Kayla's hands froze in their movements as Ayesha began to speak. Gradually her eyes opened wider and her jaw became slack. By the end of the tale her knees were wobbling and she weakly dragged a stool over to sink down onto. This... this was beyond her fears... close to unbelievable in fact. And yet looking into the girl's eyes she could see genuine pain and loss, in fact near madness from grief. Either the girl was by far the best liar she had ever seen, or she believed what she was saying. And it fit with the evidence to date so far, or lack of it. Cautioning herself not to jump to too many conclusions, Kayla took the Light elf's hand in her own. "I should probably tell you that we have heard nothing from the Dark tribe or the Air tribe, as well as yourselves in weeks. This unknown force of yours could be spread across half of the Green Isles by now. And to my knowledge, no one has heard a thing." That was true, but was it possible the council had heard something and not informed her? Surely not. This threatened the whole of the elven nation!<br/><br/>Her mind whirled, trying to think things through as she absently brushed the tear from the girl's cheek. Girl...? High Priest's daughter! That little fact trickled into her brain. The Storm and Light Tribes had never directly clashed in recent memory, but they had each been allied with foes in the past. It didn't seem possible that something on this sort of scale could be a grand conspiracy, but how would the council see that? There was no direct proof, just this one witness. Where are the refugees? Where are the tales of distruction? Kayla could almost hear the questions from the old men in dark halls. And the answer? Could this terrible unknown force have destroyed all those people right down to an individual? How was that possible? And if they were so lethal, how had the Light tribe scattered as Ayesha claimed? Too many questions and possibilities. She needed evidence, something more than this one girl. And she needed the girl to help her.<br/><br/>She focused on Ayesha, sensing her pain and mental anguish. It seemed like shock and trauma. But it did bring to mind the psychic wounds inflicted during the Storm clan's skirmish with the Air tribe. She shivered at the memory of the vicious Mind Warriors appearing from the mist. If the Dark tribe's weapons had been taken and used, was it possible the Air's magic had been appropriated too? Kayla shook her head, banishing the memories. Bad enough dealing with things as they are without dragging in the ghosts of the past. "Look Ayesha, I will make sure the council gets your tale. But if you appear before them then they will not let you leave until your story is confirmed or disproved." She held up her hands to forestall any protests. "I'm not saying I don't believe you. But the fact is that this is a lot to swallow for the council members set in their ways. The only way we can persuade them otherwise is to provide proof. Or at least a second and perhaps more trusted set of eyes." She could easily imagine Ayesha not seeing the light of day again until the first of the Light refugees arrived. And by then it could be too late. "I think this falls to me. To us... if you heal quickly, and if you will go with me. We must warn the other Tribes and we must collect evidence, find out what we can about these devils. One thing I don't understand... What brought you to the Storm Tribe? What did you think to gain by coming here? Surely the Nature clan would have been closer, even the Earth clan if you had but crossed the mountain passes. Why us?"