Between The Crystals

Ch 86 A Different Theory

The haze cleared as Roxanne waved a welcome. Andre and Ariel were sleeping on a nearby hide. I walked around the scattered pile of carry nets and lumpy sacks and sat beside her.

Roxanne covered a yawn. "The Saursune is around somewhere. He keeps checking on us and bringing things."

"Once they take energy, they tend to stay close."

"Did yours show up with the airship again?"

I wrinkled my nose. "I wish they'd go back to just draining my energy, but they offered some really good bribes if I'd try sharing my energy with that weird ship crystal again. But speaking of that, can I leave three of the sacks with you when I pick up my groups? Just so the villagers don't get all suspicious."

Roxanne rolled her eyes—it seemed to be a trait many porters were good at—and replied, "I'd be happy to help bring them back. It isn't like we go out here every day to try and find food or anything..."

Her tone made me smirk. We visited for a while longer, then I headed back.

~

I napped by the crystal part of the afternoon and got a chance to try out the new shovels. They cut through the smaller tree roots with ease. A few new gardens were dug up and planted by accident while we wasted time and played with them.

Citrine spent most of the day laying beside a tree as she watched us and frequently tested the air. The last of Merryl's group arrived; they had dropped by intermittently, although most of them only had one carry net to show for their day's labors. The meager bundles of greens made me extremely grateful for the large sacks of grain and tubers.

"Go on," I told Merryl. "I'll head to Beyond The Marsh and meet you at the Guard Station."

She nodded, and with her group in tow, she said, "Guard Station."

I inclined my head to the brown Saursune who was lazily watching us depart. She blinked slowly as my three companions put their hands on my shoulders and held onto the sacks.

"Beyond The Marsh," I murmured.

The air hazed around us as light shimmered through my veins. Our sight cleared; only Roxanne, her group, and my super group were still here. A flash of blue alerted me to the Saursune lurking in the trees.

Roxanne remained sitting on a log. "I'll wait here until you come for your last group. I'd offer to help, but I'm trying to save enough energy to get mine home and take the water cart."

"No worries," I told her. "It shouldn't take me long."

Seven more joined my three-group, and leaving the three sacks behind, I ported to the Guard Station. About half of the groups were already on the cliffside and visiting while waiting.

"Let's see where the guards will let us put these shovels and watering cans," I murmured as I headed to a guard. The two people carrying those items followed me.

I approached the person on shift from our village. "I don't trust these not to have some sort of secret tracker. Can we store them somewhere around here?"

The woman scratched her head and pointed to the far side of the ridge. "Put them over there against the cliff, and I'll let the others know they're ours. If you plan to leave them there long-term, maybe write our village name above them."

"That's a good idea. Arthur, do you have a charcoal stick?"

"Yes. I'll mark it as our storage area."

"Thanks!"

Mark waved from the side. "Hey, Natalie. Come sit with us for a minute."

I wandered over and sat on a bench across from him. "Is something wrong?"