Between The Crystals

Ch 12 Unexpected Guest

When I ported to the Guard Station, the man with the scanner was already coming forward.

"Not me," I quickly said. "I found a child, but I'm pretty sure he has a tracker on him. Can I port you there instead? I have enough energy to bounce if needed, and I'd rather not leave him alone for long."

The man stopped with a confused frown. "A child?"

At the same time, another asked, "Where was this?"

"Middle of a forest. No one else was nearby," I replied. "I figured it was better to take the scanner there rather than risk having airships show up here, especially after Veredyl."

They winced at the name.

"Can you take two?" Another man asked, grabbing a handful of arrows.

I pretended to hesitate. "Yes, but if there's no immediate danger, I'd prefer to rest for at least ten minutes before bringing you back here. The boy is quite scared, so it'll take you a bit to earn his trust."

"That works for me," the man with the scanner said, coming over and resting a hand on my shoulder.

As soon as the other man was ready, I ported them to the forest, appearing about three paces from the child. The boy squeaked at our sudden arrival and hugged his knees tighter. I quickly glanced around but didn't see anything worrisome. Still, I remained standing with one hand on the crystal.

"His name is Mason," I told them.

I stood sentry while the two men began talking to the boy. Like every other "guard" taking a shift at the Guard Station, these two were dressed like an average middle-aged villager.

The man with the scanner began using the device from where he stood. A flashing red light appeared.

"Keep watch," the man told his armed companion. He knelt down, edging closer to the boy on his knees, telling the child, "Let's check your clothing. You have a bug hiding somewhere."

The boy stared at the flashing light, leaning forward as his curiosity started to overcome his fear.

Noticing the boy's growing fascination with the device, the man said, "The light is pointing to something. What do you say we find it and see what it is?"

The child bit his lip, glancing between the device and the man who looked more like a tolerant uncle than anything else. After a few seconds, the child scooted a bit closer. The man turned the device back and forth as the red light moved smoothly along the curved front to point at the same spot, letting him home in on the back of the boy's shirt.

"It's wedged into the seam," the man commented. "Give me a sec' to get it out."

I kept a close eye on the surrounding area as he fiddled with the shirt.

"Got it."

A small, brown seed—almost the exact size and shape of a grain of rice—lay in his palm. I stared at the first tracker bead I'd ever seen. Something that small could have led large airships to us. A chill ran down my spine. Without the scanner, we would have never found it.

The guard set the tracker on a rock to the side as the boy leaned closer to see the scanner and the tiny object it pointed to. With a wary look around, the man got up and pointed the scanner at me. The red light continued to point at the tracker, ignoring me even though I was closer.

"You're clear," he said. "It'll be safer to rest at the Guard Station. How soon can you port us out?"

Hiding the true extent of my porting abilities from strangers was a nuisance. If other villages realized just how strong my porting skills were, they'd be trying to convince me to join them a lot more. Some of that convincing could be a bit more forceful than was polite.