hathor_girl | Fanfic, Stargate SG-1, Inquisition, 6/13, Sam/Martouf/Lantash, R

~ is internal speech

bold is symbiote speaking in symbiote voice

Warning: after-effects of torture

Sam POV

I stop and stand perfectly still, listening. I distantly hear the sounds of someone shouting at each other, as they search the forest. They are some distance off, seemingly moving parallel to my direction, but I cannot gamble that they will not come closer.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, I hurry on towards the place where we left Martouf. I need to find him and get him back to our rooms, before he is found.

It is early evening, and the sun is low in the horizon. Outside the forest it is still bright day, but in here among the trees it is getting dark, and the shadows are long. It is a good thing, as it will make it easier for me to get Martouf safely back to the inn, but it also means I almost run past him.

Suddenly, however, I feel the weak energy signature from Lantash, and I spot the bushes we hid Martouf/Lantash behind.

My heart is beating hard with fear as I reach them and hurry behind them to check on Martouf and Lantash.

I see them in the dim light - they are lying where we left them, unmoving.

"Martouf!" I call out, keeping my voice down. "Lantash!"

There is no reaction. I touch them, feeling their skin is warm. Too warm, I think, for how cold it is here, but they have been wrapped in all the extra clothes, so that is hopefully why...

At least they are alive. I contemplate if I should try to wake them, shake them awake, if I should let them be until they wake on their own, or if I should try to carry them.

A memory comes to me, of back in the tunnels, while Martouf/Lantash and I were waiting for Selmak to heal my dad. Martouf said it might kill them to move them...because Selmak was working on healing dad? Or because they were not fully blended? Both? Something else entirely?

I wish I knew! I wish I could remember, because Jolinar must have known!

The faint voices of the search party drifts to my ears. I think they are coming closer, and that at least makes things easier for me. I cannot wait for Martouf and Lantash to wake on their own.

Gently, I shake them, trying to wake them. They are unresponsive. Unconscious.

I feel the back of Martouf's neck, massaging Lantash gently. Then I tap against him, gently. There is no reaction. Until suddenly Martouf's eyes open and his eyes glow. He looks at me blankly for a moment, then I see recognition in his eyes.

"Sa...mantha." He coughs a little. "Martouf...is unconscious. In pain...so it's better he..."

"Shh, Lantash, we need to get you out of here. Can you walk, you think?"

"Not sure..." He tries to get up, but only gets to almost sitting before he passes out. I catch him, and let him lean against me as I ponder what to do.

I am terrified they will be found, and terrified they will die. Again hearing the sound of the search party, closer this time, I get up and lift up Martouf/Lantash. I hold him, standing, against me, but he is still unconscious, and there is no way he is going to walk the distance back to the inn.

Fortunately, he is not fat, and only a little taller than me - and I am strong. I manage to lift him up and put him in a fireman's carry. Like that, I slowly start to walk back towards the town and the inn, taking care not to stumble and trip over the many roots and branches on the floor of the forest.

Somewhere off to the side, getting closer all the time, I hear the search party. They urge me on.

I found a stream after walking a short distance, and I have walked in that. It is not too deep, but the footing is a little less stable than up on dry land. However, it helps me avoid making tracks.

It takes me more than twice as long to get back as it did walking here. Now and then Lantash wakes up, but never for long, and he doesn't say anything coherent, which scares me.

Eventually we reach the edge of the town. It is late evening now, and very dark. No one is out in the alleys here. I hurry through them, hoping not to meet anyone. Turning to the left, I enter the one that runs behind the inn, and which our backdoor opens up to.

Ahead, out in the broader streets, there are people about, and light. The stores are still open this late, as are the restaurants. However, no one looks into the alley, and no one is here but me and Martouf/Lantash.

I make it to the door, and knocks it hard. It opens immediately. My dad is standing there.

"Sammie! Dammit!" He sees Martouf. "Get inside. Quickly!" I do, and he shuts the door behind us and locks it. "Are you crazy? Going out alone like this? Nittik was here, asking for you, and I had to tell him you were sick from the shock! There are hordes of people out there looking for the 'warlock'!"

"Well someone had to do something!" I glare at dad.

He calms down and nods, looking softly at me, and worriedly at Martouf. "Let's get him into a warm bed - here, let me take him, before you collapse!"

We have cleaned Martouf's wounds and bandaged them. That is all we can do here. If we can't get him to the Stargate, Lantash will have to heal him without help.

They were shaking with cold when we wrapped them up in blankets in the bed, but now they are sweating profusely. I am afraid they have an infection, or perhaps it is just the shock, pain, and cold. That is more than enough to make anyone sick anyway!

I just hope they're not getting pneumonia from the water they got in the lungs. That on top of all their injuries may be too much for Lantash to take care of in his weakened state.

"I'm sorry I didn't bring a healing device. What was I thinking?" Dad is shaking his head.

I sigh, wishing the same. "Is there anything we can do? Anything we can give him, which will strengthen him? Strengthen Lantash?"

Dad bows his head and gives Selmak control. "There are not much we can do on this primitive world! There are some herbs we can use to make some strengthening medicine. It will not be as strong as what we could make in the tunnels, but it would be better than nothing..."

"Then what's stopping us?" I exclaim. "Tell me what those herbs are!"

"The problem is that I am very sure any kind of medicinal herbs will be looked on as witchcraft..."

"I don't care! I'll get them anyway!"

Selmak sighs. "We can get some each, then maybe no one will get suspicious, as they may not be suspicious on their own. It could be for flavouring food. Some of them, at least. The rest we may be able to find in the woods. I will tell you what to look for."

We have gathered the herbs. A few we could just buy, but the rest we had to find. It took several hours, but now we have them mixed, and they are cooking in a pot over the fire in the fireplace.

"It is ready." Selmak says. "As soon as it has chilled a little, we can give him some of it. Samantha."

"Sounds good!" I say, relieved.

Martouf and Lantash have not moved since we got them into bed. I think the fever is a little lower, but I am not completely sure. Their various wounds had stopped bleeding before I picked them up in the forest, but a couple of the deep ones had reopened during me carrying them. Those have again closed, so they are healing.

Selmak have given control back to my dad. "Sammy, I will go and fetch some hot soup, and perhaps some soft bread, and some tea. The excuse that you are in bed with a shock after the events today will still work."

I snort. "Yeah, just let me play the hysterical lady!"

"As long as it works..."

"I know." I goes to check on the medicine, which Selmak had poured into a wide bowl. It is cool enough that you can drink it without getting burned now. "I think this is ready now."

"Great. Pour him a small cup of it - about half a cup, Selmak says. He should get that once every other hour, at least until tomorrow around noon. By then he should be strong enough to heal on his own. If he isn't..."

Dad doesn't finish the sentence, just gets an apologetic expression. I get what he didn't say. If this doesn't help, and Lantash isn't strong enough, or if the wounds or the infection is too much for him in his current condition...then they will die.

"I refuse to accept that! It will work!"

Dad just nods, and leaves to get the soup, tea, and bread.

I go to fetch some of the medicine for Martouf, and see if I can get it in him.