Chapter Twenty-Five – Taran
Chapter Twenty-Five
Taran
The cult people were easy to identify because they were dressed in green from head to toe. The other wedding guests wore all sorts of colors, from red to pink, blue, grey, and black. They didn’t mingle much. When they found out the bride had arrived, the guests poured into the courtyard and took their places, waiting for the event to begin. They were chatting and drinking too much wine. A few of them got close enough to the tree line that I could hear them talk about Thea and Soren.
I hated that my beautiful flower was the target of gossip.
Then I spotted the most despicable man of all – Soren Sinclair. He was dressed in a deep green suit, which I found odd for a groom. But that only confirmed that he was the leader of the people in green. His hair had more salt in it than pepper, and his eyes were like amber. They reminded me of a wolf. He was talking to another man – short, stout, middle-aged. I recognized him as Bill Everhart, Thea’s father. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to hear what they were saying, so I moved away from the tree line and a little further into the courtyard. I was still quite far away, but luckily, a group of guests emerged from the house and stopped to chat behind Soren and Bill, and the two men noticed and moved away from them, thus coming closer to me.
“My daughter did well, don’t you agree?” Bill said. “She did as she was asked, proving her loyalty and endurance.”
“Indeed, Thea is impressive.”
Bill chuckled awkwardly. “But we already knew that.”
“Of course.”
“Her mother told me she will be ready any minute now.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment,” Soren said.
“As we have all. I just wanted to ask you something, my son-in-law. Can I call you that? You are my son-in-law now.”
“Absolutely. We’re family.”
“Will you give me the file from your editor? Everything he’s found on Matthew?”
Soren hesitated. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his suit pants, cleared his throat, averted his gaze. He looked right at me, and I hoped that wouldn’t make Bill look too. Not that Bill would recognize me. He’d hired me through Harrison. If he looked at me, he would only see a tree. I knew for sure he couldn’t tell the difference between a tree and a leshy. He was notorious for being that ignorant, even though he knew about my species. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Monster Security Agency to find him a leshy.
“The file is safe,” Soren said.
“I would love to have it in my hands,” Bill insisted. “In fact, I would love to have it so I can burn it right now, before Thea comes out.”
“I understand,” Soren said. “You are a loving father. But Thea will never find out, you have my word.”
Bill smacked his lips in annoyance. He tried not to let on how unhappy he was.
“Is the file here?”
“At the resort?” Soren cocked an eyebrow. “No, of course not. Too many people. I wouldn’t take such risks. It’s in the safe, in my office.”
“Oh.”
“See? I took all safety measures. We will go to my office tomorrow, and we will burn it together. You have my word.”
It appeared that Soren Sinclair used that phrase a lot.
Bill had no choice but to nod and smile.
This was ridiculous! What had Matthew Everhart done that warranted this whole circus? The drama, the lies, Thea’s sacrifice... It didn’t look like Bill was happy with the deal he’d made, but Soren was giving him no way out. If he wanted the incriminating file, then the wedding had to happen. And even when Soren had Thea, could Bill be sure he would keep his end of the bargain? It was a risk. In my opinion, not a risk that was worth taking.
In fact, I strongly believed it should’ve never come to this, and whatever Thea’s brother had done, he should’ve been left to deal with the consequences. He wasn’t even at her wedding. I hadn’t spotted him.
Something shifted in the air. The guests quieted down, only murmurs traveling through the small crowd that had gathered in the courtyard. I stood still. The soft summer breeze coursed through my branches, unable to move my leaves. I was a part of nature, but I was nature controlled. I was nature sentient. And right now, I had to stand strong, because Thea emerged from the house, her white wedding dress expansive, the skirt bouncing around her legs as she walked, her long dark hair covered by a white, transparent veil that fell over her face, too.
She looked like a goddess. I’d never seen such beauty in my life, and to know that I’d had her just the night before hurt like an open wound. I’d held her in my branches, caressed her with my leaves, pleasured her with my vines. I had to stand still and strong, because if I didn’t, I would’ve rushed to her and stolen her from these people who didn’t deserve her, taken her away, to a place where no one could reach her and burden her with their selfishness, their entitlement and demands.
The guests took their places, and Soren rushed to stand where the pastor was waiting. Bill went to his daughter, kissed her on both cheeks, then offered her his arm. A song started playing, and I realized what was happening. Bill was walking his daughter down the aisle.
I watched, paralyzed. I wanted to look away, yet I couldn’t. I hoped Thea would gaze my way, offer me one last glance, like I’d asked her to. One last smile. She didn’t. Before I could snap out of my trance, she was standing in front of Soren, and Bill was kissing her cheeks again and patting the groom on the back. The song ended and silence fell. Only the chirping of the birds signaled that no one but the humans cared about what was happening here. The forest didn’t care. Thea was getting married to a man she despised, and nature moved on, and I would soon move on with it.
The pastor started speaking. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, and even if I were within earshot, I didn’t think I’d have been able to register the meaning of his words. Human rituals that made no sense to me. He spoke for a few minutes, then made a gesture towards the groom. Soren stepped closer to Thea and gently pulled her veil back. She looked up at him, into his eyes, and I couldn’t stand to watch anymore.
I had to get out of here before I dug my roots into the ground out of pure desperation, before I gave up and succumbed to the only thing that could make me forget, could make me not feel this pain and rage inside me – slumber.
I turned to leave, and that was when Thea’s voice rang out, high and clear. She spoke loudly, so she would be heard by everyone present, by the forest and the trees.
She spoke so I would hear her. She didn’t look at me, but she knew I was watching. Like I’d promised.
“Before we say our vows, there’s something I would like to share with everyone.”