Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 282

Chapter 282: Lecture time!
Ford could see the images the boy was creating in the air, but wasn’t close enough to hear the story that must be going along with it. The pictures danced, coming alive as Daniel created them, and Ford was so mesmerized that he lost his concentration on masking his presence several times.

Each instance, he noticed Mia’s back straighten and her head begin to turn before he realized he needed to renew his efforts.

He was exhausting his magic. Enthralled by the storytelling, he’d come closer, but now he hung back, far enough to hide behind rocks instead of needing to use his power all the time.

The days wore on, and even though he’d taken every bit of food Denholm had stored up by the cave’s camp, Ford would run out of supplies. He was eating one meal a day and letting the horse graze as they went.

At the end of the first week of travel, they moved beyond the land of the canyons and into a vast grassland that ran alongside the river.

The grasses were tall enough that Ford could leave his horse visible and only mask himself. When that got tiring, he would dismount and depend on following the trail through the grass that the party ahead made. It restored his power but taxed his body.

He watched with interest over a week into the journey as Seth drew out a hunting bow and took careful aim at a grazing antelope, bringing the creature down with a single shot.

The family would eat well that evening on roasted meat, leaving Ford desperate to join them. His stomach gurgled at the thought, and he wondered if they would keep watch tonight. He hadn’t so much as made a fire for himself for fear of being discovered.

Grandpa and Daniel left the rest of the group, heading in the direction of the downed animal,while the others seemed to be preparing to set up an early camp for the day.

Dismounting, Ford dropped the horse’s reins to the ground. He’d learned from watching the family that for some reason, the animals stayed put when they did that.

Checking to make sure he was invisible, Ford crept closer to where the antelope lay. Grandpa had a large hunting knife that he was offering, hilt first, to the youngest member of the party.

“You wanted man lessons, you got ’em, Daniel. Today you’re going to learn how to field dress a deer.”

“I’m ready,” The boy’s eyes were wide.

Ford had seen his share of nasty injuries from broken pickaxes and various mining injuries. The sight of blood didn’t bother him much.

As Grandpa walked the boy through each step, Ford was fascinated. The way they initially propped the deer on its back, the purpose of each cut, the method of removing organs that could taint the meat….

He’d snuck up to try to steal any meat they left behind and risk a fire to cook it himself, but they seemed to harvest every usable bit of the animal. At least he was learning enough that if he somehow gained the ability to take down an animal on his own, he would have a basic idea of how to prepare the meat for cooking.

“If we were home, I’d teach you how to tan the hide, but we don’t have the time or the equipment here to dry it out well enough,” Grandpa concluded. “You did a good job, kid.”

Daniel beamed, though he’d gotten himself fairly bloody in the process. Grandpa chuckled.

“The river’s that way. Take some of this meat to your mother, then go wash yourself off, and make sure to watch for river sharks.”

“River sharks? What are those? Are they a mythical creature like dragons?” Daniel peppered his grandfather with questions.

“Nevermind. Just get go get clean before the stains set in for good,” The older man chuckled as Daniel disappeared.

Grandpa wiped his knife off in the grass and resheathed it, then stood and stretched.

“If you want some, you’d best take it now, or just come eat with us when it’s cooked,” He turned around quietly with a small smile.

Ford held perfectly still. Grandpa waited a moment and raised an eyebrow.

“Gonna pretend I’m stupid, eh, Ford?” The old man said. “I’m a little insulted.”

Ford sighed and let his magic fall away. Goodness knew how he looked at the moment. Probably nearly as bedraggled as when he’d first shown up on their doorstep weeks before.

“How did you know I was here?” Ford asked, shamefaced. It suddenly felt very invasive to have followed them all this way, even though his motivations were to ultimately help them.

“I didn’t,” Grandpa grinned. “I’ve suspected a good while that you were there, as most of us have. If you weren’t there, no one would have seen me talking out loud to the air like a crazy person. Not the first time I’ve tried it, but first time it’s worked.”

Ford choked on his breath and coughed into his hand, trying to keep quiet. The others weren’t all that far away; if he made too much noise, they were bound to hear.

“I figured I had a better shot at success this time. You have to be low on food.” Grandpa’s smile faded a bit. “Now that I’ve seen you, is there any point in continuing to hide? Join us for a good meal and some company, and tell us all why you’ve decided to come along.”

“Seth will kill me,” Ford’s mouth formed into a deep frown.

“He’s not the killin’ type.” Grandpa’s voice was serious as he stood from the ground and picked up a few slabs of meat. “Now, you gonna help me carry this back to camp and eat some, or not? I think the women are going to forage for some fresh vegetables to go with it. Maybe some wild garlic? Got me hungry already…”

The old man didn’t wait for a response before he began walking away, leaving a lot of the meat behind for Ford to either bring along or take for himself.

Ford honestly didn’t know which choice he would make.