Prince of Blood

6. The Agony

The mysterious demon boy that lived underneath the lake had yet to give them a name to call him by. Despite calling the crew his friends now, he barely treated them as such. They were less than strangers, and the shady business they had with each other did not appear to bring them any closer either.

Seonghwa figured it was fair. In this world, one had every right to be secretive.

Just how the demon was secretive even now, with the door to the captain's quarters tightly shut and Hongjoong locked up inside with him. Their stubborn captain had not hesitated once to follow the stranger inside and had left his crew to gnaw on their lips and wonder what would happen. The whole group of pirates was anxiously leaning against the railing in one little huddle and watching the fog trail past as time went.

No noise interrupted the foreboding silence of the chilly air, but there was little left to the imagination on what was going on inside the room not too far from them. It had Seonghwa's heart twisting and turning not only with worry and fear but also flaming hot jealousy.

San still assured him that he was doing great. According to him, Seonghwa took the matter of his husband staying with another man with relative ease. San would by now have 'broken down the door an' thrown that bilge rat to the sharks' with a telling side glance to Wooyoung. Seonghwa had managed a weak chuckle at their antics.

They were passing the lake with no remarkable interruptions. Once, Jongho saw something that he described as a spikey ridge attached to a huge slender body full of scales that had peeked just the barest bit out of the water. At their incredulous gazes, he had argued about the mention of a monster inside until they had agreed with brotherly pats on his back. From then on, he kept pouting cutely from time to time.

Seonghwa could not part his mind from the racing thoughts of Hongjoong inside that demon's lair. He wondered when they should check on him, how likely it was to find him hurt, and so on. It was an endless loop of doubts all over again, and Seonghwa hated it. It made him feel sick to the stomach. He tried to distract himself with other thoughts, but there were not many other things to think about rather than his cynical thoughts about the demon.

Seonghwa saw absolutely nothing of interest in the water.

He did notice the weird timelapse they seemed to have gotten stuck in, though. The lake had not seemed as big and imposing earlier, but now that they were crossing it, it seemed to stretch on forever.

Or rather, until Hongjoong was done with their new friend.

Seonghwa began swaying with the gentle up and down of the stained ship to distract himself. No time for being mad. They had no other choice than to wait it out.

"What do ye think will 'appen once we be there? Will Liv work together with the umbras? I be insecure when it comes about fightin' them as the 'ole crew. Liv be probably still mighty."

Wooyoung was swaying in the other direction, using his feet and the railing to go back and forth rather than left and right as Seonghwa did. It was fun watching him.

Seonghwa rubbed his arms that were clad in a loose black shirt. He was still feeling slightly cold.

When Wooyoung noticed the movement, he grabbed onto Seonghwa's arm to pull it over and push his sleeve back so that he could admire the tattoo of the Precious there. He chuckled quietly at it; half-fond, half-mocking towards Seonghwa's dedication to Hongjoong portrayed in it.

"Maybe she will. But from what I 'ave gathered by them bastards, they be bound by the spells only. I do nay think they 'ave any form o' loyalty towards 'er. So, if she did nay manage to bind them in another way, too, I doubt she can order them around."