Between The Crystals

Ch 43 Orange Tree Valley

The first rays of morning light lit up the uppermost edges of the cliffs as Grant worked his way through the crowd and eventually reached my group.

"Orange Tree Valley?" he asked as he came over.

I nodded, recognizing the location. Then memory caught up to me. "But that spot is a four-hour hike from the crystal by the apple orchard."

It was one thing to forage near a field, but near a town? That was too much risk even for me, and I was the idiot who had willingly shared her energy with an overgrown alien lizard in an attempt to keep my hunters safe.

"If that Saursune hadn't shown up at Three Stone Forest yesterday, I'd send you back there, but it's undoubtedly still in the area. The groups who went to Orange Tree Valley haven't seen a Saursune the last three days. I advise the hunters to avoid going north though."

"Three days?" one of my hunters quietly asked. "As in, they've been seen there recently?"

Grant flipped through his notes. "One was seen four days ago, and there was another sighting three days before that, which is less than most locations." He gestured to the notebook, which was plastered with orange bookmarks. "I only have four places with no sightings this week, and Mesquite Plains is one of them. Every other remote location has been picked clean. Unless you want a crystal right on the border of a field or near a farm, I don't have anything else to offer."

The hunter blinked slowly at the bookmarks, possibly not realizing until now just how detailed Grant's records were. "We can try Orange Tree Valley."

I was still dubious. I stood half a chance of escaping via the crystals, but the hunters didn't have that option. Still, this place was four hours away from the settlement, and that was better than being a mere stone's throw away from a field.

It was tempting to suggest going back to where we were yesterday, but I knew Grant wasn't the only one who'd protest against that idea. The Saursune might have proven himself helpful, but old habits of avoidance were persistent, and I knew the two hunters who got lost didn't want to revisit those memories just yet.

Half of my group followed me to the crystal; the other half remained where they were, out of the way.

"Orange Tree Valley."

Light danced through my veins as the air around us hazed over. When it cleared, I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that no other groups had beat us here. We scanned the area; the forest here wasn't dense, but there was a decent amount of underbrush.

I could see at least two mulberry bushes and a date palm, but most of the plants weren't types that had fruit. There were a dozen orange trees farther down the valley, although they weren't visible from here.

"Remember, don't go north," I reminded the nine hunters.

They nodded and slowly dispersed. One remained nearby, claiming the crystal in my absence while waiting for me to bring his traveling partner.

I returned to the village, and after resting for a bit, I brought the second bunch over. Interestingly enough, I could feel my porting energy drain away during the jump—something I couldn't really detect before—but there was no strain and no noticeable tiredness.

"There isn't much here," said the hunter who had waited. "I saw some clumps of thyme and sweet myrtle that would be a nice addition to the mattresses."

If a hunter said there wasn't much around, I wasn't about to doubt them. "Thanks. Some of the beds probably need more herbs, and thyme can always be added to the salads."