“Oh, much further than that,” Jack said, gesturing vaguely toward the Stargate. “Way, way over there…”
The girl standing next to Aedan — barely twenty, bony, with wide, earnest eyes — reached up and whispered something in his ear. He nodded. “Elspeth said she watched you walk out of the valley last night. Did you cross it?”
“Ah…” Jack glanced over at Daniel. Carter had dropped her pack and propped him up against it. He was still conscious, though ghostly white. Jack swallowed a fresh knot of concern and said, “A little help here?”
Daniel licked his lips. “We’re far from home,” he said. “And we need your help.”
As he spoke, a big drop of rain landed on Jack’s cap, another hitting the side of his face. Just when he didn’t think this damn planet could get any worse. The universe, he decided bitterly, was having a laugh at his expense.
Aedan looked up at the sky, then back at Daniel. He still didn’t lower his weapon. “The valley is poisoned,” he said. “Is that why you’re sick?”
“Ah… poisoned?” Daniel said, frowning. “No, I was wounded. Shot.”
“Actually,” Carter said, “that’s probably not true anyway. About the valley?” Aedan looked at her, confused, so she plowed on; sometimes Carter just didn’t know when to shut up. “While prolonged exposure to the radioactive fallout — that is, to the dust in the valley — is dangerous, you could probably cross —”
“Carter?”
She glanced up at him. “Sir?”
“Not now.”
Jaw clamped shut, she nodded and fell silent, but he didn’t miss the flash of wounded pride in her eyes — and this time he hadn’t even been trying to knock her down.
Another drop of rain landed on his face, followed by more and heavier. Quelling his frustration, he took a breath and tried to be diplomatic. “Look, Aedan,” he said. “Daniel’s right, we need your help. He’s badly injured and we really need to open the Stargate and go home.”
Aedan looked blank. “Stargate?”
“Big stone ring back in the valley?”
There was a palpable shifting among the group, half amusement and half unease. Neither was encouraging. “You’re headsick,” Aedan said, aiming his weapon more sharply. “Only Devourers come through the Eye.”
“Devourers?” Jack echoed. Who, or what, were Devourers? And, more importantly, how did they open the Stargate without a DHD?
He cast a quick look at Carter, but she just shrugged: no idea. Daniel had his eyes closed and didn’t seem to be responding at all. Crap.
“Not only Devourers,” the girl next to Aedan piped up. “They aren’t the only ones.”
“Hush up, Elspeth.”
“I won’t,” she said. “The old gods lived beyond the Eye. Everyone knows that.” Turning to Jack she fixed him with a searching look. “Do you serve them? The old gods?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but Teal’c got there first. “We do not.”
“There are no gods,” Aedan said irritably, “old or otherwise. Now give over your blethering, Elspeth.”
She backed down, but didn’t appear cowed and continued to regard them steadily — especially Teal’c — with her large, curious eyes.
The rain was heavy now, a steady downpour. And the wind was picking up too, driving rain down the valley in long, cold sweeps. Their only dry clothes were about to get soaked through. Jack decided to cut his losses. These kids might not own a DHD but they did own a warm, dry cave. Besides, he needed to learn more about the Devourers — whoever they were — and how they used the Stargate. Hell, he’d be happy to hitch a ride home with the Goa’uld at this point.
“Aedan,” he said, trying to sound reasonable and friendly. “It’s raining. My friend’s injured and we need shelter. We’re willing to trade for it.” He eyed their lean, hungry bodies and the couple of skinny rabbits dangling from Aedan’s belt. “We have food,” he said, “medicines, weapons…”
Aedan shifted as the wind tugged at his hair, ruffling the furs of his coat.
“We can’t bring armed strangers inside,” a male voice objected from behind them. Jack glanced over his shoulder, but he couldn’t tell which of the men had spoken. They all watched him with the same overt suspicion.
“Their weapons are primitive,” Aedan said. “And we can take precautions.”
Jack turned back to face him. “Precautions? What kind of precautions?”
Aedan just smiled.