Herald of Vengeance

The Wedding

"I can't tell you that, bro". Zeid stepped on the gas, he was not going to have that conversation.

This infuriated Hermes who was more than desperate to witness the said wedding. He still could not believe the story he heard from Zeid. He had to talk to Haisley, he had to listen to her side of the mystery.

"Where will the wedding be held?" He asked again, his voice resoundingly brutal. He was losing his cool and Zeid could feel it.

Ever since Zeid told Hermes of Haisley's betrayal, he had noticed a change of spirit in his friend. Something felt off about him, and not just for that moment, it really seemed that the last three years had changed a whole lot about Hermes.

He had always been the boy with the great musclular features, same as Zeid, but now Hermes seemed to have added a little more detail to his resume.

His gaze was much more tense now, his demeanour was much colder, and his anger was so real that a person would not like to be on his bad note. Despite this however, Zeid was not ready to disclose any information about Adams and Haisley's wedding.

"I already told you man. I can't tell you nothing". Zeid refused once more.

Hermes could only fume in anger as he landed a blow on the airbag of the innocent car.

"What are you gonna do anyway?" Zeid continued, "Walk in there and just say 'I am Hermes, herald of the gods! I am here to claim my bride, hand her to me!' Is that it?"

Hermes let out a scoff, and rubbed his hand continuously around the golden ring in his finger. A awful lot was going on in his mind, a lot that Zeid would not understand.

"And then you'll get toppled over your ass again by the Bradburys. Then you spend another three years in jail, maybe one more. And by the time you're out again, Haisley would be pregnant with a second. Is that what you want?"

Zeid blurted loudly as he made another turn into the popular streets of Twillightoria. "All I'm saying is, these people are way off, bro. They got name, they got money. You shouldn't cause more trouble with them, or they'll step you over. You are no match for them".

"I, was no match for them". Hermes corrected as he pulled out a cell phone. "But I am very different now. You have no idea, I might as well be the herald of the gods".

With that, he dialed a number and flung the phone up to his ear.

"Tiger?" A voice called from the other end, scarcely audible.

"Yes, Dan. I need you to gather info on the Bradburys. I heard their son is getting married today. I wanna know where the damn thing is taking place. It is urgent!"

"No problem". The voice said abruptly and the call ended afterwards.

"Who was that?" Zeid asked, stealing a glance at Hermes' log. There was no reply, just a suspicious smile and a continuous caress of the beautiful ring. And just after a few seconds, Hermes received a text from that same number.

"Covenant Downtown? That's just a little drive from here right?" Hermes quizzed as he read the content of the message.

"How..?" Zeid could not find the words. He could not wrap his brain around what had just happened. That was so fast! Whoever it was that Hermes had contacted, they had a big drone in the air. "Who was that? Even the cops can not be so quick!"

Hermes kept back the cell phone in its place. "I told you I'm not the same as before. Do you understand now? Now, do me a favour and get me to Covenant Downtown. It's all I ask".

After thinking for a moment, Zeid sighed at last. "Okay then, I hope you know what you are doing".

Pulling around a road bend, the car turned in the opposite direction and made a right turn, then it set in the direction of the place where the wedding was taking place.

Apart from the fact that they were never invited in the first place, the two were specially late to the celebration.

As the car pulled up at a space which was not dedicated to parking cars, Hermes flew out of the vehicle. As he hurried his legs in the direction of the open edifice, he hoped that everything Zeid had said was a lie.

Sprinting with a reckless speed, he found himself among the wedding guests in no time.

He didn't need to look for the couple, over there on the high altar were the two familiar figures, standing oppositely and smiling lovingly at each other.

Just as the thought of them being together was unlikely, their image together looked rather strange and shocking to Hermes who was petrified as he watched them exchange vows. It was inconceivable to imagine that Haisley would one day walk up an altar with the man she so despised. It just did not make sense altogether.

Had she been forced to do this? Hermes knew that Derek Bradbury would do anything to achieve whatever it was that he desired, but there was Haisley, looking so happy to be his bride at that moment.

"Do you, Haisley Midwinter, swear to accept this man as your legally wedded husband till the day death do you apart?"

"Yes, I do!"

"You may kiss her." Barely had the words being said when the two locked lips and sealed their vows.

Hermes felt like the whole world had just turned upside down, mixing reality with nightmares.

As he became increasingly furious, his eyes caught the pleasant sight of a bottle of wine hiding behind the suit of a guest.

In a swift swerve of arms, he reached for the beautiful thing and projected it into the air. It flew straight onto the altar in the direction of the new couples. Landing with a smashy noise just a few millimetres away from the head of Derek Bradbury, the bottled dropped into shreds, creating an instant ruckus in the place of the existing merriment.

"Oh my God!"

"What was that?! Who the hell did that?"

"I think it was that man!"

"Who is he? Is he crazy?"

"Why would he do that?!"

Everyone was in shock of his action, but not everyone knew who he was. Those who knew him however were in greater shock when they recognised him.

"Isn't that?!"

"Hermes Henshaw?!"

"I thought he went to prison?!"

"What is he doing here?"

Derek Bradbury himself had turned around in fury to get a glimpse of the culprit. At first, it was hard to single him out among the large gathering. But when people started to drift away from Hermes, he was left isolated in the middle of the crowd, his eyes glaring daggers as they met with those of Derek.

"You!" Derek muttered in astonishment.

"Hermes?!" Haisley's sweet voice rang in Hermes' ears and attempted to unlock his heart again, but not today.

"Get him!" Derek screamed at his guards who stood ready at the corners of the room.

As the men came running towards him, the crowd panicked and moved away even further from Hermes. In a matter of seconds, he was completely surrounded.

Seeing that Hermes had been surrounded, Haisley laughed mirthlessly. "Has it been three years already? It is sad how time flies".

"I know, my dear". Derek added, "I also wished he would rot in that hole forever!"