Someone filled a bowl of soup and passed it to me along with a thick slice of melon and a quarter loaf of bread. I thanked them and took my feast over to the porter's circle.

I sat down and stirred my soup to check the contents. There were a lot of grains in it, some rehydrated croc meat, and very thinly sliced beef. Greens were a minority. I sipped a spoonful of the hot liquid and savored it. It was so much better than boiled leaves with only a few slivers of meat.

Janette sat down beside me with her meal. "This looks good."

"It is," I replied before nibbling on the melon slice.

No one else was here yet, which created the perfect opportunity to speak with the only other porter who wouldn't think I was a nutcase for entering an airship.

"Have the Saursunes been doing anything new around you lately?"

Her eyes widened as she swallowed her mouthful of soup and turned to face me. "Actually, yes. The last two days, they started using those wooden braided circles and letting me pick some of my trade goods. It was exactly like what you described."

"Have they tried using maps or diagrams?"

"No, but I've never wandered far from the crystal like you frequently do."

"Hmmm... True... Have they tried to get you into an airship yet?"

She shook her head. "No, although I've seen several flying by recently." She paused and thought for a moment, before adding, "One started coming rather close, but we all gathered around the crystal, and it suddenly veered away. I hadn't thought much of it until now, but the local Saursunes were watching us. Could they have warned it away?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. But like someone else pointed out, they don't gain anything by scaring a porter away. I almost bounced today when a second airship showed up. If it hadn't been flying sideways like Jasper always did, and if Citrine hadn't been right beside me, and if my hunters hadn't been so calm, I would have bounced too."

She mulled over those details as she ate. "Sharing energy with the airship crystal—they seemed to value it, you said?"

I nodded. "More than just letting them take our energy. Have you ever tried sharing your energy? I think you'd need that skill before you could manage it with an airship crystal."

"I've been trying for over a week, and I actually managed it for the first time yesterday." She made a face. "That was a strange feeling, having my energy move like that. I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or the Saursune I was touching. It brought me an extra sack of grain, although I'm not sure if it was an apology due to how the energy loss sent me to my knees or if it was an incentive boost like Grant told me to watch for."

Apparently Grant had also been telling Janette about some of his theories.

After glancing around to make sure we were still alone, I asked, "What do you think of Grant's theories?"

"They make sense," she replied promptly. "The Saursunes first try to gain our trust, then they build on it by letting us pick trades or offering more trades for things not quite in our comfort zone, like when they tried to bribe you into going into the airship. Oh, and I haven't told anyone yet, but a blue Saursune has started showing up wherever we go. Kind of like your Citrine does."

I blinked at that bit of news. "Huh."

She gave me a shy smile. "It's kind of cool, honestly. Like I have a designated friend who's always happy to see me. It's kind of why I started porting some of your group back from the Guard Station lately. I'm trying to push my limits and see if it changes anything."

I smiled in reply. "Having that familiar Saursune around will make a difference later if you decide to try something that scares you. Just keep track of your porting."

Her porting skills hadn't been far above Andre's, and in the past, a seven-port would have been impossible for her. She was aware of the dangers since I'd pointed them out in the past, but she didn't have to worry about it until she could port a ten-group reliably, and that was a feat only three porters in the village were capable of.

Other porters drifted over, and we visited like usual while eating our food.

"Grant, I had a thought earlier," I began.

"Go on," he said with remarkable patience, waiting to see if he should be scared or impressed by whatever random butterfly of thought had flittered past me this time.

"The new crystal the Saursunes showed me today is near Storm Blast, so it shouldn't have any big predators, right?"

"From what I've heard about that area, I'd assume not," he replied, his words reminding me that he hadn't actually been to most of the places we went to, regardless of how well he could describe the area around the crystal.

"I think one of the trade tokens the Saursunes offered today was for live chickens. What if we built a chicken coop there? No other village knows about that crystal, they can't walk to it, there's no big predators, and the chickens can forage for themselves. Even if a hawk gets them, it's not like we lost something we invested resources in."

He blinked and furrowed his eyebrows in thought, as did many others. The old lifestyle of not leaving any human trace behind was still an automatic mindset. The idea of actually building an animal shelter near a crystal—a guarantee that humans would come daily—was almost mind-shattering.

Finally, he broke the silence. "We're already planting gardens, so why not? I'll talk to the carpenters. Just wait until we get everything set up before bringing those birds home."

Merryl commented, "There are a few teenagers who have been wanting to become hunters. Could we leave a couple of them there during the day to keep hawks at bay and hunt mice and stuff?"

"A porter would have to stay with them, but if the new location is untouched"—Grant glanced at me, and I nodded—"then we can send a small group there until they feel comfortable enough to be left alone during the day. At that point, whoever takes the sentries to Sentry Point in the morning and evening can drop them off and pick them up."

Just like that, the plan was approved, and logistics had been set up.

"We can always leave an older hunter with them," I added. "Someone like Arthur won't be able to walk far, but his aim with a bow is good, and the Saursunes know him."

Grant's slow, thoughtful nod was at complete odds with how fast he was scribbling down details. "If someone comes across saplings as wide as my wrist or springy willow-like saplings as thick as my finger, note those locations. We'll need those to build the coop and an attached pen while the feather dusters learn that's their new home."

"There's millions of finger-thin saplings at the new crystal," I told him. "We'll have to cut down dozens just to clear a spot for the coop."

"Excellent." He jotted that down as well. "Let's move onto today's summary. Several groups brought in a lot of wood, and we actually have a surplus of that now. All of you brought in a fair amount of food. For the first time in a very long time, I don't have food underlined with five exclamation marks behind it."

"I heard that we really need more flax for weaving clothing and light blankets," Belle murmured.

Grant nodded as he checked his notes. "That is one of our more-needed items. I've sent a few people out, but there's no flax left in the usual spots. The plants had been completely cut down."

"Could I try the crystal near the cottonwood trees tomorrow and see if they're in seed?" Janette asked. "We never used to go far from the crystal because of how many Saursunes were always around, but once they realize I'm there, they probably won't mind if my group wanders a bit. The trees are growing wild, and I think we're a bit late for the fuzzy stuff this year, but some might still be lying around on the ground that we can collect."

"If you and your group are okay with such a trip, I think it's a great idea," Grant said, noting that down. "Does anyone else want to go to a specific area tomorrow? Food is still at the top of the list, along with medicinal herbs."

I listened carefully to peoples' responses—to what they said, what they didn't say, and how they said it. Of the thirteen porters in the village, about half still wanted to avoid the Saursunes if possible. Since that wasn't exactly an option anymore, they opted to go to the new crystals for better foraging.

Andre, Ariel, Roxanne, and Merryl had no preference. Even though they didn't say it, they had lost their fear of the Saursunes. Would they still be wary if one showed up? Probably, but they weren't so scared that they'd port away if one was spotted. The others varied between the two reactions. Janette was the only one who purposefully picked areas known for Saursune activity, which amused me.

I kept silent since Grant knew I didn't really care where I went, and we both suspected the patriarchs would choose a destination for me tomorrow. I kind of felt like I should be angry at their meddling, but the emotion just wasn't sticking.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew they were trying to protect the village in their own fashion. I already planned to go wherever they sent me, although it was mostly to prove that their plans wouldn't work.

The patriarchs surely wouldn't approve of my new "hobby", but Grant showed no inclination of helping them, so they had been left to flounder in the aftermath of their own decisions. I just hoped the others didn't immediately side with Barrett's ideas. And I really, really hoped that people wouldn't have to go hungry.

When the water carts were wheeled toward the crystal, Roxanne and Ariel got up.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take the big cart?" I asked Roxanne. "You ported most of my group around today."

She glanced back with an amused smile. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to take it as often as I can to help build up my porting abilities."

I smiled in reply then turned to Janette. "I don't think I've seen you take the small cart lately?"

Of all the people who wanted to build up their skills, she should have been near the top of the list, and her absence stood out rather notably.

She shrugged lightly. "I've been taking Grant to the Oasis and transporting the sentries lately. Others wanted to take the water cart more."

Grant looked up from his notes. "If you want more ports, just let me know, and we can figure something out. Or you can port to the abandoned villages while looking for shards. One crystal is close to shedding a shard, and it wouldn't hurt if someone checked it once or twice a day."

She nodded and looked thoughtful.

Tilting my head, I added, "I can leave a rock or log beside that particular crystal in case you want to port something with a bit of weight between the abandoned villages. That would be the safest option if you wanted to push your limits with weighted ports."

"Thanks," she murmured.

I stood up and stretched. "I think I saw a decent sized rock at Four Boulders. Once I move that, I'll go feed the cat, so I might be a few minutes later than usual."

Grant nodded and glanced at the nearby sundial. I made my way to the cooking area and found the bucket of scraps. I ported to Four Boulders, and as the haze faded, numerous voices came from one direction, roughly where the pit for firing would be.

No one was in sight though, and a quick check to the side confirmed the rock I recalled was still present. Despite stretching my arms as far as possible, it remained just out of reach.

I pursed my lips and ported to Sunrise Village to fetch the rope from my hidden bucket. I quickly returned and looped it around the rock, leaving plenty of room between it and me. After a few moments of thought, I ported to the alpine slopes.

My view hazed over, and I blinked rapidly as my vision cleared. Luck was with me, and the half-buried rock appeared above the stoney ground. Now that it was out of the supporting desert sand, it toppled over, finally within arm's reach.

I ported it to the intended crystal and checked the shard, which still hadn't dropped. Leaving the stone behind, I bounced back to Sunrise Village to re-hide my rope, then went to Golden Oak to visit Cleo.

My vision had barely cleared before her familiar meow greeted me. After a quick check for predators, I sat beside the crystal as Cleo ran over with a mouse in her mouth. She dropped it as she reached me, rubbing against my knees instead of investigating the bucket. As I pet her, she climbed into my lap to better rub against me, leaving cat hair in her wake.

I chuckled and told her, "You're going to get me in trouble with the three toms back home. They'll think I'm cheating on them."

She just purred louder, still ignoring the bucket in favor of the attention. I was happy to croon over her and pet her since it hadn't taken me long to relocate the rock for Janette. I had extra time.

A glimpse of movement had me lifting my head and scrutinizing the bushes ahead of me. My hands didn't stop petting Cleo since the crystal was only a handspan behind me. I continued to watch the patch of bushes. Had it been a Saursune? That was my likeliest guess, and I came here regularly every night. It wouldn't surprise me if they had noticed.

The leaves shifted as yellowish eyes and a red and white muzzle peeked out below the branches. The fox licked its lips, far too interested in the cat spinning in circles on my lap. My heart sped up. A fox wasn't a serious threat to humans, but I didn't want to lose Cleo.

There was one option though... I eased one arm through the rope handle of the bucket and pet Cleo as the other hand reached for the crystal behind me.

I pulled her against me right as I said, "Beyond The River."

She stiffened as the air started to haze over. I felt her claws dig through my leather leggings as she tried to jump away, and I held her tighter against me. She tried to squirm free—thankfully not managing to get her front legs up and above my arm, or I probably would have ended up with deep scratches—and the air cleared.

With a sigh of relief, I dropped my arm, letting her bound away. She slid to a stop as she looked around with wide eyes at the strange landscape. I pulled a handful of scraps out of the bucket.

"Here, Cleo. Good girl. That bad fox can't get you here."

It took a fair bit of coaxing, but she finally came back. She let me pet her, although she didn't stand in my lap again. To make up for the unanticipated trip, I gave her lots of pets, scratches, and dragged more than a few plant stems through the grass for her to chase.

I stood up and walked around the crystal as she followed close behind, looking around and sniffing like crazy. After giving her a brief "tour" of the area, I pulled a clean handkerchief out of my pocket, wiped it across my face, and tucked it into a small hollow under a log pile.

Hopefully my scent would be enough to keep her near the crystal. I checked my pockets until I found a scrap of leather and tied some grass around the corners so it formed a bowl. I gave her some water and a few more pets. The sun had almost completely set, so my time was well and truly up.

"Sorry, Cleo. But I have to go. I'll come back in the morning to check on you."

If nothing else, she was safer here than she had been at Golden Oak. There were tons of mice and small birds around for her to eat, and no strangers who might decide to put her in a soup pot.

It shouldn't be too hard to teach her that the chickens were friends—the cats in our village knew. As tame as she was, she had undoubtedly been born in a village, and most villages had at least a couple of chickens. I'd just have to hope she hadn't been dumped because of a penchant for chicken killing.

I walked back to the crystal, and with a final glance at the cat, who was suddenly very interested in something rustling in the weeds beside her, I ported back to the village to tell Grant I'd moved her to Beyond The River.