'I can do this,' Faith kept reassuring herself as she hesitantly approached Miyoko's black Honda on which the woman was already sitting in her black ninja outfit with her sword hidden inside a floorball stickbag she was carrying in her back. Ever since her accident, Faith had been unable to get near either Miyoko's bike or the new 125 cc / 7.63 ci Suzuki the law firm had acquired for them earlier that week as a replacement to the trashed Kawasaki. The accompanying letter had described how the insurance company had written off the old bike at full value as the accident was clearly caused by a suddenly appeared pothole in the asphalt of a road that was well known for its poor condition. Thus, the insurance company assumed full liability without deductibles.

Seeing the hesitancy in Faith's movements, Miyoko stepped off the bike and laid a reassuring hand on the Slayer's arm.

"You don't have to do this, Faith, if you don't want to. I can do a quick patrol myself and we'll try again tomorrow."

"No," Faith shook her head. "It's been too long since I went Slaying. Maybe I can't ride a bike myself just yet but I sure as hell can ride bitch!"

Nodding in understanding, Miyoko took Faith's hand in her own. "Look at her," she indicated her bike. "The smooth lines, the chrome, the implied power." They took a step forward in synch. "Don't you want to touch her, like you want to touch me?" Reaching out, with Faith's hand still in hers, they took another step and another until their joined hands touched the smooth surface of the tank. "See? There's nothing to be afraid of. Let's sit on her with your arms around me."

"I didn't give you permission to cop a feel!" Miyoko snapped in mock outrage when she felt Faith's hands cup her breasts. While the Slayer was still laughing at her, she started the engine. "If you want us to get anywhere from this yard, missie, you'll keep your hands where they belong and put your helmet on!"

"Spoilsport," she heard Faith mutter, but the Slayer did as she was asked. Releasing the clutch, Miyoko rode them slowly twice around the yard, all the time ready to stop the bike should Faith give any indication she wanted off. When none came, she steered the bike down the gravel road to Tuhingamata Road and turned right. She kept their speed almost painfully slow for the first couple of minutes but then, gradually, on Oruanui Road increased it to the allowed limit. Faith's arms had initially tightened around her so that it was almost painful, but as their speed levelled, she felt their hold loosen to something that was both comfortable and safe.

"Thanks," she heard Faith say as they waited for their turn to slip into the traffic on Highway 1 from Link Road.

"My pleasure," Miyoko gasped as she felt Faith's hands briefly descend between her legs, and the Slayer press her crotch against her ass with a small wiggle of her hips.

There were three cemeteries in the Taupo district area. Taupo Public Cemetery was located on the other side of the Waikato River from Gates Park where Faith had first encountered Miyoko. The second one was Turangi Public Cemetery near the southern tip of Lake Taupo and an hour's drive from Oruanui. The third one was Mangakino Public Cemetery about 28 miles north-west from Oruanui.

Faith had visited the Taupo and Mangakino cemeteries once each while she still had the Kawasaki. Both of them had been quite boring and apparently totally devoid of anything that went bump in the night. Hence her preference to patrol the public parks in Taupo instead as it appeared that the local undead population preferred them as hunting grounds over the cemeteries.

But now that they had Miyoko's powerful wheels, their target was the Turangi Cemetery so that Faith could claim to have completed the full set.

The ride on Highway 1 to Turangi was smooth and uneventful which lifted Faith's spirits considerably. Miyoko was obviously trying to avoid any hazards along the way and even refrained from overtaking the few cars that drove under the speed limit in front of them. Only when the cars exited the highway, did Miyoko increase their speed back to just above the limit.

"That's it?" Faith asked incredulously as she got her first view of the two-acre plot. She would have missed it totally if not for the road sign.

"I'm afraid so," Miyoko chuckled. "The cemeteries here tend to be quite small and functional. No mausoleums or massive family plots. Just... rows of graves with simple gravestones on them. Cremation is the preferred burial method, so..."

"Cremation," Faith repeated dully, the magnitude of Miyoko's revelation hitting her like a sledgehammer. "So, all local vampires are either tourists visiting the Hellmouth or they have risen somewhere outside the cemeteries."

"That's a fair assumption," Miyoko nodded. "At the end of this road is Turangi Park. Let's sweep that one instead, ok?"

"Yeah, ok," Faith shrugged. "We rode for an hour to get here; might as well make the best of it."

Her indifference was short-lived, though. As they started patrolling the park, the familiar excitement of the hunt overtook her. Her Slayer sense tingled faintly, so there definitely were some demonic creatures in the area. By her side, Miyoko kept her hood raised as she surveyed the area. Her sword was tied to her back without the bag, and she had apparently hidden a few stakes somewhere in her persona.

"I should have brought a camera," Faith commented idly maybe ten minutes into their patrol as she glimpsed a tree which looked just like a two-legged and two-armed humanoid taking a step forward. "Looks like a shrivelled Ent."

"Where?" Miyoko asked sharply and when Faith indicated the tree in question with her head, slid the sword slowly out of the scabbard.

"What is it?" Faith whispered and grabbed a stake from a specially sown pocket inside her jean jacket. Perhaps only as little as half-a-year ago she would have just rushed in at the first tingle of her Slayer sense and devil may care, but now she was willing to fully rely on her partner to take the initiative.

"Perhaps nothing," Miyoko whispered back. "But better be sure. Here, hold this." She handed the sword over to Faith without taking her eyes off the uncanny tree. She took two five-pointed throwing stars out of a pouch in her belt and showed them to Faith. "Dipped in holy water. Let's see what happens." With that she let the shuriken fly with a swift flick of her wrist and fingers.

As the stars hit the "chest area" of the tree, it started twisting, and a low roar filled the otherwise silent night air. Faith watched in amazement as a horizontal split above the throwing stars turned into a fanged mouth and two knotholes above it into eyes. Moss under the split became a tangled beard, and the two largest branches were suddenly massive arms with long claws at the ends of them.

"I knew it!" Miyoko hissed and took her sword back. "A Tipua!"

"A what?"

"Shapeshifting demon. They usually take the form of a tree and wait for their intended prey to walk past them until they attack."

"More killing, less lecturing," Faith deadpanned as the Tipua took a lumbering step in their direction. "Come here, Peebeard! Let's cut you down to size."

"Peebeard?" Miyoko asked incredulously as they leaped into action.

"B's always throwing these little quips and puns around. Decided to give it a shot," Faith grinned as she rolled under the grabbing arms of the Tipua and tried to bury her stake to the back of its knee. The skin... bark... whatever of the demon was extremely tough, though, and her stake splintered at the impact. "Should have brought an axe," she muttered. Behind her Miyoko cursed in Japanese as her sword got stuck in one of the demon's shoulders, making it roar in pain. "So, how do we kill it?" Faith called.

"Ummm..."

"You don't know?"

"I have a theory."

"What did I say about lecturing, Cat-Hands? Just gimme something to work with."

"The roots!" Miyoko suddenly exclaimed, and sure enough, where the Tipua's "feet" touched ground, root-like tendrils were burrowed into the earth.

Understanding immediately, Faith grabbed the Spirit Blade from its usual place and slashed at the tendrils. Where the dark blade struck, the roots immediately withered with the decay starting to creep up the lower limbs of the creature until it fell over. A subsequent slash at its "neck" stilled the demon totally and it quickly turned to ashes in front of their eyes.

"That knife you used?" Miyoko asked while they were kicking the pile of ashes apart just to be sure. "I've seen you carry it but never use before. It... it cut through the demon like a scalpel. What is it?"

"Take a look at this, Cat-Hands," Faith winked and before Miyoko could react, pressed the blade against her palm and made a quick slash across it.

Miyoko's scream of horror died in her throat when Faith winked and showed her the unblemished skin of the palm she had just cut.

"What? How?" Miyoko stammered, still in shock.

"Bright Eyes gave it to me. It's something called a Spirit Blade and I guess it's kind of sentient in some weird way. It can be, I dunno... programmed to obey certain rules, like not harming anyone the programmer specifies. Anything else, and it cuts through it like laser.

"Must be nice to have someone who cares for you that much," Miyoko sighed wistfully.

"Hey, why the sad face? I care for you."

Miyoko gave a little laugh. "Thank you, Faith. That's something I'll always cherish. You have no idea how happy being friends with you makes me. Besides, the benefits package is amazing." The last comment was accentuated by Miyoko's eyes roaming all over Faith's body. When her eyes finally met the Slayer's, she gasped aloud at the hungry look in them and took a step back.

"Faith..."

"H&H, Cat-Hands," Faith practically growled. The pupils in her eyes were fully dilated. "Guess which one I'm thinking about now?"

"You wouldn't...," Miyoko started, lifting her hands in front of her as if to halt the Slayer's advance as she kept backing up.

"Guess again, Kunoichi-san."

Miyoko turned around in a flash and started running away. "You'll have to catch me first, Sureiyā-san!" she laughed over her shoulder. "Last time you were not even close."

"We'll see about that," Faith muttered and started running in pursuit.

An hour or so later, and more than a little dishevelled, both girls made their way back to where Miyoko's bike was parked.

"Is it always like this for you after a slay?" Miyoko asked curiously.

"Usually," Faith nodded. "Hungry and horny. Some fucking joke by the Powers. 'Hey, let's make these girls want to fuck anything that moves after they have slayed so that they'll always be craving for more.' Not that I'm complaining...," she grinned and nudged Miyoko's side.

"You hungry?" Miyoko winked.

"Starving. You?"

"I could eat."

Rowan's favourite place in the Castle was the open top of the round tower overlooking the main entrance. The top with its crenelated parapet was accessible through a trap door from an unused alchemy lab below. It was out-of-bounds for the Watchers-in-training and none of the faculty members ever seemed to visit it, despite the spectacular view all around. So, he had found it to be a perfect place for relaxation, studying and training. A "Honeyeater's Flight" sword-pattern while circling the parapet was one of his favourite forms of both training and relaxation.

He had lifted a deck chair there after his first visit, a chair in which he was currently lounging clad only in cut-off denim shorts. In his hands he held a summary report on the High Priestess as compiled by Althenea and Travers. He had already read it once, but as the Autumn Equinox was approaching, he was now in the process of going through it again, especially since Althenea had sent a few updated sections that morning.

The highly classified, and thus extensively warded, report began with a long introduction, warning the reader that most of the contents were not satisfactorily verified to be accurate and that some of it was pure conjecture. It also listed the people, mostly current and past members of the Order, who had contributed to the source file over the years.

"Morgaine of Cornwall (b. 492 A.D., Tintagel Castle, Cornwall), suo jure Duchess of Cornwall, High Priestess of Britain...

"Parents: Constantine, the Duke of Cornwall; Viviane, Princess of Gwynedd...

"Born out of wedlock but later legitimised by legitimatio per matrimonium subsequens...

"Her mother Viviane died giving birth to a still-born boy when Morgaine was six...

"Hereditary Witch, initially trained in the Art by her mother's relatives. Received further training by the druids of the Isle of Mona in Wales (present day Anglesey) ...

"Accepted into the Priestesshood of the Goddess at the age of 11. Became High Priestess at the age of 24, the youngest ever...

"People and various mythical creatures who follow the Old Covenant regard her as their rightful Queen, especially in Wales, Ulster, Scotland and the Isles ...

"Mistresses of Covens and other Priestesses who in the past have attempted to be recognised as High Priestess in her place have invariably met with a mysterious end...

"Included in the Arthurian legends by Geoffrey of Monmouth who is believed to have met her in person circa 1147. Why she may have instigated this, is subject to ongoing debate...

"Believed to be a vampire of extraordinary power due to her longevity. As her actual death has never been recorded, it's uncertain how she became one...

"Has been reliably identified while in direct sunlight...

"Believed to require Royal Blood in frequent but long intervals to sustain herself. Has never been positively identified as having drained a commoner. Suspected in the deaths of the following British royals (abbreviated): ... 21) Albert, the Prince Consort, 1861. 22) Albert Victor, the Duke of Clarence, 1892. 23) Prince John of the United Kingdom, 1919. 24) Alastair Windsor, the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, 1943. 25) Louis Mountbatten, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 1979. (see Appendix #1 about the botched attempt on the High Priestess' life in relation to the events at Mullaghmore) ...

"The latest attempt at a truce between the High Priestess and the Order was negotiated in 1980 after several relatives of Order members disappeared mysteriously after the events at Mullaghmore. The Archdruid Crispin Strange was instrumental in brokering this truce, although the High Priestess was adamant that [redacted] accept it on behalf of the Order and...

"Known associates / rivals: Prince Vlad of Wallachia, the Count Drăculea; Carmilla, the Countess Karnstein of Styria; Bhartari, the Raja of Ujjayani; Dorian Gray, the Marquess of Wilde; François, Comte de St. Germain; Nicolas Flamel, Vicomte de Cluny; Knyazhna Baba Yaga ...

"As an uncompromising adherent to the Old Covenant, all meetings known to have involved her have taken place at various holy sites all over Britain and Ireland...

"It is believed her powers are somehow tied to the land of Britain and Ireland. She has rarely been seen outside the Archipelago and then only relatively briefly."

Some of what was in the report Rowan had "known" before reading it for the first time and some of it was deeply thought-provoking. When a human became a vampire, a demon spirit took residence in the body absorbing all memories, etc. that the late victim had had, then forcing the person's soul away. The spirit taking residence was almost always some random, minor demon's – already hybrid and further diluted when merging with a human body. His ancestors had made vampires that way but still the idea of demon spirits transforming formerly mortal bodies into their vessels by "freezing" them into a kind of stasis was distasteful to him. Maybe he was a "spirit purist" in a sense, knowing that he could never be turned since a lesser spirit could never win against his own. Of course, there was also the fact that his blood was probably poisonous to modern vampires anyway. A few of his people had been bitten by the much stronger primal vampires but no solid facts existed as it came to the fate of the vampires in question. Anyway, too bad that mortal souls had no natural defences against such demon invasions. It was possible to restore a soul to a body – and bind said soul into a kind of co-habitation with the resident demon spirit – as Willow had demonstrated with Angel. Also, the Slayer duality was much of the same nature, but mostly more peaceful.

Weighing all this against the enigma that was the High Priestess of Britain, Rowan was fairly sure that whatever the High Priestess had done, or what had been done to her, was something else than "normal" vampirism. A few more weeks and the mystery would be solved – to what end, only time would tell.