STARGATE SG-1 29 Hall of the Two Truths (26 page)

Too bad his copy was sitting back in his office at the SGC.

As they drew closer, Daniel could see two figures standing near the fire. One was average size, but the other was enormous, towering well above the other. He didn’t have a good feeling about either of them — especially the big one.

“Is there anything else you can tell me before we get there?” The old woman seemed to know a whole heck of a lot more about what was going on here than he did. If Jack had taught him anything, it was to go into a situation with as much intel as possible.

“
Only this. The Gatekeeper will ask you three questions. If you cannot answer them, then you must face the Guardian. If that happens, the only way through the gate is by defeating him in battle.
”

“Let me guess. The Guardian is the big guy, right?”

Her nod confirmed it.

“Right.” Even in peak condition Daniel knew he was no match for either of them, let alone the Guardian. He better hope he could answer the three questions.

It was probably better to not take the two men by surprise, so Daniel called out as soon as they were within earshot, waving his arm over his head in what he hoped was a friendly gesture. The Gatekeeper spun around at once, scanning the darkness for the source of the sound while the Guardian aimed what looked suspiciously like a staff weapon toward them. Oh yes. This was going to be fun.

“Hey there!” Daniel called again, helping the old woman down the slight embankment until they were only a dozen or so meters away from the campfire. Between the firelight and the moonlight he could see both men clearly.

The Gatekeeper was his height and sported a clean-shaven head. In one ear dangled a gold earring which matched the wide gold collar he wore at his neck. In another time and another place Daniel could easily see him behind the wheel of a chariot, racing across the Egyptian sands.

As intimidating as the Gatekeeper was, it was the Guardian who made Daniel take a deep breath. Close up he was at least a head taller than the Gatekeeper. More, probably. Bare-chested as well, he made his companion look puny by comparison. And while Daniel could see that it was, in fact, a staff weapon in his hand, somehow he had the feeling that the Guardian would have no need of it should it come down to a fight. Just one twist of his massive hands and there wouldn’t be an unbroken bone left in his adversary’s body.

Yep. He really did need to answer those questions correctly.

“Who approaches?” It was the Gatekeeper who spoke. Daniel had a hunch the Guardian wasn’t much of a talker.

“Hi there! My name is Daniel Jackson and this is —” It occurred to him that he had no idea what the old woman’s name was. Now didn’t seem the appropriate time to ask. “ — an acquaintance of mine.” He cleared his throat. “We’re journeying to the Hall of the Two Truths and we’d very much appreciate it if you would allow us to pass through the gate there so we can be on our way.”

The Gatekeeper stepped forward to meet them as they moved into the perimeter of the firelight. “I am Iqen. Keeper of the Eastern Gate.” He bowed slightly.

Daniel returned the gesture.

“Iqen. Hello. Nice to meet you.” He smiled, trying to sound casually pleasant. For the moment it seemed best not to make eye contact with the Guardian. “Look, we’re terribly sorry to bother you but if we could just —”

“None may pass through the Eastern Gate unless they have proven themselves worthy.”

So much for charm.

“I understand, of course. And, um, how does one do that, exactly?”

The Gatekeeper smiled. “Answer my questions. Or, failing that, meet the Guardian in battle.”

Daniel tossed another glance at the Guardian. He hadn’t twitched so much as a muscle.

“Right. Well, then, I guess I’ll give those questions a try.” He was still trying to be pleasant. Maybe if he could keep things cordial it would work in his favor.

Iqen inclined his head. “Very well. Follow me.” He motioned them toward the gateway. Only then did the Guardian move, reaching into the fire and taking from it a burning stick. He walked ahead of them to the great wall where he lit two torches ensconced on either side of the gate.

Only now could Daniel truly appreciate the height of the wall in front of him. It was at least a half dozen meters of sand colored stone, all carefully cut and placed together, similar in construction to the tomb he’d awakened in. The structure that framed the gate was reminiscent of the great arches in the Valley of the Kings, the opening itself tall and narrow. Two large doors of solid wood barred the way.

Having accomplished his task, the Guardian extinguished the flaming stick beneath his sandaled foot and took up a position firmly in front of the gate, his arms crossed in front of him. The message was obvious. There would be no leeway granted, no matter how nicely Daniel might ask. It all fell to the questions.

Iqen stood a few meters in front of the Guardian and faced Daniel, who stepped forward as the old woman moved slightly off to one side. He felt strangely alone, standing there without her, which he found exceedingly odd, all things considered.

“Daniel Jackson,” Iqen intoned. “You have come before the Eastern Gate to beg entry. Three questions I will ask. If you fail even one, you will meet your fate.”

Fate stood motionless behind Iqen, his arms still crossed. Daniel took a deep breath.

“I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Shoot.”

A puzzled look crossed Iqen’s face. Right. Earth idiom.

“I’m sorry. I mean, go ahead, please.”

The Gatekeeper nodded and closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. When he opened them, he looked up to the stars, reciting. “Two sisters. One gives birth to the other who, in turn, gives birth to the first.”

Daniel really hadn’t known what to expect. A spell from the
Book of the Dead,
the half-life of naquadah, a philosophical treatise on Goa’uld expansionism in the Second Dynasty. It could have been anything. But this made sense in a strangely logical kind of way. He smiled.

“That’s easy. It’s one of the Sphinx’s riddles. The sisters who give birth to each other are Night and Day.”

Daniel couldn’t tell if Iqen was surprised that he knew the answer or not. But it was correct, because the Gatekeeper nodded. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so difficult after all.

“A house.” Iqen looked straight at Daniel this time. “One enters it blind, one leaves it seeing.”

A small twinge of excitement gripped Daniel’s stomach. He knew this one too. It was Babylonian. One of the earliest riddles ever discovered.

“That would be a school,” he said excitedly. “A place of learning.”

Iqen nodded again, still giving no indication of encouragement or congratulations. Still. Two down, one to go.

The twinge of excitement now turned into a knot of nervous anticipation. Daniel hadn’t felt like this since the day he’d defended his dissertation and Professor Jordan had told him it was the very last question. He’d nailed it then. Hopefully he’d be just as successful this time.

Iqen studied him a moment. “Those who would walk the Great Path need know but three things.”

Daniel waited for more, but that was it. Okay. So obviously he needed to name those three things.

The Great Path. Iqen was talking about enlightenment — and ascension. He
knew
he knew this. The monk at Kheb had said something very similar, Daniel was sure. If only he could remember.

Except, maybe he didn’t need to. He’d recorded in his notebook as much of the monk’s wisdom as he could recall as soon as they’d returned to the SGC. He just hoped this was one of the things he’d remembered to write down at the time.

“Hold on.” Daniel slipped off the knapsack and rummaged through it. Finding his notebook, he flipped open the leather cover and began rifling through the pages. It had been well over a year and a half since Kheb. In some ways it seemed longer, yet also, oddly, as if it were only yesterday. Neither of which was particularly helpful in locating the pages he needed. The poor visibility provided by the flickering torchlight was not helping much either.

There. He recognized his sketch of the glowing ascended being that he’d made in the margin during the debriefing back at the SGC. Sure enough, he had almost two full pages of notes from his time in the temple. The monk had spoken in koans. Daniel hadn’t begun to grasp even half of what he’d been talking about, but he’d decided they would be worth mulling over some time in the future. Not that he’d ever actually gotten around to it.

Daniel scanned them until his fingers hit a familiar phrase and stopped. Nailed it. Just like the dissertation.

He looked up at Iqen and smiled.

“Those who would walk the Great Path need know but three things.” Daniel raised a finger as he counted each one off. “You cannot know what you do not ask. You cannot find what you do not seek. And you cannot enter where you do not knock.” He snapped the book shut with satisfaction.

Iqen’s face remained impassive. The answer was right, Daniel was absolutely certain, but maybe it wasn’t enough. Maybe no one had ever actually answered all three questions before. Maybe they’d still refuse him passage.

To his relief, though, the faintest, acknowledging smile finally appeared on Iqen’s lips and he nodded his head in assent.

“You have indeed proven yourself worthy, Daniel Jackson. For you, the gate opens.”

A great groaning sound issued from behind the Guardian and the ground beneath them trembled. The two massive doors parted inward, slowly opening to reveal only darkness beyond. Daniel wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the moonlight or perhaps the torches on the wall, but he thought he saw the air between the two now fully open doors ripple ever so slightly.

“Thank you.” Daniel bowed slightly to Iqen before turning to take the old woman’s arm. The Guardian, however, still stood in their way. By his stance, Daniel knew it would not be a matter of simply walking around him.

“I thought I’d passed the test?” He turned back to Iqen and put just a slight edge to his tone. The terms of passage had been pretty clear and he’d more than met them.

Iqen inclined his head. “That you did. But only you may enter. The one who is with you may not.”

Not again.

“Look. She’s with me, okay? And she needs to get to the Hall just like I do. So why don’t you just let us be on our way.”

Daniel could tell by the expression on Iqen’s face that his plea wasn’t going to do any good.

“Only one may pass, Daniel Jackson.”

Right.

“Well maybe you can ask her three questions, then. Let her demonstrate her worthiness to be allowed to pass through the gate as well.” He was going out on a limb here. Daniel really had no idea if she was up to the task or not. But perhaps if he could help her —

“She has only made it this far because you chose to help her. Otherwise she would have perished as others of her kind do. We do not offer admittance to those such as her.” There was clearly disdain in Iqen’s voice now, just as there had been with the Ferryman at the river. And with Sha’re. Daniel was getting tired of it, frankly.

The old woman edged up to him. “
Thus is the fruit of your labors, Daniel Jackson.
” There was a triumphant bitterness in her tone. “
For all that you may show compassion, the rest of the universe simply does not care.
”

“I refuse to leave you here.” Daniel spun around to face Iqen. “What if I send her in my place? Would that be acceptable?”

Iqen considered this. “Yes. It is your right to choose who enters the gate. If you wish to send another in your place, you may do so. Even one such as she.”

Daniel took the old woman’s hands. “Look — just take what I’m offering and go, okay?” Many of her bandages had come loose and she looked like some kind of ludicrous cross between a mummy and a scarecrow. But where Daniel had found her repugnant before, he only felt an odd sort of pity now, even for the Goa’uld within. Maybe both of them would find peace this way. He hoped so.

“And if you see Sha’re, tell her I’m sorry. Tell her, maybe one day —” He shrugged because he wasn’t even sure how to finish that sentence. Maybe he didn’t have to.

The old woman didn’t appear to be registering what he was saying anyway. She still looked shocked as he gently guided her forward. The Guardian hesitated a moment but finally stepped out of the way as she stumbled toward the gate.

At the archway she paused and looked back, studying Daniel one last time. He tried to smile encouragingly and nodded, willing her to take those final few steps before the reality of what he was doing slammed into him full force. Or Iqen changed his mind.

“
I will say it again, Daniel Jackson.
” Her voice drifted back to him, sounding neither as old nor decrepit as it had before. “
You are a fool.
” And with one last step she crossed the threshold and vanished.

Daniel hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. He let it out now with a huge sigh as he watched the double doors swing back shut with a sickening clang.