Chapter 4

I was once again lost in a book yet I was also sitting in a carriage with the young earl as sebastian was driving and in the carriage behind us the other servants were there along with our luggage as Tanaka was driving.

We were heading to a village by the name of Houndsworth in order to deal with a few issues before the queen build a resort there.

"it seems we've arrived at the village everyone" sebastian said and I looked up to see a skeleton tree with spiked dog collars on chains hanging from it as well as a sickle, and several crows perched nearby. There were also several dog skulls on the ground near the roots of the tree. I couldn't hold back the look of utter disgust on my face for a moment then I returned to my book.

But as we pulled up to the castle of Barrymore

"I presume this is the earl of Phantomhive" a woman's voice said drawing me out of my book as I looked up at the manor before us.

Eventually as we entered the manor with the maid leading the way I had a sudden chill run down my spine as if warning me of the danger that will unfold, yet I didn't let this show in my expression for I have developed a mask you could say, a mask of no emotion in order to mingle with the other nobles and people of high society.

Then the maid lead us to a room full of animal heads and other hunting trophies yet as I looked them with a twinge of distaste we suddenly hear a cry from the maid as a man was whipping her and I could feel my body tense at the sight of the whip

"Who the hell is this Chihuahua? I told you to bring me the Queen's Guard Dog when he arrived?" the man yelled and Ciel was very much offended

"Chihuahua?" sebastian said

"can't you do anything?" he yelled as he continued to whip the maid and I felt my body tremble as I stepped back and fear was clearly seen in my eyes.

"Move sebastian" Ciel said and sebastian stopped the man from harming the woman anymore and I slowly calmed down as my face became emotionless once more and my bangs hid my eyes as I clasped my hands in front of me.

Eventually we all sat around a table as we were served tea by sebastian for the maid's hands were bruised and it caused her pain. Yet the whole time I was once more deep into my book to care about the conversation between Ciel and the Lord Barrymore.

The night seemed to approach before I knew it I had been lead to a room I would stay in while we were staying here but that night I sensed something outside so I sat at my window sill as I read my book but then I noticed something white moving causing me to look out the window and see a man with long white hair as he looked at me with a surprised look on his face then he ran off as I looked confused but then I heard something so I ran out to the front door where I found ceil, sebastian, the maid Angelia and the others

"what's happened?" I asked drawing the other's attention

"it's nothing Alexis go back to your room" Ceil said and I looked at sebastian who looked away and I sighed

"very well, I'll see you in the morning young earl" I said walking back to my room with a look of worry on my face

With ciel and the others

"you sure it was alright to leave her there?" sebastian asked Ceil

"if there was a murder I'd rather she didn't see it" ceil said calmly

"your protecting her?" sebastian said with a small smirk on his face

"she is innocent for the most part and the corpses of others haunt her dreams I'd rather not add another to her nightmares."

The next day

Everyone was relaxing around the waterhole. Sebastian stood beside ciel who was reading a book, angelia was watching beside tanaka as finny, bard and may-rin were playing in the water. I on the other hand was sitting on a large rock nearby as I was drawing the scene around me

"you are rather good at that my lady" I heard sebastian say from behind me causing me to look up at him

"thank you" I said as it looked out at the landscape around me

"my lady it is time for lunch" sebastian said and I looked at him again before I nodded and put my sketch book in to a small bag I brought with me as well as my pencils and unused paints before I stood up with sebastian's help and he helped me down from the rock before he lead me over to ceil.

But as we were eating we heard some villagers yelling about how they found the bad dog. So we all made our way to a stone fences outside of town where they had a dog chained but sebastian was missing as well. Then the villagers released several vicious hunting dogs and watched as the dogs bit the chained one. Yet the entire time my face remained emotionless for I didn't know what to make of this situation.

Then finny lashed out and pulled a large wooden spike out of the ground and beat the attacking dogs away from the chained one.

"Finny" May-rin and bard yelled out as they along with ciel, tanaka and myself ran over to finny only to face the now angry villagers who were calling out for us to be punished for interrupting. Soon ceil was chained on his wrists, ankles, and neck while the others were tied around a wooden stake and I was held back by the villagers. But once the villagers were about to release the hounds again I managed to get away from the other villagers and run in front of ciel with my arms out

"I won't let you harm him!" I yelled

"ch and here I was planning on sparing you and maybe even making you my wife" the lord Barrymore called out

"who would want to be the wife of a foolish man like you. You're so caught up in your small amount of power that you'd kill anyone who dared to take it away from you like a stubborn dog with a bone" I yelled glaring at lord Barrymore

"so be it. Kill them" he yelled out and the dogs were released as they rushed towards me and ceil

"get out of the way you idiot" ciel yelled but I didn't move as my bangs covered my eyes

"I will not" I said in a whisper as the dogs drew closer "I will not…I will not let you hurt him!" I yelled glaring at the dogs and they stopped and laid down wagging their tails as I then looked confused

"you cut that close" ciel said and I looked back to see sebastian standing behind me

"it won't happen again. Trust me" sebastian said

"your pitiful farce ends here Barrymore" ciel called out and I just watched him as I listened. "listen there is NO demon hound! It's all a lie! There's just him! An old man obsessed with power! Determined to keep it no matter what." Ciel said and I looked back at the lord Barrymore.

"what? What evidence do you have?" Barrymore asked

"there's this. We found it in your mansion." Sebastian said holding up a dog's skull. "I've taken the liberty to match the teeth marks on James to the teeth in this skull. Do you see it now" he said pointing towards a shadow being cast in to the clouds of a dogs head. Only to reveal that it was the product of a projector "the truth behind the demon hound. The shadow is nothing more than a projection. Just a transparent trick. The glowing is phosphorescent dust sprinkled on a normal dog." Sebastian said poring some Phosphor out of a small vial

"the demon hound is merely an illusion a story made up by an evil man. The man you let rule your village. This man… Harry Barrymore." Ceil said

"no. It's all nonsense. Can't fool them where's your evidence" lord Barrymore said seeming all the more pathetic

"you can rest your duty is done I'll take it from here" sebastian said the dying dog as he took something from it's mouth just before it passed on. "what fine material I wonder why the dog was egger to hold on to it till the last moment? Interesting behavior don't you think" sebastian said holding out a shred of cloth towards Barrymore

"wh-what the hell?" Barrymore said confused

"yours a scrap of cloth from your pants. Torn off by James' dog when you attacked his master, you recognize it yes?" sebastian said but then Barrymore attempted to run away only to be stopped by the villagers.

"give up Barrymore it's all over now" ciel said as the villagers picked up Barrymore pulled up his pants leg to reveal the bite from the dead dog and then they carried him off.

Soon sebastian unchained ciel as angelia untied the others

"you were rather reckless Alexis" Ceil said and I flinched as I had my back to him. "but you were rather brave your improving" ciel said and I looked back at him

"should I say thank you or that I'll try to think things through before I act next time?" I asked looking off to the side

"both will do" ceil said

"Young earl" I said and he looked at me "I'm glad you're safe" I said smiling at him and he blushed slightly before he looked away regaining his compositor but then finny started to cry out as he held the dead dog close to him and it began to rain "The sky cries for those who've died" I said looking at the sky and ceil looked at me surprised

"who told you that?" ciel asked

"my mother did long ago" I said with a distant look in my eyes but then I gasped as my eyes went wide "my mother?" I said with a hand over my mouth.

Then suddenly a sharp pain shot through my head as I saw a woman but her face was blurry she was sitting in a garden singing a song I couldn't understand but then the scene shifted to the garden burning a blazing crimson and the woman was being killed by a shadowy figure that looked back at me with glowing purple eyes and a blood curdling smile.

In an instant I shot up and screamed as I looked around and found myself in the room I was staying in but my breathing was quick and then the door opened and I saw a figure in black with my unfocused eyes I whimpered and tried to get away only to fall of the bed and curl up in to the fetal position as I cried

"My lady!" I heard someone say causing me to look up suddenly and see that the figure was sebastian as he was knelt down beside me "are you alright?" he said with a hint of concern in his voice but then I started to cry again as I clung on to him and cried on his chest. "m-my lady" he said surprised but I kept crying as my body shook

"sebastian" Ciel said running in to the room and looking at me "what happened?"

"I don't know my lord" sebastian said

Eventually I cried myself to sleep but ceil seemed rather worried still so he had one of the servants stay with me that night. Angelia was the one who choose to stay with me.

But once I finally started to awaken

"I see you are awake my lady" angelia said and I slowly looked at her with a soulless expression on my face

"so much blood" I said as bloody tears fell down my face

"you needn't worry now my lady you are safe now" she said wiping away my tears. "you are safe my dearest lady" she said as I fell asleep once more. "you are the one marked with the queen and the black angel wings. You are our greatest weapon, my dear lady" she said brushing some hair out of my face as she smiled "and you turned out so beautifully despite your ink black hair my lady."

Days passed yet they seemed like mere moments. I don't fully understand it myself but it was like I was sleep walking the entire time. Not fully conscious yet still up and moving around. Then came the time we were to leave Houndsworth and suddenly a man with long white hair and deep red eyes ran up to me and hugged me as I stood there with no emotion on my face but then I blinked and look at him

"Pluto?" Angelia yelled running towards me

"Plu-to?" I said slowly then I closed my eyes and placed a hand on my head as I fell to my knees and the man Pluto was whimpering and trying to nuzzle my arm as I blinked a bit "P-PLUTO" I yelled hugging the man for I remembered him, I REMEMBERED him. He was once my pet, you see Pluto was a demon hound that could turn human "you've grown so much over the years my friend" I said happily as I pat his head and he was happy

"My lady" sebastian said standing beside me and I looked up at him with an innocent look on my face but I could see the look of disgust on his face as he looked at Pluto "it is time to return to the manor" he said offering his hand to me which I took and I smiled at him "my lady have you been feeling alright?" he asked with a look of concern on his face and I looked off to the side

"yes and no. for a while now I've felt like I was sleep walking as my mind was lost in confusion but now I feel great" I said smiling at him

"well that's good to hear my lady" sebastian said leading me to the carriage that ciel was sitting in.