Another mini group finally returned, this one with four people.

"Let's pack up," I said. "I can come back for the others."

I wanted to get at least half of my oversized group back in the village, where they'd be safe and sound. The Saursune still hadn't returned, and that very detail made me antsy.

"I'll remain behind in case others arrive before you return," the older hunter volunteered.

"Are you sure?" I asked with a frown.

"Yes. Just make sure you take everyone to the Guard Station. I don't trust that Saursune."

That made two of us. I quickly helped the others gather their bundles and made sure someone held onto the rope wrapped around the pile of tree limbs. It was going to drag something fierce during the port, but porting strain was the least of my worries at the moment.

Hands were on my shoulders as I reached for the crystal. "Guard Station."

The air around us hazed over, clearing to reveal the now familiar mountainside cliff. I took a deep breath of hot, dry air. The branches hadn't been nearly as bad as I expected, not even comparable to the empty wagon. I had to search for the discomfort to find it.

"What the hell?"

The startled exclamation made me look at the guard, who was staring at the scanner. Instead of the expected pea-sized red dot, it was twice as big and had weird pulsing circles.

"Dump the bags!" I quickly told them. "It must be a tracker!"

The guard snapped out of his shock and ran over as he followed the bizarre red dot with ripples rolling out from it. As he got closer, it split into two. He followed one, and I guessed which net the other might be in and dumped the contents on the ground.

A pebble fell out and bounced off a stone with a metallic click. My eyes followed the perfectly round, black ball, belatedly realizing it wasn't a pebble or an oak acorn. With a frown, I grabbed it and turned to the guard, who had found a similar object. Both pulsing red dots pointed to the trackers.

I snagged the one out of his hand and grabbed onto the crystal. "Apple Orchard!"

Time dragged as I waited for my vision to clear, quickly getting my bearings as soon as I could see the apple orchard. Like last time, I threw them away from the town's direction and quickly ported back to the Guard Station.

"Was that all of them?" I asked anxiously.

The guard spun on the spot with the scanner, which was solid green.

"Were those trackers?" another guard asked in disbelief. "They were the size of pigeon eggs!"

"I've never seen anything like that," the scanning guard said, frowning in concern. "If the Saursunes didn't know where we were before, they almost certainly do now." He turned to me. "Where did you come from?"

I blinked, partially taken aback by the accusation in his tone. "Fern Hills. It's four hours from the nearest field."

The guard frowned at the mix of meadow greens, but they were obviously wild forage, not something from a tended field. The large, haphazard pile of branches only reinforced the truth behind my claim.

"Have other groups come with trackers?" one of my companions asked.

The guard's eyes flickered to him. "Five so far, but it was just the regular tracker beads. Not whatever those things were."

"The Saursune must have snuck them in when I set the nets down at some point," one of the women mumbled.

It made no sense for someone to carry two bags all the time, so they'd set the full one down to free up their hands while they gathered greens nearby.

"They're very good at sneaking close," I said, sitting on the resting hides. I didn't need the break, but the guards would certainly question me if I tried to leave so quickly after packing in a large group. They were going to have enough questions when I brought the second group in.

The two older women told the guards about the Saursune that had arrived and simply left without chasing us away.

"At least you all got out of there safely," a guard said.

I made a face. It was almost physically painful to partially reveal my abilities. "This was only half of the group. I have to go back for the others, and considering they're in the same spot, I have a sneaking suspicion there will be more trackers among them."

My comment had been very carefully worded so the guards knew both groups had been at the same place, as per the new rules. It also made sure the guard would be prepared in case I brought back more trackers.

The air by the crystal shimmered a second before Merryl, Callie, and her group appeared. My sister waved cheerfully at me as she stepped around the pile of branches.

"Nice haul," she said, smiling at the full carry nets my group had set to the side. The guard's scanner remained green, which was expected with my sister being sent the safest areas due to her pregnancy.

"Aunt Natalie!" Callie cried, running over to me with a big grin on her face.

"Hey, Trouble. Were you good for your mother today?"

"I'm not Trouble!" she protested with a giggle as she sat beside me, cuddling close.

Merryl sat next to me. "Callie was very good. She picked a lot of dandelions and can recognize a dozen other plants."

"Very good!"

Despite my proud words, a knot of dread formed in my stomach when I considered her comment and how most in her group only had one carry net. Even Tib only had two rabbits and half a carry net of greens, and I knew that hunter would have traveled as far as the day permitted. The safest areas were being severely overharvested. Soon, my sister and niece would be forced to try other places.

"I'll tell you about the Saursune we saw when I come back," I said, standing up. "Once I take this group home, I have to get the others."

Merryl nodded slowly, frowning in concern. The nine I'd ported here quickly sprang into action and gathered all of our supplies around the crystal, barely leaving me a path to reach the spires.

"Home."

I could practically feel the branches dragging, which was a strange sensation since they didn't even shift as they materialized in Vermilion Village. They weren't heavy though. The nine passengers were a more noticeable weight, yet even they only caused a mild discomfort.

It would be wise for me to rest at least fifteen minutes, possibly longer. I wasn't looking forward to seeing how much the strain would amplify by the time I took the ten-group to the Guard Station and back here.

Villagers quickly relieved my group of their load. Grant waited for the crowd to disperse enough for me to make my way to the resting hides. After I sat down, I told him about the day's events and the new trackers.

He jotted it down on a piece of slate. "These new trackers are troubling. Definitely be ready to bounce whenever you go to the Guard Station."

"Do you think they're pinpointing every scanning station so they can attack at once?" The thought had crossed my mind a few times, especially now that I knew how silent those airships were. If they came at night, the guards would have no warning.

Grant made a face. "At this point, I have no idea what they're planning. All I know is that I don't want those trackers in this village."

"I agree."

"How soon can you get the other group out of the forest?"

"That depends how quickly you let me go," I replied, hiding a grin and wondering if he'd take the bait. Pushing the boundaries was my favorite hobby, and teasing Grant about it was my second favorite.

"After two jumps with nine passengers, you had better rest," he said in mock sternness. His lips quirked up when I chuckled and stuck my tongue out at him. Gently, he added, "Remember, even you have limits."

"I know. Even if you were crazy enough to give me the go-ahead, I planned to sit here for fifteen minutes." Since no one else was nearby, I mumbled, "My limits keep changing. Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to make four ports with a large group. Not in one hour." I looked down at my hands at the admission, but I'd always been honest with Grant. If anyone might be able to help me figure this out, it was my adoptive father.

He was silent for a while. "Are you going to be able to bring them back without passing out?"

I gave it some thought. Spacing out my ports gave me time to recover, but back-to-back trips could easily knock me in the dust, as could heavy ports. This involved both. Porting the nine-group twice in an hour had left mild discomfort that was already starting to ease.

The ten-group... If they were ready to go when I arrived, I'd only get to rest a few minutes. I also had to reserve two ports in case of trackers, but I could rest at the Guard Station for a while. I also had to account for how much the porting strain would amplify after so many trips.

In the past, this would have been at least a three-hour venture, if I could even do it after porting a nine-group.

Things were different now.

"Yeah," I finally said, lifting my head. "If I have doubts, I'll leave half of them at the Guard Station, and someone else can fetch them."

"The Guard Station is safe enough. Safer than that forest, at any rate. Make sure you rest well between ports."

Tilting my head to the side, I rolled my eyes like a tolerant teenager with a nagging parent. "Yes, Father."

"You know I only have your best interest at heart," he said, smiling at my rally and knowing full well I'd always push my limits and slip past his rules when he wasn't looking. I had done that for the last ten years, so why stop now?

I grinned at him. "Just make sure you save your best lecture for the next time I pass out."

"The next time?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "There had better not be a next time."

My grin widened. Before I could taunt him further, the air near the crystal shimmered as Merryl, Callie, and her group appeared.

"Okay, what happened to waiting at least ten minutes?" I asked her, putting a sibling whine to my voice just for Grant's benefit. "I haven't been here that long. Since you have so much energy, I hereby nominate you to bring back anyone I can't port."

"Sure," she replied easily.

I rolled my eyes. "You were supposed to argue with me, not agree!"

She grinned, fully aware that I was trying to rile up Grant, who was shaking his head at my attempts to shatter the peace and quiet. Callie skipped over and sat beside me, telling me about the butterflies she'd seen today.

The welfare of my hunters nagged at me the entire time I rested, although I knew they wouldn't all be back yet. By the time I got to my feet, a few other porters had returned, and the discomfort was just a memory.

Grant and Merryl watched me walk to the crystal without commenting; they knew that I should have needed at least a thirty-minute rest, but they were also familiar enough with me to tell that I wasn't currently feeling any porting strain.

It was a silent testimony to the new theory I had shared. Unfortunately, that theory tied my growing abilities back to the aliens who had hunted us for centuries.