Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 445

Chapter 445: Invisible problems
Ford froze.

He had no way to communicate with Martin, or Grandpa. With all three of them invisible, Denholm probably didn’t even know which man he had pinned.

Light fell across Denholm’s crazed face, and he spoke again.

“Do it. Drop the invisibility.” Denholm demanded, pressing the knife downward and meeting some invisible resistance.

Ford could tackle Denholm, but he wasn’t sure how they would land and whether he would wind up injuring or killing Martin in the process.

So he complied.

Martin… was standing at the far end of the curtain, holding it aside with a wide-eyed look on his face as blood reached the edge of his boot.

Grandpa’s blood.

Denholm was straddling the older man, knife to his chest, wounds across Grandpa’s body.

The crazed former nobleman looked around wildly until he found Ford.

“Ha! Thought it was you, and you’d gotten feeble. Ah well, this is just as good.”

Ford’s blood ran cold in his veins.

“Let him go.” He gritted out. “Now.”

“And lose my leverage? Not a bit. I don’t know why exactly we’ve been summoned up, but I have my guesses. I would also venture to say none of you would lose a bit of sleep over something bad happening to me, and I refuse to be a sacrificial lamb to that monster.”

“What exactly do you want to happen now that you’ve got a man at the edge of a knife, and two staring you down?” Martin asked logically. Denholm shot him a deadly glare.

“I expect the two of you to go up and distract the monster while I run away, that’s what. Ford can make me invisible while I go; I’m sure his range is more than adequate here. I leave, you two stay and keep me from getting caught. Simple as that.”

“No,” Grandpa’s whisper was strained, and Ford wished he could see the exact nature of the man’s wounds. “No, don’t.”

“Do anything else and the old man dies.” Denholm warned. “Make me invisible. Now. Then once you go up and start distracting the Emperor, I’ll make my escape.”

Ford’s gaze was fixed on Grandpa. The man’s eyes were serious as they pleaded with Ford not to comply. To sacrifice his life or try something else.

“And don’t even think about hitting me with a rock,” Denholm threw over his shoulder to Martin. “I’ll make sure to give him a mortal wound if you try.”

“I’m just waiting,” Martin said calmly. “I didn’t choose to come here. Along for the ride, really.”

Ford swallowed, then nodded at Denholm and began to back away slowly, hands lifted to show he had no weapon.

“Let him go. We need him to help distract the Emperor,” Ford tried to sound convincing, but Denholm shook his head.

“I’m not an idiot. My hostage stays with me until I’m safely away. Go now, and make both myself and him invisible.” Denholm snarled.

Ford grimaced at his weak attempt to negotiate. He wasn’t good at this. Fear for Grandpa’s life filled him. Hopelessness for what would happen without the older man. Grandpa was more important to Ford than any other man in the world. A mentor, guide, friend.

The old man couldn’t be allowed to die, but Ford was helpless to save him… except by compliance, for now.

He came out from behind the curtain as Martin emerged from the far side. They exchanged a heavy glance before walking towards the bed.

With his magic, Ford cloaked Denholm and Grandpa, knowing that Denholm could just slaughter the older man and run, but being too petrified to think of any plan that might prevent it.

Up the stairs Ford and Martin went, until they stepped onto the almost-empty bed. The Emperor’s harsh gaze landed on them. They walked slowly towards the edge where Anaisa and Prince Ben stood.

“Others?” One of the smaller wights pointed to the pair of men.

“Grandpa and Denholm… are not with us, um, as you can see,” Ford stuttered. “They should be joining us shortly, but can we find out what this is about first? We couldn’t hear very well.”

Was stalling enough? The Emperor’s eyes were fixed on him, not on the place they had emerged from.

“Everyone who got their powers directly from the tree is going to give up their magic as a token of the good will of humanity to engage in a treaty,” Anaisa explained.

“Right… right now?” Ford shot a look at Martin. If Denholm was revealed, what would he do?

“Cease,” The Emperor’s voice boomed as he pointed to Ford.

Cease?

“Are you using your magic right now? I think he wants you to stop,” Anaisa explained quickly. “The others… I know you want to hide them, but I’m sure they’ll be all right…”

Her voice wavered slightly, but Ford shook his head.

“It’s not that–”

“Stop,” The wight nearest to him waved a ghostly arm, and Ford felt the outflow of magic from him grind to a halt.

Ford froze, and his eyes darted involuntarily towards the door.

Where two men moved haltingly, one with a knife against his neck.

Denholm immediately noticed he was visible and shot a silent glare up towards the bed.

“What—” Anaisa’s question couldn’t quite leave her lips.

“Stop,” One of the wights commanded, apparently on behalf of the Emperor.

Denholm snarled and swept the blade across Grandpa’s throat, abandoning his heavily bleeding hostage and sprinting for the door.

“NO!” Ford screamed as Grandpa fell to his knees, one hand coming up to try to stem the red liquid’s flow.

The scream wasn’t alone. Mia ran out from under the dresser where she was hidden and threw herself at Grandpa.

The old man was already unconscious.

Ford would have thrown himself from the bed to the floor, but for Martin grabbing his arm and yanking him backward to keep him from falling to serious injury or worse from the fall.

The Emperor took three enormous steps. Kneeling, he swept up Grandpa and Mia and brought them back to the bed, ignoring the fleeing villain.

“He’s getting away!” Ford screamed, pointing.

The Emperor darted a harsh look at him, silencing Ford’s exclamation, and put the two humans down on the bed to stare at them.

Grandpa was in poor shape. Pale from blood loss, his breathing was shallow.

“Can you help him? Heal him?” Anaisa was desperately asking one of the wights. The being shook its head slowly, and she turned to the Emperor. “Surely you, who create such beings from your dreams and make them reality, surely you can heal him! Please!”

The Emperor stared with an unreadable expression, and refused to answer.