Dämmerlicht und Herzeleid

35. Scattered Feathers

For the first time since entering the caves of the titans, Seonghwa felt properly cold. He shivered when he leaned into Mingi's embrace, but the demon's gentle nuzzling into his neck couldn't calm him.

Yeosang and Jongho tried to contact the rock and mushrooms of their surroundings and Seonghwa's warriors searched the ground of the cave for traces of the gryphon-born. Mulberry had taken Yunho with him, so it was just Buddy who remained. He was bewildered by the uproar after their initial peace and whimpered before Seonghwa's feet.

Countless horrid scenarios played in Seonghwa's mind. Of how the orcs dragged Wooyoung away to torment him and use him as a hostage to gain access to Seonghwa. Of Wooyoung foolishly flying out there by himself only to get mauled by an oversized beast and left to bleed out in the forest while the others slumbered.

So much dread and suffering. Seonghwa wouldn't stop trembling.

Had it been Hongjoong, Seonghwa would have been worried, but he would have trusted the sorcerer to use his wit and grit to persist. But Wooyoung was Seonghwa's precious youngest, and he hated being by himself.

"Your Majesty? We found feathers," a voice called from below, startling Seonghwa from his panic yet also stiffening his back. When he scrambled for the ledge, he didn't care about his unruly appearance. Mingi hovered by his side in silent support as Seonghwa peered down at the soldiers.

"Feathers?" Seonghwa whispered, choked up by horror and the head of his guard lifted a fistful of them in the elf's direction.

Wooyoung didn't lose that many feathers at once, not even in distress. They must have ripped from him involuntarily.

Stifling his gasp in his hand, Seonghwa slumped to the ground. He felt faint, and he couldn't continue sitting there in wait, no matter the foreign territory and the promise to meet Crius. Perhaps it was best to ask for help from the titans. They would know where danger lurked in their lands.

Mingi winced when Seonghwa's soul screeched in dissonance. Jongho also felt it, and they rushed to tend to the overwhelmed elf.

Everything was too much. The pressure, the lack of information, the disappointed looks from Hongjoong. Seonghwa wanted to pass out; he craved some silence in his head so badly.

Wooyoung was hurt. No matter how minor or how personal the struggle, he was hurt. And he was alone, somewhere out there. Without Seonghwa.

Seonghwa gasped for air when his lungs forgot to breathe. He was quivering all over and Yeosang's voice reached him as if through a thick fog. He felt the heat of Mingi's palms cradling him and it was overwhelming.

A coarse scream threatened to burst over his lips. Dark spots danced before Seonghwa's eyes and he needed to get away, needed all of them to leave him some space.

But he loved them too dearly to yell at them. So Seonghwa hung in Mingi's arm instead as his insides twisted and Yeosang ran worried fingers through his hair.

And then: a ray of hope.

"Wooyoung!" Yeosang's voice cut through Seonghwa's head like a gleaming blade. It divided the fog, and the elf surged up, eyes wide open. He frightened Mingi, but the demon kept Seonghwa in his lap, cautious in the cradle of his hands around his fragile body.

Mulberry sailed into the cave on steady wings. Yunho throned on his back and, in his arms, he cradled the worn figure of their gryphon-born. Though Yunho's expression was stormy, he was relieved to see the others.

Seonghwa only had eyes for Wooyoung. He hung in his saddle pitifully, not so cheeky and boasting as Seonghwa was used to from him. A wing angled sadly to the side without any tension, and as they drew closer, Seonghwa spotted some nicks and gashes that stood out red against his skin.