12 Hope Crystal.

"Will you now take me to see Killion?" Havillah turned to face the young soldier pleadingly.

"I won't and even if I wanted to I can't. The Captain is out at sea and as you can see, it is still dark out." The soldier replied pointing at the blackness that had once again engulfed them in its deep shadows. "I cannot risk it."he added. "There maybe more dragons out there."

"Fine, How about in the morning?" the young Great asked him.

"What about it?" His remark was snarky. Havillah narrowed her eyes at him and fixed the man with an irritated glower. However, he did not even look at her. Instead, he bent over his head and began to study the screen that had been mounted on a panel appended to his armour on the back of his right fore-arm. Left with no other choice, the girl breathed out a heavy sigh and tried again,

"Please..."

The soldier paused and raised his head to face her.

"Fine, but only because you said please." He replied shutting down the screen and the panel with it.

Too exhausted to protest, Havillah let the young soldier drag her into one of the abandoned buildings and there they waited out the night within the sanctuary of its still sturdy walls. With everything she had been through, the now banished Great felt exhaustion and she took that opportunity to rest in which, she managed to catch a few hours of dreamless slumber, that is until the young soldier shook her up and told her that it was time for them to leave.

"Are they back?" she asked groggily, noting the relative darkness of that was still enveloping room that they had chosen to occupy.

"No. It's morning!" The soldier hissed. "We need to get going if we are to find them before dark."

Havillah sighed and gathered herself up feeling irritated at the young soldier's methods. She then shook off imaginary dust from her now gold and black Triban robes and proceeded to follow the irritating man boy out of the derelict mansion.

"You know, you never told me your name." she attempted to start a conversation.

"You never asked." his responses remained rude even as he took huge strides down the massive drive way and into the wide and empty street that was lying before them.

"That's true, but now I am asking." She continued to walk behind him taking in the beauty of the pieces of architecture that were all around them. The paint looked a little bit peeled pu and some walls were cracked, but all the buildings remained standing and still maintained that same allure that reminded her so fondly of home.

"Gabriel!" the soldier finally croaked out and a smirk formed on Havillah's face.

"Gabriel," she thought as she stared back at the dark form, trying hard to connect the seemingly sweet name with the grumpy soldier who was alreadymarching off ahead of her.

"Hurry up! We do not have all day!" The soldier yelled even as he noticed that she had now slowed down her pace. With the smile still playing on her face, Havillah quickened her steps and managed to catch up with him. As they soldiered on, more light continued to filter in, sunny rays streaking the once bland and grey sky with a pink and orange glow as the sun burst out from the eastern horizon. The girl took in all this beauty in silence and every once in a while, she would burst out into a jog even as she tried to keep up with the long strides of the soldier who was still guiding her. Slowly but surely, they left behind the abandoned district behind and the further they moved east, she noticed that the streets were growing narrower and that the houses were getting smaller.

Eventually, the pair burst out into an open air market space that was beginning to bustle with activity even as the traders began stir and air out their wares. Havillah wanted to stop and stare, maybe grab some breakfast, but the young soldier did not let her. Instead, he kept on walking and in no time, they came to a stop before a port, one that was much smaller than some that she had seen from the city's viewpoint.

As she studied it, the girl came to the conclusion that it was the same port that she had seen at that time when she had dropped off Killion not more than seventy two hours before then. Now it looked empty of people and a little too full of boats, but she was convinced that it was the same port.

Once on the docks, Gabriel took off again, this time taking a westward route along the portside. Still looking around, Havillah followed him and he led her to the farthest point west of the docks and to a sail boat that was tied up there.

"Get in." he told her as he untied the ropes and threw them back into the boat. Havillah did as she had been instructed and decided to settle in the middle of the boat, too scared to touch anything and risk the temper of the military man that was stewing befoe her.

"Are you always this grumpy?" She found her mouth moving and the young soldier quit his activities to give her an irritated glower.

"I do not know about you, but I am always wary of enigmas and you, happen to be one. That and the fact that I would now be resting, sleeping away the effects of the night, but now I cannot do that since you have compelled me to take you to our dear captain!" He replied before returning back to his efforts of unfurling the sails.

"Okay...so you are grumpy." Havillah responded. "But how can I help?" she asked as she stood up to join him at the wheel.

"You could pray that the winds change direction and that we find them alive and well." He told her, turning the wheel to steer the boat out of the docks.

"I can do better than that." The young Great smiled.

"Let me guess?" he stopped turning the wheel as he regarded her with a sceptical look in his eyes. "You can control the winds?"

"You know Gabriel? I liked you better when you thought that I was just a damsel in distress!" Havillah snapped before turning away from the irritating man boy before her.

"It could help if you just gave me an explanation that I can work with!"

"I did, but it is not my fault that you do not believe me!" Havillah shouted and Gabriel fell into a fit of deriding laughter.

"That you're a 'Great' and that you come from this fantastical city in the sky?" he put out snidely adding air marks as he said the word 'Great'.

"But it is true!" Havillah cried out.

"Oh please!" The man retorted and the girl glared back angrily. The two locked gazes for a while, neither of them willing to back down. That is until Havillah thought otherwise and looked away.

"You know what? It doesn't matter." She told him even as she retrieved her hands from the warm haven that was the sleeves of her long Triban robes. "Just take me to Killion and I will be out of your hair." She added, clapping her hands together. As she did so, a warm bright light emanated from the centre of both her palms and she stretched it out until a small ball of light was created between them. She swirled her hands around the growing ball and slowly the light faded, leaving behind a pulsing crystal the size of a tennis ball suspended in the air before her.

"What...what is that?" the soldier stumbled, his jaws dropping as he stared at Havillah and the crystal with a bewildered look in his eyes.

"A hope crystal," The girl replied. She reached out her right hand and held the crystal and as she held it, the crystal seemed to glow and pulse even more. With whispered words, she launched and the crystal rose up into the air glowing so brightly that its light covered the entirety of the sailboat even as it finally settled at the top mast of the boat's main sail.

Havillah reached out her hands towards the crystal and whispered some more words. Suddenly, the boat began to lock back and forth as it slowly rose up from where it sat in vast ocean causing Gabriel to cry out in alarm.

"What are you doing to my boat?"

Havillah regarded the man with raised eyebrows and replied nonchalantly. "I am making it fly."

The young soldier gulped noticably and Havillah rolled her eyes.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to get back before nightfall?"

The soldier could not reply.Havillah shook her head and raised her hands high above her head. Suddenly the boat lurched upwards and the soldier let out another scream of panic. Havillah turned to look at the man who looked away as he flushed red from embarassment. He then readjusted himself upon the wheel and turned to face her with a more composed but irritated demeanor.

"How am I supposed to steer this thing?" He muttered.

"Same as you do in water, but if you like, I can always connect your mind to the crystal and it will do whatever you will it to do."

The young man gulped again.

"You can do that?" Havillah nodded. "Of course you can." He rolled his eyes as he mumbled to himself. "Fine, do whatever you must just make sure that you do not fry my brain."

Havillah nodded again and looked up to whisper some more words. As she did so, a string of light detached itself from the crystal centre and wandered down before it lightly hit Gabriel's forehead and disappeared into his skull. Suddenly,the boat locked and Havillah turned to give the man a pointed look.

"Focus!" she hissed at him.

"Give me a break, I am new to all these!" he hissed back and the boat locked again.

"Just focus on the direction you want the boat to go and the crystal will do the rest." Havillah told him. The soldier nodded and closed his eyes, but nothing happened.

"You need to see a clear cut image, so I suggest that you open your eyes this instant."

"Fine!" The soldier retorted, his eyelids flying open and as he did so, the boat lurched forward, flying eastwards at a very alarming speed.

***