Prince of Flour

29. In Need for Answers

The dining hall was in shambles when Seonghwa and Hongjoong arrived back to it.

The chandelier had crashed onto the table, diamonds were strewn glintingly all over the floor. It was dark except for the faint light shining from the now opened doors, casting grotesque shadows on the scene. The chairs had been thrown around carelessly, a window was broken and the heavy curtains sliced to shreds.

It looked like a whole bomb had exploded in here or something and Seonghwa was looking around with big eyes, making out two dark clad figures on the floor. They were lying very, very still.

"Captain?"

Seonghwa would deny his violent flinch at that, just how Hongjoong would deny immediately pulling the other closer protectively by his waist.

It was a meek voice, calling from the darker corners of the room and Hongjoong stepped in without further hesitation, still only holding that single dagger of his that was easy to hide within his clothes.

"Wooyoung? Is it you? Or San?"

Seonghwa trusted Hongjoong as he closed up to whoever was hiding in the corner, he himself instead stepping closer to the two still bodies on the floor that were surrounded by a pool of dark liquid. He was slow when he crouched next to them, constantly expecting them to lunge at him.

"It's Wooyoung. San is here too but he is unconscious."

Hongjoong gave a sigh and then rustling was hear when he was getting those two. Seonghwa carefully turned around the bodies on the floor, deciding that they were indeed very dead.

He forced down the bile rising in his throat again, staring at Yeosang's beautiful face covered with blood and Yunho's eyes wide open in forever frozen horror. That made three out of eight. Five more to go and Seonghwa's clone was god knows where.

Seonghwa stood up again when the others came stumbling into view, carrying a limp San in between them. From the way Wooyoung avoided Hongjoong's searching gaze with guilt in his eyes those two had been too distracted by each other to fight or something as reckless. Seonghwa sighed too.

Wooyoung lifted his uncertain eyes to Seonghwa however, eyeing him first and then Hongjoong.

"Why-"

"He's the real one. I will explain later. Do you know where the others went?"

"When they noticed they were in outnumbered they fled to the port. Seonghwa's double might be there?" Wooyoung accepted the situation easily, stepping out with them into the corridor.

San did look a bit pale, an injury on his head caking his hair with blood but Wooyoung assured them he was going to be fine, instead looking around searchingly.

"They are back."

Confused, Seonghwa looked at their feet he was pointing at, blinking when he saw Hongjoong's and Wooyoung's actual shadows again. They were as harmless as they were supposed to be, following them dutifully.

Seonghwa's was still missing and if he looked a bit closer, the other two shadows also did not look quite right. They were weaing hats where the real pirates did not. In general they seemed like the dark silhouettes of their doppelgangers and Seonghwa supressed another shiver.

"That means they managed to kill your double too. That's good then." Hongjoong motioned them to leave and Seonghwa exchanged positions with him, carrying San securely while Hongjoong checked the corridors in front of them.

They were closing up on the foyer, just some fancy T-staircase and a marble hall seperating them from the exit.

In the foyer however there was still fighting going on and Hongjoong motioned them to stay while he quickly jumped down the stairs.