Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 210

Chapter 210: Oh, what a beautiful morning
Mia woke up before dawn, cheerfully as usual.

Her parents, Seth and Sarah, would be up any moment, but she liked the designation of being the earliest riser in the house. Hopping out of her bed, she dressed and ran about her chores.

Fed the animals, milked the cows, gathered the eggs.

Chores that used to be shared amongst herself and her two older brothers now fell on her shoulders. They’d gone off and married, leaving the family farm behind. Of course, one would probably come back when Grandpa eventually died and Papa needed more help running the farm.

But for now, they were taking care of Uncle Trace and Aunt Annie’s farm while the pair were on one of their many trips to the capital to visit the princess. Planting was nearly done for the spring, and things were fairly busy.

Basket in hand, she counted the eggs and looked sternly at the fattest hen.

“You went outside to roost again, didn’t you?” Mia frowned and narrowed her eyes. “Trying to make it harder for me to find your egg?”

Sighing, she shook her head and closed her eyes for a second.

Her magic was so subtle that it had taken years to realize what it was; she knew no different and her parents didn’t quite have a framework to test their children for the anomaly Mia shared with her Uncle Trace.

His power had to do with dreams. Hers had to do with searching.

Anything that she looked for, she found. It was like a draw on her soul, pulling her towards the object of her desire. And so, she thought about the egg that the stubborn hen must have laid, and followed the subtle tugging.

“All the way to the front grove?” She muttered quietly to herself. “How do you even get out? You’re supposed to stay safely locked up in the henhouse at night. I’ll have to crawl underneath and seal up any holes…”

She found the stray egg amongst the roots of one of the trees lining the turnoff from the main road to their farm.

“Got you!” She declared triumphantly.

Putting the egg in her basket, she turned to go back towards the farmhouse, but the subtle pull at her soul continued.

Her brow furrowed. She wasn’t looking for anything, was she?

Biting her lip, she concentrated, and mentally flipped through a few questions and answers. Was there anything she wanted? A new bonnet, her current one was in rather sad shape. But that didn’t make sense right now. She asked herself more broadly.

Adventure? Love? Excitement? Abstract concepts didn’t normally result in activating her magic. She bit her lip, not really knowing how far the pull would take her.

Mentally, she decided to follow it to the edge of her family’s land, to the main road, and if it tried to draw her further, she would discuss it with her parents first. They knew her better than anyone else, and might know what she would be looking for without realizing it.

She hummed softly as she walked, feeling steady tug urge her forward. That was the blessing and curse of her magic, she could feel it without trying.

It was extremely helpful when she entered a room and forgot what she’d come in for; her power would draw her anyway. It had also gotten her into trouble when she was younger; if she knew her mother had made cookies, she could always find them, no matter where they were hidden.

So, too, was she always the best at hide and seek, but it wasn’t until she was nearly ten that anyone thought magic might be involved. Being good at searching for things wasn’t nearly as flashy as being able to jump into other people’s dreams like her uncle.

Her grandparents also had powers that were more distinct, but of course, they didn’t get theirs until they were adults. It had happened when she was fairly young, and her memories of that time were somewhat indistinct. When she’d tried to think of it, she drew a blank. A vague darkness.

Her mother said that was a blessing, and refused to say more. Mia remembered her grandparents slowly gaining magic at some point about eight or so years ago. Her parents had talked in hushed tones about ‘what it meant’, but Mia didn’t really understand.

All she really knew was that her grandfather could keep unwanted bugs out of their crops and off their land, and the grandmother could yell really loudly when she wanted to call everyone to supper.

Mia drew close to the edge of the property, when the tug made her look suddenly down. Confused, she did so, observing the base of one of the last trees along the lane. At first glance, there was nothing significant about the tree. It was the same as it had always been, with a knot on the trunk and bark that was rough against her palms as it had been when she’d climbed it as a child.

Except that now, there were well-worn boots visible around the other side.

She gasped, jumping back and very nearly dropping her basket of eggs. A stranger!

They were extremely rare out here. Most that wandered this way went to the nearest town of Droth. A vagabond? Someone dangerous?

Her first instinct was to run and get her father immediately, but the pull of her magic was not easily ignored. It was drawing her to this man for some reason.

She’d told herself she’d venture no further than the edge of her family’s property, and she’d abided by that. Should she flee now, when she was so close? Her magic hadn’t led her into danger before, but she also didn’t go looking for danger.

The same couldn’t always be said for her brothers. Had their absence left a hole that she subconsciously wanted to fill with adventure? Encountering a stranger surely fit that description.

Strongly torn, Mia bit her lip and hesitated. Unfortunately, just as she decided to turn and run for her parents, a gravelly voice rang out from behind the tree.

“Who’s there??”