Between The Crystals

Ch 22 Bounce!

Sweat dripped off me as I stumbled over clumps of grass beside the brook. I peeked over my shoulder but didn't see any movement. The sightings had become much rarer, although the Saursune was definitely still around.

My heart lifted when I spotted the branches I'd dragged across the trail. The crystal was just ahead! The relief I felt gave me a bit more strength, and I sped up as best I was able. My legs shook from the pace I had set—the sedentary life in a small village and of porters usually remaining near crystals was not conducive to a long-distance race.

I pushed my way through the shrubs and caught sight of the crystal. I made it! I staggered to the crystal, dropping to my knees as my exhaustion caught up with me, and placed my hand on the slender spires.

"Sunrise Village," I gasped, out of breath, while envisioning the abandoned desert ruins.

Even as the haze started to appear, the cranberry bushes shifted as the Saursune emerged, barely five paces in front of me. Its sharp gaze disappeared into the haze as the world around me turned from green to brown.

The endless blue sky above was matched by the rolling sand dunes to my left. I flopped back onto the sand, panting. I made it. I had escaped. I wasn't sure how, but I had.

The return trip had only taken me half the time, but every second had been rife with suspense as I waited for the Saursune to attack from behind or leap out of a shrub. I shivered as I remembered how it had appeared right at the last second.

Our village might have a new crystal now, but I doubted anyone wanted to go there when a Saursune was in the vicinity. There was a lot of untouched foraging there though, so one of the more daring groups might try in a day or so. They wouldn't have to go far to fill their baskets with greens.

It took forever for me to catch my breath, and even then, it was only my unrelenting thirst that drove me to my feet. I stumbled over to the well and used the old sinew rope and tiny leather bucket I'd hidden here to pull up some water. I drank right from the bucket as water trickled down my chin and dripped onto the sand.

I refilled the leaky bucket and sat on a nearby rock in the shade, staring blankly across the abandoned village. The charcoal murals on the cliff walls were stark reminders of the danger the Saursunes posed. Yet, this one had just trailed me the entire way back. And I had no idea why.

I slowly sipped the water as I rested, but things were no clearer by the time the pail was empty. The dry wind caressed my face and shifted my hair, reminding me that I should check on the groups I had left.

With a quiet groan, I stood up and put the leather bucket back in its hiding place. I peeked down the stone-lined shaft, but like every other village out there, this was a slow seep well.

The raised rock sides had kept out most of the wind-driven sand, but it had filled in a lot over the decades. It didn't hold enough water to fill the water cart, even if people cleaned it out and were willing to haul small buckets up on a rope. They would either have to wait for hours or be ported to another abandoned village, and the idea of porting a water cart three or four times made me shudder.

I returned to the crystal and ported to Willow Plains to check on the first group. Anna waved from where she was gathering handfuls of random grasses, remaining close to the crystal while she guarded several rabbit carcasses and five carry nets of greens that the others had left.

"How has it been?" I asked as I wandered over.

"Quiet," she replied. "The others have gone farther out since the areas around the crystal are very overharvested. At least nine groups have tried coming here, so it's a good thing I remained close by."