Strength to Carry On.
"But still that doesn't explain anything." Moriella whispered to the other two. Like Cjaira had said, it didn't make any sense. For even if by some miracle Havillah had been fully restored, that did not explain the Hope Crystal. All the same she felt that there was something more, something that this captain was yet to tell them.
"There is something else." The captain said as if he was reading her thoughts. Or maybe he had caught her whisper and thought that she had been referring to his last statements. Either way Moriella was curious to know what else had happened to Havillah in their abscence. "There was an accident at my home. Selene, that is Calla's mother had tried to take Havillah's robes from her–"
"Why? Why on earth would she do that?" Cjaira exploded in anger. Moriella though understood why she felt that way for even she was having the same reaction.
"She was just trying to help with the clean up. However, Havillah panicked and the robes zapped Selene or at least that is what I was told happened." He quickly defended and Moriella had to wonder if this woman had known how important the Triban robe is to every Great. To attempt to take it from her? Havillah must have panicked as she felt the same emotion that the three Great were feeling now.
"You doubted her? Havillah does not lie." A fiery Cjaira interjected clearly not done with the captain and his last statement.
"Cjaira!" The elder intervened. "But still, Triban robes have never been known to do that." She added after a moment of thought. "No. They may be a personal item and the very standard by which we judge our aptitude but they have never been known zap someone. Protect maybe, but to launch an assault all on their own? That has never been heard of ." She shook her head, brows furrowed at the growing mystery. First the restoration then this and then there was the matter of the Hedge that she had not wanted to worry the girls about. Something strange was happening here and more than ever Tamaar was convinced that something powerful may have latched on to her daughter. Wether it was friend or foe, it was up to her to find out and may be save Havillah.
"Havillah disappeared soon after so I was not able to verify. Selene was lying in a coma... slowly dying away. Nothing the doctors did to her was able to help her condition."
"Is she dead then? Is that why Calla is so mad?"
"No. Her mother is still alive." Killion told Moriella. "Havillah saved her on the very day you arrived right before she disappeared again."
"Still that doesn't explain everything. Most of it, but not everything..."
"Moriella, I believe the matter is more complicated than that." She winked at the captain. "I have r as your literature and I believe that because of this little complication the dear Sergeant does not like it?" The Captain sputtered his face turning red with embarassment even as the two girls turned to each other and back at the elder with bewildered looks on their faces. " Oh you two. You have been holed up in that city all your life, you don't even know what love or passion is." The two looked even more puzzled. What was she even talking about? She too had been born in the city, what made her different in that sense? As the Captain looked away shyly, his face continued to flush with embarrassment, wondering how this lady had figured that out when he himself was yet to confront himself with the fact." Isn't that why Calla is Jealous. There must be a story to that too."
Left with no other option, Killion nodded. " Our mothers expected us to be wed."
"Aaah, you said that in past tense. So something must have happened to change that." The woman exclaimed, smiling as she egged the captain on. " I mean, you had no qualms about that arrangement before but when my daughter came along, something changed. Come on tell us about it." She added with a strange glint in her eyes that made Killion feel like he had somehow turned into her experiment. Her fascination with passion and love being the subject. "Come on, if you are feeling shy, you can tell me all about it as we continue to move along." She said even as she stepped forward to walk down the little hill with her arm latched onto his. Behind them, the two girls followed, still puzzled at the sudden change in the elder's demeanor, the mischievousness on her face and the glee that had suddenly transformed her usually stern features and the laughter even as she pulled the captain forward and towards the edge of that far off forest that they were yet to reach. "So, what's the plan?"
Killion fumbled for answers unable to respond or tell what the woman was prattling on about. In addition to that, her move to attach herself to his side had actually surprised him and even now he was shifting uncomfortably, squirming under the weight of the looks that his soldiers were now casting his way.
"About my feelings for Havillah or? I am afraid she only sees me as her brother." Killion shook his head solemnly after he was finally finished deciding that that was what the woman was talking about, only to be proved wrong as his face flushed again.
"No, I meant, the plan for finding Havillah. However, that too is also a good thing to know although I would ask you to not take it personally. Just like these two oblivious children lagging on behind there," She turned to check if indeed Moriella and Cjaira had broken out of their hebetude long enough to know to follow them and continued. "I believe that Havillah's notions on pairings are also skewed...but who knows, I could also be wrong.l!" She laughed. "Something might have also changed. Anyhow, how are we going with the plans of find her?"
Killion nodded as he began to break down his own plan.
"We will break up into small groups and scout out the area. Since it's a rather wide belt that is surrounding a mountain, each group will be allocated a Tech team on the ground to guide them, with drones going on ahead to sweep through the forest and search for any existing energy prints."
"How many groups?"
"I was suggesting three groups of Five excluding the commanders and myself. The Hub could only spare twenty as we have to continue being vigilant about the town's protection." He told her.
"And for that I am grateful. Twenty soldiers will do just fine."
"In that case, Can't one of us go with each team?" Cjairaa suggested even as the elder turned to find the two girls eyeing Sergeant Calla rather warily. At her suggestion a similar expression was found on the Captain's face but his was directed at Cjaira, who he continued to look at worriedly.
"A good idea, but I believe that one of us has succeeded in unhinging the soldiers here. That said, I believe that Cjaira maybe a little too young to wonder off on her own."
" What do you suggest then?"
" Let the Captain and his men do their work, we will survey the area from above, however due to that little problem we discussed earlier you will need this– " Tamaar replied, handing each of the two girls a small satchel that was the same material as their robes only that the fabric was the colour white. Cjaira opened her purse first and brought a small glowing crystal before turning to Elder Tamaar with a question in her eyes "Strength to carry on?" The elder told her. The girl shook her head her mind still not grasping the meaning behind the Elder's words. "–We were hardly able to float here. How do you think you will manage to hover around for so long without some kind of help?"
"I understand that, but glowing Crystals?"
"What do you think the Hope is made up of? The same way it amplified our Virtue back on Triberias these crystals will also work to do the same. I got them from the temple and with the scales having been already activated, these too should also work in the same way."