Ashrain

30. Royal Tragedy

A heavy double-winged door held by a massive wooden bolt divided the corridor from where the group had been told they would find Seonghwa. Yunho wrung it away and let it crash onto the floor before the other three had caught up with him. Impatience and worry sustained the centaur with extra energy. When he shoved open the doors, the dried blood caking his body and disrupting the tattoos on his skin flashed at the beam of brightness that hit it.

The inside of the dungeon was lit by artificial light. It reflected on the ceiling painted like a blue sky with a few casual clouds crossing through.

No walls divided what could be considered a massive cave. While rocks and plants created habitats and corners, the entire room was a vast, heated space.

Hongjoong gawked at the trees growing from the earth where the castle's floor had been removed. Despite only receiving scarce sunlight from tiny windows, they flourished in the same way the darkness-loving plants of San's swamp did. They offered nesting spaces for birds and squirrels, for grey, soft animals that looked like miniature bears, and wildcats that chased them through the treetops.

Hills of green were disrupted by rock formations that were well-liked by lizard creatures and snakes as Hongjoong had never seen them before. Many animals in here were foreign to him, but the wolf sneaking through the right corner on soundless paws or the clumsy bear at the lake fishing for a meal were terrifying acquaintances.

Wooyoung eyed the zoo with the same shock at what type of animals assembled here. The hunter spotted scars of the bear's claws along the dog's back that crawled into a crook nearby. Fur and feathers were cast over the ground in bloody reminders of who the stronger ones were in this hierarchy.

Nature played by the same rules as this room, but nature wasn't encased in four walls. None of the animals Hongjoong identified before they scurried away looked healthy. Their feathers were drooped and dirty, their skin mutilated, and their step wobbly with injuries never healed.

They looked like San. In their shining, glimmering paradise full of food and warmth provided to them, they had become the most depressed of court jesters for the prince's approval.

Hongjoong eyed the lake and how small it was. Several big creatures milled around nearby to claim the water for themselves. It offered little place to swim or hide from the ravenous neighbours.

While the cave spanned far into the earth and dipped into valleys and hills, it was relatively easy to overlook. As Hongjoong stretched his neck to find his centaur, his companions by his sides did the same.

When Mingi swayed in Wooyoung's arm, the hunter reached for him with a warning hiss.

"We shouldn't take him inside; he smells of blood. Go with Yunho and take care. I will stay here with Mingi," Wooyoung said. Upon Hongjoong's worried gaze, Mingi sent him a distorted smile. His pain was apparent in it, but he upheld his facade to ease Hongjoong's guilt.

"Take care," Yunho said with a nod. He reached his hand out for Hongjoong to offer him a place on his back for faster and safer travel. Hongjoong struggled to get up since Yunho was so tall, but stuck to his shoulders a moment later. His body was broader and more muscular under Hongjoong's fingers than Seonghwa's.

Yunho took off and looked around warily if any predator would care for the bloodied duo. An enormous bird on two long legs and a ridiculously long neck eyed them, then it strutted off.

Hongjoong had never seen creatures as wondrous as these. San must have felt the same, but terror overruled the fascination. Too many predators sliced their way through the underwood. Too many vultures and ravens circled through the air in search of a treat.