DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Daniel and Teal'c stared at the people in confusion.
"I'm sorry... sacrifice?" Daniel asked, his voice rising on the final word.
The group standing in front of them appeared to be human. If it weren't for the fact the people had just... appeared out of thin air right in front of them, Daniel would have thought them to be human. Their dress was unusual, but familiar at the same time. The group on the whole wore long white robes which were intricately embroidered. However, the one who appeared to be the leader was distinctive - he also wore a cloak, brightly dyed, with feathers woven in with the coloured threads. He wore a headdress of gold, vibrant green feathers protruding from it, and he carried a small staff, with snake ornamentation on it.
Daniel stopped and stared - these people seemed familiar. The clothes, the cenote, the... sacrifice. He swallowed at the thought of what peril Jack and Sam could be in.
"You will tell us what you have done with our friends," Teal'c stated, expecting no argument.
"You sacrificed them in the cenote," one replied.
"Your companions are with the holy ones," said another.
"Sacrifice. What sacrifice?" Daniel asked again.
The strangers looked at each other, trying to decide the best way to explain. The leader spoke up...
"I am the Ah Kin Mai. We assumed your sacrifice was meant as a gift for the gods," he elaborated.
"The Ah Kin Mai?" Daniel echoed. Then it clicked. "Of course! Ah Kin Mai! Priest! You're the chief priest!"
The man smiled in admittance.
"That is correct. I am the Ah Kin Mai and these are the Ah Kin." He paused, looking at the two strange men dressed all in green. "You do not know about the sacrifice?"
Teal'c and Daniel glanced at each other before Daniel replied, "Ah, no. They were our friends - we wouldn't sacrifice them."
Another robed figure piped up, "Then what were they doing in the cenote?"
"We heard cries for help. Our leader went down and... disappeared," Daniel clarified, his voice faltering, but his composure was back when next he spoke. "We sent another down to find him and she, too, disappeared." He stopped, looking the Ah Kin Mai directly in the face. "They were not sacrifices - and we want them back," he finished unwaveringly.
The Ah Kin Mai looked back steadily, a hint of sadness creeping into his eyes.
"I'm sorry. Your friends are lost to you," he said with finality.
A muscle jerked in Teal'c's face as he said, "I do not accept that."
He moved forward, as if to threaten them, but stopped when he felt a restraining pressure on the sleeve of his fatigues.
"Teal'c," Daniel began.
He walked a short distance away, motioning Teal'c to follow him.
"I think I know who these people are... and maybe a way to get Sam and Jack back," he said quietly, forgetting Sam's orders.
"Tell me, Daniel Jackson."
"There was a civilisation on Earth that dressed very much like these people do, made use of a sacrificial well or cenote and had priests called Ah Kin. They were called the Mayas. Sacrifices were common and at times thought to be honourable - and some believed the blood of a victim helped the sun travel across the sky each day."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I do not see how this improves our situation."
"I was getting to it. There was a legend among the Maya that some sacrificial victims were saved if they, or someone else, completed the 'Path of Light'. No one really knows what this 'Path of Light' is - it was merely a legend. But another part of the legend stated that some victims were taken by the Gods deliberately, to be..." he wrinkled his brow in concentration. "I suppose 'tested' is too strong a word. But something like that."
"And you believe that the 'Path of Light' could lead us to Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter?"
"It's our best hope at the moment. I think we should ask the Ah Kin about it."
"I agree, Daniel Jackson."
They turned back to the patiently waiting group. Looking steadily at the Ah Kin Mai, he inquired,
"What do you know of the Path of Light?"
The Ah Kin Mai's placid features changed as Daniel's question registered. A look of fear passed in front of his eyes, and his voice was reverent when he spoke.
"The Path of Light? It has not been spoken of in many years."
"We want to know if we could undergo the Path of Light - to save our friends."
The Ah Kin Mai looked them up and down, making a decision. He nodded and waved them towards the forest's edge.
"If you follow this trail, you will come to a door covered with vines. The door will take you to the first step in retrieving your companions."
Teal'c and Daniel peered into the gloom, hearing the Ah Kin Mai speak...
"If you do not succeed, you may also meet the same fate as your friends."
Daniel pivoted on the spot, expecting to see the collected Ah Kin.
"Thank..." he stopped, confronted with air. "Hey, where'd they go?"
"I believe we should start at once Daniel Jackson."
Daniel nodded in reply, casting a final look backward, and the two remaining members of SG-1 bounded quickly through the woodland, missing fallen logs and ducking low branches. It wasn't long before they came to the door, somewhat obscured with vines. Cautiously opening it, their features were illuminated in the glowing light. Not a word was spoken between the two.
Daniel once more heard the Priest's final piece of information...
'If you do not succeed, you may also meet the same fate as your friends.'
Taking a deep breath, they stepped through the doorway and into the light...