Chevron Nine
Part 6: Am Tonn Trethain(The Furious Wave)
As the chariot of the Ocean God plunged into the sea, Daniel held his breath and closed his eyes against the sting of the salt water. He was surprised to find, however, that he did not so much as feel wet. He carefully cracked one eye open, then blinked in astonishment and drew a cautious breath, his lungs filling with air.
"Well, this is new," he muttered.
Manánnan Mac-y-Leirr brought his horses to a stop and turned to Daniel. "Before we continue, you must prove yourself worthy of my aid," he intoned.
It was all Daniel could do to avoid rolling his eyes. "Look, all I really need is a ride -"
"You must pass a test which I will set for you. If you pass, I will bring you to Ellan Vannin in safety. However, I shall leave you here if you fail. The task should be simple enough for a true friend of the Ocean God."
"There's going to be no talking you out of this, is there?" Daniel sighed. "Let's get it over with, then. What is the task?"
Manánnan Mac-y-Leirr let out an odd chattering call, and a gray creature appeared at his side. "You must best the dolphin in a race," the Ocean God said. "You will swim in a straight line, and the first to reach my chariot will be named the victor. I will provide air for you to breathe and keep the water from your eyes, but if you lose, you will be food for the fishes."
Daniel fought down his panic, with only partial success. "Are you kidding? I lived in the deserts of Egypt as a child, and inland America since! I can't swim that well!"
"If you are indeed worthy of my aid, you will prevail. The race begins... now." Deity, horses, and chariot vanished, and the dolphin shot off like an arrow. Daniel tried to follow, but made only slow progress. Despair welled up within him as the dolphin disappeared from sight.
He was near exhaustion when a voice startled him. "Are you in need of assistance, Daniel Jackson?"
It took him a moment to see who had spoken, then his eyes lit on the sand-colored manta ray hovering beneath him. "Yes, I am," he gasped. "Manánnan Mac-y-Leirr has pitted me against a dolphin in a race, and if I lose, my life is forfeit."
The ray looked up at him with understanding eyes. "Hold on to my fins and I will carry you to the finish. The dolphin will not see me, and therefore will not accuse you of cheating."
When it came down to life or honesty, life won out. He couldn't rescue Sha'uri if he was dead. "Thank you."
Even burdened with Daniel's weight, the ray achieved an incredible speed. A supernatural speed, Daniel thought. The supernatural, however, seemed to become normal when the Stargate dialed nine chevrons.
A speck in the distance slowly grew fins and a thrashing tail. The ray brought him up alongside the dolphin, the past it. It once again receded into the distance, but this time it was the one falling behind.
About a hundred yards short of the race's end, the ray slowed to a stop. "You must finish on your own," the creature said.
Daniel looked behind him, and, not seeing the dolphin at all, thanked the ray once again and struggled forward. Once he had halved the distance, he paused to rest, but a glance backward revealed the dolphin rapidly gaining on him, but still an appreciable distance away. He redoubled his efforts, and all the while the dolphin drew closer.
Forty yards. He might make it, if he was lucky.
Thirty yards. The distance between him and the dolphin was closing much faster than the space between him and the chariot.
Twenty yards. The dolphin was almost on top of him.
Ten yards. Daniel's heart sank as a streak of gray flashed by.
Suddenly, the sea floor just ahead of the dolphin seemed to explode, and the animal stopped suddenly as the sand scratched its eyes. Inside the roiling cloud of sediment, Daniel saw a distinctive diamond-shaped silhouette: the manta ray had once again saved his life. Daniel touched the Ocean God's chariot the instant the dolphin burst free.
Manánnan Mac-y-Leirr frowned at him. "You have won the race, so I cannot, in good conscience, leave you. However, because you cheated in order to achieve that victory, you have invalidated the test and must pass another."
Daniel shook his head, still breathing hard. "If you continue in your line of reasoning, you also cannot withhold your help. The condition was that I win the race. You said nothing about rules."
The Ocean God's face darkened. "Do not question me. My word is law, but only for mortals such as yourself."
At the tone of his voice, Daniel's objections died unsaid. Frustrated, he awaited the next impossible assignment.
"I will show you two images of the castle toward which we are headed. One will be flawed in some way. You must discern which one is accurate."
Greatly relieved that the task was an easy one this time, Daniel agreed. Manánnan Mac-y-Leirr waved his hand and summoned to nearly identical images.
But they were so tiny the details were obscured.
Daniel's heart pounded as he leaned closer to the two-dimensional pictures. His life rested on his eyesight - not good, he thought as he adjusted his glasses.
He didn't know what prompted him to study the castle grounds instead of the buildings themselves. Perhaps it was that the answer lay there - in the familiar shape of the Stargate. It was present in only one image. "That one."
The Ocean God enlarged the image, and Daniel saw to his dismay that while the Stargate was indeed in the right place, the Dial Home Device was not; it was in fact missing entirely. "Neither image was correct," the deity said. "One image was, as I said, flawed, but so was the other. You have failed."
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