To say Elariel was exhausted would have been an understatement. As Solarius ended the casting circle her entire body slumped and she had to stop herself from collapsing. It took them all a few moments to recover from the thought-sharing process. Elariel's mind took some time to gel back together, for her awareness to realise which thoughts where her own and which were not. Through the link she had finally been able to share the truth about her interpretation of the Betrayer's powers. The others had truly been able to comprehend the evil she had seen, they had been pulled into the black vortex of depravity with her and each had been glad when they mentally clawed their way back out.<br/><br/>When she looked up at them she knew that they agreed with her now; they couldn't use this power to replace that of the Sun Well. It would not serve their race as sustenance. Though one question remained unanswered: what to do with the information.<br/><br/>"We have to be careful," Elariel sighed, it took a lot of effort for her to speak. "If we decide to share this information then we have to choose wisely. The Betrayer's secrets are far too powerful, his manipulation of fel power too complete. It can be replicated- of that I have no doubt."<br/><br/>"Do we need to tell anyone?" Teirn asked, looking at the others with his eyebrows raised. All of the Elves in the circle surveyed each other, some more warily than others.<br/><br/>"That would probably be the wisest course of action," Aidyn agreed.<br/><br/>"And what, go back home with our tails between our legs and look like failures?" Roe'nor's distaste for the idea was clear.<br/><br/>"What is worse Roe'nor? Looking like we didn't find the answers or bringing back something that is pure evil?" Teirn replied. From Roe'nor's stare it was clear that he did indeed think looking like they failed was the worse option.<br/><br/>"What of you, Elariel? Are you still of a mind to report our findings to the Kirin Tor?" Neras asked, eyebrows raising as he posed the question.<br/><br/>"I'm not sure," She admitted with a slight dip of her head "If they could find a way to counteract it.... to rid the world of such evil..." Elariel sighed. "But then, I don't want it falling into the wrong hands."<br/><br/>She was tired. Her head ached and her body felt hollow and shaky. Elariel was finding it hard to think beyond that moment. There were some big decisions to be made, decisions that had the power to harm or heal. She couldn't manage that right now; she needed some rest and a chance to clear her mind.<br/><br/>"So you trust them over your own kin?" Roe'nor jabbed. Elariel looked up at him, her expression would have been a glare in any other situation, but right now it came through as one of pure exhausted exasperation.<br/><br/>"We don't need to decide anything now," Solarius intervened. Elariel gave him a nod of appreciation. "We all have a lot of information to process. I think our decision would be best served if we were all clear of mind."<br/><br/>There was a general murmur of agreement before everyone stepped outside of the circle. Teirn and Roe'nor remained in the main room, their discussion quickly becoming heated. The other males retired to their room and Elariel turned. She exited the cottage and made her way over to the well. The hot night air prickled at her skin, but it was fresher than that in the cottage, so she took a deep grateful breath. She drew some water from the well, it was surprisingly cool and refreshing. She filled up two beaten tin cups and carried them back to her room with her. The thought of being alone with Tae'loren again was a welcome one. Even if he had sunken into a meditative state, she had a feeling his presence alone would ease her nerves. It was odd to her, the thought that someone she had only just met would hold such promise for her, but she didn't want to over analyse it. She trusted him; that was one thing she had no qualms about any more.<br/><br/>When Elariel walked back through the room Roe'nor and Teirn were still arguing, but she blocked it from her mind. She didn't want to deal with anymore darkness or indecision tonight. Instead she padded the rest of the way to her room and nudged the door open with her elbow. She slipped through the door, shut it with her foot and looked around. She wasn't surprised to see Tae'loren meditating. So she made an effort to set the cups down in the corner as quietly as possible, so not to interrupt him. She slipped off her day robes and pulled on some loose cotton pants and a top and settled onto the ground beside him. She had no doubt that he had sensed her, keen as his hunter skills were. Elariel knew that he would rise from his meditation if he wanted to, and she would be willing to spend time with him. Though she also understood that he might need the reprieve of meditation just as much as she did; his day was equally as dark. Taking a deep breath she revelled in the earthy scent of him; pure and clean. She already felt herself  becoming more grounded, her mind chasing away the darkness of the day. Merely being next to him was enough to set her at ease.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>