Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 347

Chapter 347: Take two
Ford was agitated. The pressure of getting Seth across safely had been heavy, but now Mia!

Not only was she more important to the mission of rescuing Trace, but she was… Mia.

He didn’t know how else to describe it. Since the moment Denholm had once struck her, he’d felt an urge to protect her that only grew stronger over time. He’d suppressed it for as long as he could. With her father and grandfather around to look after her, it hadn’t been too overwhelming.

Until now.

He was about to step with her into a pool of water containing something that could kill her with one snap of its jaws, and eat her in two bites. For himself, he’d been nervous. With Mia, he was nearly terrified.

What if his magic gave out? What if she tripped, and he couldn’t find her without seeing where she was? What if one of the horses panicked and ran over her?

He eyed Harper, who looked at him innocently. He glared back as if the animal could understand the silent command to behave. Mia would probably think Harper could.

“All right,” Anaisa said, having broken off several chunks of the drip-shaped formations along the cliff wall. She hefted one in her hand, feeling its weight. “I’ll throw these for distraction, but also as weapons, if needed.”

“You expect throwing those to injure that scaled behemoth?” Ford asked skeptically, then cringed at the disrespectful tone the words took on. Anaisa smiled slightly, unoffended.

“Not at all, but as long as I can make it chase what it can see instead of what it can’t, we’re doing well, aren’t we?”

“If you say so,” Ford conceded, still uncertain.

Mia secured her jacket around Harper’s eyes, and Grandpa used a blanket on one of the pack horses for Ford to lead over.

“Ready?” The old man asked.

Mia and Ford took their places next to each other, holding the reins of their respective horses. He wasn’t as familiar with this animal, and hoped it would obey as well as Storm had.

To blindly follow was no easy thing for a person, and these horses outweighed him several times over.

If they really wanted to pull free and bolt, they would be able to do so.

“Wait an extra five seconds before urging the horses over this time,” Ford requested of Grandpa, eyeing Mia. “I think the skirts might slow down the ability to climb over and make way as quickly.”

He offered the information as diplomatically as he could, but Mia’s face flamed.

“It’s a split skirt,” She said, though he already knew that. “I won’t slow you down.”

“Worry more about moving carefully than swiftly,” Ford warned. “Tripping is far worse than being slow.”

“All right,” She agreed.

“In fact,” Ford concentrated carefully. “I think this time I can wait to make the horses invisible until we’re ready for them to jump.”

The monster didn’t seem particularly interested in anything that was not directly in the water. The animals shouldn’t be in danger standing next to the edge.

These were the kinds of things he should be considering. Like mining, he should plan his moves carefully instead of just plowing forward with what seemed best in the moment. The timing of the horses’ jumps had been blessedly smooth with Seth, but that might not be the case without better preparation.

His eagerness to get everyone across as quickly as he could should not overrule prudence.

Grandpa nodded his approval of the revised plan, and Ford tried to calm himself. He’d crossed back and forth twice now. He could do it again. This was just like before.

He purposefully positioned Mia closer to the cliff side of the pond, determined to keep her hidden with his body even if his magic failed. He couldn’t do any less.

“Ready?” She whispered.

Ford held out his hand. It was more difficult to make it over the edge this way, but he would rather make sure she was with him the whole time than chance her being left behind.

She took it with a smile, and he made them both vanish. She gave his hand a squeeze of support now that no one could see, and he smiled in spite of his trepidation.

Time to go.

The pair made their way to the edge, and Ford carefully lifted one leg, then the other, over the side, then used his hand to help Mia balance as she did the same. Reins in their other hands, the pair walked as far out into the water as the leads would allow, carefully moving their feet along the soft white floor of the pool.

Now came the tricky part.

Ford glanced over his shoulder. Grandpa was standing between the blinded horses this time, hands in position and ready to encourage them to jump up and over the lip of the pool.

Ford made them disappear.

Several things happened in rapid succession. Anaisa threw one of her white rocks as hard as she could to the opposite side of the water, Daniel made the chimera reappear as if it were walking out from behind a blind corner, Grandpa urged the horses forward, and Ford and Mia pulled on their reins.

He had no time to process which parts of the system were working properly. As long as the reins were in his hand, Mia held his other, and they remained invisible, there was nothing else he could focus on.

Eyes trained on the ramp at the far edge, he urged both Mia and the pack horse forward at a steady pace, trying not to go so quickly in his anxiety that he caused too much of a ruckus. Given that he hadn’t been eaten yet, things seemed to be going rather well.

The destination seemed an eternity away as he moved through the clear water. He held Mia’s hand tighter, and pulled on the reins a little more firmly.

A firm jerk in reaction made him realize the pack horse was beginning to panic, to shy away as it likely sensed the movement in the water. The ripples of its bucking lapped against his back, though he could not hear anything from it.

Just then, Mia’s arm yanked him from the other side.