I ported the rock again and paused to gauge how my legs felt. I didn't want my legs to be tired before an all-night hike, but I needed to wear off as much porting energy as possible. As always, it was impossible to tell how much energy I had left.

My legs were vaguely tired. It would have to be good enough. I shook my head; I was not looking forward to the next four days. With a sigh, I ported the rock back to where I'd left it for Janette—Fern Hills had been occupied by a group I didn't recognize, so I'd been forced to use the big rock instead of the log.

The sun was starting to set as I ported back home. Tib and Brielle were waiting nearby; two rather large backpacks rested beside them and a much smaller one for me. Waterskins took up most of the space. We had dried meat, roasted grain, and a few other calorie-dense foods that didn't require cooking. There was also a thin fur blanket to wrap around our shoulders if we got chilled while walking at night, but that was it. We were traveling as light as possible.

The two hunters were packing the heaviest stuff since I'd tire far faster than them. I tested my backpack's weight and peeked inside. I had a water skin and three light furs.

Grant passed me a wooden cup of water. "Might as well have one last drink. After that, all you have is what's in the backpacks, and it'll be mighty musty in several days."

I drained the large cup and passed it back. I'd eaten a bowl of meat-laden soup a while ago, so it had time to settle while providing the calories I'd need for tonight's journey.

Callie ran over for one last hug. "We'll visit Cleo every morning and night!"

"Thank you. Be good for your mom," I told her, returning the hug.

My guides donned their heavy backpacks. It was time to go.

"Safe travels," Liam said, sitting on a bench to the side.

"Thanks."

After one last hug with Grant, my two guides rested their hands on my shoulders. "Sentry Point."

The air hazed around us and cleared at the lookout near our village. The sentries watched us walk out from under the sheltering stone and into the sandy desert. Heat emanated through my shoes despite having two layers of deer hide sewn onto the bottom. As if that wasn't bad enough, the dry sand shifted under my feet with every step, making walking harder and uncomfortable.

We headed south, occasionally veering around cattle-sized rocks that poked above the drifting sand. It was a relief when the last rays of sun disappeared below the horizon, although it would be a few hours before the sand cooled to a more moderate temperature. The desert here never really got cold, but it could get cool. Our exertions should be enough to keep us warm, although we had the light blankets if we needed them.

The sky darkened as stars started emerging. Tib glanced skyward frequently, altering his path as he finally got his bearings. Brielle walked beside me as we followed his lead.

We walked for hours in companionable silence, saving our breath and the moisture that would be lost in discussion. The night sky was amazing, and gazing at it soon became my favorite pastime on our otherwise boring walk. Nothing blocked my view of the inky blackness and thousands of stars that spread as far as the eye could see.

I glanced back, but it was too dark to see the Sentry Point stone jutting into the sky. Yet, despite our long walk, I knew it would still be visible in the distance in the daylight. This was going to be a long four days.

~

The sun had risen by the time Tib guided us into a cluster of boulders he'd marked on his map as a resting place. The sand and air were still vaguely cool, but that wasn't about to last much longer. My calves were sore from walking on the dry, shifting sand and more than ready for a break.

"There's a small cave in the middle," Tib said, guiding us under a massive boulder leaning against its neighbor.

I eyed up the big rocks, but like every major stone formation out here, they had survived the remnants of mega storms and weren't about to fall anytime soon. Tib led us through the cluster to where several massive slabs of stone overlapped, leaving a gap that I could almost stand under. Smaller rocks had been piled up around the opening to block off most of the entrance.

I lightly bunted my toe against the small stones. "Is this your handiwork?"

"Yes, from my initial trip." He shrugged off his backpack and set it inside the opening. "The wind out here gets hot during the day. We'll have to completely block the entrance before we go to sleep."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"There isn't anything to do besides wait and rest. Grab a water skin and a packet of morning food, then try to get some sleep. We'll start walking around sunset, as soon as it's cool enough to travel without risking heat stroke."

After a quick trip around a boulder for a bathroom break, I climbed inside the shelter, which was roomy enough for all of us, and we began pushing some of the sand around to make beds. I was going to miss my dried grass mattress, although the cool sand was happily stealing my body heat. I hoped it would remain cool enough during the day.

I couldn't feel any restlessness, but tomorrow was probably going to be a different story.

~

The rustling of fabric woke me, although the next thing I noticed was the heat radiating off the rock above me. If it hadn't been for the cool sand beneath me, it would have been much too warm in here. Light spilled into our shelter as Tib moved the entrance stone. Hot air drifted in as he crawled out.

I stifled a groan as I realized how stiff my body had gotten from sleeping on the sand. Brielle sat up and began doing numerous stretches, which I tried to copy. They seemed to help. They also masked how difficult it was for me not to fidget. The restlessness was definitely present after almost twenty-four hours without porting.

Tib soon climbed back inside and closed the opening. "There's about two hours until sunset. The sand will be hot, but our shoes are thick enough to keep it from burning our feet."

How had I slept almost an entire day? I stretched some more, trying to limber up my muscles.

"How are you feeling?" Brielle asked me, possibly realizing my ongoing stretches were a sign of something else.

"Restless," I admitted. "I can't remember the last time I went an entire day without porting. I think it was when I was fourteen and caught a serious fever." My porting would have given me more breathing room, but I already knew I'd be unable to sleep tonight.

"Let us know if we can do anything," Brielle murmured.

"Unless we find a crystal big enough to port from, all I can ask for is your patience when I get grouchy."

Tib passed around water and our sunset food packets. I sipped the stale-tasting water, knowing I had to make this water skin last at least until midnight.

Just before the sun touched the horizon, we set off across the scorching sand. My feet were soon convinced there was a cookfire hidden somewhere under the sand. The heat hazes slowly faded as the angle of the setting sun made its rays lose their strength.

Finally, the sun disappeared below the horizon, although it would be at least an hour before the air cooled. Tib gazed around alertly as he guided us farther across the desert. Our recent tracks stood out behind us, although the ones we'd left yesterday were already gone, having been erased by the wind.

As the hours passed, the restlessness swiftly worsened without a single port to take the edge off. I hadn't realized it would get this bad this quickly. I shook my head as if flies were buzzing around, when it was really the internal restlessness driving me to distraction.

Halfway through the night, Brielle peered at me through the night gloom. "Are you okay?"

I had already promised Grant and my guides that I'd be honest with them, so I replied, "I think my porting abilities really strengthened over the last week. I never noticed the difference because I've been sharing my energy with the Saursunes almost every day. The restlessness is getting quite uncomfortable."

Tib's silhouette paused as he turned to face us. "We're about a third of the way into our journey. There aren't any other crystals in this direction. Do you want to turn back?"

"There's only two daytimes to get through, right?"

"Yes. The rest of tonight, another night of walking, and we'll reach the crystal about midnight the next night."

"I can manage two days without sleep. I don't feel like being sent back out here again, so I'd rather keep going." I really hoped I wouldn't regret this decision...

He nodded and continued walking, checking the stars again. I was preoccupied with my thoughts as I seriously began to wonder what state I'd be in if we weren't going to reach the crystal for another forty hours.

Worry crept in as I tried to tally up how much porting energy I burned every day. It was already building up with no outlet. Before the Saursunes removed the energy cap, a few nights traveling wouldn't be too big of an issue, but what if it had changed something else? Was it possible that it might get worse than just being unable to sleep?

A couple of hours later, Tib stopped near some knee-high rocks for a break, but I didn't sit—the restlessness wouldn't let me. I kept shifting my weight from foot to foot as he passed each of us a new water skin.

He didn't comment on my behavior, but less than a minute later, he continued guiding us. I gazed at the starry sky overhead, but as beautiful as it was, it wasn't enough to distract me anymore. I felt like spinning in circles from the pent-up restlessness, but I knew it wouldn't help. The night dragged on.

~

By the time we reached the next resting area at day break, both hunters kept glancing at me in concern. The porting energy had built to an almost "itchy" level despite my attempts to send the excess energy past my palms just to get rid of it. But it didn't work—air, boulders, even a waterskin—nothing would absorb it.

I kept shaking my head as if I had a light fever, but when I touched my forehead, it didn't seem warm. I felt almost like a wine skin that had been filled too full and was under pressure from inside. There was just too much energy, and without a single port to relieve it, it was causing me nothing but grief. We were only about halfway there. How was I going to last until sundown, walk the night, and another day?

"How are you holding up?" Brielle asked, walking beside me.

"It's going to be a hellish night—er, day. There's no way I'll be able to sleep. You're probably better off sticking me in a separate area so I don't keep you awake."

"This spot will be even tighter than the last one," Tib informed me.

I groaned. "There's no way I'm going to be able to sit still. Are you sure there isn't a second area I can stay?"

He gestured to the five large rocks we were approaching. "There's only one gap with enough protection from the sun and wind. Besides, I'd rather have you nearby in case trouble shows up or you get worse."

I mumbled something about overprotective hunters under my breath.

"You don't look that great," Tib said, pausing to take a better look at me now that the sun was finally peering above the horizon.

"I don't feel that great," I admitted. "What are the odds of us traveling through part of the day to try and get back sooner?"

"You'd have heat stroke within hours of the sun rising," Tib replied. "There aren't many boulders in this area, none big enough to cast sufficient shade through the day, at any rate. How bad is it getting? Please be honest—I need to know if we might have to carry you part of the way. We're a bit ahead of schedule, but it'll still take us all of tomorrow night and a small part of the next night to reach the crystal."

"I don't know." I shook my head in frustration, my voice shifting closer to a whine as I felt trapped, worried, and physically tired but incapable of resting. I knew exactly what I needed but had no way of managing it out here. "There's just too much energy, and I can't get rid of it. I even tried using the sharing trick to just dump it into the air or a rock, but it doesn't work."

"Can you share it with others?" Brielle asked.

I shook my head. "I tried with Merryl once, and it didn't work."

She held out her hand. "Is there any harm in trying again?"

I hesitated, part of me was desperate for relief, but the rest of my mind immediately skipped to the what-if's. "You're not a porter. If it worked, it could really hurt you. Remember how some of our ports rattle our groups even though we barely feel it?"

Still holding out her hand, she waited patiently. With a sigh, I took her hand and concentrated on my energy. Bizarrely enough, I still couldn't tell how much I had—just that it seemed rather thick and seemed to be moving slowly instead of being dormant like it was if I wasn't touching a crystal or a Saursune wasn't siphoning any away.

I tried to gently steer some—not much in case it hurt her—through my palms. Just like with Merryl, there was nothing there. The energy couldn't be shared. It just didn't go anywhere.

"Nothing," I said with a sigh—both relieved and disappointed—as I let go of her hand.

I could only imagine what kind of chaos we'd unleash in the Oasis if we discovered how to share enough porting energy that the hunters could port themselves. It wasn't likely though, and the Saursunes' woven figures had shown a blue stone on porters, even ones as young as Callie. Never on our companions. So it was something we were born with. Something that made us different. Unfortunately, at the moment, "different" was a huge disadvantage.

Tib guided us to the small cavern—less than half the size of the one last night. I remained standing as I drank some water and ate my morning ration—a crumbly travel bar made of dried meat, dried berries, and a bit of grain pounded together.

"Is pacing helping or just a side effect?" Tib asked as he sat on the sand near the entrance, watching me step side to side.

I considered it for a moment, trying to analyze my energy, but as far as I could tell, none of it was going anywhere. With a heavy sigh, I folded my legs and sat on the cool sand. "I think it's just because the porting energy is making me restless. I wish I could turn it into physical energy." I'd be able to outpace Tib then. Unfortunately, sitting was just as hard as standing still. I kept wanting to shift and fidget due to the internal discomfort.

"It's too bad you couldn't burn it off with a power-up like the Saursunes do," Brielle murmured.

With that idea in mind and nothing better to do, I turned my attention inward and poked around with my energy. About the only thing I could do was shepherd it around, kind of like chasing smoke with my hands.

Trying to push it outside of me didn't work, and even when I tried to make ripples across my skin to mirror the light shimmers on a Saursune's hide, nothing happened. Moving it around deepened the ache inside me, so I gave up the attempt.

The sun was getting overly warm, so I crawled into the small entrance and wiggled into the farthest end, where the roof was the lowest, leaving most of the space for the other two. I was dreading the day, knowing I had to try and remain still, but it seemed next to impossible even though I'd barely laid down.

"I wonder what the Saursunes will think when they can't find us several days in a row?" I pondered aloud to distract myself, staring at the dark rock overhead as the other two crawled inside and blocked the entrance with a couple of stones.

"It's not uncommon for us to go to different locations for various resources, so they'll probably think we're somewhere they aren't watching," Tib said. "Which would also explain why they offer such a wide variety of trade tokens instead of tracking us to so many locations as we search for different things."

Brielle added, "And you did try to show them you'd be gone for a while, or at least confirm you planned on coming back, so they know you aren't avoiding them."

Both of them settled down. Brielle's breathing swiftly slowed in sleep, although Tib remained awake, possibly due to my fidgeting and the small rustles it created. I tried to lie still, but now that I wasn't moving and with nothing to distract me, the restlessness seemed to be a burning force of pent-up energy. Like a skin boil, it was tight and painful from the internal pressure, but there was no way to pop it.

We had another night and a bit of walking ahead of us. The crystal felt so close, yet so, so far away. Two daytimes of no sleep. I wished I could sleep to pass the time, even though it would make things worse, but sleep was as distant as the stars. I lay there and tried my best not to move as Tib's breathing leveled out and the rock above began to slowly radiate heat.