Chapter 4
I had a very, very frightened master. I could not believe this was the same child. He refused to have me leave him for any reason and most of the time I had to be close enough for him to touch. For the first few hours after his scare, though, that wasn't an issue. He remained on my lap clutching the lapels of my coat, his face buried in my shoulder, and he was shaking. I had to keep up a litany of reassurance the whole time, telling him that I was there and that I would protect him and nothing would harm him. If I loosened my arms his fear increased, so I kept my grip constant and held him while I murmured reassurances. I stroked his hair, massaged his neck, and rubbed his back; doing everything I could think of to calm him and let him know that I was there.
Agni brought us breakfast at some point, but I knew that my master was in no mood to eat. The scent of tea and the sight of such an every-day item as a breakfast tray seemed to break some of his paralysis, because he asked to be moved to the bed. I did so, but when I began to move away, his hand shot out of the blankets and latched onto my sleeve.
"Stay beside me," he pleaded, his voice trembling.
"I shall remain beside you all your life, Bocchan," I said gently. "Do you wish anything to eat or drink?"
"No," he said quietly. "Just stay near me."
I stayed…and stayed…and stayed. Occasionally his hand would reach for me, and I would be within reach, as promised. More than once he slipped his hand into mine and dozed. Each time he dozed he did not release my hand, and more than once his grip would have been painful if I'd been human. I had a strong feeling that those grips were caused by unpleasant dreams.
"How's it going?" Agni asked quietly at lunchtime. He'd brought another tray and tsked when he saw the untouched breakfast. "You two haven't eaten a thing!"
"I wasn't hungry, and neither was my young master," I said wearily. "I've never seen him so frightened, Agni. He's never been so frightened in all the time I've known him. I feel…I feel so helpless." It was true. I didn't know what to do for him or how to make the fear go away. I needed his insight into human fear. I wasn't a human and while I could be afraid of something and I could feel fear, I couldn't experience it the same way a human would. "Help me, Agni. How do I make his fear go away?"
"By doing exactly as you're doing," he said kindly. "You're letting him know that you're there and that you're protecting him. That's all he needs right now. Why do you think he hasn't wanted you to leave his side?"
Hmmm. Put that way, I could see his point.
"Can you eat with your left hand?" Agni asked.
"I can use both my right and my left," I said, looking down at my right hand. My master's hand was still curled in mine and it didn't look as if he was letting go anytime soon.
"All right," Agni said, moving a small table over to a spot just in front of me. He took a plate and silverware from the tray and put them on the table. "Eat."
I stared at the food. It looked like an illustration out of Mrs. Beeton's book and the smell was delightful, but I didn't need to eat. "Ah…"
"Don't even think of arguing," Agni said quietly but fiercely. "Your master is ill and under some sort of threat, and you need to be in your best condition. That means eating, even if you don't feel like it. I'm going to stand here and I'm not leaving until you've swallowed every last bit of food on that plate."
If I could just tell Agni that I was a demon, then difficult scenes like this could be avoided. Playing human could be difficult enough at times, but eating food…I looked up at him. "Agni…"
The look he was giving me would have sent most men running for cover. I did not run, but I did have the urge to back away. I hadn't known that a human being could look so…so fierce.
"All right," I capitulated. "Thank you for the meal."
"You're welcome," he said, pouring me a cup of tea to go with my meal.
The generous helping of the dish I had in front of me was listed as Baked Beef in Mrs. Beeton's book, but in some circles it would be called Shepherd's Pie. It was good, plain food that used up the inevitable leftovers a large house generated, and he'd actually made the beef over with a good curry sauce rather than the gravy and ale the book suggested. The end result was very good for human food and I wished my master would wake up so he could have his portion while it was still hot. I knew he didn't care for spicy food, but I had a feeling he would enjoy this dish at least. I knew he would be very amused at the fact that I'd somewhat enjoyed a human meal, and I was eager for him to wake so I could tell him. He might actually laugh.
Agni was as good as his word and stood sentinel over me while I ate. As soon as I finished the beef dish he whisked the plate away from me and replaced it with a dessert. Baked apple dumplings with sweet cream. Oh, dear. I doubted that I had the interior space for that.
"I can't eat that right away," I said. "I'm still recovering from the lunch."
"All right," Agni said, placing the master's plate on the hob at the fire to keep it warm. "I'll stay with you a while longer."
If he hadn't been my friend, I'd have swatted him upside the head for being a pain in the…ah, neck.
About fifteen minutes passed before I attempted to swallow the apple dumplings and amazingly, I managed a large portion of them before I had to beg off eating the rest of them. I had no more space inside for food and I was certain that if I tried to swallow any more of it I would be ill. A demon ill due to human food is not a pretty sight nor is it a pleasant experience for the suffering demon, so I wanted to avoid such an event if I could. Fortunately, my master chose this moment to wake up.
He stared at me, stared at the plate-covered table in front of me, and then stared at Agni. "What's all this?"
"Forgive me if I did something to wake you," Agni said quickly. "I was just making sure that Sebastian had something to eat. If he is going to protect you properly, then he needs food."
My master stared at me again and then looked at the remains of my dessert. "You sat down and ate a proper meal?" he said in disbelief. "I can't believe it. You never do that."
And I have good reason not to, I thought. Eating complete meals of food I couldn't really taste properly or digest several times a day would have made me sick to my stomach faster than anything else. In comparison to a human soul, food was a very poor substitute for nourishment. "Agni insisted, master."
He was still staring. "I'm not still dreaming, am I?"
I chuckled. Was that what he thought? Ah, he never ceased to amuse me. "No, you are not dreaming. Watch." I could manage one more small bite, so I took just that, nothing more. My master watched as I put a forkful of apple dumpling into my mouth, removed the fork and chewed. I swallowed, and his eyes grew wide.
"I knew you ate sometimes, but seeing you do it…"
"Of course, young master. It is not proper for a butler to take his meals with his employer."
That seemed to remind him that I was playing a human butler in front of an outsider, so he nodded. "Quite right, Sebastian."
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Hungry, and I think the aroma of your food worked its way into my dreams. I was dreaming about a feast."
Agni chuckled and fetched my master's portions of lunch and dessert. "The spices in the sauce will actually be good for your throat and sinuses," he said, placing both dishes on a tray and putting the tray across his lap so he could eat. "They should ease the soreness in your throat and the pressure in your head, and you'll feel much better."
"I hope so," he said, picking up his fork after a nod of thanks to Agni. "Has there been any more trouble today?"
"So far, nothing," I admitted. I wished I'd been able to do some investigating while my master slept, but there was no point in regretting that now. I had a feeling that I would get to do all the investigating I wished later.
A knock on the door drew our attention. It was Mey-Rin. "Sorry to interrupt, but a package was delivered…"
As soon as she said the word "package" I was by her side. "I'll take it Mey-Rin."
She blinked and handed the large flat package to me. "Yes, Sebastian. Um, should I tell the person who brought it to wait?"
I nodded as I unwrapped the package and found nothing more exciting in it than a rather large clothing box. Mey-Rin left to return to the messenger. I did indeed want to speak to him about this package. Upon opening the box I found a quantity of white tissue paper covering…a suit of clothes, shoes, hat, and coat. Oh. Most interesting, this. Did they doubt my ability to dress my master properly? The idea was preposterous!
"What's in it?" my master asked.
His voice brought me out of my momentary rage and I checked the clothes thoroughly. I knew there were poisons that were activated by body heat, but there were no signs of them. "It's a suit of clothes, master." I carried them over to the bed to show him, and he stared at them.
They were in his favorite shade of dark blue and I could tell that these had been privately tailored rather than purchased at Harrods. The shirt and underthings were silk and fine linen, and the suit itself was made of lambswool. The stockings were knitted lambswool, the gloves were black silk, and the shoes were a very expensive grade of leather and were hand-made. With the outfit were a matching coat and a top hat in black silk. My young master's tailor couldn't have done better. Again, there was a card. Too my own little boy.
"They have my measurements?" he said in disbelief as he examined the clothes.
"I doubt they could have those," Agni said quickly. "Those clothes are probably either too small or too big."
My master looked closely. "They look about right."
I knelt down beside his bed. "Young master, I must go speak to the messenger who brought this. Would it be all right if Agni stayed with you until I return?"
I could see his reluctance to have me go in his face, but he nodded. "That will be fine, Sebastian."
"Then I won't be long, Bocchan," I said as I set the clothing aside. "Have your lunch, and I'll be back."
I was glad to hear him pick up a fork as I left the room. While it was nice to have a compliant master for a change, I hoped he would be well soon. "Ciel Phantomhive" and "obedient" just did not make sense when put together. My master had turned willfulness into an art form and it was somewhat depressing to see an artist set aside his art.
The messenger was yet another ragged boy, and I saw that Mey-Rin had been quite clever in getting him to stick around. She had placed a whole tray of iced tea cakes in front of him and he was in the process of devouring them. Clever, clever girl. I could see she'd had her eyes open when our last messenger had been here and was applying what she'd learned: any ragged boy will eat what you put in front of him, and he will be in no hurry to go as long as you offer food. It was highly unlikely that any boy would turn down a treat like tea cakes.
"Thank you for having him wait, Mey-Rin," I said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. "Now, who do we have here?"
"This is Toby, Sebastian."
"Good to meet you, Toby," I said as the boy finished his present cake. "You brought a package out to us today, did you not?"
"Thet I did, sir," he said. His accent marked him coming from a neighborhood like Charlie's. "Gen'mun asked me to bring it ter the Earl Phantomhive. Gave me a tenner."
I'd expected the ten pounds. "What was he like?"
"A gen'mun like you, sir," he said. "Tall, pale, dark-haired, an' 'e had a watch an' watch-chain. Called 'imself Mr. Marcellus. Asked me te give this te you." He held out an envelope sealed with black wax.
A letter? Hmm. "Thank you," I said as I took it. I broke the seal and opened it, running my eyes over the elegant yet stark calligraphy.
My Dear Mr. Michaelis, I read. Doubtless you'll have received the package my master sent to your master. The garments are gifts for him to wear or not as he pleases. My master hopes that your master is on the mend and will be well soon, and he looks forward to seeing him. As for myself, I look forward to seeing you in the future. I have been so bold to write to you because I wish to let you know that I have nothing against you personally. On the whole, I think you are a rather excellent fellow and that if I were forced to kill you the world would be losing an exemplary demon. In another situation, the two of us might have been friends. To bring your existence to an end is a wish that is far from my mind; however, I must carry out my master's orders. If you attempt to keep me from carrying them out, then I will do what I must. I am sure you understand my situation. I have no wish to hurt you, so when the time comes, do not stop me. If I have to injure, maim, or even kill you to carry out these orders, then I will. I'm a bit fond of you in my own way, so killing you would be most upsetting for me. Sincerely, Stephen Marcellus.
I nearly set fire to the thing in my hand. How dare he presume to tell me not to stop him when it came to my master's well-being? And what did he mean by "fond of you in my own way"? What on earth was he getting at? Oh, blazes, was he another Grell?
Calm down, I told myself sternly. You're being silly, and any similarities to Grell aren't that important anyway. No, what I had to focus on was that this letter meant there was a possible "move" on their part sometime soon.
"Will there be an answer, sir?" Toby asked, seeing me fold up the letter.
"Thank you, no, Toby," I answered. "Thank you for bringing this. Mey-Rin, do you think you could pack up the rest of these cakes and a few other things for Toby to take with him? Few of the places on the road back to London serve decent food."
"Certainly," Mey-Rin said as Toby brightened to incandescence. I bade them both goodbye and headed upstairs to return to my master. Since I had returned, Agni said he would go to see if Soma needed anything and I blessed his good timing. The young master was just making a start on his apple dumplings, and I waited for him to finish them before I handed him the letter. He read it through twice and looked at me.
"What do you think this means?" he asked.
"It means they're going to make some kind of move soon," I told him.
The young master looked at the letter again and read it through. I noticed he was reading more slowly, as if he were thinking. "Any idea of how we're being watched?"
I should have known he'd realize that. "I have only vague ideas. More powerful demons have more resources than I would. There have been no signs of something on the estate that shouldn't be here, aside from your visitor early this morning, but I'm sure I would have sensed something that big if it had been here before. Last night had to have been its first visit. I'd have at least noticed something if it had come before."
He nodded. "I see." He returned the letter and appeared to be thinking very much. "Sebastian, do you think we should wait for them to make their move, or should we try to checkmate them before they make it?"
I thought about the situation. "Such a move could be risky, young master. I don't know how far his powers extend, what he's able to do, or what he plans to do. I can't predict him at all. However, if we try the checkmate, we may gain the advantage of surprising them, but that's no guarantee."
"Hmmm." He stopped and appeared to think. There were times when I wished I could read his mind and this was one of them. What was he thinking and how many anxious moments would it cause me?
"At any rate, Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard are all on high alert," I said, clearing the remains of his lunch away. "Agni has also pledged his help if it's needed, and of course, Soma and I will do what we can."
He coughed and I gave him a dose of his medicine. His coughs sounded better than they had, and his fever had gone. He was mending, if slowly. "That's fine, Sebastian." I could tell that he was still deep in thought and once more I wished for the ability of mind-reading. What was going through his head?
A knock at the door revealed Prince Soma. "How are you feeling, Ciel?" he asked.
"Better, actually," my master admitted. "Well enough to get up."
"Absolutely not," I protested. "You are still ill, young master."
"I may still be ill, but it's warm out today, isn't it?"
I stared at him. He wanted to go out? "Yes, it is, but you're in no condition..."
"Then I'm going out," he said firmly. "Sebastian, I'm tired of waiting for them to make a move. I want to take this game right to checkmate. Do you understand?"
Oh, I understood. I understood all too well that he was going to undo all of everyone's hard work to nurse him back to health and he would cause me no small amount of worry and...I got a good look at his expression and I knew further arguing was worthless. "Yes, my lord."
Soma was staring from him to me and back again. "W-wait a moment! Sebastian, as his butler, it's your duty to put his health first! Surely this is one time when it would be better for him to stay in bed!"
I agreed wholeheartedly. "Yes, Prince Soma, but.."
"But nothing!" he interrupted. "Ciel, you should be ashamed at trying this! You're still sick, so there's no question of you getting up!"
"Don't you start!" my master said irritably. "This person's gunning for me and I'm not going to give him a stationary target! You haven't even heard what I'm planning yet!"
"You're a child and you're sick, and you should trust the adults around you to take care of things for you while you're ill!" Soma countered. Now, why couldn't my master show a bit of Soma's common sense at times? My job would be a great deal easier.
"All I intend to do is go out to the garden," my master told his friend. "I'll be wearing the clothes he sent me, and I don't intend to do anything more strenuous than drink tea. I have a feeling that if they see me out in the open, then they may try to make their move."
"That's a terrible plan," Soma said flatly. "Too many things could go wrong!"
"It's a chance I think we're going to have to take," my master told him. "He knows far too much about us, but we know next to nothing about him. We don't know what he'll do or how he'll do it. We need to know more, and I think that by forcing his hand like this, we'll have a chance to learn more."
The premise was sound, but oh, the reasoning...
"No!" Soma said. "Sebastian, sing him a lullaby or something! Put him back to sleep!"
"Don't you dare!" my master said quickly. He knew that I could send him to sleep with just a few words and a touch on his forehead, so he was quick to forestall that notion. "I know that you don't like this plan, but it's the only one we've got right now."
"That's not a plan," Soma insisted. "That's as far from 'plan' as I've ever heard! Honestly! Just go outside and server yourself up to him on a silver platter? That's your plan?"
"Well, what do you suggest, then?" my master demanded. "Invite him over for tea?"
Soma considered it. "Actually, that might work..."
Oh, yes. We now had incontrovertible proof that Soma had become temporarily insane. "I don't see how that would work," I said quickly.
"But it's perfect!" Soma insisted. "Invite him here. That way, he'll be here on your home territory and under your eye. Would he dare try anything while you're watching him?"
"Having my eye on someone doesn't mean that he'll just give up!" the bocchan snapped. "Come on!"
"But he's less likely to take a big risk while you're watching him, right?"
If they argued much longer, they'd kill each other. "Young master, what if we followed your suggestion, but I and everyone else would be with you?" I suggested.
He stared at me as if I'd lost my mind. "Of course. That's what I intended."
Soma groaned. "Oh, you're driving me nuts! Why didn't you say so in the first place?"
"I'd thought it was understood!"
I caught the pillow that launched itself in Soma's direction and replaced it on the bed. "Very well, then, young master. If we can't change your mind about this, we will be with you and help you carry out your plan, but if you do not wish to go out in your nightshirt, we should get you dressed."
"I'll tell Agni to prepare some tea," Soma said, resigned to the situation. "I guess we need all the correct props in place."
While Prince Soma attended to that, I helped my master get up, wash, and dress. The suit of clothes he'd been sent fit perfectly and they suited him well. If Lady Elizabeth could see him in that outfit, she'd have shrieked and called it the cutest outfit she'd ever seen.
"I wonder how he knew what would look good," my master said as I helped him into the coat.
"It's likely that he's seen you at some point," I suggested. "Are you sure you feel strong enough for this?"
"Of course. Let's go, Sebastian." He pulled the hat on his head and led the way out to the side terrace. Agni had set up tea there and my master was perfectly happy to sit there in the sun with a lap rug over himself and have his tea with Prince Soma. After tea, I set up a chess board for the two of them and stayed nearby while they played.
"Hey, you've memorized that trick," Soma said as he lost a game. "Very good! Another game!"
My master smiled. "I've nowhere else to be."
Sudden cold swept over me. My defenses around the estate were all going off at once...we were being invaded!
"Sebastian? What is it?"
"What you were hoping for, young master," I said. "Bard, Mey-Rin, Finny! You know what to do!"
I could see them scrambling for their positions and I took up mine beside my master while Agni moved to Soma's side.
"What is it?" Soma asked as leaves began to rustle in the trees.
A sudden foreboding overwhelmed me. "Young master, I think we should go inside immediately. This is not a good place to be!"
I was too late. They swept down on us, howling loudly enough to make me feel as if I were being stabbed in my ears. I groaned and dropped to my knees, my hand pressed over my ears in a futile effort to keep their howls out.
"What is it?" my master cried, getting to his feet. None of my three companions were being effected by the noise, and for a moment, I was surprised, but then I remembered that they were all human. They couldn't hear what I could. I could just barely see them coming toward us, but humans would not see anything until they were right on top of us.
"Gray ones," I gasped, wishing their howling would stop. "Marcellus commands gray ones."
"Gray ones?" Soma said. "What are those?"
My master turned just in time to see one of them approach, and he screamed, backing away from it. "It's back! Get it away!"
I leapt to comply, but a howl from the creature made me drop to the terrace in agony. Gray ones were creatures of no realm, giving allegiance only to those they chose to follow. Since they were neither mortal nor immortal but instead existed beyond any plane, gray ones were one of the few creatures that I could not fight effectively. Their howls were painful to most demons, and their bites were excruciating and one of the few ways we could be poisoned. That thing in front of me could shatter every bone in my body with just a few blows.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I was amused. Marcellus had me cornered on all counts. I managed to get to my feet and interpose myself between the creature and my master, but I knew that I was no match for it. I would most likely lose my life shortly.
Thwack! Thwack!
I saw Agni and Prince Soma collapse to the ground just as Marcellus appeared behind them. He stepped past their unconscious forms and approached us.
"I did warn you, Sebastian," he said, reaching the gray one's side. "Now, are you going to be sensible?"
"Are you Marcellus?" my young master demanded.
"An honor to meet you, my lord," he said with a bow. "I am Stephen Marcellus."
"What does your master want with me?"
He smiled. "I'd thought that was obvious. Ah, well, I'll let him explain it to you when we return to him. Maybe then you'll understand."
More gray ones were converging on us from all sides, and my master moved closer to me. Up close, they were terrifying even for a demon, and I understood why he was frightened. Trying to fight this many of them would get me killed within seconds. Marcellus moved through them and reached for my master, but I moved so that I stood between them. Despite the overwhelming odds and the promise of certain death, I could not allow him to take my master.
Marcellus fixed me with steely glare. "Sebastian, I have no wish to hurt you."
"I shall have to disappoint you."
He sighed. "Very well, then."
He snapped his fingers and pain descended on me from every direction, followed shortly by oblivion.