The Medjai physician examined Iqbal's body while Fadil, Safin, Alex and Ardeth stood by and watched in grave silence.

'This is most extraordinary,' the physician announced at length. 'The body has been completely drained of blood.'

'I knew it!' said Ardeth. 'I thought I recognised those puncture marks on his neck, and now there seems little doubt.'

'Little doubt about what, Ardeth?' Alex asked, somewhat impatiently.

'That's the mark of a vampire, Alex,' said Ardeth. 'I've seen such a phenomenon before, many years ago.'

'If there's a vampire in the area, we'd better dispose of it as quickly as we can,' said Alex. 'We'll step up security here at the Academy, and searches will be mounted first thing in the morning.'

'Vampires sleep during the day,' said Ardeth. 'Sunlight is deadly to them, as I'm sure you know.'

'Exactly!' said Alex. 'We'll catch him napping – it'll be perfect.'

'I'd better write a telegram to Iqbal's mother, and take it to the office in Cairo first thing tomorrow,' said Ardeth. 'I'll invite her to come here just as soon as she feels able.'

'I'd like to talk to her when she comes, Ardeth,' said Fadil. 'Safin will be there too.'

'And maybe James,' said Safin. 'Oh my God, James! He's waiting up for me right now... and I'll have to tell him what's happened!'

'Do you want someone else to tell him, Saf?' Alex asked.

'No – I'll do it myself,' said Safin. 'Thank you, Alex, but... well, it really has to be me, and that's all there is to it.'


Safin pushed open the door of James's room. James looked over from the bed, grinned, threw back the covers and patted the mattress.

'Hi, sexy,' James purred. 'I'm glad you're home early – I've been going absolutely crazy waiting for you! Hey, are you okay, Saf? You look troubled.'

'Jimmy, it's... it's Iqbal,' said Safin, as tears started running down his face.

'He hasn't been giving you a hard time, has he?' said James, frowning slightly.

'No,' said Safin. 'He's dead, Jim.'

'What?'

'Me and Fadil found him when we were out on patrol. He's been killed by a vampire, Ardeth says.'

James looked absolutely mortified for a few seconds, then he completely broke down. Safin ran to him and they cried all over each other for quite some time.

'I... I'll go now,' Safin said at length. 'I'm sure you don't want me -'

'Saf, of course I want you!' James cut in. 'I want you now more than ever... I need you now more than ever!'

They cuddled up in bed together, spooning so closely that they formed a single mass under the covers. After a few seconds, James moved his hips and Safin adjusted his position slightly.

'Jimmy, are you absolutely sure you still want to?' Safin whispered over his shoulder.

'Yes,' James breathed. 'Do you?'

'Very much so,' Safin replied. 'But -'

'No buts, Saf,' said James. 'Just shut up and kiss me.'

Safin smiled, leant back over his shoulder and did just that.


Early the following afternoon, Alex left the meeting room looking very harangued, and ran into his mother in the corridor outside.

'Still no sign of the vampire?' Evy asked.

'No,' said Alex, 'but we'll sniff it out soon enough, don't you worry.'

'Alex, I simply have to make a request to you about Mike,' said Evy.

'What request?' Alex asked guardedly.

'Take him off the sentry duty roster until this vampire situation has been sorted out,' said Evy. 'I don't want him up in that watchtower on his own tonight.'

'Mom, everyone at purple sash level and above takes their turn at sentry duty,' said Alex. 'Mike wouldn't thank me for whisking that away from him just because we're on high alert, and he certainly wouldn't thank his mother for asking me to do it! Like I told you before, I absolutely refuse to mess with the boy's head like that!'

'I see,' said Evy, somewhat coldly. 'Well, you could at least assign someone to go up the watchtower with him, so he doesn't have to do his duty alone.'

'That would still show a lack of faith in him,' Alex pointed out.

'Not if you introduced a new policy to say that everyone has to do it in pairs until the vampire's been disposed of.'

'I don't think that's necessary, Mom. I discussed the details of our vampire alert status with Yanit and Fadil earlier, and they both agreed with me that the watchtower is a perfectly safe location for one person to spot a vampire from, and raise the alarm.'

'But Mikey's not ready for that level of responsibility, Alex! He's only twelve, for God's sake!'

'He's almost thirteen!' Alex countered. 'Just think of everything I'd had to go through by the time I turned thirteen, Mom! Do you think I wouldn't have been capable of dealing with a vampire when I was Mikey's age?'

'Of course you would've been, sweetheart, but Mikey's not you!'

'I know that,' said Alex, his tone much softer now. 'You think I don't worry about him too, Mom? You think I'm not aware of his shortcomings? You're wrong – I do, and I am. But I absolutely will not force unwanted help on him – I won't have him thinking that I don't have faith in him!'

'But darling,' said Evy, 'sometimes it's hard to ask for help even when we desperately want it, and I think you know that.'

'Look, Mom,' said Alex, 'I think you should trust Mike more. I know he's not perfect and he still has a lot to learn, but I have absolute faith in my brother and I trust him completely. He's certainly more than capable of standing in the watchtower for a few hours and letting us know if he sees a vampire skulking around the Academy.'

'I'm still not happy about this, Alex. I may have to speak to Mike myself, if you won't do it.'

'What are you going to say? That you think he's too young to be up the watchtower by himself, or that he's not responsible enough? He really won't thank you, Mom, whatever you say.'

'I know,' said Evy, letting out a heavy sigh. 'Maybe I'll offer to go with him myself, to keep him company. That wouldn't interfere with your duty roster, would it?'

'Not at all,' said Alex. 'If Mike wants to have you up there with him, I'll have nothing to say about it. But I honestly don't think he will, Mom.'


Several hours later, Michael was alone in the watchtower, sitting with his chin on his knees and brooding silently. Suddenly he became aware of a flash of movement below the tower. He immediately jumped to his feet and peered down into the near-darkness.

'Who's there?' he called. 'Show yourself and state your business!'

The figure outside the main entrance to the Academy looked up at the watchtower with an expression of curiosity on its face.

'Well, hello there, mate!' the stranger called to Michael. 'Sorry – I didn't see you up there or I would've announced myself. I'm looking for the Medjai Academy. Is this it?'

'It might be,' Michael replied. 'Who are you and what do you want?'

'The entrance is here, isn't it?' said the stranger, running his hand along the seemingly solid wall of rock. 'I can feel it, even though I can't see it.'

'That's not supposed to happen,' said Michael. 'And you still haven't told me who you are!'

'I'm just a poor, injured traveller, seeking refuge,' the mysterious man replied. 'I heard the Medjai Academy was around here somewhere, and I thought maybe they might offer me a bed for the night and a bite to eat.'

'We don't normally do that sort of thing,' said Michael. 'We're supposed to be a secret society.'

'Ah, then this is the Medjai Academy! And you're a Medjai warrior, right?'

'Yeah, I am. And I'm a damn good one too, so you'd better not try anything!'

'Now, now, mate, there's no need for that kind of talk. As I understand it, the Order of the Medjai is supposed to help people, isn't it? Inviting a weary, injured traveller into your base should be part of your job really, from what I've been told. So, won't you please open the door and invite me in?'

'You're the vampire, aren't you?' Michael shot back at him. 'You're the one who killed Iqbal.'

The stranger did not reply at once, but fixed Michael with a smile of amusement.

'What's your name, kid?' he asked at length.

'Don't you know it's impolite to ask for someone's name without giving yours first?'

'Of course – how rude of me. They call me Spike.'

'Well they call me Mike.'

'What an interesting coincidence,' said Spike, chuckling softly. 'Let me into your base, Mike. I'm only a harmless traveller, like I said before.'

'I don't believe you!' said Michael. 'I trust my Medjai instincts, and they're telling me that you're lying! You're the vampire – I know you are! And you've come here to kill more of us!'

'Just say I was this vampire you keep talking about,' said Spike, 'wouldn't you have to raise the alarm and get a bunch of your fellow Medjai warriors out here to kill me?'

'Yes,' said Michael, 'that's what I should be doing right now... but first I think I'll open the main entrance, like you suggested before.'

'You will?'

'Yeah, I will! But just to be absolutely clear, this does not constitute an invitation for you to enter the Academy! It's an experiment, and that's all.'

With that, Michael reached out and pressed the control to dissolve the magical doorway. Spike peered into the entrance tunnel beyond, but made no move to enter it.

'If you were an injured traveller then you could go inside now, and find the help you claim to need so desperately!' Michael said triumphantly. 'So, g... - no, hang on; I need to watch what I say here. If you're not a vampire, Spike... and I'll say that again, to make it absolutely clear... if you're not a vampire, now's the time to prove it!'

Spike made no move to enter the Medjai Academy, but continued to look up at Michael with an expression of sly amusement. Michael made a vocalisation of triumph, closed the entrance, grabbed his Medjai staff and then jumped down from the sentry box to the desert sand below. Spike stared at him in surprise.

'You're a confusing fellow, Mike,' Spike remarked. 'You think I'm this vampire you're after, yet instead of blowing the whistle on me, you come down here and put yourself at my mercy.'

Michael scowled, hefted his staff and said, 'That's what you think, pal!'

Spike laughed, his smile even wider now. He looked at Michael with surprise and interest evident in his eyes, but he seemed to have nothing else to say for the moment.

'You are the one who killed Iqbal, aren't you?' said Michael.

'Guilty as charged!' Spike replied, grinning all over his face. 'When I heard about the legendary Order of the Medjai and its scores of great warriors dedicated to ridding the world of the undead, I just had to come to Egypt and get a taste of Medjai blood for myself. And I have to admit, it tasted pretty good!'

Michael scowled at Spike and made a swipe with his staff; Spike feinted out of the way.

'So, Iqbal was his name, eh?' Spike continued. 'He was very easy prey, you know. Wandering through the desert all by himself, crying and wailing like his heart was shattered to pieces. I found it hard to believe he could be a Medjai warrior... but I killed him anyway.'

'He certainly was a Medjai warrior, and a damn good one!' Michael yelled. 'And now I'm going to make you pay for what you did to him!'

'I'll let you in on a little secret, Mike,' said Spike. 'I didn't come here tonight to kill any old Medjai warrior, like I did last night. No; I've been there, done that and got the bloodstained T-shirt. What I really want now is to drain the blood of the so-called Supreme Medjai. If you tell me where I can find him, I'll let you live... because to be honest, I think the world would probably be a lot less interesting without you in it.'

'So you want the blood of the Supreme Medjai, huh?' said Michael. 'Well, I'm his brother, so why don't you see how you like the taste of mine?'

'You're the Supreme Medjai's brother?' said Spike, looking keenly into Michael's eyes.

'Yes, I am!' Michael replied, staring back defiantly.

'Well, bugger me if you're not telling the truth!' said Spike, grinning from ear to ear. 'Okay then, Mike – I'll take you up on your very kind offer!'

As Spike spoke these words, his face transformed into a demonic mask with several protruding fangs. Michael gasped in horror and raised his staff. Spike leapt forward.


Alex pulled his face away from the back of Yanit's neck and peered towards the closed bedroom door.

'What's wrong, sweetie?' said Yanit, leaning over her shoulder to look at him. 'Why did you stop?'

'I'm suddenly feeling worried about Mikey,' said Alex. 'What if my mom was right? What if he really shouldn't be out there by himself with a vampire on the loose?'

'You trust him to raise the alarm if he sees anything, don't you?'

'Yes, of course. But what if... well, what if something unexpected happens? After all, it wouldn't be the first time. A decent Medjai warrior should always expect the unexpected, Yanit. Maybe I should go check on him.'

'Alex, I truly believe that your faith in your brother is a wonderful thing,' said Yanit. 'Don't let it waver now... and don't leave me here with the fire all nicely laid and no match to light it!'

'Okay,' Alex laughed. 'I'll try not to worry.'

He returned his attention to Yanit's back half. She let out a sudden gasp, and smiled contentedly.


Spike made a vicious lunge, but Michael vaulted over his head and landed deftly on the other side. Spike whirled around to face his opponent, who was already coming at him with the staff.

'Whoa, okay, let's take a time-out here,' said Spike, holding up his hands in a gesture of non-aggression. 'This isn't getting us anywhere.'

Michael's staff cracked down on Spike's head. Spike yelled indignantly.

'Hey, I said I wanted a time-out!' Spike objected. 'Isn't it against the Medjai Code to hit me under those circumstances?'

'The Medjai Code doesn't apply to you!' Michael snarled. 'You're a vampire; you killed Iqbal!'

'It sounds like you were pretty fond of this Iqbal character,' Spike remarked.

'Not particularly,' said Michael. 'But when you strike against one Medjai, you strike against us all.'

'Well in that case,' said Spike, 'why didn't you call for backup instead of coming down here to face me by yourself?'

'I don't need backup to deal with one vampire!' said Michael.

'Maybe you don't,' Spike chuckled. 'You're very good, Mike – much better than I expected. Are you sure it's your brother who's the Supreme Medjai? It's not actually you, is it?'

'No, it's my brother,' said Michael. 'But sometimes I think maybe I'm destined to become the next Supreme Medjai someday, if my brother wants to retire or something.'

'Or if he's ever killed or fatally injured,' said Spike, licking his lips.

'I don't think that's likely to happen,' said Michael. 'But anyway, he's never spoken to me about it specifically... although he does take a special interest in my training, and he shows a lot more faith in me than anyone else does.'

'And that's why you came down here to take me on, isn't it?' said Spike. 'You're trying to prove something... not to your brother, of course, but to someone else close to you, I think.'

Michael nodded and said, 'My mother has no faith in me.'

'Your mother...' said Spike, sounding suddenly wistful.

'She offered to come up and stand with me in the watchtower tonight,' said Michael. 'She doesn't even think I can handle a few hours of sentry duty without my mum there to hold my hand!'

'She's overprotective because she loves you,' said Spike. 'You should be grateful for that, Mike. Don't you know how important a mother's love is?'

'Of course I do! I just wish she wouldn't treat me like a child, that's all. I'm almost thirteen years old and I'm a Medjai warrior of purple sash level and I don't need my mum fussing over me anymore! And what do you know about love anyway? You're a vampire!'

'Just because I'm a vampire, doesn't mean I'm a monster.'

'I don't think Iqbal would agree with you there!' Mike snarled. 'And nor would his mother, come to think of it!'

Spike looked slightly disconcerted for a moment, then he pulled himself together and fixed Michael with a searching look.

'Okay, Mike, I have a deal I want to propose to you,' said Spike. 'How about we – you and me, I mean – meet up for a few secret training sessions? We'll soon whip you into shape, ready to take your place as the next Supreme Medjai at some nondescript point in the future, and then your mum will be proud of you.'

'And why would I want to train with you?' said Michael.

'If you agree,' said Spike, 'I'll leave the rest of the Medjai alone, including your brother – you have my word.'

'The word of a vampire may not be worth very much,' said Michael. 'And what would you get out of the arrangement, huh?'

'I think the two of us could learn a lot from each other,' said Spike. 'The experience might well be more valuable to me than a further taste of Medjai blood. So, what do you say?'

Michael opened his mouth to reply, but then he closed it again. Spike fixed him with a disarming smile.

'You really think I'm good?' Michael asked at length.

'Yes,' said Spike, 'I do.'

'You'd really leave everyone else alone if I did this with you?' said Michael. 'No more hanging around the Academy, and no more hunting people in the desert?'

'No more of any of it,' said Spike. 'If I have you, Mike, I don't need them.'

'And you'd teach me all those fancy moves of yours?'

'Of course. If you teach me yours too.'

'Okay, I'll do it,' said Michael. 'I know you're probably planning to double-cross me in some way, but I'm not afraid of you – I know I can take you down if necessary!'

'Oh yes,' said Spike, 'I'm sure you can.'

'And if you go back on your word in any way, I'll tell my brother all about you and then you'll be dead meat!' Michael continued.

'You've got me covered from all angles, kid,' said Spike. 'I don't think I'd be capable of double-crossing you even if I wanted to. Now, about these training sessions...'

'I'm not inviting you inside the Medjai Academy to do them, no matter how many promises you make!' said Michael. 'There's an old rope bridge about two miles from here – you can see it from the other side of that rock formation over there. There's a hidden cave to the west of the bridge that I don't think my brother or anyone else knows about. We'll meet there, okay?'

Spike smiled and said, 'Okay. When?'

'Midday tomorrow,' said Michael.

'I'll be there,' said Spike. 'Just make sure you are too, or more Medjai will have to die.'

'Don't worry; I'll come,' said Michael. 'A true Medjai always honours his word!'

'I'm very glad to hear it,' said Spike.


Three weeks later...

Michael was lying on his bed in a state of inertia when Evy peered around the slightly open door of his room.

'Can I come in, Mikey?' Evy asked.

'You can do what you want,' Michael's voice answered her from the darkness.

Evy came into the room and perched on the edge of the bed. Michael gave no further sign that he was aware of her presence.

'I'll just light your candle for you, shall I?' said Evy, reaching out towards the nightstand.

'No!' Michael snarled, batting her hand away roughly. 'Just leave it, Mum! If I wanted my candle lit, I'd have done it myself!'

'Oh yes, of course you would,' Evy said apologetically. 'I'm sorry, darling. You know I'm planning to go back to London in a couple of days, don't you?'

Michael shrugged.

'Well, I simply can't go if you're still lying around like a depressed heap!' said Evy. 'I'm really worried about you, Mikey.'

'Don't call me Mikey – it's a name for a baby!' Michael snapped. 'And for God's sake, would you please stop fussing over me like a mother hen?'

'I'm fussing because I think there's something seriously wrong with you,' said Evy, sounding rather more firm now. 'Sweetheart, maybe you need to take a break from your Medjai training. Why don't you come back to London for a while?'

'I'm not going anywhere, and you can't make me!'

'Michael, you may be a Medjai warrior of purple sash level but I am still your mother! Everyone needs to take a step back once in a while, including you. This is exactly like when Alex started to behave so badly after he let his Medjai training get on top of him, and -'

'I'm not Alex, Mum!' Michael yelled. 'I think we're all painfully aware of that, aren't we? You're the one who needs to take a step back, from me! I'm not your little boy anymore and I want you to leave me alone, for good!'

Evy got to her feet and dashed from the room with tears in her eyes. Michael folded his arms behind his head, then he saw that Emma had appeared in the doorway.

'What do you want, Emmy?' he asked sulkily.

'Mikey, what the hell is wrong with you?' Emma said sternly. 'I can't believe you just spoke to your mother like that!'

'I... I just want her to stop fussing over me,' said Michael, 'that's all.'

'But she's right, isn't she?' said Emma. 'There's something seriously wrong with you, Mikey. You've become distant and surly over the past few weeks. If you won't talk to your mom about it, you might at least talk to me!'

Emma came over to the bed and perched herself on the spot that Evy had recently vacated. Michael immediately sat up and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and patted him on the back.

'Now you just go ahead and tell me what's wrong,' said Emma.

'I... I can't!' Michael choked out, as he sobbed onto Emma's shoulder.

'Of course you can, Mikey,' said Emma. 'We can tell each other anything.'

'But... but you'll hate me if I tell you!' Michael wept.

'I could never hate you,' Emma said firmly.

'But you... but I... no!' Michael suddenly yelled, pushing Emma away from him in a flash of violence. 'Get out of my room, Emmy! I don't want to talk to you!'

'I don't believe you, Mikey,' said Emma. 'I'm not moving from this spot until -'

'You're nothing but a silly little girl!' Michael suddenly bawled at her. 'I don't need you anymore! Just leave me alone! I never want to talk to you again!'

Emma looked mortified for a few moments, then she burst into tears and ran from the room. Michael's expression became the very picture of horrified guilt, then he buried his face in his pillow and cried bitterly.

A few minutes later, Michael stopped crying, dragged himself to his feet and took off his Medjai issue pyjamas. He then pulled on a set of Medjai robes, took up his Medjai staff and left the room.


Emma was curled up between her parents, crying unrestrainedly onto Yanit's front.

'How could he say those things to me, Mom?' Emma wailed, sounding utterly heartbroken. 'I don't believe he really meant them – he can't have really meant them!'

'Oh, darling, of course he didn't really mean them,' said Yanit, rubbing Emma's back consolingly. 'But you know, as we get older, sometimes our friendships and relationships change a bit – it's just part of growing up, that's all.'

'Nothing's ever going to change between me and Mikey!' Emma said firmly.

'Well... it might, sweetheart,' said Yanit. 'You'll still be very important to each other of course, but... well, Mikey's really starting to grow up now, and -'

'I know Mikey's growing up – I have eyes, don't I?' said Emma, pulling away from Yanit slightly. 'I'm growing up too, in case you hadn't noticed!'

'Of course we've noticed, Emmy,' said Alex, 'but -'

'You've never really liked Mikey, have you, Mom?' Emma shot at Yanit. 'You want me and him to grow apart, don't you?'

'Oh, darling, of course I don't want that, and I do like Mikey!' said Yanit, an edge of desperation to her voice. 'I'm just trying to say that... that...'

She looked helplessly at Alex.

'Sweetheart,' said Alex, placing a hand on Emma's shoulder, 'your mom's right. Mikey will always love you, and you'll always love him, but you might not always be so close as you are right now. When I was your age, I used to be pretty close friends with a guy called Simon Montgomery, but I never see him nowadays. We still exchange letters and Christmas cards, but we're just not a big part of each other's lives anymore, and that's okay.'

'And the two of you were really close friends, huh?' said Emma.

'That's right,' said Alex. 'I even invited Simon to come over to Egypt and try out some Medjai training at one point, but he decided he didn't want to stick around.'

'Simon had the biggest crush on you, Alex,' said Yanit. 'He only didn't want to join the Medjai because he couldn't handle the idea of sharing you with a whole bunch of other people, especially me!'

'Come on, Yanit,' said Alex, looking rather awkward now, 'it wasn't like that.'

'How are things between Simon and Jasper nowadays?' Yanit grinned.

'They were fine, the last I heard,' Alex replied, somewhat primly. 'No problems at all.'

Emma scowled at each of her parents in turn and said, 'Can we please get back to my problem now?'

'Oh, Emmy, I wish there was something we could say to make everything better for you,' said Yanit, 'but the truth is that... well, seeing as you are growing up now, you'll just have to come to terms with the fact that -'

Yanit stopped mid-sentence as Emma jumped to her feet and dragged her sleeve across her streaming eyes.

'You're wrong – you're both wrong!' she told her parents defiantly. 'Me and Mikey will never end up like Dad and this Simon character! I'm going to find out what's wrong and I'm going to be there for him, and you can't stop me!'

With that, Emma stormed from the room. Alex and Yanit exchanged an uncertain look.

'Did we handle that badly?' said Alex.

'We told her the truth,' said Yanit. 'I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing anything else.'

'The truth as we see it...' Alex mused. 'And I still haven't plucked up the courage to talk to her about her Supreme Medjai powers. Oh my God, I'm a terrible father!'

Yanit wrapped her arms around him and said, 'You're a wonderful everything, Alex.'


Michael swiped at Spike with his staff, but only succeeded in tripping himself up. He sat on the floor of the cave and cursed for a few moments, before Spike helped him back to his feet.

'You're distracted, Mike,' Spike remarked.

'Who says?' Michael returned sulkily.

'I says,' said Spike. 'First you turn up here in the middle of the night demanding an unscheduled training session, then you stumble around like a loser with a white sash!'

'I'm not a loser!' Michael snarled.

'Maybe not, but you could've been,' said Spike. 'I could easily have killed you in the aftermath of that so-called attack of yours, if we were in a battle situation and I'd felt like doing it. We both know you've got a lot of talent, mate, but I can't help you if you're going to be a wanker!'

'I'm not a loser and I'm not a wanker!' Michael yelled, striking out with his staff again.

Spike easily dodged the clumsy attack and said, 'I know what's bothering you, you know – I can see it in your eyes.'

'What can you see?'

'It's a girl, isn't it? That's why you're all mopey and distracted – you're thinking about a girl.'

Michael was nonplussed for a moment, then he scowled and said, 'So what if I am?'

'It's always the same,' Spike sighed. 'We think we're in love and we're going to be with our special little lady forever – literally, in some cases – and then she rips out our heart and stamps on it, and we realise just how little control we have over our own feelings!'

'Did a girl literally rip out your heart and stamp on it?' Michael asked with a wry smile.

'No!' said Spike. 'And who said anything about me, anyway? It's you we're talking about here, kid. You're in love with this girl, whoever she is, and that's what's making you weak and vulnerable! She's the one who's turned you into a wanker... in more ways than one, I bet!'

'No!' said Michael. 'You've got it all wrong!'

'I don't think I have, Mike. You love this girl, don't you?'

'Of course I love her, but not in the way you're talking about!'

'Bollocks to that!' said Spike. 'Love is love, Mike – it messes with your head, however you want to dress it up. This girl has upset you a whole lot – maybe even broken your heart. That much is obvious, even to a vampire!'

'It's more that I've upset her,' said Michael, blinking back tears. 'I think... I think I really might have broken her heart... and it breaks my heart to think it!'

'Exactly!' Spike declared triumphantly. 'Whatever the finer details, she's inside your head and she's there to stay! You want to stop thinking about her but you know you'll never be able to, so now there's only one option open to you.'

'There is?' Michael said uncertainly. 'What's that?'

'You have to sever all ties with her!' said Spike. 'Just set aside your feelings and try to get on with the rest of your life.'

'I could never do that!' said Michael. 'We've always been together and we always will be.'

'You need to abandon any silly romantic ideas like that!' Spike scoffed. 'They'll only drag you down and make you weak.'

'You're wrong!' said Michael. 'You know, Spike, I think I've learned just about everything I can from you. I've fulfilled my end of our bargain, and you've fulfilled yours, so now we can go our separate ways and never see each other again!'

'Oh Mike, now you're breaking my heart,' said Spike, grinning rather nastily. 'We've been getting along so well, and I've just started enjoying myself...'

'You... you need to leave Egypt,' said Michael, no longer sounding so sure of himself. 'You've had a taste of Medjai blood and you've trained with the Supreme Medjai's brother for three weeks, so now you can move on to pastures new!'

'I've had a taste of Medjai blood, yes,' said Spike. 'But I hadn't really planned on leaving before I'd had the chance to sample at least a little more...'

'What if... what if I agree to one more training session tomorrow,' said Michael, 'and then you agree to be on your way straight afterwards, okay?'

'I suppose it might be time for me to move on,' said Spike, 'but I intend to make sure I've got absolutely everything I can out of you before I go.'

'I... I'll come back in the morning, then,' said Michael, taking a step backwards.

'Why bother traipsing back to the Medjai Academy tonight?' said Spike. 'If you stay, we can finish this right now.'

'Well... well, okay,' said Michael. 'Let's have our final session now, then. What do you want to teach me?'

'See, the thing about that is, I think you were right about having learned all you can from me,' said Spike. 'So I think, for our final lesson, I'll conduct a little experiment.'

'An experiment?' Michael said uncertainly.

'Yes,' said Spike. 'It concerns Medjai blood, and how quickly it replenishes itself...'

Spike leapt forward. Michael heard his staff clattering to the ground, then he felt his smock being ripped in half at the chest. Four sharp fangs punctured his skin at a point just below his neck. He screamed.