Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 361

Chapter 361: Dream a little dream of me
Mia was talking quietly with her grandfather to pass the time until the rain stopped. She sat next to Ford, having taken his hand quietly after he fell asleep.

To help replenish her magic more quickly, of course. Not just to assure herself that he was all right.

Who was she fooling, anymore? Herself? Barely.

Her father and grandfather? Unlikely.

Her aunt? Absolutely not at all, judging from Anaisa’s knowing glances.

Maybe Daniel. If she were lucky.

But holding Ford’s hand did give her the comfort she needed right now. When she looked for the monsters, they were almost directly overhead, which either meant that the humans were now very close to the top of the cliff, or the monsters had chosen to lurk on a shelf directly above them.

Would the heavy creatures, gathered in one place, prove too much for the chalky stone to support?

Probably not under normal circumstances, but the absolute deluge of rain could destabilize and erode the ground quickly.

Ford twitched in his sleep, and mumbled. She hadn’t noticed him doing that before, not that she’d spent a particular lot of time watching him like this.

And yet, he’d spent a fair bit of time staying awake beside her, holding her hand. She wondered if he found it boring, or awkward.

If he did, he didn’t let it show… and he wasn’t terribly good at keeping his emotional mask in place anymore when she prodded him.

He mumbled again, seeming distressed, and she pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen across his eyes.

Such dark hair, and dark lashes that framed dark eyes, now closed in rest.

She was a little jealous, really, of his eyelashes. So long and thick, they almost seemed too much for a man.

When they suddenly swept open, Mia gasped along with Ford. He bolted to a sitting position and looked around wildly.

“What was that??” He cried, seeming rather disoriented. Mia held fast to his hand when he seemed about to rip it away from her and act rashly. The horses shifted, unnerved by the sudden declaration.

“It’s all right, you’re fine, we’re all here,” Mia assured him in soothing tones. “You must have had a nightmare.”

“No! I mean, yes!” He wiped one hand down his face. “Remember… I have to remember…”

Anaisa’s eyes narrowed. “Remember what, Ford?”

“The dream, it wasn’t a dream. I mean it was, the storm was a dream.” His words confused Mia immensely.

“There is a storm, it’s not a dream,” Grandpa’s eyes darted to the rain that was beginning to subside.

“The storm was a dream,” Ford’s eyebrows drew together. “The monsters were after the magic, and Trace–”

“Trace was in your dream?” Anaisa held out a hand, urging everyone but Ford to be silent. Mia pressed her lips together.

“He said the storm is magic, a dream of the Wight Emperor, I have to remember it…” Ford paused. “He said Martin’s alive. We have to find Martin. The wights found him and threw him out.”

“You said Martin died,” Mia tried not to let any accusation creep into her tone, but his words were rather bizarre.

“Trace said to find him. He didn’t answer my questions, it was like he wasn’t there. Like he was reciting a letter. He said he didn’t know who the dream would find,” Ford squeezed his eyes shut tightly, as if trying to hold on to escaping images and words.

“Didn’t know who the dream would find? That’s new,” Grandpa frowned. “He’s always picked whose dreams to go into before. This could be a fluke.”

“If I dreamed about him, it would be a fluke,” Anaisa tossed the suggestion aside lightly. “I know him so well that I could create a version of him in my mind almost good enough to fool even myself, but Ford? There’s no reason for him to have this dream. It has to be Trace.”

“He’s a prisoner,” Ford swallowed, opening his eyes. “He says he loves you.”

Mia watched Anaisa gift him with a brief smile, “Thank you, Ford. Anything else?”

“Something… an army?” Ford shook his head. “I’m not sure. I can’t… I’m sorry. He told me to remember, but I can’t.”

“You’ve done very, very well to give us this much,” Anaisa assured him, though her eyes were serious. Mia could tell the woman’s thoughts were racing with the information. Mia felt a dullard in comparison to her aunt’s cleverness.

“I’m sorry. If I’d known, I would have let it come to you,” Ford said.

“Should one of us try to nap? See if it repeats? If he can reach another one of us?”

The question came from Seth.

“Listen,” Grandpa looked towards the doorway. “I think the storm’s over.”

The light had steadied, and brightened. The water was no longer a solid sheet like before, and the thunder had faded to a distant rumble every now and again.

“I’m going to try to sleep anyway,” Anaisa grabbed her bedroll and spread it out, laying down on the pale surface of the floor.

“Can you fall asleep at a time like this? Won’t you be too anxious?” Mia asked softly, and Anaisa made a face.

“You’re right. Someone knock me out, please.”

“Absolutely not,” Grandpa frowned deeply. “Whether or not Trace can get another message out, we now have evidence he’s alive, and some knowledge about what’s happening. I think the first order of business is to try to follow the instructions he gave, and try to find Martin.”

“But what if it’s a trap? What if the dream wasn’t from Trace at all?” Seth glanced at Ford with his eyebrows drawn. “Dreams are tricky things. Trace has always been able to handle them, but not the rest of us.”

Mia worried about the army Ford mentioned. Were they going to face an army upon their arrival? Was her guidance taking them to their inevitable deaths?

“Do you think the dream was genuine, Ford?” She asked him after a moment.

“I’ve never had one like it,” He shook his head. “The closest would be that dream I had that one night…”

He paused, and Mia understood, nodding. “Then I think it’s genuine. I think we should look for Martin.”