The next morning, it was easy to pinpoint who the new additions to my group were. The faces weren't ones I was used to seeing among the gatherers and hunters. Oddly enough, the three older people from yesterday were absent, apparently having been replaced by three regular hunters. All twenty-four stood to the side as everyone else gathered near the main crystal.

As soon as Grant arrived, he told me, "Roxanne didn't see any Saursunes at Orange Flower last night, so I'm sending you there. Your group is all hunters, and they'll go far afield to avoid depleting the area around the crystal. If that doesn't rebuild some of our reserves, I'm out of ideas."

I'd never escorted an all-hunter group before. As tempting as it was to try taking two groups of twelve just to see if I could do it, it was wiser to port them in three groups of eight, especially with the other porters watching me. That experiment could wait until I had to bounce them out in a hurry.

"This is going to take a few trips..."

"Take as long as you need," Grant said, gesturing me toward my new super group before starting to give the other porters their assignments.

"Let's try eight," I told them as I made my way to the crystal.

As soon as the specified number had gathered around me, I ported them to Orange Flower. The hunters immediately broke into teams of two and disappeared into the forest. I returned to the village, and since Grant was still preoccupied, I nodded to the group. Eight more arranged themselves around me.

"Orange Flower," I murmured, casting a furtive glance at Grant to see if I was sneaking away undetected. Who was I kidding? Eight people would be missing. He'd notice.

The world disappeared around us as we appeared in the forest. The porting strain I should have felt was absent. Two back-to-back trips with eight should have been worse than taking a ten-person group. Instead of deep strain radiating throughout my body and forcing me to take at least a ten-minute break, there was...nothing.

Pursing my lips, I bounced back to the village. Grant looked over and raised an admonitory eyebrow at me, silently telling me to sit and rest.

I sat on a rock as my stomach grumbled and demanded breakfast. It would have to wait until I returned to Orange Flower and picked some greens. Callie had been given a tiny strip of dried meat, but otherwise, no one else going out today had eaten yet.

Grant worked his way through the crowd, and porters headed out with their groups in tow. Ariel and Belle waved as they went by. I waved back.

If they had their energy drained by the Saursunes a few more times, would they be able to port their groups of four without feeling the strain as badly? Or, perhaps, any strain at all? My idle musings were definitely not something I'd ever mention aloud.

The Saursunes would show up whenever they showed up. And if the trend continued, they'd continue appearing a lot. Time would be the ultimate judge, and...and if it was just me whose abilities were strengthening, I had other worries.

As the last of the porters disappeared through the crystal, Grant came over. "Why did you immediately take the second group out?"

My last eight people drifted toward the crystal, pretending to be distracted with their current conversation while evacuating the potential fallout zone.

I shrugged uncomfortably. "There wasn't really any porting strain, and I won't be porting much today, so I can rest when I go back." My preferred excuse of not wanting to leave the crystal empty wouldn't work since our village was the only one that knew about Orange Flower.

Grant frowned slightly, then sighed. "Please be more careful. I ask people to rest between ports because it's easier than finding volunteers to carry them to their room if they pass out. And if you think the lectures I hand out are bad, imagine having a hundred villagers miffed at you because a porter fainted on your watch."

"So, you're saying I should pretend to faint once or twice just to give you some entertainment?" I asked cheekily.

He snorted. "I don't need that much grey hair. You gave me enough when you first started porting."

I grinned at him silently, knowing it to be the truth.

In a quieter voice, he said, "Please don't wander far from the crystal or try fishing. Just in case. That theory you mentioned the other day, of the Saursunes pinning porters, is looking more and more probable with every day that passes. It makes me very uneasy, and as much as I want to say it's a few ports away from a logical conclusion, I can't come up with anything that proves it wrong."

My grin dropped as I nodded somberly. "Nor could I. I'll be careful." At least now I knew that Grant had listened and was thinking about it. That was a huge relief.

He wandered over to one of his many bookshelves and flipped through a few notebooks. I rolled my eyes in amused tolerance at his subtle way of making sure I didn't try to slip away too soon. Even if it was faintly annoying, I knew it was out of love and concern, and if my limits hadn't grown, I would have needed the break.

Normally, people never bothered porters when we were resting. It was an unwritten rule established so long ago no one remembered its origin. But I had no desire to sit in boredom, so I got up and went over to the remaining group to chat.

After waiting at least fifteen minutes to appease Grant and the handful of onlookers, I ported my last eight to Orange Flower. Discomfort invaded my chest as the air around us hazed over.

I stretched and tried to relieve the too-tight feeling in my chest as the hunters quickly fanned out. It was going to be a long day by myself, but at least there were things to gather here. I could even pick and choose!

I nibbled on plants as I investigated the area and quickly filled a carry net with common plants and some tubers. A splash from the creek had me eyeing the water wistfully, but Grant had specifically asked me to refrain from fishing.

Upstream, a small heron landed in a shallower part of the creek and picked up a rock. It carried it over to the shore and began pecking at it. Thoroughly baffled as to why a bird was trying to eat a stone, I left my carry net by the crystal and went to investigate the strange sight.

The heron didn't notice me until I was closer, and it took flight with a startled squawk, leaving two shiny white ovals on the ground. A clam shell.

My eyes darted to the river. There were clams here? I stood on the bank, noticing the water along this side was only about ankle deep. I scanned the smooth rocks that lined the bottom. It took me a bit to spot the first clam, but once I started looking for the oval shape, I could see a few others.

Clams had a much higher calorie value than plants, so I knew what I'd be collecting first. I glanced over my shoulder and was relieved that I could see the crystal from here. After fetching one of the baskets I had brought with me, I returned to the shallow section.

I took my shoes off and tucked them into my pockets. Gingerly, I stepped into the cool water, and the smooth river stones shifted under my feet. I watched where I stepped since I didn't want to cut my foot on a broken clam shell or twist an ankle. It was so strange to feel water flowing around my feet.

I scanned the area in front of me, collecting any clams I saw and tossing empty shells into deeper water. Birds sang overhead while the water burbled over stones along the banks. It was a peaceful ambience as I shuffled rocks around to find the hidden bits of meat. The flowing water carried away the silt, making it easier.

When my basket was half full, I stood and stretched out my back again. I turned to check how much ground I'd covered and froze at the sight of a Saursune. The dark brown female was sprawled across the grass about thirty paces from the water. She lifted her head from her hands.

She was between me and the crystal. My heart sped up even though her current pose held zero threat. No belt or weapons were visible, for which I was grateful.

Minutes passed without either of us moving. The majority of my adrenaline slowly wore off when nothing happened. Even though I was scared, I tried to be rational.

If the Saursune wanted me dead, she wouldn't be laying on the grass with her back legs lazily kicked to the side. If her intention was to scare me back to the crystal, she would be in a far more threatening position with bared teeth or growls. Not sprawled out like a cat in the sunshine while blocking my escape route.

My gut examined her body language and how long she'd been there and was fairly certain she wasn't a direct threat. My survival instincts were thoroughly convinced it was a trap.

The plans I had made for the next time I got cornered seemed far more dubious with the powerful predator a mere stone's throw away. I carefully scanned the area, but the hunters wouldn't return for many hours. There were no witnesses for my foolish idea.

My plan was either going to succeed or fail miserably. There was no in-between.

I slowly waded upstream, and once the distance between us had doubled, the Saursune stretched and rose to four feet. She ambled along the bank, clearly not in a rush. I had a feeling I knew what she wanted.

I set the basket of clams in the water to stay fresh and stepped onto the grassy bank, moving a few steps away from the water. The Saursune slowed but kept approaching.

Trying to muster up as much courage as I could, I carefully held out my hand, palm up, like I did when greeting strange dogs in other villages. The Saursune trotted forward, her head coming up in what I could only describe as hopeful excitement.

I tried to look calm, but that was a monumental task when approached by a large reptile with sharp claws and teeth. My hand shook, and the Saursune slowed down, cocking her head to the side as if gauging my reaction.

She was a mere ten paces away now. I wouldn't have been able to escape before, and I definitely had no chance now. I had to be insane for attempting this.

My hand remained outstretched, and I held my breath as she stretched out her neck and bumped her nose against my fingers. I turned my hand over as she edged closer, letting her slide her head under my fingers. Her horns brushed against my palms as she began walking past me.

A faint purr-like hum became audible. My hand trailed along the side of her neck and over her shoulders as she began circling me, much like the other Saursune had. Her scales became quite warm.

The Saursune purred as she passed behind me, her tail now brushing against my ankles. The cat-like behavior was clearly an act, but I was still grateful since it was just familiar enough to keep me from panicking.

The faint shimmering of light drifted through my veins. My hand trailed off as her tail passed, and the shimmering lessened, then intensified when the Saursune moved her neck under my hand again.

There was the proof I had been seeking.

She was somehow siphoning off my energy. Could that be why her scales felt so warm? Like a fire transferring heat and warming things around it? I closed my eyes, feeling deep inside. Much like when I did solo ports, the same energy-draining sensation was present, so low and gradual I had a hard time detecting it.

When my hand reached her shoulder again, I reached out with the senses I usually used with crystals. The Saursune definitely wasn't a crystal—an obvious fact. But I could feel something, and I shouldn't have been able to.

Like when I was "feeling" a crystal, I pushed my senses through my hands. There was a faint sensation of resistance, similar to when using a small porting crystal. It gave way with no warning, and like stumbling against a leather doorway covering, the lack of support had me "falling", only it made my energy flood into the Saursune like a wave.

My legs gave out, sending me to my knees even as I pulled my hand back. The Saursune gave a surprised huff and glanced at me with startled eyes as patterns of light swirled across her scales and sunk in.

My head spun, and I leaned forward to rest my head against my knees, blinking black spots away. There was no pain, just utter exhaustion. It was hard to form coherent thoughts, but I vaguely recalled that my last encounters hadn't caused porting strain either.

One thing was certain; not only were Saursunes capable of draining a porter's energy, but they were also capable of absorbing it if a foolish porter handed it over. What had I been thinking? That hadn't been part of my plan!

A nudge against my shoulder reminded me of the Saursune's presence. Only this time, her nose was cool, not warm. No light shimmered through my veins at her touch. Either I had no porting energy left or she wasn't collecting the dregs.

She nudged my arm next, her hum taking on a concerned note. I was too busy trying to catch my breath to pay much attention. Something brushed against my back and sides, and when I lifted my head, I saw that the Saursune was curling around me.

Faintly alarmed, I tried to get to my feet, only for my legs to give out again, dumping me on my rump and making me fall against the Saursune. She nuzzled my arm, humming louder, as if trying to calm me. She shifted her body so I was leaning against her side.

When I tried to sit up, her tail curled against my chest, using just enough force to foil my attempts. Breathless, I gave up and just lay there, too tired to fight. Her hum changed, rising and falling in a cat-like rhythm.

I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath.