Author's Note: Short chapter to be followed by a lengthier instalment as we run in for the finish. Roughly two more chapters to go before I close this story arc. Hope you enjoy this. It was surprisingly difficult to write.
Ciel and Sebastian, His Butler, At Leisure 10
"I trust you can explain this sight before us?" Ciel said as the trio stood around the bloodied corpse of a man hidden in the wilderness behind the churchyard wall. Judging from the hole in the man's head, it appeared the demon had brained him with his foot.
"This is the body I found on the island, Master."
"I thought you said there were no visible causes of death."
"There were not, Sir. As I said, he had been dead for three days judging from putrefaction of the tissues." Sebastian said calmly. Ciel rolled his eyes.
"Then explain the large hole in this man's skull to me before I get annoyed."
"I am afraid I am the cause of such a brutal wound, Master. I had no choice when he rose up and attacked me."
Ciel snapped his head from the corpse to Sebastian in bewilderment. "What on earth do you mean 'rose up'?"
"Exactly that. I was examining the surrounding area for a cause of death when the corpse got to its feet and began to assault me…with its teeth." The demon answered with a serene smile. Ciel frowned at this complete mockery of natural order.
"Are you quite certain he was dead before this 'resurrection'?"
"Yes, most certain. Putrefaction only occurs after the body has been decomposing in an open environment for thirty-six hours. This coupled with his blistered skin and bloating in the face and abdomen all state unequivocally that the man was dead when he attacked me." Sebastian explained, gesturing to the blisters and areas of bloating as he spoke. Ciel turned to Clarence who seemed transfixed by the corpse lying prone on the ground.
"What do you think Clarence?" The older boy asked his companion. The Cornish youth frowned.
"If he's been dead for so long, how come the blood on your shoes is fresh, Sebastian? Surely it'd be as disgusting as the rest of him after three days." The blond said looking from the body to the butler who raised his eyebrows accordingly.
"That was my question Sunshine Incarnate. It is incongruous that this man's head would contain fresh blood after three days out in the sun and yet it does. Tell me, do you believe in the supernatural?" The demon replied taking a single step towards the younger boy.
"I didn't used to. I do now though." Clarence offered with a shrug.
"And what made you change your mind on the matter?" Sebastian said now only six inches away from the blond. Clarence shrugged again.
"You coming here. I know you're not human. Nobody can row out to the islands and back within an hour. Not if they went ashore and looked around as well." The younger boy said. Sebastian leaned in slowly. Ciel felt his stomach turn as the demon gifted Clarence an unreadable smile in posing his next question.
"How do you know I'm not lying about going to the islands?"
"Because demons can't lie. It's a rule." Clarence said. He still did not shake even when the butler's nose was almost pressed against his own. Ciel saw Sebastian's eyes begin to glow and knew he was only moments away from silencing a threat to their continued anonymity.
"Very good, Clarence. Most commendable." The demon said with a slow nodding of his head. For the longest time no-one said a word or moved an inch. Just as Ciel opened his mouth to order Sebastian to leave Clarence alone, the butler's glowing eyes dimmed to nothing and he carefully reared back up to his full height. "You are…very bright. Very bright, indeed. In any case, I believe occult magic to be behind this man's short return to the land of the living. Whatever this fabled Cornish treasure is, it is most definitely cursed." The demon speculated, as if Clarence knowing his secret was not of any concern.
"Could this curse have killed him as well?" Ciel asked after observing Clarence in silence for a moment. The Cornish boy seemed confused.
"Possibly. It is possible he may have even unearthed the treasure or touched it before his death. Either that, or the treasure has guardians of some description. However, I did not see any evidence of other inhabitants on the island except this man." Sebastian said crouching down at the side of the body. He produced a cloth from inside his frock coat and ran it across his shoes once. Once the cloth was removed, both shoes were immaculate without a trace of any foreign substance, let alone blood.
"Hmm. Wait here. I need to speak with Clarence in private."
Ciel walked his companion from the undergrowth to a secluded spot out of even the demon's earshot. Clarence still appeared confused, an expression the older boy found he did not like seeing on the Cornish youth's face. "How long have you known of Sebastian's true nature?" Ciel inquired. Clarence shrugged.
"I never thought it was true until just now. I kind of hoped I was just a bit loopy when Sebastian seemed too perfect to be one of us, like I was imagining things." The younger boy shook his head, "but I wasn't. He doesn't sweat. He doesn't get tired. He can see things people don't. And I mean when you can put your foot through a man's skull and shrug it off, that's just not a human being is it? I guess I should've known from all the newspaper articles." Ciel felt his jaw tighten.
"What about them?"
"You're a really powerful person, Ciel, but you're still only thirteen. From some of the threats you've faced down and defeated, you should've been planted six-feet under at least a dozen times. That you're still breathing and in good health is as good a clue as any you've got more than luck on your side." Clarence said with a melancholic smile his companion could not help feeling threatened by.
"And now what? Because I side with the devil instead of the angels, do you intend to run me out of town?" The older boy said challengingly. The Cornish youth rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Sebastian could've killed me just now."
"Yes, he could have. I thought he would for a moment."
"I think he did too. But he stopped. I think he knew what you know deep down." Clarence said, his sad smile turning into a sheepish grin that gave Ciel hope of salvaging the situation.
"What's that?" The older boy asked.
"I'm not a threat to you. He only kills when he is required to, doesn't he? If your life is in danger, he'll act automatically to save you. Since I'm not threatening your life, he has no reason to hurt me." The blond explained. He sounded somewhat crestfallen by his own analogy of his worth, as if he were an ant discovering it was just one of countless thousands in a colony. Ciel smiled and put a hand on his companion's shoulder.
"He likes you as well, you know. He's not just a mindless automaton: He can grow attached to people, just like anybody else. He likes the rest of my servants too. He also has a horrid fondness for cats despite my allergies."
Clarence grinned. "Cats?"
"Yes. He's very…peculiar for a demon…of any description." Ciel said taking his hand back. Clarence seemed much more relaxed after this unusual fact and the older boy was glad.
"Does he like you?" The Cornish youth asked. Ciel frowned.
"He serves me. I doubt he likes me for anything but that which I have promised him."
"I don't think that's true. The way he looks at you is different from the way he looks at anybody else." Clarence informed him. Ciel had to sneer at that.
"Like he wants to eat me?" The older boy said.
"Like you're the important thing in the world to him." The blond said with a sincerity Ciel tried not to balk at. Clearly Clarence did not understand how a demon worked. He scoffed.
"Hardly. I'm just a means to an end for him, a sideshow to occupy him for the time being."
"I still think he loves you. Even if he doesn't, at least he'll never leave you. It must be nice to have someone always there for you. Someone who's always on your side." Clarence offered wistfully. Ciel, seeing that any tension in their dialogue had abated, ventured to put an arm around the younger boy's shoulder. It was a gesture he had seen Baldroy do to Finny and Mey-Rin on several occasions when their spirits needed lifting. He was hoping for a similar effect on Clarence.
"The same could be said of you and this village. I have yet to meet anyone who did not love the mere sight of you. You are very fortunate." Ciel assured him. His companion conceded the point with a nod.
"Yeah, but they're all old. No kids want to play with me…except you of course."
"Perhaps if we solve this mystery, you'll find new levels of popularity amongst your peers." The older boy suggested, squeezing the blonde's shoulder genially. He was praying such behaviour was correct for the situation and not inappropriate. Clarence's response seemed to indicate it was just what he needed.
"That would be nice."
The pair returned to the undergrowth where they found Sebastian examining the body. When they drew level with the butler's hunched form, they saw what specifically had caught his eye. The demon held up one of the corpse's hands palm-up. On the hand were clear burn marks as if they had been holding onto something hot or toxic for too long. When Sebastian silently contrasted this hand against the other, the disparity was clear to see. The other hand was entirely unmarked. "He touched something with his left hand. From the appearance of the wound, I would say it was shortly before death." The demon commented. Ciel frowned.
"Why didn't you notice this on your initial examination of the body?"
"Apologies, Young Master, but the discolouration was not so pronounced at my first examination."
"But he'd been dead for three days. Surely any injury would have appeared by that time."
"Unless it wasn't an ordinary wound." Clarence pointed out to earn a nod of approval from the butler.
"Mr. Gwinnel is correct. I imagine this mark not only to be a likely cause of death, but also some sort of trigger for the resurrection of the corpse."
"Are you saying you can't identify it as something you've come across before?" Ciel said, slightly unbelieving a demon as old as time itself had no knowledge of this occult practice. Sebastian scrutinised the mark further.
"The purple hue to the wound and its general crescent shape is reminiscent of some ancient Celtic tribes who practiced black magic, but is definitely uncommon in this part of the country."
"Could it be a hex?" Clarence suggested. Sebastian shook his head.
"It is far more powerful than a hex, Clarence. With such power to raise the dead, one would require decades of practice and experience, perhaps even longer than the average human lifespan will permit for true mastery." The demon said getting to his feet. Ciel sighed lethargically.
"What on earth could this treasure be that left us with a mystery that touches on the occult, greed and a grizzly end to a lifelong friendship that ends in the death of both parties within days of one another?"
"I believe we may only discover that by returning to that island. Although I saw no evidence of life, the island was covered in dense undergrowth and trees. I left with the body before I could make a full appreciation of the ground. It was most important you realise the nature of our mystery." Sebastian said with a gravitas that did not suit his casual nature. Ciel was taken aback by his tone. He collected himself.
"Why is that?"
"We do not know what this man touched to end up in the manner you see him now. It could be the fabled treasure he sought out or it might be something as innocent as a stone or a tree or the surface of a puddle. It is possible you may die if we venture to this island. And if it is a stone that is the culprit for this man's untimely death, I might not be able to save you in time."
"Well, when you consider that we initially wished to solve a murder and we have to a certain degree, there is little need to pursue this matter further. Nothing can be lost by ignoring this treasure in favour of enjoying the rest of our holiday." Ciel mused. He knew he had no stake in this mystery. He knew that for sensible investigators who valued both their lives and reputations that there was nothing else to be gained here. It would be easy to walk away and move on to other challenges. But he already knew he was not a sensible investigator in the slightest, nor did he shy away from a challenge he was confident of beating into submission. "I'd like to leave early tomorrow morning. There is no point rushing this. Bury that body somewhere discreet and meet me back at the cottage within the hour."
"Yes, My Lord."
Ciel turned to Clarence. "You don't have to come you if you don't want to." The older boy assured his friend. The Cornish youth rolled his eyes.
"I didn't have to do a lot of things if I didn't want to, Ciel. I want to do this though."
"I can't promise I'll be able to protect you." Ciel said honestly. Clarence shrugged.
"I don't want you to promise that. Just let me see this mystery to the end. That's all I want." Ciel admired the blond boy's bravery. He had seldom come across any child – with the notable exception of his fiancée - who went into such a dangerous situation with their eyes open to the danger. He inclined his head.
"Very well then. We'll meet at the dock tomorrow morning, 6 o'clock. "
"Just get Sebastian to pack us a lunch and I'll follow you anywhere."
"I thought as much."