Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 350

Chapter 350: A bit of water
Mia rifled through her pack. She hadn’t thought her saddlebags carried any of the healing water, but after the first day climbing the cliffs, they had rebalanced and reorganized the saddlebags to make things easier on the horses that were having trouble ascending–

“HERE!” She cried a little louder than she meant to. She drew the marked canteen from Harper’s bag and turned.

To her horror, Ford was now lying unconscious, almost as pale as the white slate on which he lay.

“No,” The breathy whisper preceded her rush to his side by the barest second. “Ford, Ford wake up.”

She pulled his head to her lap, with her father’s help, and tried to rouse him. His eyes slit open, and she smiled desperately.

“You need to drink this,” Seth pulled the canteen from his daughter’s quivering hands and uncorked it, urging Ford to take a sip of the water.

“I’m fine,” The younger man grumped after he swallowed. “I told you.”

“You are very much not fine!” Mia exclaimed with irritation, “but now you will be, soon.”

Ford shot her an annoyed look which made her more relieved than anything else could have, but then his eyes widened as he seemed to realize that his head was in her lap… and her father was next to them.

“Oh!” Ford shot to a sitting position so fast that he swayed, and scooted away from Mia. “Seth, I didn’t–I wouldn’t–”

He sputtered to a stop and Mia was torn between laughing in relief and wanting to hit her father for how much he seemed to be pressing into Ford’s discomfort.

Seth’s serious look might fool the younger man, but his daughter knew how to spot the spark of amusement in his gaze.

“Ford, we need to have a talk,” Seth’s voice was steady, and the amusement disappeared. Mia narrowed her eyes at him.

“Right now?” Ford grimaced, bringing one hand up to his head for a moment, then moving to stand. Mia helped him despite thinking it unwise, and Seth rose as well.

The three people stood in a loose circle staring at one another with varying expressions. Mia kept tabs on the monster with her magic, just in case it should move again. If it came directly at them, she might not notice, but its movements so far seemed to not follow such a pattern.

“Papa, he’s exhausted and hurt,” Mia warned, but Seth held up his hand.

“I’m fine,” Ford flinched as if he felt silly repeating the same phrase over and over.

“Ford…” Seth looked at him seriously. “On the other side of the pool, I watched you react when the monster was coming. You pulled Mia away, and threw yourself between her and danger. Once again, just now, you let go of her, ready to let her escape at grave risk to yourself,”

“I should have just dropped the reins and run with her, made sure she got to the other side,” Ford shook his head. His logic in the moment had not been ideal.

“Nevertheless,” Seth continued. “I wanted to say thank you. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“Sir?”

Mia glanced at her father with mild surprise. She didn’t want to assume he was so quickly changing his mind about Ford, but it sounded as if he might be considering it.

“A calculating man can fool others for a long while, but in those times where thought flees and one must simply act, you get a clearer picture of what a person values,” Seth stared at Mia for a moment, and she moved forward to hug him.

“I’m ok, Papa,” She assured him.

“I know,” He squeezed her before turning towards the far side. “Before it gets dark, we need to decide what to do for tonight…”

Mia pursed her lips in thought, staring across the water.

“Do you want me to bring them a message?” Ford’s eyes were also distant. “Try to bring one more person across before nightfall?”

“Do you have that in you?” Seth asked, frowning.

“I believe so, but I can re-evaluate as needed,” Ford took a deep breath. “In fact, about the horses. We lost one because it panicked, but that could have resulted in Mia, Harper, and I being eaten as well.”

“What do you propose?” Seth looked at him frankly, and Mia clasped her hands together in worry. She doubted Ford was about to suggest something that was any less dangerous for himself.

“I could, by myself, bring the horses across one at a time. If a horse panics, I can let it loose and flee. But the horses that can remain calm should make it across with less splashing, leaving it less likely to attract the creature’s notice.”

“So you’re making it safer for everyone else and more dangerous for yourself,” Mia stood up a little taller as she confirmed her suspicions, but Ford shrugged.

“I’ll make more trips, but use less magic each trip. In fact, at the end, I could probably bring over Grandpa, Anaisa, and Daniel in one trip, since there would be no large horses to shield.” Ford finished his summary and looked to the others for confirmation.

Seth stroked his chin, appearing deep in thought.

“There are four more horses on that side. How long will it take to make that many trips?”

Ford looked up at the sun, sinking lower in the sky.

“Night makes no difference to me. I can keep going until I run out of magic. I can do at least two more, if they go smoothly, before the sun sets. Maybe three, if I can perfect the system we have going.”

Mia suppressed the protest rising in her throat. She didn’t like Ford exposing himself to so much risk. Looking around, she evaluated the wide, flat shelf they now stood on. The ramplike structure was neared to the rising side of the cliff, but the pool extended a way towards the dripping edge.

“I can help throw things,” She volunteered. “Give me a few minutes to break off some pieces, and I’ll make sure it stays far away from you.”

“I’ll make my way across while you do that,” Ford told her. “It’s never come after me, it’s the horses that are the issue.”

“If this doesn’t work, Ford,” Seth put in, “Do not carry on. Three horses and six people is a bit of a challenge for travel, but I much prefer it to the worst alternative. Don’t be afraid to leave the animals behind to make their way back to the forest if needed.”

“Wait,” Mia said as Ford turned to go. She lurched forward and threw her arms around his waist, heedless of her father’s watchful eyes. “Thank you. Be safe.”

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS