STARGATE SG-1 29 Hall of the Two Truths (21 page)

“You care more about an old bag of bones than you do me!”

The accusation stung. If only he could make her understand — which would be difficult, considering he wasn’t really sure he understood himself.

“No, it isn’t that. Sha’re, listen —” But she had turned her back on him and was striding down the dock to the boat. The boatman tossed Daniel a look of disdain as he followed her, offering her his hand to steady her step onto the waiting boat.

She never looked back. Daniel saw her gingerly settle into her waiting place and the rest of the passengers shifted slightly to fill the space that had been meant for him. With a final scornful look, the boatman cast off the line and the barque drifted away toward the center of the river. It wasn’t long before Daniel saw the oarsman begin rowing just as the small mast was raised, catching the wind and propelling the boat upstream. In no time at all he lost sight of Sha’re amidst the crowd of other passengers.

“
You are a fool
.” The voice startled him, coming from the old woman in his arms. She stirred slightly and then was still again.

“Probably,” he replied. “And I’ll probably end up regretting this too. But I couldn’t just leave you here.”

She coughed raggedly before answering. “
Why not? What am I to you? She who was my queen despises me for what I did. You should despise me too.
”

“Part of me does.”

“
Only part?
”

Well. As long as they were being honest — “Okay, a lot of me. But I’m not doing this for you.”

He wasn’t sure if what came out of the woman was another spasaming cough or a laugh. “
My host, you mean? You think you are helping her?
”

He really did not want to be having this conversation now. The look of bitterness and betrayal in Sha’re’s eyes were fresh enough to put him on the verge of regretting his decision. A taunting Goa’uld was not going to improve anything.

Now that she was awake, he set the old woman down and busied himself with securing the raft. It would be easier to navigate from the dock than trying to negotiate all the billowing reeds along the shore, so he towed it to where the barque had been tied and went back for the pole. By the time he had everything ready, he was able to think more clearly. Sha’re’s face was no longer hovering in his peripheral vision.

Getting the old woman onboard was a challenge, but Daniel finally eased her down off the edge of the dock onto the precariously rocking raft. It was sturdier than it looked, comprised of bundles of something very much like papyrus flashed together with a crude, hemp-like rope. Early Egyptian boats had been made similarly and if he’d had the time he would have enjoyed comparing this experience with the Ancient Egyptian concept of the underworld. But his brain was too tired to do any more than merely make a passing note of it.

Using the pole, Daniel pushed off from the dock. Along the shore, the current was manageable, but as soon as they neared the center of the river, it got a lot trickier. The raft was swept, spinning downstream before he finally got the knack of using the pole. The water was fairly shallow, though, and before long they were actually making some progress across the river.

As they neared the other side, Daniel was able to pole the raft back upstream along the river’s edge until they landed at a spot close to where the path resumed. Stumbling through the rushes, they reached higher ground and a small copse of stunted trees, where they both collapsed onto the ground. The old woman was spent, and she simply lay there, unmoving. Daniel crawled toward the trunk of the nearest tree and fell against it, closing his eyes. He was too tired, even to reach for the canteen. It would need to be filled before they could move on, but he had no intention of budging from this place for a long while.

With a sigh, he surrendered to his exhaustion and fell asleep.

IT WAS a good half hour before the terrain began to level off and Jack didn’t feel that a misstep would send him tumbling all the way back down to the river. From time to time he could still glimpse its frothy white rapids far below through the trees. Definitely not a fall he’d like to take. It really would mean a swift and permanent jaunt to the afterlife. Although at the moment he wasn’t so sure but that this place was a far more accurate representation of Hell.

Now that the ground was more even, the trees began to thin and Jack could make out a vast open expanse not far ahead. Without the thick canopy of trees, the rain was coming down harder on them again, but the open field would be worse. He called for Carter to stop.

“Time for a break.” He used his gun to point at a couple of trees that were close enough together to still offer some protection. “Have a seat.”

She looked grateful as she sank to the ground against one of the trunks. He sat in front of the other tree, keeping his gun within easy reach as he pulled the knapsack onto his lap and opened it.

“Here.” Jack tossed her one of the packets of food, taking another one himself. She unwrapped it quickly and took a bite, grimacing a bit as she chewed. “That bad, huh?” he remarked, taking a small bite out of his own. It tasted like wet cardboard. “Well, you packed it, so don’t look at me.” Jack washed it down with a swig from the mud-covered canteen he’d reclaimed from her as they’d climbed the switchback. No way was he going to leave their only potable water in the care of the enemy.

He offered her a drink, but she shook her head. Shrugging, Jack put the strap back over his head and finished off the food. Bad as it was, he could have eaten another. But who knew how long they’d have to make what little they had last.

Actually, she probably did.

“Thank you, by the way.” She spoke suddenly, taking him by surprise. It was Carter’s voice too.

“I didn’t do it for you.”

She nodded. “Even so, I appreciate it.”

“Look, cut it out, okay? I know what you’re trying to do, so stop with the games, already. You’re not Carter so stop pretending to be her and just be, you know — ‘Tayet,’ or whoever the hell you are.”

Thankfully, the snake complied.

“
Very well, Colonel. Nevertheless, I am grateful.
”

“So, you want to explain what’s going on here? I mean, what’s
really
going on here? Because if you try to give me that ‘you’re dead and on a journey to the afterlife’ crap again, I’m really gonna lose it.”

“
You
are
on a journey, Colonel
,” the snake replied, placidly. “
And I am your guide. Aside from that, you will have to be more specific with your questions
.”

Great. A cryptic Goa’uld. Usually you couldn’t shut their bragging up. This one wanted to play twenty-questions.

Jack took a deep breath. “Fine. A journey, you say. To where?”

“
As I have already told you, the Hall of the Two Truths.
”

“Okay then — why?”

She looked slightly impatient. “
As I have also told you before, to have your heart weighed in judgment so that you may enter the afterlife
.”

He held up a finger and waggled it. “Uh-uh-uh — remember, I said none of that whole ‘afterlife’ stuff. There’s gotta be more to it than that.”

Tayet said nothing in reply.

“Right,” he sighed, after a few moments of silence. “Not talking about that, are you. So, Teal’c and Daniel — where are they?”

“
I do not know.
”

Okay. Short and sweet. But not terribly helpful.

“Might they be on a similar ‘journey?’” He made quotation marks in the air.

“
It is my understanding that they are.
”

Well there was something, at least. They weren’t dead either.

“Any chance we might run into them along the way?” He could really use the help, unless of course Daniel had a snake stuck in his head too, in which case all bets were off.

“
All roads lead to the Hall of Judgment
,” Tayet replied.

Even better, a Zen-Goa’uld.

“So, is that a yes?” he asked, then held up his hand before Tayet could answer. “Never mind. You’ll probably say something I wouldn’t understand anyway.” Jack ran his hand through his hair, wiping off the rain. He noticed Tayet shivering ever so slightly.

“Cold?”

It was Carter’s reluctant smile that answered. “A little.”

He tried not to let that get to him. “You know, next time you pack for one of these ‘journeys’, you might want to throw in a little rain gear and some matches.” Jack stood up, resisting the urge to extend a hand and help her to her feet. “Come on. Let’s see if we can find some shelter. And don’t try anything funny, okay?” He motioned her with his P90. She made no reply but walked ahead of him back into the forest.

“Here.” Jack passed Tayet the canteen to help wash down the cardboard food. It hadn’t been half bad this time. Maybe he was just too tired to care. They’d managed to find enough branches to construct a passable lean-to. It was better than nothing, although a fire would have been nice. Hell, he’d settle for socks, at this point.

When she was done with the canteen, Jack took it back and removed the shoulder strap.

“Come on,” he said, indicating her hands. “Let’s have ‘em.”

She looked confused, so Jack shoved both his arms out, wrists up. “Sorry. Not taking any chances.” In a way, he
was
sorry. Part of him didn’t really think she had any intention of running off or conking him on the head. But he was convinced that was only because she looked like Carter. He had to keep reminding himself that he was really dealing with the snake inside.

Reluctantly she held out her wrists. “
I suppose it wouldn’t do any good to tell you that this is unnecessary
.”

He wrapped the strap around them several times and secured them with a knot even Carter wouldn’t be able to undo. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t quite take your word on that.” Not that he was going to be able to get any real rest, let alone any sleep.

The snake didn’t seem much inclined that way either.

“Can I ask you something, Colonel?” She was sounding like Carter again. He hated it. “How did you know I was not really Major Carter? I had the impression, right from the start, that you doubted me.”

“Just a gut feeling.” There was no need to point out all the obvious red flags, like the whole ‘reading hieroglyphics’ thing. “That and the fact that you kept trying to convince me I was dead.”

“You rejected that premise right away. Why?”

“Not hot enough.”

She took a few seconds to process that one. “I don’t understand.”

“Ever hear of Netu?”

“The realm of Sokar.”

“Yeah. See, that’s a little more in line with where I’m headed.” He said it as a joke, but he knew better. A guy couldn’t do all the damned distasteful things he’d done and expect a halo and harp.

“A place of punishment and eternal damnation.”

“Sounds about right.”

“And that is the afterlife you think you deserve?”

There was an oddly confessional quality to this discussion, hearing Carter’s voice asking questions his second in command never would have dared.

“Maybe. Probably, actually. But then it’s really not up to me.” He cleared his throat. “Look, can we not talk about this?” The last thing he needed was to discuss his immortal soul with the Goa’uld who was holding Carter hostage in her own body. “Besides. You don’t get to ask questions. At least not until you answer some of mine.”

“I’ll try.”

Right. He didn’t think his odds were any better this time around, but what the heck? He took a deep breath. “Why Carter?”

“I don’t under —”

“Why’d you pick Carter?” He felt a sudden, unanticipated surge of anger. “Why not Daniel? Why’d it have to be her?”

Jack waited for a reply, but there was only silence. Grunting, he shook his head in disgust. Damned snake, anyway.

“Because you trust her the most.” The answer came unexpectedly out of the darkness in Carter’s clear and quiet voice. It seemed to hang there in the space between them, as if the words themselves had substance and weight sufficient to crush him.

Jack felt sick. The pasteboard food congealed in his stomach, hard as a stone in the very pit of it. There was an all too familiar ring to her answer. One he’d swore he’d never permit himself to hear again.

For this reason, this one was chosen.

Suddenly he was in an isolation room at the SGC, mesmerized by the pen in his hand as the rhythmic snapping of the ventilator mercifully drowned out the voices of self-loathing in his head.

No. Now was not the time to go there. What mattered was this, right here, right now. He’d find a way to fix it somehow. This time without killing Carter.