Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 381
Chapter 381: Mountain stroll
Mia glared at her father, but she wasn’t going to back down. What if Martin’s path diverged from where they needed to go?
No, she was determined to make sure everything went smoothly, and that included scouting the path ahead with Ford.
“Mia, would you like to help me check the supplies? Now that we have an extra person we might need to adjust how we do meals,” Seth invited.
“I can help, Mia should rest after all she’s been through,” Anaisa put in, looking up from Daniel. She seemed to belatedly realize Seth’s real purpose in the statement, judging from her wince and soft, “Oh.”
“Thank you, Aunt Annie,” Mia put in before the redheaded woman could withdraw her offer. “I think I would like to stretch my legs a little.”
Her father pursed his lips, and Grandpa clicked his tongue. Whether that was disapproval or not was anyone’s guess.
“I’ll be safe,” She smiled. “I’ll stick close to Ford so he can hide me if needed.”
Being around Martin wasn’t her idea of a good time, but she still didn’t trust the man. What if he hurt Ford? Tried to push him off a cliff or something?
The possibility was extremely remote, given that the man had saved Ford’s life in a collapse before, but even so, Mia found it in herself to justify her presence in the scouting party for this and other reasons. Her gift would double check Martin’s sense of direction anyway.
Ford was looking at her with one of his less readable expressions. His dark eyes were… concerned, she thought. Yes, that seemed to be the most likely emotion.
He turned and walked after Martin without a word of invitation or rebuke, and Mia resisted the urge to stick out her tongue childishly at him. Martin was headed around the bend of the mountain, along a rocky ledge that was just wide enough for two or three horses to ride abreast.
Wider than some of the chalky shelves they’d climbed on the way here. Nothing to be concerned about.
She took a few double-steps to catch up to the men’s longer strides, wondering why they were in such a hurry!
It didn’t matter that much, really, so long as they explored and got back within a time frame that would be useful for the group. Maybe she should start searching for the best, safest place to make camp for the night?
Having Martin along would mean a potential extra person for watch, but it would also likely revive the use of tents. That, and the cold.
It was one thing around Ford, but Mia wasn’t willing to sleep in plain sight around the former kidnapper.
She frowned. Ford wouldn’t be able to easily hold her hand if they used tents again, so she wasn’t in for a good night’s rest. That was a disappointing prospect after he was allowed to be so near her in the rock formation they’d stayed in the night before.
As they got around the corner and began traversing the area, Ford reached back, his fingers outstretched, without looking over his shoulder.
Mia allowed herself a small grin as she reached forward and slipped her hand into his. It was likely still a utilitarian gesture, so that he could hide her quickly and keep track of her if need be, as well as keep her magic from draining.
Ignoring that explanation, Mia pretended to herself that it was far more. A simple gesture of affection. She enjoyed that thought more than she ought to, especially now that her father was out of sight and Martin was hurrying ahead without looking back.
It was almost like they were on a walk, alone. Just a couple, holding hands for a brisk stroll on a chilly mountain afternoon. The overcast clouds didn’t quite match the brightness in Mia’s heart, and though she could see her breath, she was much more interested in watching Ford.
“If you get tired, we can head back,” Ford told her. “Martin can fend for himself easily enough; he doesn’t need me.”
“Will he run off and leave us all to ourselves?” She wondered despite herself. He’d said he would help guide them to the wights’ home, but that didn’t mean that he was necessarily a man of his word.
“I really don’t think so,” Ford told her, casting her a sidelong glance. “There was no reason for him to come up and talk to us, let alone stay with us and head back this direction, if he doesn’t intend to help.”
Mia considered that for a moment. Martin hadn’t tried to run off with their supplies, or her horse. He was on foot now, and had even left his pack with her family. No, it was unlikely he would try anything at this point.
She felt a little guilty about suspecting ill of him, but she couldn’t quite help it. Her memories of him were strong, and dark.
“Did you hear that?” Ford stopped, pulling on her hand.
“Hear what?” She dropped her voice to a whisper and strained her ears to the wind.
It had picked up here, in the absence of the trees. The clouds seemed to have descended, cutting off her view of the surrounding sky. She couldn’t see the ground below, nor very far around her anymore. Martin was nowhere to be found.
They were silent for several long seconds. Ford’s hand tightened around hers, and Mia held her breath. Then, she heard it. The wind wasn’t just the sound of the wind, it contained the beat of wings. Large wings.
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Desperately, she looked for the source of the sound, and the pull drew her eyes straight out from the rock face, into the foggy cloud cover surrounding the area.
Purple. Hadn’t Martin said the evil birds were purple and red? The world around them was simply a mass of grey. The pull was scattered–changing directions sharply with each new sound. There must be several…
Just as she thought she might be able to make out a shape from the fog, a yank on her arm nearly threw her off the side of the mountain.
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