Part 1

Khalil, Buffy, Willow, Spike, Giles, Miranda, Kate and Lachiel stepped out of
the portal in front of the tower. As this was the first visit for most of them,
they were very curious. Willow had heard a lot about the tower from Buffy.

Khalil opened the door and bowed. "Welcome to my humble home, please honour me
by being my guest." Khalil had explained to Buffy about Arab custom so she now
knew what it entailed. Arab custom says that once you have been accepted as a
guest, the host will treat you as a brother or sister for three days. In this
time they will allow no harm to come to you. Even a deadly enemy has nothing to
fear, once they have been accepted as a guest.

Giles and Lachiel were familiar with this custom. Giles stepped over the
threshold and said "I accept your welcome. We are as brothers." Lachiel stepped
inside and nodded solemnly. The others were not sure of the exact details, but
they were aware an honour was being bestowed upon them. Spike was glad Khalil
had given the welcome to the group, as it allowed him entry as well.

"Thanks mate. Can we get the grand tour?" Spike asked.

"Of course. This way." Khalil indicated they should follow him. He walked across
the entry hall. The entry hall was sixty feet across the walls covered with
hand woven Persian rugs. The floor was a single carpet, depicting a great
battle. Each of the rugs on the walls depicted a scene from the mythology of
many different cultures.

Giles was astonished. The rugs in this room alone would fetch a small fortune.
He wondered what other surprises Khalil had in this tower of his.

As they left the entrance hall, they were met by Soreya. "Khalil, you did not
tell me we would be having guests. I don't have anything prepared for them."
Soreya then noticed that Miranda was with Khalil and flew over to her, "Miranda,
how wonderful to see you. It's been what, a couple of hundred years at least.
How are you?"

"Better than I have been for a long time. I am not in hiding any more. Come, meet
my love. Rupert, this is Soreya. Soreya, this is Rupert Giles, the love of my
life."

"I bid you greetings, Rupert Giles. Long may you and your line live in happiness."
Soreya greeted Giles formally.

"Thank you Soreya. Long life and happiness to you." Giles responded. "If I may
ask, what manner of being are you? If it's not a rude question."

"It's not rude at all. I am a Sakina, one of the races of desert spirits."

"Thank you. Khalil tells us you act as his major-domo."

"Yes. Someone has to look after him. When he is researching he has a tendency to
forget the basics, like eating. When he rescued me from the djinn I could see
that he had need of my help. So I stayed to look after the tower for him. It is
the way of my people to find a place to look after and ensure it's safety. Once
we reach a certain age, we feel the need to bond with a place. Then as long as
the place prospers, so do we. I was nearing the time that I needed to bond to a
place when Khalil rescued me, so I stayed and have bonded with this tower. Now
we look after each other." Soreya caressed the tower wall.

Soreya then turned to Khalil, "How long will our guests be staying? The full
three days?"

Khalil asked his guests, "Do any of you have any pressing engagements?"

Everyone indicated that, as it was Friday night, they did not need to be anywhere
until Monday.

"Good. Then you will be my guests and I will show you true Arab hospitality.
Soreya would you be so kind as to arrange a full guest feast for tonight. Thank
you."

Soreya nodded and flew off, now having much to do.

Khalil indicated the guests should follow him, "If you will come this way, I shall
continue the tour." He said with a smile. Khalil led them up the stairs to the
first floor. The first floor was the library. Khalil opened the door with a
gesture and a word. "I have this door spell-warded so that it will only open for
me. I have too many dangerous tomes to allow just anyone entry." The group then
entered.

Giles stopped, stunned into immobility. Here was his vision of heaven. The library
too two full floors of the tower. Bookcases lined the outside walls of the tower and
took up most of the internal area as well. Each bookcase ran from floor to ceiling,
with each shelf full to overflowing with books. Giles made an attempt to calculate
the number of books but failed. The total was just too high to comprehend.

Willow was not quite speechless, but almost. "Wow. Just leave me in here and I'll
die a happy woman. Khalil, this must have taken a lifetime to assemble."

"Several in fact. I did not learn how to read until I was a couple of centuries old.
When I did, I realised what I had been missing and started to collect as many books
as I could lay my hands on. You have no idea what a blessing the printing press was.
It made books so much easier to get. I now admit to being somewhat of an addict."
This last bit was said with a very wry smile. A library of this size was beyond an
addiction, it was an obsession.

Giles then noticed the computer sitting on a desk, looking out of place in a library
of books. "Khalil, why do you have one of those infernal machines in here?"

"Giles, my friend. You will have to join the 21st century eventually." Khalil chided.
"The computer is perhaps the greatest invention since the printing press. It is
so much easier to track things with this, than the old way. I also have a satellite
link to the internet, so I can keep up on all of the advances in technology. I would
never be able to keep up without it, and if there is one thing I have learned, it is
that you must keep up with the times. Wouldn't you agree Miranda?"

"In general yes. But you can always find those who allow advances to pass them by.
When steam engines were first built, many said that man could not survive the speeds
the engines would allow. They said the same thing when cars were invented, and
I am sure there was someone on the ground saying something similar when the Wright
brothers flew. There is always a place to hide from the passing world. There are
some monasteries in Tibet and Thailand where life is the same as it was a thousand
years ago."

"True. But one might argue that they are hiding from life, rather than embracing it.
Anyway, let us continue, before Willow and Giles put down roots and refuse to leave."

They left the library, continuing the tour of the tower. The fourth floor of the
tower was the living quarters. "At the moment the only rooms being used are
mine, Soreya's and the guest room that Buffy has taken as her own. This leaves
a lot of unused space. We will use one of them as our meeting room." Khalil said
to the group.

The next floor was the physical training floor. One room was set up as an armoury,
with a large area available to exercise. Khalil believed in a healthy body as well
as a healthy body. Buffy trained here during her stays. Khalil opened the door to
the armoury, knowing that Spike and Lachiel would like to see what he had inside.

"Shit, mate. You've got quite the collection of death dealers in here, don't you."
Spike commented. The armoury housed every type of hand to hand weapon ever devised.

Khalil explained, "I like to be at least mildly proficient in any weapons an
opponent is likely to be wielding. Helps you predict what they are going to
do if you are familiar with the weapon they are using, don't you think?"

"True. Slayer, you want to train later? You too." Spike said, looking at Kate and
Lachiel. "If you're going to join our little Scooby gang, you'll need to know
how to use this stuff. Guns don't work against most demons." Spike was mostly
speaking to Kate. Lachiel would be capable with his sword, but training never hurt.

"I would be most glad to train you, my lady." Lachiel told Kate.

"Thank you, my lord. I would like that." Kate replied.

"If you would like to come with me, the tour is nearly over. One last floor to
show you,then we will have dinner. This way." Khalil then led them up to the bath
room.

This time it was the women who stopped. The bath room was a circular room, like all
the rooms in the tower, and  forty feet across. In the centre of the room was a
square tub ten feet on a side. The tub --although pool would be more accurate-- was
two feet deep at one end and eight feet deep at the other. The mosaic tiles lining
the pool showed Solomon the Wise taming the Djinn. Surrounding the pool were many
cushions, suitable for lounging in comfortably. Off to one side, seemingly out of
place, but strangely fitting, was a Victorian Brass towel rack.

Buffy looked at Willow and Kate smugly, "See. Didn't I tell you."

Kate took one look at the tub and agreed, "Oh my. I could soak in that for days
and never surface. Boys, you go down and get dinner ready. We ladies are staying
here." Kate ordered the men out.

Khalil, Giles, Spike and Lachiel left. They knew the women would need to be dragged
out of the bath, but they deserved the indulgence after the last couple of weeks.

Miranda went over to the towel rack, or more correctly, to the cupboard at the base
of the rack, and got out a bottle. She opened it and sniffed. "I don't know what
spell Khalil used to make this, but it is a work of Art worthy of the greats. It
always knows just what you need, and always has it in supply. That cupboard would
drive Rupert insane. It breaks a number of basic laws of physics." Miranda then
poured a dollop of the liquid into the bath.

The smell was the same one that Buffy smelled on her clothes whenever she stayed
the night. "Miranda, what is that smell. It's heavenly."

"Desert rose. I don't think it grows anywhere except this valley. I discovered
it the first time I was here and made a perfume out of it. Ever since then the
cabinet has had a bottle for my use. I believe Soreya uses it in the washing as
well."

"She does. My clothes always smell of it after she washes them. It reminds me of
the first night I slept here. Khalil and I shared breakfast on the balcony
looking over the desert. I haven't been so calm for a long time. It was so
romantic. You'll see what it's like tonight. Now. I'm having a bath."

Buffy then disrobed and slid into the water. The others did the same. Oohing and
aahing as they settled into the water, which was just the right temperature for
all of them. They then spent the time talking about their respective men.

******

After the women had bathed, they joined the men on the balcony. It was midmorning
in Jordan and the day was starting to heat up to a moderate 32 degrees Celsius.
The men sat on chairs, looking out over the desert. A lone hawk hunted in the
distance. Khalil had a small repast prepared for them, as they had not eaten that
night, and they were getting hungry. They would need to rest soon, to be ready for
the next day when he would teach Willow and Miranda the portal spell. Buffy sat
down on the arm of Khalil's chair and rested her head on his shoulder.

"This is so peaceful. I sometimes wish I could stay here forever." Buffy confided.

"But you're too much of a goody two shoes to forget your 'sacred duty' aren't
you, slayer?" Spike gave Buffy a slight dig.

"I did that once, Spike. Never again. I wouldn't abandon my duty, but I can dream
can't I?"

"Yeah. I'm just teasing slayer." Spike then moved over so Willow could sit next to
him. "Have a good bath luv?"

"It was wonderful. You better watch yourself. Khalil could capture any girls heart
with that bathroom." Willow joked.
"Don't even joke about things like that Red. You're mine." Spike admonished
Willow.

"Sorry Spike. I'd never leave you. I love you too much for that."

"Apology accepted. Now sit down." Willow did just that, snuggling up next to him.

Lachiel commented to Khalil, "You should cherish these scenes. We have nothing like
this in faery."

Kate asked, "Why's that?"

"The sun does not shine in faery. It is constantly twilight. Vista's like this one
are unknown. We have beauty though. I will show it too you, when we have time."

"I'd like to see that. All I can offer to show you is the joy that is L.A."

"It will be beautiful, if only as the place where you came from." Lachiel praised
Kate.

Kate blushed, "Remember that when we get there. I'm afraid there's not much to see."

After they had eaten, Khalil took them down to their rooms. Khalil had given one
room to each couple. Buffy would sleep with him. Although they shared a bed, they
were not yet lovers. Buffy loved Khalil, but she wanted to take things slow. They
would become lovers when it was the right time. In all that had happened, it was
easy to forget that they had only known each other three weeks.
 

******
Kate sat on the edge of the bed. The bedroom was tastefully done in a fairly neutral
style, perfect for a guest room. Kate noticed Lachiel was laying down on the floor.
"What are you doing?"

"I am preparing to go to sleep, my lady."

"You can't lay down there. There's plenty of room for both of us in the bed."

"But that would not be proper, my lady. Surely you must fear for your virtue?"

"Lachiel, love, my virtue's long gone." Kate noticed that Lachiel was shocked
at how blase she was about it.

"But my lady..."

"Lachiel, it's not a big deal anymore."

"Perhaps you misunderstand me, dear. I thought that your society placed great value
on a woman's virtue."

"That was true once. But it hasn't been for a long time. Modern women look back on
those times with horror. Men were expected to be experienced, but a woman was
supposed to remain pure until marriage? I don't think so. If men can go out and
have fun, why not women?"

"It seems that your society is coming of age. In faery we have never placed great
value on these things. Who a person is, is more important than whether they are
'pure' or not." Lachiel then sat down on the edge of the bed. "You will have to
teach me much about the modern society's rules."

"And I will. But not tonight." Kate then kissed Lachiel to show him that although
the talking was over, the nights' activities were not. Kate showed Lachiel just how
much she cared for him by putting all of her love into the kiss. Lachiel returned
the kiss, showing Kate how much he loved her as well. They then lent back onto
the bed and before long they were naked and loving each other.
 

Part 2

Willow and Spike had drifted off to sleep after making slow, sensual love. Willow
woke the next morning, her head on Spikes chest. In some ways she was glad he
didn't have a heartbeat. She would never have been able to sleep on his chest if
he did and she enjoyed the contact it allowed. She had never connected with any of
her previous lovers like she had with Spike. Both Oz and Tara had pigeon-holled
Willow. To Oz, Willow was the hacker-chick. To Tara, she was the Wiccan. But
Spike let her be what ever SHE wanted to be. Thinking to herself, Willow decided
she would have to spend some time hacking again, so she didn't lose the skills.
She had been conctrating on being a Wiccan too much lately and had been
neglecting her hacking skills.

Willow stuck Spike in the side. "Come on sleepy. It's time to get up."

Spike woke up with a start, "Fuck. What was that for?"

"If I'm up, so are you. Now shut up and kiss me."

Spike did as he was told. He could not get enough of Willow. It was like she was
the part of him he didn't know he was missing until he found it. They could hear
the others up and moving around, so they got up to join them.

Willow put her clothes on and threw Spikes' at him, for him to get dressed as well.

As she opened the door she saw Giles and Miranda engaged in a passionate kiss
in the doorway across the hallway.

"Hey, there's young impressionable minds here, you know." Willow joked loudly.
"Then take notes. You might learn something." Giles retorted with a grin.

Willow spluttered. She wasn't used to Giles being as open as he had been lately.
Miranda was a good influence on him.

"Come on Red. Let's go get something to eat." Spike said to Willow. He pulled
her along by the hand, leading her up to the fourth floor and the balcony where
Khalil had told them breakfast would be served.

They walked out on to the balcony to a desert sunset. The sky was lit with hues
of rose, pinks and oranges. Willow held her breath, touched by the beauty of the
evening sky. She put her arm around Spike, at peace for the first time in a long
while. Spike put his arm around his shoulder, not saying anything, just enjoying
the companionship.

Giles and Miranda came out of the tower, closely followed by Lachiel and Kate.

Kate gasped, "My god, that's beautiful. I'd forgotten what a sunset looks like.
I'm sure I have never seen some of those colours before. Hollywood eat your heart
out."

"Aye. This is one of the things I like about your world. In Faery we have many
beautiful sights, but nothing like this." Lachiel commented.

Buffy and Khalil walked out on to the balcony. Khalil asked, "Did everyone
sleep well? Good. Now we will have a small repast and then get down to the
training." Khalil then sat down and Buffy sat next to him.

Soreya came out followed by a trolley covered in food. There was enough food,
of all different types, to feed even Xander. The friends had a quiet meal, just
enjoying the good food and companionship.

After they had eaten their fill, Khalil asked Willow and Miranda to join him.
It was time to teach them the portal spell.

"Slayer, you up for a spot of violence? They're gonna be all day learning that
spell. Kate and Lachiel, you in as well? What about you watcher?" Spike asked the
last of Giles.

"Thank you, but no. Khalil has been kind enough to allow me to peruse his Library."

"OK, The rest of you in?"

Buffy nodded, "Yep. My honey's busy, so I may as well pummel you."

"Gee, thanks for the honour. What about you two?"

Kate and Lachiel nodded as Kate said, "Sure, why not. I could use the exercise."

They walked to the training room and went inside. Spike asked Buffy "Weapons
or fists first?"

"Lets start with fists to limber up, then move on to the weapons after. That cool
with you?"

When Spike nodded, Buffy took that to mean he was ready and leapt at him. She punched
him in the face, then went for the stomach. Spike blocked the second punch and threw
Buffy across the room. He then ran across the room, to where he had thrown Buffy
and moved to kick her. Buffy saw the kick coming and leapt over it, kicking Spike in
the head as she jumped over him. Spike swore and backhanded Buffy in the thigh as
she was landing. Buffy returned the favour with a punch in the small of Spike's back.

Spike turned around and swung at Buffy. She ducked and grabbed his hand, pulling him
into a throw. Spike leant back so Buffy could not get any leverage and grabbed her
in a bear hug. Buffy stamped on Spike's instep, to get him to let go. Spike didn't,
however, instead lifting Buffy up so her feet were off the ground. Buffy
tried twisting and turning, to break Spike's grip, but to no avail.

Buffy admitted defeat, "Shit. Your point Spike. What's the count?"

Spike added up in his head. He and Buffy had been keeping score since he had started
training with her, as he was the only one who could match Buffy in strength. "Ahh,
still 17-15 to you. You almost had me with that head kick, though."

Kate looked on in shock. Spike and Buffy hadn't been pulling punches and, if she
hadn't known better, would have sworn they were really trying to kill each other.
"Are you always that...unrestrained...with each other?"

"Nah, sometimes we go all out," Buffy joked. "Vampires aren't going to take it
easy on me, so I always train in top gear. Spike helps, 'cause he's the only
on that can stand up to my strength."

"And the slayer lets me get in some practise as well. This damn chip in my skull
knows I'm not really trying to hurt her, so it doesn't kick in. Now you feel like
a go? You against me?" Spike asked Buffy with a raised eyebrow.

"OK. Let me limber up a bit first though." Kate then did a few quick stretches and
scrunches to get the blood flowing.

Spike said "I'll take it a bit slower on you at first. We'll build up as we go.
OK, ready?"

Kate nodded, waiting for Spike to attack. Spike waited for 15 seconds, then as
Kate was starting to get lulled in to a sense of security he sprung. He swung
his fist at her face. Kate made the mistake of trying to block the punch, not
realising that it was a feint. Spike then made his real attack, a kick to the
body. Kate saw it coming and dodged, going for a kidney punch as Spike moved
past. Spike did not bother to block, knowing a human would not be strong enough
to hurt him.

Kate punched him and swore, "Fuck. What are you wearing under that shirt? That
was like punching a brick wall."

"Ain't nothin' under here but me. You were doing pretty good, but it's not a fair
fight. I'm faster, stronger and more good looking."

"And modest, don't forget modest." Buffy chided Spike. "Kate, vampires are built
for combat. The demon that takes over them changes the body, so they no longer
have a lot of the human weaknesses. Best thing to do is go for soft tissue damage,
eyes, throat, groin, areas like that."

Kate understood what Buffy was saying. When fighting vampires, she was under an
entirely new set of rules. She didn't have to worry about charges of Police
brutality because only one of them would be surviving the combat.

"OK Lachiel. Your turn. You want to fight me or Spike?" Buffy asked.

"I think I will fight you. However, there is no need to go slow with me. I am
a warrior of the Sidhe. There is nothing you can do that I have not faced in my
warrior training."

"All right. That's a challenge. Full on then." Buffy then gave a shout and
did a series of three cartwheels before turning the last one into a hand spring,
leaping high over Lachiel and coming down on his shoulders. At least that was
the plan. Lachiel could see what Buffy was trying to do and avoided her with a
simple side step. As Buffy landed she lashed out with a side kick. Lachiel
blocked the kick and made to grab Buffy's foot. Buffy pulled the foot back and
kicked at Lachiel three times in quick succession, going for the knee, the
groin and the body. Lachiel saw the first was just a feint and ignored it.
He then blocked the second and grabbed Buffy's foot on the third kick. He did
not expect what happened next though. As he grabbed the foot, Buffy used his
hand as a leverage point to spin her other foot over herself, clipping Lachiel
in the side of the face as she spun over her self.

Lachiel rolled with the kick, turning the roll in to a flip. As he came over
he tried to hit Buffy in the face with his feet. Buffy leant back, dodging
easily and blocking the punch that followed. She pulled the punch in to a
lock, trapping Lachiel in a shoulder lock. The whole exchange had taken
just under eight seconds.

Lachiel looked at Buffy. He was trapped. "You have bested me lady. Well done."

Buffy let him go. "Thank you. You were pretty awesome yourself. Spike is strong,
but he's not as fast as you."

Kate just looked on, her mouth agape. She had barely been able to follow the
fight, it had been so fast. She knew Lachiel was not human, but she had still
treated Buffy as human as well. She could see that that was not strictly true.
No human could move at those speeds. It was obvious why Buffy was the greatest
slayer to ever live, if she could fight like that. Especially as this was just
training.

"You OK Kate? You lookin' a bit green there" Buffy asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little shocked. You were almost too fast to follow."

"Don't worry about it. With a bit of practise, you'll be almost as quick. I'm
only as fast as an Olympic athlete. It's all just practise, really."

"Thats nice to know. I almost couldn't follow you and Lachiel, you were so fast."

"After a little practise, so will you." Buffy told Kate. "Now lets start to
teach you how to use a sword. Lachiel, you're probably the only one of us with
any formal training, so you want to teach Kate?"

"I will. My lady, please do not take anything I say in training personally. When
I am training you, I am not Lachiel, but the WeaponMaster. Anything the
WeaponMaster says is forgotten once the training is finished and I am Lachiel
again. Understood?"

"Understood." Kate replied.

"Then let us see if we can find a sword that is suitable for you. I am sure Khalil
will have something in his collection that will be appropriate." Lachiel then
walked over to the door to the armoury and opened it. He indicated Kate should
enter. He went over to the sword rack and examined the swords Khalil had. Lachiel
finally found what he was looking for, a celtic short sword, the perfect sword for
a woman of Kate's stature. "Here, my lady, try this."

Kate held the sword. She was already familiar with knives, from her time on the
streets, so she knew how to hold the sword. She grasped it firmly, the haft a
good fit for her hand. Not a perfect fit, but that would only come from a sword
made for her, but a good fit none-the-less. Kate went back out into the training
room and swung the sword a couple of times, to get the balance. It felt comfortable.

Lachiel walked up to Kate and said "I want you to stand next to me, the way I am
standing. Make sure your feet are in line with your shoulders, so you are balanced.
Bend at the knees slightly. You will need to be supple, able to move when necessary,
but also ready to lock your position as well."

Kate did as Lachiel asked, noting how he was standing and matching it.
Lachiel spoke again "Lets start with attacks, then we will work on defense. There
are eight attack points, which are also blocking points. The first is straight
overhead. This is one" Lachiel demonstrated as he spoke, making an overhead attack,
as if at some ones head.

Kate copied Lachiel, swinging as if to cleave her imaginary opponents skull.

"Good. Now the next position is two. This is from the the opponents left shoulder
to their right hip." Lachiel made an attack on his right, which would be his
opponents left, making as if to cut the opponent diagonally from left shoulder to
right hip. "Three is the opposite, from the right shoulder to the left hip."
Lachiel made the attack again.

Kate copied Lachiel, feeling the power in the attacks.

"Four is the left hip to the right shoulder and five is the right hip to the
left shoulder. These can also be used to cut the leg, if aimed a bit lower. You
may want to do this, as most demons will be taller than you."

While Kate was not short, most demons topped seven feet. A leg attack was very
debilitating, given the number of major arteries in the legs. Kate copied the
attacks.

"These attacks are called fives. Now I want you practise these as I call the
numbers. We will get to the other three attacks when you are a bit more
experienced." Lachiel then started calling the numbers in order.

As Lachiel called the numbers Kate made the moves. "1...2...3...4...5...1...2
...3...4...5" Lachiel repeated the process until he was happy Kate was getting
the feel for it. "OK now I am going to mix them up. 3...5...1...4...3...3...2
...5...1...2...4...4...4...1...3" and so on at random.

Kate's arm was getting tired. She had not realised how much energy just swinging
a sword took. She was fit, but she was using a different group of muscles to
any she had used before. "Can we take a breather. My arm is killing me."

"Of course. You rest. I will train with Buffy. That is, if that is okay with
you, Buffy?"

"Sure. Swords?" Buffy asked.

"Swords it is then." Lachiel walked over to the bench and drew his sword from his
scabbard. He swung it to get the right feel and walked over to stand in the middle
of the room.

Buffy examined the swords in the armoury, looking for one she liked. She found one
that was perfect, an 1812 cavalry sabre. She walked over to where Lachiel was
waiting and stood in front of him.

Lachiel raised his sword to his face in salute. Buffy returned the salute and stood
in a ready position. Each examined the other for a couple of seconds, neither being
the one to want to attack first. Defense is a much easy position to start from.
Buffy was the first to get impatient and attacked with a sweeping leg shot. Lachiel
just leant out of the way and retaliated with a quick thrust at the chest. Buffy
parried the thrust and riposted with a roll and flick of the wrist. Lachiel parried
and stepped back, causing Buffy to step forward to attack. As Buffy stepped forward,
she dropped to one knee and swung at Lachiel's legs. Lachiel jumped over the sword
and Buffy, landing and slashing at Buffy's back. Buffy blocked the slash over her
shoulder, without even looking. She then spun around and stood waiting for the next
attack. As Lachiel swung at Buffy's waist, she dropped her hand and blocked the
attack with the pommel of her sword. This was one of the hardest blocks to use
and was safe only in the hands of the best warriors. The slightest miscalculation
and the block would be missed, leaving the defender open to attack. Buffy was
moving at a level she had never touched before, raised up to new heights by facing
a master.

As Buffy made the pommel parry, she flicked her sword at Lachiel's eyes in a feint.
Lachiel saw the feint for what is was and ignored it, looking for the real attack.
It came as Buffy dropped to her knee and tried for Lachiel's legs again. This
time Lachiel did not jump, but blocked the sword down. He then stood on the blade,
trapping it between his boot and the ground. Buffy had no choice but to release
the sword or risk snapping the blade.

"You win." Buffy admitted defeat.

"Do not be annoyed. You lasted longer than most. I have more experience with
the sword than you. I also come from a culture where we get trained with the sword
as soon as we are able to hold one. It is no shame to lose. Do not forget, there is
always someone better. The master I train under still beats me every time we
meet." Lachiel said with a smile.

"That's fine. At least losing to you, I don't get fanged to death." Buffy laughed.

"Indeed" Lachiel agreed. He noticed that Kate was ready to continue. "OK this
time we will work on the blocks. The position numbers are the same, and in most
cases the block is the same as the attack. The main difference is the head block."

Lachiel then showed Kate the positioning for the head block. The positioning of the
sword was quite different for the block as opposed to the attack. The block had the
sword point lower than the haft, where the attack had the point higher. Lachiel
then showed Kate the positions for the upper blocks, then the lower ones. He then
started attacking Kate slowly, calling out the position he was going to attack
as he attacked. As Kate got more comfortable, Lachiel stopped calling the
positions. Next he started mixing the attacks up, still keeping them slow, so Kate
did not get stuck in to a pattern.

Kate was getting tired again. "Damn, this is hard work. Now I can see where you
all get those muscles from. I need a break." Kate gasped.

Lachiel nodded, "We will stop there for today. But be warned, you have to train
at least a couple of times a week, or you will lose the muscle tone faster than
you would think possible. Now, I suggest you go and have a bath. A good long soak
in hot water will make you feel much better."

Kate nodded and walked out to do just that. She ached like she hadn't since she
was a rookie cop in the academy. "Damn, and I thought I was fit." Kate muttered
to herself as she moved off to the bathroom for a good long soak as Lachiel
suggested.
 

Part 3

Khalil led Willow and Miranda down to the Library and opened the door. He
then took them to the back of the Library. At the back of the Library was
a small door that they had not noticed before. Khalil opened this door with
a gesture and a spell, different from the main Library one. "Welcome to
my laboratory. This is where I conduct my magical experiments."

The laboratory looked like a wizards lab from the middle ages, which in
a sense it was. There was a chemical-stained wooden workbench, covered
in retorts, beakers, a mortar and pestle, crucibles and other unidentifiable
equipment.

Khalil took down a book from a large shelf. Indicating the bookshelf he
said "This here is my private collection of spells. These are all spells I
consider too dangerous to be allowed free reign, but too useful to destroy.
Some I have created myself, like the portal spell, and others I have found in
my travels. Now, the portal spell?"

Khalil flipped through the spell book in his hands and stopped at the portal
spell. "Here we go. This spell is actually quite simple, once you have the
correct mental picture. All you are doing is bending space, so that the
place you are and the incoming point just outside the tower are adjacent
in space. This sounds easier than it really is. This is a very high level spell
and only the highest level spell casters are able to control the forces involved.
There is also a ritual that has to be completed on the arrival point periodically
to keep it receptive to the incoming portal. That is the main reason why I have
not let the spell out. I do not want visitors popping in when I am not here. Of
course they would not be able to get in to the tower with out my permission,
but it is still inconvenient, don't you agree?" Khalil asked with a smile.

Willow laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I can see how that would be annoying."

Khalil smiled again and indicated to a table and chairs, "Perhaps we should sit
down. This is going to take some time." Khalil sat down as he said this,
followed by Willow and Miranda. He then slid the book around so that the two
ladies could see the spell.

Willow looked at Khalil's neat, clear handwriting. Her own handwriting was
more akin to chicken scratchings than writing, most of the time.

Miranda read the spell and asked "Khalil, my friend, when did you create
this spell?"

"About a thousand years ago, I think. Why?"

"Your way of looking at space is astounding. Some of the concepts you mention
are only just being started to be understood by the scientific community."
Miranda was unused to being surprised, but Khalil seemed to be able to shock
her at every turn. She knew she was intelligent, but Khalil made her feel like
a young child.

Khalil smiled and explained to her that many things the current scientific
community were discovering, the ancients had known hundreds, if not thousands
of years ago. Astronomy, chemistry, optics. These were things the ancients
knew as well as, if not better than, the modern scientist. Ancient scientists
also understood about the many worlds and beings in the multiverse, something
modern man refused to accept.

Khalil then got them back on track by explaining the intricate details of the
casting of the portal spell. He walked them through each part of the spell,
careful to not allow them to complete the full casting, as it would disrupt
the existing link back to Sunnydale that he had been using each night to
enable them to return when they were finished.

*******

After the long training session, Khalil, Willow and Miranda were drained.

"I think that is enough. You both have a good grasp of the spell and I think
you will be safe enough to use the portal to travel here. Just do not forget,
the return path is only open for 24 hours from the time you arrive. Now
I think we should see how our respective partners are doing, don't you?"
Khalil suggested as he stood up.

"I'm completely exhausted. You weren't kidding when you said it took a lot
of control, were you?" Willow asked rhetorically.

Miranda agreed with an small nod, not having the energy for anything more.

"I will get Rupert for you" Khalil told Miranda.

Walking thought the door to the Library, Khalil saw, as he expected, Giles
sitting at the table reading a tome. "Rupert, my friend. Your lady needs
your help to reach your room. I fear she has overextended her magical
energy. Do not worry, she will be fine after a rest." Khalil reassured
Giles upon seeing the worried look the  man had on his face.

Giles stood up and walked in to the Magical Laboratory. Walking up to
Miranda he said "Come on dear, lets get you upstairs." He then picked up
his love and took her up to their room. She was asleep before he even
got to the top of the stairs. Once he got to their room, Giles laid
Miranda down on the bed and made sure she was comfortable. Seeing that
she was going to be there a while, Giles toed off his shoes and laid
down next to her.

Up in the training room, Khalil and Willow walked in to see Buffy,
Spike and Lachiel going hell for leather. They were each using their
weapon of choice, Spike using his claws and fists, Buffy a stake in
each hand and Lachiel was using his sword. As a testament to the skill
of the antagonists, no-one was hurt, even though they were going all out.
Willow and Khalil stood aside and watched. Then Khalil called out,
"Can we join in?" and looked at Willow with an inquisitively
raised eyebrow.

Willow nodded and summoned her staff. Khalil walked over to the armoury
and acquired himself a scimitar. He gave it a few practise swings and
stood at the ready.

Buffy gave a quick look at Spike and Lachiel, who each nodded, realising
what Buffy had in mind. Buffy grinned evilly and threw a stake up in the
air and caught it. "OK old man, let's see what you've got. You and Willow
against the three of us. Disarm or pin wins."

Khalil nodded and moved to stand next to Willow. Willow stood at the ready,
not wanting to give up the defensive position. Spike was the first to attack
leaping at Khalil. Khalil waited until Spike landed in front of him and gave
a mighty front kick, catching Spike in the chest. Spike staggered back.

"Shit, mate. That hurt." Spike complained, rubbing his chest.

"Well, is that not the point?" Khalil asked with a grin.

Spike just growled and spun, trying to knock Khalil's legs out from under him.
Khalil blocked Spike's leg with the back of his blade and flicked out his
foot, knocking Spike off balance.

Deciding that they should maybe help, Buffy and Lachiel quickly moved in to
flanking positions on either side of Khalil. As Buffy moved past her, Willow
swept her staff out, clipping Buffy on the thigh.

"Fuck!" Buffy swore, Willow's blow having caught her on the muscle, giving her
a 'dead leg'.

Willow smiled, "Forget about me?" Willow asked innocently.

"Not now I haven't." Buffy cursed. She then threw a punch at Willow's face,
expecting Willow to dodge, as she always had. Willow just stood her ground as
Buffy;'s fist hit her right on the nose, breaking it with a crunch. Buffy
stopped, shocked that Willow had not even tried to avoid the blow.

While Buffy was stunned, Willow moved past her, tripping her with the staff.
She then planted the staff firmly on Buffy's chest and said, "Pinned!"

Buffy grimaced, knowing she had been outsmarted. She got up and moved to the
side of the training area, out of the fight by her own rule, nodding in approval
and recognition to Willow.

Willow then moved in to Spike and Lachiel. Spike had gotten back to his feet
during the time it had taken Willow to remove Buffy from the fray. He and
Lachiel were circling Khalil like a couple of sharks, looking for a weakness to
exploit. Willow swung her staff overhead, aiming for Lachiel's head. Kate gasped
from where she had been standing, off to the side, sure Lachiel was not aware of
the attack. She need not have worried, as Lachiel blocked the staff with his
sword, catching Willows staff with the flat of the blade. He then turned around
to face Willow,sliding to the left as Khalil tried to kick him from behind.

Khalil followed through on the kick, ending up standing next to Willow. He and
Willow stood facing Lachiel and Spike. Khalil muttered something under his
breath and pointed at a section of the floor. Nothing appeared to happen.

Spike jeered, "Firing blanks there mate?"

Khalil just stood and looked enigmatic. Willow had an idea of What Khalil had
done and attacked Spike, making sure he would have to step where Khalil had
pointed. As soon as Spike stepped in the area, his feet stuck to the ground.

Khalil looked at Spike and Lachiel, "That counts as a disarm I believe?"

Spike swore, still unable to move his feet from the floor where they were stuck
fast, "Bugger. Your point."

Lachiel looked at Willow and Khalil, preparing for the attack. Khalil went right
attacking high, while Willow went left attacking low. Lachiel leapt sideways,
kicking out at Willow as he did. Willow ducked the foot, bringing her staff up
to try and knock Lachiel's sword from his hands. Lachiel avoided Willow, but in
doing so left himself open to Khalil. Khalil slashed across Lachiel's back,
cutting his shirt open.

Kate hissed, expecting to see blood. Instead what she saw was a very fine chain
vest that Lachiel was wearing under his shirt.

Khalil had expected as much. As Lachiel landed he thrust his sword forward at
Khalil, feinting to get Khalil to move back. Khalil did not move back, instead
stepping forward. Lachiel's sword slid smoothly into Khalil's chest. Khalil
twisted sideways, pulling the sword from Lachiel's grip. Khalil went down one
knee, gripping the sword. He calmly pulled the sword from his chest as Buffy ran
over to him. He looked at Lachiel and said "Looks like we win."

Willow cheered as Buffy started berating Khalil, "Just what the fuck do you think
you were doing,? Hmmm?"

"Don't worry, my love. It's not like it can hurt me." Khalil explained sedately.

Buffy was no placated. "That's beside the point. You scared me." She said as
she hugged him.

"For that, I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you." Khalil then kissed Buffy in
apology.

"All right. I'll forgive you this time, But try not to do that without warning
me first. OK?" BUffy said with a mischievous gleam and love in her eye

"I will try. You must admit, though. It is a very effective move to disarm an
opponent." Khalil pointed out.

"Maybe. But you'll understand if I don't give it a try." Buffy joked, over her
shock. "While we're on the subject of things you did, I don't think it was fair
to stick Spike's feet to the floor like that."

Spike spoke up at this, his feet no longer stuck to the floor, "Slayer, there's
no 'fair' in battle. It's win or die."

"While I would not have worded it just like that, I agree with Spike. Fair is not
a word that applies in battle. You are fighting demons, no? Do you expect them to
fight fair? Then you must train the same way." Lachiel pointed out.

Buffy was not sure she liked the way the conversation was going. "You mean that I
should use any means possible to win?"

Khalil answered, "NO. We still fight for the side of Light. There are some things
we will not do. However, we do not expect the side of Dark to fight 'fair', so
when we train, we should not expect our opponents to play fair either."

"Oh. Okay. I think I understand now." Buffy replied. She had an idea what Khalil
was trying to say.

"Now I think we should go and get changed and I will have some food brought up."
Khalil told the group.

They all went to their rooms to change and clean up for dinner. The meal was a
bit of a somber affair, as they knew they would have to return to Sunnydale the
next day, their small respite over. In the morning Khalil had Miranda summon
the return portal for their return to Sunnydale and the battle against the
forces of Dark.

read the next story 'The Morrigan's Daughter'

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