Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 260

Chapter 260: Should I remember you?
Ford frowned. The man said his name as if it should mean something to them. It certainly didn’t to him.

“I don’t remember you,” Mia tilted her head. “Should I?”

Denholm’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know my name, not at all?”

Mia thought and shook her head slowly. “Should I?”

The man’s grip visibly tightened on the knife.

“No one ever mentioned me? Not your aunt, nor your uncle? Princess Sapphira? Nobody talked about me??” He said through gritted teeth.

“Should they have?” Mia bit her lip nervously and shrugged. “I’m sorry.”

“I WAS ENGAGED TO THE PRINCESS,” Denholm raged suddenly, striding towards the woman and lifting a hand to strike her with the back of it, “I WAS A HAIR’S BREADTH AWAY FROM RULING THE WORLD WITH MY FATHER!”

Mia flinched backwards, and Ford lunged towards Denholm’s legs, intending to trip him and take him out as he hit the ground. As soon as Ford made contact, however, it felt like an electrical current ripped through his body and he bit down hard on his tongue. Ford crumpled.

He tasted blood.

“Oh! Of course, I remember,” Mia cowered, “I’m sorry, I have a very poor memory, but yes, I was told all about your cleverness and how close you came to being ruler.”

Ford couldn’t tell if she genuinely did remember something about the man or if she was trying to placate his anger.

“Tell me more,” Denholm demanded, apparently wondering the same.

“Your father… Barnabas, was his name? The Count?” Mia asked.

“Ah, yes, you do remember after all,” The man’s temper subsided and he beamed. “My infamy persists!”

Ford was still staring at him blankly, and Denholm looked at him with distaste.

“I’ll overlook your ignorance, as you’re a Foundrel brat. You can’t help it, can you?”

The words were meant to be cutting, so Ford resisted giving in. The man was clearly prone to fits of temper, and sharing that fault would be a disadvantage.

“Would you care to introduce yourself?” Ford grasped onto a bit of delay to help him get a grasp on the increasingly volatile situation, standing slowly.

He’d suspected Gary–Denholm–had been hiding his true personality behind politeness. He had moments of slipping up which Mia had attributed to the years of lonely digging causing the man’s social skills to atrophy somewhat.

She always thought too well of others, even Ford. Though the trait had severely irritated him at first, he’d grown strangely protective of her in the face of another stranger. Her family had done a poor job of preparing her to face real, mean people.

“I normally would do so gladly, but we’re wasting time,” Denholm glared. “Years ago I would have had you beaten within an inch of your life for failing to recognize me and show the accorded respect due. How far I’ve fallen, how abysmally life has treated me!”

“So you’re here to… what?” Ford grimaced. Breathing too deeply or speaking too loudly hurt his ribs. He lowered his voice. “You already have magic, obviously, so why are you here?”

The man had talked about the tree intensifying existing power before. Is that what he was after? But to what end?

“I needed the cave open so I could gather loyal people and give them powers to aid me on my rise back to power, ignorant little brat,” Denholm sneered. “I’d briefly harbored hopes of using the two of you as my first ones, but of course I’m sure you’re far too honorable to participate in a coup,” He said this to Mia, who was taking subtle, tiny steps towards the doorway.

Did she hope to escape through the large room? Ford frowned.

“I’m not honorable at all,” Ford smirked. “I’m an orphan mining brat. Of course, now I’m kinda mad about getting kicked in the ribs, so we’re not on the best footing. I also don’t like being lied to….”

“But you’re clearly besotted with her,” Denholm pointed an accusatory finger, “So as long as she’s honorable, she’ll turn you into a liability. I’m sorry, Ford, but now that you’ve made a way for me into the cave, you have no place in my plan except for bait.”

“Bait,” Ford repeated dully, and looked again towards the doorway where Mia was now leaning out and looking up and around.

“If I might change the subject, briefly,” Mia interrupted. “I’m still confused about what startled you deeper in the cave. I don’t see anything in there at all. What am I looking for? Something in the shadows?”

“What?” Denholm rushed forward, pushing past her and staring into the dark. “It’s gone! How did you do that?”

“What’s gone?” Ford got to his feet, wincing at his bruised ribs, and holding them tightly with one arm.

“Nevermind,” Denholm turned on them. “It must have been a mirage…”

Ford raised an eyebrow. The man’s eyes were almost crazed. Perhaps his mind had cracked entirely? Maybe he’d gone fully insane after these years of solitude?

“We should go back to the camp and make sure you have enough to drink,” Mia told him. “Heat stroke can make people see things, and you are sweating heavily. You might need to rest a while.”

Denholm slapped her, and Mia gasped. Ford’s blood boiled, but Denholm turned the blade towards him before he could re-initiate the fight from before.

Not that it would have done any good. He was not in fighting shape, and Denholm knew his weaknesses. A throbbing headache and the continued heat were muddying Ford’s thinking.

“I was just trying to help,” Mia looked hurt and angry. “You lash out like a child. You keep using the word ‘brat’ but it describes you far better than either of us!!”

“Shut your mouth and go forward,” Denholm directed curtly. “You’ve got too much stubbornness in you, but we’ll see that taken care of. Look for the tree. If other parts of the cave have collapsed, it’s possible the path there has been obscured.”

“You want me to work for you, right after you slapped me?” Mia asked incredulously. “Why should I?”

A slow grin curled the corners of Denholm’s mouth.

“Because I’ll kill Ford if you don’t.”