The sharp, stabbing pain is what brought Elessaria back to consciousness and the darkness was almost welcomed for bright light would most likely only worsen it. She squinted in an attempt to discern her surroundings, but nothing was visible to provide any sort of reference for her to determine her location. The flimsy silk of her dress clung damply to her chilled skin with a mixture of blood and rain, her bodice dagger no longer hidden upon her person. Delicate hands quickly flitted over her body to assess the damage, stopping at the tender, swollen lump that pushed through her soaked hair at the back of her head and she winced, remaining partly prone on the cold floor. "Ow," she hissed through clenched teeth.

The petite elf despised the dark for many reasons, including her nightblindness, so even though her magic had been erratic since the visit to Evandar, she invoked the simple spell to call forth light which almost any low level mage could do. When no orb of blue light formed to illuminate the inky black that surrounded Eless, she frowned and concentrated harder. "Please...please...do nay fail me now," she entreated while she she cast an easier spell that would call forth a signature blue flame to the tip of her slender fingers. She slapped a bruised palm to the hard surface of the floor with a mumbled curse of frustration only to hear the sibilant tones of a low, throaty chuckle from a short distance away.

The shadows seemed to shift and swirl; she had never realized there could be so many shades of black and grey, yet the source of the mocking laughter was still not visible. The faint scent, reminiscent of cloves stirred up a long forgotten memory and set her nose to crinkle with marked distaste. Eless surged up to stand and instinctively reached to draw an available mana to her, the blue flames flaring vividly in her eyes as she hissed again, this time in anger. "Ah-ah-ah, Elessaria," he tsked in warning to the elven mage. A scorching flame burned through her when she went to cast the spell and she fumbled, dropping to her knees with head bowed from the searing pain.

"By all that is Light, I will make thee suffer!" she ground out her impotent curse.

Smug, the darker patch of black that hovered just out reach retorted lightly, "I took care to make certain thou couldest not, My Little One." As the burning faded, an odd mix of cold and heat encircled her neck and Elessaria reached up to tug futilely at the enchanted torque that blocked her gifts so adeptly. "All grown up now and still wearing my mark," he crooned. It was then she felt his gloved hand trace the silver scar that marred the slender, alabaster column of her neck. Another flash of her temper and she recoiled with a shove at his large hand, her stomach lurching. "Come now...as lovely and fragile as those freesia blossoms thou dost favor if we clean thee up."

Her entire body quavered, but she could only respond with another hiss for fear of losing the contents of her stomach if she spoke more. She scuttled backward to free herself from his petting of her blood streaked cheek. He sighed at her reaction and chided her, "When wilt thou realize thou art mine?"

"Never!" She spat out, refusing to let the tremors be reflected in her voice, and vehemence radiated from her aura in thick waves.

"Very well then. I see thou art in need of another reminder. I hope thou wilt wear it just as proudly, Lady Fire of Evandar." A silent gesture motioned to unseen guards and he melted back into the shadows.

Rough hands pushed her brusquely back onto her knees. Ragged nails caked with filth tore away the delicate silk of her dress while she kicked out and clawed blindly at her captors. The cracking of a leather whip, laced with magically tainted slivers of metal ceased her struggle. A feral cry of pain ripped through her as it scored her sensitve skin of her back. Eless fell forward with tears, only partly surprised that she had any left yet to shed. On hands and knees she bore the sharp lashes the taint metal searing her more deeply than the flaying of the leather. She refused the urge to curl up into the fetal position. She would not gift them with her defeat. She bit at her lip until she tasted blood to hold back the cries, but whimpers still escaped with each strike. Somewhere amidst the fading scope of her consciousness, the empath knew she had to rein in her suffering and her emotions or any with whom she was connected would bear witness to this assault.

Few knew the cost of using her magical gifts; Fewer still were aware of the connection she maintained with those whom she had healed or touched in a magical or empathic way. During the process their true natures had been revealed to Eless and their secrets were to be guarded to her grave. She maintained a constant vigilance to ensure that those with whom she was forever linked would not receive any stray emotions in return. It took all of her skill and her strength of will to keep the torturous pain from bleeding back out to the innocents. This was her duty: to protect the innocent and to serve the Light. But, oh...how far had she fallen.

When her trembling body could no longer endure the brutal kiss of the whip whose tendrils even licked around her sides to score her delicate feminine curves , her mind stepped in and submerged her into a more welcomed oblivion.

~And when I feel helpless There's always a hope that shines through And makes me believe And makes me believe

And I see for one fleeting moment A paradise under the sun I drift away And I make my way back to you

You gave me faith And you gave me a world to believe in You gave me a love to believe in And feeling this love I can rise up above And be strong And be strong, and be whole once again ~ Lyrics from A World To Believe In - C. Dion.