Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 170

Chapter 170: The tree
Anaisa’s footsteps became lighter as she noticed the glow up ahead. She had not prepared herself for this much of a hike, but it seemed they were almost to their destination!

The trail curved upward, and suddenly a sort of hill in the middle of the room loomed before the couple.

Anaisa gasped.

The tree was much more beautiful than she had imagined, even based on Trace’s dream recreation.

Its golden branches stretched upward like the wings of a bird, holding delicate precious stones far larger than she would have thought could occur naturally.

Of course, this magic tree was far more than natural.

Trace paused, looking at it carefully, seeming to take in the details of its construction. Was he planning on recreating it again? To what purpose?

But that wasn’t the question looming most in her mind.

“Should I take one?” She whispered.

“One of the stones?” Trace turned to her. “I do not know the danger involved.”

“Did Sanders not tell you? Not show you what would happen?” She questioned.

“He showed me what happened to your cousin, but I don’t know if that’s what happens for everyone,” He looked at her carefully. “Do you want magic?”

“I don’t know,” She shook her head. “Not really. I want to be useful, of course, and if I got some power to help defeat Barnabas and restore the kingdom, that would be amazing…”

She hesitated, and Trace continued. “But…?”

“But it doesn’t feel quite right, does it? I’ve always thought magic was something you were born with, or not. To take it for myself when it wasn’t given to me,” Anaisa paused. “I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“I’m happy with you exactly as you are,” Trace smiled, “and, honestly, I’m pretty relieved you’re not coveting magic or power. I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to, especially given the situation that we face ahead, but I love you. Right now. Not for who you could be or might be, but who you are.”

Anaisa’s heart warmed at his words.

“I do wonder, though,” He asked with a slight frown, “Why you wanted to come looking for the tree if you didn’t want magic?”

“I thought I might feel differently, once I saw it. That maybe the tree would speak to me or something, and tell me I should do it… which sounds awfully silly, but of course it is a magical tree, so why shouldn’t it be able to speak?”

Trace chuckled and drew his wife into a hug.

“If you did decide to get a power someday,” He posited, “What would you hope for?”

“I have no idea,” She shrugged. “I know that no two magic users are exactly alike. I wouldn’t have a clue what to expect. Although… I think the power to make other people smarter would be something incredibly useful, don’t you? I could help someone think of the perfect way to fix the kingdom, or prevent people from making terrible fashion choices–”

“Two equally important applications of such a gift,” Trace teased, pulling back and looking into her face.

“But then again, I might accidentally make you smart enough to leave me and find someone better,” She joked back. “And I would hate that.”

“Could never happen,” He promised. “Making me smarter could only make me appreciate you more.”

Anaisa grinned and looked at the tree again, conflicted.

“Would it be possible to bring one back up and decide later, or give it to someone else?” She asked.

“In the vision Sanders showed me, the jewel crumbled immediately upon being pulled from the tree. That’s why I suspect the count wanted Deborah, to experiment with making them last longer.” He reminded her.

“Hm.” Anaisa sighed. “It’s too bad she’s not with us now… I hope she and little Ewan are all right.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. But come on, there’s no sense staying down here if we’re not going to make use of the tree. Let’s go see if Martin is able to let us out yet,” Trace encouraged.

Anaisa nodded, but lingered a moment. It was unspeakably beautiful.

“Please don’t give anyone else who’s evil any powers from now on,” She pled with the glowing plant. “Our kingdom is in danger, and… I don’t know if you can take powers back once you give them, but if you’re able to, we would appreciate it.”

She gave the tree a deep curtsy, and Trace looked at her oddly.

“You think it can understand you?” He asked.

“If it can’t, I’ve not hurt anything,” Anaisa shrugged. “If it can… well, I hope it helps us.”

“Fair enough,” Trace seemed amused, and Anaisa took his arm as he began to escort her back down to the base of the hill. A faint tinkling made her look over her shoulder. She could have sworn the tree moved, as if nudged by a gentle breeze, but that was ridiculous.

Wasn’t it?

“Trace, before we leave… did you want to try one more time, to see how powerful you are, right here beside the tree?” Anaisa asked.

“Oh,” He blinked, “Sure, I suppose.”

He held out his hand, and a steamed bun appeared in it. He jumped, startled, but Anaisa took it from his grasp.

“It’s still warm,” She stared at him a moment. “So… right here, your Dream Walking powers are so great, that you can make reality into your dream?”

“That’s terrifying,” Trace frowned. “Let’s go, quickly.”

“But–”

“No. I don’t like it.” He said firmly. “It’s not all right. Dreams are dreams, and what’s real is real. If I start messing with reality, what does being real mean anymore? I won’t do it.”

Anaisa clenched one fist, watching her husband’s face contort with emotion. She didn’t fully understand why he was upset by this, but after a moment, she simply nodded.

“All right, then, let’s go.” She dropped the steamed bun and reached for his hand. It rolled down to the bottom of the hill as Trace watched it.

His jaw clenched, and he pulled his wife away from the tree.