Page 2 of The Botanist and the Beast

With every step he took over roots and across the pine needle dusted floor, his anticipation grew. He could find his destination with his eyes closed. There was an invisible constant pull in his chest that guided him to it for years. All year round he heard a call, but in the spring the call became a scream.

Five miles deep in the trees, Theo finally arrived.

In the middle of the forest was across a wall of fog so dense there was no seeing through it. The white cloud stretched endlessly upward toward the sky and slowly flowed downward like a waterfall of honey.

Theo grabbed his bow and arrows off the cart, strapped them to his back, took a breath, and stepped into the white.

The fog vibrated against his cart, making it rattle. The clouds had a light salty taste as if they rolled in off some mysteriouscoast. The air was thin as if he was climbing a mountain too rapidly. Just as the burn in his lungs was unbearable, the fog dissipated. There were no more pine trees, but trees flush with bright flowers, ripe fruits, and rich, green leaves.

The moon in the veil was always full and always hung low. Theo swore if he reached far enough, he could pluck it from the stars and pocket its pale light for later. The low heartbeat of the veil thumped in sync with Theo's heart, and all his muscles relaxed among it in a way they never did in the marketplace.

Despite it being comforting, Theo knew better than to let his guard down. Nearly everything in the veil could make humans violently ill or send them to the grave if not handled with care.

A manchineel tree up ahead oozed toxic golden sap and poison ivy sprawled out across the forest floor. The soft winds rustled the white and pink petals of the lethal oleander and foxgloves.

On top of that, every living thing, toxic or not, was enchanted. The ivy crawled slowly over Theo's boots like caterpillars, yellow and white daffodils chimed like little bells as he walked past them, and the songbirds that flitted overhead giggled between their songs as if the spirits of lost children were tucked between their rainbow feathers.

The veil was beauty and death in an endless embrace.

And Theo loved it.

Chapter Two

After a short walk, he parked the cart and walked onward until he came to a gravestone. It read Ophelia and Cyrus Rhodes in blocky script. Theo had carved each letter himself one painful night, and he could see his youth in the uneven letters. White roses sprouted up out of the earth at the grave site and glowed as if the light of the moon was pouring out of their petals.

"Hey Mom. Hey Dad. Hope you're resting easy," he said, sitting down in front of them. "The girls are good. You'd be so proud of them. Coralie is still interested in fish these days. She came home with a koi fish somehow. So now, she has a pet. Luna, as you know, always has her head in the clouds. She reads endless books on astronomy and she's always reading the stars for people. I'm hoping to send them off to school or an apprenticeship somewhere so they can learn more." He paused and thought of the lack of money he made today. "It'll be costly but. I'll figure it out, though. I always do. I can always get back into working parties again."

A sharp snap rang out and he bolted upright. There was a menacing growl and with his bow in hand, he pressed his back to the tombstone. Fearful that his glowing skin may draw too much attention, he sank down and went still, hoping to be mistaken as a large bioluminescent plant among the white flowers. He didn't blink or breathe. Creatures of the veil were the reason his parents were buried six feet deep beneath his feet, so he knew better than to draw their attention.

The brush rustled and then a massive crocodile came lumbering through the forest. Its menacing teeth were stained with rich red blood. Theo had seen pictures of crocodiles in books but, like most living things that dwelled here, this one had unique features that made it clear it was a creature of the veil. Its scales weren't the typical color that mimicked murky waters but a rich indigo with a spray of little white dots like the starry sky above. Its massive tail it dragged along crushed the plants.

Thankfully it didn't stop its journey and passed by Theo in search of water to slither into. After a few minutes, Theo got up, said his goodbyes to his parents, and headed off deeper into the veil.

He approached a break in the trees. There was a small pond surrounded by bushes on all sides. He pulled his notebook off the cart and flipped a few pages to a sketch of a rose bush with pastel blue blooms and pearly white leaves. The page next to it had a list of rumored requirements he gathered over the years.

Bathed in moonlight at night, near a water source. Checkandcheck. No other roses for five miles. Check. Birds with blue feathers nest in its proximity and other blue flowers will grow nearby.He scanned the area carefully and perked up when he saw graceful blue herons with cerulean feathers and glittery silver beaks like a fishing lure nesting on the water's edge.Another check.Bit more exploring and he found cornflowers with baby blue petals swaying in the warm foggy air. And check.This place is hospitable at the very least. Hopefully it's here.

Meticulously he walked around the pond and examined every bush. Unfortunately, only green leaves greeted him, and there wasn't a bone white leaf to be found. He knew there were no guarantees, but it still stung a little when it felt right in reach.

Refusing to waste the night, he took his shovel in hand and dug up some new flowers and some he knew sold well. White yarrow, light purple opium poppies that emitted a thin wispof smoke into the sky, enchanted camellias with gorgeous pink blooms that glowed and made good night lights for anxious children, and dark green cattails that ignited when smacked hard enough against a palm. He dug through the night then heard leaves rustling. He paused, wondering if the crocodile had circled back. Then he felt eyes on him somewhere in the dark.

He gripped his shovel and searched for a predator coming to the water's edge to drink, but there were only herons stalking through the water. He was going to brush it off as the forest playing tricks on him, but then he heard a small laugh.

"Hello?" He spun around and lifted his shovel up like a bat. His heart pounded in his ears. "Anyone out there?"

In his periphery someone passed by, disappearing into the trees, and his blood ran cold. His eyes darted around the space.Whoever they were, they were gone or hiding. Theo's mind drifted to tales of vicious fae, trickster sprites, and angry centaurs. "I saw you. Whoever you are, stay away from me."

No one answered, but the forest rumbled. Normally he was disappointed when this happened but now, he was relieved. He had no interest in meeting who or whatever was watching him.

Theo grabbed a cattail he collected and smacked his hand. It ignited in orange flames, and he quickly burned a small circle around his cart and waited in the center. The rumble of the veil grew louder until it came from all sides.

A flurry of blossoms and dust swirled around him and then the fog came rolling towards him. It rushed past, making his clothes flutter as if he stood near a stampede of horses. His flaming cattail and burning circle were snuffed out. The lake, the full moon, the birds, and the magical flowers were gone. In their place were the quiet pines, the pale blue sky hinting at the rising sun, and a fading crescent moon.

Theo looked over his shoulder as the fog rushed back into the dark as if being ripped away by the hand of some invisible god.The roar faded into the distance, and Theo was left in silence. The only proof he had been in the veil at all was his heavy cart full of shimmering, enchanted plants.

He lugged the cart out of the woods and up the back road. With every step, there was a part of him that yearned to turn and chase the fog into the trees, but he had responsibilities here in Quinlan, so he forced himself not to look back.

Chapter Three

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