Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 391

Chapter 391: Onward
Ford squinted as they left the tunnel. The air here held a chill so deep that he struggled not to shiver. The wind seemed to cut through his coat like a knife.

Mia stepped closer beside him, and he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm to keep it a little warmer. With no gloves, he wouldn’t be able to keep her fingers from freezing.

Around them, as far as he could see, was snow. White, icy, frigid snow.

It was bright here not because of the sun, but because of the sheer reflection of what light there was onto the white landscape. It hurt his eyes after being in the dark all day. What time of day was it?

The thick clouds, pushed by the insistent wind, gave little hint as to what the sky above them held.

“How long until nightfall?” Anaisa was the first to speak, looking around at their surroundings. “Should we make camp inside the tunnel, out of the wind?”

“I can make us a little shelter wherever we wind up,” Martin shrugged. “As long as you don’t have any demands on making it too fancy.”

“Onward, then, I suppose,” The woman decided, pulling her coat more firmly closed around her. The others also shifted their garments, pulling collars up around their ears, or otherwise trying to shield as much of their skin as possible from the cold.

Ford examined Mia’s coat, hoping it was warm enough for her. She’d layered her clothing today; with the wind snatching at her skirts, he could spy her riding garments underneath. He was glad for that.

Still, her lips quivered, and he worried.

“Do you need anything?” He asked, pressing his arm against his side to pull her a little closer to what heat and shelter he could provide. She shook her head, and he sighed.

The troop marched on, Martin in the lead. Ford watched Mia more carefully than usual, and noticed the pattern of her eyes. They were mostly locked ahead, but would occasionally dart suddenly to one side or another, or her head would tilt, with no discernable catalyst for the changes.

“What are you doing?” He asked as the day began to fade. The packs they bore were heavy, and perhaps she was getting too fatigued.

“Experimenting,” She said, almost too quietly for him to hear, and he frowned. Was she going to exhaust her powers again? He supposed it was less of a concern than it had been before, since right now Martin was leading the way.

Ford was vastly curious about the nature of Mia’s experiments, but he kept his questions to himself for now. It was taxing to talk too much in the wind, having to raise his voice enough to be heard, but not so loud that everyone would hear him, or something nearby would.

Perhaps Mia was watching for danger?

He looked around them. The wind kicked up enough snow from the ground to limit visibility. There was nothing within his sight… but then again, there had been nothing with the birds until they had been almost upon the group.

“If I need to act–” He leaned down to speak into Mia’s ear, and she turned to look at him.

Their faces were very close, but the situation right now wasn’t exactly romantic. Besides, he’d promised Seth to concentrate on the quest to rescue Trace, not Mia’s lips…

“I’ll let you know,” She told him seriously. “I think we’re ok for now.”

Ford nodded and stood up straighter again. How much longer until they could stop for the day?

Eventually, Martin stretched his muscles and approached the side of the mountain they were walking along. With a wave of his hand, the rock began to move.

It groaned and changed, clearing out a space within it big enough for the people, and cleverly designed to be least visible from the outside.

Ford had to wonder how much practice Martin had put into making these before, and how much magic it drained from him at a time.

Then again, he’d made a larger one yesterday for the horses. It must not be too terrible a burden or he wouldn’t suggest it.

The women huddled inside, and Ford left Mia behind to gather firewood with Grandpa. The forest around them was mature, and it wasn’t long before they had enough to last the night… although the frozen, snowy wood wasn’t exactly ideal for burning.

Still, it would be better than nothing.

The women cooked a meal, and everyone began to arrange their bedrolls without much interaction; the men on one side of the fire, women on the other.

Ford and Mia were far enough apart to give him some anxiety. He was cold, very cold, and decided to sit up to stoke the fire until the cave became more hospitable to the humans.

Mia fell immediately to sleep, probably exhausted by the journey. Like he had the night before, Ford waited for Martin’s snores to move to hold Mia’s hand.

There was no particular reason to minimize the appearance of their relationship in front of Martin. He probably suspected by now that Mia had magic, even if they hadn’t told him outright.

And weren’t they trusting him to take them to Trace?

Still, though, it was Mia’s information to tell or keep to herself, and so far she had chosen not to tell her former kidnapper about her abilities. Maybe to test him, see if he really was leading them to Trace or into a trap.

Mia wasn’t that paranoid, he corrected himself. Or at least, she hadn’t been before Ford’s influence in her life. She’d been utterly innocent and trusting, up until the point that Denholm had revealed himself and turned on them.

He smiled softly down at her face in the firelight as the wind howled outside. He was very glad that he’d met her back when she thought so well of everyone so easily. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure if he could have found a place in her affections.

Now that he had one, he intended to keep it.