Tae'loren left the group a hundred years from the stronghold. Elariel and Roe'nor watched through the orb as Tae'loren waltzed through the strong hold with nods of familiarity and quick verbal exchanges. Roe'nor was tense beside her as they watched his interaction with Ae'oleth. Despite their spell, it was difficult to tell the precise nature of the interactions. So far it had all been unremarkable, but surely if there was shock, anger or worse, they would need to think about taking action. The magical defences of the stronghold were interfering with their own cast, but luckily blood magic was strong enough that they were able to get an idea of what was happening. If they had longer to prepare, Elariel was confident she could have cast a more effective spell. Though Elariel didn't want to dwell on that; she believed that Tae'loren was worthy of her trust.<br/><br/>"So after he talks to his colleague, what then?" Roe'nor asked breaking the silence.<br/><br/>"We can use Ae'oleth and Tae'loren's knowledge to help us find a safe vantage point to study Illidan from. We've been struggling, Roe'nor. The longer we take to find the source of Illidan's power, the longer it takes us to figure out how to replicate or tap it, the more chance that Menethil will futher decimate our population. We can't afford that, we can't afford to let outdated prejudices ruin our chances."<br/><br/>Roe'nor rolled his eyes.<br/><br/>"You have absolutely no proof that anything he can show us will help,"<br/><br/>"Nor do you have any proof that it won't. At the very least it gives us something to do. We haven't been doing anything other than bemoaning our ill luck!"<br/><br/>"You have the arrogance and impatience of youth," Roe'nor said with a shake of his head.<br/><br/>"Yet if I had your patience I would be happy with our mission taking century. By then what will our people have left? We are divided as a culture as it is, we are more vulnerable than ever. Menethil certainly will not wait."<br/><br/>Roe'nor got to his feet and stretched his limbs. He walked over to the window and looked out over the farm. Elariel took the chance to gather up the towel with the blood and to fold the towel over the remaining cotton. She walked over to the fire in the hearth and threw the blood into the fire. When she turned around she found Roe'nor watching her.<br/><br/>"You have just destroyed our insurance."<br/><br/>"I told you that I will avenge us if we are betrayed."<br/><br/>"Your parents would be-"<br/><br/>"Don't you dare!" Elariel sneered, her expression turned into one of frosty fury.<br/><br/>The ancient male's response was nothing more than an amused puff of air. Elariel ignored him and returned to the globe. She couldn't make out the conversation Tae'loren was having, but she hoped it was going well.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>