Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 194

Chapter 194: Not a problem
“Stop him? Of course. As to the magic, that’s not a problem,” Sanders waved his hand dismissively.

“What?” Anaisa turned to stare at the man. “What do you mean?”

He seemed to weigh his answer, fingers tapping idly on his chin. “How do I explain this? Long have I watched. Many years, every night I have seen magic users. Doing good, doing ill, being self-serving, or remaining somewhat absent from my vision by neglecting to use the powers given to them for the good of the world.”

His eyes cut to Trace, who frowned. Anaisa wondered at it, but she didn’t ask. Something in Sanders’ voice was beginning to bother her.

“Your powers, for example, Trace. How many years did you ignore their use to others? You could have been comforting the afflicted, giving hope to the poor and downtrodden, spying on the enemies and criminals of the kingdom to assure the safety of others… and yet, you chose to play in your own world. You did nothing until I revealed your existence to that vile man, and he made you do something.”

Trace remained silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing at the accusations laid against him.

“I did not realize those things were within my capabilities.” He finally answered.

“Ah, but I did. Yet, I respected your privacy and wish to remain in obscurity until I had no choice. So many magic users squander their powers. So many use them for personal, selfish gain. I suppose you not using them at all around others was preferable, in a sense. But is the unwillingness to do good so much better than the intent to do evil?” Sanders closed his eyes and turned away for a moment.

“Are you all right?” Anaisa took a step towards him.

“Knowledge is power, but it is also a burden,” He looked up and around the room, apparently staring at things only he could see.

“Shared burdens are lessened,” Trace put one hand on Anaisa’s arm. “If you would like to talk about it, we are here.”

“I see it all, and I know what could be. I look at these people, and their talents, wasted and squandered, and I see what the world could be if they only used them correctly. Knew their full potential. Used it properly. But will they?? Of course not! They will continue to be royal pets. All I could do was see, but now?” Sanders looked down at his hands.

“Now, what?” Anaisa held her breath. The man, who had been so cordial and clever, looked as if he were about to release something he’d tamped down for many years. Kept to himself in the deepest part of his heart.

“You of course don’t know the tree’s origin, but do you know what it does?” Sanders glanced back at it. “What it truly does?”

“Tell us,” Trace encouraged, though he tugged on his wife’s arm, trying to shift her to stand slightly behind him. She could feel that he was tense, but didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“The tree is the source of magic for mankind, stolen long ago. Its roots are deep in the earth, in the water supply, which is why most magic users can trace their lineage back to this region. Being near the tree intensifies power, but it also takes it a level higher. You, for instance, Trace. The description of your power changes when you step onto this hill. You are no longer Dream Walker, but Dream Maker. You step from a participant, a manipulator, to a creator. You treat this as something terrifying, when it could be great. There is so much in you that you ignore… The doctor, at least, is embracing his potential. From indirectly brewing to directly healing, he has a passion for others, unlike so many magic users.”

Sanders pushed both hands through his hair, looking as if he wanted to pull it from his head.

“What about for you?” Anaisa sensed he was on the brink of a mental breach, and wanted him to share the burden of his knowledge before he broke under it. She could barely absorb all the information he was giving them. The tree was stolen? What did he mean? And the powers…

“Do you know what the step above knowledge is?” He tilted his head, his eyes unfocused as he gazed at some window into the unseen.

Trace glanced at Anaisa nervously. “Prediction?”

“Control. I’ve told you over and over, knowledge is power, Trace. Haven’t you learned yet?” Sanders seemed frustrated. “Of course not. No one else understands. No one else knows what I know, sees what I see. You are all, so, so, limited. So small.”

“Help us understand,” Anaisa responded softly.

“You, dear child, have no hope of understanding. When offered the gift of magic, you rejected it! And why? Why would you reject an offering which would allow you to help your fellow man? To serve the world? An abhorrent choice, and a foolish one.” Sanders sneered.

“I don’t regret it,” The woman’s jaw tensed.

“Of course you don’t,” Sanders’ voice grew in volume, capturing the attention of the others. Emily moved closer to put her hand on his arm, and he calmed momentarily, placing one of his hands over his sister’s. “You have no idea, no conception of the burden of knowing things because you know nothing.”

“Sanders!” Emily cried in surprise.

Anaisa felt as if she’d been struck. She’d come to respect Sanders quite a bit, and so this dressing down was almost on par with the demeaning lectures she’d so often gotten from her father.

“Control,” Sanders sighed after a moment. “The step above knowledge, is control. Before now, I have had knowledge of every magic user, and what they are using their magic for. And now… I can control it.”

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again they were a strange, unnatural, icy white. He fixed them on Trace who suddenly gasped. He let go of Anaisa as a steamed bun, identical to the one he’d conjured here before, appeared in his hand. He dropped it.

Sanders rolled his eyes. “Still afraid of your own powers. Rest assured, I cannot control you, only your magic. Unlike that fiend, Oakdown, your body remains free to do what it will. But from now on… all the powers of every magic user in the world are mine to control.”