Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: New territory
Trace opened his eyes. His wife was still in his arms, staring, bewildered, at the space between dreams.

There were only two dreams visible right now, in the middle of the morning, and they had just left one of them. He sagged with relief. It worked. He was a bit surprised Anaisa’s dream orb didn’t pop behind them, since no one occupied it.

“Where are we?” Anaisa asked softly, seemingly afraid to break the silence.

“That’s a bit hard to explain,” Trace frowned. Would she remember this at all, outside her own dream? He’d never done this. Hadn’t known if it would work. Wasn’t sure what might happen.

All he had known was that he couldn’t leave her to suffer in the nightmare she’d been having, and he’d been unable to get rid of it.

Anaisa blinked at him. “Is this a dream?”

He cringed at the question, but she continued talking without him answering.

“It must be a dream.” She mused.

It was awkward standing here, although she did feel very nice in his embrace. She left her arms around his neck and made no move to be released.

“Would you like to see my dreams?” He asked impulsively. They could stay in the void until they both awoke, but for what reason?

Anaisa looked at him strangely, but nodded, and he strode towards the edge of his own world. He debated what to show her first and opted for the rolling fields next to his mountain range. The view was phenomenal.

Reluctantly, he set her down on her feet, and she looked around curiously. Her lips parted in awe as she took in the purple mountains, mist huddling around the bases of each. She scanned the horizon, and warmth filled Trace as he watched her expression change subtly as she took in each of the details of his world.

In the far distance, an ocean was visible, sparkling in the sunlight.

“It’s beautiful,” She whispered. “Where are we?”

“The central plains. What do you want to see? The mountains, the ocean, castles, stars, desert, tundra…” He paused as she absorbed what he was saying. “I can make anything you want here.”

“There was so much pain,” Her face contorted at the memory, distracted from his words. “How did you take it away?”

“I took you away,” He explained, hoping that it worked the same way as visiting other dreams himself. Would he be able to make sure she woke up when he did?

“Why is it so clear here?” She bent down to touch the earth, and he shrugged, unsure of how to begin explaining.

“My dreams have always been like this.” He told her.

“But I’m dreaming,” She walked away from him, “I… something went wrong.”

“You were poisoned.” Trace’s tone went sour. “How do you feel?”

“How should I feel?” She tilted her head, confused. “I don’t want to think about that. Show me something beautiful.”

Grinning, he took Anaisa’s hand and pulled her swiftly through the fields. A wind kicked up at their backs and lifted their feet from the ground. Anaisa squealed in fright. From the waves of green grass rose two creatures of Trace’s imagination, a matching pair.

Peacock feathers as soft as a kitten’s fur covered the bodies of these two winged beasts. Their heads were those of wolves, with sharp eyes and smiling mouths. Their bodies were elongated and dragonlike in shape, whizzing into their air with delighted mischief.

One rose to carry Trace, the other Anaisa. She gasped and held tight, looking mystified and fearful at the same time.

He watched her, mesmerized at the way the blue-green feathers of his creation offset her wild auburn hair. She looked more beautiful than ever before flying higher into the sky towards his hand-carved mountain range.

Since the time in dreams was unpredictable, there were nights he’d spent the equivalent of an entire lifetime here in this world. Other than the fact that there were no other people here, this place was more his home than anywhere else he’d ever known.

“What are these?” Anaisa finally gathered herself enough to yell to him.

“I call them Pepper and Pippa,” He replied easily.

“But what are they?” His wife shook her head, and he simply grinned wider and urged them forward. Anaisa squealed again as the pair raced through the clouds to the highest mountain peak.

Trace jumped down, and without thinking, offered a hand up to Anaisa as Pippa landed. She stared at him a moment, and suddenly he was transported back to that first morning of their marriage. She’d rejected the gesture then.

Their eyes met, and held. Slowly, She extended her hand until their fingers touched. The atmosphere around them noticeably warmed, despite no intentional effort on Trace’s part.

She hopped down and looked around as their mounts took to the sky once more, winding and playing with each other as they soared through the clouds.

“This is… beyond words.” Anaisa stared across his world in all directions. The sea, the snow, the sky, and everything else Trace had ever imagined lay open for her to see.

It felt vulnerable to show her everything his soul had built. Like a direct view into his heart, every dream he’d ever made at her feet.

“If you think this is great, you should see the stars,” He teased to break the tension.

“May I? Can we stay that long?” She turned to him eagerly. The light in her eyes nudged a part of him that he hadn’t known existed, and his stomach tightened.

“We can stay as long as you keep dreaming,” He assured her.

“I’ve never made such a beautiful dream before,” She looked at the horizon again, and he didn’t correct her. It was a difficult thing to understand that they were in his dream, not hers. “But I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re always in my best dreams.”

“Am I?” Trace’s mouth went dry. “Truly?”

“You should remember,” She shook her head. “You once told me you remember all your dreams, but since you’re part of my dream now, I suppose that doesn’t hold.”

“Anaisa,” He said slowly, drawing her gaze. “I need you to understand, that… I’m not part of your dream. I’m real. I’m here.”