I gazed at the crystal. It was so early that only a few hunters were waiting. Reynold's gaze never left the spires and shadows sat heavily under his eyes. He wasn't wearing his hunting gear today.

"Can I...check on Janette?" I asked Grant, unsure of how to word such a trip.

Reynold's eyes snapped to me. When Grant nodded, I slowly approached the crystal. I stared at the spires as my hands grew clammy. Janette was a porter; she could have ported home if she was even semi-healthy. What awaited me on the other side? Anything I might see would likely be worse than finding nothing. Had I been too late? Had I made a mistake? I knew I'd have an emotional breakdown if I found her body lying there.

I took a deep breath and rested my hands on the crystal as I silently directed my mind to the Apple Orchard. The port seemed to take forever, and when my sight cleared, I forced myself to look at the patch of grass where I'd last seen Janette.

There was nothing.

I gazed forlornly at the trampled grass without stepping away from the crystal. On one hand, I didn't have to bring back her dead body, but on the other hand, I had no idea where she was or if she was alive. I examined the area but didn't see anything besides plants. My shoulders sagged as I ported back.

Reynold stepped forward as I appeared back in the village, desperate hope on his face.

I lowered my gaze as I told them, "She's not there. The stretcher is gone too."

"Then there might be hope," Grant murmured. "All we can do is wait."

It was a slim hope, and we all knew it. She had been mere hours away from death, and they might have just buried her body to keep the smell from drifting into their town. Reynold didn't say anything as he shuffled back to the rock he'd been sitting on, his gaze once more lingering on the glittering spires. I moved to the side to wait for our morning assignments.

Once several hunters arrived, Grant asked me, "Natalie, can you check for open crystals that aren't completely overharvested? And take an individual from different groups with you and leave them there to claim them?"

"Okay..." This was a new twist, although it made sense.

Five quickly gathered around me. When one from my group headed my way, I shook my head, and she stopped.

"Twisted Ginkgo Tree."

The air hazed over, and we appeared beside a contorted tree. No one was here yet, and I could see a few edible plants from here.

I pointed to the west. "There's a field just over there. Who wants to stay?"

A gatherer stepped away, and I ported to the next location, which already had a group. I bounced without waiting. It took twelve more ports and several breaks before I found enough suitable spots. I ported back home and told the porters where I'd left their companions.

As they took the rest of their groups to the crystal, I asked Grant, "What are the odds of my group going to the jungle sandbar to fish? And can I stay with them?"

He examined my expression. "Why over there? The few plants we planted there were harvested by some other group."

I frowned; none of our allied villages would have taken our grain since we left their few stands alone if we found them. Shaking my head, I replied, "I'm kind of feeling out of sorts after last night, and I'd rather have a spot away from Saursunes today."

He nodded, understanding in his eyes. "Give it a try. You can stay out there if you want. If airships show up, I'll send Shelly to find you. Watch out for those crocodiles."

My shoulders relaxed. "Thanks. I'll take the first bunch to Snake Swamp to catch some bugs and worms for bait."

Some villagers were still upset that I had left Janette with the Saursunes, and I didn't want to subject myself to their muttering, even though Janette had chosen to go. My gaze drifted to the crystal, willing the injured porter to appear. Alas, the air near it remained empty with no trace of a shimmer.

All thirty in my group crowded around the shelves as they collected hooks carved from bone and braided fishing line made from catgut, which despite its name, came from the intestines of various dead animals we brought back. Several hunters collected spears, and after a quick trip to the land of bugs and gloom to grab some bait, I took the first group to Jungle Sandbar.

I scratched my head as I examined the packed sand. "Weren't there tons of bay beans growing here?"

The sprawling vines and roots weren't edible, but they were very good for arthritis if rubbed on the skin. After learning the doctor had been short on herbs, I'd been looking forward to taking him some plants that couldn't be taken away and put in the soup.

"There were," a hunter confirmed with a frown.

Only a few tufts of grass remained, along with the crocodiles, the smallest of which was almost twice my length. These ones usually remained by the water's edge, but we'd have to keep an eye on them. Some of them had a bad habit of charging across the sand. I planned to stay in the middle of the sandbar, which was the safest.

A few hunters with spears went to the side with the least number of crocodiles and began cautiously poking them. After a few hisses and jaw swings, the massive animals reluctantly slid into the murky water. One lunged at the hunters, but after half a dozen spears prodded it, it gave up and retreated.

I made a few trips to retrieve the rest of my group, then sat on the sand by the crystal. They stood a dozen paces away from the water's edge and threw their hooks into the water. The current dragged the bait into deeper waters.

One hunter walked up and down the long sandbar, scouring the shore for anything edible or useful that might have washed up. He used his spear to drag what looked like some sort of fruit away from the water.

Despite dozens of crocodiles lining the banks, it was more relaxing here than back in the village. Water surrounded us, so I didn't even need to keep an eye out for predators or Saursunes. That didn't mean I could relax, not with these crocs around, but I doubted I could get any safer than I was in the middle of a group of thirty hunters.

Some were already pulling in hand-sized fish; they had to drag them in fast to avoid the lurking crocodiles snatching an easy meal. The fish were cut open, and bits of guts became their new bait. It seemed to be working well since those who tossed out their hooks were already pulling in new fish.

Occasionally, one of the crocs would launch out of the water or charge across the sand to try and catch a hunter off-guard. The hunters were quick on their feet, skipping to the side, and if they had a spear, they swatted the croc across the snout with it. The crocs didn't seem overly fond of that.

A splash came from the side as another crocodile caught one of the hooked fish being pulled in. A known hazard here, but we'd expected it and brought extra hooks and lines.

A black bird swooped lower, ignoring the long spindly branch I waved above the big leather bucket of water with our fish. As much as I appreciated its help in relocating the squirrel with the tracker, I wasn't willing to share today. I got up and covered the bucket with a large section of leather. The bird eventually gave up and went to join its friends on the far corner of the sandbar.

The day flew by, and I was kind of sad when it was time to head back. Apart from two trips to take the fish to the village, I'd been out here all day. Grant had agreed that since nothing could sneak close to us on the sandbar, we'd be able to come right back to the village and not have to use the Guard Station.

It didn't take me long to ferry all thirty back. The mood in the village was just as downcast as it had been this morning. Even though we didn't know Janette's fate, many were already in mourning. For once, I was relieved that custom kept most villagers from talking to the porters on the resting hides.

Eventually, other porters began trickling in once their hour-long wait was over. Merryl appeared with her group and Callie. Their mostly empty carry nets held mountainous plants, so she must have gone back to the alpine slopes. A couple of chunky marmots were in a separate net.

My sister sat beside me with a sigh. "To think I assumed being on a mountain hillside with bushes no higher than my knee meant Saursunes couldn't get close without being seen."

I gave her a sharp look. "What happened?"

"Linette decided to come over the upper slope on her way back, and it was lying on the ridge watching us. She practically stumbled right over it. Later, it brought two marmots and went back up to the ridge. It was still there when we left."

I blinked. "Wow."

"Yeah. Please tell me you found more than we did."

"The fishing was pretty good. Lost a bunch to the crocs, but there's plenty for the soup pots and even enough to dry some. We decimated our stockpile of hooks though, so more will have to be made."

Merryl shrugged. "Most people use nets or spears if they can get close to the water. I'm sure the carvers will be delighted to make more if we ask."

Most of the carvers were older folks, and they loved it when their skills were needed and appreciated, as opposed to getting makeshift work to keep their hands busy. A shimmer by the crystal solidified into Ariel and her group.

She looked around with wide eyes, then ran over to us. "I did it!"

I tilted my head at her excitement. "Did what?"

"I ported without using a location phrase!"

My back straightened. "Congratulations!"

"That's wonderful!" Merryl exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Only three others here could do that, so it wasn't a small accomplishment, regardless of how cavalier I was about it sometimes.

"And I don't even feel any porting strain!" She spun around, giggling in delight. Stopping, she turned back to us. "Several others at the Guard Station also noticed they're able to port more after taking as many people as they can to a foraging area. It looks like pushing myself while helping Natalie bring those people back and transporting the small water cart paid off!"

I grinned at her enthusiasm, although a small part of me worried that her wording meant more porters were going to push themselves to their limits. Being able to port without a location phrase or being able to take an extra person might just be a small and very welcome change now, but what about in three years? Or five years? What would my abilities look like then?

Their progress was much slower than what I was experiencing, but my starting point had been higher, and I'd always pushed my limits. I wasn't sure if the number of times they'd been caught made a difference. Most of them had only been caught by the Saursunes two or three times. Some like Andre and Ariel had been caught five times. I'd shared my energy—unintentionally and intentionally—on nine different occasions.

The rest of the groups slowly trickled in, with many porters successfully managing their first silent port after whatever discussion had taken place at the Guard Station. A small celebration was breaking out across the village with the accomplishments, lifting some of the gloom of Janette's unknown fate.

The hunters were trying to be cheerful, but I could see hints of the depression they were battling. Then I realized how few carry nets had been brought back.

More villages were flocking closer to the fields, and there were fewer plants to be found. Raiders bold enough to enter a farm were brave enough to go deep into a forest in search of greens. If it hadn't been for my group's good fishing, the rationing would have increased. As it was, only porters and our groups would get full bowls of soup today.

I visited with my family as we ate and relaxed. Calum had been the only one caught by a Saursune today, so he went to bed as soon as he finished eating. Callie ran off to play as the rest of us gathered at the porter's circle. Right as I sat down, I heard the creaking of wooden wheels behind us.

Roxanne jumped up, saying, "I'll take the water cart. I want to see if porting this thing for a few days increases my abilities." She grinned back at me. "Now that I think about it, you were able to port more about the same time you started taking it every day. I can't wait until I can transport ten people reliably!" She turned and jogged off, clearly excited.

Grant studiously kept his nose in his notebook, and I tried to remember if there was anything heavy that I might be able to port around to burn off the restlessness that was plaguing me after spending most of the day on the sandbar. I could check a few abandoned villages to see if some big rocks were within reach.

A shimmer by the crystal had quite a few heads turning since Roxanne hadn't left yet. A man from Briar Village looked around and meandered over.

He sat down at the circle. "Did Sandstone Village come here asking for help evacuating?"

Grant blinked. "No. You're our first visitor in three days."

The man shrugged. "They decided to raid a farm and didn't wait long enough at the scanning station. They found the trackers while sifting the grain."

Grabbing a different notebook by his knees, Grant flipped through a few pages. "We had a discussion a few days ago at the Oasis. I warned them that our village wouldn't help with an evac if they kept raiding. The last thing we need is the Saursunes seeing us in a raiding village."

"That's what we told them too. I hope they all get out, but that's too dangerous for us. And this late in the day, most porters are tapped out." He glanced at Ariel. "Although as a few pointed out today, many porters are doing more than we ever have."

"I noticed that," Grant said. "Those trying to port heavier loads are slowly getting stronger. When I checked the records, I also noticed that those who were cornered by the Saursunes experienced an additional small increase if they pushed themselves while recovering from the drain."

I blinked at how easily he slid that detail into the conversation. And considering how all the porters were gawking at him, I was glad my stunned blink camouflaged the fact that I'd already noticed this trend.

The man's eyebrows furrowed. "Huh. I'll have to check our records, but I know of at least one porter who is forever getting caught because he won't stay near the crystal, and his abilities have almost doubled." He shook his head. "But it's better to avoid the lizards, especially if pushing one's limits is almost as effective."

"Indeed," Grant agreed.

After his number crunching, Grant would have known that the "additional small increase" was only true if the porter was caught semi-regularly, but with every porter—including Roxanne who had paused to hear why he'd come—listening in, he probably didn't want a bunch of us letting ourselves get caught and end up exhausted.

Our guest chatted a while longer about more mundane things, then took his leave.

I gazed at the crystal and asked Grant, "Should I check the crystal by the town again?"

He was silent for a while before replying, "Not this evening. She wasn't there earlier, and even the old world's medical technology took time to heal people if they were badly injured. Janette would be able to port back herself if she was by the crystal."

I nodded, somewhat relieved I didn't have to revisit the spot where I'd willingly left a fellow porter. "I'll go feed the cat before it gets dark."

"Be careful."

"I will."

As always, Cleo was happy to see me, and I played with her a bit longer than I should have. She even let me pick her up and cuddle her. When it was time to leave, I ported to an abandoned village with a rock roughly the size of the small water cart. I pressed my hand against it and ported to Sunrise Village—and with a sliding sensation of rock under my hand, I appeared there without it.

I stared at my empty hand. Why hadn't the rock come? I'd transported people and objects in the same fashion more times than I could count. They just had to be in contact with me.

With a frown, I ported back.

This rock couldn't weigh more than the big log did. Why couldn't I move it? Gripping a ridge firmly, my mind reached for Sunrise Village. It felt like a string was being pulled tighter and tighter. With a snapping lurch, I dropped to my knees. Winded, but unharmed.

The port had aborted.

Only one reason came to mind. Still trying to catch my breath, I dug under a corner and discovered it was part of a much larger stone, either so heavy that my porting ability just left it behind or so well anchored the port aborted.

I couldn't think of any other stones within the size range I needed, and this one had tricked me. I was out of time. Making a face, I returned to the village knowing that I was going to have a hard time falling asleep tonight.

When my vision cleared, Reynold was sitting on a nearby boulder and the sudden hope on his face turned to disappointment. I wasn't the one he was waiting for. His shoulders sagged as his gaze returned to the crystal, resuming his vigil for his missing wife.