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“That’s fair,” he said solemnly. “I’ve heard you sing. That might be too cruel a punishment even for him.”
I burst out laughing, jostling Cethlen, who hissed like a feral cat as I reached over to give Lonan’s shoulder a gentle shove. “How dare you?”
“So these are the two great kings who are supposed to bring a new age for the Folk,” Cethlen spat from between us. “Nothing but a pair of foolish delinquents who come into the forest and drug themselves with magic mushrooms.”
“Oh, shut up, Cethlen.” Lonan rolled his eyes, fighting off laughter as he glanced over at me.
“Yeah, aren’t you a barrel of laughs,” I deadpanned. “Jesus. Chill the fuck out.”
“I am bound and being led through the fucking forest by two giggling fools,” Cethlen seethed through clenched teeth.
Lonan and I looked at each other in silence. When I started spluttering with laughter, he did too.
Thankfully, Cethlen went quiet for a while after that, seething with silent fury as we made our way deeper into the forest. I thought I saw two trees having a chat at one point, their branches moving like arms as they gestured animatedly. When I pointed them out to Lonan, he just laughed and reached over to give my earlobe a gentle pinch. But then he said he could see dancing frogs lined up along the edge of a stream we were passing.
“Shit, look at that,” I breathed a few minutes later, wandering towards a school of pale pink fish that were swimming between the trees, their little mouths opening into ovals to swallow bugs out of the air. “Lonan, look.”
When I turned to urge him over, he was crouched beside a tree and peering into a hole at the base of its trunk. Snorting, I asked, “What are you doing?”
“There are tiny people in there.”
“Shit, no way.” I started ambling over, then stopped abruptly. “Wait.”
Looking around, I tried not to get distracted by the thick strands of long black hair dangling from the branches above us, even though it looked really soft. When I spotted Cethlen stumbling away in a mad dash, hands still tied behind his back, I gasped dramatically.
“He’s getting away!”
“Who?” Lonan’s head popped up as I took off after him.
Cethlen’s shoulder clipped a tree trunk, sending him spinning a second before I rugby tackled him to the ground. He thudded onto his belly with a pained grunt, then immediately started squirming.
“Get off me, dog,” he snarled, fingers wriggling against the front of my shirt.
“Impressive,” Lonan commented as he made his way over.
I grinned up at him, pressing a knee into Cethlen’s back to keep him pinned. “I played rugby in secondary school.”
“I remember.” Lonan leaned down to thread his fingers through my hair, a sly grin stretching his mouth. “I remember seeing you come home covered in mud and wearing that uniform. Very small shorts.”
I laughed into the kiss he planted on my mouth, reaching up to curl my fingers into his shirt. When his tongue swept against mine, I shivered and broke the kiss to give him a stern look. “We can’t get distracted again.”
He made a face, but reached down to help me haul Cethlen to his feet. “No, you’re right. Come on, Cethlen,” he added cheerfully. “Almost there. Well, maybe.”
“Where are you taking me?” Cethlen snarled, dead leaves and dirt clinging to his face and shirt when we picked him up.
I tutted. “We’re not going to ruin the surprise.”
“I’m getting hungry,” Lonan said absently as we started walking again.
I snorted, smiling over at him with affection. “You’re always hungry.”
“Maybe he does need to take the mushrooms as well.” He peered around. “We’ve been walking for a while and nothing.”
“I mean, maybe. We could—There!” Cethlen jumped at my loud outburst. I pointed at the tendrils of thick black mist creeping between the trees up ahead. “I know you didn’t see the talking trees, but you see that, right?”
“Yes, I see it.” Lonan patted Cethlen’s shoulder. “Almost there.”
“I hope you both rot in the afterlife for the damned when Ankou drags you there,” he snarled. “You’re animals.”
