A/N: Hello, old friends and new! I'm finally back with a doozy of a fic that has taken years to write. I only say that because I kept having to stop and start at different points since 2010. This is meant to be a follow-up to my previous fic Missing Link, though it is not absolutely necessary to read it prior to this. (It may make this more enjoyable to read that first, though!) I believe I throw in a sufficient amount of clues and reminders for the casual reader. Hope you enjoy. Please offer me feedback by leaving a review!

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Chapter 1

Daniel Jackson

Flashes. That's how it starts. Bright flashes of light that blind me enough to hurt, but so incredible that I can't look away. It's a battle waged with weapons of the mind and soul. It's happening somewhere far away, yet so close at the same time. Only in this dream do I even think I can understand it. It's in a higher plane of existence.

Somewhere among the dueling pair of electrostatic balls of light I see a familiar face. When she sees me, there is menace to her expression, souring the beauty she inherited from her mother. A small sound pulls my attention away… and the vision ends.

.

Oma Desala

The humans that know of us call us "Ancients." In truth, we are no more ancient than the civilizations that came and went before us. Life exists in many forms, whether corporeal, ascended, or something more. It is that existence beyond ascension that my people look to now. Dwelling on the footnotes of our history is unfashionable, and even illegal. For most, interest in the development of our young descendants has been fleeting. Our law about non-interference is actually a mandate for indifference. Humans quarrel among each other in endless configurations of conflict. Watching them destroy each other has been reduced to nothing more than sport.

I am not like most of my brethren, however. There is still much we can learn from the lower planes. If there is one role lacking among my people today, it is that of a true historian. We cannot understand the future without first understanding the past. One human, I believe, would wholeheartedly agree. Perhaps that is one reason why Daniel Jackson will forever fascinate me.

His very soul shines as bright as the most vivid star. I cannot explain why his existence is so special. I cannot explain what tells me that his influence, seemingly insignificant in this endless universe, will have far-reaching effects on us all. I often wonder whether his actions or his words will ultimately be the deciding factor.

Twice he has risen to my level and experienced the awareness that I possess. I once believed that his place was here among us. But it would seem that he is destined for other things, despite lacking the knowledge of my people. He has always returned to the lower planes, so I have concluded that his purpose is meant to be fulfilled there.

I am here now, at sunset on Earth. Ribbons of crimson settle over his sleeping form with his wife in his arms. She has a glow about her, too. His radiance seems to surround and warm her soul. They share an intimacy beyond what most humans should be capable of, making the drama that is his life all the more interesting.

They have just given birth to new life. I sense a great importance in the event, and that is why I have come to take a closer look. As I loom closer, the eyes of my like-minded brethren turn to see through mine. Near the resting place of their parents, two human infants stir quietly. They are no more than days old, yet already they exude an indescribable quality about them. Their glow will likely grow bright as they mature. I shift into human form so that I may smile down on these new additions to the universe. My human hands reach down to touch each of their heads gently.

Secretly, I promise to look after this pair, despite what our laws say. I decided long ago that our rules are breakable for Daniel Jackson. That exception must extend to his family as well. One of the infants, the daughter, cries out. She is not alarmed by my presence, but curious. Everything is new to her and she struggles to understand her surroundings. Her sounds cause Daniel Jackson to stir. He does not see the light of my presence when his eyes open, but I feel the slight tug of recognition as his soul senses mine nearby.

Regardless, his only priority is to tend to his child. Quietly, so as not to wake his partner, he cradles his daughter in his arms. The feel of his strong hold must soothe her, as her curious greeting to me has ceased. "Are you hungry, little one?"

She only stares up at him. He is just a rounded ball of curious light to her immature eyes. But oh how content she is to be in her father's arms.

000

Daniel Jackson

Six years. How the time flies. I just realized that it's been six years since Vala disappeared and came back – the second time around. On some god-forsaken world a broken time machine sent her to the future. It was months before she returned, as if no time had passed for her at all. I feel like I should celebrate that she's still here. I might've had to wait until NOW to get her back if Jack hadn't worked his ancient voodoo on the damned device. The change of leadership at the SGC would have sidetracked any attempts to get the time machine working. Not to mention the bureaucratic bull I would have had to cut through just to get someone to understand that she was worth getting back. There is no way I would have survived.

I'm counting my blessings, what few I have. These past six years have produced a whirlwind of changes that might never have been. I am not necessarily superstitious, but I wonder if crossing my fingers for the rest of eternity will help me keep my good fortune. Happiness has been a long time coming, and I'm glad it's here.

We're sitting on our back porch with drinks in hand. I've got a beer; she opted for a can of soda. She's leaning her head on my shoulder, legs curled up on the swinging loveseat. It's dusk, so the sun is just setting on the horizon and sending a warm-toned glow all over the sky. Vala swats at a mosquito. "Damn," she complains. "We should get them inside."

I don't protest when she suddenly abandons her drink on the porch floor and gets up. She's right. Mosquitos love this time of day. They also love little children. I groan a little as I shake the numbness out of my legs. I should probably get the can she left right next to my feet before I knock it over. Next thing I know a swarm of bugs will show up to investigate what we've spilled.

I reach out to grab it when something stops me. My hand.

It looks like it's covered in dirt. Filthy.

I shake my head and blink. My hand is suddenly the same as it's ever been. Clean. I feel an odd sense of déjà vu.

"Daddy?"

I look up. As if he's just appeared out of nowhere, my son is suddenly nose to nose with me. He must be wondering why I'm staring at a can of pop so intently. He looks a lot like his mother with that look on his face, dark mop of hair and all. "Hey, Skywalker. You ready to go inside?"

"Look." He ignores my question and points at his arm instead. A huge bump is forming there, no doubt a mosquito bite that he's already scratched too much. As much as I try to tell him, his three-and-a-half-year old mind doesn't yet understand that itching makes it worse.

"Come on." I get up and take his hand. "We'll put something on…" I hear the can clank as my foot knocks it over.

"Daniel," Vala scolds lightly. She's got our daughter in her arms and is approaching the porch now. She touches my back and continues, Now we'll have an army of ants knocking on our door. My children don't hear it because those words are just in our heads. The mental bond we formed years ago on some strange planet has evolved to this point. We can hear each other's thoughts if we try hard enough… and only if we're making physical contact. I've yet to figure out just how much information gets exchanged without us really knowing it.

"Gah. Sorry," I answer aloud. There I go. Distracted again. I let go of our son's hand and find the water hose.

"Look, Mommy," I hear our son say as Vala leads him inside. He's probably pointing out the bite on his arm, now that he sees I'm too busy to take care of it. As I spray down the deck, I wonder what made me forget to pick up the drink in the first place. Wasn't I just about to grab it?

000

We get an early morning phone call the next day. "Ohh," Vala groans. She raises her head just enough to see the time. "The kids aren't even awake yet."

I make my own noises of complaint as I grab the phone from the bedside table. "Hello?"
"Ambassador Jackson?"

"Yes?"

"Sorry to wake you, sir, but General Graham would like to have a meeting."

"When?"

"Nine hundred hours, sir."

"Does my wife need to be there?" Whoever's on the other line pauses. I think he's covering the mouthpiece with his hand as his muffled voice addresses someone else. "No, sir, you can fill her in."

"What's this about?"

"I'm afraid I can't discuss that over the phone, sir. We'll see you at nine hundred hours." The phone clicks.

"Who was it?" Vala asks, eyes still closed and half-asleep.

"SGC. Meeting at 9. You can stay home."

"Thank the gods." Her monotone exultation reflects my inner complaint.

Damn these early morning wake-up calls. I glance at the alarm clock near the phone. Five freaking AM. Thank you, General Graham for giving me more than enough time to get ready. Really, I didn't need a full four hours. You're too kind.

I turn over and snuggle deeper into the blankets, with intentions of sleeping a little longer. Vala is already asleep again; I can hear her snoring. I'm just about to join her when I hear the pitter-patter of dreaded little feet approaching. Then I feel the bed shake as someone, or rather two someones attempt to scale a mountain. I close my eyes even tighter and try to ignore them. One of them is now on top of me and leaning in close to check if I'm faking.

Damn the ringing telephone. It woke my little three-year old monsters from down the hall. "Daddy," Leah whispers. I sense her long, brown tresses tickling my face as they cascade down over her eyes.

I'm not looking, but it sounds like Luke is on top of Vala. "Mommy!" Vala jumps and so do I. Yup, definitely there.

I sit up and grab her attacker. Vala plops back down on the bed. "Shhh. It's too early for you to be yelling." I bring him face to face with me so he knows I'm serious.

He makes eye contact with me and nods. Then, he's over it in two seconds. "Hi, Dad!" he shouts. Oy.

"Morning," I mumble. His sister hops down when she senses I'm trying to get out of bed. I curl the boy into my arms. The three of us exit the room and leave Vala in peace.

"Who was dat?" Leah says, referring to the phone call as she cranes her neck to look up at me. I see that curious look in the mirror sometimes. Except, mine isn't framed by loose brown curls.

"That was work, honey."

She crinkles her nose for a moment as she processes what that means. "Don't go!" she yells. This girl is too smart for me. She knows that 'work' means 'Daddy will be gone for a long time, like a day or two.' Luke also seems to realize the implications and chimes in as well. Now I have one kid in my arms and one at my feet shouting at me.

"Argh, shhhh, Mommy's still sleeping… Me too," I mumble. I'm not going to kid myself that these two will go back to sleep. So we walk into the kitchen and I set Luke down in a chair. Leah climbs onto another one by herself. They're about to argue with me again when I bring a finger to my mouth to shush them. "It's only me leaving. Mommy gets to stay home with you."

This seems to satisfy my son, but Leah won't have any of it. It's a struggle to get her to calm down while I rustle up something for them to eat. She's been awfully attached to me lately, much to Vala's chagrin. I keep reminding her it's a just a stage kids go through. I also remind her that Luke seems to like her better than me right now, too.

As I push eggs around in a pan, I wonder what Graham has cooked up for me today. A new village to negotiate relations with? An ally asking for more supplies? As long as I'm home in time for dinner tomorrow, it doesn't matter all that much, I guess. I just try to keep in mind that this job is better than the life-sucking, time-consuming work I used to have. Being a representative of Earth is a lot safer than trying to protect the entire galaxy.

Lucky Vala. She only needs to go when there's a trade deal to manage. We won't be needing a new source of naquedah for a while. She's outdone herself getting Earth into contracts with every possible village that has control over even the most minute store of naquedah. I think she did it on purpose. Do all the work now so she can sit back and relax later.

"Dad, I want juice." I turn off the stove and head for the fridge.

I set a cup of o.j. in front of my daughter and bow, saying, "Your juice, Princess Leah." She giggles, pretending her cartoon pajamas are a bright pink princess dress right about now. It was Teal'c's idea to nickname the twins Luke and Leah. Apparently Star Wars names are more fun than plain old 'Nicholas and Diana.'

I serve breakfast and eat silently while the twins chat away in their own little language. I've tried to figure it out before, but it's nothing but gibberish to me. Vala insists that they understand each other perfectly. "They're just talking in code," she repeats. Something about that statement seems familiar, but I can never put my finger on it.

000

We moved into a house only twenty minutes away from base, so it doesn't take long for me to get there, even with traffic. The drive is routine and unexciting. Signing in and making my way down the elevator is normal.

But when I finally arrive at the levels for the SGC, I get the strangest feeling. Like being trapped. I slow my pace as I examine the familiar gray walls of a nondescript corridor. The air starts to smell with a foul odor. Someone, I think it's Siler, is hunched over a box attached to the wall. Probably fixing something.

But I don't see Siler, I see a tortured man. He's half-naked and covered in strange welts. His haunted eyes bore through me as I'm dragged past.

"Daniel," one of my aides says in greeting. She falls into step with me as I walk down the corridor. I shake my head. The feeling is gone. Suddenly, I can't even remember if something strange just happened.

"Amanda. Tell me you went home and didn't stay here to work." I last saw her a day ago, before I took advantage of the lull in work and went home.

"I could, but then I'd be lying," she says nonchalantly as we stroll. Workaholic. It's not like I really need her to be so thorough, but she does it anyway. For some reason I think this is her life. She doesn't have kids yet. I'm not even sure if there's a boyfriend, for that matter. I've never seen her out of uniform or without her light brown hair pulled back in a slick bun. Vala's been clamoring to give her a makeover. It takes all my effort to convince my wife to leave the poor girl alone.

I think back to when I was that young and so absorbed in my work. I shake my head inwardly in wonder. Nowadays I'm a full-time dad and only a part-time galactic ambassador.

She hands me a folder overstuffed with paper. I'm not very interested in what it has to say nor am I very eager to stare at it for long. I'm suddenly wondering when I became a Jack O'Neill. She gives me the highlights as we walk. Something about an update on one of the planets we visited a year ago. I nod and listen, but that's about it.

Ben, the other aide, is already stacking papers in the briefing room when we arrive. He is in uniform like Amanda, but his hair is unkempt. Or maybe that's just the style he chooses to wear it in. He's got a flair for the dramatic, if you know what I mean. He cringes at the thought of wearing 'those unflattering BDUs.' I know because he's complained several times. Vala just laughs and agrees. Then she shares her secrets for altering what should be standard-issue military uniforms.

"Daniel," he acknowledges me.

"Ben. You went home, right?" I question him.

He looks at me like I'm crazy. "Of course I did. I'm not insane like her," he says, pointing at Amanda. She just gives him a look of annoyance, but I know they're messing with each other. Before I can egg on any bickering, the General walks in. He's all business, so we sit down.

He greets each of us in turn and then gets to the point. "Overnight we received a message from the Jaffa of Yarluna, P4X-721. They may have been attacked." He doesn't look up from his report as he speaks. His jaw is set in a hard line, though it seems to look like that all the time. His buzzed white hair is a stark contrast to his tanned skin.

"May have?" I ask.

"They were not sure what was happening. An alien ship of unknown origin descended upon their planet shortly before they sent us the message. It seemed to have landed on the other side of the mountains. They called for help when the earthquakes began."

I wait for more before offering a reaction. I'm not sure where this is going yet. Neither Amanda nor Ben seem surprised at the news. It's normal for them to get the details before me so that they can make suggestions as I'm briefed.

Ben chimes in. "The team that responded to their call measured the quakes. They were off the scale. Most of the village is destroyed and people are hurt."

Graham nods. "We're in the process of relocating the population now. The Belvians have agreed to take in temporary refugees. Dr. Jackson, I would like you to supervise the efforts to settle the Jaffa into their new surroundings. They'll need help smoothing over relations with their new human neighbors."

"Certainly. Any idea what caused the earthquakes? Or who the aliens were?"

"None so far. SG-1 is investigating. They'll update you directly when they're ready to make a report." Inwardly, I smile about SG-1 being involved. I haven't worked with Mitchell in quite some time. "Please depart for the planet as soon as you are ready, Doctor. You can take SG-14 with you for support."

000

When I arrive on the Belvian homeworld with Ben and Amanda, the smell is what hits me first. It's the smell of blood and death. The area around the gate is littered with Jaffa bodies. I barely notice the creeping forest just beyond the clearing. Most of the injured are lying there waiting for medical attention. SG-14 disperses instantly to offer the medical supplies that they brought. I can see other SGC personnel already trying to triage the wounded. The sight of one Jaffa's symbiote sticking out of its pouch, dying in agony, makes me wince.

"This is bad," I comment quietly. I can barely hear myself over the cacophony of dying moans and screams for help. My aides stay silent as they follow me through the carnage. I'm trying to pick out the face of the Belvian leader from the crowd, but there are so many people. After a few minutes of searching, he ends up finding me.

"Ambassador Jackson!" he calls in a heavily-accented, baritone voice. The village leader is wearing long ceremonial robes. I don't remember the significance of the particular colors he's got on now.

"Red and black. Colors of mourning," Amanda whispers to me. She often knows when to supply pertinent little details like that. I nod to her in thanks then grasp hands with the Belvian.

"Elder Maddock. How can we help?"

"Come, come, I will show you to the Jaffa leader. He is injured but wishes an audience with you."

We have to climb over a sea of bodies to get to the tent where the Jaffa in question is resting. When I enter, I notice that blood is seeping from his pouch. His tattoo signifies him as one of Ba'al's former Jaffa. He breathes in labored breaths, made all the more noticeable by his huge muscled chest heaving up and down. It's plain to see that the man is dying.

Elder Maddock kneels down next to him and says quietly, "The Tau'ri Ambassador is here, my friend. Hear him."

I don't think the Jaffa can see any longer. His head turns in my direction but his eyes remain unfocused. He reaches out an arm and I grab it in the traditional Jaffa handshake. His voice is weak, but determined. "Help my people."

"Of course." My aides hang back. Normally I would expect Ben to offer a dose of tretonin, but it's obviously too late for the miracle drug to save this Jaffa's life.

He grasps my arm harder so that he can pull me closer. "My son will take my place. He has much to learn and will need guidance. Find out who did this and allow my son to bring them to justice." His head plops back down on the makeshift pillow. His grip loosens.

I look back at Amanda, silently asking for information. "Gra'yek. He's young for a Jaffa. Likely to be vengeful," she explains. When I turn back to the Jaffa leader, he's already dead.

"Find Teal'c," I order quietly. Ben shuffles out as I run my hand over the eyes of the dead Jaffa leader and close them. I exchange worried looks with Elder Maddock, who then begins to say a prayer for his fallen counterpart.

000

"Dr. Daniel Jackson," Mitchell says with a smile, a few hours later. Given the situation, he keeps himself from grinning outright. He's just arrived on Belvia to give me and the remaining Jaffa his assessment of their homeworld. We shake hands near the gate. Amanda stands with me and the rest of SG-1 stands with Mitchell. "How's the missus?"

"Good. Stuck with the kids."

Cam takes a good look around, surveying the difficult scene of dead and dying bodies. His faint smile disappears. "Lucky girl."

I snort in agreement. "What did you learn?"

"It's not good. The planet's dead. Whatever did this sucked all the life out of everything. Green is now brown everywhere you look. The scary part is we found a huge canyon where a mountain used to be."

My jaw drops. "What? How is that possible?"

"Don't know. We're calling in the General Hammond to do some scans. Sam says she'll believe it when she sees it."

Amanda speaks up. "And the alien ship?"

"No sign of it. Couldn't even get a good description from the few Jaffa who were left."

I run a hand through my hair. "So we don't know who did this or how or why. All we know is that an entire planet lay in ruins?"

Cam nods grimly. "Hopefully Sam will be able to learn more when she gets there." He turns to his second in command.

The Lt. offers, "Her ETA is 3 hours."

Amanda asks, "What about the gate on their side?"

Mitchell's resident tech guru responds, "Still operational. It seemed to be immune to whatever happened."

Cam takes another look around. The clearing still has a considerable amount of bodies now, several hours after the initial emergency. The acrid smell of blood still hangs in the air. "Looks like you could use a few extra pairs of hands."

"I'll show you to the supplies," Amanda says. Mitchell nods to his team, silently ordering them to follow her.

I step closer to Cam so I can speak quietly. "I've never heard of anything like this before. Have you?" Mitchell cringes, and I realize that he has. "God, you can't be serious."

"They were only rumors. Word on the street was that someone took out a whole farming colony controlled by the Lucian Alliance. We just thought they were screaming bloody murder so they could go attack somebody else. I didn't think it was true until now."

Now that is disturbing. I have worked diligently to make sure our allies do no harm to innocents. Some of our trading partners have expressed repeated concern about the Lucian Alliance's interference. It's been an exhausting effort to convince them that guerilla warfare, an attack on infrastructure and innocent people, is not the way to hit back at the Alliance. The real enemies are the goons with guns and ships, not the farmers and villagers without a choice. If anyone associated with Earth is involved, this could spell bad blood for everyone. I'm going to need Vala.

000

Amanda stays behind on Belvia while I return home to coordinate more manpower for the relief effort. As I step through the gate, I look forward to the relative calm and tranquility of the gateroom. It'll be a nice change of pace from the frantic scene I'm leaving.

But I almost panic instead. For a slight moment, I'm suspended in mid-air, blind-folded and about to be dropped from an unknown height. It's just one element of their torture. They'll heal me just enough to keep me alive. Then start again.

The SGC materializes in front of me as I knew it should. I shut my eyes and open them again. Whatever strangeness I just experienced leaves me just as quickly as it came. I can't even remember why I felt nauseated a moment ago. Only that I had a sudden urge to run and hide. This is weird. I don't usually have problems with gate travel.

I nod to the defense team on standby and to the workers in the control room up above. They don't seem to sense that anything is wrong, so I dismiss… well, I don't even know what I'm forgetting about.

After I get home and we put the children to bed, Vala and I stay up to discuss matters of galactic security. "And you think the humans will get along with the Jaffa?"

"Remember that the Belvians were once desperate and dying themselves," I answer. "A few Jaffa were among the teams that nursed them back to health. I'm sure they'll help as long as Elder Maddock is still in charge."

"Show me again what it was like?" I clasp hands with her and bring my forehead to hers. We both close our eyes and open them to my memory.

We're stepping through the gate and assaulted with the smell of blood and rot. Vala cringes mentally at the sight of a symbiote poking out of someone's torso. I let her take in the full sweeping view of bodies that I encountered when I first arrived on Belvia. She isn't exactly shocked, but she's not desensitized to the carnage either.

When I sense she's had enough, I break the connection.

She takes in a breath. "I don't know Gra'yek, but if he's truly Jaffa, he'll be enraged and ready to kill something. Teal'c will have his hands full," she comments, referring to the son of the Jaffa who died in front of me today.

I nod, knowing that she's probably right.

She goes on, "I think it's time to find out more about that attack on the Alliance colony."

A pause. "What are you thinking?"

"I only want to ask questions. I won't make direct contact with any of them." She abates my worry before it has time to grow.

I take in a breath of my own and let it out slowly. As much as I hate it when she goes undercover, I say, "I know you'll be careful." Vala cups my face, flooding my mind with a sense of caring. She seems thankful that I trust her so much.

Of course I trust you. I smile at her. I love you.

I love you, too, she says in our minds. We exchange a light kiss.

000

I see Vala off at the gate the next morning. Once her wormhole closes, the gate begins dialing up again. "Incoming wormhole," someone announces. The iris closes automatically, sealing the gate shut.

I'm here anyway so I stay to find out who it is. The iris reopens and a lone figure steps through. The bright light of the event horizon causes a glare that prevents a person's face from being seen right away. The face is shrouded in a heavy, hooded cloak.

Run.

I blink. The cloak is brown, I tell myself. Though I don't know why that matters. I force myself to stay put. A hand appears from within the cloak to reach up to the hood and pull it back. I half-expect the hand to look alien. But it does not.

The face of a shocked woman is revealed. She has a long red line down her face, oozing with blood. I now realize that her cloak is brown with mud and blood. She's been attacked. "Help us." The woman collapses.

I shout for medical help then rush up the ramp to the woman's side. "Eidera?" I recognize her. She's the daughter of someone we traded with before.

Her breathing is labored. "No, Eidera is my sister. I am Givanne. Please, help us."

"Tell me what's happening."

Her eyes begin to flutter close as she loses consciousness. "A ship…"

I stare up at the gate. The glittering wormhole is still open. I don't want to, but I can't help but think that this is probably the same ship that destroyed the Jaffa planet. While I'm thinking this, some medics take the young girl away to the infirmary. The wormhole decides to disappear.

Standing now, I turn to look straight at General Graham up in the control room. "I need a team." Without delay, he calls for SG-1 while I head to the armory to gear up. I meet Mitchell on the way back to the gate room and fill him in. When we arrive, the MALP is already heading into a new event horizon.

Walter speaks over the intercom. "We're getting back a signal. There's a brush fire to the left of the gate, and… standby… there's a ship hovering nearby."

"You're recording this, right?" I ask.

"Yes, sir," he replies. "The MALP is now showing that the ship is rising up and out of the atmosphere." I look at Mitchell.

He asks Walter, "Did you recognize the configuration of the ship?"

"No, sir. Never seen it before."

"Damn. This could be it."

"SG-1," the General sounds, "check it out."

The Colonel nods and we move out.

There isn't much we can do about the brush fire that is quickly spreading deeper into the forest, so we hustle to evacuate anyone that's left. The small village seems decimated. I'm not sure what destroyed the buildings and left the once-happy town in ruins. Bodies lay about, some cradling dead children. Some of their faces are turned away from my sight, while others are drenched in blood. Pairs of eyes are open and staring, surprised that life could end so early. I try not to think of my own kids at moments like this. It would be difficult to go on with me imagining Nick or Diana down there on the ground.

I pick up a young man whose leg is injured and help him toward the gate, where a wormhole is already waiting to receive him. One of Mitchell's men stayed at the gate to ferry evacuees to our safe point on the other side.

The village isn't very far – only a few minutes run to the gate. I secretly thank whatever god is listening because that brush fire has exploded into a full-on forest fire. It threatens to consume everything. I quicken my pace as I run back and forth, trying to pick up the most injured who can't move well enough on their own.

By the time we've rescued everyone we can find in the village proper, it's simply too late to venture into the trees to look for more survivors. The smoke of the immense fire is blackening the sky and the trees are peeling away. Mitchell and I take a quick look back before escaping through the gate.

I could swear I saw something else moving in those burning trees. Everything is on fire, except for the lone black figure in the distance. It has the shape of a man in a cloak. When it turns to look at me…

I grab Mitchell by the vest and pull him with me through the gate.

The fear pulsing through my veins is enough to debilitate me.