Everyone gathered around the crystal, and excitement seemed to buzz through the air at the prospect of going to three untouched crystals.

"How many can you take to those new crystals?" Grant asked me.

"Since we have these new ones, I don't have to bounce around this morning to find empty crystals. Can I take all twelve porters? By the time they memorize the crystal, I should have rested enough for the next port."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on my improvised plan. Instead, he waved me toward the crystal, and the porters split out of their groups to follow me.

As they gathered around me, I told them, "You'll have to help Grant rename these crystals later. Beyond the Marsh."

I could feel the weight difference; just like a ten-port took more effort than an eight-port, but I didn't feel any unusual strain. It took the porters more than a few minutes to familiarize themselves with the crystal and surroundings. So long, in fact, that I began to wonder if they were purposefully taking their time so I could rest. Finally, they were ready to continue. The next two crystals were just as easy and reminded me a lot of porting the log, only the log didn't get to dictate how long I had to wait.

"The next place could be occupied," I warned them as they gathered around me once more. "Mystery Meadow."

The air around us hazed over, then cleared to reveal six people crouched down to inspect the furrows left by the Saursune. The group from Irwin Village skipped back in surprise.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Their porter, a woman I often chatted with at the Guard Station, came forward. "We didn't realize anyone else had found this crystal." She gestured to the marks in the dirt. "Was this left by you?"

"Yes and no," I said. "The writing is mine—a trick Briar Village taught me to memorize crystal locations—but as I was trying to dig, a Saursune decided to help."

"When did you come here?" one of their hunters asked. "We were here most of yesterday."

"About two hours before sundown? It was quite a hike from Blackbird Marsh."

The porter said, "Oh, I didn't realize Blackbird Marsh was near this crystal. We came from Tumble Ridge when we planted this a decade ago."

I chuckled, "In that case, I'm guessing Tumble Ridge isn't on the other side of the continent like I assumed. You learn something new every day."

She grinned in reply. This was the downside of porting to crystals—you had no idea where you were in relation to other locations unless someone had traveled there on foot and recorded it.

Her grin disappeared as she asked, "Do you mind keeping this crystal location a secret?"

I nodded. "Grant won't trade it away now that we know only your village knows about it. I'll get Grant to talk to Florence and set up a schedule like we and Keywa made after they found one of our hidden crystals."

"Thanks," she said, relief and sadness in her voice. Relief that we wouldn't show others, but sadness that the crystal had been found by another village.

I knew the feeling. It was the same as when Orange Flower had been discovered. It might have been tempting for some villages to say they owned whatever crystals they planted, but that route had proven to be a poor choice a century ago, and it was partially why there were so many lost crystals.

There had been a time when villages could own the crystals they planted, and thus, those locations were only used by certain villages. Alas, many of those crystals had been lost during culls or when certain porters died or forgot the location, which caused problems for the survivors. Nowadays, it was considered wise for at least two villages to know the location of each crystal. Just in case.

Until lately, sharing a crystal wasn't an issue because days or even weeks could go by without a group going there. There had been enough remote crystals for the non-raiding villages to share without feeling any pressure or competition.

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "I doubt we'll be here much. And we never overharvest."

"Thanks," she said, relaxing slightly.

My fellow porters hastily checked the area and committed it to memory. I still found it interesting that they studied the location instead of the crystal, although that had always been an odd quirk of mine.

When they were done, I inclined my head at the resident group. "Have a good day. Home."

The air hazed around us and cleared. I leaned against the crystal, but it was just for appearance's sake. Despite managing five ports with twelve passengers with only five- or ten-minute breaks between, there was no porting strain. Nor were my legs shaky or even tired.

Either porting ten-groups around so much had built up my strength or my attempts to push my limits had been more effective than I had realized. And now I had to hide that fact.

With a pointed look at Calum, Merryl grabbed one of my arms and he took the other as they escorted me over to the resting hides. I rolled my eyes in amusement as I let them coerce me into taking a decent break. The other porters told Grant about the last crystal and began taking their groups out.

"I'll come back for seven of your group," Merryl said as I sat down.

Roxanne asked, "Mind if I borrow eight? Five of your older ones and three wanderers?"

"I think we have to expand your groups so you leave mine alone," I said in a good-natured teasing tone. "Check with them, but I don't mind. Hey, Grant, where am I going today?"

Grant looked over. "I don't want to send more villagers out in case too many porters get drained. Do you feel like joining Merryl and Ariel at Orange Flower again?"

Truth be told, I had no desire to spend the day at a place with so little to pick. "Can I try going near a field that's ready to be harvested instead?" If we needed food, that was the best option, and most in my group were bold enough to accompany me.

His eyes flickered down the village chasm. "As much as I want to let you pick your preferred location, I'd rather keep you near other porters, hunters, and gatherers."

The vague answer puzzled me, and I tilted my head. "Is that just in case I don't have enough strength to port my group back? Can I go with Janette or one of the other groups? Or do you really want me to go with Merryl and Ariel?"

He frowned slightly at Barrett and another patriarch watching us from a distance. "Going with Merryl and Ariel to an established location might be the best option today."

His reply left me more confused, but his lack of explanation and reasoning—a very rare occurrence—worried me. I nodded slowly despite the dozens of questions swirling through my mind. Something was afoot, although I wasn't sure what it was.

"I can go with them," I said. I could grill my sister and the others at Orange Flower for answers. If nothing else, a Saursune was bound to show up for some sort of trade. That brown one was always around there.

He nodded—relief and annoyance both present in his expression—and disappeared into his office. I glanced at the groups still leaving and then at the dark doorway. Since when did Grant go inside before every porter had left?

My gaze drifted back to the patriarchs, most of whom were still observing with more interest than they usually showed. I averted my eyes before they thought my casual glance was something else.

Eight of my group split away to wait for Roxanne's return. Now that I knew I was going to Orange Flower, I was tempted to send more of my group to her location since they'd find more greens. I considered the idea. Why couldn't I port them there? Grant hadn't asked Roxanne or the hunters to change their plans. Just me.

Since I was pretending to be tired, I caught the eyes of one of my hunters and waved them over. Several came to see what I wanted.

After a pointed eye flicker at the two grey-haired observers, I said, "There would be more to collect with Roxanne's group. Do you feel like checking if eight more want to go with her and have them wait for my second port?"

They nodded thoughtfully and went to quietly converse with the rest of my group. Semi-satisfied at undermining whatever the hell was going on and making sure my group would be able to collect a decent haul, I watched the sundial impatiently. I wanted answers, but they'd have to wait until I got to Orange Flower, and this felt like a good time to downplay how much my abilities had strengthened.

If the patriarchs stared at us any harder, they would resemble vultures. Unfortunately for them, I wasn't dead, nor unconscious, and Grant wasn't supervising me. But I needed more information before I got too feisty or pushed too hard against these new rules.

My gaze shifted to the crystal, letting the light refractions settle my mind. Roxanne and Merryl returned for some of my group and left before I finally got to my feet. Seven drifted over to gather around me, leaving eight to sit on the rocks and await my return.

"Orange Flower." The young crystal took a few seconds longer for the port, and as soon as my vision had cleared, I walked over to Merryl while making sure Callie was out of hearing distance. "What was all that about?"

She didn't even have to ask what I was referring to. "Some patriarchs—notably Barrett—think we're endangering the village on purpose."

"What?" I stared at her. "Why would they think such a thing?"

As Clyde came up beside me, he quietly commented, "The patriarchs are looking at past culls, and they're convinced the last few weeks are just a clever ploy by the Saursunes to gain our trust long enough to locate every village. They don't think Grant is doing enough to keep the village safe, so they're trying to keep the more Saursune-trusting porters in known, safe locations, and after their discussion with Nolani, you're at the top of that list."

As much as I wanted to make a quick retort, that sort of response wasn't the way to keep a hunter talking. I swallowed down my annoyance until I could form a semi-calm reply. "If that Saursune hadn't shown us those crystals yesterday, we'd likely be on very tight rationing by nightfall."

"Most groups are aware of that. And even they are still wary." He shrugged. "Unfortunately, those who are starting to trust the trades have no firm proof that it isn't an elaborate trap."

I had no way to argue against that, so I settled for grumbling, "I'm pretty sure the Saursunes already know where our villages are."

"Many hunters suspect the same thing." His eyes grew distant.

As much as I wanted to follow that particular rabbit trail, I had more immediate questions. "Are these limitations on my entire group, or can I safely port the last eight over to Roxanne?"

"The patriarchs are currently only focused on where the porters are going," Clyde replied. "Their interest hasn't landed on the hunters or gatherers since the Saursunes are only seeking out the porters. Normally, I'd say their caution is well-placed, but with many more groups than ever before competing for the remote crystals, sending a third of our groups to overharvested locations will likely lead to starvation."

Pursing my lips, I sat beside Merryl and looked between her and my eldest hunter. "Okay, what can I do to help and how far can I push before feisty becomes a hindrance? And no, I'm not as tired as I was pretending to be. I have plenty of ports to spare."

Clyde called a few other hunters over, and Ariel joined our discussion.