Firodren and Mehlumis returned to the shop only to find Chardryn asleep and no Ileeya. The herbalist was immediately concerned. Chardryn never fell asleep on the job and Ileeya never went anywhere without telling someone. He woke the other night elf and asked where Ileeya was. The elf glanced where he saw her last and then shook his head. Firodren's face began to pale as he looked at where she normally worked. There was an herb half planted in a trench.

"I sense some fading strands of arcane magic used in here." Mehlumis raised a hand as if he wanted to try to catch the strands. He concentrated for a few minutes but finally shook his head. "It may have been a portal, I'm not sure. It's been too long since it was used." Mages can sometimes trace strands of magic and have been able to find where a portal had gone to, but it usually has to be within a minute or so of the portal's use. "I'm sorry, my friend. I cannot be of help this time," the old scribe said in a regretful voice. Firodren didn't give up. He turned and called to the sentinels patrolling nearby.

...

Ileeya slowly woke up wanting to stretch her arms and legs but she couldn't. She opened her eyes to find her limbs were tied up with a rope. With a groan she tried to sit up and look around. Ileeya hadn't really looked at her surroundings while she had tried to escape Kirlothenin. The first thing she saw was the familiar water elemental standing guard about ten feet away. That meant Kirlothenin was not here. Ignoring the elemental, she scanned the area. She was under some sort of shelter. Spread in front of her was the a large body of water. She could not see any land in the distance. She shifted her position. Behind her was a steep mountain. Two large trees grew on the small beach. From the look of the material used in the shelter as well as some nearby debris that looked like it had once been a part of the Exodar ship, she guessed she was somewhere near or on Azuremyst or Bloodmyst Isles.

Ileeya now turned her attention to the ropes holding her wrists and ankles. With a quick glance at the water elemental, she tested the ropes. They were too tight to wiggle out of. She noticed the blanket that now surrounded her on the ground. It must have been covering her before she sat up. Ileeya grabbed the blanket and covered her ankles. She had no idea if the elemental would try to stop her if it saw her trying to untie the ropes. She worked as quickly as possible, but the knot was very tight.

The night elf looked around for something sharp. She only saw the cookpot and a plate with a spoon nearby. No forks or knives. It was then she noticed that a smell emanated from the cookpot. Scooting a little closer, she opened the lid to see some sort of stew was brewing inside. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it and closed the lid. Then she saw the fire underneath the cookpot. Maybe she could burn the ropes. She'd have to be careful, though. She could just as easily burn herself as the ropes. Another furtive glance at the water elemental and she moved her wrists near the fire. The heat began to burn at her hands, but she kept them there, enduring it as long as she could. When she could no longer stand the pain she pulled back and looked at the ropes. They were scorched, but not burnt through. The side of her hands had minor burns and a couple of small blisters had appeared. Ileeya muttered a prayer of healing, but the pain remained. She reached up to her neck and groaned. That stupid collar!

A flash of light caught her attention as a portal opened up. Kirlothenin stepped through carrying the body of a night elf who was also tied up. He put the body down and Ileeya gasped as she recognized her brother. "Jelune?" Her heart beat faster at how pale her brother looked. She pulled against the rope holding her to the shelter as she wanted to get closer to her brother. "Is he...?"

"No." Kirlothenin approached her and started to untie her wrists when he stopped, noticing the burn marks on her hands. His eyes darkened for a moment as he looked up at her. She said nothing but glared back at him with a look that said 'What did you expect?' Kirlothenin went back to untying her wrists, keeping her ankles tied. Once finished, one of his hands reached up and held her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Your brother needs healing. But I won't take the collar off unless you promise not to try to escape or use any of your abilities against me."

Ileeya's eyes quickly looked sidelong towards her brother then back at the blood elf. With a swallow, she nodded her head. "I promise." This time, she thought to herself.

He removed the collar, but before she could crawl (as her ankles were still bound) to her brother, Kirlothenin stopped her and grabbed her wrists. He turned her hands so that the burned parts showed. "Heal yourself first." She didn't want to waste time arguing with him so she cast the healing spell on her hands and the redness disappeared along with the small blisters. She finished crawling to her brother's side, unsure of what exactly was wrong. She placed her hands on him and muttered her healing spells. As Broll had predicted, Ileeya had excelled in learning the healing spells of the druid. Denatharion was able to teach these skills to her quite quickly. Her other abilities as a druid, however, left much to be desired.

When she was finished, she sat back on her knees and stared at her sleeping brother. Questions now started to flit through her mind, the top being what in Azeroth were they doing on this small beach? Why did he want her to heal her brother when he obviously tried to kill him? If he was after Jelune, why did he take her...again? Another question tried to form in the back of her mind, but she pushed it farther back refusing to even acknowledge it.

Kirlothenin had not spoken while she did her healing. Ileeya finally noticed how unusually quiet he was and stole a glance in his direction. The blood elf was leaning against the shelter, his eyes closed. Was he asleep? Or just resting? Something then caught her eye. His sleeve was torn and red. He was injured. Most likely from the fight with Jelune. A dark glare came over her face as a fierce battle within herself raged. He's the enemy and had done her and her brother harm! But he has helped as well. Her mind recalled the fight with the witch doctor, and how afterwards he had allowed her to heal her brother, trusting her even though he shouldn't.

With a growl to herself, she crawled towards him and put a hand on his arm. Almost as fast as lightning, his own hand snatched hers and he opened his eyes, watching her. She stared back, making sure he didn't try anything. When he didn't move, she reached with her other hand and muttered her healing spell. He released her and sat up.

"Why did you do that."

"Don't expect me to do it again!" She spit out venomously. "That was for allowing me to heal my brother after the troll hurt him. That's all." She turned her back on him as she felt herself growing angrier with herself.

She heard movement behind her and then his hand on her elbow. He pulled her up to a standing position. Ileeya refused to look at him. After what seemed like a hesitation, the rope fell across her wrists and he began to tie her up once more. He then replaced the collar. "Eat. You'll need your strength."

Kirlothenin then moved on to Jelune He dragged him to one of the trees and tied him up against it. He then returned to the shelter and dished out some stew for himself out of the cookpot and sat down. The mage was obviously tired. "We'll be flying for a few hours. I'm not stopping to feed either of you. So you better eat," he said after observing that she hadn't even tried to get some food.

"Where are you taking us?"

He pointed south. "That way."

"Why not just telepo-"

"-Because we're flying!" His voice held a warning tone. Kirlothenin wasn't about to admit how weak he felt right now. First struggling with her and then her brother as well as using his magic to get them here had drained him. And he knew he had to conserve his energy for the job ahead.

"Let us go."

"No."

"What do you want with us?"

He sighed and set down his spoon. "You? You're merely insurance. A means to control your brother. Him? He's going to do a job for me."

"He won't do it."

Kirlothenin was tiring of this conversation. "He will if he wants you safe!" The mage stood up and moved farther away so as to end the conversation.

...

Jelune moaned and awoke, finding himself tied up against a tree. He wasn't in the Teldrassil forest anymore. Where was he? There was a shelter on a beach in front of him. Beyond that the sea. A water elemental stood near the shelter and the blood elf was close to the water, facing it. "Sin'dorei!" He yelled. Kirlothenin turned to face him. He had a dish in his hand, apparently he had been eating. The mage slowly approached him, pausing at the shelter to set the plate down. He then disappeared behind the shelter. A moment later he came back out dragging Ileeya with him. Jelune's eyes narrowed, hatred pouring from them. So, the sin'dorei wasn't lying after all.

Kirlothenin pushed Ileeya forward until they were just a few feet away from Jelune. The mage kept a grip on Ileeya's arm. From what the hunter could tell, his sister was unharmed. He looked into her eyes, silently asking if she were okay. Ileeya gave a slight nod. The mage spoke up finally. "I have a proposition for you, hunter."

Jelune glared at him. "I don't make deals with blood elves!" he growled.

The mage pretended not to hear him. "You're going to do a job for me." Jelune looked at him like he was crazy. "And in return, you get your sister back." Jelune's eyes flicked from the blood elf to Ileeya then back again. "And afterwards, I promise to leave you two alone. You'll never see me again."

What good is the word a blood elf? Jelune remained silent as he thought through his options. "Let her go now. Show me you're not the coward I think you are."

Kirlothenin only shook his head. "No. I won't do that. You see, I don't like backstabbers, and that's just what you'll do if you didn't have to worry about her." He pulled Ileeya in front of him and put one hand firmly on each shoulder as if to emphasize his point. "She stays with me until the job is finished."

"Coward!" Jelune taunted.

Kirlothenin didn't rise to the bait. "No. Prudent. Do we have a deal?"

Jelune was running out of options. "What happens if I refuse?"

Kirlothenin smiled to himself. The hunter was wearing down. Good. "If you refuse," he moved one hand to the side, forming a small fireball and letting it float just above his open palm. "I guess I won't need you." Jelune watched the fireball, but didn't seem to be afraid. Kirlothenin upped the stakes. "As for her, I'll either have her try to do your job," he frowned and shook his head as if he didn't think she'd survive. "Or," he purred, a glint in his eyes, "I'll just keep her around. After all, I do find her to be rather, amusing." Ileeya stiffened in his grip, though Kirlothenin really didn't care for the option himself. He had no permanent home and had no interest in dragging her around. However, he knew that if the brother thought there was more at stake then his own life, he would be more compliant. "Either way, the only way she gets returned home is if you do this job."

If looks could kill... Jelune felt his anger boiling into rage and had to force himself to calm down, which was extremely difficult. "Fine!" his voice was barely under control. "I'll do it. But I promise you this, sin'dorei," he spat out the word as if it were a curse, "afterwards I'll hunt you down and put an arrow through your skull!"

Getting his promise, Kirlothenin only shrugged off the threat. He pushed Ileeya down to sit next to her brother as he moved back to the shelter, out of sight now.

Ileeya reached over to Jelune and took his bound hands. He needed to take a few minutes to calm down but eventually looked at her. "How?" His voice was softer as he spoke with his sister. Ileeya told him how she had come to be captured. At the mention of the kiss, Jelune growled. "You let him kiss you?"

"No I didn't let him kiss me!" She snapped back. "I was shocked that he even attempted such a thing. Besides, it was obviously meant to silence and distract me long enough to push me through his portal!" She was irritated at her brother. But, she forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. They needed to work together, not bite each other's heads off. She changed the subject, asking how Jelune had come to be captured. He told her and the two fell silent.

"We'll get out of this, Ilee. I promise." Jelune felt her rest her head against his chest and he squeezed her hand, the only thing he could do to help comfort her right now.

...

They were flying through the air, slowly headed down the Darkshore coast towards Ashenvale. The sun was creating a spectacular sunset, but it went unnoticed by the travelers. Jelune, with his wrists still bound, sat astride a wyrven. There was a rope tied from one foot to the other underneath the beast. He gripped the animal's mane, but had no control over it. The beast followed another wyrven. Even if he had control of the beast, Jelune would not have deviated from the course. Ileeya was on the other wyrven with Kirlothenin behind her. The mage had wisely separated them, keeping his 'insurance' with him and having no doubt the hunter would follow. Kirlothenin had Jelune's weapons stored somewhere as well. "What am I expected to do in this job?" He had to speak a little louder so as to be heard over the wind.

"You'll know when we get there."

"I need to know so I can prepare." He tried again.

"Be prepared to fight."

Jelune sighed. The mage clearly didn't want to divulge any information before he was ready. Ileeya's voice spoke up. "Where are we going?" Kirlothenin was silent for a moment and Jelune thought he wasn't going to answer her question.

"Right now, Zoram'Gar Outpost. Tomorrow, Dustwallow Marsh." Jelune and Ileeya glanced at each other. Did he know they had sought temporary shelter in Theramore before? His hopes rose a little. So close to Theramore, they may yet find a way to escape and can seek shelter within the Alliance town.

The sun had set by the time they had reached the outpost. When they landed, a couple of orc guards immediately approached, their weapons at the ready. The blood elf spoke to them in orcish and what looked like the orc in charge of the outpost approached. He gave the two night elves a dirty look before speaking to Kirlothenin. The conversation went back and forth. It finally ended as the blood elf handed over a small bag of gold coins and two of the guards started to untie Jelune from his mount. "They're taking you to their holding cell. I would suggest not resisting." Jelune didn't resist but glanced as Ileeya had gotten off the wyrven to join her brother. Kirlothenin grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Not you. You stay with me."

Jelune didn't like this one bit. He wanted his sister within sight at all times! "Leave her alone. Let her stay with me!" One of the orc's raised his sword threateningly.

Kirlothenin shook his head. "It's too risky having you two together...too easy to attempt an escape. No. She stays with me." He refused to argue about it and turned towards the inn. Ileeya put up a small bit of resistance, wishing to stay with her brother, but when his grip dug into her arm, she decided it wiser to follow. Helpless to change the situation, Jelune gritted his teeth and reluctantly went with the orcs.

They entered the room and Ileeya immediately found a spot on the floor next to the wall. She was familiar with this routine. The mage removed his robe and draped it across a chair. His cream colored tunic was stained on the arm where he had bled earlier. The breeches were not gold this time, however. They were red. With a tired motion, she watched him stretch his arms over his head before sitting down to take off his boots. The silence in the room broke when a loud grumble was heard.

Ileeya looked down as her hand went to her stomach. The blood elf glanced in her direction at the sound. She never did eat the stew. A minute later, a piece of conjured bread was put in front of her face. Ileeya looked up to see Kirlothenin standing there, handing her the bread. She must have imagined the look on his face as she first glanced up. It was almost a look of...concern? She took the bread and barely whispered, "Thank you." He grunted in response and moved back to the bed.

Ileeya slowly chewed the bread and noticed that he had put a cup of water on the table near her. She took it and drank nearly half of it, not realizing she was so thirsty. She watched him as he sat on the bed, one leg on the floor, the other on the bed. His back was resting against the wall. His eyes were closed. So she was surprised when he spoke. "You're staring." He opened his eyes and looked at her.

She averted her eyes, looking at the bread instead. "Why us?" At his raised eyebrow, she reiterated her question. "You could have hired someone else. Taken someone else. Why us?"

"Your brother is the one who challenged me, remember?"

"He did not," she said matter-of-factly. "He said what he did only to keep you from taking me, and you know it! You're the one who turned it into a challenge."

The blood elf's eyes narrowed shrewdly as he gazed at her. Smart girl. Even though he was tired and wanted to go to sleep, he stood up and slowly walked over to her, squatting down to be at the same eye level. He studied her in silence for a moment. Something about her had changed since the last time they had met. She'd gained a bit of control over her fears...but not all. Kirlothenin recalled how quickly she attempted to escape this afternoon. It was nearly instinctual. But other times, he could play on her fear. It was his observations of people that allowed him to be able to dominate them.

That was his style. He didn't have to use much violence if he could just play upon their own fears and keep them off-balanced enough. As he watched her silver eyes he saw as they slowly went from being partly defiant, partly curious, to being unsure, to finally having a slight look of fear before she turned away from him. Ahh, so that was her weakness. She was fine if it was a burst of adrenaline. But the more time she had to think about her fears, the more her fears took hold of her. Kirlothenin stored that bit of insight for possible use later.

"I didn't hear any complaints when I made that portal to Goldshire, for you." He kept his voice soft, staying where he was and still staring at her face. He knew he was making her uncomfortable. He didn't care.

She looked back at him, feeling perplexed. "Why did you do that?"

He shrugged. "Not much of a challenge if I started hunting your brother right away," he lied smoothly.

Her eyes darkened. "Are you really going to leave us alone after this?"

At this, the blood elf stood. Her question reminded him of another promise he had made to himself. "Yes." He summoned the water elemental and then lay down on the bed with his back to her, done with the conversation.