Sheppard and Teyla crossed the room, and the colonel threw a nod to the SAS soldier. Bishop responded in kind, and McKay found himself wondering how it was that military types could communicate so much with just a non-verbal twitch of the head. Must be something they teach them in boot camp, he thought.
"Colonel, Teyla," said Erony. "I trust you find your accommodations to your satisfaction?"
"Sure do," said Sheppard. "I trust Dr. McKay was on his best behavior?"
"He was a consummate gentleman," she replied. Erony did the little bobbing-head thing again and made to leave. "If there is anything you require-"
"There is," Teyla broke in on an impulse. "A question." The Athosian woman glanced at Sheppard, who did nothing to halt her. "In the hall today. I asked after the fate of the Wraith we saw your hunt splinter take captive in the abandoned village. I did not receive a reply."
Erony's face tightened. "That matter is of no consequence to you."
"Pardon me," Teyla pressed, "but I would insist otherwise. Any Wraith, even those held in chains, are a dangerous prospect."
"What you insist is irrelevant!" snapped the other woman, suddenly fierce. McKay blinked, wondering where the demure princess who had made advances on him had gone. The change in her manner was as swift as it was surprising; but then Erony's face softened and her flash of anger was gone again. "Please understand, Teyla Emmagan. You are all outworlders and unfamiliar with the ways of our society. Trust me when I tell you that the Wraith we took pose no threat."
A thought struck McKay with such abruptness that he was speaking it aloud before he could stop himself. "Was that where Kelfer was going? Are you… Oh no, are you draining that enzyme super-freak juice from them?"
"What are you implying?" Erony showed genuine shock.
"The Wraith feeding enzyme," said Sheppard. "Are you harvesting it to use on yourselves?"
The woman's face turned ashen. "What… What kind of people do you think we are?" She looked for a moment as if she were going to be ill, the color draining from her face. "The mere idea of such a thing! That we would take the filth that runs in the veins of those animals and put it into the body of a Halcyon? The thought disgusts me!" Erony shook her head, her voice rising. "We do not need to taint ourselves with their base blood! Our will to fight is more than enough to defeat them!"
"No one would willingly allow themselves to be marked by the Wraith," said a new voice. Vekken emerged from the shadow of the corridor, watching Teyla carefully. "Such things are anathema to the Halcyon character."
Rodney gulped. "Lady Erony, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to insult you…"
The woman became calm again, shooting a sideways look at her father's adjutant. "Of… Of course. You will pardon my outburst. You are outworlders and you knew no better than to suggest such a thing. Clearly, you have much more to learn about the temperament of my people than I thought."
"My Lady," said Vekken. "Your father asks that you attend him at your earliest convenience."
"Yes, thank you." Erony gave a small bow and walked swiftly away, her boots clacking on the wooden tiles. She never once met the steely gaze of the adjutant.
"Dodged the question again," said Sheppard in a low voice. "That's two-for-two."
"The affairs of the Wraith are not something that is spoken of in polite society, Lieutenant Colonel," Vekken noted. "Her Highness's outburst was a mild admonition compared to the rebuke you might have received had you asked the same question to one of the barony. Indeed, blood might have been shed because of it."
"But you were all for bragging about how many of them you'd killed!" snapped McKay.
"That is a different matter, Dr. McKay. A warrior's battle record is something to be celebrated."
Sheppard's brow furrowed. "Y'know, I'm having a hard time following the way you people think."
"That much is certain," noted Vekken dryly. "Then, in the interests of smoothing the path of your future parlays with my Lord Magnate, let me explain this to you. There is among the nation of Halcyon a great abhorrence for the Wraith, coupled with an innate knowledge of our superiority over them."
Rodney snorted in derision, but if Vekken noticed he didn't acknowledge it.
"But this is matched by a loathing of what they represent. Their bestial, vampiric nature is the very antithesis of ours," he tapped his chest, "and the thought of being alike to them in any way fills other souls with cold horror."
"Well, there's something we got in common, then," said Sheppard. "Now, do I have to ask again? What's going on with the prisoners?"
Vekken gave a small smile. "You'll learn that soon enough."
Since the adjutant's arrival, Teyla had remained silent; but now she spoke. "You said `other souls'. Do you not include yourself among them?"
He studied her. "No, Teyla Emmagan, I do not. And I would imagine you already know the reason why."
Teyla hesitated for a long moment. "This man… He is like me. His bloodline was once changed by the Wraith. I can sense it…"
Vekken nodded. "I knew it to be true when I first saw you, Teyla. Our kind is very rare on Halcyon. Many of the families who suffered the machinations of the Wraith were wiped out in the Age of Unification, once the Circlet's portals were opened. Those of us who remain are feared."
"Erony," considered McKay, "she was spooked by you the moment you arrived."
"That is why her father made me his adjutant. There is no better guardian and warmaster than a Wraithkin. The fable is as sharp as any blade."
"Wraithkin…" Teyla repeated the word, weighing the meaning of it.
"I saw that term in some of the historical scrolls I glanced through," said Rodney. "I wasn't sure of the translation, but that fits." He turned to Sheppard. "Basically, the Halcyons think of people with Teyla's, ah, gift, like people on Earth used to think of witches."
The colonel blinked. "You're kidding me."
"Nope. And when I say witches, I don't mean the meaddrinking, naked-dancing Wiccan kind. I'm talking the baby-eating, broomstick-riding, turn-you-into-a-frog kind."
Sheppard looked at Vekken. "Thanks for the heads-up. Anything else you want to share with us?"
"Tread carefully, Lieutenant Colonel. Everything you do here is under close scrutiny. You are being judged, and if you are found wanting…" He showed that thin smile again. "Halcyon has never been tolerant of weakness." Vekken turned to leave and then hesitated on the threshold. "Oh. How remiss of me. Our conversation was so engaging, I almost overlooked the purpose of my visit. I have an invitation from the Lord Magnate for you and your associates. His Highness requires your presence tomorrow at an event in the Relia Lowlands."
"A party?" said Sheppard hopefully.
Vekken walked away, throwing a last comment over his shoulder. "He's hosting a war."
Rodney's jaw dropped. "A what?"
The rotorplane flew fast and level over the countryside at treetop level, gently rising and falling in and out of the nap of the earth. Through the oval portholes in the main cabin, Sheppard saw flashes of greenery and the odd cluster of lonesome buildings. They'd been airborne for an hour or two now, and except for a brief fuelling stop, the aircraft had been racing at what appeared to be full throttle all the way.
"I must admit, I do not understand your curiosity," Linnian was saying as Sheppard moved up the metal deck to the front of the rotorplane. "Do you find the passenger cabin to be uncomfortable?"
"Nope," John replied. "I'm just interested, that's all. I've never ridden in a steam-age helicopter before, and I'd like to see how it works."