I ported, and when the haze cleared, I suppressed a sigh at the sight of another group. My search for empty crystals was coming up rather lacking this morning. The four hunters kept their hands on my shoulders as I took a breather.

The woman closest to the crystal—probably the porter, although I didn't recognize her—greeted us, "Good morning. You're the ninth porter to stop by this morning."

That didn't bode well for my search.

"Good morning. The crystals seem unusually full." And considering I had already checked four locations right beside fields without a single one being unoccupied, I was starting to worry. Until recently, only the bravest groups had been willing to go so close to a field, so this change wasn't a pleasant one. As much as I didn't want to go near a farm, I would probably have to.

She shrugged. "After what happened to Gloriet Village and High Ridge Scanning Location yesterday? I doubt anyone will dare set foot on Saursune holdings for a while, so they have to go somewhere."

"That would do it," I reluctantly agreed.

She frowned at the surrounding shrubs and kicked at a weed. "The hardest part is knowing what's edible. Each place is different. In some spots, young nettles are safe to eat, but in others, they make you sick. Like this one."

I stared at the horsenettle, and it took me more than a few seconds to realize she was comparing it to stinging nettles, which looked quite different. How could someone mix those two up?

One of my hunters said, "If you go to the Oasis later tonight, I'm sure a group will entertain a trade if you want to learn more about edible plants. Even if just one or two of your members tag along, or if you let a couple of theirs join your group for the day."

"Might have to try that," she mumbled. "I doubt we'll be going into the fields for a long time."

My eyes widened slightly. She was part of a group that primarily raided, or at the very least, one who gleaned whatever was left in a field after the harvest. I did not want a Saursune to see me hanging out with such a group.

I rubbed the side of my neck. "Well, we better get going before too many more places are claimed. Have a good day."

"You too. Best of luck."

"Thanks." I was going to need it with how my search was going so far.

With a nod, I ported myself and the four hunters to the next place. It took far too many ports before I found a spot to leave each hunter. I returned to the village, where Grant and most of the porters were waiting for me.

They must not have had any success in finding an empty crystal, although I knew four groups were at the new Mossy Rock Crystal. Janette was still sleeping, exhausted from whatever had happened during her absence. A nap sounded pretty good right about now. How many ports had I done? Twenty? No wonder my legs didn't exactly feel steady at the moment.

Leaning heavily on the crystal, I told them, "You don't get options today. It was all I could do to find four open crystals. There is a decent place bordering a field, a somewhat overharvested spot near a field, and two not far from farms."

"Every place we tried was occupied or completely picked clean," Ariel replied with a shrug.

Grant readied his chalk and slate as he asked, "Which spot do you think had the most around it?"

"Smooth Stone Thicket. It's by a sheep farm. I don't think the previous groups dared to go more than fifty paces from the crystal. Everything past that is untouched."

He frowned and made some notes. He regarded his writing for so long that many began to exchange looks. I glanced at Merryl, who shrugged.

Finally, he opened his eyes and said, "Normally our rule is to avoid any farm with livestock, but I think we might have to try something new. If you don't mind, can you take your group there?"

I hesitated, then asked, "Is that wise? I could hear the sheep in the distance, and I can't port thirty people that fast." This was a farm; if there were animals present, someone was taking care of them. Particularly on a sheep farm since those critters were a prime target for almost any predator. They certainly wouldn't be left unguarded.

He thought about it. "It's definitely a risk, and the hunters are welcome to opt out. Actually, we'll send your oldest ten with Merryl again. If the other twenty are willing, you can stay by the crystal in case they need an evacuation."

It sounded like madness to me, but I turned to my hunters. "What are your thoughts? You're the ones who will be in the most danger."

After some quiet murmuring, Clyde suggested, "Let's send ten of the slowest to help guard Merryl and Callie in a safer spot. The rest of us won't go near the pastures or livestock. The Saursunes have tolerated such foraging so far." Ignoring Nolani's snort from where she sat on a nearby bench, he continued, "We need the food. What we collected yesterday helped, but we're only a few steps ahead of severe rationing."

"Far too true," Grant muttered. "It's up to you how far you go and if you'd rather hunt or simply fill as many carry nets as you can. My goal is for everyone to have full stomachs tonight. The animals the Saursunes left were a blessing, but it isn't the sort of thing we want to rely on."

I kept my lips sealed as I made my way to the resting hides. No one knew the animals had arrived because I had bribed a Saursune the other night and tried to thank one yesterday for Janette's return. Liam and Clyde might guess after what I had told them, but I wasn't about to tell everyone else.

If it became common knowledge, the village might cast me out for doing such dangerous things. Nolani would certainly cause a commotion. If nothing else, the villagers would try to prevent my evening solo ports, even if it brought in much-needed food. Last night, many grandparents had shared some of their rations with their grandchildren. It broke my heart since it meant people were going hungry.

Shaking those thoughts away, I told the waiting porters where the other three locations were and who I had left at each spot. My legs still felt like I'd run too far, so I remained on the resting hides. Grant helped organize the groups—he knew who worked best with who—and let them grab the equipment suited for their terrain.

"Twenty-five?" he guessed as he strolled over.

I gave him a weak grin. "Close, twenty. Passengers make the ports add up quickly."

He shook his head. "Don't burn yourself out."

I was silent for a bit and made sure no one was nearby before quietly asking, "Grant, how bad are things going to get? I was only checking places I thought would be empty, and I'm seeing a lot of new faces. Many crystals used to go days or even a week without someone using them, but they're constantly full now. How many villages were raiding fields and farms?"

With a sigh, he sat down beside me and watched the groups while murmuring, "Most villages got at least half of their food from fields and farms. Out of over a hundred villages that I know about, only eight never went into fields at all."

I let that sink in, although my math skills failed me as I tried to convert that into porters and groups. Eventually, I said, "That's a lot of people."

"Indeed," he agreed. "And many of them never planted crystals away from fields or farms. Their original locations are down to stubble now that they're actually foraging, and even if they don't know many edible plants, that doesn't stop them from occupying a crystal while looking for what they can identify."

My head swiveled to face him. "Is Hinton giving them all of our locations?" Even if Hinton only showed one village, that village could be trading the locations as well. I leaned back against a rock as the other implications hit me. "This...this isn't good. Things aren't going to get better. Not if that many villages are now using our crystals. There was barely enough to support five villages. Those locations can't sustain dozens more, and many are already becoming overharvested."

"And those villages won't return to their old ways while the Saursunes keep guarding their fields. A few have gotten away with gleaning from the edges, but that's about it," Grant said tiredly as we watched more and more groups disappear.

I exhaled slowly. "As much as I don't want to say it, I might have to push my limits a few more times. If we can't find an open crystal, we're in big trouble." No crystals meant no food. With no reserves, everyone would go to bed with an empty stomach.

He looked troubled. "That isn't a decision I can make, forbid, or give advice on, so please think about it carefully. Especially if these changes aren't reversible."

I nodded slowly but countered, "If starvation is our only other choice, is it really an option? My hunters haven't had much luck finding the crystals shown on the cave drawing. Keywa Village might not have told anyone else about Orange Flower, but one crystal can't completely support two villages. We're running out of options."

"I know," he quietly replied. "More and more locations are becoming overharvested, and if the Saursunes hadn't brought the food, we'd be on severe rationing by now. We can't rely on that. Despite digging through every record I can get my hands on, I'm out of ideas. I don't know what else to do."

The faint quiver in his voice silenced me. It wasn't something I'd ever heard. Not during the widespread drought, not when we thought another cull was starting, and not even when he had been trying to raise a patience-taxing adopted teenager with an overpowered porting ability.

This was Grant. He always had plans, backup plans, or created them on the fly. They rarely failed. His knowledge far exceeded his library, and his calm demeanor had watched many storms of life come and go. For him to be out of ideas...

It was only at this point did I truly understand how perilous our situation was. If the Saursunes got tired of gifting us food or resumed the cull, we wouldn't last long.

~

After I brought the second group to Smooth Stone Thicket, I sat in the grass. Eight of my hunters lingered nearby as they collected greens and scanned the patchy thicket surrounding us.

The other twelve had gone south, away from the flocks and distant buildings. I silently wished them luck. Even before the "cull", we never foraged this close to a farm with livestock. On rare occasions, we might harvest greens if no animals were around, but even then, we didn't go more than fifty paces from the crystal.

This close to a farm, it wasn't a question of if a Saursune would show up, but when, and how tolerant they'd be of our presence.

How many times had this farm been raided, or how often had someone stolen a sheep from the flock? Were traps currently set up? Would vengeful farmers chase down humans even if we never went near their pasture or buildings? There was no way of knowing.

Minutes turned into an hour as my unease built. Every time a bird rustled in the branches, the hunters flinched and spun around to check the source.

The wind might be blowing away from the farm, but I honestly couldn't see them not knowing we were here. I picked another piece of clover by my knees and nibbled on it as I collected everything within arm's reach of where I sat. The gatherers could sort out what was edible and what would be delegated as weaving supplies once we were back home.

An alarm whistle had all the hunters racing for the crystal. I scrambled to my feet as they gathered around me. My hand rested on the crystal as crackling grew louder.

"Was it a Saursune?" I asked the hunter who had whistled. If it was making this much noise, it was either making its presence known or trying to scare us away.

"Not sure," she replied. "I saw a flash of white that kind of looked like a sheep."

It didn't sound like a browsing herbivore to me. And what farmer would let such vulnerable animals wander into unprotected thickets?

Something white moved behind the leaves, still coming closer. It kind of looked like wool, but it was much too high off the ground to be a sheep. From how the hands on my shoulders and arms tensed, they had noticed the same thing.

A pale brown Saursune walked out from behind a thicket on his back legs, carrying two dead sheep. A braided grass circle was lightly held in his jaws.

I stared at the very unexpected sight. Since he wasn't wearing armor, a belt, or an armband, I didn't bounce. He set the sheep carcasses down and dropped to all fours before walking to the side. Tilting his head at us, he sat down, looked at the plump sheep and back at us.

Not us.

Me.

"Who said those braids were a trade?" I muttered. "Looks like a proposition to me."

Clyde glanced back at me. "You know he's after your energy."

All my past internal debates resurfaced, but reached the same conclusion. "Yeah, but I really want those sheep. And the goodwill of the local farmer is probably worth a whole lot more." Despite my brave words, I couldn't quite convince my feet to move.

"You'd go willingly?" Brielle quietly asked.

"I'm trying to be logical," I said dryly, although the tremor in my voice prevented any humor. "He's not wearing armor or carrying weapons. As a few pointed out this morning, we desperately need food, and those sheep aren't small. I can't bear to hear another child cry because they're not allowed even half a bowl of soup." My discussion with Grant remained heavy on my mind. Without food from the Saursunes, the village would soon be suffering. I was more than willing to trade a day's energy for enough meat to feed most of the village.

The hunters considered it as the Saursune continued to sit and wait.

Cruz said, "He definitely wasn't trying to sneak close, and he could have caught a lot of us if he'd been trying."

"I have most of the day to nap, so I should be fully recovered by the time we leave. I do have one request though."

A few of them glanced at me.

I made a face. "Let's not tell anyone about me walking over there. We can pretend I wandered too far and he snuck between me and the crystal."

Taking a deep breath to muster my courage, my fingers left the spire. The hunters in front of me reluctantly shifted out of my way as they let go of my shoulders. Why was this so hard? Just the other day I'd gone looking for the armed and armored fighter, and this one was completely unarmed.

Was it because I was approaching a strange Saursune instead of letting a familiar one come to me? That was my only guess. It didn't make my slow steps move any faster. He continued sitting and watching me with the braid held gently in his jaws.

When I had crossed three-quarters of the distance, I faltered. After so many years of running, it felt wrong to approach the dangerous aliens. Slowly, the Saursune stood on all fours, and with a glance past me, where my hunters remained by the crystal, he began walking over with the braided circle still held in his mouth.

A deep hum filled the air as he got closer. His approach was much easier to bear than my attempts to go closer. My heart still beat faster. I held out my hand, but instead of ducking under it, he raised his head just above it and slid the braided grass circle onto my wrist before releasing it.

He rubbed his head along my arm as he began the familiar circling. My energy shifted, although I wasn't sure how much was left after so many ports this morning. My hand ran over his shoulders and along his flank, skimming the faintly textured scales that warmed even as I touched them.

I didn't try sharing my energy, lest the hunters see something strange, but I let him siphon off what he wanted. Like most of the previous occasions, the Saursune stopped right as my legs were tired enough that they really wanted to sit. If I had to guess, the aliens had some way of telling how much energy I had left. I really wished it was an ability I had, but another examination of my energy just told me that "something was there" and that it was going dormant now that the draining had stopped.

The Saursune paused in front of me and dipped his head. I bowed my head in return. Nudging his head against my side, he gently pushed me in the direction of the sheep. I took the hint and walked in that direction. He matched my pace, staying beside me.

When we were mere steps away, he turned to the side and left, his tail giving me a final nudge toward the sheep. He disappeared into the thickets with uncharacteristically loud footsteps. My shoulders sagged as tension ran out of me. The hunters jogged over.

Brielle asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It didn't feel any different than when they normally drain us, but my nerves are shot after that."

"Let's get you over to the crystal where you can rest," Clyde said, using a hand to steer me in that direction while glancing over his shoulder at the thickets.

The others grabbed the sheep and gathered around the crystal as I sat down. The ewes had grey muzzles and showed other signs of age. Oddly enough, the few streaks of blood on the wool were dark and dry, so they hadn't been killed recently, yet I didn't see any signs of rot or decomposition. The Saursunes must have some sort of preservation system like the old human civilization used to have.

My thoughts were interrupted as Cruz asked the others, "Did anyone else notice that no other Saursunes appeared to stand between us and Natalie?"

Most gave confirmation, and they quickly altered our cover story to include a darker green Saursune keeping the hunters at bay while its friend circled me.

Leaning against the crystal, I commented, "Given what we know about their communication, who wants to bet this is going to become a new trend wherever we go?"

The hunters exchanged looks.

Clyde slowly nodded. "I think you're correct. Do you want us to quietly tell the rest of your group?"

I nodded. "Please. I don't like secrets, but I know certain villagers and individuals in other groups would throw a tantrum if they ever found out, regardless of how badly we need the food."

Brielle smirked as she said, "How is what you just did any different from how certain porters are letting themselves get caught the last couple of days? At least you knew that you were getting something. The others were just hoping."

"Good point," I murmured as my gaze went down to the braided circle of grass in my hand.

It really wasn't fair that the Saursune had managed a neater braid than I could.