Mariko had walked quite a distance from the cave where the Elani were sleeping and she was confident now that she would get away without them noticing. She whistled a tune to herself and twirled her dagger skilfully by her side. The crunch of stone beneath a heavy shoe stopped her in her tracks.

She hurried to the side of the gorge where she was less out in the open and sat in silence. Her heart beat fast in her chest and her first thought was that it was the strange boy Gaeshi Sarkany. She listened intently. Nothing. She grasped her dagger firmly in her hand and stepped back out into the open.

"I know you're there!" she cried looking back down the moonlit gorge. "Why don't you show yourself? You've already given the game away!"

A soft curse from behind one of the boulders. Mariko strained her senses to catch the sound of the man brushing broken slate from his shoe.

"Come on!" she cried. "I know it's one of you Elani trying to follow me! Not very good trackers are you? Make more noise than a stampede. Well? Too scared to show yourself and face me, Elani?"

Lachlan stepped out from his hiding place and glared at her standing a few paces in front of him. He gripped his staff and snarled out his challenge.

"I warned you not to try anything. You're not running back to Corrinus. Now you'll have to face an Elani warrior!" Lachlan shook his staff, totally caught up in the heat of the moment.

Mariko was unimpressed. She pulled a face and looked over his shoulder. "What, Leif here is he? I thought he was the only warrior." She grinned at Lachlan. "I heard you were all just trainees. You don't scare me."

Lachlan, by now too riled by her to remember any of the training Leif had given, charged straight at her.

Mariko smirked at his inexperience. The Elani was holding his staff far too low to defend himself. As Lachlan reached her, she twirled neatly to one side and clouted him on the back with the dagger's heavy handle.

Lachlan fell with a gasp, the breath knocked from him. He struggled to his knees and reached for his staff. She hurried in front of him and placed her foot firmly over the weapon.

"Poor Lachlan," she said, crouching down to make eye contact. "He'll never get to be a warrior now." She straightened up and kicked him roughly onto his back. She stood over him, eyes glinting, with her beloved dagger in hand.

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Lachlan's throat bobbed and he screwed his eyes shut.

Mariko didn't know yet whether or not she'd kill him but before she had a chance to make up her mind, someone jumped down from one of the few ledges on the cliffs of Silence Gorge and landed beside him with a thud.

"Leif!" Lachlan cried out.

Leif half-turned from her to Lachlan. "Get up, get your staff," he hissed.

Mariko wasn't waiting for the two of them to come at her, she struck Leif a blow across his face with her elbow as he turned to Lachlan and followed it up with a strong kick to his middle.

Leif fell backwards but Lachlan steadied him. With a brief nod of thanks, the Elani warrior quickly struck out with his staff, hoping to catch her off guard and buying enough time for Lachlan to retrieve his staff.

Mariko blocked the attack with her blade and took a step backwards to strengthen her stance. As Leif came at her again, she shot out her left hand and grabbed Lachlan's staff as he swung it in her direction.

Leif nodded appreciatively of the move as he locked weapons with her. Mariko held Lachlan's staff tight as he struggled to pull it away and she smiled back at Leif as she pushed into his staff with her blade.

They waited, locked together. Leif pushed his staff farther towards her but merely succeeded in burying the blade deeper.

"You're a good strong fighter," he said through gritted teeth.

She tugged back at Lachlan's staff as he tried to pull it out of her grasp, and smiled at Leif. "Does it surprise you?"

Leif shook his head. He took his eyes from those of Mariko and looked at Lachlan. "Now!" he cried.

Lachlan let go off his staff, sending Mariko off balance. With his own weapon useless embedded on the blade Leif too let go of his staff, sending her careering backwards.

Together the two Elani rushed her and held her down before she had chance to get up again. She kicked out wildly, angry at being surprised.

"Stop that!" cried Leif pushing her shoulders to the ground. "Stop it!"

She stopped and with his weight pressing down on her, she became completely still. She smiled in what she hoped to be a winning way at the two Elani. "I can help you," she said to Leif. "Teach you how to fight properly if you like."

A smile broke across Leif's face and he laughed and stood up. Lachlan also stood. "Don't think much of your fighting if you can get beaten," Lachlan said, as Leif retrieved all three fallen weapons.

Mariko glared at Lachlan and allowed Leif to pull the dagger from his staff before handing it back to her. "I would've beaten you if Leif hadn't 've turned up."

Leif stepped in between them to stop any further argument. "Maybe you could help me teach them," he said. "But I'm more interested in how much you know about Corrinus and that castle of his. You're a Kint, just like the previous leader of the Kingdom. I do not believe you are from Langshire."

Mariko saw a look pass between the two Elani. She cocked her head. "Who are you people?" she asked suspiciously. "What are you planning?"

Leif grinned and held out his hand to pull her to her feet. "Come back to the cave. Rest. I'll explain all in the morning."

She heaved a sigh, gazed thoughtfully at the two Elani and nodded. "All right," she said as she stowed her dagger away inside her coat. "I'll come."