Page 4 of The Botanist and the Beast

"Girls, enough," he said, firmly giving a look that made them both fall quiet. He turned back to Mrs. Fallon. "I want one hundred thousand gold, and you wipe the debt I owe you clean. We'll stop in Red Brook which is to the east before nightfall and avoid the veil rolling in, then leave at dawn again. That means I'll be entering Beaumont at night the second day if we travel fast. She'll get there and have to run straight to the ball for her proposal, but she'll make it. I'll only do it under these conditions. Do we have a deal?"

"Done," Mrs. Fallon said, shaking his hand firmly. "I'll deliver half the gold when I drop off Adora in the hour. You get the rest when you return, and she's made it safely."

As she left, for the briefest of moments, in the dim lighting of their house, Theo swore he saw a green smudge glowing on the nape of her neck. Before he could ponder it very long, his sisters' voices filled the room.

"What are you thinking?" Coralie yelled. "This is reckless and all for Adora? She won't even be grateful."

"I don't need gratefulness; I need the money.” He shook his head. “You two don't want to live here forever and you shouldn't. I know whispers about what I do wear on you both. How often did you come home from school bruised because you got in a fight over their words? I want to see you both living your lives and pursuing your passions, but to do that, we need money."

Luna looked up as if she could see the stars through the ceiling. "The stars suggest a difficult journey if you do this. I think you should stay."

"Our lives have never been easy. I can handle a difficult journey."

"And if we lose you again?" Coralie's voice cracked this time and revealed the fear hiding under the rage. "What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"

"When we got separated before, what did I promise?" he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"That you'd come back for us," Luna mumbled as Coralie looked away in frustration.

"And I did. I will always come back for you girls, don't worry." He rubbed Coralie's head. "Besides, you are both grown now. You need to start being independent. So, watch the house for a few days. Water the plants, don't let the dishes pile up, and I'll be back before you can blink."

Chapter Four

Adora's cart waited out front in the early morning light. "I'm going to stay behind a few days to sell these off in the city, so I won't be back right away," Theo said as he heaved up a crate full of flowers. "Don't panic when I don't immediately return. I'll come back in a week, alright?"

"You have enough arrows?" Luna asked. "Bullets won't work in the veil if things go wrong."

"Yep, more than enough," he said, nodding to his full quiver already loaded on the cart. "And I got my knife on my waist."

"Be wary of people on your journey," Luna said, looking up at the sky. "The stars aren't hostile, but they aren't peaceful either."

"Yes, yes. I will be very wary," he said with a sigh. Luna had already told him this multiple times as he got ready.

"Theo, you about ready?" Adora called excitedly. She had pale skin and brown hair that hung in loose curls under a summer hat. Her little buttercup yellow dress fluttered slightly in the light spring breeze as she waved to the girls. "I want to get going."

Coralie hugged him tight and spoke in a quiet voice. "Keep your promise."

"Always do," he said, squeezing her back and then Luna. "You put the gold away in the safe and tell no one about it. I love you both."

With that, he hopped on the cart, waved goodbye, and headed off into the western forest down a dusty road.

They rocked along for a few hours not talking much. The only sound was the clop of the chestnut-colored mustang's hooves, Adora turning pages in her book, and the ambient noise of the woods as the sun slowly made its way across the sky.

"You need me to hold the reins?" Adora offered, snapping her book closed. "You can rest if you need to."

"No, it's fine. We'll be in the next city soon. I'll sleep when we get there. You doing okay over there? I know this isn't the most entertaining ride."

"I have my book. Here, have some water." She leaned back and passed him her canteen. "Be honest with me, do you really believe the stories of a nightly fog that takes you to another world?" she asked as she watched him drink.

"Of course, I believe. It's real," Theo said simply. He went to take a gulp, and a canary shot out of the thick trees towards him. It flitted around aggressively and startled him so much he nearly dropped the water all together. Luckily, he held on to it.

He took another swig and passed it back. "You know, that's where I get my enchanted plants." He knew where this was going. People always were in one of two groups. Most were fearful believers of the veil who were disgusted that he walked in it willingly. Then there was a small, loud minority of skeptics. They felt superior for not believing and assumed those who claimed to go in were con men. Adora and her father were clearly the latter.

"Please, I know you only say that and crossbreed them. I'm not judging. It's good business. I don't understand how so many people believe in this silly myth is true." She scoffed. "If it's real, then why have so few people seen it when it lurks in our forest every night?"

"It's five miles deep and, on top of that, most humans struggle to see it."

"Struggle to see it?" she frowned. "That sounds like an excuse."

---