When I lost all my pebbles, I dusted off my hands and stood up. "I'll leave my group here and go check on the ones I left behind."

A couple hunters from other villages glanced my way; they weren't surprised enough for my comment to be new information, so it was likely that I had just confirmed a rumor. They must not have completely believed the stories that said I had more than one group.

Alas, people were going to realize my porting abilities were unusually strong. There was no way around it, not if we had to start waiting an hour at the Guard Station. Thankfully, most hunters and gatherers were more tactful than the average villager, and I doubted my group would tolerate anything other than the most subtle pressures from other villages to think about joining them. The next quarterly gathering could be a headache though.

"Orange Tree Valley," I murmured just loudly enough for the guards to hear me. The name was known to all five groups who used this scanning location, and they assumed it was a safe location, unaware of the town four hours away. I didn't need someone thinking we were going to risky places.

All of the hunters had returned in my absence. Both to pretend I was resting and to keep them updated, I told them what was happening at the Guard Station. I had only ported five times today so far, but there were only a dozen porters who could have handled the number of passengers I had.

"We didn't see any Saursunes," Cruz said, "although two of our groups found fields to the south. We went around them and kept our distance, of course."

"We made sure to mark our trail so we didn't get lost," Rachelle added dryly, one of the two who had been herded back last time.

"The good news is that you'll have plenty of time to visit," I told them as they gathered around me, with three of them linking hands so they could reach the log. "Do you have a good grip on it?"

"I believe so. Also, if there are really that many people there, you would be wise to drop to your knees even if you aren't tired, then let us help you over to the hides."

"Good point. Let's see how many jaws drop when we bring this thing back. Guard Station."

Having someone else hang onto a large object caused a very different dragging sensation than when I did it, and it definitely took more energy. Porting strain spread throughout my chest as my strength drained away.

I hadn't realized how heavy the blasted log was until I tried to port it. What had I been thinking? Trying to port ten people and a huge log after a Saursune had cornered me? I should have left it for another day, or at the very least, when I wasn't porting such a large group.

The air around us finally cleared; it had taken at least an extra second for the port, something I didn't recall experiencing with a full-grown crystal before. My legs were shaky, and I didn't even have to pretend to drop to my knees, although my fall was slowed by several sets of hands.

"I need a minute," I gasped as the porting strain radiated into my arms and legs. "That log is almost as heavy as the water cart." That was a complete lie. It had to weigh at least twice as much, if not more. No wonder ten strong hunters hadn't been able to roll it closer to the crystal.

My first group came to help the hunters move their haul over to where theirs was. Four hovered around me while other groups came to gawk at the log.

Mark wandered over. "Are you sure you couldn't find something bigger?"

A weak chuckle emerged as I replied, "I tried my best, but the area around the crystal was picked completely clean, so I had to bring something back."

He bunted his toes against the eerily flat end. "Never seen something like this before."

"A Saursune left it after cornering me. I would have preferred food, but beggars can't be choosers, and wood chips can fuel the cooking fires."

"Wouldn't we all prefer more food," another porter grumbled. "We either go hungry in safer areas or risk having our village wiped out if we go anywhere near a farm."

I kept my mouth closed; this wasn't the day to discuss the pros and cons of groups possibly harvesting the areas near fields as long as they didn't set foot on them. Even my group had picked a crystal at least ten minutes away from a field, not a spot right on the edge. Such a discussion might make us unwelcome at this scanning location.

Instead, I held up both hands. "Mind helping me to my feet?"

Two of my hunters pulled me up, and each took an arm as they helped me over to where Andre and Ariel sat. I plopped down between them and lay back, closing my eyes. A nap sounded really good, but the porting strain was still sending waves of pain through my muscles.

Ariel stretched out beside me, murmuring, "I'm surprised you're able to stand after such a load."

"So am I," I mumbled. "I'm going to need help getting those hunters home."

The porting strain, despite being a nearly daily presence for years on end, was almost foreign after not having it cause physical pain for over a week. But my current complaints had little basis. Sure, I currently felt like I had bounced a full water cart, but with heavy loads, adding just one person made a big difference. And I had just ported something at least twice as heavy as the big water cart along with ten people. It should have knocked me unconscious for half a day, assuming it hadn't aborted entirely.

With a groan, I sat up to check how many porters here were from my village. I was relieved to see eight, but that relief was short-lived since half of them were soundly asleep, something they wouldn't normally do at the Guard Station. They must have been cornered by Saursunes.

Merryl normally ported six, and I needed three hunters to reach the log. But how to get the last nine back...

"Ariel, Andre, would you two be able to take an extra hunter or two back? That log isn't light, and I'm pretty sure my next port is going to flatten me. I doubt the hunters feel like spending the night here."

Andre scratched his head. "I can take one. I've only ported twice today, so if they don't mind waiting half an hour, I can come back for four more."

"I can take one as well and pull another round trip," Ariel said.

I sighed in relief. "Oh, good. If Merryl can take five, that will let us get everyone back."

"Take a power nap," Ariel advised me.

I lay back and closed my eyes. My mind immediately drifted toward sleep despite all the people chattering around me.

I was awakened by something tapping my feet, and I pried my eyes open to see my beloved sister smirking at me.

"Rumor has it that you're responsible for that oversized stick."

With a yawn, I sat up. "That oversized stick nearly kicked my butt."

"I can take it back if you want."

"That thing is really heavy," I quickly said. "Can you take five of my hunters? Ariel and Andre are going to make a round trip to bring the rest back. I can handle three and the log."

As I hoped, she nodded slowly. My sister knew me very well, and she was good at reading between the lines. I was known for porting heavy loads, and if I said it was really heavy and needed a nap, she'd realize the "stick" wasn't something she'd be able to transport without consequences.

Covering a yawn, I asked, "How long have I been out?"

"About half an hour," Ariel said, still sitting beside me. "The scanner hasn't flickered yet."

The cliff was packed with people. Well over two hundred were chatting with each other or taking a quick nap along the edges, while a couple of guards stood in the middle and watched the scanner. It was interesting to see just how many people five villages sent out in a day. I grinned when I noticed one of Mack's dogs had found three people who were delighted to scratch his belly.

Andre shuffled over to make room for Merryl to sit beside me, asking her, "Any news from the Oasis?"

More than a few heads turned our way.

Merryl frowned slightly. "We don't know much yet, but the attack on those villages happened just after noon. All of their groups had returned from their raids, but the airships hit fast and blocked the crystals too quickly for anything like an evacuation. Most of the porters are accounted for, and maybe a dozen villagers got out? Three children appeared in remote locations and were herded over to a hunter or gatherer by a Saursune. The groups immediately took the children and ported to safety. Two have already been united with their parents."

Andre whistled in shock. "Wow..."

"Those weren't small villages," a nearby hunter observed. "Telmir Village had over four hundred people."

Ariel squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around her knees; many others looked sad or downcast. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach, but it was a distant sympathetic ache for people I had never known. I didn't remember if I had ever met those porters. As best I could tell, no one here was crying, so I didn't think any had lost friends or relatives, but it was a meager comfort considering the huge loss.

Discussions were quiet as people watched the scanner and waited. Most of the porters sat and rested, occasionally moving to chat with others. I noticed the hunters were circulating in an interesting fashion, often drifting to the side to talk while out of earshot of others.

My groups seemed to be particularly sought out, with plenty of glances at our haul. I suspected it wouldn't be long before a few groups had one or two braver individuals willing to wander farther afield. I would have to catch Liam or Clyde later and ask if they heard any good gossip.

It was rare for entire groups to be able to mingle like this without feeling pressured by time. I didn't even have to get up to visit the porters from other villages; individuals wandered over to chat, mostly about locations, dangers, the Saursunes, and how various groups were faring.

Most of the villages had realized the Saursunes were siphoning off our energy. Hinton hadn't figured it out, and I kept a straight face as some of my fellow porters looked surprised when two porters from Briar Village spoke about it.

As time went by, groups began to leave when their hour was up. Some opted to remain longer, just to be on the safe side.

Andre stretched and stood up, holding out his hand. "Feel like going ahead of me?"

I groaned but took his hand and let him help me to my feet. "Sure. That way your group can scrape me off the sand."

My words had people getting off the log as three of my hunters stood by the crystal. None of them had a carry net, which was a relief since a half-hour nap wasn't going to do much for the porting strain I'd accumulated today. Generally, porting strain took quite a while to fade, often an entire night.

"Ready?" I asked, already dreading this port now that I knew how heavy the log was.

The hunters nodded, and it didn't escape my attention that most groups were watching idly.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. "Home."

The air hazed around us. The stupid log hadn't gotten any lighter, and I really wished I had asked all those people to roll it close enough to the crystal for me to reach it. That would have made this easier.

Its weight dragged against my mind and sapped my depleted energy levels. The porting strain returned full force, convincing me to never transport anything heavy via a three-person link again.

The haze barely started to clear when my knees gave out. I kept a grip on the spire while the hunter held onto my shoulder, unable to help me without releasing the others. I would have given him an earful if he had let go of them. A porter dropping to their knees wasn't exactly rare on a heavy port, but a mid-port separation would knock the disconnected passengers unconscious and plague them with a monumental migraine for days on end.

I rested my forehead against the crystal. My head swam, but I didn't think I was going to pass out. The porting strain sent pain rolling through my arms and legs in a fashion I hadn't felt in years.

Clyde knelt beside me, peering at my face. "Are you still with us?"

"The log is now someone else's problem," I muttered, trying to catch my breath. "And by the way, it's a fair bit heavier than the water cart."

"I was wondering about that when you wouldn't let Merryl port it."

Lifting my head, I asked, "Mind helping me to the hides and sharing any good gossip you picked up?"

He raised an eyebrow but draped my arm over his shoulder, evidently realizing simply offering a hand wasn't going to be enough this time. "No fainting on me."

"You're as bad as Grant," I grumbled, trying to get to my feet as pain radiated down my legs with every movement. "Good thing he's still at the Oasis."

Liam came over and took my other arm. The two pretty much carried me over to the hides. I sat on the tattered scraps of fur and leaned back against a rock. The villagers were already crowding around the log and debating how to move it. I wished them luck with that one. It would probably keep them busy for several hours.

The air by the crystal shimmered as Andre ported his four and one of my hunters back. He leaned against the crystal for a moment then shuffled over to the hides and sat nearby.

I caught Clyde's eye and pointedly looked at Andre as I said, "Hey, Andre. Silly question, but have you noticed that your porting abilities seem to strengthen slightly after getting caught by those Saursunes a few times?"

The subject hadn't come up during our gossiping sessions at the Guard Station, at least among the porters. This seemed like a safe time to see what others thought, especially after Andre had just walked away from a five-person port easier than past four-person ports.

He blinked at me blankly and scratched his head. "Maybe? It's easier for me to port five now, but I thought it was just from the practice and people giving me a lift out so I wasn't as tired."

Clyde looked thoughtful. "Ariel never used to be able to port the small water cart without us carrying her to the resting hides."

"Our abilities do strengthen a bit with practice," Andre pointed out. "Just look at how Natalie pushed herself as a teenager when trying to port heavy loads."

"True," I murmured, more to keep the peace than actually accepting his logic as the entire explanation.

The idea had been planted, and time would tell if I was correct. Judging by Clyde's and Liam's expressions and their earlier comments, they agreed with me. Alas, Andre didn't seem open to debating idle gossip, so I knew the hunters wouldn't say much with him here.

If tomorrow was anything like today, they'd have plenty of opportunity to mention the idea to other hunters and ask for their observations. One of the men by the log called the two over, so I lay back and decided to take a nap before Grant returned. I still wanted to check on the cat, and I didn't want him thinking I'd pushed myself too far.