Read STARGATE ATLANTIS: Dead End for Free Online

blows over I’ve no intention of finding out.”
    “The storms must lift,” said Ronon. “These people eat, they hunt. They can’t hunt in
that
.”
    From outside the small chamber came the sound of footsteps.
    “Remember, we
need
these guys,” whispered Sheppard. He shot McKay a hard look. “So let’s all be on our best behavior.”
    Teyla turned to face the low doorway as two men and a woman entered and bowed low. Lean and hardy-looking, they were dressed from head to foot in the pale furs all their people wore. Their skin was milky and their hair dark and straight. The leader, a man, wore a brightly colored torque around his neck and, though clearly old, appeared lively and vigorous.
    “Greetings, honored guests,” he said, his voice quiet and measured. “I am Aralen Gefal, Foremost of the Forgotten People. This is my daughter, Miruva, and my chief of hunters, Orand Ressalin. You are most welcome here. We have waited long for your coming.”
    Sheppard inclined his head awkwardly and introduced the team. He wasn’t good at formal greetings. “We’re pretty pleased to see you too, Aralen,” he said. “You guys showed up right on time.”
    Aralen smiled. “The portal to Sanctuary has not operated for ten generations. Orand witnessed the strange machine come through it some days ago, and then we knew that some work of the Ancestors would not be far behind. Some claimed we’d been abandoned, but others of us have kept the faith. We have been rewarded at last.”
    Sheppard looked uncomfortable. “Well, we’re not exactly — ”
    “You must be tired after your journey,” Aralen interrupted. “Please, sit. We have come to hear what your task is, here on Khost.”
    “So that’s what this place is called,” said McKay, sitting down heavily on the pile of mats he’d accumulated. “Nice name. Lousy weather.”
    “You are far from other worlds,” said Teyla, eager to find out more. “We are curious to learn about your people, Aralen.”
    The leader of the Forgotten frowned. “Surely you know all about us? You came through the portal to Sanctuary. You must have knowledge of the Ancestors, of their plan for us.”
    Teyla looked at Sheppard. These early moments were always awkward. How much did these people know of the wider galaxy? Where were their allegiances?
    “Oh, you bet,” he said. “Well, kinda.” He paused. “Maybe you should fill us in on the details.”
    Aralen looked surprised, but then inclined his head graciously. “Of course,” he said. “We are the Forgotten. You may think it a strange name, but it is apt. We have been alone for a long time. Some think we’ve been abandoned by the Ancestors altogether, but the wise know that cannot be so. The years have been heavy, and much has changed. The lore-keepers tell us that once Khost was green and good, our people flourished and our villages were numerous. The Ancestors walked among us then. We call this the Blessed Time.”
    Orand gave a skeptical snort. “These are, of course, mere legends,” he said. “Not all of us believe them.”
    “Our young people have their own ways,” Aralen said with a tolerant smile. “But the lore-keepers preserve the legends for us, and I trust their wisdom.”
    McKay frowned. “This place was green once?” he said. “Wow. That’s what I call climate change. What happened?”
    A shadow passed over Aralen’s face. “There was some transgression. Many speculate what it could have been. For myself, I do not claim that knowledge. But the health left this place, the snows came ever more strongly, and then they never left. Life became hard and many died. Now we are cursed by the cold at all times.”
    He drew closer, his voice low.
    “Khost is dying, travelers. You should be careful. If you stay here too long, you’ll die too.”
     
    It had no name. It knew it had once had a name, but like so much else, that had been forgotten. All that remained was a list of numbers and letters. Even that was