Time Travel discussion

A member of Fiction_L asked for help with this one and it seems sorta interesting to me:

Hi I am looking for a book about a young man who is able to see the trails left by people and animals in the distant past and move within them. He uses this ability and the jewel given to him by his father to escape a barrier around his outlying community and go to the big city. Along the way he meets a princess who is also able to move with time and they travel together. I do not know the audience for the book - it could be adult, ya or j.

This sounds like Pathfinder, by Orson Scott Card, but I don't remember the jewel or the princess, and the paths are from the recent past....so maybe it isn't.

ack - I lost track of both threads - I don't know if this is what was sought or not... thanks much anyway and I will look into the Card for myself!