Between The Crystals

Ch 82 Caught Again?

The afternoon passed slowly as we dug more garden plots. We had more spots than we had seeds for, but there was nothing worth gathering nearby. Merryl planted more than a few plots with the grains from the bags.

The Saursune hadn't returned, or at least not close enough for us to spot her. Merryl's group swung by occasionally. Five of them had seen the brown Saursune trot past, but otherwise, they hadn't seen anything unusual.

Despite the efforts of her group, they had only collected two carry nets of greens, which wasn't enough to feed both of our groups, let alone anyone else. The grain was a comforting presence; between the four bags and what the other groups collected, there should be enough for everyone to eat well tonight.

I scratched my head. "We might as well head to the Guard Station. After that, I can go check on those I left with Roxanne."

Merryl nodded, and her group gathered around her as mine moved the bags of grain closer. As soon as we got home, the villagers would have to sift it. If there was a tracker, it was probably too intermittent for the scanner to detect. I'd bring the empty bags back here just to be on the safe side.

I waited until Merryl disappeared, then followed without using a location phrase. Light shimmered through my veins as our sight hazed over, then cleared at the Guard Station. A couple of eyebrows rose among those waiting there, but at this point, all the groups and guards knew the bags had been left by the Saursunes.

I turned to help move the bags, but Merryl's group slipped in, grabbed the heavy objects, and packed them over to where we usually put our stuff. Almost like it had been orchestrated, two of my group picked up the carry nets. I shook my head at their subtle planning.

Only four groups were here so far. A porter from Irwin Village was sleeping in a corner near a big pile of carry nets and two sheep. Mark also had two sheep and a smaller pile of greens. The other two porters only had a handful of carry nets and a few small animals.

I wandered over to Mark. "Same sheep farm?"

He gave me a tired grin. "The farmer seemed happy to see us again. Well, me, but you get the point. When Servel"—he nodded at the slumbering porter from Irwin Village—"showed up, the Saursune returned with two more sheep."

"Those greens look like they came from the pasture," I commented, glancing between her pile and his and seeing a notable difference.

"When she showed up, she asked if her group could try trading with the farmer and see if he'd let her group into the pasture." Mark shrugged. "I wasn't about to turn them away, not after they lost almost everything they owned in the flood yesterday."

"I'm guessing he let them in?"

"Most of my group don't trust the Saursunes enough to go near the pasture, but a hunter followed at a distance and watched. They stood near the fence, and it didn't take long for the farmer to show up and open the gate." He shrugged. "And just like you said, he kind of herded them inside, left the gate open, and wandered off."

Judging by the pile of carry nets by Servel, the farmer had let her group pick as much as they wanted.

One of Mark's hunters smirked. "The farmer really tried to get us over there after that, and when that failed, he kept trying to curl up around Mark."

"Creepy humming lizards," Mark muttered. "I have no idea how you let it get that close."

I tilted my head thoughtfully. "I was tired after the energy drain, and he laid down behind me before I realized what he was doing. Then he just kind of shuffled closer and wanted pets."

As much as I wanted to mention the airship and grass-woven figures, I kept quiet. My actions had almost certainly crossed too far over the nebulous grey line of what was acceptable. Most porters wouldn't go near a farm, and even Mark refused to go into a pasture. Going into an airship was a whole different level.