I sat on a boulder and watched as Grant stood on a ridge with almost the entire population gathered on the ground below. Various people were scattered along other ridges, acting as witnesses. The patriarchs all sat to the side since the villagers were already voting.

Grant once again listed the options and what they meant. People put on leather hoods to keep their votes anonymous. Anyone on the sidelines had been sworn to silence. As Grant called out for those in favor of keeping Janette here, over two-thirds of the hands were raised. When Grant asked who wanted to risk seeing if the Saursune would heal her, about a third of the hands went up, mostly from hunters, gatherers, and porters. Some never raised their hands at all, for reasons of their own.

I sighed and closed my eyes. History was hard to forget, regardless of recent events that vaguely resembled friendly overtures. And some raiding villages had been destroyed lately. The outcome had been expected, not that it made it any easier.

I wandered to the top ledge for some peace and quiet. I had visited the unresponsive porter earlier and held her cold hand for a while, but the sight of her pale skin haunted me. Picking the most remote corner I could find, I lay back and stared up at the sky.

Shortly after, Liam sat beside me with two bowls of soup.

"Thanks," I quietly said as I sat up and ate even though grief kept hunger at bay.

He nodded, and we sat in companionable silence. Below, many were spreading out or gathering into small groups as they ate and mourned. Sadness practically radiated out of the ravine.

We remained on the ledge even after our bowls were empty. I didn't particularly feel like being around people at the moment, but I was glad for Liam's silent, supportive presence. In another hour, I'd have to take the big water cart out and visit the cat. As if it were another day, as if a porter wasn't dying below.

My eyes drifted to the cave as the doctor came and looked around. He spoke to a few people, who pointed in this direction.

The doctor cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "Natalie! She's awake! She wants to see if the Saursunes will help her!"

I blinked slowly, not believing what I had just heard. Liam jumped to his feet and offered me a hand. Snapping out of it, I let him pull me to my feet and skittered down the trail as fast as safely possible, ignoring the murmurings and mutterings of those I passed.

Four people carried a stretcher out of the cave, and I picked a different path, one that would take me closer to the crystal they were heading to. Finally on flat ground, I was able to run over. Her fingers twitched, and I held them gently as her dull eyes finally focused on me.

"Go... Saurs..." Her wispy faint voice was barely audible.

"I can take you," I promised her, walking beside the stretcher.

Her eyes closed as she fought for breath.

When we reached the crystal, I asked those carrying her, "Can you set her on the ground? I'd rather not take someone who isn't a porter that close to a town since the Saursunes might react negatively."

In reality, I didn't want witnesses. They hesitated, then gently set the sapling and leather carrier on the packed dirt, the habit of obeying a porter overriding their original plans. Reynold's eyes bored into mine, clearly about to object to leaving his wife's side.

I didn't turn away, letting him see the sadness that had been plaguing me. "I'm sorry, Reynold. As much as I want to take you, I think the Saursunes will be more inclined to help if there aren't any non-porters present."

He squeezed his eyes closed, then opened them. He stepped closer and rested his hands on my shoulders. "Please take care of her until...until whatever happens, happens."

I nodded solemnly. "I won't leave her side until I have to."

With a deep breath, he stepped back, tears streaming down his face. I crouched down to hang onto the stretcher and touched the crystal.

"Apple Orchard."

My vision hazed over then cleared to reveal the forest near the apple trees. I scanned the shrubs warily. No Saursunes were in sight, but with their keen sense of smell, they'd detect Janette's blood-soaked bandages before long.

I picked up one end of the stretcher, turning it into a travois, and dragged my friend thirty paces away from the spires. If I had to back up, I wanted some distance between us so I could observe the Saursunes' reactions before leaving.

I knelt beside her, holding her hand as I waited, making sure not to shift her bandaged arm. Her fast and shallow breathing didn't change, unresponsive once more. Releasing her hand, I plucked three long grass stems and braided them into a fist-sized circle. I gently set it on the bandage covering her side and held her hand again.

Please let this work...

Mere minutes later, bushes to the side rustled as a brown Saursune's head emerged. I rose to my feet and gestured to Janette in what I hoped was a pleading fashion.

"Please help her."

The male took a step forward, and my heart sped up as his armor emerged from the greenery. A fighter. He rose to his hind legs too, and I took an uneasy step back, unwilling to leave Janette just yet. If nothing else, at least his teeth weren't bared.

Hopefully, word of me had spread, and I wouldn't be killed on sight. Taking a chance, I held out my hand, palm up. My fingers shook as the Saursune gave me a much harder stare than what I'd gotten in recent encounters. I really hoped I hadn't accidentally ended up at a hostile town...

Slowly, he sank to all fours and padded forward, his eyes narrowed like he was expecting a trap. I continued to hold my hand out even as my heart raced at his proximity. Unlike the others, who had always touched my fingers with their nose or head first, this one angled his head and neck away, but moved so his armored shoulder touched my hand.

His gaze shifted to Janette as my energy shifted and trickled away in a barely noticeable stream. Since he was so cautious, I didn't try my energy sharing trick like I had planned.

His chest vibrated as more Saursunes emerged silently from the bushes. Three, four, six... Too many. Some armored, some not. All standing on their hind legs. I gingerly stepped back, suddenly second-guessing my decision.

As they came closer, faint rumbles and growls became audible, as well as deeper sounds that seemed to vibrate the air. A dull green male without armor dropped to all fours and hissed quietly at the fighter near me, who stepped away.

I edged toward the crystal, not having expected so many Saursunes to appear at once. If it had just been one or two, I might have stood a chance with "trading", but with more still appearing, I was out of my depth and way out of my comfort zone.

The dull green male gave a reassuring hum as he plodded forward, angling to the side as he circled around me, cutting off my escape. The circling was familiar, and I focused on that hope.

Hesitantly, I held out my left hand as he came up from behind me on that side, now within arm's reach. He didn't shift away as my fingers brushed against his overly-warm scales. When my hand reached his shoulder, he stopped and gazed at Janette.

Her skin was just as pale as before, and the bloodstains on the bandages had spread farther. Even if they departed and left her for me to take home, she wouldn't survive much longer.

Taking a chance, I gently pushed some energy through my fingers, trying to hold it back to a trickle since I wasn't sure how much I had left. The Saursune turned his head to examine me out of an overly bright eye that seemed to glow from within.

He curled his neck around, and my breath caught in my throat as his huge head came closer. He pressed his forehead against my chest and gently pushed me back a step. Circling in front of me, he nudged my side in a fashion that made me turn. I recognized what he was doing and worriedly glanced back at Janette, who was being surrounded and examined by Saursunes.

The large Saursune moved his shoulder under my hand, and with various nudges, guided me toward the crystal. As I lost sight of Janette behind the Saursunes, I finally accepted the inevitable and walked beside the large Saursune with my hand on his shoulder, letting him delicately siphon my energy away.

For once, the sight of a crystal didn't bring me any relief or joy. Several paces away, I stopped and looked back to see a small airship landing between the trees on the other side of the group. A gentle nudge pushed me toward the crystal as the Saursune sat on his haunches and watched me.

His message was clear: it was time for me to go.

I bowed my head in thanks even though I wasn't sure what might happen to Janette and crossed the last bit of distance between me and the crystal. As my hand touched the spires, the world disappeared into a haze.

I blinked at the abandoned desert cliffs of Sunrise Village, belatedly realizing I hadn't picked a destination and had appeared at my favorite bounce location. It was just as well. I didn't want to go back home just yet.

In my desire for privacy, I crawled under the stone slabs of an old house and curled up. The tears finally came. Worry for Janette, fear that the Saursunes might not be willing or able to help her, and the pain her family and friends were going through. What if my idea had been a big mistake?

Part of me had already been mourning her swiftly-approaching death. She had been gravely injured, and I'd been forced to leave her—abandon her to the questionable mercies of an alien race. We might never know what they did to her. I wept until my eyes were sore and my chest ached.

Eventually, I crawled out and went to the well to wash my face. I gazed at the crystal for a long time, letting the light refractions settle my mind even if it didn't lift the heaviness in my heart. I caressed the spires, letting the light shimmer through my veins.

My heart was still heavy as I said, "Home."

As the air cleared around me, Reynold stood up from the resting hides and came over, his gaze silently pleading.

Quietly, I said, "They didn't hurt her, and they inspected the bandages until a small airship arrived. I had to leave at that point."

He nodded slowly, desperate hope warring with the despair of her absence. "If they didn't kill her, there's hope. How long do you think?"

"I don't know. I can check back there tomorrow, if you want."

His gaze turned to the crystal as if wishing his wife would materialize beside it like she had countless times over the years. I rested my hand on his shoulder for a moment, then quietly padded away.

All we could do was wait.