There was a rustle of leaves as birds were startled by Rae’s shout, but still no sign of Zott.

  Rae kept going. Ahead, he could hear the rushing sound of a mountain torrent. He followed the sound, holding tree branches as he hauled himself up rocky ridges. The ground was dry, and as Rae moved, he was kicking it up until he was coated in a film of dust.

  Rae had grown up playing in these mountains, so he was no stranger to filth. But he had grown used to luxury and leisure as of late, and the feeling of dirt caked onto him made his skin crawl.

  When he crested the ridge, he saw the thin white channel, snaking its way down the mountain. Not far from Rae, the stream had swelled and pooled in an indent in the cliffside. Standing beside that swirling dark pool was Zott.

  “Hey!” Rae’s foot caught on a tree root as he hurried to catch up to Zott, “didn’t you hear me shouting? We’ve been worried about you.”

  Zott’s face was pale, his mouth hanging slightly open, as if he hadn’t expected Rae to find him.

  “No need to be embarrassed. We’re all too tired to tease you anymore, so let’s just go back,”

  “Right, sorry for worrying you,” Zott said when he finally recovered his words.

  Rae smiled at him and gasped when he saw what was overflowing from Zott’s sack. It was stuffed with a dense tangle of medicinal herbs.

  “You’ve been busy! Sebi will be happy when he sees all that!”

  “I could hardly spend the whole afternoon doing nothing, could I?”

  “I was worried you were taking a nap in a tree,” Rae said.

  Zott let out a low, humming chuckle.

  Rae let out the breath he was holding.

  So, he’s not angry after all. Maybe I got upset over nothing.

  He turned back the way he had come, expecting Zott to follow. Instead, his wrist was grabbed, and he was pulled back a step.

  “Let’s not go back yet,” Zott said, “I want to show you something.”

  "You want to show me where you found it all? It's already too late today. We'll come back tomorrow if Sebi needs more,"

  Rae thought he was being reasonable, but he only received a scowl from Zott. To make things worse, the grip on his wrist was like a vice. Rae tried to shake off Zott's hand, to no effect.

  "Will you let go?" Rae said, giving Zott a shove. At last, Zott let go, allowing Rae to dart away.

  He had intended to get out of Zott's reach as quickly as possible so that they could talk like adults. But the rocky ground was dark and slick from the spray of the torrent, and Rae lost his footing.

  Having his skull smashed to pieces while submerged in cold water seemed like it might have been Rae's fate. But before he could fall past the point of no return, Zott had grabbed him again.

  The fear of death had knocked the breath out of Rae, and his legs had folded. Zott was the only thing holding him upright.

  How embarrassing, after I'd just pushed him away, Rae thought.

  The only defence Rae had left was humour, so he meekly said, "My friend, It seems I owe you my life, yet again..."

  Zott sighed, "What that poncy imperial said..."

  There was something odd about Zott's expression, but Rae couldn't put his finger on it.

  "Speak no more of it. He speaks without thinking. I'll make sure he knows not to provoke you anymore," Rae asked.

  "Did he provoke me? What do you think it was that made me leave?" Zott asked.

  Rae was stumped for a moment. Casting his mind back. They had been bickering and teasing each other all day, but the thing that made Zott so angry he had to leave was...

  At that moment, Rae realised he was still in the exact position he had previously been trying to escape from. After Zott had pulled him up after his fall, he had fixed that vice-like grip on both his arms. When Rae realised this, he found strength in his legs again and tried to pull away.

  But Zott, without missing a beat, lifted him over his shoulder.

  "At first, I was angry about how he was disrespecting you. Talking about you like you were some... like you were as loose and frivolous as his people, as master Ven. So, I came out here to clear my head. The air is fresher here, and it helped me think more clearly,"

  Rae tried to kick Zott in the chest and pulled at his hair. But no matter what he did, Zott didn't seem to notice.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "Then I realised what a fool I'd been,"

  Zott had walked with Rae over his shoulder to a place where the winter rains had carved a cave into the cliffside. At this time of year, it was mostly dry, and since it was a place with solid walls on three sides, he put Rae down there.

  With his back up against the wall, all Rae could look at was Zott's face, looking terrifyingly serious. It was then that Rae noticed his eyes. Zott's eyes had always been a striking shade of amber, but somehow, in the verdant forest at twilight, they were tinged slightly green.

  Why are you thinking about that? Now of all times.

  There was only one explanation for how Zott was acting. Whatever peace they had been enjoying for the last few months was coming to a bitter end. And Rae had been cornered by a beast in the forest.

  Rae had a knife on his belt. It was a small, blunt blade, which he had been using to cut the woody stems of mountain herbs a short while before. Rae wasn't sure he had the fortitude to stab Zott with it, but if it were a matter of living or dying, he would try his best.

  Do what you have to do in the moment, and feel your feelings later.

  But before Rae could do anything, Zott's hands were on him again. He stayed the hand that was reaching for the knife, and stroked Rae's face almost tenderly.

  Rae didn't have the time to process that, because next Zott held his chin in place and forced their lips together.

  It was the kiss of a beast. Zott spared no time to allow Rae to adjust to his new reality. Zott tasted him, nibbled on his lips, and pressed their bodies closer together. In the growing dark, Rae had gotten a little chilly, but Zott seemed determined to warm him up.

  By the time he was allowed to take a breath, Rae was shaking with rage. Zott had lost interest in his lips and was now sucking a bruise on his neck.

  "What are you-?!"

  "Come with me. Forget about all of them. I've met someone. Someone powerful. With her on our side, no one will ever bother us again."

  "Forget about them? What are you talking about? There's no one more loyal to the Ashems than you!"

  This whole time, Zott's strange expressions and bizarre behaviour were all made plain. He had met some vile creature of the wilderness and been bewitched by them. Some witch was making him act strangely, just like that cursed girl they'd met on their journey.

  As Zott leaned in for another kiss, Rae knew he had to act fast. Otherwise, whatever evil trick this witch had planned for them would be irreversible.

  But before Rae could think of any response to Zott's insane request, he was being smothered with another kiss.

  Rae thought it was best to acquiesce and use the time when Zott was engrossed in kissing him to plan his next move. So, as the minutes passed, he ignored the velvety heat of Zott's lips, ignored the hands holding his waist, and thought about his options.

  Iova and Sebi knew roughly where he had gone, but they were likely too far away to hear him shout. Rae was smaller than Zott, but he wasn't weak, and he didn't think Zott intended to harm him. Still, he'd rather it didn't come down to a fight.

  In a break in the kisses, Rae put his plan into motion.

  "Wait, a moment! You said you met someone, where did you meet them?"

  Zott stroked his hair, green eyes gleaming, "I met her right here, next to the river," he said.

  "Ah... Does she live in the forest?" Rae hoped that if he feigned interest, he could take advantage of an opening and make a run for it.

  "Hmmm. Not far from here. I'll show you later."

  Like hell you will, Rae thought. He wasn't going to get the green-eyed, lascivious curse put on himself, nor was he going to be cooked into a stew, nor have his bones ground for flour...

  When Zott leaned down again, Rae shyly covered his lips with his fingers.

  "Slow down a moment," he said, "This place is dirty, and I'm feeling quite hot. Do you think I could wash my face before we go any further?"

  Rae punctuated this line with a sly smile and a gesture half between pushing Zott away and nuzzling into his chest.

  "Uh... Of course," Zott said, looking bewildered.

  You sexy, sexy genius, Rae congratulated himself.

  As an extra flourish, he took Zott's hand and led him to the waters' edge. He found a place where the water ran wider and slower, not the thin torrent he had almost fallen into. The ground here was not slick stone, but dark brown earth, soft from the water. He made a show of washing his face and hands.

  "The water feels very nice," Rae said. He rubbed his hands dry on the hem of his tunic and tugged Zott closer to him.

  "Shall we continue?" Rae asked.

  He felt the Zott's weight shift, as if he were about to jump on him again. But before Zott could do anything, Rae hooked a leg behind his and gave him the biggest shove he could manage.

  Zott fell back, and before he could get his bearings, Rae was off. He had been clumsy earlier, but when it really mattered, Rae was a child of the mountains and could move through them like any other beast would. He hurtled downhill, darting between trees and rocks and leaping over springs.

  He couldn't tell if Zott was following him; the rushing in his ears covered up all other sound, and he was still moving at full speed when he saw the clearing where he had agreed to meet the others up ahead.

  Sebi and Iova were waiting there; all the time Rae had spent being kissed silly had made him late. When said saw him sprinting, he stood up.

  It was at that point that Rae slowed down and looked back. He half-expected Zott to pounce on him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “What’s wrong?” Sebi called, running to take his side, “Is something chasing you?”

  “Don’t tell me it’s a bear?” Iova wailed, not far behind.

  In that moment, Rae didn’t want to explain the whole affair, especially not in front of Iova. It seemed like something that should be handled with tact.

  So, he laughed, “Nothing like that, I’m just afraid of the dark.”

  Sebi eyed him, “scared of the dark?”

  “Me too. Me too. And it will be getting very dark very soon. Can we go back now?” Iova asked.

  Sebi accepted this, “We had better hurry. If Zott’s not down there, we’ll have to arrange a search party.”

  Rae nodded vigorously, grateful that Sebi had accepted his stupid lie. It wasn’t like he’d be lying for long. He and Sebi's rooms were next to each other. As soon as they were alone, Rae would tell Sebi the whole story. Well, not the whole story. It would have to be censored slightly, because Sebi was prudish and easily embarrassed. But Rae would explain Zott’s predicament, and they would find a way to bring him home safely.