Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 301

Chapter 301: So many eyes
Mia watched her family’s faces. Her father looked determined. Her grandfather, thoughtful. Anaisa seemed worried, but Daniel was very simply, excited.

“What did they look like? How many arms? Furry or scaly?”

The girl smiled faintly. Of course she could depend on her young cousin’s exhaustive knowledge of all known mythical creatures. She glanced at Ford.

“He got a better look at them than I did.”

She’d only seen eyes. So many eyes! She was certain she’d have nightmares about all of them, staring at her.

“This big,” Ford repeated, holding his hands up again. The rope tied to his wrist tugged on hers, which caused her smile a little wider, and her father to frown.

“They had four limbs, and long curly tails they used to drop from branches. Their eyes were very large. They were furry, good climbers, and seemed curious more than upset. They didn’t make any sounds, and were completely silent and invisible until I stopped using my magic.”

Daniel thought for a long moment as the adults stared at him expectantly. It seemed unfair to ask much from a boy who was not yet ten, but they’d come to rely on him for such things.

Slowly, Daniel raised his hands and tentatively projected an image into the air.

“Something like this?” He asked, indicating. “Or more like…”

A second image appeared beside the first. One, Mia recognized. It was an exotic sort of cat someone had given to the princess as a gift from a foreign land. Mia had gotten to pet it when she visited the palace with her aunt in the capital. A four-legged striped creature that could scale any tree in the princess’s garden in seconds.

The other was totally strange to her. Like a small, furry person with arms too long and a haunting face. It was somewhat indistinct, with large eyes and blurred features.

“More like that one, a bit, but lighter in color,” Ford pointed to the odd creature. “And it had fingers, long fingers.”

Daniel nodded slowly, and his brow furrowed. “The drawings of these things were crude, but the legend called them ‘changers’ that could alter their appearance at will. There’s not a lot known about them. I have no idea if they’re dangerous or not.”

“Thank you, Daniel. That was very helpful,” Anaisa nodded gratefully to her son.

“You mean you’re glad I’m on the trip?” He asked, beaming.

“I’ll be glad once we’re all home safe,” She added with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Mia gulped.

“What do we do? Keep going? Try a different way?”

Grandpa straightened his back, with one hand pressing on his spine as he stretched.

“What does your gift tell you, Mia? Are we all right to go this way, or is it safer some other path?”

Closing her eyes, she concentrated intently. Abandoning the ‘quickest’ qualifier, Mia looked for the absolute safest route to reach Uncle Trace.

The pull remained in the same direction. She amended her quest, looking for the fastest way, and it was the same. Perhaps… perhaps it was the only way.

“I don’t think there is another way at all,” She pursed her lips. “Maybe there’s something strange about the forest, or maybe the path is so specific that we can’t go around like we could with the canyons. I… I don’t know.”

“Any idea if we could sneak past them?” Seth looked at Ford, who shook his head.

“With how quick they dove down from the high branches, they’re probably fast enough to find us overnight no matter how near or far we camp… I could keep us all invisible long enough to get past where we saw them, but they would probably catch up as soon as we made any noise to attract them.”

The group lingered in contemplation, and Anaisa cleared her throat.

“I think we will not find out much by staying here. If that’s the only way forward, we go forward. It could be that your brief appearance confused them. If we all move forward in a group, not loud, but not hiding, it should be easier to determine whether they mean us harm or were merely curious… I do think, though, that to be on the safe side we should not forage tonight. If they see us as a threat to whatever food sources they have, that might cause a problem.”

“What if they eat people?” Daniel piped in, and Anaisa frowned at him.

“Then they would have starved long ago, because people don’t usually come here. Creatures that small do not… usually… eat things much larger than they are.”

“They’re changers. They can change both their appearance and their size,” Daniel nodded emphatically. “They could change to be large enough to eat people.”

“Son. I love you very much. Some of the things you say are very helpful, and some are not helpful at all. Would you like more lessons on the difference between those two categories?”

Anaisa’s voice was firm, if a little strained. Mia turned away to hide her grin, and caught Ford’s amused glance.

“No, Mama,” Daniel lowered his head.

“Well now that’s settled… I guess Mia still has to go first since she’s leading,” Grandpa mused.

“I’ll ride next to her,” Her father declared. “It’s not wide enough to ride all in a row, and it’s too vulnerable to ride single file. Two by two should be best.”

Grandpa nodded, and the others murmured agreement. Anaisa insisted on staying beside her son, a dagger concealed in her skirts. Seth was equipped with his hunting bow and a sword.

The two packhorses were tied to Anaisa and Daniel’s saddles, leaving Ford and Grandpa relegated to guarding the rear of the group with more maneuverability. Mia glanced over her shoulder, taking in the formation with nerves fluttering in her belly.

Was this the right thing to do?

Ford’s answering smile gave her the bravery to nudge Harper with her heels. The sooner this was over with, the better.