Between The Crystals

Ch 81 Popcorn!

The tension slowly left my muscles in a fashion similar to when I escaped a predator. Each time I glanced at the airship, its presence bothered me less. It was back to being a boulder. At least for now. After all the effort they went through, I was fairly certain they'd get me to share energy with the airship crystal in the future.

The green Saursune appeared in the doorway with large sacks hanging off both shoulders. He came outside and touched the side of the airship to close the door, then strolled over to us.

With a yawn, the brown female stood up and shook herself off. I took the hint and also got to my feet. I didn't need any prompting to start walking back the way we had come. The green Saursune took the lead again. Four sacks had been strapped together in pairs that hung across his shoulders.

The sacks were the same size I had thought they were, although I wasn't sure why there were four instead of three. Maybe to make up for startling me earlier? Each of those sacks weighed as much as Callie, although the green Saursune didn't seem to mind the weight.

It took us about fifteen minutes to walk back. A hunter spotted us first and must have said something since Merryl stood up with a relieved smile. The others came into sight from where they had been digging garden patches.

The green Saursune angled away from my sister and stopped on the other side of the crystal, crouching down until the sacks rested on the ground enough for him to wiggle out from under the straps. He quickly collected the grass-woven figures, map, and stand. With a bow to her and me, which I awkwardly returned, he trotted into the forest and quickly disappeared from sight.

The female gazed around the clearing and wandered in a different direction. Once I got closer, Merryl ran over and wrapped me in a hug.

"I'm so glad you made it back! Are you okay?"

"Just tired. That was scarier than I thought it would be. It's one thing to think about going near an airship, but when it's right in front of you..." I shook my head.

"Let's sit down. What happened?"

I glanced at my niece. "Hey, Callie. Why don't you ask Sophia if she will help you start a small fire and pop some of that grain for a snack?"

The girl spun around to face the old gatherer. "Can we? Please?"

Sophia smiled at her. "Sure. If you can gather firewood, I'll set up a firepit."

Callie scampered off to find twigs and wood. I sat down beside Merryl as the other four gathered around.

I kept my voice low. "Well, it turns out the crystal was actually inside the airship, and just like that woven figure, the ship was hollow inside."

"Did you go into it?" Merryl asked in bewilderment, glancing between the grain and me.

I made a face. "Only because I could see the crystal from the door and it was only a few steps inside. By the way, it's not a normal crystal. It looks similar, but you wouldn't be able to port to it. As best I can guess, it stores energy."

My sister leaned forward. "Stores energy? What do you mean?"

"Let's see if I can explain this... Do you remember how I occasionally mentioned that I felt porting energy as being separate?"

"Yes."

I twisted the truth a bit. "It took a lot of those picture cards, miming, and some drained energy, but they showed me how to share energy. I'm not sure if it will work with other porters, but it works on Saursunes and that strange crystal on the airship."

Merryl's eyes went wide. "Really?"

I nodded, then glanced at the crystal behind us. "I wonder..." Leaning back, I put a hand on the crystal. Light shimmered through my veins as I carefully pushed some energy to my palms, but nothing happened and the energy didn't go anywhere. I grumbled, "Apparently it doesn't work with regular porting crystals."