Her thoughts raced as she strained to twist her body around to see what was happening beyond the back of the truck. It looked to be some kind of stand off between the Sages and an odd looking couple, a man dressed entirely in black leather, his hair white blond, and a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing gown of velvet. There was a menacing calmness about the man's demeanour, Scylla thought as she watched him casually light a cigarette with the Sages' circle slowly tightening around them.

"I don't suppose that you've put your hands on the woman we're looking for," he added, taking a quick puff from his smoke. "Blood drinker named Scylla, has the flashy talent of turning into a snake. Quite the life of the party, I'd imagine."

"A party with snakes," his ethereal female companion added happily. There was an edge of excitement to her sing-song voice. "Imagine how fabulous that would be? All that hissing and slithering about. Let's do it, Spike, let's have a party and invite only snakes."

"That'll be the first thing we do, love," Spike said. "Soon as we bring the Master back from the dead zone and restore the Old Ones to power, it'll be my number one priority."

Spike. Scylla had heard of this one. And if this was Spike his companion must be Drusilla. More than a century before they had been part of the "family" that surrounded the legendary Angelus. Scylla's mind raced. Why were they looking for her?

The Sages' leader removed an ornate crucifix from within his robes and held it out before him. "We were unaware that the shape-shifter had allies, but I warn you vampire, the Order of Sages is always prepared."