with some will placed shots. The rest were taken care of by Casavir, Neeshka, and surprisingly Samantha Carter.

There was a brief lull. Lord Cyran Tavorick walked down the steps, followed by Deorwin and Flynn. The group of protectors immediately moved to surround the aging man.

Moments later, upwards of a dozen reddish, winged creatures poured out of the foyer and storeroom doorways. Surprisingly, the creatures did not immediately attack. They were soon joined by several succubi and erinyes, which also did not attack, only took up positions surrounding the group.

Lord Tavorick held up a key. "I have the key to the crypts, supposed to be warded against creatures like this. We could make a break for it." Then Lord Tavorick pocketed the key and pulled out a long sword. "Or, we could just kill them all right here!"

Chapter 34: Bedeviled (part 2)

Cyran Tavorick was over eighty years old, pushing ninety. He was wrinkled, his limbs emaciated with age. His eyes had grown dull, though he was still as enamored of young beautiful women as ever. Now, however, Lord Tavorick stood without a hunch, holding the blade in a swordsman's pose and a smile on his face.

The soldiers of the Watch were shocked. Initially, they tried to hold the old man back, but he charged past them before they were able to do so. Then the soldiers tried to reach him and protect the man. But soon the press of flapping creatures were upon them, and before they knew it, Lord Tavorick was slicing the creatures apart, and defending the soldiers from attacks they had not anticipated.

The old man moved with both grace and power, his blade weaving back and forth to intercept attacks from the clawed talons of the imps. One succubus moved to attack the man, presenting her body boldly forward temptingly while at the same time she looked for an opening to rip into his flesh with her clawed hands. Her face was beautifully feminine, but her eyes shone with demonic cruelty. Tavorick slashed the creature in the face and then across her waist without a hint of hesitation, even as the monster tried to entice him with its deceptive promises of pleasure.

"Sorry, bitch," he said without even a trace of remorse, "you're not my type."

The guards were surprised to find that only the dwarf and the paladin were more effective against the hordes of devils and demons. This hardly seemed the same decrepit old man they had been guarding just the day before.

Then there was a sudden cracking sound and the doorway to the foyer gave way. A massive form shouldered its way through the opening. It was a hezrou demon, all muscles, claws and teeth. An incredible acrid stench issued from its body, a grayish green cloud of decay and malevolence that had the Watch guards choking and retching. Even Captain Ballard and the experienced adventurers were nauseated by the creature's presence.

The beast took a moment to speak, identifying itself to its prey in the hopes of instilling fear and despair in their souls before it would devour them. As stout as Flynn, Guff, Wetherly, and Deorwin were, they creature's sinister words had their intended effect. These men had never faced something like this.

Cyran Tavorick, however, showed no fear at all. He took a step towards the demon with a confident look on his wrinkled face. "I've been waiting for you to show up. Now, where's this master of yours who took you from your devil hunting? I have business with him."

The demon Qaggoth-Yeg, sniffed the air, finding the scent of his prey intriguing. "You have a wondrous scent, little lordling. Beneath the age and rot of your weak flesh, I smell the scent of lives ended and dreams shattered. The master was good to give a treat such as you to me while he claims the item he seeks from the one who has taken it."

At the creature's words, Tavorick froze in his tracks. "I see," the man said. Then his face began to melt away and his body began to grow taller and firmer, his chest began to stick out. The man was not Lord Cyran Tavorick. It was not even a man.

Tamil Farlong stood where "Lord Tavorick" had been, casting off Tavorick's robe to reveal the shining suit of mithral armor she wore beneath it. "I guess there's no more point in disguise then. Oh, and by the way, I can smell you too, and you STINK!"

The following battle was fierce and brutal. As soon as the watch soldiers wiped the sheer surprise off their faces, they set to with their bows. Casavir, Khelgar, and Tamil all charged the huge lead demon, while Neeshka swung around towards the rear to find a spot to strike. It wasn't easy, though, as the hezrou was joined by a pair of succubi, a pair of erinyes, and a half dozen imps.

"Focus on the smaller ones first!" Daniel called out.

"What?" Jack protested.

"Just trust me," the archaeologist assured him. "Let Tamil and those guys keep the big one at bay. Once we drop the smaller ones, Sam and I will finish the big one off."

It was easier said than done, though. SG-1 focused on firing at the black-winged female devils and demons with short bursts from their P90s, Teal'c using his staff weapon instead of an Earth firearm. The imps proved more troublesome, their erratic flight making using the use of small arms fire all but useless. Jack and Teal'c switched to melee combat, Jack using twin short swords and Teal'c using his staff to physically strike the creatures.

Tamil, Khelgar, and Casavir had an even more difficult time with Qaggoth-Yeg. He was a powerful beast. The worst part was that his cloud of stench weakened them both physically and mentally. Khelgar found himself caught by the creature and nearly bitten in half. Only by crawling away from the monstrosity to have Teal'c use his healing magic on him did the dwarf manage to survive. Were it not for the harmony of Tamil and Grobnar's singing, shielding them from the worst of harm with a skin of iron, healing them and lending them courage, it was not likely they could have held.

Daniel Jackson had been carefully watching the battle, cloaked in a magical armor of shadow that shielded him from physical harm as well as a range of necromantic magics. Where the enemy numbers were concentrated he would blast them with a cone of conjured acid, which he found to be effective against imps and mephits, but had almost no effect on the succubus that had got caught in the blast. When one of the watch guardsman got into difficulty, getting outnumbered by flying enemies, Daniel coordinated a blitz of magic missiles with Sam to quickly even the odds.

Now, though, was the time to strike. There were still a few imps and one of the erinyes remaining, but they were separated from the huge demon controlling them. Daniel signaled Sam and the two began casting their spells simultaneously. When they finished, there was a flurry of magical discharges. Ten whitish-blue streaks of magic blasted from Carter's outstretched fingers, only to be outdone by more than a dozen much larger streaks of magical energy from Daniel's direction. The combined barrage of missiles slammed directly into the demon's chest.

The creature, already heavily wounded from combined attacks from the archers, swords, and hammer that had already struck it, let out a gurgling groan. Then it slumped over backwards, its chest blackened and grievously burned. An otherworldly, slow burning flame licked up from the ground to consume the body.

Jack looked at where the creature had been, then back at the pair of wizards and gave out a low whistle. "Good work," he said simply. "Okay, now when's dinner? If we get back to the Flagon early enough we can still have movie night."

Tamil Farlong nodded towards Dr. Jackson and Dr. Carter. "Yes, very nicely done, very impressive," but then the bard shook her head, her silky jet black hair tossing from side to side. "But I'm afraid movie night will have to wait. We need to get to the Moonstone Mask. Right now."

.

The warlock surveyed the destruction of the ground floor of the Moonstone Mask. A number of tables were blackened with flame and a couple of the escorts employed by the establishment lay on the ground, bleeding profusely from wounds that were certainly fatal. He had never liked the place. It was, and always had been, a den of iniquity. Not that his soul was unstained, far from it, but the sort of vice that went on behind these closed doors and was not the kind that he could respect. The dalliances that went on in this "private club" were pure indulgence and weakness.

The patrons of this place had deserved what they had gotten simply by being here, as had the employees. The matron of the place, Ophala if memory served the bald headed man correctly, was unscrupulous and in no way the "lady" she pretended herself to be. Of course, he would still need to reprimand his servants for their disobedience in acting without his explicit command. But no matter. The lives of these fools were of no consequence.

The warlock sensed that the object he sought lay upstairs. He sent his mind through his link to his Haven, and to the devil he had tied to that place. What he had in mind would be ironic. Erinyes and Succubi in a place like this.

'Blooden. Hezebel.'

Their names connected him to their minds and their will. These two were no simple demons or devils. They were paragons of their kind, with power over hundreds of weaker members of their species. Where the typical erinyes or succubus could summon one of their own kind once a day, these two could summon several, and several times a day. At the time these most deadly of seductresses had bound themselves to his circles in return for the offerings, sacrifices, and bargains he had made, they had not realized how deeply they would be tied to him. And now these creatures of evil were his to command, all the powers they controlled were his to direct.

Now the warlock directed that power against the fools on the floor above him. Neverwinter was a city of fools. And if fools died for their foolishness, he had long ago gone beyond caring about that. Any who stood to oppose him deserved to die.

The warlock reached the top of the stairs to see bloody carnage as the patrons and "entertainers" ran screaming around, chased by fire mephits and near-nude demonic women laughing wickedly, their clawed hands dripping red liquid that could only be one thing. The warlock walked through the chaos as if it didn't exist. He was focused on only one thing. The shard.

It was behind the door. Those Neverwinter buffoons had been passing it between themselves for experiments. Fortunately, the sum total of their arcane prowess would not even amount to the skill of an average true mage. It was doubtful anything they might have done could have ruined it. Still, one by one they had paid the price for meddling in what they should not have. Especially Dalren. The warlock had enjoyed taking the life of that one. There was only one left who still lived. This time, the shard of the silver sword would be his.

The door opened at his touch. He gestured and the two nearby succubi feasting on a fallen man rose up to answer his command. They wiped the blood from their mouths, scowling wrathfully at him for interrupting their feeding. But his face remained impassive and in the end they had no choice to bey, entering the room he had indicated. He followed behind and closed the door after himself.

The room the warlock entered was a large sitting chamber rather than one of the Moonstone Mask's more popular private rooms. Long tables lined the sides of the room, refreshments set up on them for the guests to enjoy. A roaring fireplace flanked by ornate suits of armor added to the comfortable atmosphere of the place. In front of the fireplace stood a young woman with dark hair, shielding a doddering old man who stood cowering behind her.

The gesture of the woman attempting to shield her customer was amusing to the warlock. The others had all fled, and some of the braver patrons had foolishly attempted to impress the "entertainers" by defending them. Those were the ones who screamed the loudest as they were ripped apart, of course. Yet here was a young woman who seemed willing to sacrifice her life to protect her client. The elderly man she was protecting was Lord Cyran Tavorick, one of those fool lords who thought to meddle in the affairs of things they should not.

Rather than simply bid his servants rip the girl to shreds and be done with it, the warlock decided to show a bit of mercy. "Hand over the shard, and the woman can go free," the warlock said to the man with his rough, deep voice. If he were a sentimental man, he would have noted that these were the first words he had uttered aloud in this city for many, many years. But he was not sentimental, and the milestone went unmarked.

Rather than Lord Tavorick responding, however, it was the woman who spoke. "You are mistaken, King of Shadows, if you think I will just give you the item you seek." she said with a hard glint to her eye. Then she threw off the cloak concealing her true identity to reveal the blue and white uniform emblazoned with the arcane eye of Neverwinter. She gestured towards the piece of metal strapped there to her belt. "I'm the one who possesses the silver shard you seek. And your business is not with this man," she said pulling out a long sword. "It's with me."

The woman was a member of Neverwinter's elite guards, not a courtesan afterall.

"So be it."

The woman was good with her sword. She was able to strike the two succubi and avoid their clawed grasp for the most part. Despite the fact that her sword was not holy, it did possess a rather powerful enchantment and did harm his servants when it struck. Had the warlock allowed the battle to continue without interfering, the lady warrior would have almost certainly defeated the pair of demons.

But that was not to be. The warlock raised his hands, gathered the force of his will, and blasted out a stream of pure magic that struck the woman in her waist. A cry of pain erupted from her lips, but she gritted her teeth and fought on. With her next thrust, she managed to disembowel the succubus on her right, causing the creature to shift back to its home in the Abyss after it collapsed behind her. The warlock blasted the woman again, the purplish black energy of his eldritch blast causing her to sink to her knees this time.

Now the outcome of the battle was assured. The warlock would not need to use any of his other resources here. She was too much weakened now to be a serious threat. But still, she managed to surprise him with her determination. The woman slashed the succubus from her knees, even as its claws raked her shoulder. Then she rose back up to her feet, slicing the head from the creature.

The warlock let loose a final blast of his power, and the woman crumpled lifelessly to the floor. He looked at her dead body for a moment contemplatively, then looked to the aged man still standing behind him. Tavorick was now quaking back against the wall. The man could wait at least long enough for him to retrieve the shard from the woman's corpse before he killed him, he decided. He walked over to the woman's body and took the shard of metal from its place on her belt.

That was when he heard the shouting and commotion from the doorway behind him, and then the door opened up once again. A woman who looked remarkably similar to the one he had just slain, only younger and even more beautiful, burst into the room with sword drawn and shield raised. Behind her charged in a barrel-chested dwarf hefting a bloodied ask, a knight in full plate armor carrying a hammer and… a group of humans wearing some odd set of matching uniform that did not resemble anything he remembered of Neverwinter's soldiers.

"Ah, reinforcements," the warlock said. Looking at the group, he seemed to remember them from somewhere. He thought he recognized the woman, and not just from her resemblance to the Neverwinter Nine member he had just dispatched. The knight was also familiar looking, and he was sure he had seen those uniformed humans before, their outfits were distinctive.

"I am afraid you have arrived too late to save this one. And if it's the shard you are after, I have that as well." Thinking back, it seemed to him he remembered that these were the same interlopers who had appeared at the githyanki caves when he had unsuccessfully sought the shard of the silver sword that group of gith had possessed.

Meddlers. Foolish meddlers. The warlock was tired of people getting in his way. "It seems to me that all you have left is your lives. But that is easily corrected," the warlock said grimly.

'Koraboros,' he thought, sending his mind back to his Haven, to another of the creatures of the lower planes he had chained to his service.

Two massive Nessian War Hounds appeared flanking the warlock. He would feed their corpses to the hells. That would teach them to meddle in his affairs.

.

The group left Tavorick's mansion at a sprint. They had hastily explained to the Captain Black Ballard that Lord Tavorick had left the mansion the day their group arrived. According to what they knew, he had taken the shard out of the estate under the effect of an invisibility spell and taken it to a guest house known as the Moonstone Mask where nobody would think to look for it. Meanwhile, Tamil Farlong had used a number of polymorph scrolls to turn herself into the likeness of the aging man to serve as a decoy to draw the attackers out.

The plan had worked, at least in that they were attacked, but the assault on the Tavorick estate had only been a diversion designed to draw the city's defenses away from the shard's location. Somehow, the mastermind behind the murders had known that the shard was no longer in the mansion. If Tamil was right, the Blacklake killer would attack the location of the silver shard soon, expecting that the attack on the Tavorick estate would have drawn away any Watchman or other defenders.

The gates opened for the group and they continued their run through the Merchant Quarter. Grobnar and Khelgar had difficulty keeping up the pace, but they were determined not to be left behind. The entire group was panting when they finally arrived at the scene. The door to the establishment was open, and there was a bit of smoke pouring out of the building.

The group entered the Moonstone Mask to see the aftermath of what must have been a slaughter. A woman's corpse lay by the front door, burnt by some kind of magical force. To the sides, the once lavishly decorated entertainment parlor was now filled with scorch marks and the dead and dying.

The proprietress called out to them immediately, a mixture of relief and alarm on her face. She explained that the attacker had just gone up the stairs, and that there had been screams and sounds of fighting. Nobody gone up after them, and nobody had made it down the steps. It was indeed a massacre, perhaps still ongoing.

Tamil Farlong wasted no time getting up the stairs, her sword drawn. Unfortunately, there was nobody up there left alive. At least, nothing not infernal in nature. There were still several mephits flying around and a quartet of erinyes and succubi, but no living people.

Tamil and Khelgar led the way, slashing and ripping the creatures apart. By the time SG-1 managed to get all the way up the stairs, most of the creatures were already down. Even before the last of the group were dispatched, Tamil opened the one closed door on the level and burst in just in time to see a bald man with glowing tattoos on his head take something from the body of a woman on the ground, a body they recognized.

"Ah, reinforcements," the man said when he saw them. He spoke with utter disdain for all the life he had just taken, and for their lives as well. "I am afraid you have arrived too late to save this one. And if it's the shard you are after, I have that as well." He paused then, as if considering them. "It seems to me that all you have left is your lives. But that is easily corrected."

Then he raised his arms up in the air and suddenly, there were two dog-like creatures the size of a train engine in the room with them. The summoned Nessian War Hounds had deep red eyes, massive claws and teeth, and breath that smelled of brimstone and sulfur. That was, before they started breathing fire and their breath became flame.

The warlock knew in his mind that he should stay around and make sure his summoned creatures finished these opponents, but truthfully, he didn't really care that much. They were just a nuisance to be disposed of, not really anything important. In truth it didn't matter to him very much one way or the other if this group or even the old man ended up dying or living through this. What was important was that now that he had this shard, he had the means to divine the location of the others. And with that, he would soon have all the power he would need. He teleported back to his Haven.

Jack O'Neill watched as the tattooed-headed evil guy disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind the oversized monster dogs. He hated villains like that. Big on the doom speeches, but fleeing and leaving it all to flunkies who almost always flunked out when it came time to fight.

Jack pulled out his P90 and started peppering the devilish canine on his left. Teal'c blasted the other one with his staff weapon. Daniel and Sam immediately began casting missile storm spells. A mass of magical missiles blasted the creatures. Combined with the firing of the staff weapon and the auto-fire from the Fabrique Nationale made Belgian P90's, the two creatures were severely wounded almost immediately. It was Khelgar and Casavir, however, who landed the killing blows a short time later, chopping and impaling the creatures' throats.

There was a moment of quiet in the aftermath of the battle while everyone looked over the disturbing scene of blood and carnage. The devilish dogs had breathed out gouts of flame, causing great damage to this room as well. The beautiful tapestries that had hung in the place were ruined with smoke, and the carpeting was matted with the blood of the creatures that remained after their bodies disintegrated back to where they came from, oddly leaving behind the remnants of some gold coins, most likely from previous victims they had consumed.

Lord Cyran Tavorick timidly approached the body of the slain woman. Melia of the Nine. There were sincere tears in his eyes, and a sense of self-reproach. She had died for him.

"Uh, Teal'c," Jack looked over at his friend. "I hate to ask this of you buddy, but do you think you could do something about… you know… the dead girl?"

Teal'c bowed his head slightly as he said, "I will try, O'Neill." As he had done for Shandra and Dr. Carter, the favored of Tyr laid his hands on the girl and invoked the power given to him by his deity.

Melia gasped, and then sat up. She immediately looked around and found the kindly gaze of Teal'c staring at her. She saw the symbol of Tyr on his forehead and immediately knew what had happened.

"Lord Tavorick?" she asked.

"Your concern for him is admirable, Melia of Neverwinter," Teal'c replied, "but Lord Tavorick is unharmed."

"We got here in time protect him, but we were too late to save you or prevent the warlock from taking the shard."

Melia hung her head in shame. "I have failed," she said bitterly. But then she looked up at her rescuers with tears of gratitude in her eyes. "But I can't thank you enough. You did save me, and the patriarch of one of Neverwinter's most influential lords." She tried to stand, but found it difficult, wincing at the pain from where the blasts of eldritch energy had struck her.

Teal'c gently restrained the still gravely injured woman, then poured enough of his healing magic into her that she could move comfortably again. "My apologies. I am afraid I can not heal you any further. There are many others here who have grave injuries to whom I should tend."

"No, don't apologize. Thank you so much. Teal'c, I believe is your name, correct?"

Melia got to her feet and turned to the rest of the group. "I am well enough now, thank you. Please, stay and tend to the wounded here. I must go and make a report to Lord Nasher about all that has happened." Melia took in the faces of each of those in the group, trying to match what she knew of the companions of Neverwinter's newest and most famous squire, as well as what she had heard of the emissaries of the distant land that were her allies to those she saw before her. "Squire Farlong, Khelgar of the Ironfist clan of dwarves, esteemed emissaries of the United States of America," she said nodding to SG-1 taking care to get their home country correct, "Sir Casavir," she said, adding in his former title, "the famous Neeshka, and…" she paused with a frown as she took in the gnome, "Grubnor?"

"Grobnar," Daniel corrected immediately.

"Yes, my apologies," she apologized sincerely, "Grobnar Gnomehands. I should have remembered the name of one of the most talked about bards in Neverwinter."

The gnome beamed. "Oh, I don't mind. Not at all! That's a far sight better than some of the things people have mistaken my name for. There's been Girl-nar, and Goodgriefnar, and…"

Melia coughed, "Yes, well, be that as you may, you have all made a friend this day. I hope to see you all again at Court and under better circumstances." With that, she bowed, and made her way out of the Moonstone Mask.

It would be some time before the group of heroes left. They set to work healing the injured with both medical kits and magic. In addition to the favored of Try, both Tamil and Grobnar exhibited some magical healing ability, though the pair exhausted their magical healing strength well before Teal'c did. The former Jaffa attempted to bring a few others back to life, those who did not have missing limbs or vital organs, and managed to revive a couple very grateful people.

"Well, that's the end of that," Tamil said over an hour later when the last of the wounded were bandaged up and sent home or out to the temple of Try. With a sigh, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and slumped over to lean on a very surprised Jack O'Neill.

"So, now what?" Neeshka asked impatiently, ready to be doing something other than hanging around doing pro bona nursing work.

"Now," Tamil said, jumping back up from where she had just leaned on Colonel O'Neill, "we go back to the Flagon for movie night! We've got to see what happens in The Empire Strikes Back!"

Chapter 35: Showdown

The Sunken Flagon was packed beyond capacity. Patrons sat on tables, stood in the back, and still more customers wanted to push in through the front doors. Duncan had been forced to bar them. Tamil Farlong looked at the audience in amazement and shook her head.

"I wish crowds like this would turn out for my performances," she pouted.

It was movie night at the Flagon. The LCD projector the team had brought along with them combined with a white cloth had turned the inn into a movie theater. What had begun as a nice way to stave off culture shock had turned into the must-see event of Neverwinter. Word had spread so far that even a number of nobleman had come to see what all the fuss was about. It was total chaos, with Duncan calling on all of them to help serve drinks and plates of food.

Quite frankly, it was Grobnar's fault. The gnome had been performing one of his original stories in the common room when something made him start rambling on about how amazing SG-1's "story-telling device" was. Then everyone just had to see what it was all about, and when they showed Return of the Jedi, the crowd demanded more and soon word spread of the amazing story teller machine.

On the plus side, they were making a killing. Tamil, Daniel, Sam, and Sand were charging 20gp per casting of Comprehend Languages while Duncan was making nearly a month's earnings from the entrance fee alone. The four members of SG-1 had all taken a solemn oath not reveal what they were doing there to the MPAA, if they ever managed to get back home again. Of course, since Neverwinter had neither copyright law nor any treaty with Earth respecting international copyright, it wasn't as if they were actually doing anything really illegal.

Jack loved tonight's movie, Ocean's Eleven, which was one that neither Sam nor Teal'c had actually seen before. Daniel, however, didn't really care much for the movie, finding it far too implausible. The crowd, never having seen any movies until the institution of movie night at the Sunken Flagon, was impressed to no end by how seamlessly the scenes changed and how the music and sound adjusted to the story. To them it seemed real. When the ending credits finally finished rolling, Jack turned to get Tamil's opinion.

"Quite an interesting tale," the bard said with a nod of her head. "Staging the robbery in a way to knowingly get sent to prison in order to win back his love…a very romantic premise. People are saps for story plots like that." Tamil continued, revealing a bit of cynicism, "Still, it wasn't epic like the Star Wars saga or 'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'. Which could totally happen, by the way. I have no idea why it is called a 'fantasy' story," the bard said, not catching Jack's amused smirk. "At least it was much, much better than that horrid Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. I can't believe you actually made me watch that."

"Oh, come on, it's a classic. You just don't understand the cultural references."

"Even Teal'c disliked it," Tamil argued back.

"Teal'c is an alien. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Daniel loved it."

Tamil rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he tried to explain to me all about the King Arthur legend during the movie and then cracked up at the scene where the wizard said his name was Tim. You'd think him being a wizard named Daniel and one of his best friend's being a wizard named Sam, he wouldn't have found that so funny."

"You just don't understand comedy," Jack said with a shake of his head.

Tamil raised her eyebrows. "You are saying I'm not funny when I perform?"

Colonel O'Neill knew when to retreat. This was the right time. "Ah, that's different. You're certainly witty." Tamil's expression still seemed dangerous. "And amazing. And totally better than Monty Python…"

Tamil Farlong grinned in victory.

.

The next day, the group set off for a ruined fortress in Neverwinter lands known as Crossroads Keep. The new Luskan ambassador, just arrived from the neighboring city-state to the north, had informed them that the person responsible for both the kidnapping of Aldanon from Black Lake and the massacre of Ember had been tracked down to the old castle. They claimed that neither incident had been officially sanctioned by the Luskan leadership. As little as Tamil or anyone in the Neverwinter court trusted anything the Luskans said, the fact that they were pointing their fingers at a name that kept coming up in the group's travels gave them some credence. Their target was none other than Black Garius.

Of the group, only Bishop had remained back at the inn. The ranger had been of some help on a few minor missions, but he completely refused to have anything to do with anything concerned with Luskan. Casavir, Tamil, Shandra and Neeshka took the lead with Khelgar and Jack acting as rearguard. The rest of the group remained in the center, all eyes carefully scanning the ground ahead as they neared their destination. There was no telling when they might be surprised by an enemy patrol.

Or a sword wielding elf gesturing them over to parlay.

Tamil soon found herself meeting with the leader of the Many-Starred Cloaks contingent Lord Nasher had sent. They were Neverwinter's elite magical battle force. In addition to the standard Neverwinter mages, there were also three elven eldritch knights, swordsmen who combined magic and melee combat. One of the knights, Vale, was the leader of the group and already had his battle strategy formulated. A simple frontal assault.

Before Jack could finish his protest, though, the Luskan guard change occurred and the outer gates to the keep were opened. The Neverwinter mages charged ahead, alerting the keep to the attack. Fortunately, the Neverwinter forces surprised the enemy before they could close the outer gates again, but the Luskan's organized a quick counter-attack.

The sounds of zat fire filled the courtyard. The Luskan soldiers had no defense against it. When all of the soldiers were disabled, Vale looked over at SG-1 appreciatively. Their zats had made short work of the enemy.

"Impressive weapons! I have never seen their equal."

"Yeah, we get that a lot," Jack said nonchalantly.

Unfortunately, the keep's main doors had already been shut. "Sorry about the delay, but this won't take long," one of the knights assured them. "We'll have those doors down in short order."

The mages began casting fireballs at the doors using wands, conserving their more potent spells for the coming battle. Sam, Sand, and Daniel joined in using wands of their own. It was in vain, however. They were being effectively counter-spelled. There were wizards from Luskan's Hostower of the Arcane on the other side countering what was cast on the giant doors with a combination of defensive magics keyed towards preventing magical attack.

Seeing that the door would not come down, Vale cursed. He was looking the fool, especially after brushing aside Colonel O'Neill's concerns about a frontal assault being a poor strategy. The elf turned towards Tamil and started telling her about his backup plan, using a secret escape tunnel that the Luskans apparently knew nothing about. The Neverwinter elf wanted Tamil and her forces to go through the tunnel and attack from the inside.

"Why the hells didn't we use the escape tunnel in the first place?" Tamil criticized sharply.

The elf, not liking the tone of the reprimand, shot back a retort about not liking the idea of his entire force being trapped in a narrow tunnel. Tamil shook her head in disgust. It was typical elven arrogance. Just because they had lived a centuries longer they thought their ideas were always right. It was bad enough listening to Sand. If Tamil had been put in charge she would have sent a force on the inside and timed the attack on the outside to strike at the same time, a strategy she had picked up from Jack.

"Would you kindly ask your fireball throwing friends to stop shooting the blasted door for a minute?" Jack asked in an exasperated tone. Sand and SG-1 had already stopped.

"We need to keep them occupied protecting the door. As long as they are busy counter-spelling us they won't have an opportunity to attack."

"Just do it," Jack insisted.

Reluctantly, the wizards stopped their attack, putting their fireball wands away for later use. Jack approached the gate after Dr. Carter cast an enchantment that would protect him from energy attacks in case there was a sudden surprise strike from a hidden murder hole. There wasn't. Jack pulled out a pak of Symtex from his pack and quickly wired an explosive to the door. The Many-Starred Cloak mages and edritch knights watched perplexed.

"When I hit this button, be ready to attack." Jack paused before adding, "You might want to take cover."

Jack fired the triggering device on the plastic explosives and the main keep door was blasted inwards with a concussive force that took the Nevewinter mages by surprise. Fortunately, SG-1 and their companions were more than able to make up for the Many-Starred Cloak contingent's slow response. The even more shocked Luskan wizards and the soldiers behind them were completely taken by surprise. A blitz of zat'nik'tel fire combined with a hail of arrows and quarrels from the companions had them all all dead or unconscious before any of the Luskans could even respond.

Once again Vale was left in awe of the firepower that SG-1 displayed. "What was that? You blew through their defense like it wasn't even there."

"That," Jack said with a face that said 'this is how you run a military operation', "was something we call plastic explosives."

"Think blast globes," Daniel supplied for their allies, "only completely safe to transport, far more controlled, and much more powerful."

"And your lightning weapons? Why haven't we been informed about this? The Many-Starred Cloaks are supposed to be the city's defense against magical attacks..."

"Our weapons aren't actually magical," Dr. Carter explained. "It's advanced technology. But in all honesty, these are nothing a mage such as yourself would need to worry about. Many magical shielding spells protect against the effects of these weapons. It only worked on the Arcane Brotherhood wizards because they were taken by surprise and were too busy counterspelling the door to cast even the most basic wards on themselves."

"We have an agreement with the City Watch leadership and Lord Nasher," Daniel continued the explanation. "Anyone else who has seen these work is either imprisoned or dead. Otherwise, I think someone would have tried to take them before now."

As Vale was nodding his understanding, and reconsidering their respective roles, a dark draining feeling suddenly engulfed them all. It was as if the air were suddenly heavy and the objects in the room were being weighed down by their shadows. The Neverwinter mages registered their shock and concern, wondering what was going on. To anyone who had made even a cursory study of necromancy, this dreadful feeling was an ominous warning.

"It seems Garius is performing some kind of ritual," Carter commented.

Vale was visibly affected on hearing that Luskan's infamous "Master of the Fifth Tower" was present in the keep and expressed doubt that they could prevail. Tamil smirked at him and suggested that she and SG-1 would handle things if he were too afraid. At her remarks, though, the elf showed his backbone and declared that the Many-Starred Cloaks would fight along side them, no matter what. That earned him and his group a measure of respect and approval.

They found their way forward barred by a room full of shadow priests, but despite their talk of imminent doom, they were put down without issue. With the priests out of the way, the group was free to move further into the ruined structure. The priests had been guarding a stairwell leading down into a basement.

Despite being worse for wear, the keep was still standing. From the outside it looked far worse than on the inside. Where the outer walls were breached in several places and entire sections of the defenses were collapsed, the interior of the building was still structurally sound. It was more of a mess than a real disaster. Crates and furniture had been overturned to give defenders cover for a last ditch effort to hold of the attackers. In contrast to the ruined walls and ruined furniture littering the rooms and hallways, Crossroads Keep itself was an impressive building constructed of solid stonework.

The basement was much the same. There were spaces there that had clearly been used for smithing and alchemy, but were now no longer serviceable. It would take some work to get it into a state fit for use.

Of course, that was not what really held their attention. It was the vicious blade golem that was guarding the back room of the door. Upon seeing it, Grobnar nearly wet his armor.

"Oh, my! I'm staring at the mask of death. I'm no longer immortal!," the gnome exclaimed.

The Many-Starred Cloaks shouted a battle cry, promising to bring the creature down. But Grobnar just stood between them trying to explain the situation.

"You don't understand! It was prophesied that I would die at the hands, or rather blades, of a construct that looked just like that!" The gnome was explaining to the elves excitedly. "You see, Marcus, a boy from Ember, saw my death. Up until now I could travel without fear, knowing nothing would kill me as long as there was no bladed construct around..."

"Grobnar," Jack tried to interupt the gnome who was facing the mages.

"But now my life is on the line! My biggest regret must be to never had met a Wendersnaven. Although, since they are invisible and completely undetectable, it may be that I have met one, or possibly even an infinite number of them, but just had no way to know it..."

"Grobnar."

"But really, I guess there's no point in delaying things. If I'm destined for impalement on that construct's blades then I guess I will have to face it like a man. Or rather, like a gnome, since that is what I am..."

"GROBNAR!"

"What is it?" the gnome turned to the human with a completely wide-eyed expression.

"We've already destroyed the golem."

The gnome blinked. "Then, am I dead? Did I miss my own death? How disappointing."

Jack just walked away from him.

"You're not dead, Grobnar," Daniel assured him. "Trust me, I know what that's like. You're still alive."

"And just as annoying as ever," Jack added from up near the next door.

Grobnar frowned. "So does this mean that Marcus was wrong? That I'm not going to be killed gruesomely by a blade golem? My this does change things. But I was sort of begining to look forward to my fated death..."

"Actually, Grobnar," Dr. Carter interjected, "Marcus could still be right. Just because you weren't killed by a golem now doesn't mean it won't happen with a another golem at a different time. But you really shouldn't put so much stock in prophesies. The very fact that you know about this possible future automatically changes things and you might..."

"Oh! Quite right! I might still suffer death by impalement from a construct after all! Thanks for that, really. I was begining to get a little bit worried there!"

"There is another possibility you have not considered, Gnomehands," Teal'c interjected.

"Oh, what is that?"

"That you may be brought back to life after your death. Considering what we have all experienced, and the power of Tyr and other deities of this world, I would say that is not at all unlikely."

The gnome blinked. He hadn't even considered that possibility.

.

Behind the last door was a massive chamber. This room had been cleaned and prepared for use in marked contrast to the rest of the ruined structure. The stone was clean and smooth, without sign of dust or dirt. The floor was prepared with a massive ritual circle done in a pale blue glowing script. Five people stood in the circle, four at the cardinal compass points and one in the center. A beam of red energy connected the five while the floor was covered with a rising shadowy mist. The man in the center, obviously Garius, noticed the intrusion and snarled out orders.

"You four, ignore them. The rest of you, kill them!"

His latter orders were directed towards the dozen or so soldiers and mages in the room. As Tamil, SG-1, their companions, and the Many-Starred Cloak mages charged into the room, the group caught sight of a familiar face among the Luskan mages in the summoning circle. Her fiery hair and arrogant expression were unmistakable.

"Qara!" Tamil shouted at her in surprise.

The sorceress turned her head from the ritual she was part of to spare her former companions a haughty glance. "When this ritual is completed and we have obtained the power of the King of Shadows, you will regret casting me aside, Farlong!" she said with a snarl, referring to Tamil by her surname.

The bard didn't have time to retort, though, as the group was faced with a large force of Luskans. Fortunately, the Luskan soldiers in the room were taken out as soon as SG-1 rushed into the chamber with their zat'nik'tel, making things much easier. The wizards, were slightly more troublesome, each of them turning invisible and casting protections on themselves. Khelgar, Casavir, Jack, Tamil and Neeshka were left without anyone to strike or even a direction from which to expect attack.

That didn't last long, however, as Daniel was able to target the invisible mages. He was wearing the Amulet of Truth, a gift to Tamil from Lord Nasher after her victory over the Luskan champion Lorne, which the bardess had in turn given to the archaeologist. Daniel's first shot targetted a wizard who had only protected himself with simple mage armor, which offered no protection against the power of a zat. His second shot, however, struck a shield spell which prevented the energy from actually reaching the wizard.

"Target the ground around where you see my shots with area of effect spells!" Daniel instructed the mages and fired again. The Neverwinter mages, Sam, and Sand all watched the electrical discharge and sent their spells to that area.

A pair of Luskan mages saw what was happening and immediately cast potent attacks at the gathered group, but the magical protections on companions prevented most damage and as soon as the wizards became visible they were overwhelmed by the melee fighters. Those that attempted to remain invisible in order to complete their defensive spells were targetted by Daniel and taken out with spells that spread out over the entire area. Invisible or not, the blast was going to get them. The Luskans defending the ritual were down.

Garius screamed, blaming his underlings for not managing to concentrate. The beam of dark red energy passing between them was suddenly replaced by a thick black beam of energy that struck each of the wizards in the circle in turn. They all screamed, Garius asking what was happening to him in obvious agony. Qara's scream was the loudest. And then they all fell lifeless to the ground.

.

A week had passed since the raid on Crossroads Keep. Many things had changed.

"So, would I outrank you now, Colonel" Tamil Farlong asked Jack slyly.

"That depends," Jack replied from his dusty seat. "Each military organization is different. In the US Air Force, the rank of 'captain' is one rank below Major Carter's rank. So, if you were a captain in the USAF and on SG-1 you'd be the lowest ranking officer on the team."

Tamil's sly smile turned into a frown. She downed the contents of her mug and looked around the bare features of the tavern in which they sat. Sal, Ducan's former assisstant, gave her a wave from behind the counter. Once again, all of her and her companions' drinks and food would be on the house. Considering that she was now the commanding officer of the entire area, having just been promoted again, she wondered if she would even be able to perform in the place. She was going to miss being the number one entertainer in Neverwinter, as she had been called.

Seeing his young friend frown, Jack decided to throw her a bone. "In the United States Navy, however, a captain is a high rank. The captain is usually the highest ranking officer on a ship. An Air Force colonel and a Navy captain have the same pay grade, so they're about the same."

"Hmph. But we're not on a ship," she pretended to pout a bit.

"No, but you are essentially a base commander," Jack explained. "Based on that, it makes us pretty much even."

Tamil's turned on her smile and Jack felt rewarded for his efforts. Then a thoughtful expression found its way onto her face as a question popped into her mind.

"Say, Jack, if you are a colonel, and that's a high rank, what about the rest of your soldiers then? Shouldn't you have more of them?"

Major Carter walked over to their table having heard the conversation.

"May I, sir?" Carter asked Jack.

"Go ahead."

"The Stargate program is top secret. Few people on our world know about it. Because of what we do, including travelling to other worlds and opening official relations, we need to have high ranks to give us the authority to do our jobs. It also helps to get things done quickly and quietly when we're off the base back on Earth. But the teams we send through the gate are usually small, both to minimize risk and not to alarm people from other worlds."

"That Stargate sounds incredibly interesting. Isn't that dangerous for you, though? Just the four of you alone on an alien planet?"

Carter smiled. "Yes, sometimes it is."

Tamil nodded. "Well, clearly you four are up to the challenge. I just hope I can command an entire base now that I'm the captain here. Lord Nasher has put a lot of trust in me to get this place prepared in case of another war with the King of Shadows. This keep is a mess and the people we have to work with..." Tamil shook her head.

"Well you're right, the locals aren't very skilled or experienced," Jack mused. "On the other hand you do have a lot of talent to draw from. I mean, you've got Casavir and Khelgar. They can help train the men you have in combat. Neeshka would make an excellent intructor for scouts."

Captain Farlong, newly appointed commander of Crossroads Keep nodded her head. She would have to speak to them about spending time helping out. When she discovered she had been given command of an entire keep and charged with rebuilding it, Tamil was greatly relieved that every single one of her allies had offered to join her up at her new place. Even Bishop had left Duncan's place to come. While the bard had some reservations about the ranger and his motivations,  Tamil was unreservedly grateful for SG-1 coming, as she was with most of her other companions. They had been through a lot together and had stuck with her when she could easily have just left.

"Captain," Dr. Carter began, "I—"

"It's Tamil to you, Sam. I'll answer to captain in front of my soldiers, but I don't want my friends calling me by some rank when we're sitting at a table in an inn," Tamil Farlong smiled at the woman whom she had come to trust above any other female in the Realms. Neeshka and Elanee were good companions, but there was something about those in SG-1 that made her believe in her Earth friends.

Sam smiled back. "Ok, Tamil, I have some ideas for the reconstruction. I've talked this over with Jack and he agrees that there's some technology that we can safely trade with Neverwinter. Crossroads Keep would be an ideal place to demonstrate what we can do for your people."

The bard smiled at the scientist from Earth and gave her a nod. "Great! I've already informed Lieutenant Kana to instruct all the men that they are to follow any of SG-1's orders as if they were from a lieutenant. Just try and keep my adjunct in the loop. And I'll talk with Master Veedle and let him know he is to do whatever you suggest."

Sam nodded. "I've already looked over his plans and he seems rather enthusiastic when I suggested some improvements." Carter wasn't an architect, but her understanding of basic engineering principles would be something that few in the Realms, if anyone, could compete with.

Tamil stood up with a sigh. "Now, I just need to go see that githzerai we found trapped in Garius's dungeon. If she's really an enemy of the githyanki and the King of Shadows like she said she may be able to help." The bard paused with a slight frown on her face. "And I better go check on Grobnar and that blade golem he's trying to turn into an ally. I wouldn't want him to accidently set it off and fulfill Marcus's prediction."

Jack and Sam stood up as well. Crossroads Keep would be their new home for a while. There was a lot to do while Daniel and Aldanon researched a way home. There were plans to make and people to see.

Chapter 36: Battle of Crossroads Keep

Casavir looked out over the battlements of the rebuilt fortress. Rebuilt was not really the right word. The place had been fortified well beyond its original state. The walls were higher with innovative arrow slits and murder holes around the guardhouse protecting the portcullis leading into the inner courtyard, the road in and out of the place was paved with a black tar that had hardened into something that made it easy for merchant carts to bring goods in, and there were new siege engines placed strategically throughout the fortress.

Yes, the paladin thought, Crossroads Keep was ready for the invasion to come.

It was not just the buildings, though. The people were trained and prepared in a way he would not have thought possible. The greycloaks had developed into fine soldiers, and the paladin knew this was due almost entirely to the efforts of Colonel Jack O'Neill. He put raw recruits through what he called a "boot camp" that turned untrained farmers and undisciplined ruffians alike into regimented troops. Casavir remembered with pride that he had taken part in training the men, though he was still astounded by just how hard the colonel and all of the Knight Captain's companions had pushed them all.

"Get your head down, soldier!" came the colonel's cry, as a fireball detonated in the area just above them. "Move your useless carcass before it becomes a dead carcass, private!" This was a far cry from Jack O'Neill's typical personality, but when it came to military training he was harsh and unrelenting.

Several sweating Greycloaks carrying heavy crossbows crawled on their hands and knees through an obstacle course as one of the Many-Starred Cloak mages fired a combination of harmless flares, beams of ice or acid, and deadly fireballs into the air above them. The mages were careful not to fire close enough that it would hit one of them, but the 'Cloaks didn't know that.

Casavir turned away from the shock training back to his current group of recruits, a burly bunch two weeks into their training slated to become infantry. They were practicing the basic sword form he had been teaching them and were showing some progress. But the experienced paladin of Tyr had seen that they gotten into a comfortable routine. Time to break that up.

"Soldiers, Break!" he called out and the fighting stopped immediately. They had learned the hard way that failing to come to a complete stop when an instructor called "break" was a very bad idea during their first week. "Now I want you to come at me and attempt to land a blow on my armor. Do not fear that you will harm me. You must all work as a team if you are to have any hope of striking me before time is up."

The soldiers joined together to attack him, falling into the formation he had taught them to take when battling a superior opponent. Casavir nodded in approval, parrying attacks with his sword and taking strikes on his shield. They left openings for him to make a riposte, but he wasn't focusing on that. Instead, he worked them back and forth, taking carefully timed steps to move the group out of position. After around thirty seconds of good teamwork, Casavir retreated five steps and the group attacked harder, a pair attempting to come around to his exposed back.

As soon as they were out of position, a shadow separated from the wall and came up behind one of them and struck a blow to the back of their head, instantly sending that trainee to the ground unconscious. Before a second one could even turn around, the shadow felled a second member of the group. The remaining four turned in confusion to confront the new threat, and Casavir went on the offensive, tagging two of them in quick succession in spots that were considered "kill points" during training. The remaining two found themselves facing two superior opponents and were defeated seconds later.

Casavir looked over his downcast team, his deep, gentlemanly voice giving them his assessment. "As you see, you were very quickly defeated. However, you did a good job in your initial assault, maintaining a proper formation." He paused a moment before continuing. "I would introduce you to Neeshka, the woman who took you all by surprise." At the odd looks that came from the group seeing Neeshka's fiendish heritage, Casavir added, "She is a companion to our Knight Captain just the same as I am and a close friend of both the Colonel and Daniel Jackson."

The group immediately snapped to full attention. Any of the three names that had been dropped by their trainer would have been enough to make them walk on eggshells, having no wish to be on any of their bad sides. "You were defeated because you became impatient and careless, allowing your formation to break in your haste to score a hit. But doing so on the battlefield will leave you open to an attack from another direction. That is the reason why YOU ARE TO HOLD YOUR FORMATION!"

The group stiffened as if slapped. Of all of their trainers, Casavir was the least likely to shout or scold. But he was learning that a soft voice was not always the most best for teaching such men. He was starting to take a page from Colonel O'Neill's very effective tactics.

Remembering back on his part in their training, the paladin looked down to see a squad of those infantrymen at the gates, prepared for war. They had come far in the few months they had trained and were ready for what was to come. They would need all that training.

The King of Shadows was on the move. His army had marched out of the Mere of Dead Men and lain waste to the south, destroying resistance in both Fort Locke and the village of Highcliff. Tamil Farlong, now the Knight Captain and official Lady of Crossroads Keep, had learned that her home village had been completely destroyed. Few had even survived. And now all those that had died were returning as an army of undead, marching towards Neverwinter. But they would need to pass through Crossroads Keep to get there.

This was as far as that army of undead would go Casavir vowed. And he was a man of his word.

.

Grobnar joyfully looked over the form of the Blade Golem the group had brought back from the githyanki caves and now finally had a chance to rebuild. The giant metal monstrosity stood erect, its huge sword-like arm held out ready to slash anything before it. Its impassive eyes regarded the basement it stood within without reacting. For the moment, it was inert, awaiting a command to kill and dismember its master's foes. The gnome mentally made a note about rhyming "dismember foes" and "and then the toes" for his ballad.

At first, Grobnar had been fearful of the deadly golem. After all, the boy-seer, Marcus, had prophesied a bladed construct around him at his death. Ordinarily, the prospect of attempting to reactivate a deadly killing machine like this would have excited the gnome, but with the whole death thing and all, he had been uncharacteristically apprehensive. It was entirely possible that he could accidentally set the thing off and cause the prediction to come true. But then he had thought, what if not reactivating the golem would be what led to his death? What if someone else found it, reactivated it, and set it on him?

Well, the only thing to do was to build it himself and pour so much love and attention into it that there would be no possible way the golem would ever, ever harm him. Right?

Which was why the gnomish bard was thinking up a song as he whistled a tune and worked even harder on fine-tuning all the adjustments that had been made. Grobnar really had to thank Sam for all her ideas. He had met some geniuses in his day, but most of them were stark raving mad. He had never met a completely sane one before.

"Hmm… let's see…

"Activation protocol,

To make the Construct move and all.

Self-diagnostic subroutine,

Making sure it won't turn bad or mean.

Divination, Transmutation, Abjuration Incanting,

Give our automaton a personality that's enchanting!

"Obey commands, dismember foes,

Slice off the hands and then the toes.

Process instructions dutifully,

And all will turn out beautifully.

Oh goodly golem, my Construct dear,

Of you how could I ever fear?"

A movement caught Grobnar's eye and he turned in the middle of his rhyme.

"Singing to the tin man again?" a gruff voice called out insultingly.

"Oh, it's you, Sir Bishop!" Grobnar said respectfully. "Well yes, I was just putting some finishing touches on the Construct. Don't want him breaking down and hurting himself in the middle of a fight."

The sullen ranger smirked. "That's not what I'd be worrying about. I'd be more worried about it hurting us during a fight."

"Oh, yes, of course, I know what you mean. That's why I did as you suggested and created a password that you can use to control him as well!"

"Very wise of you, gnome," Bishop said in a tone that hinted at mockery. "I came down here to tell you that Tamil is looking for you. It looks like the battle this lousy place has been preparing for is about to finally take place. That rust-bucket of your might actually get to see some use."

"Oh, really? Well, that's good news! Or rather, at least exciting news. I'd better go up and see the Knight Captain then to see what part she wants me and the Construct to play."

"Yes, you do that"

Grobnar all but bounced out of the room leaving Bishop alone with the golem.

The ranger turned to the golem. "Construct, Ranger-man says follow me." The Construct turned to face the ranger after hearing the pass phrase it had been programmed to obey. "When you hear me the command 'come here', you will obey commands from me and only me. Acknowledge command."

The blade golem brought the blade up in front of its face in the form of a salute. The ranger watched the construct perform the action that showed that it heard and understood the command. Then he too walked out of the room with an evil smile on his face.

.

Khelgar Ironfist strode across the Keep with his balding head turning to look in all directions, examining the most recent work that his clan had done to the interior. He felt his little dwarven heart swell with pride as he saw the superior workmanship of his clansmen's stonework. Oh sure, they grumbled and complained that they weren't given enough time to do a proper job of it, but the Ironfist craftsman's "slipshod" was as good as the Neverwinter stonemasons' best work.

And stone work was just the beginning of what they had done for Crossroads Keep. The designs provided by Major Samantha Carter and the head architect, Master Veedle, had been thought odd, but not really challenging to the Ironfists. The designs called for the oddest things, such as alchemical silver wires stretched so thin they could be snapped in half with a finger, then bound up together and stretched across the length and breadth of the Keep, even brought to the buildings outside through underground trenches. Then there was glasswork that was shaped like flower bulbs, but with tiny carbon filaments and metal pieces with spiral screws on the bottom.

Of course, when Dr. Carter and Dr. Jackson turned on the generator they had constructed and then flipped the switch on a device they called a "circuit breaker" a fortnight ago and the whole place lit up like a swarm of pixies in the summer, it all started to make sense. And the humans were giving this priceless secret to the Ironfist dwarves. Now these were human allies a dwarf could trust!

"King Khelgar!" a voice came calling out ahead of him. "The undead army, it be here!"

"Bah, I told ya! Don't go calling me king, alright? I'll lead ya and all, since I've got the belt and the Hammer of Ironfist and all that, but just call me Khelgar!"

"Of course, my king," the dwarf bowed respectfully, but stubbornly continued to address him as king, even while claiming to comply with his order. "But there's a problem sir. Some of the workers were caught outside when the enemy's advanced troops arrived. The Greycloaks managed to evacuate them, fer the most part, but the soldiers can't retreat back into the Keep without getting slaughtered. The Captain is lookin' to go out to rescue them!"

Khelgar didn't hesitate. He grabbed his great hammer and set off for the front gates as fast as his short legs could carry him. The dwarf may have become leader of his clan, and was beholden to no one for anything, but he would always be ready to stand beside Knight Captain Tamil Farlong come hell, high water, or high water in the Hells.

"Ay! Lass!" the dwarf shouted out as he caught sight of the bard who had become a hero and a knight. "Don't be thinking you can go out there without me! If you thought you were going to have all the fun out there alone, you've got another thing coming to you!"

Tamil turned towards him and gave him a huge smile. "Khelgar. Just the dwarf I was looking for. We're going to charge out and bring back as many of the soldiers as we can." She looked resplendent in her shining suit of mithral chain mail, her famous yellow knight's cloak flowing behind her in the blowing wind. She cut a fine figure that woman. Some lad was gonna be a lucky man, if ever there was any worthy of her.

"And just where do the two of you think you're going?" called a familiar voice behind them?

Khelgar and Tamil turned to see Colonel Jack O'Neill with an expression that could only be interpreted as reprimanding. "Jack!" Tamil included the man in her welcoming smile. "Glad you're here, you can join the rescue."

Colonel Jack O'Neill stepped between Tamil and the front gates. "I intend to. But you and Khelgar aren't leading the charge this time. Your place is here, not out there."

"What do ya mean!" Khelgar nearly roared. "You may be gettin' pretty good with those two blades of yours, but I'll still knock you halfway to Neverwinter if you're thinking you're better than me!"

"And don't you even think of protecting me because I'm a woman, Jack O'Neill," Tamil added, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm still the Knight Captain here."

"That's exactly why you can't go out there," Jack replied. "Khelgar, you're the king of the Ironfists. Without you, who will the Ironfists follow? Your place is with your clan. When it's time for Clan Ironfist to battle, it will be Khelgar leading them with that hammer of yours.

"And you, Tamil, you're the heart and soul of this place. Nobody can lead the men like you can. I can't pretend to be able to inspire a thousandth of what you can get out everyone. But that's exactly why you can't be risked beyond those walls until the time comes to strike," Jack continued. "You made me your second in command in this fortress, and one of the things a good executive officer does is to makes sure the commander doesn't put herself at risk. So, the two of you, you're staying here."

"I know you're right, Jack," Tamil said but still shook her head. "But there's just not enough time to assemble enough men for this mission. I've got to see this done myself or we're just wasting men's lives." The Knight Captain's tone was no longer commanding, now it was simply insistent. The woman from West Harbor would not allow anyone under her command to die needlessly. It was one of the reasons all the men serving under her command respected her. Of course, the fact that she was a beauty and could sing like an angel only made them fanatically devoted.

"What do you think I've been doing with that Captain's Company you gave me charge of all this time?" No sooner than Jack finished saying this than the elite men and women of the Greycloaks showed up with a familiar sight at their head. Light of Heavens, the blond haired paladin who had once challenged Tamil for the right to be the "hero" of the times. Though she had failed to defeat Tamil in single combat, she had proven to be very capable. The woman was a gifted fighter and inspired those around her to excellence. She had even revealed something about Tamil that the woman had never known before, that she was quite literally descended from angels.

The soldiers in Crossroads Keep were all armed and armored better than most professional soldiers in the Sword Coast. They were certainly better equipped than the typical Greycloak outfit, many of which lacked any armor and might not even have a proper weapon. But the Captain's Company put the rest of the Keep to shame. Every one of them was equipped with both magical arms and armor. Their weapons, swords and shields were the spoils taken by Tamil and her companions that were inferior to what they already were carrying, or items the group had cast aside in favor of better equipment. Despite their irregularity in armor, The Captain's Company were still easily distinguished by the matching solid green cloaks, silvery black boots, and golden gloves they all wore.

"Let these men have the honor of taking your place on the field of battle today! They've earned it!" Jack yelled out, more for their benefit than for Captain Farlong's. The group didn't disappoint, letting out a loud cheer of "For the Knight Captain! For the Colonel!"

Neither Tamil nor Khelgar could say anything more in the face of that. The gates opened and the Captain's Company charged out with Jack O'Neill and Light of Heavens at the lead.

"Hmph," Khelgar complained. "He always gets to have all the fun."

Tamil nodded her agreement. "Tell me about it."

.

Daniel Jackson watched the battle unfold as he ate a bowl full of mixed nuts. The Duskwood might not be good for magic users trying to cast spells, but it was excellent for gathering berries, nuts, and herbs. Daniel flipped a control switch and a monitor switched to another one of the cameras they had set up along the path leading into Crossroads Keep. It was pretty exciting stuff to watch Jack tearing through ranks of undead with his swords. Unfortunately, the resolution on the monitors wasn't all that good, but the archaeologist/wizard could see when Jack sheathed the weapons and pulled out his P90.

The soldiers being rescued knew to get out of the way. The shadow priests leading the undead didn't. The screen showed something ripping through and out of the black robed villains before they fell to the ground dead. Finally, the last of the soldiers who had been trapped by the sudden enemy advance were back behind Jack and the elite Captain's Company and ready to head back to safety.

Daniel also watched as a contingent of undead, led by another pair of Shadow Priests, charged across the nearby bridge to harry the Greycloak's escape. Behind them, still another group of the undead creatures prepared to push forward to make the rescue even that much more difficult. In only another ten feet and the enemy would be halfway across. Those two bridges over the river passing by the Keep were a critical point. The priests knew that as well as Jack and Daniel. Another few feet and the enemy would be in position to hold the bridge.

Daniel smiled. Then he pushed a button. An electric pulse was sent out from the top of the tower that had been built especially for SG-1. It was the official "United States Embassy" in Neverwinter lands. It was also the command and control center for all of the electronic surveillance devices SG-1 had deployed in and around the Keep. It was also where the only radio signal broadcast antenna was in all the Realms.

The first bridge exploded into fragmented splinters of wood

.

Garius growled to himself. Didn't those fools know that it was pointless?

He had heard the blast from the first explosion and realized that the trap he had been setting at the second bridge would now be wasted. It was a pity, wiping out the so-called Knight Captain of Crossroads Keep would have demoralized the opposition and saved him a lot of effort. The explosion of the second bridge had taken him completely by surprise. Several of the undead under his command, skeletons for the most part, had already crossed when the Shadow Priests had stepped foot on the structure. They were a little over halfway before that second bridge had exploded.

He hadn't seen the attacker, nor had any of his forces reacted to anything so they had not seen or sensed anything either. An invisible wizard of some sort casting from a distance? Perhaps using a ring or quickened invisibility spell to return to invisibility before being noticed? It was an annoyance, but nothing of any real consequence. Had Garius known about remotely detonated explosives, he might have reconsidered the importance of how the bridges had been destroyed. As it was, he only thought of how he could wipe out the people in the Keep.

The time had come to destroy them. Their bodies would rise again in shadow to serve the King of Shadows by nightfall.

On some level deep inside what was left of his soul and identity, it rankled him that Garius thought only of how all the pawns and pieces he had gained would serve the former Guardian of Illefarn rather than himself. He had thought to manipulate this creature of darkness, this force of the Shadow Weave, knowing its blind devotion to a concept of an Empire that had fallen long ago blinded it to anything else. He had thought to use that blindness to bind the creature to him and take its powers for his own. He had thought it would be a simple thing to use its dark rituals to further his own ambitions.

He had been wrong. Undead wrong.

There was a time when he was called the Master of the Fifth Tower. He had been one of Luskan's up and coming wizards, so much so that he was said to wield almost as much power as one of the four archmages of Luskan Hostower. There was a time when the man had great plans for his future.

No longer. Now, all of his will was bent towards expanding the power and influence of the King of Shadows, accomplishing its goals. Garius retained his identity, but it had been twisted in such a way that his only thought of improving his own status and stature lay bound up in serving his Master. So, he would serve his dark King faithfully, for in that way he could bring a measure of greatness to himself. And Black Garius had always sought the greatness of power. He would not be denied it in life or undeath.

Night had come, but unknown to the defenders in that doomed Keep, his minions had marched tirelessly through the day to reach here. A spell granted him by his connection to the King of Shadows, and thus the Shadow Weave itself, cloaked his forces from the burning rays of the sun that would otherwise have destroyed them in scant moments. Dread Wraiths, wights, and vampires all marched along with the zombies, skeletons, and ghouls that were his to command. His forces would be at their walls in moments.

And the foolish defenders in the Keep were so terribly unaware of the most deadly danger of all: the danger from within. When the time came to protect their walls, their defenses would be undone from the inside. But that delicious moment was yet to come. Now, it was time to unleash mayhem upon the outer walls.

Garius had to give the Neverwinter forces credit for their efforts in rebuilding the ruined fortress. When he had left it, the place had been ruined and impossible to defend. That was certainly part of his ignominious defeat at the hand of the current Knight Captain and hero of Neverwinter. Now, though, the walls were tall and thick, with places for defenders to rain down destruction upon a helpless enemy down below. According to his source within the compound, the underground entrances had been sealed and warded off. Any army attempting to assault this stronghold would take massive losses.

Fortunately for him, one of his great assets was the sheer numbers of undead at his call. The deadly shadows of the Claimed Lands had raised tens of thousands of the former dead into service of the King of Shadows in many forms. It mattered little to either him or his Master if sacrifices were made to obtain his goals. New servants would soon rise up to join in place of those that were lost. And once the army was complete, it would march upon Neverwinter and end the threat of that place to the restoration of the ancient Illefarn Empire. And his new powers.

"Give the order. We attack the city," Garius commanded one of his underlings whom he barely remembered the identity of. Some vampire lord. The creature bowed to him. "Prepare the siege towers."

.

Lord Nasher Alagarond was called from his room by one of the little scamps that had followed Lady Tamil Farlong to her Keep from Neverwinter. Dozens of little beggars who had once plagued the city streets in all but the Blacklake District had suddenly left, and the cries of their orphaned plight no longer pestered passersby. For that, the Lord of Neverwinter was certainly grateful.

The fact that this scamp was now dressed in the livery of a page rather than rags and was now well groomed and washed was a good thing, he supposed, but he was a little affronted that he was being led through the Keep by a former street urchin rather than escorted by at least one of the soldiers, and preferably an officer. Nasher sucked in a breath and exhaled. Since when had he become such a pompous, preening bureaucrat?

Deciding to change that, he looked down at the little rapscallion and decided to start up a conversation.

"So there, lad, what's your name?"

"They call me Wolf, sir."

"Wolf?" Nasher said questioningly, a slight smile touching his face. "That's a quite a strong name for a young boy. Do you bite?"

The young boy looked up with a broad smile. "Hey, you're alright! And I thought you were just a pompous, preening bureaucrat!" he said and Nasher startled. "I only bite if my friends are in danger, sir," Wolf threw in to answer the older man's question. "I protect my own, I do. That's how I got the name."

Nasher had to laugh. The boy had gall. "So, tell me, what do you think of the Knight Captain?"

"Tamil? … er, Lady Farlong?" the boy caught himself. "She's the absolute best!" Wolf was grinning from ear to ear. "Nicest lady in the world. Took me, Dory, and the rest off the streets in Neverwinter and let us come with her when she was made Captain, she did. Even made me an official page. The only people who might be nicer than her are the Americans."

"The Americans?" It took Nasher a minute to realize to whom the boy was referring. He had never heard them referred to as such.

"Yeah. SG-1, you know?"

"You mean, the ambassadors from The United States of America?"

"Right! They are always concerned about how we're treated. The Colonel chews out any soldier who is mean to any of us kids here. And Daniel and Sam, that's Doctor Jackson and Doctor Carter," Wolf added when he noticed Nasher's lack of recognition of their given names, "they take turns teaching us kids reading, writing, and math. Kinda boring, but it's still nice that they try an' teach us."

"Why do you think they spend so much time with you children?" the Lord of Neverwinter asked, intrigued. Lord Nasher had heard from the Many Starred Cloaks that the two of them were both formidable wizards as well as possessing secret knowledge and skill in other areas. He had never heard of anyone of their stature teaching young orphans off the street.

Wolf happily chatted about his favorite people in the whole world. "Daniel says that where they come from, kids like us are looked after. He says it's not perfect, that kids there can have a tough time too, but at least they make sure we all have food, a home, and a school to go to. Sounds great to me."

Lord Nasher nodded thoughtfully. Any concerns he might have had about allying with the United States of America that SG-1 represented had just been squashed. Now he was beginning to wonder about all the possible benefits, other than military aid, that such an alliance might bring to his city.

"Thank you, Wolf. I'm glad Lady Farlong chose to send you to bring down to the courtyard."

.

Bishop watched the soldiers in the Keep scurry around the courtyard as the siege towers Garius was sending approached. He had to admit that they were better than he had expected from a bunch of frightened farmers or deadbeats who had flocked to Tamil Farlong's banner. He almost felt sorry that they were all going to die. They were in a hopeless situation.

The ranger knew it was just a matter of time before the outer walls were breached. There was no way the defenders could hold against such overwhelming numbers, even if the defenders managed to beat off the towers, which he highly doubted. And when that happened, they would all be trapped inside the inner walls with no means of escape. It would just be a matter of time then. That was, for anyone who stayed once the siege set in.

Unlike the rest of his "companions" from Neverwinter, Bishop had no intention of being here when the swarms of undead poured through. He had made arrangements for when this time came. Seeing the towers approaching from the distance, he moved towards the inner gate, ready to slip through the defenders and in order to escape from the massacre.

That was when he noticed a group of greycloaks towing some kind of large metal... thing forward. It was a large metal tube over seven feet in length with a large, square metal base with some odd gears and both vertical and horizontal cranks. It was set on a wagon and being wheeled over into a position facing the direction that the siege engines were coming from. Bishop stared at the pair of large metal contraptions.

The hell?

When had they made this? And what the hell was it supposed to do?

It came as no surprise that the blond haired witch was out there giving orders to the men. She was so smug. Carter. Bishop's thoughts turned sour as he saw the woman directing the activity.

He had tried to woo her and had gotten shot down. Repeatedly. His rough tough-guy charms were completely ineffective with her, and that had led to many embarassing moments. Worse, with his attention divided, his other prey, the "Knight Captain" had only blown him off faster. Just when he thought he might have been getting through to the woman knight, she saw him using the same lines on Carter and had become entirely unapproachable.

So now whenever Samantha Carter was involved in something the ranger felt a bitterness that no amount of rude comments on his part could dispel. The only consolation he had now was that he knew that woman, along with everyone else in the Keep, would be either a rotting corpse or a walking one by the time this day was out. But that didn't stop him from being curious about what they thought they were doing. Shouldn't she be up hurling fireballs at the approaching siege towers?

"What sort of useless contraption is this now?" the ranger asked as he approached the giant mounted tubes. Bishop noticed only end of the tubes were open.

"We call it 'artillery', Bishop. This would be considered a fairly simplistic howitzer," she said with a smile on her mouth and in her eyes that the former Luskan ranger knew to be sparkling with mockery of his comment. "And when you see these 'contraptions' in action, you might start thinking your little arrows and that bow of yours are the useless things." Then with a genuine smirk she added, "But don't take this personally. It's not a question of 'whose is bigger'. We've all got our role to play. Don't we now?"

Bishop scowled, realizing the reference "whose is bigger" was a joke about manhood. He started to walk away grumbling. He hated that woman.

"Oh, you might want to cover your ears!" she said with another one of her annoyingly cheerful smiles, putting an ear muff over her ears.

And then there was a sound like thunder detonating just beside him and fire belched out from the mouth of the large tube. Bishop swore, his ears ringing. He could barely make out Carter's next words.

"...down three and a half degrees. Fire!"

This time, Bishop covered his ears and watched as the second "howitzer" she had called it, blasted out flames identical to the first. This time, the ranger saw dust and debris out from beyond the walls of the Keep. One of the siege towers was down! What in the Hells were these things?

The ranger watched as the team of Greycloaks gathered around the strange weapons opened up a chamber on the huge gun and deposited what looked like some kind of chunk of metal shaped to a point, then re-latched the compartment. That blond woman barked out more orders while she looked into some black lenses she had once told him were "binoculars", used for seeing things at great distances. This time Bishop noticed the men turning cranks and the large tube swiveled and tilted in response.

The weapons continued firing, releasing massive booms of sound and fire, Bishop cursing at the loudness with each concussive blast. Several shots later, and a cheer went up from the wall. The siege towers had all been destroyed. For a moment, the ranger reconsidered his course of action. Without the siege towers it would take Garius and his men considerably longer to breach the outer wall. If it took a full day the defenders might even receive reinforcements from Waterdeep.

Cries of alarm ended any second thoughts he was having. Even from here, he could hear the sound of several fireballs slamming into the outer gate doors. The wood of those doors were thick, true, but there was no way they could withstand repeated magical blasts. It was time to make his move, before the undead army outside trapped him within.

Lieutenant Kana, the Knight Captain's adjunct, gave the order to lower the gates, secure in her belief that the inner iron gate would prevent entry and allow the defenders to punish the enemy from above. Tamil gave orders for her companions to join the defenders up on the walls. As if that would protect them once the enemy was inside the gates. Perhaps some of them would manage to slip over the walls and make a break for the outside, but Bishop doubted anyone would manage to live.

"That's right, stay on the walls. You might survive," Bishop declared. "But that gate of yours won't be coming down. Don't bother trying to repair the gate mechanism. I took a look at it earlier and it was a lot easier to destroy than I thought it would be."

The ranger began backing out the gate. He had made arrangements for his own safe passage out of the battle long ago. And unlike last time, nobody would survive to call him traitor. There wouldn't be a 'Duncan' to come along as when he sold out his entire village and let it burn to the ground. Garius had offered him both safety and money for the role he was to play in Crossroads Keep's destruction, and he wasn't fool enough to turn it down. Let the rest of them burn and die while he walked out of this a free, rich man. Free and rich were important, but he was most keen about the walking out of it part.

The look on the Knight Captain's face was priceless. In fact, they were all looking at him with expressions of disbelief. Fools like them deserved their fates. While his former companions were shouting their parting words, knowing themselves to be doomed, he sprinted away before the press of the undead would arrive. Best to get to Garius's side quickly before any of the vampires got any ideas in their heads.

He took one last look over his shoulders. And of course Carter was there at the gate. She was still smiling smugly. He heard her call out, "Close the iris!" And then he watched in shock as a metal shield closed behind him.

.

The sounds of explosions filled the air and showers of dirt rained down on the undead army. Had they been living soldiers, Garius had no doubt they would have broken and ran. Shattered bones of skeletons littered the ground all around him. Whatever the magic was that the Captain of Crossroads Keep had obtained that allowed her to cause this devastation, it was terribly effective. He could not afford to mass his mindless minions too far away from the walls. Each explosion decimated scores of his minions. The sun was about to rise over his army of uncleanliness, but they wouldn't remain intact long enough to worry about that if they stayed in range of that attack.

Garius's body was now a shadowy skeleton cloaked in a robe woven of pure shadow. His head was but a skull. A skull that glowed and flamed with necromantic power, but just a skull nonetheless. However, in terms of intellect and power, he had not diminished at all. Before the ritual that transformed him into a slave to his dark Master, he had been on the cusp of being considered an archmage. Now, with his former physical frailty turned to strength, he was more powerful than ever. With his connection to the King of Shadows, he felt there was no limit to his powers.

Black Garius had already enlarged the most numerous of his undead soldiers, turning skeletons into Giant Skeletons and zombies into Giant Zombies. Now, he imbued all of his army with a shadowy shield that would cloak them from the power of the sun. Even after the sun rose, the dead would continue the battle to the defenders' despair and horror.

With a single mental command, the Shadow Reaver ordered his army up to the walls. They were now in range of the arrow slits and murder holes, but that was preferable to the explosive power of whatever it was that was taking chunks out of the ground. When the outer gate fell to an onslaught of fireballs from his vampire mage thralls, his minions began to pour through into the Keep's outer courtyard. The Shadow Reaver decided to join them. Garius wanted to see the fools' faces when they realized that their inner gate would not work and the sun would avail them nothing. When they realized that after all their preparation, they had been destroyed from within and forsaken by the light.

Black Garius watched from the rear, behind his large skeletal troops, as his double-agent, the former Luskan killer known as Bishop, ran out from the tunnel leading into the inner courtyard. The iron portcullis would not be coming down, just as planned. But then the ranger stopped and Garius saw to his shock that a great circular metal shield had swung into place behind the iron gate. Impossible!

Surprise was evident on the ranger's face. So, his agent hadn't expected this. He would still pay for his failure, though he had kept his end of the bargain and disabled the iron gate. Garius strode through his forces, the undead parting around him.

"How did this happen?" Garius demanded of the man. "You were supposed to disable the inner door to the Keep!"

"I did disable the gate. They must have added this in while I was away," the ranger said, stating the obvious with a shrug. He had been taken by surprise, but he wasn't about to show much of a reaction.

"I will deal with you later," Garius said. "Return to the rear of the line. I will deal with this obstruction." The Shadow Reaver saw the rebellious expression on the ranger's face, but watched as the ranger followed his commands. He would break the man of his insolence, but for now, he had a more pressing issue.

A trio of female vampire mages, thin and emaciated yet still seductive in their own dark way, teleported in front of the gate. Just as they had with the outer wooden doors, they launched fireballs at the circular doorway. The balls of flames exploded, but the metal shield didn't even get a scratch on it. The vampires attempted to blast it with bolts of lightning, but were similarly ineffective. Following that, dozens of his minions charged forward to slash at the doorway, their weapons clanging loudly against the metal, but otherwise having no effect.

The former "Master of the Fifth Tower" walked through the ranks of his soldiers to inspect the barrier. He ignored the petty stings of arrows and quarrels fired at him through murder holes; he would regenerate from any wound as his Master's power replenished him. His minions, however, were not so lucky and some began to fall while trying to batter through this strange shielding. It was an intricate design, with near-black admantine overlaid with silvery mithral, fit together in spiraling rings. On closer inspection, the Shadow Reaver could make out magical runes scribed over its surface. It was highly resistant to any form of elemental magic. Garius cursed.

Then there was a short, high-pitched sound from all over the courtyard. The Shadow Reaver stepped back to consider what that sound portended when his foot pressed down on something. He immediately pulled his foot back.

Boom.

Garius's form exploded from the force of the explosion. Only the power of the King of Shadows held the creature that was once a man together and reformed him into his uninjured state. Despite being unable to truly feel pain, he felt the impact, and felt himself weaken slightly.

And then explosions began going off throughout the Keep's outer courtyard as his minions moved around in reaction to blasts all around them. His force was rapidly being blown to bits! And that was when the fiery meteors began falling from the sky. Garius looked and snarled. A Meteor Swarm! His eyes would have widened if they weren't just empty sockets. No, three Meteor Swarm spells!

He would have to handle this himself. He could not afford to wait for his minions to overcome the defenses. Nor had treachery served him.

In a flash of light, Garius was inside the Keep, within the inner courtyard. He was surrounded by ranks of soldiers who immediately opened fire on him. He would make these fools suffer.

"You think you can stop me? ME?" Garius cried out. "My master is on the threshold of this world. And while he cannot fully manifest here, his avatar will be more than enough to crush you and your pathetic soldiers!"

A hole opened in reality. What stepped through was a being of nightmare. A Nightwalker. Its entire form was shadow so thick it was denser than iron. Its grip was so powerful it could crush diamond. The towering monstrosity hissed and waved its arms menacingly, looking for its first victim on the material plane. Garius watched in awe and triumph as his master's avatar took a step forward.

"FIRE!" a woman with blond hair called out. The two howitzers in the courtyard blasted the thing at short range. Gaping holes opened on the creature and it collapsed to the ground with a moan.

Garius looked on in utter shock as he saw the woman known as Tamil Farlong, Knight Captain of Crossroads Keep, jump forward with her hand stretching out, as a shimmering silver light coalesced in her hands to form the shape of an exotic sword. And then with a quick step she slashed the blade made up of silver shards through the downed Nightwalker's neck. Its pitch black head fell to the ground and the shadow brute faded back to Plane of Shadow from which it had come.

"Impossible! How can this be?" Garius said in total shock. "The sword was broken! BROKEN!"

Garius was facing defeat. He had to destroy his opponents now or return to his Master in failure. That was not something he would allow. He had to claim victory, and he needed it now.

He unleashed a torrent of magic, throwing fireballs and missile storms around the courtyard. His undead eyes were searching for the threat he knew could disable him. And then the bald headed warlock with glowing tattoos charged out on one side and the plane-walking githzerai he had once captured appeared on the other side. They began chanting his name. His True Name.

Garius shouted a spell towards the githzerai priestess and she froze in place. Garius was taking dozens of hits from missile weapons, but he would recover and regenerate so he ignored them. The Knight Captain charged at him with that glittering sword in hand. The Shadow Reaver could not afford to see if he could heal from wounds of that blade, a weapon that could even injure the King of Shadows. The Reaver stretched his hand forward and a flash of colors blasted out, freezing her in place. Black Garius heard the warlock nearing completion of his True Name. He was out of time.

So with a smile, he unleashed a spell he had prepared for just such an occasion. It was a pre-cast spell, one he need only speak the final syllable of and it would execute. As soon as Garius spoke that final syllable, a massive hand formed around the warlock who thought himself able to stand against his master. The man chocked off in mid-speech, unable to finish what he had started. And now, he, Garius, the right hand of the King of Shadows would—

From a third direction, the recitation of the True Name continued. The Shadow Reaver spun around in shock. There, just beyond the ring of barrels and wagons which had been erected around the entrance to the Keep to serve as a killing ground in case of a breach, was a man with brown hair and blue eyes hidden behind a pair of spectacles. The man he vaguely remembered from the group who had interrupted the ritual that had made him into a Shadow Reaver was staring at him intently as he pronounced the last syllables of Garius's Shadow Reaver True Name.

As soon as the last sound touched the human's lips, Garius felt his connection to the King of Shadows ripped apart. The essence of what he was, his individuality, was laid bare for the world and for him. He was no longer connected to his Master. He was vulnerable! His skeletal eyes would have opened wider in shock and fear if they could as he saw the barrels of the howitzers that had blasted the Nightwalker level at him. He heard the command given to fire.

Black Garius vanished in a flash of light.

Chapter 37: Battle of Shadows

The victorious Knight Captain of Crossroads Keep, Tamil Farlong, stood with a look of grim determination on her face before a circular ring standing in the air. Behind her was a small army, the companions who had followed her from one danger through the next all the way from West Harbor and Neverwinter. The Luskan ranger, Bishop, was conspicuously absent, though the bard had never been foolish enough to consider that man worthy of her trust. The sorceress Qara was the other former follower of hers who was now aligned with the enemy, bound in a shadowy unlife to service of the King of Shadows.

Foremost among her allies was SG-1. Without them, she might not have made it. Without them, even if she had still made it, it would not mean nearly as much to her. And now they stood there alongside Khelgar, leader of the Ironfists, Neeshka the part-fiend rogue, Grobnar and the Construct bound to him by fate and destiny, Sand the sarcastic elven wizard, Casavir the noble paladin, and two more recent additions to the cause: Ammon Jerro and Zhjaeve. The warlock, Ammon Jerro, had been working against them until they realized that they were both unknowingly fighting the same foe, narrowly escaping catastrophe. Zhjaeve was another unexpected ally, one who looked much like a githyanki but was not, who joined them just after Neverwinter forces took Crossroads Keep. Old companions and new, they were all there standing together before the Illefarn Song Portal preparing to do battle with the powerful force of darkness that had drained the life from the land, caused the dead to walk, and sent an army to destroy their homes.

"You are all certain you want to do this? The defenses of Neverwinter and the Keep could use any of you..." she offered.

"Bah. You think I came all this way with you just to miss out on the biggest fight this side of the Hells? No way am I missing out on this!" Khelgar proclaimed first. The rest of the group added their own assent.

"Samantha Carter, know that the King of Shadows will oppose your attempt to penetrate his domain. But with the Tome of Iltkazar, your will, and the power of the Song Portal, know that you can overcome his power." The voice of the githzerai priestess was calm, confident, and repeating the obvious as she very often did. The group had gotten used to her habit of giving everyone their personal "daily affirmation" without prompting. Most of the time everyone just tuned it out. Zhjaeve meant well. They supposed she did at least, you could never tell.

With a sigh, Dr. Carter concentrated. It took six musical notes to open the Song Portal and point it to the location of the Illefarn ruins that Garius had made his base. Of course, the corresponding gate on the other side had long been destroyed, but with the knowledge of the Tome, her understanding of physics, and the innate power of the book, she was able to force open a rift in space. The hard part was pushing the other side of the rift to point not at the old Song Portal location, but at the inner sanctum where they were receiving a signal. The gateway flooded open, and with an effort of will and magic, Sam knew she had altered the end-point.

"Okay, it's working!" Sam called out as the magical portal stabilized.

"Last one in is an orc-loving bastard of a troll!" Neeshka called out and rushed to the portal. Khelgar was a step behind her, followed by the warlock and the gitzherai.

Just as they were about to enter the portal, Sam felt strong nudge back her way. Her eyes widened, realizing something on the other side, most likely the King of Shadows, was influencing the portal. She cursed mildly, not being one for heavy swearing, and struggled to push the end point of the portal back to where she wanted. "Wait!" she called out.

But it was too late. Not only had the first four gone through, but Casavir and Sand had just stepped through as well. Sand's head had whipped back around, his eyes widening with alarm as he disappeared from sight.

.

Ammon Jerro knew something was wrong as soon as he arrived on the other side of the portal. He had been dealing with planar binding and portals for decades and the manner in which they exited had been wrong, somewhat uncontrolled. Something had interfered with the portal's functioning. That did not bode well.

The old warlock frowned at his surroundings. He was on what looked like an ancient arrival platform within an ancient Illefarn ruin. It was an entryway into the secret temple where the blocking wards would not prevent magical transport either in or out. Large glowing pillars of crystal cast an eerie blue light over maze-like platform, illuminating the area. Skeletons of fallen warriors, clearly elves and dwarves judging by the size and structure, littered the ground. From the positions of the bones, it was clear that some of them had died fleeing something, while others had turned to face whatever it was that was pursuing them. The outcome, however, was clear. The living had lost.

"Eh, what happened?" the gruff voice of a burly dwarf, one still living and breathing, asked from beside the warlock. Khelgar. "Weren't we s'pposed to be right in the middle of this place fightin' for our lives?" The dwarf was alright, in Ammon Jerro's book, but not much on the brains side of things. At least he would be a powerful ally in what was to come.

"Know that the King of Shadows has disrupted the portal meant to bring us to the center of this fortress. But know, too, that despite his efforts to prevent us from reaching our destination, we are still here."

And the gith was there, too. Ammon Jerror grit his teeth at the sound of her grating, "know"-it-all voice. He had put up with her for the sake of his alliance with the Knight Captain, but he was growing tired of dealing with the githzerai cleric. Worse, it seemed she was one of the few who had arrived with him in the King of Shadow's lair, and they had a quite a distance to travel before they would reach their destination.

"Hey! Where's Daniel!" came the shrill call of tiefling, Neeshka. Yet another of the companions the warlock couldn't stand. But she was right. Neither the Knight Captain nor any of the humans from the other world had come through. The paladin and the arrogant elven wizard were also missing.

"It appears that our forces are divided," Ammon stated flatly. "I believe the portal created by Miss Carter," the warlock refused to call the humans by their military titles, not respecting the a military on some distant world nobody had heard of, "managed to push further through the boundary after we went through. I believe the remainder of us are further inside the compound."

"Know that you are correct. I can sense the presence of the Kalach-cha deeper within these ruins. She still lives, and so does our hope. Know that we must make haste and—"

"Then what are we standing around for, let's get going!" Khelgar all but roared.

"While I agree about getting to Daniel sooner rather than later, Khelgar it won't do us any good if—" whatever Neeshka was about to say was cut off in mid-sentence as she suddenly vanished. There was no flash of light. No sudden flame. She was just gone.

"What the hells?" Khelgar exclaimed.

"The King of Shadows has taken her. We must move quickly."

Khelgar was already racing ahead. The hard-headed dwarf would normally have listened to the calls from his companions to hold up, but he was not about to let his friends walk into danger without him there with them. The gith and the warlock were not his companions by choice, while those who were ahead were those who had stuck by him through his trials and periods of self-doubt. He'd shave his beard before he allowed that to happen, and he'd eat dragon dung for breakfast before he'd shave off his beard. In hindsight, he'd realize that wasn't the best of reasons for not listening.

But the chittering of bones on the cobblestones of the walkway he was on informed the isolated trio of a swarm of incoming spiders. Deadly bone spiders. Unfortunately, his decision to run off ahead left him in an exposed position and his companions without a front line defense.

Ammon Jerro frowned. Such opposition was not a serious threat, but they just didn't have the time to be wasting around. The final battle could begin at any moment.

"Hezebel! Blooden!" the warlock commanded in his deep, rough voice.

The two creatures of the lower planes arrived in two bursts of fire. They were both beautiful, scantily clad women. Hezebel was a brunette with white, feathery wings, an Eyrines. Blooden was a red-head succubus with black, bat-like wings. Both were wickedness incarnate, the only thing they would love more than to corrupt the innocent and spill blood would be to destroy each other. They're gazes locked with hatred in their eyes. All that stood between them and murdering each other were the oaths they had taken to the warlock and his commands that they not harm each other.

"You two, destroy these pests," Ammon Jerro said gesturing towards the creatures surrounding them. "I mean the bone spiders. NOT the dwarf or githzerai."

The pair scowled at being ordered about. For millennia men had to beg the two rivals for favors and power, and the demon and devil would grant them such power at the cost of the men's' souls. The warlock had bargained well, though, and he had wrung promises of obedience from them that they could not break. He had sacrificed his soul, his innocence, and all hope of redemption to gain this power over them, but it rankled that a mortal could command them as he did, no matter what price had to be paid to obtain their obedience.

On the other hand, he was letting them out of their summoning circles for a little destructive mayhem. Sure, it was only a few spiders, but that was better than—

The pair vanished just as Neeshka had.

Ammon Jerro cursed. It should be impossible for those two to slip the bonds with which he had bound them. But he had no time to think about such things. His companions were being pressed by the spiders; they had limited resources and could not afford to expend their most powerful magic or all their strength on minor enemies such as these. The elder Jerro quickly focused on one of the skeletal corpses lying about and with a burst of dark magic forced it to rise in undeath as his ally.

The battle was protracted, but the end was inevitable. The spiders were no match for Khelgar's furious hammer, but they were resilient and it took several hits before he finally smashed them apart. On the other side was Zhaevee, the githzerai priestess who had little strength to speak of and whose magical might would need to be held in reserve for later. But between her and the skeletal warrior Ammon had summoned to aid her, they managed to hold the swarm of pesky creatures at bay while the warlock blasted them with dark blasts of eldritch energy. Finally, the walkways were cleared and the trio plus a new skeletal minion walked towards the doorway leading inwards towards the Shadow Reaver, Black Garius, and his dark master.

Before they actually reached the door, though, there was a burst of flame directly in front of them. The succubus queen, Blooden, and her rival, the Eyrines Hezebel stood before them once more.

"So, you have returned. And I thought I was going to have to go to the Lower Planes and drag you back when all this was over," the warlock remarked fixing them with an odd stare.

"Oh, we've returned, alright, Ammon Jerro," Hezebel said with a voice that sounded like silk.

"Returned to rip you apart and send your soul to the Hells where we will suck on the marrow of your corpse!" Blooden finished with a swipe at the man she had called Master.

"And when we finish with you here," Hezebel continued, aiming a sword-strike at the dwarf, "we will free all the others in your 'Haven' and then pay your lovely morsel of a grand-daughter a visit."

.

Casavir and Sand found themselves emerging from a roiling pool of black shadows.

"Oh, my, I do hope the others are all alright," Sand muttered to himself. Someone unaccustomed to Sand's mannerisms might have thought he was speaking sarcastically by his tone. That was because even when the elven wizard actually meant what he said, his voice just naturally sounded as if he was less than completely sincere.

"It seems that the portal was somehow diverted," Casavir noted. "Perhaps the black cloud of shadows is responsible for our not arriving directly at our intended destination."

Sand rolled his eyes at the paladin's statement of the obvious. "Well, we can't be too far from our target. These are the Illefarn ruins we were attempting to penetrate. I can feel the magic of this place all around us."

"Then let's make our way to the center of this lightless place and bring justice to it. Perhaps we will arrive in time to assist with the destruction of the King of Shadows."

Sand nodded. Heading further into a deathtrap laden enemy base wasn't his first choice of action, but running away in cowardice was frowned upon socially, so he would need to just get over it and march forward towards certain death. It wasn't that the elven wizard lacked courage; his having come on this suicidal mission when he could easily have simply not volunteered proved that. It was that he had an over-abundance of common sense, something your typical sword-toting hero almost always lacked, but sarcastic wizards generally had plenty of. When was charging at the big giant evil menace the smart thing to do?

Sand cast a series of protection spells on himself as well as a couple on the paladin, which was good because a few steps later a sense of doom began to pervade the room. All around them the forms of powerful undead priests began to rise up. The pair could see the bandages preserving their power and life force holding the mummies together. Powerful undead mummies. Somehow, they had managed to stumble into the chamber of Illefarn's long dead high priests and the long dead high priests were not very happy about that.

Sand didn't waste a breath. He immediately began chanting his most powerful offensive spell: Meteor Swarm. A series of burning orbs of rock and flame hurtled down from the cavernous ceiling, pounding into the decaying, undead forms with incredible force. Eight of the massive orbs struck violently into the ground, turning the surface of the ruins into flame everywhere but in a small circle around himself and his plate mail wearing partner. The blast caused the entire area to shake. Despite the devastation of his spell, though, Sand could see the mummies continuing to rise up and turn their malevolence towards the two stranded companions.

Casavir knew his own holy connection to Tyr would not be enough to turn away their unholy link to whatever force had called them back from the dead. Against lesser undead creatures his faith alone could banish them, or send them stumbling back away from his companions. These undead priests had faith and power of their own and would easily resist his efforts. So, instead of wasting his energy trying to rebuke or turn them, he focused the energy of Tyr on himself and his hammer then charged at the nearest mummy, intent on ending its existence. Between the power of Tyr and the inherent enchantments on his flaming war hammer, he succeeded in making his intention reality. A few powerful swings of his weapon and the creature, already weakened from Sand's meteor swarm attack, crumbled back into dust, its power shattered beyond recall.

The mummified priests responded with a series of unholy words that were caustic to the ears of all unbelievers of their dark faith. After uttering their unholy words they summoned shadow hounds. Sand was blinded by the backlash of the priestly magic, unable to see them to strike or even defend himself. So, the wizard disappeared, leaving Casavir as the undead creatures' sole target.

Facing such enemies alone was no bother for the paladin, though he was surprised the wizard would abandon him. Still, he could not allow these abominations to continue to exist. With a prayer to Tyr on his lips, he spun to charge at the next of the enemy, but was blocked from his target by a pair of shadow hounds. He smashed through them with might augmented by his belief, but was blasted repeatedly by columns of flame and divine energy from the mummies. No matter what his determination was, he wouldn't last long enough to destroy all of the mummified priests. But, he would do his best to take at least one more of them down before he fell.

A powerful burst of energy tore through the air. Casavir felt nothing but a positive charge and saw a flash of white light. The mummies, however, moaned loudly and staggered from the force of the blast. One of the creatures even fell to the ground, no longer moving. It was a spell designed specifically to destroy undead. Casavir turned to see that Sand had reappeared, no longer blind and with a spell mantle up to absorb incoming attacks. The wizard had apparently only turned invisible rather than flee. With one of the hounds which had impeded his progress fading back into shadow at the death of its summoner, Casavir was able to reach the next of the undead priests and interrupt its magical castings with a hammer blow to its rotting jaw.

The mummies sought to bring Sand down, battering him with a barrage of columns of flame from the heavens, but the only effect was for the wizard to flinch away, but unharmed. His magical protections had severely weakened, but they had managed to absorb each of the flame strikes that his opponents had sent his way. In retaliation, the elven mage turned the shadowy chamber into the brightness of noonday.

Even Casavir felt the impact of the sunlight spell, the blinding brightness painful even to him, but far, far less than it was to their undead enemies. The powerful spell destroyed two more of the mummified priests, leaving only one more opponent, as soon the paladin put the coupdegrâce on the one he was facing with a hammer shot that shattered what remained of the former priest's backbone. The final priest attempted to heal itself of the damage it had sustained from Sand's previous spells, but it would prove to be pointless as the paladin and mage ended its existence quickly and without needing to resort to many more powerful spells.

Breathing heavily from the exertion and the feeling of adrenalin in his blood, the elven wizard walked over to his human friend. "Here," Sand said, offering a flask to the paladin. "This will heal your wounds. You will need your strength before we reach the rest of our companions, I am sure."

"I thank you, but there is no need. I will be made whole through the strength of Tyr." With that, the holy warrior said a prayer and laid his hands over his injuries. Within seconds, there was a powerful glow and the damage was undone. Sand shrugged and pocketed the potion once more, sure they would need it before long.

Sand renewed his protections against magical attacks before they moved on. While the spells that had been sent his way were not particularly strong, they had weakened his spell mantle to the point that even a low level bit of magic would have torn what remained of it asunder. He knew he couldn't afford to walk blindly through these ruins without such protection.

He was proven right when the sound of laughter and mocking applause greeted his ears as he and Casavir entered the next chamber. A tall figure with black robes and a flaming skull in place of a head greeted them from the opposite end of a narrow bridge spanning a small chasm filled with water. The sound of the laughter was chillingly familiar to him, even if the person it belonged to looked nothing like he remembered.

"Qara," Sand spit her name out like it was a dirty word.

"Oh, look, if it isn't the hedge-wizard with the dinky little shop in the Docks," the girl mocked. If anyone in Faerûn was more sarcastic than Sand, it was this girl. If Sand despised anyone worse than Luskans, it was this girl. If Sand was afraid of the consequences of losing a magical duel against anyone, it was this girl.

But the girl looked nothing like she had when she had entered his shop and expressed her disdain for studying magic through books. It seemed long ago when she had worked with Tamil Farlong while the current Knight Captain of Crossroads Keep was still a mere City Watch sergeant and Sand was just beginning to teach magic to Daniel. Qara had been youthful then, with a spark of innocence in her eyes, even if it was an innocence strained by her lust for power and penchant for fiery destruction. Even at that time Sand feared the girl would turn her powers to destructive ends. But the woman who stood before Sand now was not even human anymore. Her skin had burned from her face leaving nothing but a flaming power for her eyes. She was cloaked head to toe in a black robe and her soul was bound over to darkness. After being dismissed from the companionship of Tamil's group she had joined Black Garius and then shared his fate when their ritual failed. She was a Shadow Reaver.

"What a pleasure to see you again, Sand," she mocked. "And Casavir, the too-holy-for-a-sorceress paladin, glad to finally have a chance to repay you for the cold way you treated me."

That last comment raised Sand's eyebrows. Apparently, the girl had had some sort of crush on the stern older man before she had gotten booted from the group. The elf doubted the man had ever even known she had felt that way, much less intentionally spurned her. Of course, considering just how immature the sorceress had been, it was not unexpected that there was some bitterness on her part even though Tamil had given her a more than fair share of the coin when they split ways. If Sand had remembered correctly, the reason for her dismissal was over some kind of callous disregard for the group's safety.

"Stand aside, Qara," Casavir said calmly. "We have no quarrel with you, only with Garius and his attempt to bring the King of Shadows back to this plane. We need not be enemies. It is within your power to break the hold the King of Shadows has on your soul."

The dark figure laughed again. "Break his hold? Even if that were possible, why would I ever want that?" she sneered. "Not only has my King made me immortal and endowed me with powers that a book loving, pointy eared loser like Sand or a pious jerk like you could never hope to understand, he has made me his consort! Do you understand that? I am His and in his own dark way, he is even mine! I want nothing more than for him to continue to hold me in his shadowy embrace."

Okay, she was clearly insane.

"Then we will be forced to destroy you," Casavir sighed.

"Oh, good luck with that, foolish paladin," Qara the Shadow Reaver said mockingly. "My powers are beyond yours and unlike those other Shadow Reavers that you managed to destroy, and unlike even Garius, you have neither my True Name nor anyone who would even know how to pronounce it if you did. And you face me here, in the heart of my Master's domain and think to win?"

Qara chuckled and made a gesture. A pair of blade golems appeared before her on the bridge. "I will enjoy watching you die."

.

Major Samantha Carter stood in front of the portal with sweat pouring down her cheeks. Battling to keep the end point of the portal fixed was taking all of her concentration. She was attempting to bind the end point long enough for them all to get through, but the force pushing back against her was just as persistent as she was. It had already been a few minutes since half their group had gone through to who knows what end.

"Come on, Carter, we don't have all day. How hard could this be?" Jack complained jokingly.

Sam shot him a look that could melt boulders. Ironically, that emotional reaction strengthened her will enough to anchor the end point of the portal back in place. "Okay, I got it."

"See," Colonel O'Neill said cheekily.

Tamil was the first through, followed by the three members of SG-1 not holding the portal open. Then Grobnar and the Blade Golem construct he had repaired followed behind. Sam Carter was the last through the Song Portal. She prayed she had succeeded in penetrating the defenses of the place and that they would arrive in time to prevent the King of Shadows from re-entering the world. If that happened, she had no idea whether they could stop him or not.

.

Tamil emerged from the portal with the brilliantly gleaming Sword of Gith in one hand and a shield in the other. She sucked her breath in at the sight before her. Garius and two other Shadow Reavers were standing around Neeshka who was writhing in agony inside what looked like a glowing summoning circle. Her screams were echoing throughout the chamber.

The rest of the team were close behind the Knight Captain, Carter coming last as she had been needed to keep the portal open. As soon as Daniel saw what was going on he pulled out his handgun and began firing at the black cloaked skull heads in front of him, shattering their concentration and causing one of them to scrape a foot over the outline of the magical symbol.

"Get the hell away from her!"

Their bindings broken, Neeshka managed to pull herself out of the broken circle and scramble away from her captors.

"Do not run, Neeshka," Garius commanded. "The blood that bound you to our circle will bind you again just as easily. You must have some truly interesting heritage for the magic of this place to work on you."

Daniel stared at them in cold fury. "You will not touch her again, Garius."

Neeshka had hesitated, but only for a second. She hurried over to rejoin her companions. Teal'c immediately cast a healing spell on the tiefling.

"You will pay for your insubordination later," Garius remarked darkly. He was angry that his attempt to break the girl had been interrupted. He was sure that if he had more time he could have instilled a sense of obedience into her. Still, he had unfinished business to complete before he turn his attention to that little problem. "But I am prepared to offer mercy to the rest of you."

"Mercy?" Tamil scoffed. "I've seen how 'merciful' you can be with the dead of Ember and all the pawns you casually tossed away. Nobody here, other than the flunkies you brought with you, would be fool enough to fall for any of your promises."

"Ah, quick to pass judgment for the entire team, are we?" Garius' voice was a honeyed, wheedling sound. In life he had persuaded a great many to follow him. He was confident he could do so now, as well. "I have not yet made my offer and already you fear to let your 'allies' here what I can do for them."

The black robed former-Luskan wizard turned to SG-1. "I can offer you something you all desire greatly. A way home."

Sam scoffed at the man. "You don't even know where our home is, much less how to cross between different worlds."

"Ah, but my Master knows the point at which you came through to our world and with that knowledge, the tome you have in your possession, and the portal in this very room we can do just that. Think of it! All of your loved ones just a few steps away…"

Daniel smirked. "In other words, you want us to tell your Mr. Dark Shadow Life Sucker Master where our home world is so he can invade that as well. Uh… No thank you."

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Tempting offer, really. But we really are gonna have to decline. I believe the Lion, Tinman, and Scarecrow are next?" Then he turned to Carter. "You did bring your ruby slippers on this trip, right?" She shot him a half smile for his effort.

A voice rang out from behind them. "I don't know about the lion or scarecrow, there, Jack," a familiar voice called from behind them. "But you were right about the tin man." Bishop walked into the open with a smug look on his face. It was one of only two expressions he had: it was either that or dour. "Construct, Ranger-mansaysfollowme… comehere."

At that command, the large construct with a massive blade for one arm immediately started off to join the ranger who had placed it under his control. Grobnar shouted out, "Wait! No! What are you doing? Come back, Construct!" The large golem ignored the gnome as if he didn't exist.

"You see, Grobnar, you just don't have the strength to control something that powerful and dangerous. So, I thought I'd take it off your hands. Thanks for giving me the password to take control of it. I couldn't have done it without you." The ranger smirked and turned his glare on Samantha Carter. "Bet you never saw this coming."

A mocking half-smile lit up Major Carter's face. "Well, Grobnar, do you want to do it, or should I?"

The gnome's look of panic dropped away and he shrugged his small shoulders. "Oh, go right on ahead. I'll have enough fun just watching." The gnome began whistling a little tune. Suddenly, Bishop didn't feel much like smirking.

Carter gave a nod then turned to the Construct and spoke in English. "Construct: Root. Delta Carter Sigma 36-36. Command override." The golem froze, then turned towards Sam and raised its bladed arm in a salute. Carter gave another short series of commands. "Access controller accounts. Delete Ranger-man account. Access safety protocols/invalid target list/Bishop. Delete from folder and move to strategic protocols/active target lists. Reset. Enter tactical mode 3."

At Carter's command, the golem gave another salute and turned to move away from the ranger who had tried to wrest control of him.

"Construct! Ranger-mansaysfollowme.Comehere!" the man shouted as the construct now completely ignored him. It reached a point halfway between the companions and their opponents and turned to take up an aggressive looking stance.

Now Sam was outright grinning. "Actually, Bishop, you were rather predictable. And I'd like to thank you for bringing the tracking device I planted in your clothes back to Garius' hideout. It made it much easier to pinpoint exactly where the center of this place was."

Garius shot Bishop a deadly look. "You will pay for your carelessness, ranger. But for the time being you are still useful. Be sure that at the end of this confrontation that you remain so."

"I'd be careful about threatening me, if I were you," Bishop warned in a low voice.

The sound of Tamil chuckling drew everyone's attention back to the bard. "I'd offer Bishop a chance to betray you and join back up with us, Garius, which would make the irony of you trying to break up my team even more hilarious—if it weren't for the fact that I just can't stand that man. Please, keep him," Tamil said with a wicked smile forming on her face. The Knight Captain was ready to put an end to the troubles that had beset her. It was all finally coming to a head. All the pain in her life, all the deaths and loss she had suffered, it had a name and face and she was ready to stab it to death with the sword in her hands.

Garius did not look pleased, but considering that his head was a skull with magical flames for facial features, that came as no surprise. With a gesture, he activated a series of walls of force that trapped SG-1, Grobnar, and Tamil within the entryway they had arrived in. "So sorry for that," he said insincerely, "I can't risk any damage to the portal this close to my Master's arrival on this plane. I'm sure you understand."

A pair of shadowy blade golems emerged to battle the Construct which had been repaired by Grobnar and completely overhauled in terms of programming by Sam. It had been the only member of the party which had not been trapped within the invisible walls of force at the beginning of the battle. Black Garius and the other two remaining Shadow Reavers in the room turned their attention to the group that was now trapped while Bishop started to fire arrows through the barrier.

"Hmm, looks like magic and projectiles can pass right through, but people just cannot physically move past it," Tamil mused. "And apparently fireballs can get by, too," she quickly added as she dodged out of the way of an incoming blast.

"Great, we're stuck in here with an enemy that can throw lightning and fire around, but we can't get to them. Could it get any worse?" Jack asked melodramatically.

That was the moment Garius decided to summon the Balor demon he had contracted for the battle into the middle of the group.

Chapter 38: Battle of Shadows (Part 2)

Casavir strode through the burning flames that crackled across the walkway between him and the Shadow Reaver, Qara. His enchanted weapon, Rift Hammer, taken from the forgotten halls of the archives of Arvahn, struck one of the blade golems in its chest piece with great force, tearing a gash in the metal creature. As soon as the blow landed full, the paladin reversed direction and swung back clockwise to land a second blow along the construct's flank. The metal blade golem had taken quite a beating from the paladin already and showed signs of beginning to malfunction with the extence of the damage done to it.

The second blade golem attempted to slash at Casavir while his body was exposed and he was up close, slipping an attack by the first construct that stuck the man's shoulders. But the two man-made metal warriors had no capacity for teamwork, and the poor angle the second attacked at only allowed it a glancing blow. The narrow walkway was certainly helping to limit pair of golem's ability to fight the paladin at the same time.

That wasn't to say that Casavir had gotten off unscathed. There was a pair of large gashes in his shining suit of armor where the massive blades wielded by the mechanical monstrosities had managed to get past his shield when he had moved too slowly. A trickle of blood from a thin cut on his neck stained the shoulders of the plate mail he wore. Surprisingly, though, there was not even a scorch mark on him despite the raging fires that burned around him from Qara's spells. Another fireball burst behind him, exploding with deadly force, but the paladin paid it no heed.

Sand was engaged in a magical duel with the Shadow Reaver who had once been a student at Neverwinter's Academy. The elf's brow was slick with perspiration as he tried to find some way to defeat his opponent. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work.

Qara cackled mockingly as five small darts of magic struck her. "Oh, come on, Sand! I knew you were pathetic, but I didn't realize just how weak you really were. Simple missiles?" The blue flames of her eyes briefly turned to red. "I'll show you real power!"

With that, she uttered the arcane words to a spell Sand had only recently mastered. Spheres of flaming destruction blasted from the sorceress to strike at the elf and the paladin. A meteor swarm! To Casavir's credit, the impact only staggered him backwards. Sand, however, was not physically affected at all. The only visible change was that the azure glowing energy bubble around the wizard dimmed significantly.

Sand kept himself far enough back from the battle between Casavir and the golems so that Qara's attacks could not target both him and the paladin with her fire attacks. The Shadow Reaver, confident in her invulnerability, remained only a few meters away from the blade golems under her command. With careful aim, Sand sent his fireball just far enough that the blast would not strike his ally while it would catch both Qara and the golems in the blast. The explosion went off just as an equally powerful explosion detonated near him, causing the last of his spell mantle to collapse. It had absorbed several of the sorceress's most powerful spells, leaving Sand completely unscathed in the battle so far.

Sand quickly cast another spell mantle, completing the protection just before another blast of fire struck. The elven wizard frowned in disgust at Qara's tactics. The fool girl was expending her magic in an attempt to overwhelm his shields, ignoring that the spells she cast at Sand were simply being absorbed. She was wasting a large portion of her power to try to eat through his defenses while not even putting up any of her own. In terms of dueling skill, she was still just a novice.

The elven wizard knew that in a war, a battle between armies, that Qara would be the more powerful and more useful tool. Her affinity for fire spells and natural ability to cast them one after another made her an ideal weapon against an army of soldiers. But the girl was limited in the magic she had learned, all of her focus on using destructive evocations. Against another mage, she was rather ill-equipped. Worse, she had yet to realize that Casavir was protected from any elemental fire attack, or if she had, she had no way to counter the protection Sand had put on him at the outset of their battle.

Yet, still, Sand felt jealous of the once human girl. She had achieved a level of power that few in the Realms ever did, and certainly not anyone as young as her. She had always been naturally talented, and whatever else that ritual that Garius had used her for had done, it had unlocked an incredible well of power within her. She had long surpassed the level of power Sand had attained under the Luskan Host Tower and while living in the Neverwinter Docks.

But then again, he had improved by leaps and bounds as well. Between Daniel Jackson's amazing insights into the deeper meanings of ancient texts and Samantha Carter's instruction in the nature of the universe via what she called the science of physics, Sand had achieved a level of understanding of magic he had only ever dreamed of achieving. Together, they had unraveled mysteries of the Weave that few others in Faerûn had. They had done for his understanding of the universe at least as much as he had done in tutoring them in mage craft.

But that didn't change the fact that his missile storm attack seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever. Ten powerful magical energy bolts had torn into the Shadow Reaver, another ten striking the blade golem nearest her, and still she stood there as if nothing had even happened.

"Curse you, Sand! I will flay your skin from your bones with fire for that!"

The elf smirked. Apparently, she still felt the attacks, even if she healed rapidly from the wounds.

"Perhaps if you had spent your time studying at the Academy rather than getting into petty fights and burning things down, you might have known how to counter my spells rather than using that bony skeleton you call a body to catch it," Sand taunted.

"Ha! Books!" she screeched. "I don't need books to tell me what magic is. I know it better than a—"

Perfect. Sand unleashed one of his most devastating spells right at her as she moved into view in order to taunt him. The beam of energy should reduce her to nothing but dust. See if she can recover from that! Sand watched with growing satisfaction as her form started to break up, but was stunned to see that as quickly as she had disintegrated, her body re-integrated, reforming before even completely being destroyed.

Qara stood with a snarl on her face. "You're going to pay for that, Sand!"

And then the girl pulled a scroll from within her robes. "I hate using magic other than my own, but all you do is hide behind your stupid little shields. Let's see how you deal with this!"

Sand felt his heart jump up into his throat as she read off the spell. Though it was difficult, it wasn't a particularly devastating spell. In fact, unless you were a creature of made of magic, the spell itself wouldn't cause any damage at all. But the effect of what she was about to cast was something he couldn't afford, not when he had to defend himself from magical spells and she did not.

A disjunction!

He felt the magical protections he had cast on himself being stripped away by the power of that spell. Even just cast from a scroll rather than by a caster's own power, that disjunction had the power to rip apart all but the strongest of enchantments. Sand cursed, quickly casting his last spell mantle spell to protect himself.

But the damage was more than just a defeated spell mantle. Qara sent a massive fireball at Casavir, who was no longer protected from fire. That protection had been stripped away. The blast washed over the holy man, even as he finally destroyed the first of the constructs he faced with a final blow of his righteous arm. And then he collapsed on the floor, burns covering his face. Casavir struggled to rise, Sand rooting for his ally to make it with all his heart.

Sand did his best, sending a spell meant to blind an opponent towards Qara, but to no avail. And then time slowed down as Sand watched the Shadow Reaver sorceress cast the same spell Sand had cast on her on Casavir. The beam of destruction struck true. Sand watched in horror as the man turned to dust. Disintegrated.

There was no coming back from that, even if you were friends with someone favored of Tyr.

Sand was out of invisibility spells. The only defense he had up at the moment was a spell mantle. And that blade golem would be charging towards him momentarily, something a mantle would not help against. Worse yet, Sand felt his spell mantle buckle under yet another offensive spell.

Sand knew it was a lost cause now. He had no way of getting past Qara to help the others. If she didn't break through his magic and kill him, the blade golem would get him. He was no use to anyone now. The wizard calculated the length of time it would take the golem to reach him. He had just long enough. If he was lucky.

Sand wasn't trying to win now. It was all about seeing if he could delay his opponent. He loosed his next spell, and saw with satisfaction a gigantic hand appear and knock the Shadow Reaver to the ground and hold her there. Now, as long as that blade golem didn't skewer him before he could teleport away, the spell would hold her there for several minutes at least. It was a good thing they had gotten a hold of that Tome of Iltkazar, otherwise he would never have learned teleportation.

The wizard winked away just as Qara's blade golem swung its blade. The Shadow Reaver was left, pinned to the ground, cursing Sand with every breath. Qara swore she would get revenge on the elf for this humiliation.

.

Sweat soaked the warlock's body. Precious minutes were slipping by while he and those with him battled against the demoness and she-devil that had turned against him. The irony that the creatures he had summoned, whose loyalty he thought he had assured with infernal deals, had turned on him while the adventurers he had in ignorance attempted to destroy just a few months prior remained his staunchest allies was not lost on him. Eldritch energy curled in Ammon Jerro's hand in the form of an Utterdark blast and he sent it streaming into the body of the succubus. Blooden winced in pain from the magical blast, one of many she had been struck with since the battle had begun.

Hezebel and Blooden were not the physically most powerful or magically most dangerous of Ammon Jerro's collection of deadly creatures of the Hells and the Abyss. What made these two of particular danger to the Material Planes was their power among their own kind, which allowed them to summon other eyrines and succubi to serve them. They were queens of their respective kinds, of a sort. With dozens of the winged creatures at his command, the warlock had thought to neutralize the weaker, but more numerous undead serving the King of Shadows. Having these two turn against him had come as an unfortunate setback at the worst of times. Fortunately, he had tied their ability to summon other demons and devils to the portal within his Haven and had been able to cut them off from that power with a thought.

Still, these two had not gained their influence by being weak. They were still particularly strong for their kinds. It was taking some effort to bring them down.

"I will rip your eyes from their sockets and feed them to hellhounds, Jerro!" Blooden screeched.

But it was a hollow threat, at least for now. A final strike of Khelgar's powerful hammer sent damaging electricity through the demoness and cracked the bones of her form. She burst into flames and returned to her home layer of the Abyss where she would remain imprisoned for at least a century, barring some outside interference.

Once ago Ammon Jerro had to count himself lucky that he had the companions he did. Khelgar was a fierce warrior, a dwarf who lived for fighting whether it be bare knuckled in a tavern brawl or with hammer and shield against monsters. Having obtained a set of relics and thus the right to rule his clan, he was a true powerhouse and more than a match for almost anything they might encounter here in terms of raw physical damage. That had almost turned to disaster, however, when he had been briefly put in thrall to the succubus through her powerful enchantments.

Fortunately, the githzerai Zhjaeve, the warlock's only other companion down in this forgotten ruin, had been able to counteract the spell before the dwarf had done more than smash the skeleton Jerro had bound to his service. Now with the priestess, yet another undead minion called up by the warlock, and Khelgar all concentrating on destroying Hezebel, the battle would soon be over. Ammon Jerro sent a blast of power against his former servant devil and with a curse on his soul, she too was banished from this plane.

"It is done," Zhjaeve panted, clearly winded from the battle.

"Yes, so it is," Ammon agreed testily. What a waste. His own summons had delayed him further when they were meant to have cleared the way for him to make his way to the center of this place faster.

"You are fortunate, Ammon Jerro, that those two and I were the only of your Lower Planes allies you called to this place," an ominous voice sounded behind them.

"Mephasm!" the warlock spat.

His companions spun warily to see an elderly looking eladrin floating before them in the air. The creature, however, was clearly wearing a disguise. They could feel the power radiating off of it, and see its burning red eyes.

"I called you during the battle! Why did you not obey my command when I gave it to you?" Jerro growled.

"Indeed you did call. And I came, Ammon Jerro, only, I never made it to your side as I intended. I was caught in the magic of this place, as Hezebel and Blooden had been." The devil's stern visage wavered for a moment and the smallest hint of a smile touched its face. "You are fortunate that unlike them, I will not turn against you. Had you called any others from your Haven, they most certainly would have done so."

"How is it that they could disobey me? Or that any of those that I have bound could possibly turn against me. It is impossible!"

The devil shook its head. "There are rules and older rules, pacts and agreements far older and far more binding than those you have placed upon us. Those laws binding demons and devils who enter this place hold far more weight than that which you yoked upon us, and so we are bound to serve this place and do its masters no harm upon entering it. And the oldest master of this place was the warlock who became the Guardian of the Illefarn Empire and finally became the King of Shadows. He passed that knowledge on to his servant, Garius the Shadow Reaver. No demon or devil who enters here can aid you, once that ancient magic is enacted."

Ammon Jerro did not like what he was hearing. He had sacrificed so much in order to amass the power necessary to wage war against the King of Shadows. Only now, it seemed, his power would be useless. He wanted to know how it could be.

Mephasm explained the matter to him as if he knew the intents of the warlock's heart. "You are in the heart of what was once one of Illefarn's most secure and powerful temples. The very purpose of this place was to bind spirits to the service of the Illefarn. By bringing us into this place, you placed us under its domination, and nothing short of returning us to your binding circles within your Haven will restore your power over us."

"Then how is it that you are not attacking me?" Ammon Jerro snapped at the devil.

"As I said, there are laws and older laws. And I am subject to laws and rules more ancient than Abeir-Toril itself. What Garius commanded of me was in direct conflict with commands I must obey which are more powerful than all the bindings of this place put together." Mephasm let out a sigh. "There are events coming to pass now that were set in motion long ago, and they lay at the very heart of this ruin. You must make haste, Ammon Jerro, or you will be too late."

The warlock looked at the devil incredulously.

"I do not think we shall meet again. And if we do…it will not be well for you, I think," the devil said. Then with a bow and burst of hellfire, Mephasm was gone.

The githzerai was strangely quiet. The dwarf, however, was not. "Well, what are we waiting for!" Khelgar demanded. "We gotta get a move on!"

Ammon Jerro hesitated for just a moment. Of all the demons and devils he had bound to him, Mephasm was easily the most cunning and ancient. The thought of hurrying ahead to face whatever fated events that devil was alluding to sent an involuntary shiver down his spine. Then Ammon Jerro turned to the door leading inward further into the ruin and blasted it with his magic. He had lost too much, sacrificed too much to stop now. He would see the destruction of King of Shadows with his own eyes even if he was damned in doing so.

.

"Switch to cold iron rounds!" Sam shouted over the din of exploding fire.

"What?" Jack shouted his question back.

"The BLUE clips, Jack!" Daniel shouted back in answer before concentrating on his spell casting.

Colonel Jonathan J. (Jack) O'Neill nodded his head as he slid the cartridge from his FN P90 and slammed in one of the special clips Dr. Carter had developed. Blue clips were filled with cartridges containing cold iron rounds, yellow clips had alchemical silver, and red were filled with adamantine tipped rounds. The blue colored ammunition clip slid in place just in time.

Towering above him was a creature of nightmares. At least twelve feet tall, the demon stood with blood red skin covering its muscled torso and a head that resembled that of a bull… if the bull was shrouded in shadows and had eyes of molten lava. An oppressive aura of doom radiated from the creature. In one clawed hand it wielded a sword crackling with electricity and in the other a long flaming whip.

"You are one ugly son of a—" Jack began before the creature's unnaturally deep voice cut him off.

"I will rend your flesh and soul, mortals!" the creature bellowed.

"Yeah… about that," Jack said lifting his weapon. "Let's don't and say we did."

And then he opened fire.

"Grobnar!" Tamil Farlong called out to the gnomish bard. "Let's shut those Shadow Reavers up! You take the one on the left!" With that, the Knight Captain of Crossroads Keep began her chanting. The gnome followed suit, his fingers gesturing in the exact same patterns as his companion.

"The moment you and your pathetic band stepped foot in my domain, Knight Captain," Garius began, enunciating Tamil's title with contempt, "you were al—"

He was cut off mid-speech just as the other two Shadow Reavers with him were cut off mid-spell. Garius looked up to see a grin on the Knight Captain's face. Garius and his lieutenants had spaced themselves too closely together. Between the gnomish and the human bards all of the Shadow Reaver spellcasters in the chamber had been silenced until the undead, former-Luskan wizards left the area effected by the bard spells. It would only take a few seconds to leave the area, but a lot could happen in just a few seconds during a battle.

Of course, Garius had never intended to make it easy for them. Whatever he was, he was a cunning enemy. Dark shadows darted within the perimeter of the barrier, their less than substantial forms passing through the force barriers without any difficulty. Greater shadows and a pair of dread wraiths had joined the battle. They turned towards the members of SG-1 intent on stealing their life's breath.

"Teal'c!" Sam called out to the former Jaffa and priest of Tyr. "We have to keep them away from Daniel!"

"Understood, Major Carter," the Jaffa responded with a nod.

Sam immediately began targeting the dread wraiths with a spell designed specifically to end their existence. Teal'c focused the power given to him by his god away from Daniel's position, fearful of accidentally striking him, carefully focusing the energy on those further away from his long time friend and ally. A burst of disruptive energy struck the area around Daniel while a brilliant beam of light engulfed the remainder of the undead. Daniel paid it no attention, his full attention on one of the Shadow Reavers as he began speaking the sounds of its True Name.

The powerful balor demon roared in pain. It was grievously wounded, though thus far it had managed to avoid being shot with those cold iron rounds in the head. Mere seconds had passed since it had lain eyes on Jack O'Neill and already it had been struck by scores of bullets that tore through its demonic hide. It was beginning to hate him. Specifically. The beastial creature swung its massive sword at Jack and flicked its whip of flame his way. The whip barely grazed the human's back, but the vile creature could sense the pain of its adversary. The sensation was delicious to it.

Jack didn't find the sensation anywhere near as pleasant. The scorching sting on his back stung viciously and his back was already blistering from the heat. The colonel was forced to dodge another swing of the balor's sword, and in doing so lost his grip on his P90. The balor advanced, its massive foot smashing down on Jack's weapon, its malignant eyes glaring at the human who had dared to hurt it.

"My gun," Jack said, stunned. And then he shouted with a sudden anger, drawing his backup blade from its sheath on his left leg. "That was a gift from my uncle, you sorry son-of-a…" Jack paused in the middle of his insult, realizing what he was about to say probably wouldn't be insulting enough. So, he improvised "…succubus!"

Apparently, the creature felt fairly insulted as it roared in challenge and charged the human, swinging its weapon in a rage.

Tamil felt a pair of arrows bite into her and she winced in pain. She looked across the transparent barrier that had bottled up her team over to the man who had betrayed them all. Bishop stood there with is bow in hand and terribly smug look on his face.

"Should have been paying attention to me instead of Garius there, Knight Captain," the ranger mocked. He was already nocking the next arrow. "That was always your problem. You were always paying attention to everyone else, never giving me my due. We could have had something, you know. But now it's just too late."

"Oh, Bishop," the Knight Captain of Crossroads Keep said with a wry smile on her face. "I do sort of regret not giving you the attention you deserved... I would have enjoyed having you arrested, drawn, and quartered, but Major Carter insisted on using you to pinpoint this location. I do slightly regret that I didn't try and redeem you, though. I mean, you are at least human. But, really, the sad thing about this is," she turned her head away from the ranger as she finished speaking, "you're still not worth my time."

The ranger growled and loosed his arrow, then rapidly fired another. Again he found the joints in the Knight Captain's armor with one of his shots, the only place a blow had any chance of getting through. But this time, he could tell from her expression that she barely registered the hit at all. Her skin was covered with a familiar grayish sheen, her Ironskin chant having blunted the damage. The ranger felt a fury building within himself as the woman pointedly ignored him and began casting spells to protect the rest of the companions.

Samantha Carter's voice rang over the battlefield. With the shadows and wraiths dispatched and Jack seemingly on top of things with the demon, it was time to turn their attention to their foes beyond the barrier. "Teal'c, concentrate on Garius until Daniel is done. Keep him too busy to do anything. I'll handle the ranger."

Multiple bursts of energy from the zat'nik'tel quickly got the ranger's attention. He changed targets to fire his arrows at Sam, hoping to throw her off target, but it was futile. Her magical defenses stopped his attacks from having any effect and her aim with that weapon at this range was too good to miss for long. He was struck with a burst, stumbling in place. A second burst hit him and the man slumped to the ground, his eyes wide and unseeing.

Teal'c found that his ma'tok staff energy passed through the barrier which had them all trapped as easily as spells and arrows did. This did not bode well for Garius or the Shadow Reavers. The skeletal thralls of the King of Shadows had taken the time to scatter, leaving the areas of silence Tamil and Grobnar had used on them at the beginning of the battle. Garius was just beginning his own casting when the plasma blast exploded in his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground, disrupting his spell.

A green cloud of vapor suddenly formed in the center area where the companions had been trapped, spreading outwards towards the barriers keeping them all in place. Jack stepped away from the headless corpse of the massive balor he had just managed to destroy, cursing as he felt his skin beginning to burn. Neeshka backed away from the body, pulling her weapons from the creature's back. She gave Jack a wink, before coughing on the sickly cloud of vapor.

"Uh, guys, you might want to stay out of that green floating cloud, there. Feels like acid," Jack said choking. "And we might want to figure out a way out of this little force field trap thing?"

Daniel Jackson replied. "The barrier should come down if we use enough force. I guess we could just toss some grenades at it." The scholar adjusted his glasses. "Oh, and the Shadow Reaver on the left should be vulnerable now. I just finished reciting his True Name."

Sam, Jack, and Daniel each tossed a grenade at the center of the barrier while Teal'c added in blast from his staff weapon. The resulting explosion ripped a hole in the floor and the translucent wall in front of them simply ceased to exist. The small area Garius had trapped them in would hold them no longer. SG-1 and their companions were about to take the battle to the enemy. The seven of them quickly rushed out of the little spot in which they had been trapped, but not before a blast of electricity ripped through all of them.

"Oh, wow, that felt like the time I kissed that electric eel" Grobnar exclaimed excitedly. His small, smoking form emerged from the spell, a smile beaming on his face. But his smile disappeared when he looked over to the blade golem he had created. "Oh, my. The Construct!"

The golem was still standing, but large gashes and rents were in its armor. Just as Grobnar started watching, it managed to plunge its blade into the chest of the sole remaining opposing blade golem, piercing its chest. A second golem lay behind it, missing an arm and in worse shape than the first. Grobnar and Sam's Construct had overcome two of those created by Garius, but at a steep price. The metal fighting machine would need a large number of repairs. Grobnar was already running over to the thing, a look of deep concern in his eye.

"Don't worry Construct! Daddy is coming!"

Samantha Carter saw the Shadow Reaver without the dark aura. The one on the left, just as Daniel had said, had been stripped of its connection to the King of Shadows. In being named, it had been returned to a mortal state. She cast her spell and a beam of destructive energy flashed out to hit the creature. The Shadow Reaver shuddered with the force of the spell. Then it exploded into dust as it was struck by a ball of plasma from Teal'c, the effects of the disintegrate spell combining with the plasma blast to destroy the creature forever.

Over closer to the center of the room, Jack and Tamil were on Garius in moments. Colonel O'Neill's adamantine swords ripped into him, slashing at the Shadow Reaver's hands as the former "Master of the Fifth Tower" attempted, futilely, to cast spells. Tamil brought the shards of the Sword of Gith to materialize the power of that fabled blade in her hand and slashed away, her voice lifted up in a song, lending the pair of them strength. Unable to defend himself or even manage to cast a spell, the lead Shadow Reaver and the cause of so much misery vanished away from the colonel and Knight Captain to appear beside the growing portal into the Plane of Shadow at the center of the room.

Back on the right, a ball of flame plowed into Grobnar and the Construct, exploding as it struck them. Grobnar was thrown back, but remained on his feet. The blade golem, however, fell back heavily. It was simply too damaged to continue to function properly. Grobnar quickly ran to stand between his creation and the Shadow Reaver that still maintained its aura of invulnerability.

"Foolish gnome!" the twisted creature mocked. "You think to face me, one of the King of Shadows' servants? I will tear the flesh from your bones and bind your soul to eternal service to darkness."

"You don't scare me," the gnome declared, not backing down. "I won't let you hurt my Construct." The gnome stood there bravely, beginning the necessary signs to complete a silencing spell.

"Fool," the Shadow Reaver spat in answer. The dark creature cast its own spell before Grobnar could complete his. The area around the gnomish bard and the blade golem grew deathly black and a yellow corona formed around the dark space the gnome and golem occupied. Grobnar dived onto the Construct, trying to shield it from the blast. But it was too late. The space around the pair constricted.

Grobnar gave a last little yelp, and then fell silent, lying atop the wreckage of the blade golem.

"GROBNAR!" Tamil screamed, fury on her face. She charged the Shadow Reaver that had just harmed her friend.

That left Jack to charge towards Garius, who was attempting to cast spells while being pelted by 9mm rounds from Sam and explosive blasts from Teal'c. Neeshka beat him to the spot and buried her sword into the man's back. A look of shock appeared on the creature's face.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" the tiefling said quietly, Just as Jack arrived and began striking with his own blades. Despite the massive wound, however, Garius still managed to fight back, but it was impossible for him to cast any more spells.

With the tiefling and the colonel in melee range of Garius, Sam and Teal'c stopped firing and turned their attention towards the remaining Shadow Reaver. They needed to hold it off until Daniel completed reciting its name. Daniel was nowhere to be seen, though his voice could be heard echoing through the hall. Carter and Teal'c sent some minor spells against the Shadow Reaver, knowing whatever damage they did would be repaired until—

A stream of magical energy began flashing out of empty air and slamming into the Shadow Reaver. There was a look of shock and sudden fear on the skull face as the aura around it drained away. Daniel Jackson, reappearing from invisibility, stood with a furious look on his face and with his hands outstretched. And then another barrage of magical energy and a ma'tok staff blast slammed into the minion of the King of Shadows. It crumpled to the ground, the blue fire around its skull vanishing into nothing. Without the power of the King of Shadows to revive it, its wounds were too much for it.

"No! This cannot be!" He had scene is fellow Shadow Reaver fall and now a similar fate awaited him. Garius cried out, his body pierced repeatedly by Jack and Neeshka's weapons. "I am immortal! Immortal!"

Jack swung his sword once more, decapitating the most powerful thrall of the King of Shadows. "Why do the bad guys always have to be so melodramatic? Would it kill them not to say such lame things? Geez, those guys."

"I take it that was the signal that the last one is vulnerable?" Sam smirked, referring to his magical missile storm blast.

Daniel wasn't listening. Instead, he was rushing over to where Grobnar lay. "Teal'c! Get over here. I think Grobnar is dead."

The entire group quickly rushed over towards their fallen friend. The former Jaffa knelt beside him and began a prayer. A glow surrounded the small form of the bard for a few seconds, but nothing happened.

"Come on, Teal'c, try and revive him if healing doesn't work," Daniel urged.

"I am sorry, Daniel Jackson. I just attempted to do so, but failed. It appears that the spirit of Grobnar Gnomehands either cannot return to his body, or does not wish to." The favored of Tyr bowed his head. "I am afraid there is no more that I can do for him through the power of Tyr."

The group stood in silence for a moment. The cost of their victory weighed heavily on them. Not knowing where the rest of their group was made it feel as if they had lost them all. And with Grobnar lying there lifeless on top of the broken blade golem, it really hit home. Unfortunately, they did not have time to stop and mourn.

"Uh, guys," Jack said in a half-worried tone, "didn't that portal in the middle of the room look smaller a minute ago?"

Jack was right. The portal was growing. After a frantic first few moments as they all watched what had been but a small crackle of energy surrounding a circle of shadow slowly expanding into a crackle of energy surrounding a much larger oval of shadow, now the size of a man, things settled down. Without any active hostile force trying to kill them, they finally had a chance to look around the room. And think.

The chamber was huge, Daniel surmised the massive space was to accommodate the exceptionally large size of some of the beings that could be summoned within it. The walls and floors were cobbled in shades of blue and gray, with white swirling patterns on the floor forming rings and curved designs around the central floor space. The most prominent feature of the room was five statues spaced in a ring around the room, each in the shape of a female figure in robes. In the back of the room was a large carving of a female goddess's face along the back wall with her hands extending up through the floor.

"I feel like I've seen these statues somewhere before…" Colonel O'Neill said as he looked around.

"Ruins of Arvahn, Jack," Carter supplied. "The place with the ghosts and the big tree?"

"Oh… right. I hated that place. Come to think of it, I think I hate this place, too."

"Join the club," Daniel answered back, but his eyes were tracing over the runes covering the statues. He could only half hate it. Any place with ancient writing and the remains of a long dead empire for him to study couldn't be all bad.

"So, figured anything out yet, Daniel?" Tamil asked conversationally.

"Well," Daniel began.

Jack rolled his eyes and immediately began tuning out whatever was going to come next. He knew from experience that whenever Daniel said that word with that kind of tone, in any language, that what was to follow would be some sort of technical mumbo jumbo probably based on a half-forgotten myth in some long dead culture. It was not the sort of thing he needed to remember. They'd give him the "for Dummies" version soon enough.

Daniel continued, paying no attention to Jack's lack of paying attention. "This is apparently the source of the powers the Ritual of Purification grants. The statues themselves are made of some rare meteor rock, called star metal, mixed in with marble, which apparently makes them a natural source of magic. The statues in Arvahn cause the recipient of the ritual to synch with this source of power and, huh," Daniel paused as he continued reading, "if in direct contact with the statues, the power can be constantly renewed without limitation rather than just daily."

"And that means…" Jack prompted.

"That we can use the powers designed to defeat the King of Shadows more easily here."

"What about the portal?" Tamil asked. "Any idea why it's continuing to expand even though Garius is no longer around?"

Samantha Carter sighed and answered the bardess's question. "From what I can tell, the portal is drawing power from the ruins themselves, particularly from the statues. Whatever spells Garius cast to achieve this effect are surviving his death."

Daniel turned to Sam, "What about using the Tome of Iltkazar to change the endpoints of the portal?"

"I could, theoretically, do that, but we would need a fixed destination to tie it to or it would just swing back to the Plane of Shadow…"

"You mean, you can make that portal go somewhere else?" Jack asked, suddenly interested. "Like, say, Earth?"

Sam shook her head. "No, Earth's point on the plane wouldn't intersect with the target tesseract in space time between the planes. I've been able to locate the endpoint in our home plane, but we can't get there directly from here. In fact, we'd need to target an active wormhole in our universe to be able to cross over back to our own plane, but the chances of actually interacting with such an event are infinitesimally miniscule."

Jack gave her a blank look.

Daniel provided an interpretation. "We'd have to go when someone was activating a gate, and it would have to be on a planet in a specific place. Like, say, P8F-202?" Daniel looked over at Sam thoughtfully. "We know that gate intersects…"

"But we don't know when the gate will be used. Unless we had some sort of foreknowledge of when a person will use the gate, there is no way for us to target it. But the argument is moot. So long as the King of Shadows controls the portal, I won't be able to manipulate the portal, even with the tome."

"Why do we not simply destroy the statues powering the portal in the first place and prevent the King of Shadows from entering this world?" Teal'c asked.

"That would only delay him," Daniel responded simply. "It's true, the King of Shadows has concentrated a lot of his power here, and if we prevent him from entering this plane through this portal it will stall him for at least a few years. But his power on this plane is already strong. It's like Zhjaeve said when we first met her. Now that he has this much power here, it's only a matter of time."

"So, what then?" Tamil asked. "We just let him show up?"

"Exactly," Sam answered with a smile stretching across her face. "And we give him a warm welcome."

.

The King of Shadows stepped out from his long exile on the Shadow Plane once more onto his home: the Prime Material Plane on the world of Toril and the continent of Faerûn. The Guardian of Illefarn hard returned to re-establish the old borders of the empire he served and protect the land as he had sworn to do. It was what he existed for. What the man he had been long before had ended his own existence to bring about. He felt the life in the world before him and sucked the energy into himself to strengthen him for the task ahead. The land would be purged and the Illefarn Empire would rise again in shadow and darkness. Then the King of Shadows looked down at the tiny mortals who foolishly stood before it, their intent to disrupt his return plainly evident. They would be the first to be crushed and raised again to serve the Illefarn.

Jack O'Neill summed up everyone's first impression of the massive figure that had just stepped through the portal. "He would make a fantastic center for the Denver Nuggets. I bet General Hammond could get him a tryout."

The King of Shadows was huge, towering high above the heroes.

"Are you saying that because he's black, Jack? A bit racist, isn't it?" Sam teased.

The King of Shadows was indeed black, but not the color of anyone's skin tone. Rather, it was the color of the night sky on a moonless, starless night. The giant was armored with shining silver greaves, silver sandals, and a silver mask that partially covered the massive white horns that curled behind his head.

"Nope, not at all. He could be white human, black human, moon elf, dark elf, dwarf, gnome, or halfling, and I'd still say: shoot him!"

Jack, Sam, and Daniel all opened fire, each targeting a separate point on the monstrous figure's body. Jack fired his M9 while Daniel and Sam used their FN P90's. After a few seconds, it became clear that only Sam's attacks were having any effect at all. "Switch to silver ammo… yellow clips!"

And then the massive figure warped across the room, draining energy from the entire area. Targeting the huge brute suddenly became more difficult as they were forced to scatter while the huge black figure swung a massive sword through their ranks and randomly teleport about every time they got a fix on him.

"It's either now or never on those ritual powers we risked our lives over!" Sam shouted.

Tamil nodded, then stepped forward and raised her hands upwards. "Shining shield!"

Teal'c then did the same, "Soothing light!"

"Aurora Chain!"

"Web of Purity!"

"Cleansing Nova!"

All four members of SG-1 stood with their arms upraised alongside Tamil Farlong, the power of the ritual infusing them and their weapons while holding the King of Shadows in place with orange strands of power. They felt strengthened, and the black icy chill of the King of Shadows had been wiped away. The massive figure himself cringed from exposure to the power designed specifically to weaken him.

Teal'c looked at Sam, a sudden knowledge filling him. "Dr. Carter, you must begin using the Tome to control the portal. We will handle the King of Shadows."

"But Teal'c—"

"Trust in Tyr, and in us. Now, begin while the power of the ritual is holding him."

Sam shook her head, but found herself backing away from the King of Shadows and heading towards the portal, pulling the Tome of Iltkazar from her pack. She would trust Teal'c with her life, but some supposed deity? Even after experiencing being healed and brought back to life, it was still difficult for her.

Jack and Daniel continued firing their alchemical silver rounds while Teal'c blasted away with his staff weapon. Tamil attacked with the shards of the Silver Sword of Gith forming the blade in her hands, and Neeshka was at her side slashing away. For several long seconds, the King of Shadows was held immobile by the glowing strands of energy. And then the massive shadow king was loose and turning its malice in one direction: Samantha Carter.

"I'm out!" Daniel yelled, tossing his P90 to Jack who still had a yellow clip for the firearm. Daniel had other weapons to use as he began casting the most devastating offensive spells he knew. Large streaking blue missiles flew from his outstretching fingers to slam into the back of the creature rapidly approaching Dr. Carter. It was enough to stagger the behemoth, but not enough to bring it down.

The power remaining from the Web of Purity was still preventing the dark creature from simply warping through the shadows to her directly, but its long strides had broken most of the power's hold and it would be upon her in seconds. Even with Jack firing silver rounds into its back and both Tamil and Neeshka tearing into its legs, they weren't going to stop it in time. It would reach Sam.

And then another figure charged into the fray. The large metal figure of the Construct gave a salute with its bladed arm and began whacking away at the King of Shadows. Most importantly, it was standing in the way, preventing the creature of darkness from reaching the astrophysicist-turned-wizard while she stood vulnerable, holding onto a book and concentrating on the portal.

Blast after blast from Teal'c's staff weapon slammed into the back of the King of Shadows. Scores of slashes and gashes from Neeshka and Tamil burned through its legs. Hundreds of tiny pinpricks where Jack continued to fire away into the creature scoured its back. A near continuous torrent of magical blasts erupted from Daniel's outstretched fingertips. And then finally, the Silver Sword of Gith plunged straight through being's chest and its massive form exploded into shadow.

The group looked around for a few heartbeats. Was the King of Shadows destroyed?

"This doesn't feel right," Daniel mouthed. Then he saw the five statues of the ritual turn to darkness. "Jack, NOW!"

Jack O'Neill pushed the button on the detonator inside his jacket. The explosive charges they had set on each of the statues after realizing that they were a potential power source for their enemy blew all at once. The power the King of Shadows had sought was gone as the strange statues shattered into thousands of pieces.

"I've got it!" Samantha Carter cried out. "The King of Shadows has lost control of the portal and now… I think…" she beamed, "I've got it!"

There was a sudden rumbling sound emanating from the ruins.

"Oh, that can't be good," Daniel said looking around. Rocks began falling, the exits to the chamber already beginning to be sealed off by splintering stone falling from the walls and ceilings.

"Through the portal?" SG-1 said to each other at the same time.

"No way you're leaving me behind!" Neeshka shouted.

The group looked at the Knight Captain. Who grinned. "Count me in. I can always enjoy another adventure." It didn't matter where the magical gateway would take them.

The group charged through the rapidly closing portal.

.

Qara broke free of the massive hand binding her in place with a final snarl. She could feel her master, feel him on this plane! And then something was suddenly wrong. The power she felt so close to her was suddenly... less.

She had to go to him. Forgetting her vengeance on Sand, she turned back towards the chamber where Garius and her Master, the King of Shadows were waiting for her. And then the ceiling began rumbling. No!

The former sorceress hurried down into the chamber while rocks fell all around her. A large stone fell on her shoulder. She felt pain again. But to her horror, now it was not healing. Her connection to the King of Shadows! It was gone. In the middle of the chamber was the portal through which her master would come… but it was shrinking rather than growing. And the darkness, instead of pouring out of the portal, it was rapidly pouring back into it. Her master was leaving her.

Qara ran, casting aside the black robes. She was starting to feel weak. As if the power that had sustained her after becoming a Shadow Reaver was running out. She had to make it through before the protal closed! Qara jumped through the magical gateway at full speed, joining the shadowy fog that was pouring through into the unknown.

A moment before she disappeared into the portal, there was a quick flash of white light. Ammon Jerro stood just a few feet away from the rapidly closing portal. He looked around, seeing the devastation from the battle that had just taken place. He had felt the fracturing of the power of the Illefarn ruins, the power preventing him from simply teleporting where he needed to go rapidly fading away. He had left the other two where they had been, eager to join the battle against his mortal enemy.

"The gith and the dwarf will find their own way out," he muttered to himself. "There is no doubt about that. My destiny lies beyond that portal." The warlock eyed the doorway in the air leading to a destination he was not certain of.

Before he could step through, however, the gateway shrunk even further. It was now too small for him to fit through. "No! I will not be denied seeing the end of my foe!"

And then, as if in answer to his prayer, the portal widened once more. Not hesitating, the warlock quickly stepped through. And then there was a brief flash of hellfire burning through the portal before it collapsed along with the entire ceiling of the ruins. The sound of the stones falling upon each other was the sound of dark laughter.

.

P8F-202. An abandoned ice planet. SG-1 had arrived there in sight of the Stargate. Seeing the ring standing there on an alien planet was reassuring to the humans from Earth. They hadn't arrived at their planet yet, but at least this was the right universe.

Daniel was a short ways ahead of the rest of SG-1, Neeshka by his side.

"So, this is your home?" Neeshka ventured to ask. "Cold as Cania here, she commented! But, I guess it's not so bad. I mean, not like it has evil warlocks or a Shadow King, right?"

They arrived at the Dial Home Device. "Uh, no, this is eh… hold on a moment," Daniel began dialing Earth. He locked in the last of the symbols and watched as the familiar whoosh of blue wormhole energy rushed outward.

"Oh, wow, it's like a Song Portal, but without the songs," Neeshka commented.

Several blasts erupted from behind him.

"What the hells?" Daniel asked. Staff weapon blasts? But why would Teal'c…

More blasts continued to go off around them. That wasn't Teal'c. They were back in their home universe. There were evil bad guys here, too.

"Dial us out, Daniel! Some place away from here!" Jack yelled back.

"Uh, I just finished dialing Earth!"

"What? We can't go through there, the iris will be closed! We don't have a GDO and our codes would be obsolete anyway!"

"I know! I was trying to establish initial contact so Stargate Command would initiate protocol to send teams out to locate us. I didn't expect a Jaffa attack here!"

"Well hurry and shut it down and dial a new—"

A blast from a stray Jaffa attack struck just to the side of the device, frying the DHD controls. The wormhole remained open. Apparently the power source was unharmed, but the there was no way to dial another address.

"Well," Jack said looking at the destroyed device. "I guess now our only hope is to defeat the legion of Jaffa on this planet and hope they happen to have a spaceship. And then get ourselves on said spaceship and take it over from the inside."

Tamil looked at Jack with a grin. "Seriously? That sounds like an adventure!"

Jack shook his head. "No, not seriously." Tamil gave a pouting frown before firing an arrow off at their attackers as Teal'c, Jack, and Sam were doing with their firearms.

That was when Daniel turned towards the rest of the group, taking cover near the Stargate. "Give me two minutes, then follow me through the gate."

"Do what?" Sam asked.

Daniel quickly cast a spell and then darted through the wormhole.

INSERTBREAK

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" came the warning sound and sirens began going off across the base. The iris of the Stargate closed automatically. Marines poured into the room, their weapons trained on the event horizon.

General Hammond stepped into the control room with a look of concern on his face. "Do they have a valid code?"

"No transmission of any kind," the technician responded. After several seconds of nothing happening, there was a sudden spike in the energy coming through. "Something is coming through the wormhole."

That was when one of several monitors observing the room showed what looked like a ghost passing through the iris and coming out the gate.

"What the hell?" General Hammond asked. He looked at the room and saw nothing.

The ghostly being floated through the air on the monitor, while in the room itself, nothing was visible. Infrared, ultraviolet, and sonic detection showed nothing. Only one camera designed to observe EM effects picked up the strange being, which floated down the ramp as if unaffected by gravity. General Hammond called an order for the Marines to ready their weapons. He had no idea what this was or whether or not it was hostile.

Then when the ghostly figure reached the floor on the monitor, it suddenly appeared on all the monitors and to the naked eye and gave a quick yell of, "Whoah, hold your fire, guys!"

The voice was familiar, but the clothing was certainly not. General Hammond knew he needed to place that voice, and quickly. Standing before them was a figure in a long, hooded robe, its face covered by cloth. The man carried a long staff in one hand.

"Who are you?" General Hammond demanded angrily, "and why did you come through the gate without—"

"General," the figure began, and George Hammond knew the voice was incredibly familiar. But the voice he thought he was hearing was impossible. "Please, open the iris. SG-1 is on the other side and they'll be coming through any second. They're pinned down by Jaffa and the gate is the only way out."

"SG-1 is in the mess hall eating their lunch. So if you want to tell me…"

"It's me. Daniel," the figure pulled his hood down. Several of the Marines cocked their weapons, prepared to fire at the motion. The hood fell away, though. It was indeed Daniel Jackson.

"My word," the general said, recognizing him. "You mean, Colonel O'Neill… Dr. Carter… Teal'c… the original SG-1."

"All still alive, sir. But not for long if you don't open the iris."

"How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?"

"Sir, you saw how I got in here. If I was part of an invading gou'ald army, why wouldn't I send an entire army in the same way?" Daniel's eyes pleaded, as his hands prepared to begin a desperate spell casting. "Please, trust me. If this turns out to be a trick, shoot me later."

General Hammond hesitated for just a second. But that sounded so much like Daniel. And just the chance of getting SG-1 back… "Open the iris!"

The metal plate covering the wormhole parted. It was seconds later when, one after another, six more forms barreled through the Stargate and down the ramp. The first was Samantha Carter, her blond head and bright eyes easily recognizable, despite wearing what looked to be a combination of a Kevlar vest and medieval armor. Teal'c followed, then Colonel O'Neill. At the arrival of each of these familiar faces, the General's eyes brightened.

And then the first unexpected figure arrived. It was a striking woman wearing what looked to be a full suit of knight's armor. She walked quickly behind the group and stood directly behind Colonel O'Neill. Then a second figure emerged, and this one elicited a gasp. It was another woman, but this one had a tail waving behind her and horns on top of her head. And then the last figure stepped through and General Hammond was reconsidering whether he had made the right decision or not. The last through was a giant metal man with what looked like a sword for an arm.

"Close the iris now!" rang the authoritative voice of Colonel Jack O'Neill. General Hammond nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with the order.

"Now all of you stay where you are. You've got a lot of explaining to do, even if you are who you say you are. And I find that highly doubtful," the general ordered.

Jack looked at all the Marines pointing automatic weapons at him and the dour look of the bald general and smiled. "Ah it's good to be back."

"Yep," Daniel said with a smile, looking to each of his companions. "We're back, and better than ever."

General Hammond half wanted to scowl and half wanted to jump for joy. But it was much too early for him to accept this miracle at face value. "You will all be put in isolation and thoroughly checked out. And then, if you are proven to really be SG-1, you will be debriefed."

"Looking forward to it, sir," Major Carter said with a grin.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed with a slight bow of his head.

"I'm sure you'll want to know what all happened while we were gone," Jack said with a serious face. "And boy have we ever have a story to tell you."

The End of this Adventure

But the Start of a New One