Between The Crystals

Ch 66 Woven Grass Animals

When the haze cleared, Clyde and Rachelle were jumping to their feet.

"Sorry I'm late," I told them. "That Saursune came back and wanted pets while it drained a bit more energy. I'm fine. It just hung around longer than I anticipated."

A guard raised an eyebrow. "It wanted pets? Really?"

It took a force of will to ignore his tone. I shrugged. "Whenever I stopped, it kept shoving its head under my hand, so I'm not sure what else it could mean."

"I have a hard time believing it herded you into the pasture and then wanted pets. Are you sure you didn't try stealing from the pasture and it came to take your energy as payment?"

Propping my hands on my hips, I glared at the guard. "Do you really think I'd risk the lives of twenty people like that? Not a single one of us have ever set foot in a field or pasture until today, and I doubt many others can claim that. And not only that, but if we had stolen anything, we would have left as soon as we reached the crystal instead of hanging around for hours on end. Porting might have addled my brains somewhat, but I'm not an idiot."

The guard actually took a step back. I maintained my glare as he opened and closed his mouth wordlessly.

Clyde chuckled as he lugged a sheep over. "I don't believe he's accustomed to porters being so...spirited immediately after a port."

Without breaking eye contact with the guard, I told Clyde, "Well, this porter is a bit on the feisty side, as Grant can attest." Tapping my foot against the packed sand, I asked the guard sarcastically, "Maybe you want to go to the edge of the pasture? Then you can see for yourself that the spot we picked is a hundred paces inside and not right at the edge where it'd be safer. And with the way that Saursune keeps showing up, you can even say hello to it."

His jaw moved, but no sound came out.

"I'm growing old over here," I drawled.

"That—that won't be necessary," he finally managed.

My foot tapping didn't cease. "You sure about that? And yes, I get cantankerous when someone insinuates that I endangered the lives of those in my care."

"Uh, sorry about that."

The apology put a halt to the tirade I was mentally rehearsing. Not because I believed he was sincere, but because Grant had taught me that continuing past that point would make me look worse.

With a snort, I shook my head and told my hunters, "Let's go before he really riles me up."

Clyde rested his hand on my shoulder with an amused smile. Rachelle gave the guard the stink eye as she came over.

"Home." As soon as the haze cleared, I told the hunters, "I'll come for you in a bit and take you to Roxanne. I don't want to leave the others alone in case that Saursune comes back."

Even as they nodded and let go of my shoulders, I turned my mind toward the crystal in the thicket. The world around me vanished as the villagers surged closer with excited cries.

Cruz and Brielle were gathering more branches and inedible grasses. I sat by the crystal in case the Saursune returned and thought more trades were needed.

How was it only midafternoon?

~

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, and much to the surprise of Brielle, Cruz, and myself, the Saursune never came back, at least as far as we knew. He had already proven he was good at sneaking around, so it was hard to say.

As the first four wandering hunters returned, we told them the tale about how the Saursune had caught me away from the crystal and brought the sheep in return. Then how it had herded us into the pasture and later curled up around me as it very slowly drained more energy.