Kayla's eyes narrowed as she listened to angry words. Of course her tribe kept tabs on what was going on in the land, just all the other tribes seemed to do likewise. And they were perhaps more successful than most under her supervision. But keeping everything under control? That sounded like the carefully spread propaganda of the council members. Misled or not, this girl would learn to be careful to be whom she chose to give the rough edge of her tongue! And yet the latter part of her speech moved Kayla. She felt genuine empathy from Ayesha and it was hard to fault her motivation in trying to warn the tribes. In this light she bit back harsh words which would otherwise have followed, her eyes remaining hard as she listened. It was not until the hand touched her wrist and the eyes eyes locked onto hers, and a flood of horrific images crossed her brain that she realised how torn up this girl was inside. She felt a connection to her soul, and suddenly her eyes were filled with tears as the flood of emotion dammed inside Ayesha spilled out over this link. Even as her elven soul grieved she felt the cold calculating part of her brain analysing tactics and numbers and coming back to her with equally terrifying reports. The situation may have been worse than she even suspected. And if Nature and Earth were truly gone, or at least under siege, then hope was slender indeed.<br/><br/>She sagged as the connection ended, only it didn't entirely seem to die. There felt like a link between the two which did not fade. She had seen inside the others heart and that experience would stay with Kayla always. She cradled the girl as she began to cough, easing her back down onto the bench, catching the sheet as it fell and pulling it back into place across the others naked body. "Steady, steady" Her hands stroked her body, feeling the convulsions running through the fragile form. "Easy, rest now. I will do as you ask. I'll see the council, don't worry. I'll convince them. Your people will be avenged." And hopefully ours saved, she added mentally.<br/><br/>Three hours later Kayla was being escorted down a corridor beneath the Council Chambers. Her mind was numb, unable to understand how the words she had spoken had failed to make any impact. And now she was being escorted to the Council's own secure chambers. Which was a fancy term for a cell, even if it were dressed up in more civilised clothes. "For her own protection and for a more thorough debriefing until confirmation was found" was what she was told. Which meant to stop her leaving the city until her source had been taken. She cursed herself, knowing that she should have left immediately. She wondered how long the Seekers would take to discover her charge.<br/><br/>Not very long as it turned out. In fact the room she was shown into contained Ayesha already on a padded seat when the door slammed shut behind her. The room was plain but comfortable, and extremely secure. Runes scribed into the walls, floor and ceiling nullified all magic, defeating any attempt to spy, and also any attempt to escape as it happened. Kayla sighed, moving over to check on her companion, making sure she was comfortable. At least that was one good thing, the best healers that council could summon had been at work and the girl slept easily, dressed in loose silk undergarments. She looked improved enough that Kayla knew the healers had been working for some time. She had been taken right after Kayla left for sure. Coincidence? Possible. Anyone with the right magic could detect the foreign elf. Likely? Not very. Much more likely someone had informed. Simeon's face jumped to mind for a moment. But she would not believe that of him without overwhelming evidence. A neighbour perhaps. In any case it made much more sense that the council did not pay so much attention to the story. They could afford to hold them and investigate and put off doing anything at all, which tended to be their favourite activity.<br/><br/>Moving over to the door, Kayla glanced out through the mesh placed at eye height for a handspan across the door. It was an empty gesture, just for the sake of it. But she was startled to see a pair of intense eyes burning back at her from the door directly opposite. they weren't precisely friendly, but... who knew in this day and age. Her own people were keeping her here after all. The need to escape and to warn the world of the impending disaster burned within her. Her need to be free was also great, she didn't deal well with imprisonment. She could see very little of the stranger's face, but he was male and of a different tribe if she was not mistaken. A refugee? Could it be? Was the council concealing something else? A shiver went through her. What else didn't she know?? "Greetings Stranger! Who are you?" She tried.