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Spike heaved himself through the portal on his elbows. The first thing he noticed was the heat. It had to be 120 degrees. The second thing was the dusty desert floor he was on.


Spike stood up and looked around him. What he saw took his breath away.


Everything in his vision was gold. He was standing at the top of a hill. The dew that covered the wheat on the hillside seemed to glitter in the morning sunrise. A stream was trickling somewhere nearby. To his left was a tree. It appeared to be dead. From it’s blackened state Spike assumed a forest fire had claimed it. A bird sang his melody from the highest branch. To his right was a beaten path that lead down the hillside. He had never been in a more tranquil and beautiful place.


Cautious of the crumbling earth beneath his combat boots, Spike walked forwards and gazed at the village below. Most of the small buildings were bright colours. A few were dazzling white. They reminded Spike of the houses he saw the summer he spent in Santorini with his Dad. The memory brought a smile to his face.


Miles past the little town, Spike could see the ocean. The sea was golden too. The sweat dripping from his brow made him want to jump in it. “You’re a long way from London now, mate,” he said to himself.


He decided to make his way down to the village and find a place to stay mindful that he was buggered if they spoke some language that he didn’t have the vaguest comprehension of.


~ ~ ~


After stumbling down the slope in a less than graceful fashion, Spike was beginning to wonder if it was possible to drown in your own perspiration. His duster and T-shirt had been stripped off ages ago, the duster over his arm and the shirt over his head. Not that it was doing much good. The harsh sun beat down, making him dizzy and sick.


He felt like he had been walking for days although the dying cell phone in his pocket told him it had only been half an hour. In addition to his soaked state he was also dehydrated.


He couldn’t see a lake anywhere. The sea that had greeted him from his place on the top of the hill was gone from his view. All he could see was sand for miles.


That sand was the last thing he saw before blackness consumed him.


~ ~ ~


Spike didn’t open his eyes immediately when he woke up. He was more relaxed than he could ever remember being.


He was cool and his thirst had been quenched. A woman was singing nearby, her beautiful voice lulling him into a feeling of security. His sticky clothes had been removed and he had been placed on a soft bed.


When he did open his eyes the sight he took in made his heart soar. The eyes staring back at him were so dark they were almost black. He heaved himself up into a sitting position, eager to discover more. The owner of those hypnotising eyes was staring back at him with a kind smile on her pale face. Her skin was so pale it was almost silvery. And it was completely unmarked. Her straight black hair fell around her shoulders. She was beautiful, in an eerie way.


He had found her.


The Slayer was right in front of him.


She began to speak in a foreign tongue that was strange even to a Watcher. It was almost like Sumerian, but the accent was softer.


“Welcome, stranger. I am Areesh, ruler of this land.”


Spike tensed at this. A queen would certainly be harder to train what with her guards and all. When she just looked at him for a second Spike saw she was after his name.


“My name is Spike, your highness,” he replied. It wasn’t usually like him to kiss ass but he didn’t know what these people were like, and he couldn’t help the Slayer if he was dead, so he figured he should be respectful. “I am sure you are wondering where I came from,” he said with a smile and no intentions of telling the truth.


He relaxed slightly when she returned his smile.


“It had crossed my mind.”


“I am sorry to tell you that I have no idea where I was before being in your presence. I don’t remember a thing.”


She narrowed her eyes at him and said: “It is of no matter. I’m quite sure it will come to you in due time.”


Spike released a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding and smiled at himself more than her.


“This land is vast and between villages there is much distance. You are fortunate that my warriors found you. You would have been dead long ago otherwise. As it is, you will be the guest of my country until your memory returns to you. You shall stay with the family of one of the guards. They have few children and far more room than anyone else in this village. The guard will take you there in the morning. For tonight I think it best that you stay here.”


“And where is here ma’am?”


“Please Spike, call me Areesh. And you are in my palace. We are holding a banquet tonight in honour of our army’s latest victory. I would be very pleased if you came.”


“Of course. I’m flattered by your invitation.”


Areesh beamed at him. “Wonderful. I’ll send clothes down for you. Sleep until then. There is water by your bed,” and with one more grin she was out the door.


Spike settled back into the warm covers of the bed and took the opportunity to look around himself before his heavy eyes refused to stay open any longer.


The room was bright, sun streaming in through the colossal windows on the far end of the large room. The walls were a rich terracotta colour. Wide wood panels covered the floor. The huge four poster bed he was in was covered in cushions and throws of deep reds and oranges.


It reminded Spike of the time he spent in Morocco with his dad.


With memories of his father’s laughing face in his mind, Spike let sleep wash over him.


~ ~ ~


Spike woke hours later just in time to see his door being closed from outside. A sky blue robe was draped over the end of his bed. He slipped it on and started to look for some shoes.


After a fruitless search there was a knock on his door and once again Areesh came gliding in. She was wearing a similar robe to Spike, but hers was more feminine and purple. A large diamond hung around her neck on a silver chain.


“Ah, you look perfect!” she exclaimed, taking his arm and leading him out of the room and down a wide corridor to a balcony.


The music, laughter and loud chatter below was infectious. Spike was feeling excited, but since he no idea what was going to happen he was unsure of what he was excited about.


“The dining hall is down there. In a minute we will go to the edge of it and wave. Then take the left stairway and I will take the right. When you reach the bottom go and sit in the chair on the left side.”


“Er, okay,” Spike answered, more than a little confused.


“Good.”


She grabbed his arm once more and steered them to the large marble balcony.


He looked over it and as fast as his heart had soared when he first met Areesh, it plummeted just as quickly when he saw the dining hall below him.


Hundreds of pale faces looked up to him through black eyes.


“Shit.”





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