The Wizard's Misery The Chronicles of the Midlands Book One

Chapter Thirty Nine

Brandon and Haverty had been riding down Ferry Loop Road for a couple of hours and about half way to the Western Ferry Dock, they past a carriage that was speeding along and whose driver had the hood of his cloak pulled up to stave off the chill of the evening air. "He's in quite a hurry, Sir," Haverty commented as they heard him speed away behind them.

"Sure was," Brandon replied. "I guess most folks traveling at night like to get to their destinations quickly. Just like us," he said as they sped down the road heading southeast to Halfaway. "We should get there around eight o'clock in the morning and we'll go straight to her house to make sure she's alright," he said worriedly.

"Okay,Sir," Haverty replied. "Hopefully, they won't have found her yet."

The cold night wore on and in spite of the fact that he hadn't slept, Brandon was keyed up with anxiety as he rode his swift steed down the cobblestone highway. "It's a good thing I invest in good horses for the couriers because many couldn't take traveling such distance sat this speed. I know we're pushing them but this is an emergency. I hope we get there in time!" he thought as he felt his mount straining beneath him. "Unfortunately, we'll have to slow down a bit and give them a break soon," he knew as he pushed his horse to the utmost of its ability.

"Let's slow down a bit and give them a break," he told Haverty as he reined in a little. "We don't want two dead horses before we get there."

They traveled at the slower pace for a while and he knew that he was going to have to stop at the Western Ferry Dock to give the horses a break since the trip was a long one and they'd been pressing them hard for several hours. He regretted having to do it but he had no choice or they wouldn't be able to go the entire distance.

The Western Ferry Dock came into view and Brandon turned his horse into the meadow across from it with Haverty following behind him. They dismounted, letting the horses rest while he took out his water skin, drinking some and then handing it to Haverty. 

"It's a good thing that Jack Rushing used to be a palace guard. Hopefully, the two of them will be able to fend off whoever comes after her," Brandon said as he felt distressed over the necessary delay. "I should've known that it was her! Why else would her hair have changed so dramatically?" he chastised himself for the hundredth time since the realization had hit him.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sir," Haverty said as he watched him. "Even the Little Miss herself didn't realize it."

"I'm just worried that once the wizards find out that the anti-magic has been imbued in a person that they'll try to kill her. When the anti-magic was contained in an inanimate object they couldn't destroy it. But, now that it's in a person, it's a whole different matter," Brandon explained worriedly.

"Let's try to stay positive, Sir" Haverty said. "The wizards don't know yet and we still have time to get to her before that happens. If they take her, we can always use one of those devices to find her and get her back."

"Damn! We left in a such a hurry that I didn't think about it! I could've asked Timmy to get one just in case we needed it!" Brandon chided himself again. "This is why we need a courier office in Halfaway!"

Not knowing what to say, Haverty remained quiet and the two of them waited in silence until they could leave again.

Once they were back on the road, they traveled in quietude and after a while it began to get light with morning approaching as they sped along. Soon, they could see the sun rising over the horizon and they knew that they were almost there. "Just a little longer and I'll know if she's okay," Brandon thought, too anxious to even realize how tired he was.

Finally, Halfaway came into view and they hurried towards it and when they arrived at the cross roads, they headed towards the dirt track which lead to the Rushing farm. The sun had fully risen and it was quarter past seven when at last they reached her home. As soon as they neared the house, Celine's Pa came out onto the porch having heard them coming and Brandon and Haverty quickly dismounted, realizing that they were too late when they saw the look on his face.