*Klang*

*Taka*

“Argh!” The cries of candidates battling for survival echoes in my ears no matter how long we waltz in the shadows. I sidestep another blade that I knew was coming with all the grace of one who cannot be surprised. Before I can retaliate, the ambusher retreats and leaves only the sound of their footsteps. Meera doesn’t even bother to chase after them. It’s been two days since the start of our temporary alliance and despite our training, it’s impossible to stay as alert as when we were fresh. Still, we have to always be ready. No one we’ve encountered has stayed and fought. Which means we probably haven’t encountered any of the top ten. Or are they avoiding us because Meera is a member of the Rainstopper Sect like them?

“Tell me something.” I say out loud, not even having bothered to draw my dagger. Meera is kneeling in with her back to me, examining the dagger on the ground. Her wariness towards me has gradually been decreasing, “We both know what your real strength is. Why bother hiding it? Doesn’t everyone else from the Rainstopper Sect know it too?”

Meera looks back at me lazily, and then goes back to checking the dagger. Stamping on the tip of the blade at just the right angle, she snaps it in half with her bootheel.

*Clank*

“Mmm…not one of the Sect’s weapons. Definitely an outsider.” She murmurs to herself. As if remembering I’m here, Meera turns around and stretches her arms to the sky, “Yes, several people know I’m more than I seem. However, most of the youth in the Sect train separately to prepare for the trials. There’s no need to advertise exactly how much more I am. You can’t expect that which you do not know. Besides, there are plenty of outsiders here who don’t know. And as much as I hate to admit it it…I doubt all of them are trash…”

She glances at me pointedly.

Do you really have to look so doubtful though?

Ignoring the unspoken jibe, I retreat into the shadows of the rock formation. Meera and I have developed an uneasy alliance. For now, we travel together and fight as a pack. However, both of us are getting tired. Eventually, one of us is going to need to sleep…at which point, who knows what will happen. That…or we return to the plateau. Looking out into the moon-dappled crags and crannies of the little cave we’ve settled in, I grimace. Do I trust her? The alternative is getting the crap beaten out of me in-between snoozes. Which would definitely not be conducive to winning the trials.

“You’re wondering which of us is going to fall asleep first, aren’t you?” Meera manages to guess what I’m thinking uncannily well. She sits down cross-legged on the rocky floor of our shelter. I guess I’m not the only one thinking about it. “Well don’t bother. I’ll go first.”

“What?” I’m surprised, even though I knew the words were coming. Didn’t see that one coming. At this point, my concentration is wavering. It’s pretty hard to even maintain my Foresight after two days of being awake. I’ve been switching it on and off to conserve mana whenever we take a break, but I think I’m running out of mana regardless. I throw Meera my own doubtful look. “I’m supposed to believe that you trust me that much?”

“Heh, you don’t need to believe it. I’m so tired that the Raingods couldn’t wake me.” Meera raises the left corner of her lips on one side in a lopsided smile so that her chipped bottom canine shows. It’s like looking at a cunning fox. I can’t tell what she’s thinking. Until she explains, “You’re the disciple of the Secthead. I may hate her ideals, but that’s exactly why I know you won’t stab me in the back. The Secthead is many things, but doing things the dirty way…heh…that’s beneath her. I’m sure you’re the same way. You won’t touch a hair on my head while I’m sleeping.”

Hold on a minute…

“How do you know I’m Romy’s disciple?” Suddenly, I realize something’s off. “You’ve only seen me with Perideen!” My guard goes up and my hand goes for my knife. However, Meera doesn’t move. Instead, she just uncrosses her legs and lets them stretch out before laying on her side. With one elbow propping her head up against the ground, she blinks her brown eyes languidly.

“You thought I didn’t know?” Putting a hand over her mouth, she covers a laugh. “Hah! Perideen Darkblade disappears all of a sudden, leaving behind his post against the orders of the Elders. There’s only one person who outranks the Elders and that’s the Secthead. Then, suddenly, he returns with a candidate that no one’s ever seen before. And this candidate just so happens to fight using Rainstopper dagger techniques. Please, 76, do you think we were born yesterday? Half the Sect has already guessed that you’re her successor, and the other half just hasn’t decided whether they’re sure yet!”

Ah…jeez.

“That explains why Jarshan was looking at me like that…” Remembering the cold, black eyes of the Trial Overseer, lingering on me, I realize that it wasn’t my imagination. Damnit, Perideen, you could have at least warned me that people knew! I’ve been hiding myself, but it looks like it was all for nothing! “So why do you want to partner with me huh? Don’t you hate, Romy?”

“Peh. I wasn’t sure if you were. But now I am.” Looking like she wants to spit again at the mention of Romy’s name, Meera closes her eyes and rests her head against the hard ground. I catch her peeking at me through one eye before she closes it. “This is the Trials. It’s not a place to bring your personal grudges into things. You’re the Secthead’s disciple, which means you have to be stronger than you look, and you’re honorable. I need someone to watch over me while I sleep. That’s all there is too it!”

“Uhuh…” Sitting down myself, I watch Meera, sure that she’s not really going to go to sleep. “And what happens if we both make it to the end? When does our little alliance end?” Somehow, at some point, I’ve started to believe her, even though I really shouldn’t. But she really does seem to have let her guard down. If I wanted to, I could take her out right here and now.

“Heh, you think you’ll make it that far?” Meera’s words are getting quieter and quieter. She allows herself one last chuckle and licks her lips, “I got news for you, Golden Boy. You saw the top ten, right? They’re out there. Waiting for the next stage of the Trials. Most of them are Acolytes I wouldn’t want to cross. And as for Janus…the one with the short swords? Well, he’s number one. And there’s a reason for that. You better hope he’s not interested in culling the herd before the next Trial. If we run into him, I suggest you just surrender. He doesn’t appreciate having his time wasted…”

“You seem like you know him pretty well.” I say, but then I realize that Meera isn’t responding. Don’t tell me…she actually fell asleep? Wow, just because I’m Romy’s disciple she trusts me that much? Shaking my head, I look out over the numerous strange rock pillars and dark places as I wait for daylight. Eventually, as I hear Meera’s breath even out, I begin to buy into the idea that she’s not faking it. Disabling my Foresight, I sit back with my head against the cave wall.

Guess I’m a babysitter now.

#

As the sun comes up, Meera opens her eyes. Immediately she startles and looks at me with a reflexive shock. The little girl dressed in black robes with more knives strapped to her body than she has fingers, has one of them in her hands before I can blink. However, when she sees it’s me, she relaxes. Hmm…not so confident in my trustworthiness as you’d like to believe huh? Laughing at her shock, I ignore the slight red tinge in her cheeks and try not to let the smirk come out on my face. I think I fail though because she gets angry.

“Tsk…I suppose the Secthead’s honor really isn’t as worthless as I thought.” She says haughtily, as if there isn’t a small line of drool trailing from her lips. Quickly climbing to her feet, she relaxes as she sees I’m just messing with her. “You…really didn’t do anything.” At the realization, some of the wariness leaves and I think I gain a level of trust with her. Meera runs her fingers through her hair. As if aware of the dark circles under my eyes and the bone-crushing weariness pressing down the back of my skull, she awkwardly ties her messy hair into a makeshift ponytail with a knot in the middle. “Do you…err…want to sleep as well? I can keep watch.”

Good question.