“Do you like adventure books?” Radek asked.
Ronon looked at him, glancing away from the horizon. “Why?”
“There is a book you might like. I will loan it to you when we get back. I think it will appeal to you.”
He thought Ronon might snort, but instead he shoved his hair back out of his face in the freshening wind. “What’s it about?”
“It’s about a man who is sent to prison for eleven years for a crime he did not commit, accused by his faithless friends. And it’s about how he escapes from prison and gets revenge on them.”
Ronon’s eyebrows rose. “Is there fighting?”
“Quite a lot,” Radek said. “And there is an honor duel. And pirates. And bandits. And a beautiful woman. And a treasure.”
“Ok,” Ronon said.
It took Radek a moment to realize what he meant. “Ok, you’d like the book?”
“Yeah.” Ronon lifted his hand to his eyes again. “That sounds pretty good.”
“Then, my friend, when we get back I shall introduce you to the Count of Monte Cristo,” Radek said triumphantly. “There is even a point in it where he is lost at sea, just as we are now.”
“How’d he get out of it?” Ronon asked.
Radek twisted around, something in the opposite direction catching his eye. “He was rescued by a passing ship. Just like that one over there! Look!”
Ronon spun about. To the east there was a distant sail spread white against the hot horizon, a fairly large one it seemed, though it was still quite some distance away.
Radek cheered and nearly made the mistake of jumping up and down.
“Help me get the sail up,” Ronon shouted. “Even if it won’t move us, they’ll see it!”
“And we will be saved!” Radek yelled, grabbing armloads of the sodden canvas. Literature always prevails in the end.
“They don’t know anything about them, sir,” Lt. Cadman said, her back stiff as she made her report to Major Lorne. “None of the villagers have seen them. No strangers, no aircraft, nothing. I don’t think they’re lying, Major. They were almost worshipful when they saw us. I think if they had seen Ronon Dex and Dr. Zelenka they would have told us. Also, everything seemed fine. If they’d gotten into a fight with Ronon you’d think he would have done some damage.”
Lorne nodded slowly. “That’s true. He would have.”
“Then where are they?” Rodney demanded.
“I don’t know either!” Cadman snapped. “I can tell you where they aren’t.”
“Like that does any good!”
“People.” Lorne held up a hand. “If they’re not here, and they’re not at the village, then somehow they left the island. Either Colonel Sheppard picked them up in the jumper before whatever it was happened to him, or they left another way.”
“There is no other way!” Rodney said.
Lorne’s voice was patient. “It’s an island, Dr. McKay. Cadman, go see if the villagers are missing any boats or if there have been any ships calling at the island in the last day or so. If they didn’t leave by air, they left by sea.”
“Yes, sir.” Cadman turned smartly and started off with her detachment again, back through the underbrush toward the village.
“A boat?” Rodney said. “Do they know how to sail a boat?”
“I don’t know that, do I?” Lorne said quietly. “For all I know, Ronon was the Sailing Champ of Sateda and Dr. Zelenka used to go boating every weekend. Or maybe they hitched a ride with someone. If a ship called at the island, maybe they bartered for passage back to the mainland. That would be a really sensible thing for them to do, and the people who talked to them wouldn’t be here for us to ask about it. We need to find out, not jump to conclusions.”
“Ok,” Rodney said. He felt pulled up short by Lorne’s calm. Off kilter. He was definitely off kilter. Which probably had a lot to do with I’m-In-Your-Brain-Knowing-Your-Innermost-Thoughts Cadman.
“And we don’t know that Sheppard didn’t swing back and pick them up before he ran into the energy shield or whatever happened. He could have. Which is probably what happened if we don’t find out they left by sea.”
“And then?”
“Then we start flying a search pattern while you call them on the radio,” Lorne said. “We’ll find them. Even if the jumper ditched at sea, we can still latch on to the electrical traces. But it’s a big planet and without knowing where they were, it’s going to take us a while. So let’s take this one step at a time and be methodical.” He gave Rodney an encouraging smile. “Scientific.”
“Right,” Rodney said. That should sound comforting, but somehow it didn’t.
Chapter Fourteen
Teyla woke to the bolt on the door being drawn back and was on her feet before it opened. John stood by the table and, while he made no sudden move, she saw his feet shift quietly into a guard position. A chair was not a bad weapon under the circumstances, if such became necessary.
Unsurprisingly, it was Tolas.
“Let me guess,” John said. “The King will see us now.”
“No.” Tolas looked serious, as though he hadn’t realized that might have been supposed to be funny. “The King acknowledges that your visit is important, but he is unable to meet with visitors during the Great Festival of Renewal.”
“Oh for the love of…” John started.
“We understand that there are times and places that are inappropriate,” Teyla said swiftly. “How long is this festival and when will the King meet with us?”
“It is three days,” Tolas said, “And the King already left last night for the Holy Island.”
John rolled his eyes. “Just like us to get here on a holiday weekend when all the bigwigs are out of town.”
“It is three days to play the Games of Life,” Tolas said. “It is our most sacred festival, celebrating our compact with the gods. The High King will be there, as will our King Anados, and all the other kings of the world. Together they will renew their oaths of peace and friendship to one another, and their fealty to the High King. Together they will celebrate the Gift of Life that the gods bestow upon us.”
“Some kind of Olympics?” John looked sideways at her. “Ok, so a big festival and all the brass there.”
“All of the kings will be present,” Tolas confirmed. “There to renew their vows of brotherhood and to present their lands’ tribute to the High King. It is he who governs the world, and it is to him you should appeal if you do, as you say, represent another world entirely. The High King, the representative of the gods themselves, is the one who has the authority to treat with you. If our King Anados did hear and approve your requests, you would still have to make them again to the High King. So it seems best to me to send you along to the Holy Island where the gods dwell, that you might without delay make your pleas to the High King and all the kings assembled in pious celebration of the Games of Life.”
“Cutting out the middle man,” John said. “Fine. We’ll go talk directly to the High King. But how are we supposed to get there?”
“Fortunately, the tribute ship has not yet sailed,” Tolas said smoothly. “I have had it held in the harbor pending your arrival. It will not even be a full day’s journey to the Holy Island, and you will travel in all comfort as passengers on the tribute ship.”
“We have only the greatest thanks for your consideration of our comfort,” Teyla said diplomatically.
“That sounds super,” John said with a friendly smile, but she thought there was something in his tone that didn’t exactly match his words. Maybe she imagined it, as he seemed all affability and charm. Or perhaps that was the problem in itself. When he smiled that way something was badly wrong. She had seen that smile before. “Shall we get started?”