Between The Crystals

Ch 74 New Stomping Grounds

Everyone gathered around the crystal, and excitement seemed to buzz through the air at the prospect of going to three untouched crystals.

"How many can you take to those new crystals?" Grant asked me.

"Since we have these new ones, I don't have to bounce around this morning to find empty crystals. Can I take all twelve porters? By the time they memorize the crystal, I should have rested enough for the next port."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on my improvised plan. Instead, he waved me toward the crystal, and the porters split out of their groups to follow me.

As they gathered around me, I told them, "You'll have to help Grant rename these crystals later. Beyond the Marsh."

I could feel the weight difference; just like a ten-port took more effort than an eight-port, but I didn't feel any unusual strain. It took the porters more than a few minutes to familiarize themselves with the crystal and surroundings. So long, in fact, that I began to wonder if they were purposefully taking their time so I could rest. Finally, they were ready to continue. The next two crystals were just as easy and reminded me a lot of porting the log, only the log didn't get to dictate how long I had to wait.

"The next place could be occupied," I warned them as they gathered around me once more. "Mystery Meadow."

The air around us hazed over, then cleared to reveal six people crouched down to inspect the furrows left by the Saursune. The group from Irwin Village skipped back in surprise.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Their porter, a woman I often chatted with at the Guard Station, came forward. "We didn't realize anyone else had found this crystal." She gestured to the marks in the dirt. "Was this left by you?"

"Yes and no," I said. "The writing is mine—a trick Briar Village taught me to memorize crystal locations—but as I was trying to dig, a Saursune decided to help."

"When did you come here?" one of their hunters asked. "We were here most of yesterday."

"About two hours before sundown? It was quite a hike from Blackbird Marsh."

The porter said, "Oh, I didn't realize Blackbird Marsh was near this crystal. We came from Tumble Ridge when we planted this a decade ago."

I chuckled, "In that case, I'm guessing Tumble Ridge isn't on the other side of the continent like I assumed. You learn something new every day."

She grinned in reply. This was the downside of porting to crystals—you had no idea where you were in relation to other locations unless someone had traveled there on foot and recorded it.

Her grin disappeared as she asked, "Do you mind keeping this crystal location a secret?"

I nodded. "Grant won't trade it away now that we know only your village knows about it. I'll get Grant to talk to Florence and set up a schedule like we and Keywa made after they found one of our hidden crystals."

"Thanks," she said, relief and sadness in her voice. Relief that we wouldn't show others, but sadness that the crystal had been found by another village.

I knew the feeling. It was the same as when Orange Flower had been discovered. It might have been tempting for some villages to say they owned whatever crystals they planted, but that route had proven to be a poor choice a century ago, and it was partially why there were so many lost crystals.

There had been a time when villages could own the crystals they planted, and thus, those locations were only used by certain villages. Alas, many of those crystals had been lost during culls or when certain porters died or forgot the location, which caused problems for the survivors. Nowadays, it was considered wise for at least two villages to know the location of each crystal. Just in case.