As Elariel lay panting against Tae'loren she could honestly say that she had never seen anything better in her world than him. His arms encircled her, pressing their bodies even closer together, and letting her know that he was happy just the way they were. Her inner muscles were still throbbing around him, eager for every last iota of his pulsating member. His seed filled her, and the thought of it made her dizzy. He had cum with her, their bodies synchronised in their primal desire for pleasure and joining.  Tae'loren had poured everything into her, and Elariel could scarcely breath for the gift of it. She closed her eyes in contentment, resting her head against his chest and listening to the hammering of his heart.<br/><br/>Elariel came out of her post-coital fugue and remembered the sound that he had made before his amused chuckle. She remembered that flicker of discomfort as she lay atop him. She opened her eyes and looked down at where their chests were pressed together, gasping at what she saw. She delicately peeled herself away from him then, sliding down so that her body was tucked into his side, her fingers hovering above the lines her nails had scored in him.<br/><br/>"Tae'loren," She breathed, "I'm so sorry-  I never meant to... I've never done that before..." She trailed off, blinking away the anger that she felt at herself for hurting him. His expression held no anger in it, if anything he looked so content she would have thought t it didn't hurt him at all if she hadn't felt his wince. She thought back and realised that she must have marked him in the height of their pleasure, neither one able to fully control their bodies in the throes of ecstasy. She pulled her fingers into fists and buried her face in his shoulder, taking deep breaths of his earthy, masculine essence. "By the Sun Well," She cursed, lips moving against his skin, "The things you make me feel..."<br/><br/>Elariel closed her eyes once more, the worries of the day and blissful exertion of their night finally taking a toll on her. She wanted to stay awake, to talk to him, to get to know the mystery that was Tae'loren better, but her body had other ideas and her mind clearly concurred. It was only moments before she was sucked into the oblivion of sleep, the steady warmth of his body and the release from her dark musings proving too much to resist.<br/><br/>~*~<br/><br/>Elariel woke early in the morning, before most creatures would even dare leave their hovels. It was still dark, and she guessed they were still a couple of hours off dawn. She was still tucked neatly against Tae'loren's side, she marvelled at the fact that she had been too exhausted to move, even in her sleep. She looked up at him, his skin blending in with the shadows in parts. A sleepy smile played at her lips as the memories of the past two days crashed down upon her. She was so lucky, she thought, to have found such splendour in such dark times. She wanted to kiss him, to thank him for giving her hope, but the last thing she could bear to do was wake him.<br/><br/>Elariel, careful not to jostle Tae'loren, slipped her arm off his chest and gently wiggled free of his embrace. She got to her feet, limbs still feeling spongy from sleep as she padded out of the room. She ducked out of the cottage and made her way through the silent darkness towards the area the group had designated as a latrine. She made it quick, eager to get back to the comfort of Tae'loren's embrace. She turned, about to return to the cottage when a sound caught her attention. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the area and noticed a strip of light coming from under the barn door.<br/><br/>The sight of it flooded her with suspicion and adrenaline, and she knew she would have to check it out. Suddenly feeling more awake, she blinked over to the doors and peaked through a crack near their oversized hinges. Inside, Roe'nor and Neras sat around a dying camp fire, their backs to her as they talked to someone through the flames.<br/><br/>"It is disappointing to hear this," the voice in the flames said. Elariel's brow creased as she listened, struggling to place the voice as her mind was still shaking off the last vestiges of sleep. "I would have thought our own people would do anything to give us this information, yet you two are the only one who have stayed your course."<br/><br/>"Yes, well, I won't make excuses for them, they don't deserve it," Roe'nor said, voice full of venom.<br/><br/>"So you are sure that they won't come around?" The voice asked.<br/><br/>"No. We agreed to meet again in the morning but I think it was only a way to delay the inevitable. Teirn and Solarius could be persuaded, I feel. Though I think Aidyn would prefer to forget the information all together." Neras informed the voice matter-of-factly.<br/><br/>"And what of Lightbraider?"<br/><br/>There, the way the voice said it. It was Nuran Dawnspeaker, head of the Mage's guild. Elariel's stomach tightened at the knowledge that Roe'nor and Neras were conspiring with that two faced bastard.<br/><br/>"Lightbraider?" Roe'nor snorted in derision. "The damn Night Elf has her too blinded by fear of the power to do anything useful with it. She knows too much though, she has the best knowledge of this power out of all of us. She will never agree to share it with the Guild though, she hasn't forgiven you for cutting us off."<br/><br/>Neras hummed in agreement and there was a thoughtful pause from Dawnspeaker.<br/><br/>"The Night Elf... We need to get rid of him."<br/><br/>Elariel's body tensed as anger poured through her.<br/><br/>"Yes, we've been trying to do that, but Lightbraider keeps getting in our way," Neras sighed. Good, Elariel though, she hoped that they hated her all the more for it.<br/><br/>"Right, well, we have no choice to take her by force. Dispatch of the Night Elf as soon as you have her secured. We'll give the others a chance to come over before we resort to our insurance." Dawnspeaker said, so matter-of-factly, as though he wasn't talking about something as reprehensible as kidnapping.<br/><br/>Elariel had to resist every urge she had to race back to Tae'loren right away. They were still talking, there was still more information to be stolen from their discussion.<br/><br/>"And you have that set up?" Roe'nor asked.<br/><br/>"We have Teirn's sister, Aidyn's brother and niece and one of Solarius' many lovers. I have no doubt that will be sufficient."<br/><br/>Dawkspeaker's voice sent chills down Elariel's spine; he already had hostages? She cursed herself, her blindness, how could Roe'nor and Neras have been plotting such destruction without her even knowing. She had still been giving them the benefit of the doubt.<br/><br/>"That sounds sufficient. We will get started on the portal spell, you will be ready to come through at dawn?" Neras asked. Shifting his shoulders in the way he always did before he started casting.<br/><br/>"Yes. I'll send four mages through the portal as soon as it is up, just in case you need back up before that."<br/><br/>"I'll go and get the reagents." Roe'nor got to his feet and stood, waiting for Dawnspeaker to dismiss him.<br/><br/>That was all Elariel needed to hear. She blinked back across the clearing and then, as stealthily as she could, dashed through the cottage door, making sure the door was shut behind her. She blinked down the hallways and then ducked back into her room before tiptoeing over and crouching down beside Tae'loren and placing a firm hand on his shoulder.<br/><br/>"Tae'loren, please wake up. We need to leave- now." Her voice quiet but filled with urgency. Her heart was pounding as she listened for signs of any movement in or around the cottage.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>