“I’m Coren Cormaeril of Harrowdale,” he began, “and this is Sabrae Xarann, an outcast from Maerimydra. I found her wandering in the forest a few weeks ago. She has no love for either Lolth and her matrons or the drow who infest the Court. She only followed them to the surface to escape Maerimydra. We’ve held-up until today in a cabin I prepared for a winter of solitary meditation, and now we’re heading to Velarsburg.” From Sabrae’s expression and the way she nestled her lithe body against him, Lux could told tell that there were details to their story he’d omitted. She’d always viewed the drow as cruel, brutal and evil, but, while surface elves had an ethereal beauty, they bore an air of dark sensuality, and this Sabrae had an allure about her that she couldn’t deny. It was clearly not lost on Coren either, nor was the fact that he was quite a handsome man lost on her. The night wore on as they exchanged information and views on the drow infestation, the threat to the dales and Moonsea coast, and what could be done about them, while Sabrae continued to tease Coren by snuggling against him. But it wasn’t clear whether it was entirely for his benefit as she openly eyed Lux’s buxom figure. Eventually, both Lux and Sabrae settled down on opposite sides of the fire, while Coren took first watch, sitting over the beautiful drow. Lux found herself imagining how the couple had passed the long winter nights as she drift off to sleep, but then something woke her with a start. Looking across the fire she saw Sabrae with her head cradled gently on Coren’s lap, her eyes half open, but glassed over as her body squirmed on the ground, her head rolled from side to side and her face a mask of terror. Looked up at Coren she saw sincere concern on his face as he tried to calm the clearly troubled drow and moved to knee beside him when Sabrae suddenly shot up between them, gasping for breath, with the look of trapped animal. “It’s alright… you’re safe,” Coren soothed in a gentle voice, as he tried to gather her in his arms, but she sat ridged for an instant, resisting him, then she seemed to recognize where she was and melted into his arms, all but in tears form whatever horrors had haunted her. Lux knelt before them in silent confusion, although she barely knew them, she couldn’t help but feel concern and compassion for the drow, something she would have never imagined only hours before. “It’s the reverie,” Sabrae answered Lux’s unspoken question in a weak voice. “To most elves it’s a gift. We relive the moments of our lives as vividly as we did the first time. But to me it is a curse! My life has been nothing but a series of terrors,” then she looked up into Coren’s face, smiled warmly, and added coly; “until now.” Turning to look into Lux’s face, Sabrae saw that she was genuinely concerned for her, even though she could sense that she still didn’t fully trust her, and, rising from Coren’s arms, leaned over to circle her arms around her neck, drawing their lips together. Lux was caught by surprised at first, but quickly yielded to the kiss, which became more passionate with each heartbeat.