Curled Horns

31. Safe Haven

Groggily, Mingi lifted his head to blink into the darkness of the room. He was in Yunho's bed again, but the tall demon was nowhere in sight. No candle flickered and the skies outside were entirely black.

The remainder of Seonghwa burnt in the back of Mingi's head like the wails of a baby. It demanded attention, aiding him as he quickly swung his legs over the edge of the bed to feel himself along the wall. He left Yunho's room and waited until his eyes had adjusted to the brighter corridor before he took off. With no idea where Seonghwa was, Mingi wandered to the same sickbay as the one that held the other pixie victims, including San. If he wasn't there, the kind nurses could inform Mingi.

Eerily silent at night, the palace loomed around him. The shadows seemed to whisper, each deep enough to hold a small pixie in a dark cloak. Mingi's addled mind tricked him into spotting penetrating silver eyes boring into his soul from behind every pillar. Tired and shaken, Mingi clutched onto his tail as if it would protect him. His pace quickened as he swiftly left the grand halls and stairs behind.

Mingi knocked carefully on the closed door to the infirmary. The rap of his knuckles was quiet enough not to wake anybody, but loud enough to alert someone. Or at least he hoped so. His prayer got heard when a moment later, a nurse opened the door for him. Shadows danced on her curled horns.

"Good evening," Mingi whispered. She responded with a patient smile. "Is Seonghwa here? The tailor that the prince took from the town this afternoon?"

The demon shook her head, pointing at the staircase behind Mingi.

"Yunho feared that the sky-horned demons would make trouble if he brought him in, despite being of lower rank. He took him to the servants' quarters into an empty room. The second door to the right."

Mingi nodded politely and told her to have a good night before he snuck away. Once more, he ran from the shadows that seemed to reach for him with clawed hands. Back in the familiar corridor, he counted the doors until he reached the one Seonghwa rested behind. His heart raced in his chest like a bird's wings as he knocked carefully.

The one who opened the door for him wasn't Seonghwa, it was Yunho. In the first moment, the prince looked guarded, his expression tight. Then, he soon relaxed when he took in Mingi's hunched form.

"You awoke," Yunho greeted him as he opened the door wide for Mingi to slip into the room. The softness of his tone pulled a smile from Mingi.

"I did. What's going on?" Mingi spotted Seonghwa in the bed in the corner. He slept peacefully and with regular breaths. His damaged horn was wrapped in a tight bandage, and someone had taken the ribbon off the second one to clean him. If not for the nasty wound, Seonghwa looked as handsome as usual, even in sleep. His face had lost its sickly colour.

"You passed out on the way back here, so I left you upstairs. Seonghwa awoke in between, asking for you. By now, the medicine pulled him back under. I stayed by his side since I didn't want to disturb your sleep."

Yunho's chair near the bed was empty, but a book still rested there, just turned upside down as he had interrupted his reading. The sight warmed Mingi's heart.

"Thank you for taking care of him." Mingi's eyes found Yunho's again to convey his gratitude. Yunho smiled.

"I know he means a lot to you. I will have a guard protect him once we leave. Who knows if Kim Hongjoong plans to finish the job. Although I would like to assure you he is safe here."

Shivering at the mention of the malicious pixie, Mingi wrapped his arms around his body. When Yunho's tail reached for his, he accepted the silent embrace gladly.