Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 240

Chapter 240: Flash flood
Ford’s eyes narrowed.

“More serious in what way?”

He’d been understatedly amazed at her competence in setting up a camp. Her priorities in which items to dry first, her calm and methodical care for the horses. She seemed mildly unsettled when she realized he was watching her, and he knew it probably seemed quite rude.

He wouldn’t be much help anyway. More of a hindrance, the way she moved from task to task easily and quickly in the relatively small space.

But when she returned from filling the canteens, her face was different. Concerned, and… apologetic?

Mia looked up, and Ford followed her gaze. Directly above, an outcropping of rock hid the sky from them.

“I’m afraid there’s a storm coming,” She told him with a frown.

“Well, then it’s good we have this shelter,” He tilted his head. It would be better to weather a storm here out of the rain than on the surface, directly in reach of the elements.

“Yes and no,” Mia gulped. “You see, the storm, right now, is upstream, but it seems like it’s coming closer. The river is already faster and higher than when we arrived here. I do not know how high the storm surge will rise…. Whether it will reach us here, or not.”

Ford’s eyes went wide.

“Tell me you’re joking.”

But he could see from her face she was not.

“Didn’t you say you looked for a safe place? Surely your magic wouldn’t put you into such imminent danger…?” He questioned, though he didn’t know the specifics of how it worked. Maybe it was safe for the short time she was looking for such a place, but now was becoming dangerous?

“I’m sorry…” She told him. “It’s too dangerous to try to leave now. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Excellent,” He rolled his eyes.

“It could be completely fine!” She defended herself. “Like you said, we’re sheltered here. It’s almost a full cave. This might be the absolute best place in the region to shelter from a storm.”

He raised one eyebrow, and her gaze dropped down.

“Well, at least, it would be if we weren’t wet already. It usually gets colder after storms here… I’m afraid we’re in for quite a chilly night.” She grimaced.

“With no fire.” He added.

“Yes, with no fire,” She agreed.

He wondered if she knew what that meant, really. Miners were taught that when trapped, huddling together for warmth was the best way to stave off exposure. In fact, it had been something of a miracle that Ford had not succumbed to it during his time in the mines.

It hadn’t occurred to him until this moment that the drafts through the mine had been warm, not cold as they usually were. He blinked, and his brow furrowed at the vague memory. He had been in and out of consciousness, and thought little of it at the time, but even the doctor had commented on it, hadn’t he?

There would be no unusually warm drafts here to stave off hypothermia.

“So what’s your plan for not freezing to death?” He asked, mildly amused at the thought of the girl having to curl up next to him for warmth. The idea wasn’t completely unwelcome.

“The horses will lie down to sleep for a while,” Mia told him. “We can borrow their warmth.”

Ford lifted an eyebrow, but refrained from further comment. The woman flinched as a crack of thunder sounded overhead, and the sound of rainfall reached them through the path towards the river.

Blessedly, the outcropping above did seem to keep the rain from falling directly onto them. Mia smiled, then frowned.

“I hope they’re all right.”

Her whisper was almost lost beneath the sound of the storm, but he heard it nonetheless. Somehow, it made him sad. Would her father and the others turn back for home?

That would be the wisest course, but did they care too much about her to be wise? Would their love for Mia, and their guilt over driving her away, make them press on in their fruitless search despite the danger?

He didn’t like it, but he didn’t comment.

The light was fading, though Ford couldn’t tell how much was from the storm and how much was from the sun setting. It was hard to judge the hour here in their alcove.

“The humidity is keeping our things from drying very quickly,” Mia bit her lip, “but I think a couple of the blankets should be usable.”

“Good,” Ford sighed. Anything dry sounded wonderful right now. Somehow the sound of the rain made him feel more soaked than he’d been before, though he wasn’t sure exactly how that worked.

She brought him one, and took one for herself. They took turns readying for sleep, even though their respective bedrolls were not dry enough to be of use. Made to resist rain, but not a dunking in a river, they would take longer to dry, Mia explained.

Ford nodded as if he knew a lot about such things. He didn’t.

“All right, Harper, come lay down, girl,” Mia coaxed the large beast. The horse walked closer, and knelt down before lying on her side with a mighty sigh that nearly startled Ford.

“It’s safe to sleep beside that?” He questioned aloud. The horse didn’t seem any smaller laying down than when it had been standing. If it rolled over–could they roll over?–it could very well squish Mia and break every one of her bones.

“What do you mean? She’s very gentle,” Mia said before a crack of thunder echoed through the alcove, startling Harper and making the horse struggle to her feet with wide eyes.

“Well, that, I suppose,” Ford responded thoughtfully. He’d really meant it as a general principle, but the storm really emphasized his point.

“Shhh, shhh, girl.” Mia calmed the horse and stroked her nose, then looked at Ford defiantly. “All right, fine, then. What do you suggest for keeping warm tonight?”