The village cliffs barely appeared before I stepped to the side and shook off the hands on my shoulders, immediately porting to where I'd left the first group on the plains. Three individuals were beside the crystal and the rest were visible in the distance, slowly making their way back.

Relief flooded through me. I'd been so worried that this group had come under siege that I'd come right here, leaving the other group to explain what had happened to Grant. I sat on a patch of flattened grass and idly plucked some stems. They were too stiff to be added to our mattresses. Maybe someone could soak them in a bucket of water to make into woven grass containers or something?

If the full carry nets slung over the shoulders of the returning people were any indication, they'd found better foraging away from the crystal. I gathered small bundles of the straw-like grass—a lousy contribution, but someone would use it—as the group slowly made their way back.

I really didn't want to take this group to the Guard Station since it would be solid proof that my porting ability was stronger than average. Not only was jealousy likely to rear its head, but I remembered how other villages had tried to bribe Roxanne into joining them and bothered her to the point where she even skipped going to a few gatherings. That was a headache I just didn't want to deal with.

With a sigh, I shook my head. I knew we had to go to the Guard Station, especially after what had happened to the last group. We couldn't risk not going.

The rolling plains gave this group an advantage since they'd see anything bigger than a fox well in advance. It wouldn't stop them from being chased, pinned, or killed, but at least the Saursunes couldn't sneak up right behind them unseen.

When I collected all the grass within arm's reach, I got to my feet to keep grabbing handfuls of the inedible stems. Some people loved making elaborate grass baskets and trinkets, but their supplies were limited since someone had to bring in the materials, and we were more preoccupied with gathering food.

A woman returned with several field-dressed rabbits and a small bucket. I glanced inside and wrinkled my nose at the partially sun-dried guts. A handful of flies buzzed around her.

I took my water skin off my belt. "Let's see what we can salvage in that bucket. The stuff right on top is likely cat food." And I had a certain cat in mind who'd love the treat.

We went through the bucket, keeping anything possibly edible, and setting anything partially dried or with fly eggs to the side. Other than the top layer, most of it was still in good enough shape to keep.

The bacteria buildup after half a day in a bucket didn't bear thinking about, but in the face of starvation, it could be added to a special soup pot that would alternate between boiling and simmering for well over a day. I was secretly relieved that porter rations never came from that pot. Most of the time, people had no side effects, but sometimes the toxins left behind by the bacteria made them sick.

I grabbed the handful of discarded offal. "I'll be right back. I'm trying to train a cat to bring me small animals."

"We'll be here," the woman commented in an amused tone.

I sent a grin her way as I reached for a crystalline spire and murmured, "Golden Oak Forest."

The paler greens of grass were replaced with the deeper shades of leaves. As the haze cleared, a handful of people waved at me.

"Got tired of chasing snakes already?" Mark teased me as he got up and came over.

I snorted. "And why aren't you over there?"

"We got tired of the bug bites." We chuckled at his rally, and he asked, "What brings you here?"

I held up the handful of intestines. "Trying to teach a cat a new trick."

As if recognizing my voice, a meow came from the side, followed by rustling leaves as the light brown feline emerged. She stopped where she was, eyeing up the others warily. I walked over and gave her a few pets before giving her a small piece of offal. She wolfed it down and pleaded for more.

"Where's my squirrel?" I asked her, mostly for the benefit of my audience, who was probably wondering why a porter would make a special trip to feed a stray.

The cat ducked under the bush, and to my amazement, came back with a fat rat. I was so stunned that my jaw dropped even though this was exactly what I had hoped for. What I thought would have taken weeks of training, the cat had mastered in one day. I knelt down, petting and praising her while offering the rest of what I'd brought. While she ate the offering, I gutted the rather stiff rodent and dumped the insides on the ground.

"That's a cool trick," Mark commented. "Never thought of training a cat to hunt."

"I got bored sitting here one day. I didn't expect her to learn so fast."

He shrugged. "Cats are smart. If it wasn't, it wouldn't have survived out here."

"True. You're planning on going to the scanning post before going to your village, right?"

He gave me an odd look. "Usually only if we see a Saursune or think one is around. Why?"

"They're sneaking trackers into the baskets without people noticing."

I quickly told him what we'd heard at the Guard Station. As I spoke, the cat wound around my legs. I gave her more pets, which she seemed to crave more than food at the moment. She might not like fur, but she was clearly eating more than what I was giving her.

When I finished talking, Mark ran a hand through his hair and struggled for words, eventually saying, "I think our village should start using the scanning location on every return trip like yours does."

One of his companions commented, "Some porters are already at their limit."

"The alternative ain't looking so bright right now," Mark lightly retorted. His words held no heat, only the edges of worry and despair.

I frowned at his tone, suddenly concerned. "How is your village holding up? Ours is struggling, so I can't imagine anyone is doing well with a cull starting."

"Cull? Ha!" Mark exclaimed. "This isn't a real cull. The past events were indiscriminate bloodbaths. This time, they're killing or tracking anyone touching their fields and supplies, and making sure the rest of us know who's boss."

As if this had been a long discussion in their village, his friend added, "There's only a handful of scanners among the villages. Those lizards are going to get them sooner or later, or come up with a better way to track us."

I opened my mouth, then hesitated. Even the porters in my village didn't believe the Saursunes could drain energy, and I didn't want to look like a complete fool. But I really wanted to bounce the idea off someone, and this seemed like the perfect opening.

"Want to hear a crazy theory?" I finally asked.

Mark gestured for me to continue. "Might as well toss it out."

"Have you noticed that any porters who get pinned are way more tired than their companions?"

He suddenly sat up straighter, eyes widening. "Okay, now you have my attention."

I tried to build my case. "When Veredyl Village was destroyed, the only two children who were relocated were porter children. And one porter got out after the airship had landed. Among the groups raiding, the porter always survives. Yet, the Saursunes go out of their way to corner the porters, even if the others are easier targets."

Mark inhaled sharply, making the connection faster than I had anticipated. "They're sparing the porters during attacks and somehow draining our energy." His eyebrows furrowed. "But how can they tell who's who?"

"No idea. I can't even figure out why they're doing it." A memory suddenly rose to my mind, of when the Saursune under the tree had powered up after it had caught my ankle and left me exhausted.

Surely it wouldn't have remained pinned when there was only a slight chance of me going past that exact spot. What if it had actually been trapped and used my energy to free itself? Those power-ups were very rare—but could that be due to a lack of energy on their part? Energy it had taken from me?

Or, maybe, if it was like someone fainting after porting past their strength, could the power-up be an emergency backup plan that had serious consequences once the energy wore off? But it hadn't seemed worried or in a hurry once it had freed itself...

Mark's companion said, "This...actually makes more sense than some of our other theories."

Mark turned to him. "How so?"

"I don't know why they're taking your energy, but if they are taking it, this cull makes more sense. Before, they were definitely trying to wipe us out. This time, they're eliminating the troublesome ones. The two relocated children prove they can tell who's who, even if they couldn't port yet."

I mulled it over; his perspective being said out loud suddenly made my idea seem far too real. We all looked at each other, unsure of what to make of this latest discovery or what it meant for us.

The cat wound around my ankles, oblivious to the world-changing epiphany that had just come to light. I petted her fur, taking some comfort in her presence while looking around uneasily. If Saursunes were after porters, having two porters here was two too many.

"I should return to my group," I murmured. "They'll be getting ready to leave." I stepped over the cat, gently telling her, "Off my ankles. You won't like the desert heat in your lovely thick coat."

"She'll be safer with you," Mark commented.

I made a face as I came over to the crystal. "We have three toms, and leaving her in an abandoned village doesn't seem fair. She's managed this long, although I'll probably have to visit later in the evening when groups are gone."

He nodded slowly. "Makes sense. You should bring a bracelet and put it on her like a collar so people know she's a pet."

I shook my head. "There are too many bushes around here. It would get caught on something."

"I'll tell our village that she's yours, so that will give her some protection. Take care, and thanks for sharing that theory."

"You're welcome, and thanks!" I rested my hand on a spire. "Willow Plain."

The air shimmered around me and cleared. Seven of the eight volunteers were within a hundred paces of the crystal. As I scanned the gently waving grass, I spotted the eighth one farther out. He'd be here in about five minutes. All of them were safe. I sighed in relief.

I held up the rat and grinned. "The cat is a fast learner."

Despite my conversation with Mark's group being in the front of my mind, I didn't mention it. I wasn't even sure I'd say anything at the porter's circle tonight. I had put the idea out the other day, but they probably needed more evidence before they'd consider it.

"Nice," a woman said as she brought a couple of carry bags over.

I added the rat to the bag with a couple of rabbits.

"What's that?"

I turned around and followed her pointing hand. At first, I saw nothing but the usual grass and shrubs. Then I spotted the object in the sky. The brown machine was only a few shades darker than the desert cliffs back home, but the vaguely oval shape could only be one thing.

"Is that an airship?" someone asked in a hushed voice even though it was leagues away and not flying in our direction.

"Well, it definitely isn't a bird," I murmured, likewise gawking at the first airship I'd ever seen.

"The stories made them sound bigger," the person quickly clarified.

Was it made of metal? Some spots were rounded, although others had flat panels. In some ways, it resembled the pictures of vehicles; in other ways, it was like the magazine page showing a space shuttle taking off. Yet, it wasn't quite like either of them.

"They might come in different sizes, like cars used to," I replied, sounding more certain than my wild guess should have. "There's no way that one holds more than a dozen Saursunes, and we know some airships carried hundreds."

Our last companion finally noticed what we were pointing at and began running. I furrowed my eyebrows and strained my ears. I could hear the wind rustling the grasses and the faint sounds of my companions hastily carrying everything over.

"It's completely silent," I commented, suddenly struck by that detail. "You'd never hear them coming."

The airship suddenly turned and headed directly toward us.

I stepped closer to the crystal in alarm. "Get ready to bounce!" In a louder voice, I shouted, "It's coming! Run!"

The man looked over his shoulder and put on a burst of speed. My hand rested on the crystal, and its light hummed through my veins as I judged his distance and speed. He'd be here in less than a minute at his current speed, but so would the airship, which was traveling much faster.

The others quickly clustered around me, and hands held onto my shoulders in case I bounced with no warning. I didn't see any big blaster cannons that many sketches showed, but that didn't mean it didn't have the ability to attack from a distance.

Despite the danger, my eyes remained locked on the man. Hands tightened on my shoulders, but I didn't port away. I didn't want to leave anyone behind, and I was dreadfully worried I might be forced to this time.

"Come on, come on," I muttered, willing him to run faster even though I knew he was going his top speed.

My eyes flickered between the two, constantly comparing the distances. Would the airship actually land or simply watch? Were they hostile or just curious? Tales from the early days said the ships were capable of launching explosive fireballs that could destroy an entire village in a single strike, but that sort of attack hadn't been seen in over a century. Even when wiping out a village, they landed and let the fighters out.

The airship was catching up much quicker than our last companion. It abruptly veered to the side and slowed down. My fingers tightened on the spires, holding the Guard Station firmly in mind, but not letting the light whisk us away.

Its flightpath took on a curve similar to that of vultures, circling, but farther out and lower down. The man stumbled, fell, and clambered to his feet, desperately racing toward us. My muscles trembled as I turned my head to keep looking between the last group member and the airship.

Someone held onto their friend and took a step away from the group, holding out their hand even though he was still at least three hundred paces away. "Come on!"

The airship passed in front of the sun, casting an ominous shadow over us. The light returned, but the ship was circling closer now and lower than before. My heart raced as it drew nearer, almost as close as the man, passing behind him.

Its flight slowed even more, although it didn't seem to be coming any closer at the moment. I was positive the air was faintly rumbling, yet I didn't hear anything besides my companions' panicked breathing and the rustling grass.

The man was closer. A hundred paces. He stumbled in exhaustion, lacking the endurance the regular hunters and gatherers had built up. He kept running. Fifty paces. The airship seemed to ease closer, about a hundred paces away and going slower than before, almost hovering, but still circling.

Thirty paces. He was almost here!

"Let's go!" I called out, almost panicking from the airship's proximity. Every instinct screamed at me to port to safety.

The man was ten paces away. The airship also edged slightly closer.

Five paces.

He lunged across the remaining distance to grab onto his friend's hand. I focused my mind solely on the Guard Station, dropping all mental restraints keeping me here. The air around us hazed over. Tension vibrated through my muscles until it finally cleared to reveal the Guard Station.

We'd made it.