"The murder of people by dogs. Interesting" Luke said reading the most recent letter sent by the Queen.
"We need to travel to Houndsworth" Ciel replied.
"We should. In a week" Luke said.
He stood and folded the letter back into the envelope and Ciel called for Sebastian.
"Get our clothes packed, Sebastian. We're going for a trip" Luke said.
"A trip? In this weather?" Sebastian asked in surprise.
"Yes. Tell me…" Ciel said looking up from his cup of tea, "Have you ever heard of the past time called bear-baiting?"
Sebastian shook his head, "It does sound entertaining... But I am afraid I have never heard of it… care to elaborate?"
"A bear is chained to a fence," Ciel started taking a bite from the cake Sebastian had placed in front of him, "From there, it is surrounded by vicious dogs that are trained to only bite and kill it."
"Sounds like something that humans could come up with." Sebastian commented
"However it was banned back in 1835 when the Cruelty to Animals Act was passed. People then found a loophole; the attack dogs used were not banned… so a new sport was made." Luke continued
"So they used dogs to attack dogs… let's see… dog baiting?"
"There is a village in which it is quite popular. This village has come to be known as Houndsworth, since it has been long known for raising fierce hunting dogs. They take it further though. They make dogs eat other dogs. It breaks her majesty's heart so she has made it my job to secure the land for a royal estate. A simple pretext to end the atrocities." Luke explained
"A village full of dogs?" Sebastian asked.
"Yes, why do you ask?" Ciel said looking at him.
"Please forgive me master, but this seems a rather insignificant for one of your authority to take on."
"Sebastian… you should know by now that I have my reasons. This is indeed a task fit for the Phantomhives. Now go"
After a week they left for Houndsworth. Sebastian had estimated that the trip would take at least six hours by carriage so by six in the morning they were off. Luke slept for most of the time and then they stopped for breakfast at eight.
"Master, have some food" Sebastian said, serving the tea.
Luke yawned and began eating some bread. He could feel Sebastian watching him out of the corner of his eye. Ever since that meeting after the funeral, Sebastian and Luke had kept their distance from each other. Luke spent most of his free time in the music room and Sebastian stayed with Ciel. Luke now somehow understood the fact of mating with mind.
Many times he could hear Sebastian down in the kitchens or Ciel in his study. At night, he could hear the servants snoring or the kitten in Sebastian's room purring as Sebastian petted her. This would unnerve him but now he had come to accept it. After breakfast, they went on with their trip.
Luke sat next to Ciel and began reading the book he had brought along.
"What book did you bring?" Ciel asked his brother.
"The Hounds of Baskerville. Rather fitting, isn't it?" Luke asked.
"Fitting indeed, Master" Sebastian replied from up front.
Behind them the servants and Tanaka were rejoicing.
"Resort! Resort! We're going to a resort! Vacation! Vacation! We're going on a vacation!" they sang together.
"This is so amazing!" Luke heard Finny shout, "I can't believe it!"
"He is actually bringing us!" Meyrin said. "We actually get to go on holiday at the Queen's very own resort!"
"Our master definitely had his good side too" Bard said casually.
"Do you hear how happy they are?" Sebastian asked Ciel. "They are actually thankful for this".
"Oh, I crave to see their disappointed faces" Luke snickered at the thought.
"You smile too much brother" Ciel commented.
"Well, I don't want to get wrinkles by the time I reach twenty like you" Luke replied and Ciel frowned even more.
They rode along for some time and then Sebastian stopped the carriage at a sign that read 'Welcome to Houndsworth'. The writing was faded and a black crow pecked at the sign.
"This is the entrance to the village" Sebastian announced and Luke turned to examine the land. The three servants also looked up and their faces fell.
"I forgot to mention it but this is the planned construction site for the resort" Ciel said and the three servants sat down in disappointment.
They rode along into the village and a shout from Finny made everyone pause.
"First villager spotted!" he announced in joy.
Luke glanced over and spotted an old lady who was trying to pull a baby carriage from where it was stuck in the sand on the edge of the path they were currently riding on. Tanaka stopped the servant's cart and Finny jumped out to help the old lady.
"I'll help you madam" Finny used his abnormal strength and grabbed the carriage.
"Be careful, Finny! If you're not careful, the baby inside will be hurt!" Meyrin cautioned.
"What?" Finny lifted the carriage upside down and high above his head. He quickly set it down in a panic. "I'm sorry!"
"Is the baby alright?" Meyrin and the rest of the servants peeked at the carriage and their mouths fell open in horror. Instead of a baby there was a skeleton wrapped in a baby blanket.
"You know, this little one was eaten by that" The old lady said. She walked away still pushing the baby carriage leaving the servants with looks of shock on their faces.
"The small, white-haired dog is a good dog. The black dog is a bad, disobedient dog" the old lady chanted as she walked away.
"Eat.,,," "en?" Bard and Finny asked.
"That's why we're here…" Ciel said making Luke turn around, "Apparently a lot of the villagers have been brutally murdered or have disappeared. The population of the town has gone down 1/3 of its size in the last 10 years. Part of the task is to find out why, and then put an end to the issue"
"Let's go, Sebastian" Luke said and Sebastian snapped the reins of the horses.
After half an hour a large lake came into view. It was a deep clear blue and Luke grinned.
"This is finally looking like a place worth staying!" Bard commented and Luke agreed.
Luke nodded off soon enough and was jolted awake when the carriage stopped.
"Have you been getting enough sleep, Master?" Sebastian asked watching Luke rub the sleep out of his eyes.
"Just the new medication, I presume. I'm fine" Luke said looking away from Sebastian's penetrating gaze.
"You should rest after we greet Lord Barrymore" Ciel said and Luke nodded.
After a few more minutes we came to a stop in front of a large grey mansion. A maid came out of the front door and Luke's mouth dropped open. Her silver hair and violet eyes made her look so beautiful and breathtakingly innocent.
"Are you the Earls of Phantomhive?" She asked sweetly
"You presume correct…" Sebastian replied.
"Welcome to Barrymore Castle…" She said with a curtsy. "My master awaits your arrival."
"Ah! She is lovely, yes she is!" Meyrin said.
As they entered, Luke stared at all the weapons and stuffed animal heads that decorated the walls. Apparently Barrymore enjoyed hunting.
A crack of a whip brought Luke back to the maid.
"Who the hell is this chihuahua and this terrier?" A man shouted, "I told you to bring the Queen's guard dogs!" Looking over they saw Lord Barrymore swing a whip through the air repeatedly bringing it down upon the maid cowering before him.
"Can't you do anything right?" He screamed at the white haired maid.
"Sebastian…" Ciel ordered.
"Stop it!" Luke rushed forward and wrapped his arms around the maid. He closed his eyes as the whip came closer. Then there was a crack as Sebastian grabbed the man's wrist.
"Let go of me you filthy Doberman! You should have been trained better!" He shouted at Sebastian.
"He is acting on my orders…" Ciel said taking a seat.
"And mine" Luke put in, standing up with the maid
"Who are you?" Barrymore demanded.
"I see you have already received out letter. My name is Ciel and this is my brother Luke. The Earls of Phantomhive."
"You mean to tell me toy poodles like you two are the Queen's Envoy?"
"Are smaller breeds not acceptable to you, Lord Henry Barrymore?" Ciel asked.
Luke's eyes narrowed as Lord Barrymore stalked off.
"I shall show you to your rooms" the maid said.
Luke nodded and followed her up the stairs. Ciel followed after Luke who Sebastian at his heels.
"Your name, miss?" Luke asked.
"Pardon me, Lord Phantomhive. My name is Angela" Angela replied sweetly making Sebastian's eyes narrow.
"Master, you should rest and let Young Master take over the negotiations for the land" Sebastian said.
"I shall bring some tea if you need it, my lord" Angela said.
"Please let Sebastian make the tea, Angela. He's the only one who makes the best tea I've ever had" Luke replied and Sebastian smirked.
Luke and Ciel had decided to share a room while they were here. The servants brought in the luggage rather slowly and Luke opened his briefcase.
"These documents need to shown to him. This has the price that we're offering for the land of Houndsworth. If he asks about the villagers, show him this because it shows that the Queen will employ everyone in the resort and let them stay here" Luke explained to Ciel who was nodding.
"If he says no?" Ciel asked.
"Offer him five thousand pounds more but nothing more than that. I trust your negotiating skills are perfect" Luke replied and Ciel smirked.
"Of course they are" Ciel said confidently.
"Master, your tea" Sebastian said after the kettle whistled.
"Thank you Sebastian" Luke replied drinking the offered tea.
"You should rest. I'm going to negotiate with Lord Barrymore" Ciel stood and left with the documents.
Sebastian took off Luke's overcoat, jacket, shoes, socks and hat. They were all placed on the hangers and Luke lied down on the bed. His eyes blinked lazily as he stared up at the canopy. Sebastian was polishing Luke's shoes but he kept an eye on his master. There was something bothering Luke that he wasn't telling anyone.
Sebastian stood and crept closer to his master. Luke's blue eyes were shut but his breathing was quite yet even, which meant he was only half asleep. Sebastian bit his glove and pulled it off, revealing the Faustian mark on the back of his hand. He reached out and touched Luke's red hair. Luke shifted slightly and murmured something under his breath.
Sebastian leaned in closer and ran his black-nailed fingers through Luke's hair. Luke shifted again and this time Sebastian heard exactly what he was trying to say.
"Cold...ngh"
Sebastian chuckled and removed his hand from Luke's hair. He lifted up the blankets and tucked Luke into them. He leaned back and smiled. Luke looked unbelievingly small in those blankets covering him. Just like Ciel when he was tucked into bed. Sebastian let out a chuckle and then busied himself in unpacking the master's clothes for dinner.
When Ciel returned, Luke stirred from his sleep.
"How did it go with Barrymore?" Luke asked rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"He refuses to sell because of some curse on the village. I don't believe him but he says there is a curse on anyone who tries to take the village away from the Barrymores. I told him we'll stay here for as long as we can to witness this supposed curse" Ciel replied sitting on the armchair near the fire.
"Perfect" Luke replied getting out of bed.
"It is nearly time for dinner" Sebastian said.
Luke changed out of his current attire and into something suitable for dinner. The dinner was simple but Lord Barrymore refused to attend the dinner. It was a simple steak but Luke found it rather hard to eat around the stuffed animal heads mount on the walls. Afterwards Luke sat in their room finishing up his book.
There was a knock at the door not long after.
"Enter" Ciel said.
"I am sorry to disturb you so late, my lords" Angela said after she had entered the room.
"Master and the Young Master were just going to bed" Sebastian said, brushing down the brothers nightclothes.
"What it is, Angela?" Luke asked, taking pity on the maid.
"Please leave this village. You must not stay here!" Angela replied.
"Why?" Ciel asked not looking up from the book he was reading.
"That is..." Angela began and then a howl echoed from outside the mansion. Luke and Ciel looked up listening to the howl. "No! It has come! The Devil Dog has..." Angela trailed off.
"Devil Dog?" Ciel asked. Angela let out a shriek, pointing to the window where the curtains were shut.
Luke stood up and glanced at the window. There was large shadow of a head of a giant dog. It was massive.
"Sebastian!" Luke said and Sebastian ran towards the window and pulled apart the curtains. There was no massive head of a dog anywhere.
Luke and Ciel approached the window. "What was that?" Ciel asked.
"Look there" Sebastian pointed and Luke's brow furrowed. There were glowing paw marks trailing from the garden below the window and right into the village. As the trail continued into the village, all the lights in the villagers' homes were being lit.
"Let's go!" Luke flung open the door of their room and began running as fast as he could down the hallway. Ciel and Sebastian followed after him with Angela. They stopped outside the doorway. Ciel bent down and ran a finger over the glowing paw mark.
"Master! Young Master!" Bard, Meyrin, Tanaka and Finny came running up dressed in their nightclothes. They had obviously been sleeping.
"Just what is all the ruckus about?" Bard asked.
"The Devil Dog appeared" Angela replied.
"Devil Dog?" all four servants chorused.
"The one that will bring disaster to the village. The Devil Dog will punish those who have disobeyed their master. That is one of the laws of the village" Angela said.
"Miss Angela" A few of the villagers carrying flamed torches came up to them. "Please inform Lord Barrymore that the Devil Dog has appeared".
"Who was punished?" Angela asked with tearful eyes.
Luke winced at the sight of the man in front of him. There were bite marks all over his body and blood everywhere. He took a step back and would have nearly fallen over if Sebastian hadn't placed a hand on the small of Luke's back. Ciel went forward and knelt down next to the body.
"Don't touch him!" Lord Barrymore exclaimed as he made his way through the crowd of villagers.
"So it was James. He was the bad dog" Barrymore said.
"Yes, he broke the five dog rule and kept a sixth" An old man answered him.
"So it was inevitable..."
"Inevitable? What is wrong with you?" Bard asked outraged.
"This village has specific rules set down by myself. Those who break those rules will be punished by the Devil Dog who serves the Barrymore family" Barrymore replied.
The villagers began chanting the same thing the old lady had been chanting when they were entering the village.
As the cat meows,
The small, white-haired dog is a good dog,
The black dog is a bad, disobedient dog.
They carried James off his a stretcher and Luke rolled his eyes. This village was getting more and more ridiculous by the minute. The villagers walked away after the ones who were carrying the stretcher.
"I was sure that it would be an outsider who fell prey but it seems you were spared" Lord Barrymore said and then walked away with Angela.
"Young Master" Sebastian said and Ciel nodded. Luke smiled. Ciel had figured something out.
After an uncomfortable night's sleep, Luke decided to liven up the atmosphere. They had spent the night listening to Ciel's theory about the Devil Dog and Luke was proud of the way Ciel had solved the mystery. All they needed was a perfect time to show the villagers the truth about the Devil Dog.
"Why don't we go swimming today? We can take the servants with us. It'll be fun. I did promise them a vacation" Luke suggested.
"Don't expect me to get into the water" Ciel replied.
"I know you can't swim Ciel but I can. I'm going to have a lot of fun today" Luke said.
"Master, don't forget your medication" Sebastian reminded.
"Yes, yes, I know Sebastian" Luke said with a large smile.
The servants were overjoyed and Luke was the first one to dive right into the lake. The water was warm and he was soon involved in a splash fight with Bard and Finny. Tanaka had decided to stay out of the water and Angela had decided to join them as well. Meyrin came out of the changing room wearing a cute sailor bathing suit, which she was rather embarrassed about. Her embarrassment soon faded as all of them swam and enjoyed themselves.
Luke walked out of the water, dripping wet. He grinned and leaned over Ciel and shook his wet hair right on Ciel.
"Stop it brother!" Ciel shouted and a towel cascaded over Luke's head.
"Sebastian!" Luke tried to escape from Sebastian's grasp as he rubbed the towel against his hair.
"Come this way for your dry clothes" Sebastian said and Luke followed him.
"Master, I am sorry if this seems impudent of me but have you thought about my offer?" Sebastian asked as he helped Luke dress.
"I have, Sebastian"
"Have you made a decision?"
"Sebastian, my only purpose in life is to serve the Queen and protect my brother. Originally there was a chance of marrying but I would never want to bring anyone into this cursed family. I need someone strong and someone who can bear the pain of being with my cursed self. I don't know if I can bring you into this" Luke replied.
Luke felt two arms being wrapped around his waist and Sebastian's head on his shoulder.
"Master, I have been with you for three years. Is that not enough to satisfy that I can bear anything you or Young Master throw at me?"
"What would Ciel say about this?" Luke asked.
"Young Master is intelligent, he will not deny you happiness" Sebastian replied.
Sebastian leaned his head forward and offered his lips to Luke. Luke turned his head and their lips met in a soft kiss. Sebastian spun him round to kiss him properly and Luke wrapped his arms around Sebastian's neck.
"Sebastian?" Luke asked after he pulled away.
"Yes Master?"
"I am ready to connect our bodies. We will do this after our return home" Luke said.
"Yes my lord" Sebastian said with a bow of his head.
Luke emerged from the changing room and sat down on a recliner next to Ciel. Sebastian seemed to have disappeared after serving lunch. Luke didn't bother trying to find him since Ciel had ordered him to do something or the other.
"We caught him! The bad dog's been caught! We got him! James's dog has been caught! Hurry, punishment is about to begin"
Luke looked up at Ciel and the servants.
"Come, let's see what punishment they are talking about" Luke said standing up. The servants took the lead in running after the villagers. Luke followed at a slower pace and let Ciel go ahead.
By the time Luke got there, his mouth fell open at the sight of the hunting dogs nearly ripping James's sixth dog apart.
"Leave him alone!" Finny cried out.
"Finny, wait!" Luke said reaching out to stop Finny but Finny had already run and thrown all the dogs away from James's dog.
"Is he alright?" Luke asked as Finny hugged the maimed dog to his chest.
The villagers formed an angry crowd around them. Luke glanced up and stood up.
"Bard, don't let them get near!" Luke ordered and Bard stood up and stood next to Luke.
"They stopped the punishment. They must be punished!" The villagers said to each other.
Luke was chained to the wall next to Ciel while the servants were tied up to a wooden pole.
"Master, please have mercy. They don't deserve punishment" Angela begged Lord Barrymore.
"You are right Angela, this little Pomeranian and the Alsatian are the Queen's Guard Dogs. If they can be made to see reason then maybe I can spare them" Lord Barrymore said.
He turned to Luke and Ciel with a scowl.
"Leave this village! And tell her Majesty never to send her people her again!" Barrymore demanded.
"You're so pathetic. You rely on tricks to retain your own illusion of power" Luke mocked.
"If there was a stubborn dog here, I'd say I'm looking at him" Ciel sneered.
"If that is your final choice, Phantomhive, then you shall now see what happens to a dog who dares to challenge me. Get them!" Barrymore ordered the dogs that were begging to be released.
The dogs were released and they charged forward.
I had said that I would protect you no matter what the cost. Do not worry, Master I am coming.
I'm really happy to see such a large response from the last chapters. Enjoy the next page in Luke and Ciel's adventure.
Onyxinlife