Chapter 25

Glee that could definitely be called "unholy" rushed through me as I realized what had happened. I had regained my demon nature and only now did I understand what had been needed for that to take place. I needed to indulge myself in rage and hatred—a demon did not forgive others or brush off his feelings; that was a human thing. No, a demon was essentially rage and hatred with a sense of aesthetics. Oh, we hated humans because they could gain Paradise and we raged at being denied it, but that was because we had the whole range of feelings that humans had while we were forever denied the grace they were freely given. That was why we so often hunted them for their souls so we would know that at least those souls were trapped with us, forever barred from Paradise itself. All we knew was hell, and I was about to share some of it with Sir Charles…

"Why are you grinning like that?" Sir Charles hissed. "When I'm through with you…"

I laughed. I rarely laughed like that, but a human always knew that it wasn't a human laughing when they heard me. They knew I was something else entirely.

My laugh brought Sir Charles up short and when I looked at him I saw realization dawn on his face. "What's happened to you?" he demanded.

I got to my feet and stood up straight, still smiling. "I've gone back to myself, Sir Charles," I said politely with a cold smile. "I must say I feel much better."

He stared at me and I saw him taking in the differences in my eyes, my shadow, my stance and voice. He knew that without the young master present, there was no one who could stop me from killing him in a fairly violent way. I was quite looking forward to it.

"Lucy!" Sir Charles called.

"Here, master," I heard from the hallway. It looked like the little nursemaid had gotten inside and upstairs very quickly.

Sir Charles pointed at me. "Kill him."

She stood between us suddenly, looking from Sir Charles to me and back again. "Kill him, master? Why?"

"Because I wish it!"

"But you told me I was to keep him in good health," she protested. "Killing him would not do that!"

"Forget about my earlier orders!" Sir Charles snapped. "Carry out the ones I'm giving you now!"

WHAM.

"I'd think again about following those orders if I were you, little one," Marcellus said. I hadn't even seen him approach, but suddenly he had his hand around Sir Charles throat and was holding him up against a wall. Sir Charles was gagging and choking but I knew that if he didn't struggle too much he would still be able to breathe.

Lucy froze, staring at Marcellus. "How did you get around the barrier?"

Marcellus smiled and turned his head to look at her. "You did a fine job of erecting a barrier around and over the estate, but you forgot to extend it under the ground past the wall. All I had to do was dig my way in."

"Hmph," Lucy muttered, glaring at him.

"Lucy," Sir Charles rasped. "Make him let go of me."

Marcellus tightened his grip before Lucy could move. "I would stay just where you are, my dear. You wouldn't want your precious master to lose his head, would you?"

Lucy looked from him to Sir Charles and back again. "Please let go of him."

Marcellus chuckled bleakly. "Oh, no, little one. I'm not about to do that. Now, where is the young master?"

She glared at Marcellus and the room grew colder. "Asleep, hopefully, but with all the noise you've been making..."

"Go and bring him here."

"Don't, Lucy," Sir Charles croaked, still fighting against the hand around his throat. "Don't let these beasts anywhere near my son."

Fury flooded through me. "He's not your son!" I said fiercely. "He was never your son! Your child is dead and buried! The boy asleep downstairs is my young master!" I couldn't believe I'd lost my temper like that, but I'd felt it coming ever since I'd woken up in this second imprisonment. Anger had been building up in me the whole time and now I no longer had to bury it.

"Nonsense," Sir Charles rasped. "He calls me 'Papa'."

"He does that to placate you," Marcellus said flatly. "Now, Lucy, I'll give you a choice. You can go get the young master or I can kill Sir Charles now. Which will it be?"

She didn't even answer. She was gone within a moment.

Marcellus shifted his attention to Sir Charles. "I hope you've been treating Sebastian kindly since he's been here," he said pleasantly. "I would be very upset if the case were otherwise."

Sir Charles choked and once again fought to get free. "Let go!"

"You did treat him well, didn't you?" Marcellus continued. "Hmm?"

I didn't tell him the treatment I'd received and I didn't know why I chose to do that. It must have been some lingering human feeling, but it kept me silent.

"I treated him exactly as he deserved," Sir Charles ground out at last.

Marcellus was saved from any response by the return of Lucy with the young master. He was asleep in her arms and it looked like he was asleep due to her actions rather than sleeping on his own. Demons and fiends were able to make humans sleep when they wished them to do so but right now it looked like Lucy had overdone it a bit. The young master was deeply asleep and it didn't look as if anything would wake him until he slept himself out. Either that, or a pitcher of cold water dashed in his face.

"Lucy, what are you doing? Get him out of here!" Sir Charles ordered. "Stop this man!"

Lucy looked as if she didn't know which order to follow first. Suddenly I felt the strongest urge to wrap my hands around Marcellus' throat and my arms came up as I began to walk toward him. What...? Oh. Lucy still had her thrall on me. She was making me do this. Well, I wouldn't! I'd endured enough of being under someone's thumb and having to follow orders because I was compelled to! I wasn't going to allow this any longer!

"I'd take the thrall off of him before he kills you, little one," Marcellus said darkly. "Or before I do."

Lucy backed away from me as I put one foot toward her. It was a struggle, but I was able to turn myself in her direction rather than continue in the direction she wished me to go. Her eyes grew wide as I drew closer, she backed away and stumbled...and fell...She hit my nightstand, toppling the water ewer and splashing herself and the young master with the entire contents of the container. The young master gasped and my theory about dashing cold water in his face was proved correct. He was awake and within moments his eyes took in the whole situation.

"Sebastian, this is an order!" he shouted. "Pick me up!"

An audible snap filled the room as I rushed to obey, and the feeling of Lucy's thrall on me dissipated as quickly as a drop of water evaporating in a dessert. "Yes, my lord," I said, and suddenly I was holding the young master.

"You took your time getting back to your old self," he said.

Some remaining vestige of humanity in me was rather hurt at his comment while the rapidly growing demon nature rejoiced at his return to his usual self. "My apologies, my lord."

"Hmph," he said, folding his arms and looking about. "Well, this is interesting. We have your friend Marcellus about to kill Sir Charles and the fiend contracted to Sir Charles seems powerless to stop him. Whatever shall she do?"

Some part of me felt rather sorry for Lucy. She was powerless-both Marcellus and I were far older than she was, and not only had we had time to gain more power, we'd been learning how to use it and how to fight with it for centuries longer than she'd been alive. If she tried to battle the both of us she would be killed. It was that simple.

"Ciel," Sir Charles rasped, still clawing at Marcellus' hand. "Ciel, run! Get away from them!"

My master turned and glared at him. "You stay quiet," he said. "I'm sick of playing your games!"

Marcellus chuckled. "What would you like me to do with him, young master?" Marcellus asked, turning to give the both of us a look. "Sebastian, what would you suggest? Surely you two can think of a little revenge you'd like to carry out?"

Oh, the ideas that simple question conjured up! I had a million ideas and even more plans, but I was not the only one Sir Charles had injured. No, the revenge enacted on Sir Charles would depend upon my young master's wishes. I looked at the young master, and to my surprise he had a very serious expression on his face. What was moving through that mind of his?

"Break the contract between him and Lucy, Marcellus," my young master ordered.

Crrracck!

Lucy screamed, and I saw her collapse on the floor in a dead faint. Sir Charles let out a garbled scream as well and glared at Marcellus.

"Is it possible to keep him from ever contracting with another demon or fiend again?"

Marcellus chuckled. "Oh, yes, young master."

"Then do it."

The revenge was too perfect. I understood exactly what my master was doing and I found myself applauding him for it. He was arranging it so that Sir Charles would never be able to take either him or me or anyone else prisoner again with the help of a demon or fiend. It was brilliant.

Sir Charles screamed and writhed under Marcellus' hand, and at last Marcellus released him, allowing him to drop to the floor. It was rather fascinating to watch him twisting about like someone in a mad fit. I watched, but at last the young master looked away. A human could only stand to watch such things for a short time unless he was absolutely without any human feeling. I knew that despite the traumas in his past and his anger and bitterness, he still felt for others. That was part of what made his soul so tantalizing.

At last, Sir Charles stopped screaming and lay on the floor, his eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. The young master glanced at him and then quickly looked away. "Is he dead?" he asked.

"No, just deeply in a form of shock," Marcellus assured him. "I promise. He'll wake up with an awful headache and aching in every joint, but he'll never be able to form any sort of contract again."

The young master smiled. "Good. I'd like him returned to Bedlam. That's where he belongs."

Marcellus grinned and I felt the young master shiver, either from the soaking or from Marcellus' smile. "Very good, sir," Marcellus said. "What shall I do about Lucy?"

My master glanced at her. "Put her on Sebastian's bed for the time being. While you return Sir Charles to Bedlam I want Sebastian to remain with me. Once you've delivered him to Bedlam return to the Phantomhive estate."

Marcellus bowed and began to follow orders. Lucy was placed on my bed and tucked in before Marcellus disappeared with Sir Charles. I had a strong feeling that when Sir Charles awoke in Bedlam he would be truly convinced that his escape and our imprisonment had only been a madness-induced dream.

"I'm cold," my master said. "I want a hot bath and something hot to eat."

I smiled. "Yes, my lord."

In short order my master was left soaking in a hot bath and I'd gone down to the kitchen. Within a short amount of time I'd thrown together a savory soup and a hot sandwich and a pot of tea and carried it all up to my master. I helped him out of the tub and and into dry clothes and a minute or so later he was enjoying a hearty meal. It looked like his appetite had come back with a vengeance and enough determination to flatten him and I had to fight down a smile as he had second helpings. When he finally put down his silverware and leaned back in his chair he had the sleepy, content look of a well-fed child.

"You followed all those orders even though neither of us has a mark of contract with the other," he said, his eyelids drooping. "Why?"

"Because I wished to, young master," I told him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much," he said. "I'd like to return to the Phantomhive estate, though. I'm sick of being here. What do you suggest we do about Lucy?"

I thought about it. "Really, I have no clue. She may choose to go off on her own or attempt to avenge herself for the loss of her meal, but..."

"I guess we can't predict what she'll do," my master finished. "I see." He sipped his tea and let himself get lost in his own thoughts while I tidied things away. Even if we were leaving it would not do for a Phantomhive butler to leave things in a mess.

"How long have I been asleep?"

I turned and saw Lucy standing in the doorway, looking like a lost child.

"About two hours or so," I told her. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," she said flatly, moving to the table and sitting down across from my master. She glared at him. "It's your fault."

My master placed his teacup in its saucer. "My fault?"

"You ordered him to break the contract," she snapped. "It was my first contract and I was the perfect nursemaid! Who knows when I'll get another contract that was as much fun?"

"I'm sure you'll find something," my master said. "The world is full of people who are desperate for help from uncanny sources."

She huffed. "Oh, sure, I've got people lining up to make contracts right now." I nearly chuckled at the tone of her voice. She sounded like any adolescent girl who was upset about something.

"It's not my fault you contracted with a madman with enemies," my master said sharply.

"Did you have to have that one man end the contract?" she growled. "I'm old enough to eat souls now, you know, and I'm getting hungry."

"Well, go eat his soul, then," my master snarled. "I'm not stopping you."

"I can't without a mark of contract!" she shouted. "Now you've made him so that he can never form another contract, so thank you very much!"

My master's expression didn't change. "You're welcome."

She scowled at him. "I'm welcome?"

"If you'd eaten Sir Charles' soul, it's likely you would have been sick since he was mad. Do you think a mad soul would have been a treat?"

I thought about it and I had to admit the young master had a point. Mad souls tasted...well, they tasted odd at best. At worst, well, it didn't bear thinking about. Usually, I tried to steer away from forming contracts with the mad. "He's right, Lucy," I said. "Mad souls don't taste very well."

I could tell she wasn't convinced, but she was quiet.

"What will you do now that Sir Charles is in Bedlam?" the young master asked.

She looked at him, but I could tell that her glare lacked the level of ice it had had before. "I suppose I'll try to find another contract," she said thoughtfully. "Either that or I'll return home for a while and try again later."

"A sensible decision," I told her.

She turned to glare at me. I could tell she was still upset, but it was fading quickly. "Did you return home after a contract of yours failed?"

"I've had two contracts fail in my lifetime, and yes, I did return home," I said. In this form, it was not in my nature to lie. "I felt quite much more like myself after spending some time there."

I could tell she was thinking about it and she was almost convinced. "I'll think about it."

I was glad that she was thinking about it. A young fiend could get herself into a great deal of trouble through inexperience and I was positive that a little more time spent at home would give her the opportunity she needed to mature a little more.

She looked from me to the young master. "What will you two do now?"

"We're returning to the Phantomhive estate," my master told her. "I certainly don't want to live here."

She nodded. "I'll be leaving, too," she said. "Is there anything you wanted to take with you? I could pack it for you."

I fought down a smile. Even after her contract had been ended she still wanted to be the perfect nursemaid. A fiend with a sense of aesthetics. Who knew?

"No, there's nothing I want to take with me," he said politely. "Thank you, though."

For the first time since she'd walked in the door, she smiled. "You're welcome."

We didn't extend our leave-taking. As soon as my master declared himself ready I helped him put on a coat and hat and we said our goodbyes to Lucy.

"I hope I see the two of you again," she said as we left. "I'm still angry about the lost contract, but I'd be stupid to try to fight you about it, Sebastian, or to try to hurt your master."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn't wanted to fight with her; I'd surely kill her. "I'm glad you decided not to fight me over it," I said. "I've come to like you quite a bit."

She gave me a bright smile. "Aww, you're so cute!"

My master stared at her the same way he would regard something truly frightening. What was running through his head? "Cute?" he said.

She nodded. "Very," she assured him. "You're cute, too. You're a pretty cute human, and Sebastian is a cute demon. It makes me want to squidge you both!"

I fought the urge to back away while my master did back away. "No squidging required, Lucy," he said easily. "Thank you for being such a good nursemaid."

"And thank you very much for taking such good care of me while I was human," I added, hoping I could avoid being squidged. No demon anywhere worth his salt would put up with such a thing.

She gave us a happy nod. Once again, I was struck with how child-like she could be. "I was glad to do it," she said. "I hope to see you both again." With that, she ran off, disappearing in short order.

Thank goodness. We'd managed to avoid being squidged.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes, young master?"

"What is squidging?"

I chuckled. "Her word for a hug, most likely," I said.

He nodded. "That's what I thought." He shook himself and shuddered. "I never thought I'd see a version of Lizzy in something like a demon."

I nearly burst out laughing. I hadn't made the connection, but he was right. In many ways, Lucy was quite like Lady Elizabeth. Interesting!

"Let's go home," he said, straightening his shoulders and pulling himself up to his full height and dignity. "I belong at the Phantomhive manor, not this place."

I felt myself smile and sank to one knee. "Yes, my lord."

We got back to the Phantomhive estate just as the sun was rising. My master had fallen asleep during our journey from Yorkshire and as I carried him inside the gates of the manor I could feel his body relax. The estate was his ancestral home, so it was natural that he would feel most at home here, even when asleep. I took him inside and smiled when I saw the servants, Soma, and Agni lined up to greet us in whispers.

"Hello," I whispered. "It's good to be back. How did you know we were coming?"

"Mr. Marcellus telephoned," Agni said. "He said to expect you. The earl's room is prepared and breakfast will be ready shortly."

I smiled. "Thank you, Agni."

I carried my master upstairs and laid him on his bed so I could undress him and prepare him for bed. While I changed his clothes I realized just how thin and pale he'd become during our latest captivity. I'd have to do what I could to make sure he put the lost weight back on and regained his color. It wouldn't do for my master to become ill. Five minutes later I was tucking him in and settling him for a good long sleep, but when I turned away from the bed I realized that at some point his hand had crept into mine and was holding on. I smiled and took a seat in a chair by the bed. Once he relaxed I was sure he would let go of my hand and I could get back to my duties.

I didn't do it often, but I indulged myself by letting my mind wander. My master was asleep and not likely to need anything from me other than my presence and Agni would be able to handle the job of butler a little while longer. It was safe to let myself daydream and to try to process everything that had happened. My human emotions had faded, thank goodness, and I was no longer terribly upset over Sir Charles' treatment of me. Instead, I was just annoyed. How could anyone behave in such an appalling manner? It defied all understanding.

I was deep in my thoughts, but I sensed Marcellus when he arrived on the estate. I could feel him drawing closer and it wasn't long before he was sitting beside me. While I watched the young master sleep, he watched me watch the young master. Finally, I couldn't quell my curiosity and I turned and looked at him. "What is it?"

"I was afraid you would be killed while you were human," he said, still staring. "Are you all right?"

I nodded. I knew what he was asking. "Yes, I'm all right."

"Is there anything you want to ask me?"

I did have questions. A lot of questions, really, but first things first. "What took you so long?"

He smiled. "You know how fiends are masters of deception?"

I nodded. While we demons prided ourselves on never lying, fiends had no such impulses. They would lie whenever necessary in order to get what they wanted and they wouldn't hesitate to do other things like building illusions to serve their purposes. "Lucy tricked you?"

"She's rather clever," Marcellus said, sounding impressed in spite of himself. "I set off right away as soon as I regained consciousness but it wasn't long before I got rather lost. Everytime I tried to head to Yorkshire I ended up headed back towards London and once I was almost to Penzance before I realized it and turned myself around."

I fought down a chuckle. Poor Marcellus! "How did you finally get there?"

"I sat down and forced myself to study the illusion I was caught in. After a few days of studying its structure I was able to break it and then I headed straight to Yorkshire and to you."

"I was glad you came when you did," I said. "The situation was becoming tedious."

"I don't doubt it," he said, clasping my shoulder. "What will you do now?"

I stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"You no longer have a contract with Ciel," he said. "If he chooses not to renew it, what will you do?"

For a moment, I was speechless. Never, in all the time I'd spent since I'd become human and then reverting back to my demon self had I thought that my young master would not renew the contract. After all, we hadn't obtained his revenge, but if he viewed this as a chance to perhaps go to Paradise when he died...he might not renew it. He might reject me entirely and I would be without my meal and he would just be a normal boy who'd lost his parents, rather than a boy who'd contracted with a demon. "He hasn't told me to go," I said at last. "I'll stay until he tells me to stay or go."

"And if he doesn't want you to stay?"

What was this odd pounding in my chest? Why did I feel as if my throat were closing up? Was this some human emotion left lurking around in my mind? "I suppose I'll go." Why did that sentence make me feel so uncomfortable?

Marcellus' hand wrapped around the back of my neck and his fingers began to massage the tense muscles. "Will you go home?"

"Maybe," I said. "Maybe I will, and maybe I'll stay in this world and find another contract." Technically, the young master and I had an unfulfilled contract since we hadn't accomplished his revenge, but it had been broken when I became human. There was nothing I could to re-establish it until my master said the words to made that possible. We demons were not allowed to interfere with a human's free will: We could not force a contract on someone in any way, although we could tempt them when they were desperate. The choice they made then, to accept the contract or not, was entirely up to them. We were not allowed to place a human in circumstances where they would choose the contract and we were not allowed to interfere in their choices. It was all up to them whether we gained a contract or not.

I'd just never considered that my master might not want to re-establish the contract. I knew him almost as well as he knew himself and sometimes I had a better insight into his mind and motivations than he did. He'd been a happy child when he'd been young and the love and care his parents had lavished on him had given him confidence and a deep concern for other living beings, whether humans, animals, or even demons. Good teaching and plenty of challenging reading material had honed his already sharp intellect so that at ten he'd been studying things most young men preparing for university studied. His parents had allowed him to fail when necessary so he would become resilient and they'd offered him advice only when something was truly beyond him. If his parents hadn't been murdered, then he would have been well on the way to becoming a formidable young man and a natural leader that other men would be drawn to. They would have wanted to follow him, but I knew that fate had intervened. He'd become bitter during that month spent in capitivity and he'd lost faith in the goodness of men and in God. I knew he was determined to make his tormenters and those people responsible for his humiliation suffer, but what if he felt able to do that on his own, without me?

What would I do if he told me to go?