Fadil had just finished setting up the goal-nets when Safin entered the assembly hall. Fadil noticed that Safin appeared to be in some discomfort, as he was bending forward a little at the waist and wincing slightly as he took each step.

'Are you all right, Saf?' said Fadil.

'I'll be okay in a minute, Fadil,' said Safin. 'I was playing a silly game with James and Iqbal and I'm still feeling the effects slightly.'

'I hope it's not a dangerous game.'

'No, it's perfectly safe.'

'Did you win?'

Yes, I did,' Safin grinned. 'I always win that one. So, are we going to run through these new plays or what?'

'Yes, we are going to run through them,' said Fadil. 'We take our duties as official Medjai soccer coaches very seriously, don't we?'

'We certainly do,' said Safin.

'Although, while we're on the subject of duties, I just want to say something to you, Saf,' said Fadil. 'Or to remind and reassure you of something, perhaps.'

'Oh yes?' said Safin.

'Yes,' said Fadil. 'I want to reassure you that the duty I take most seriously of all is being your big brother. You are the most important person in the world to me, Safin, and nothing can ever change that. I love you more than I can express in words, and I hope you know it.'

'I feel the same way about you, Fadil,' Safin said with a smile, 'but I can't help wondering what's brought this on all of a sudden. Is it Tara?'

'You... you are much sharper than you used to be, Saf.'

'I'm growing up, Fadil... in several interesting and potentially exciting ways.'

'Don't remind me,' Fadil laughed, gathering his brother into a hug. 'It makes me feel so old, seeing my little brother no longer quite so little. Saf, I hope you realise that Tara is never going to usurp your place as my number-one priority. I love Tara and I want us to be a couple, but that absolutely does not mean that I am going to start neglecting you, or valuing our relationship any less than I always have.'

'I never thought you'd do that, Fadil,' said Safin.

'Good,' said Fadil. 'I want you to remember that my door is always open to you, buddy – both figuratively and literally! Whatever time of the day or night, I'll always be there for you if you need me... or even if you just want me.'

'Even if you're in the middle of making passionate love to Tara at the time?' Safin asked with a grin.

'Yes, even then,' said Fadil. 'Although I assure you that I have no immediate plans to manipulate myself into that position; it's important to let these things happen in their own time.'

'That's very good advice, bro,' said Safin. 'Should we get on and run through those plays now?'

'Just one more thing before we do,' said Fadil. 'Saf, you do... like Tara, don't you?'

'I don't really know her yet,' Safin shrugged.

'But from what you saw of her today,' Fadil pressed, 'you got a good first impression, right?'

'To be completely honest with you, bro, there was something about her that bothered me.'

'In what way?'

'I'm not really sure. There's something in her eyes that I don't like, I think. Yes, that's it.'

'You don't like her?'

'No, I do like her,' said Safin. 'I just don't like this something in her eyes, that's all. I know what you're thinking, Fadil. You're thinking that I'm trying to find fault with Tara because I actually am worried that she's going to take you away from me. Well, I'm not! There's honestly something about her that I don't think is as it should be. Her eyes seem at first to be bright and open and friendly, just like the rest of her. But behind all that, I really thought I saw something else; something... not quite right.'

Fadil fixed Safin with a searching look. Safin sighed.

'You don't believe me, do you?' he said.

'I do believe you, Safin,' said Fadil. 'I know you wouldn't make up something like that, even if you were jealous... which I know you're not. Maybe Tara has some tragic secret that she hasn't told me about yet; maybe she needs my help to work through it.'

'Yeah, maybe,' said Safin. 'Just... just promise me you'll tread carefully, Fadil, okay?'

'I promise you, my brother,' said Fadil. 'Okay, let's run through these plays – we should just have enough time before the evening meal.'


Early the next morning, Alex emerged from his private bathroom to find Yanit standing in his bedroom doorway with a large bundle of clothing in her arms.

'Hi, Alex,' she grinned at him. 'Do you think there's room to squeeze this stuff into your cupboard?'

Alex stared at Yanit for a few seconds, then his face split into a smile and he ran over to her. Yanit yelped in delight as Alex grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into the air, bundle of clothes and all.

'This does mean you've decided to move in with me, right?' said Alex.

'Yes, it does,' said Yanit.

'You won't regret this, Yanit,' Alex beamed, finally setting her down on the floor.

'I'm quite certain that I won't,' Yanit assured him. 'Can you help me to move all my books and the rest of my clothes?'

'Of course!' said Alex. 'We'll do it right now, before breakfast!'

A few minutes later, Alex and Yanit waltzed out of Yanit's room, both laden with her belongings, and crashed straight into Ardeth in the corridor.

'Do you mind if I ask what you're doing?' said Ardeth.

'Not at all, Ardeth,' said Alex. 'We're clearing out this room so that Tara can have it.'

'I see,' said Ardeth, raising an eyebrow. 'As we're on this subject, don't you think tomorrow is a little too soon for her to be moving in?'

'No, Ardeth,' said Alex, 'it's exactly the right time.'

'You haven't forgotten that Zain and Hamza are coming here for a liaison meeting, I hope?'

'Of course not, Ardeth. But they're not due until about two in the afternoon, so we'll have plenty of time to settle Tara in first.'

'Mmm, yes,' said Ardeth. 'You know, Alex, I have all Tara's details written down now, but I haven't had time to check up on them yet.'

'Why do you want to check up on them?' said Alex. 'It's not like she can be pretending to be a Medjai, or anything like that – how would her mother have known to get her that tattoo, if she wasn't of Medjai blood? I don't see any reason to doubt her story, Ardeth.'

'I didn't say I doubted her story, did I?' said Ardeth. 'But you know that parental liaison has always been very important to me, Alex; there is still the matter of her father to take into consideration. I am not completely happy about her coming here against his wishes; I should have liked to talk through the matter with him first.'

'It's none of her father's business!' said Alex. 'Tara's not a child, Ardeth – she's seventeen! And she's coming to live here tomorrow and that's all there is to it!'

'Yes,' said Ardeth, 'so it seems.'

'Tara really doesn't like her father, Ardeth,' said Yanit, 'and it sounds as if she needs to get away from him – he treats her like a servant in her own home!'

'So she says,' said Ardeth.

'Aha!' Alex declared. 'You are doubting her story. I knew it!'

'Fools rush in, Alex,' said Ardeth. 'This whole sequence of events has happened far too quickly for my liking... but I realise that my opinion on the matter is of no consequence, so there we are.'

'Don't be like that, Ardeth,' said Yanit. 'You could be right, of course – maybe Tara's father isn't exactly the ogre she's made him out to be. Maybe we could encourage her to invite him here for a meeting, after she's moved in... and maybe everyone can reach a state of mind where they are basically happy with the situation.'

'There is wisdom in your words, Yanit,' said Ardeth. 'I believe that such an arrangement should be actively sought in the near future.'

'We'll talk to Fadil about it and see if he wants to broach the subject with Tara,' said Alex. 'Now, do you mind if we carry on with what we were doing? These books are getting heavy.'

'Don't let me stand in your way, Alex,' said Ardeth.


Safin was standing under the shower when James and Iqbal appeared on either side of him.

'Did you tell your brother what you think about his girlfriend?' James asked.

'Yes, I did,' said Safin.

'Did he take you seriously?' asked Iqbal.

'Yes, he did,' said Safin, 'but he seems to think that the most Tara's hiding is some kind of tragic secret, whereas I think... well, there might be something dangerous about her.'

'Did you tell Fadil that part?' said James.

'No,' said Safin. 'Perhaps I should have... but he promised me that he'd tread carefully with Tara, so maybe everything will be okay.'

'I certainly hope so, Saf,' said Iqbal.

'Are you sure there's nothing else we should be doing about the situation?' said James.

'I don't know,' said Safin. 'Maybe we could persuade Alex to read Tara's mind, then we'd know for sure what's going on beyond those oh-so-friendly eyes of hers. But I don't really want to go behind Fadil's back.'

'If you really think it's important, maybe you'll just have to do it anyway,' said Iqbal.

'Yeah, maybe,' Safin sighed. 'Thanks for your advice, guys; I'll mull it over for a while.'

James squeezed Safin's shoulder, then he moved his hand downwards and slapped Safin on the right buttock. Safin squealed, and smacked James in return. James yelled, then a slippery brawl ensued.


It was almost midnight when Alex emerged from his bathroom in a pair of Medjai issue pyjamas. Yanit smiled at him from the bed.

'You still look sexy,' she remarked.

'Hey,' Alex grinned, 'can I help it if I'm gorgeous?'

Yanit laughed. She kept her eyes fixed on Alex as he settled himself down on the couch and pulled his makeshift bedding over his body. Tut jumped up and snuggled against Alex's left leg.

'Is that couch really comfortable?' said Yanit.

'Yes, it's fine,' said Alex.

'Are you sure you don't mind sleeping there all night?'

'Of course I don't mind, Yanit. I'd do anything for you.'

'I... I think you should come over here now, Alex,' said Yanit. 'I'd like us to just lie together and hold each other for a while.'

'Are you sure?' said Alex.

'Positive,' said Yanit.

Tut adjusted his position pointedly as Alex vacated the couch-bed. Yanit threw back the bedclothes and Alex slipped in beside her. They wrapped their arms around each other and shared a quick kiss.

'This is nice, Alex,' Yanit remarked after a while. 'Just to be close to you like this... it makes me feel that all must be right with the world.'

'I feel the same way,' said Alex. 'You'll let me know when you want me to go back to the couch, won't you?'

'Yes,' said Yanit, 'I'll let you know.'


Early the next morning, Fadil and Ardeth came into Alex's room. They found Alex and Yanit asleep in bed together, lying in the spooning position. Alex's left arm was draped over Yanit's abdomen, where their fingers were intertwined. Their bodies were pressed as closely together as physically possible. From the positioning of the bedclothes, it was obvious that they were both either naked or practically naked.

'Oh my Lord...' Ardeth breathed.

'Alex!' Fadil exclaimed. 'Alex, you have to wake up! Tara's not here – she's really late!'

Slowly but surely, Alex and Yanit came back to wakefulness. Yanit frowned slightly, and pulled the bedclothes around her chest as best she could.

'Fadil...' Alex said sleepily. 'What time is it?'

'Almost two hours after dawn!' said Fadil. 'Tara said she'd be here one hour after dawn, and it shouldn't even have taken her that long with the horse! Maybe she's lost... or maybe she's decided she doesn't want to come after all!'

'She's not all that late, Fadil,' said Alex, stifling a yawn. 'Maybe she didn't manage to get out of the house as early as she planned, or maybe she's having a much-needed heart-to-heart with her father. Let's give her another hour before we send out a search party, huh?'

'Yes... yes, I suppose you're right, Alex,' said Fadil. 'I'm having a silly panic, aren't I?'

'It's understandable how nervous you are, Fadil,' said Yanit. 'If she's not here in an hour, I'll take Rupert up and see if I can spot her from the air. If she has gotten lost in the desert, I'll soon find her.'

'Oh, thank you, Yanit,' Fadil beamed. 'I feel much better now.'

'I expect the two of you would like a few minutes in private to gather yourselves together?' said Ardeth.

'Yes,' said Alex, 'we certainly would!'

'Oh... yes, of course,' said Fadil. 'Sorry to have barged in on you like this, guys. We'll see you soon, okay?'

Fadil and Ardeth left the room, leaving the door ajar behind them.

'Well,' said Alex, 'talk about a rude awakening, huh?'

Yanit leaned her head over her left shoulder and pressed her lips to Alex's. They shared a deep and passionate kiss.

'That private island's sounding really good about now, isn't it?' said Yanit.

'Definitely!' said Alex. 'How about we go up in Rupert and just pretend we're looking for Tara? We could be in paradise by lunchtime and spend the whole afternoon making passionate love on the beach!'

'The whole afternoon?' Yanit giggled. 'Wow, you're feeling pretty confident in your own prowess today, Alex.'

'Hey,' Alex grinned, 'I'm the Supreme Medjai, okay?'

'We don't need to get out of bed right away, do we?' said Yanit.

'No way!' said Alex. 'It would be premature to go searching for Tara before another hour's gone by, and Zain and Hamza definitely aren't coming until this afternoon, so there's absolutely no reason for us to get out of bed for at least twenty minutes.'

'Let's make it thirty,' said Yanit.

'Okay,' Alex laughed, 'I think I can manage that.'

Yanit smiled, then she manoeuvred herself onto her other side so that she was facing Alex, and wrapped her arms around him. He followed her example, and they started to kiss again.

'I wonder where Tara really has got to,' said Yanit.

'Can I be brutally honest with you, Yanit?' said Alex. 'I really don't care where Tara is right now! All I care about is you.'

'Oh dear, perhaps we should get out of bed,' Yanit sighed. 'If there is something going on, we don't want to be caught napping.'

'Caught with our trousers down, you mean!' Alex grinned. 'No, Tara can wait. Fadil's worrying about nothing – I bet she'll turn up any minute now!'

'Maybe we should get ready to greet her, then,' said Yanit.

'No,' said Alex, 'not just yet. I'm the Supreme Medjai and I'm ordering you to stay in bed with me for another thirty minutes, okay?'

'Yes, Master,' Yanit giggled, then Alex kissed her violently.

'Wait a second,' said Alex, suddenly pulling away.

'What?' said Yanit, sounding a little frustrated.

'The door's still open.'

Alex extricated his right hand from the bedclothes and gestured at the chair which was sitting beside his desk. Following Alex's hand movements, the chair flew across the room and slammed into the door. The door was forced shut and the chair wedged itself under the handle.

'That's better,' said Alex. 'Now, where were we?'

'Right on the brink, I think,' said Yanit.

'Then let's push on through to the next stage,' Alex grinned, and he launched himself at her.


Tara tied her borrowed horse to the end of the rope bridge and made her way to the nearby cave. She took a few steps inside and peered into the darkness.

'Father?' she said. 'Are you still here?'

'Of course, my child,' a voice answered her from the shadows. 'You have come to bring me good news, I trust?'

'Yes, Father,' said Tara. 'I am on my way to take my place at the Medjai Academy.'

'You are certain that no one suspects you?'

'Definitely not. As far as they're all concerned, I am simply Fadil's girlfriend and a trainee-in-waiting.'

Confident chuckling filled the cave as Tara's companion stepped out of the shadows and came up to her. It was Elder Garth.

'You have done very well, Tara,' said Elder Garth, placing a hand on her shoulder. 'This outcome is better than anything I dared to hope for. Now we can finally deal with that so-called Supreme Medjai! Biding my time has been exceedingly difficult, but now everything starts to come together! It will not be long before you find an opportunity to catch him napping, and then... then he is in for a rude awakening!'

'Yes, Father,' said Tara.

'When do they expect you to arrive?' asked Elder Garth.

'Pretty much right now, I think,' said Tara. 'In fact, I may be a little late.'

'Then you must hurry – we don't want anyone to become suspicious of you!' said Elder Garth. 'Be on your way now, quickly! And when you find the opportunity we have been waiting for, you know what to do!'

'Yes, Father,' said Tara, 'I know what to do.'

'You are a good girl, Tara,' said Elder Garth. 'Now go.'

Tara turned back to face the cave entrance, but she not did not start to walk towards it.

'He's not like you said he was,' she said, blinking rapidly against the bright sunlight.

'What's that? What did you say, girl?'

'I said he's not like you said he was. Alex, I mean. He's... he's nice.'

'Nice?!'

'Yes, nice... and good and honest and loyal and true, and all that other stuff that Medjai warriors are supposed to be.'

'That's only an act!' Elder Garth spat. 'Don't let him deceive you, Tara! Yes, Alex O'Connell is charismatic, charming and persuasive... all so that he can suck the gullible into his web of deceit!'

'He... he seems very open to the idea of girls being Medjai warriors,' said Tara. 'He says they're admitting a whole bunch of female recruits in the new year, and they already have some at their other two training centres.'

'That's what he says, but it's all lies!' Elder Garth insisted. 'Look at the evidence, child. Did you actually see any female Medjai warriors at the Academy?'

'Well... no,' said Tara. 'Apart from Yanit, obviously.'

'Alex only tolerates Yanit's presence because she gives him sex on demand! The two of them are at it the whole time!'

'Really?'

'Yes, really! You will never be allowed to train as a Medjai warrior, Tara – not in that place!'

'But... but Alex says I can start my training in the new year, with the other new recruits.'

'That proves it!' Elder Garth said triumphantly. 'Now he's telling you you'll be able to start your training in the new year; in the new year it will be in the summer, and in the summer it will be in the next new year! He's stringing you along, Tara – don't believe his lies!'

'But... but...'

'As I explained to you and your mother when you first came to me all those years ago, by our ancient laws a woman cannot become a Medjai warrior,' said Elder Garth. 'Only I have the power to give you what you want, Tara... and I will do so, once Alex O'Connell is dead!'

'But... but surely Alex has more power than you,' said Tara. 'Maybe we should -'

'Look at me, Tara!' Elder Garth suddenly roared, grabbing her by the shoulders and whirling her around. 'Alex cannot help you – only I can do that! You must trust in me...'

Tara's eyes glazed over as Elder Garth's mesmerising stare bore into them.

'Yes...' said Tara. 'I must trust in you, Father.'

'Alex O'Connell must die!'

'Alex O'Connell must die.'

'And we shall be the ones to bring him down!'

'We shall be the ones to bring him down, Father.'

'Good,' said Elder Garth, releasing Tara from his grip. 'Tara, I promised your mother on her deathbed that I would ensure your future as a Medjai warrior, and this is the only way you can become one. You don't want to let your mother down, do you?'

'Oh no, Father!' said Tara. 'Believe me, that's the last thing I'd ever want!'

'I'm profoundly glad to hear it,' said Elder Garth. 'So, what are you going to do now?'

'I... I am going to take my place at the Medjai Academy,' said Tara, 'and I am going to find an opportunity to catch Alex napping, and then... then I know what to do.'

Elder Garth's laughter filled the cave as Tara returned to her horse, untethered it, mounted it and directed the animal across the rope bridge. They galloped on towards the Medjai Academy.