I ported the last nine hunters to Mesquite Plains to join the previous group. Other than one hunter, who was waiting for her partner for today's excursion, the rest were already specks in the distance.

As all eighteen jogged away, I silently wished them luck. Grant had honored my request for an area where we had never seen Saursunes, but this was a hot, dry landscape with little cover, no visible water, and not much worth gathering.

I scanned the rather bare scrubland—semi-desert?—with its scattered mesquite trees and patches of shrubs. There were no pods on the two trees growing on either side of the crystal, but I was grateful for the shade they'd provide later today.

We'd likely be bringing back just a few carry nets with things like mesquite pods, prickly pears, and possibly a rattlesnake or two. I was honestly confused why Grant sent us here when there were other locations without Saursune sightings.

I wandered around and stopped in front of a still-seeping base of an agave plant. The four large agave plants that had been here were gone, likely cut down to harvest the core for syrup instead of taking older leaves for wound treatment. I frowned, troubled that someone had taken not just one, but all four community plants.

They hadn't even left a single leaf behind to try propagating more. Shading my eyes, I scanned the area without seeing a single agave plant even though I vaguely recalled several dozen dotting the landscape.

I was glad everyone in my group had gotten a small bowl of greens for breakfast because there wasn't much in sight. I began searching the area, but the rocky soil didn't favor plant life and whoever had been here had taken everything they could get their hands on.

After searching for an hour and finding nothing, I knew it was going to be a long day.

~

I sat with my back against a mesquite tree as the midafternoon rolled around. I was bored. Very, very bored. Hunger was setting in, although it was just an annoyance at this point since I'd had some greens for breakfast. I was hot, and my waterskin had run out an hour ago.

As much as I wanted to pace, it was too warm for such activities. A paltry knee-high pile of grass and twigs sat beside the crystal since there was literally nothing besides thorny bushes within four hundred paces.

With a grumble, I stood up. No one was in sight, nor due back for several hours. I might not be allowed to go to other crystals and forage while waiting, but I could go to an abandoned village and get more water. I scratched a note in the packed dirt just in case someone returned early.

"Sunrise Village."

The heat was replaced with a drier heat as I appeared in the abandoned village. After a quick glance around, I went to the well and located my hidden bucket. I soaked my hair to help cool down and rested in the shade. This village was on the north side of a cliff, so the sun never touched the rocks in its sheltering shadows, but the warm wind countered some of the shade's coolness.

Water sprayed around me as I shook my head. I wiped the strands out of my eyes, feeling better now. I filled my water skin, and on a whim, crawled into the collapsed house I occasionally napped in. As I had guessed, the ground down here was cooler and a welcome relief. I had at least three hours until I'd be missed, so I closed my eyes for a short nap.

When I woke, I returned to the Mesquite Plains. It was just as hot as before, and no one was in sight. The sun hadn't moved far, so I hadn't been gone long.

It wasn't long before I was bored. And restless. I couldn't sit still even though the heat was too oppressive to move much. Leaving the note in the sand as my excuse, I decided to check a few abandoned villages for shards.

I went to the last five locations I hadn't checked yet, but didn't find any shards, nor another fracturing crystal. The drifting sand held tracks that the wind hadn't worn away yet, so I wasn't the only person searching. I was tempted to try the hidden tunnel again and look for more magazines, but I figured I'd wandered enough. I had a group of eighteen who depended on me to get them home.

I returned to the boredom of Mesquite Plains and settled beneath the tree as I watched my surroundings. It was boring. Incredibly so, but I got my wish. No Saursunes appeared.

The semi-victory faded as the first four hunters straggled in, heat exhausted with only one or two carry bags each. Many had chopped down an agave plant just to fill their net. They sat in the shade, their faces flushed red.

"Come on," I told them, "I'll take you to an abandoned village to refill your water skins and you can rest in real shade."

"We don't want to strain you," one said, his voice hoarse from how dry his throat was.

I rolled my eyes. "I can port twos and fours all day long. Besides, if you pass out on me, I will have some explaining to do."

The role reversal was rare, but the lure of water and shade convinced them. All four gathered around me. Seconds later, we were standing in the village. I showed them the hidden bucket and left them to sit in the shade as I went back to the land of sun and dust to await the return of others. As each pair trickled in from various directions, I ported them to the abandoned village.

I did the math a few times; seven pairs of hunters and one set of four. Eight ports to the abandoned village. Seven solo return trips to the mesquites. Yet, the fifteen spaced-out, light ports left me only mildly tired with no discernable porting strain. The last time I'd done fifteen ports—when I checked for shards—I could barely stand afterward. That had been a week ago, when I set a prior porting record for myself.

Tallying my earlier ports, the number came to twenty-six. I had a new record, and I wasn't even overly tired, nor was there any porting strain.

It was tempting to try porting all eighteen hunters back at once to test my limits, but Grant would kill me if the porting attempt didn't knock me out. Neither was a fate I was particularly fond of.

The most people I'd ever ported at once was fourteen while helping another village evacuate, and that trip had knocked me out cold and earned me quite a lecture about making two trips instead of taking larger groups.

To prove I was being responsible, I would take two groups of nine and wait the expected amount of time between ports.

~

I ate the last spoonful of watery soup, wishing there was more. My group hadn't brought much back, and most of the other groups hadn't fared any better. The numerous Saursune sightings were forcing groups to remain near the crystals.

Grant sat down beside me. "Did you really port them in two's and four's to an old village?"

It didn't surprise me that the hunters had told Grant of my numerous ports, likely in case I tried doing too much this evening.

I swallowed the last of my soup—there had only been half a bowl tonight, even for the porters—and answered him. "Yes. There was water and shade there."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Unless my math is wrong, that's twenty-three ports today, Nat. And half of them were loaded."

At least he didn't know about my other excursions. He might flip if he realized I'd actually ported thirty-one times so far, and I hadn't gone to check on the cat yet. Evading the Saursune's draining today really highlighted how much my abilities were strengthening.

Since we were the first to arrive at the porter's circle and no one was close enough to overhear, I answered honestly. "Yes, but look, I'm not even yawning. And there was barely any strain. Had there been, I would have brought water to them."

"I don't even know of another porter who could manage that many solo ports, and precious few who could port two groups of eight back-to-back and still be standing," he said quietly, regarding his notepad with a troubled look.

"Ariel wasn't completely exhausted after bringing the water cart back last night," I pointed out, hinting at the expanding abilities of my companions.

"I know. She even offered to take the small cart more often." He was silent for a while. "Those plants are growing quickly in the heat, but it'll be weeks before they're ready for harvest. I know you want to avoid the Saursunes, but we need your group in an area with more to collect."

My empty bowl and still-hungry stomach agreed with him. "As long as it's not near a farm or harvest-ready field, I think I'll manage."

He nodded. "Thanks."

Tonight's portions were the smallest we'd had since the big drought, and we both knew the village wouldn't last long on half a bowl of soup.

Something had to change.