A giant airship stood on the desert sand a few metres away from a seemingly normal rock formation. Rick and Evy were approaching a particular point on the rock-face, each grasping a large suitcase, while Alex and Jonathan followed a short distance behind them. When Rick and Evy were almost at the formation, the illusory door to the secret headquarters of the Order of the Medjai shimmered out of existence and Ardeth Bay appeared. He greeted Rick and Evy warmly, and engaged them in conversation.

'Well,' Alex sighed, as he took in the scene before him, 'I guess there's no turning back now.'

'Not getting cold feet about taking up your position as Supreme Medjai, are you?' Jonathan asked him. 'Surely you've done all the hard parts already – giving Imhotep a damned good kicking and sending him back to the Underworld and so forth?'

'I have a feeling that wasn't actually the hardest part,' said Alex, 'but I guess I'll find out soon.'

Jonathan smiled at Alex and clapped him on the back. As he did so, there came a flurry of movement underneath the material of Jonathan's white suit, heralding the emergence of a mongoose from the sleeve of his jacket.

'Are you going to take this little guy with you?' Jonathan asked. 'I'll look after him while you're away if you want, just like I used to.'

'That's okay, Uncle Jonathan – I'll keep him with me,' said Alex. 'I'm planning to stay for... well, I don't know exactly how long... but there's a lot of stuff I want to do before I come home again. Come on, Tut.'

Alex held out his right arm and the mongoose jumped on to it, before settling itself around Alex's shoulders in a contented manner.

'We'll miss you, mate,' said Jonathan.

'I'll miss you too,' said Alex.

'Maybe you can pop back for a couple of days next month and come to Uncle Reginald's Hawaiian luau?' Jonathan suggested.

'Well, I don't know about that,' Alex laughed. 'We'll have to see how it goes.'

Alex and Jonathan had now caught up with Rick and Evy, who were still talking to Ardeth Bay. Ardeth nodded a greeting to Alex; Alex promptly nodded back.

'Welcome, Supreme Medjai,' said Ardeth. 'You honour us with your presence.'

'Cut it out, Ardeth,' said Alex. 'It's just me, okay?'

'There's no "just you" anymore,' said Ardeth, giving Alex a knowing smile nevertheless.

'Ardeth's been telling us about your investiture next month, sport,' said Rick. 'We'll be sure to come back for that.'

'If you want us there, that is,' Evy added.

'Of course I want you there,' said Alex. 'Not that I've been told anything about an investiture myself!'

'There will be plenty of time for that,' said Ardeth. 'For now, I suggest you take some time to settle back in. Perhaps you would like to address your fellow young Medjai about your new role; I have instructed them all to be in the assembly area one hour from now.'

'You have, huh?' said Alex. 'Well... sure, I guess I could say a few words to them.'

'Allow me to lead you to your new quarters,' said Ardeth.

'New quarters?' said Alex. 'Ardeth, I don't want you to start treating me like I'm a... a pharaoh or something!'

'Well, it's hardly a palace,' said Ardeth, smiling again.

'Good!' said Alex.

'Bye then, sport,' said Rick. 'Be sure to let us know when your investiture's happening, huh?'

'I will, Dad,' said Alex. 'See you soon.'

Alex took a few moments to hug his father, then his uncle, and finally his mother. Evy reached up to stroke Alex's hair, and let out a wistful sigh.

'What's the matter, Mom?' said Alex.

'Oh... nothing, really,' said Evy. 'It's just that I've never had to reach up to stroke your hair before... I can't help feeling that you're growing further and further out of my reach, in so many ways...'

'That's never gonna happen, Mom,' said Alex. 'You can trust the word of the Supreme Medjai on that!'

Evy smiled and nodded, before kissing Alex as many times as she could before he kissed her back and turned to pick up his luggage.

Alex dumped his suitcases on the floor and stared agog at his new quarters.

'Ardeth,' he said shrilly, 'this is like a five-star hotel!'

'Only the best for the Supreme Medjai,' said Ardeth.

'Stop it,' said Alex, frowning now. 'You're really starting to annoy me with that stuff.'

'My apologies – I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable,' said Ardeth. 'But you are in a unique position now, Alex, and things will not be as they were before.'

'Yeah, obviously,' said Alex. 'Like this investiture thing, huh? What the heck is that all about?'

'The other Medjai Elders will travel here with their young students,' said Ardeth, 'and they will all swear an oath to acknowledge you as Supreme Medjai.'

'Are you gonna tell me I have to give a speech to them as well?'

'Of course. As the Supreme Medjai, such things will be expected of you.'

'Yeah, well,' said Alex, 'I have some ideas that I think the Elders are gonna find pretty unexpected... and I think you are too, Ardeth... but as the Supreme Medjai, I'm gonna make darned sure that they happen!'

Ardeth raised an eyebrow and said, 'I'm not sure those are the rules, Alex.'

Alex flashed Ardeth a confident smile and said, 'They've just been changed.'

The sounds of companionable laughter and exertion met Alex's ears as he followed Ardeth into the large assembly hall, where several figures in red were running around and tossing a hoop between them with their long, crook-ended staffs.

'My friends!' Ardeth addressed them. 'The Supreme Medjai is here.'

'Ardeth, cut it out!' Alex hissed to him. 'You'll make them all hate me again!'

The game had come to an abrupt halt. All eyes were now on Alex; some expressions were passive, some were uncertain and some appeared slightly sceptical. Alex quickly discerned the face of Yanit, which was smiling warmly up at him. He met her eye and smiled back, which helped him to relax a little.

'Er... hiya, guys,' said Alex. 'Well, as you've just heard, I'm the Supreme Medjai now... but that doesn't mean we're not all still a team, and Ardeth's analogy about the broken arrow shafts is just as true as it's ever been... and I hope all of you will want to help me with some ideas that I think are pretty interesting, but I don't really want to talk about that right now... so, does anyone need an extra player?'

'You can join my team, Alex!' Yanit piped up at once. 'We're a man down.'

Alex gave her a secret smile to acknowledge her quip, which she immediately returned. Alex jumped down to join his fellows in the fray, and soon the game was in full swing once again. Ardeth frowned, then smiled, then turned and walked away.

Alex slammed the hoop into the back of the makeshift goal-net.

'Yes!' he exclaimed, jumping several feet into the air and pumping his fist. 'That's nine-eight to us!'

'I think we said next goal wins, didn't we?' Yanit said to the captain of the opposing team.

'Yes, we did,' Fadil sighed. 'The victory is yours.'

'How about a penalty shoot-out, just for fun?' Alex suggested.

'You have no time for further play, Alex,' Ardeth's voice suddenly boomed from the doorway. 'A visitor has just arrived and he is very keen to talk to you.'

'It's not someone else I have to make a speech to, is it?' Alex called back, eliciting laughter from Yanit and a smile from Fadil.

'No; not if you don't want to,' said Ardeth. 'It's the Minotaur – he says he's completed the mission you gave him before we left Gibraltar.'

'Ah,' said Alex, 'then you're right, Ardeth; playtime's over. I'll see you later, guys, okay?'

Everyone muttered friendly farewells to Alex, and some came to shake his hand or pat him on the back. As he was disentangling himself from the throng, Alex managed to put an arm around Fadil's shoulders and draw him to one side.

'Fadil, can you do something for me?' Alex said quietly.

'I don't know, Alex,' said Fadil. 'Can I?'

'I want you to come along to my room tonight, when you're sure everyone else is asleep,' said Alex. 'I need to talk to you in private.'

'You do?' said Fadil, sounding very surprised.

'Yes, I do,' Alex told him. 'You know where Ardeth's stuck me, don't you? Go to the end of the dormitory corridor, then turn -'

'Yes, I know the place,' said Fadil. 'I helped to carry in your bathtub, when the room was being prepared for you.'

'Oh... you did, huh?' said Alex, sounding rather uncomfortable with the idea. 'Okay, well... you know where to come, then. You won't forget, will you? It's extremely important.'

'Should I consider this an order from the Supreme Medjai?' said Fadil, giving Alex a wry smile.

'No,' said Alex, returning the look, 'you should consider it a request from a close friend.'

'In that case,' said Fadil, 'I will certainly be there.'

Alex nodded, and clapped Fadil on the shoulder. He then ran over to Ardeth, and the two of them disappeared from the hall.

'You and Alex looked pretty cosy there,' said Yanit, as she came up to Fadil. 'What did he say to you?'

'He wants me to come to his room for a secret talk in the middle of the night,' said Fadil.

'Ooh, sounds intriguing,' said Yanit. 'Maybe he wants to discuss some really important Supreme Medjai business with you.'

'Yes,' said Fadil, 'maybe he does.'

'Your suspicions were correct, Alex,' said the Minotaur. 'There was no sign of the Scarab at the Rock of Gibraltar, or anywhere in the immediate vicinity – I promise you, I searched for him thoroughly.'

'I don't have any doubts about that,' Alex assured him. 'So you stayed in the area to see if he'd crawl out of the woodwork?'

'I did,' said the Minotaur. 'And I'm ashamed to report that he slipped through my fingers. You must have weakened him incredibly, Alex, after that trouncing you gave him; there was no sign of him for more than three months. But then, one morning, there were reports from several local fishermen of a huge insect swimming across the Strait of Gibraltar in the early hours, immediately after dawn – it must have been the Scarab.'

'Yes, I should say so,' said Ardeth. 'And he was swimming in a southerly direction, I assume?'

'That's right,' said the Minotaur. 'Apparently some of the fishermen saw him reach the shore of Morocco, haul himself out of the water and... well, disappear.'

'He's here, then!' said Alex. 'On the African continent, I mean. He'll want to get some kind of revenge on me – I know he will!'

'I agree,' said the Minotaur. 'We must be vigilant, and we must find some way to deal with the creature in a more permanent manner.'

'Ardeth's been looking into that,' said Alex.

'Indeed I have, but I have drawn nothing but blanks,' Ardeth said apologetically.

'I know for certain that the Manacle of Osiris can turn the stupid thing back into that crystal amulet, like it was when I first saw it,' said Alex, glancing at the golden band on his right wrist. 'There was a picture on the wall of Osiris shooting a beam of light at the Scarab and shrinking it back down, and when it first saw the Manacle on my wrist, it totally wigged out! There has to be an incantation to make that happen; the one that Osiris must have used.'

'If there is,' said Ardeth, 'I'm afraid it may take a greater man than I to find it.'

'Don't you have any more random fragments from the Scrolls of Thebes?' said Alex. 'When you wanted to tell me about that "walk among the birds" thing, you just seemed to produce a fragment out of thin air!'

'Sorry – that was the only one I had,' said Ardeth. 'But the incantation may not matter, Alex. Remember, the Manacle is only a conduit – it focuses and directs the power that is inside you, just as it did for Osiris so long ago. You seem to have faith that it will work again, even after it was shot with that nullifier beam.'

'Yeah, because you told me in Gibraltar that I had all those powers anyway and I didn't really need the Manacle to bring them out, so long as I believed in myself.'

'Exactly – so if you believe that you have the power to defeat the Scarab, and that the Manacle can magnify and direct it for you, then... well, that's undoubtedly how it will be. I'm convinced that the actual words you say are irrelevant – it is the belief in yourself and in your abilities that will allow you to finally defeat the Scarab.'

'I hope you're right about that, Ardeth,' Alex sighed. 'Would you mind leaving us alone now? I want to have a private talk with the Minotaur.'

'Of course not,' said Ardeth, betraying no emotion in either his face or his voice. 'Farewell for now, then.'

Ardeth left the room; Alex turned to the Minotaur.

'Are you planning to stick around?' Alex asked.

'In Egypt?' said the Minotaur.

'Here, at the Medjai Academy,' said Alex.

'I hadn't thought that far ahead, to be honest with you,' said the Minotaur. 'Why do you ask?'

'Because I want you to stay,' said Alex. 'I want you to help me.'

'In what way?'

'You remember when Osiris told me that I'm about to discover a load of new Supreme Medjai powers, right?'

'Yes, I do remember that,' said the Minotaur.

'I want you to help me do it,' said Alex. 'I want you to help me discover them, and control them, and develop them to be as strong as they can be.'

'I see,' said the Minotaur. 'What makes you think that I should be the one to do this?'

'Because you know all about being given a bunch of new powers and learning to control them,' said Alex. 'You're the only person who can help me – you're the only person I want to help me.'

'But surely Ardeth Bay...'

'No. There's no one I'd rather have with me than Ardeth in a lot of situations... but not this one. I need you.'

'I really don't think you do, Alex,' the Minotaur sighed. 'I was given a great deal of power, yes... but I don't think I ever really learned to use it to the best of my ability. I was unable to stop Imhotep from stealing the Medallion of the Medjai... and before that, I was supposed to guard the Scrolls of Thebes but I let you and your family get your hands on them...'

'Don't you remember why you did that?' said Alex. 'You made the choice to give them to me, because I convinced you it was the right thing to do. Good judgement and compassion are powers too, you know.'

'Yes indeed,' said the Minotaur, 'as are the great wisdom and courage that you showed to convince me that you should have the Scrolls. Such greatness is innate in you, Alex, as is the ability to deal with the powers and responsibilities of the Supreme Medjai. You don't need my help to do it; I am truly obsolete.'

'That's nonsense,' said Alex. 'I know I can't do this by myself. A lone Medjai – even the Supreme Medjai – is fragile and susceptible to being snapped in half. Haven't you ever seen Ardeth's metaphorical demonstration with the arrow shafts?'

'No, I haven't,' said the Minotaur, 'but I can well imagine how it goes.'

'I need you to bolster my shaft,' said Alex. 'I want us to meet in private once a week, to talk and meditate and train and do whatever we need to do to make sure I don't screw this Supreme Medjai thing up! I say you're not obsolete – I say you're vital! You're a Medjai, and I'm the Supreme Medjai, so... so you should believe me!'

'Order me to do it,' said the Minotaur. 'As the Supreme Medjai, order me to do as you say and I shall be unable to refuse you.'

'No,' Alex said firmly. 'No, I won't do that. No Medjai is ever going to do anything for me unless he wants to do it.'

The Minotaur adopted a thoughtful expression. His face slowly spread into a smile, and he clapped one enormous hand onto Alex's left shoulder.

'Then I accept your proposal, Supreme Medjai,' said the Minotaur. 'I shall do what I can to help you... and it will be my honour to do so. If you have no objection, I shall set up home in the Great Cavern below the assembly hall. Perhaps we can do our training there as well.'

'That's an excellent idea,' said Alex, beaming at him. 'Can we have our first session tomorrow morning?'

'If that is what you wish,' said the Minotaur.

'Yes,' said Alex, 'that is what I wish.'

Fadil crept along the dimly lit dormitory corridor. From the sounds of deep breathing coming from beyond the half-closed doors, he was fairly sure that everyone was asleep. When he came to a certain room, he knocked softly on the door and stuck his head around it. The figure in the bed beyond stirred and sat up. After blinking several times in the dim light, a vocalisation of recognition escaped its lips.

'Fadil,' said Yanit. 'What are you doing here at this time of night?'

'I want to talk to you, Yanit,' said Fadil.

'You'd better come in, then,' said Yanit, wiping the sleep from her eyes. 'Aren't you supposed to be having your secret meeting with Alex right now?'

'Yes, I am,' said Fadil, as he pushed the door closed behind him, 'but I just had to come and speak to you first.'

'Oh, right,' said Yanit, sounding rather confused. 'Okay, well... I guess we'd better talk, then. You can sit on the end of my bed if you like.'

'Thanks,' said Fadil, and did so.

'Well?' Yanit prompted him, after a few seconds had passed in silence.

'I have to make a confession to you, Yanit,' said Fadil. 'It is going to sound most strange... indeed, the idea that I am about to put it into words fills me with a cold dread the like of which I have never experienced before.'

'Good God, Fadil, what on earth is wrong?'

'Nothing is wrong... at least, I hope not. I know most people would judge it wrong, but I can't help feeling that they would be wrong to do so. I'm not saying I'm not surprised, of course. I mean, I didn't think I... well, I've felt such things before, but only for... I mean, only in the way you'd expect.'

'I'm sorry,' said Yanit, 'but I can't understand a single word of what you're saying.'

'The truth is,' said Fadil, 'that recently I have been finding myself... attracted to you, Yanit. As I say, I have felt such urges before... but only for girls. That is why I am surprised... but I do not feel ashamed! Perhaps you will consider such a confession an abhorrent slur against nature and against God... but I hope you won't. I honestly think I am in love with you, Yanit, and I just want to know if there's any chance... and obviously I'll understand if you don't want to, but if you do...'

Yanit smiled fondly at Fadil, and placed her hand on top of his on the bedclothes. Fadil raised his eyes, and smiled shyly back at her.

'Fadil, that was really sweet,' she said, 'and I must tell you that my response will contain both good news and bad news for you.'

'Oh yes?' Fadil said uncertainly. 'Which is to come first?'

'The good news comes first,' said Yanit, 'and it's that you don't need to feel confused, or worry that others would find your urges disgusting and wrong... which I don't think they would be myself, but that's beside the point.'

'Why is it beside the point?' said Fadil. 'Surely...'

He stopped speaking and stared in awe as Yanit reached up and unwound the scarf she always wore around her head, causing long tresses of black hair to fall around her shoulders.

'You... you're a girl!' Fadil breathed.

'Yes, I'm a girl,' said Yanit, having abandoned her teenage-boy voice. 'I am a Medjai, an orphan... and a girl.'

'Who else knows about this?'

'Just Alex and Ardeth.'

'Then I am honoured to have been entrusted with the secret,' said Fadil. 'It's such a convincing disguise – I'd never have guessed!'

'I know,' Yanit grinned. 'I'm really proud of the voice. The strapping I have to wear around my chest is a nightmare, though! It wasn't too bad at first, but it's really uncomfortable now that I'm... well, now that I'm a little older.'

'Saints preserve us,' Fadil muttered. 'This explains a lot. It explains why I've been feeling attracted to you! It explains why you'd never come in the communal shower! It explains why your hips go like that!'

Fadil traced a shape in the air with his hands. Yanit laughed.

'Yes, it pretty much explains everything,' she said.

'But this... this is brilliant!' said Fadil. 'If you're a girl and I'm a boy, it means we can have it out in the open! I mean, we can have that kind of a relationship and no one will think there's anything wrong with it!'

'Yes, it would mean that,' Yanit sighed, 'if it weren't for the bad news, which I'm going to have to give you now.'

'Oh yes, the bad news,' said Fadil, sounding very crestfallen. 'I'd forgotten about that.'

'Fadil, I think of you as a close and valued friend,' said Yanit. 'That was not the case when we first met, of course – back then, I thought of you as an arrogant, selfish, unpleasant, rude, nasty, vindictive, annoying little maggot!'

'That's because I was all of those things,' said Fadil, 'much to my shame.'

'Exactly – that's why I admire you so much for changing,' said Yanit. 'I would trust you with my life, Fadil – I have, come to think of it – and our friendship is extremely important to me, but it would be entirely reprehensible of me to let you think that I could ever love you in that way when I... I'm already in love with someone else.'

'Ah, I see,' Fadil sighed. 'Yes, that is indeed bad news for me.'

'I'm sorry,' said Yanit, patting his knee. 'But I'm so glad that you're in on my secret now, and I know we'll always be really close friends... if you still want to be, of course.'

'Yes, I still want to be,' said Fadil, smiling warmly at her, 'and I thank you for your honesty and your understanding. Who... who is this other person you are in love with?'

'Are you sure you really want to know?'

'I think I already do. It's Alex, isn't it?'

Yanit nodded, and a dreamy look came over her face.

'I think Alex is amazing,' she breathed. 'Don't you think he's amazing, Fadil?'

'Well... yes, he is almost entirely amazing,' said Fadil, 'I can't deny it.'

'And he's gorgeous and he's kind and he's lovely,' said Yanit.

'Yes,' said Fadil, 'he's extremely lovely.'

'Did you see what he did today?' said Yanit. 'Ardeth was obviously trying to get him to stand up there and make some kind of "I'm better than all of you" speech to us, but he wouldn't do it. He shared some of his feelings with us, then he joined in our game and played with us. He's the Supreme Medjai, but he'll never let that change who he is. That's why I love him... and that's why I realised today that I have to tell him I love him, and that I want us to... to...'

'To be a couple?' Fadil suggested.

'Yes, that's exactly it – to be a couple!' said Yanit.

'You want to become his Medjai Queen, yes?'

'I guess so, if you want to look at it that way.'

'Do you think he feels the same way about you?'

'I'm almost sure he does, unless I'm completely misreading the situation. But we've always had a spark, you know. He started flirting with me even before he knew I wasn't a boy!'

'Did he really?' said Fadil.

'Yes... well, I think so,' said Yanit. 'He said "You're full of surprises" and I thought it sounded like flirting, but maybe I was wrong.'

'He was probably experiencing the same feelings that I've been experiencing,' Fadil sighed. 'But unlike me, you feel the same way about him. I should have guessed, really – I always have to play second fiddle to Alex. I was the top dog around here, then Alex showed up. I was proud to strut my stuff in the communal shower, then Alex showed up! I thought I might be about to become a couple with you, then Alex showed up!'

'You're not going to start being mean to him again, are you?' Yanit asked.

'No,' said Fadil. 'That's not who I am anymore. Besides, I can't blame Alex for my inadequacies. While he's around, I'll always be second best and that's just the way it is.'

'You know Alex would tell you not to talk like that,' said Yanit. 'We're a team, Fadil, and we're all of equal value, just like Ardeth's arrows – that's what Alex would say if he were here.'

'Yes, I know he would,' Fadil sighed, 'and I know he'd be right. So, have you told him how you feel yet?'

'No, not yet,' said Yanit. 'Hopefully I'll pluck up the courage to do it tomorrow.'

'He's really a bit too young for you, isn't he?' Fadil asked, somewhat hopefully.

'I don't think so,' said Yanit. 'There's a little over a year between us – that's nothing. Besides, such considerations are unimportant in matters of love.'

'Of course they are – I'm sorry,' said Fadil. 'I'm sure you'll be very happy together.'

'I wish I didn't have to disappoint you like this, Fadil,' said Yanit, 'but... well, we can't help our feelings, can we? You'd better get along and talk to Alex now, hadn't you? He'll be expecting you.'

Fadil nodded, and rose to his feet. He walked over to the door and looked back at Yanit, who smiled warmly at him. Fadil smiled back, then he turned and left the room.