Death Watch
Chapter Ten
Hall of Records
Amber liquid swirled and steamed as it was poured into delicate Haviland tea cup, decorated with hand painted roses of the faint lavender-hued, sterling silver variety that Ciel loved best, commissioned especially for him by his butler. Ciel thought of all the little things that the demon did for him to please him over the years that he always took for granted. It was a butler's duty, of course, to see to it that his master's life was as comfortable and consistent as possible. Was that all that mattered to the demon; was that all that these new-found pleasures he had introduced to him were? Well, it didn't matter to him; he was simply taking his pleasure from the demon and nothing more, and vice versa, and that was fine with him.
He was amazed at how natural Sebastian still acted for the most part, even after all their recent times together. He himself, at least at first, had continued to feel agonizing guilt still about engaging in such activities with the demon. Upon finding himself at times plagued by occasional daytime descents by his mind into imaginings and lewd yearnings, he tried to replace those thoughts of Sebastian whenever they would creep into his head with images of his fiancée, Elizabeth, and to feel desire only for her. But his thoughts would invariably drift to his butler instead, until eventually, accosted by terribly depraved fantasies of the demon doing all manner of things to him, he finally gave up even trying to divert his attentions in her direction, and simply gave in to accepting his new proclivities in favor of his butler. He was doomed to have a demon devour his soul, he reminded himself. How pointless it was, he laughed, to even worry about such things as ever being married to anyone anyway, when he would most likely not even live to see the day.
The demon was certainly acting as serene and professional as ever this morning; formal and dispassionate, as he bowed forward slightly, leaning over and handing the cup to Ciel. Reaching out to accept it, Ciel was startled to notice a glint of gold coming from his butler's vest pocket: his father's pocket watch. He hadn't thought about it in a while. He felt a twinge of painful disappointment still, thinking about how it had led to nothing in the end. Damn Augustine, for lying to him! He wished to kill the man again, just for the satisfaction of seeing him die a second time. He did actually regret that action, he had to admit. If only he hadn't acted so rashly, they could have gone back and interrogated the bastard again. And now there was no one whom they could ask, as there had been no one else who knew anything about the watch; well, except…
He suddenly thought of Martin Wentworth, Augustine's accomplice, whom they had originally discovered in possession of the watch, as his pulse sped up with alarm and excitement. Martin! If he was still alive, that was. They could track him down and ask him more questions, in the meager hope that he might at least know something more than what he had told them. Hope surged anew in him, and with heart racing he looked at Sebastian standing beside his bed.
"Sebastian," he said excitedly. The demon looked down at him, curious. "Sebastian—Martin! We can find Wentworth, and interrogate him once again. He might know something more." The demon's eyes widened at this statement with a look that Ciel couldn't quite identify. His head slowly nodded in agreement.
"He may indeed, young master; it is at least worth finding out." He smiled at Ciel. "Shall I go this morning after breakfast then, and investigate his whereabouts?"
Ciel nodded, thinking. Where would Martin have gone after they ran him off his property, with no possessions to his name? Well, he was sure his butler would be successful in finding him, no doubt quicker than he could even imagine, as was his want. There really seemed to be no task that was ever too difficult for him. He smiled.
"Yes, Sebastian. That will be satisfactory."
The carriage pulled up in front of a seedy, run-down tenement building, very near some old docks that looked like they hadn't been used in years. The evening air smelled slightly salty from the infiltration of the sea into the river, as well as the usual rotting, putrid smells that were a permanent characteristic of such areas of London as this. Sebastian had found Martin with no trouble at all, as expected; the man was currently residing in the Blackwall region of the East End, on River's Edge Way.
Ciel got out of the cab, followed by Sebastian after having paid the driver, and the carriage clattered off, reins smacking, horses galloping away as quickly as possible from such an undesirable place. Walking down the pavement a ways, the pair arrived at a door that was recessed beneath a low awning, with steps leading down to a basement dwelling. Signaling Ciel to stay back by putting his hand out behind him and across Ciel's chest, Sebastian then crept down the stairs to the door. After just a moment, he signaled Ciel to approach, whispering close to his ear, "He is in the room adjoining the first, and is the only person in his dwelling. Shall we?" He smiled at Ciel, and in response Ciel smiled back and gave a nod. Immediately turning back towards the door, Sebastian turned the handle, and with a loud click, it opened, the lock now broken beyond repair. Striding boldly in, the butler and the boy hastened across the room to another door on the left, which was open to an adjoining room. There sat Wentworth, looking startled, at a rickety old table, covered with coins and bills as well as various bits of jewelry and other objects.
"Wot t' bloody 'ell!" Martin exclaimed, jumping up from his chair, tripping as his knees hit the table, and falling back consequently to land sprawled on the floor. Crawling away backwards, he finally managed to get up, but Sebastian was already standing behind him, twisting and restraining his arms behind him once more.
"Not you blokes again! What 'ta you want this time?" he sputtered, twisting his head to look around and up at Sebastian, and then back at Ciel.
"We simply came here to ask you a few more questions about the watch." Ciel smiled. It was not a pleasant smile. Martin blanched at the sight. "Augustine wasn't as… helpful as I could have hoped with the information we requested of him, and now, alas, he can no longer be of use to us in our further investigations." He could see by the look in Martin's eyes that the man knew what fate had befallen his former comrade in crime. "So please, be so good as to tell me once more everything you know about that watch. Where you got it, how, the name of the person you got it from… anything, and everything!" he barked. While speaking, he withdrew his pistol from its holster behind his right hip, and brought it out to point it steadily at the man's chest.
"A'right, a'right! I'll tell 'ee!" Martin's face scrunched up in concentration for a few moments. "Aha! Yes! I've thought of it!" The smile that lit his face up was genuine—the man obviously realized his plight and the fact that his ability to remember the details would determine whether he lived or died this time. "Twas a chap named Van… Vancon… Yes! Vanconmar! That was it." Relief flooded his features with his success at recalling the name, and his shoulders sagged as he relaxed. "Some lord or other, I believe. Lord Vanconmar, I 'eard his companion call 'im, anyway." He looked up at Ciel again now, as if in expectation of being praised and possibly rewarded for his performance. Lord Vanconmar. Ciel filed that name away in his brain. It was a start, at least. But he was far from finished with plying the man for information.
He smiled reassuringly at the thief, as if he was quite pleased with him, and said, "Excellent." He nodded. "Well done." His smile then got cold and he looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Now, what else?" he hissed . "Give me every detail about the incident that you can think of." Martin trembled visibly as he looked back, and went on. "Uhh... Umm... Ah, well... Lessee. Yes! It was at a gentlemen's club in Chelsea; a real fancy pub, all classy-like, you know? Well anyway, me an' Jacques were nosin' for a new mark… and there 'appened to be a coupla blokes next table 't us, talking. Anyhows, this Vanconmar chap was moanin 'bout his current state, and braggin' to his companion about how he came across that mighty fine watch of 'is. Right pissed he was, too; halfway under 't table. Was going on about how 'e had destroyed some other nobleman's entire family, and sent his kid to a fate worse than death-real nice guy, what?"
A jolt of excitement went through Ciel. Could this be it? Could this really be it? He blanched at the thought, and now felt almost like all his blood had stopped, making him dizzy. Martin suddenly seemed like he was far away, a tiny speck of a person in the distance before him.
"So's anyways, me 'n Jacques, we made the hit on him after 'e left, on 'is way home. Got a pretty good catch from 'im, too; lotsa jewels, notes 'n coins, whatnot, and the watch, of course. I took a fancy to it, and Jacques, 'ee let me 'ave it as my part 'o the loot. And that's it; that's all there is to it. Ain't nothing more." He finished, looking pleased with himself.
"Sebastian, tie this worthless slug up, and gag him." He was sure Sebastian would find something suitable to tie him up with; it wasn't even worth thinking about. He addressed Martin. "We will proceed to the Hall of Records, and determine for ourselves whether or not you are telling the truth. If we find no evidence to support your claims, or find evidence to contradict them, we will leave you here to rot, Martin." He glared down at the man, trembling at his feet. "Nobody will hear you, nobody will find you, and you will slowly starve and thirst to death, as you deserve. If you are telling the truth," He gave the man as sweet a smile as he could manage, which for some reason made Martin cower all the more violently. "I will have my man here come back and untie you, and you will be free once more to live your life as you please. As, if that is the outcome of our inquiry, you will have earned my undying gratitude—or perhaps I should say my dying gratitude." He looked to Sebastian with a wry smile on his face.
Martin's eyes went wide with sheer terror, and then with resignation to his fate, as he was trussed up by Sebastian. Ciel turned and headed for the door.
"We will be on our way, then. Come, Sebastian." And so saying, he exited the room and the dwelling without looking back. Coming back out into the night air he breathed deeply, enjoying its relatively fresh smell as compared with the stench he had just endured.
"A… Ahh… Choo!" Ciel sneezed amid the swirling, pervasive dust of the room. Sniffling a little, Ciel took the dusty tomb from Sebastian, and looked to see where the butler was pointing to on the open page. The book was heavy and musty smelling, and he felt another sneeze coming. Quickly setting the book on a nearby table, he smothered his sneeze as best he could, and then went back reading down the lines of faint, fine print, the spidery handwriting making it doubly hard to read. "Lord Terence Vanconmar, Earl of Vanconmar…" He squinted. "…is hereby divested and deprived of the title of Earl and all rights and responsibilities thereof…" Ah! Thought Ciel. So the man had been stripped of his title as Earl. Interesting… But then he saw it. The part that Sebastian had obviously wanted him to read.
His heart stopped, and then started pounding madly in his chest. He read the words again silently. "…for deeds of heinous and reprehensible nature, that shall be unnamed… by the order and recommendation of her majesty's esteemed servant, Lord Vincent Phantomhive, Earl of Phantomhive." Looking up, he saw that the demon was gazing intently back at him, with full awareness of what this meant.
"Sebastian…" The demon just continued to stare blazingly at him. "My father is the one who ordered it." The butler nodded and smiled. "Indeed, my lord. Continue reading, if I may so suggest." Ciel could only nod, and then continued as he bid him do. The words jumped out at him, searing into his brain with their implications. Apparently, after having lost his title, Terence Vanconmar went on not only to lose his fortune and his estate within three years, but also his wife, Martha, to measles, and his daughter, Theresa, only seven years old at the time, to typhoid. A son only remained to him, now seventeen, if he still survived, Ciel learned as he continued to read. It went on to disclose a few more bits of uninteresting information about the man's life, including his last known residence, and that was all.
He could still hear the words his servant had just spoken ringing in his ears: "Master, we've found it. I believe we have finally found the one you have been searching for all this time."
Those were the words. The words that echoed loudly in his head still, as he stood there in that dark room; the words that would seal his fate, mark his doom; the words that meant he would finally be able to fulfill his life's highest ambition, that mission most dear to his heart. They had found the one whom he had sought for so long. Vengeance would be his.
The moon's light shone through the nearby heavily lead-paned garret window, and upon the now closed tome that lay resting on the table before him as Ciel pondered the significance of what it had just revealed. He was sure, beyond a doubt, that they had their man. The culprit was found. The name of the man whom they would now seek and hunt down to the end of the earth, if necessary was: Vanconmar. Now all they had to do was find him, a task he had complete faith would be easily achieved by his butler. And then, his mission would be complete. It would be the last task Sebastian would ever do for him, as his butler, if he was successful. He grieved a little at the thought. He could no longer deny that he would regret having to leave the demon, when he left this world. Yes, there were other things that he would miss, other people that were dear to him, even. But it was he, and he alone, that had been the closest to him, for so long, had served him so well, had given so much of himself to him. He squeezed his eyes shut to stop the pang in his heart that he felt at the thought. This was what he wanted; this was what he had strove for all these years; this was the fate that he had chosen. He opened his eyes to see the demon's own gazing into his, looking at him with concern and a hint of something else, a slow blaze that burned and grew in the depths. He knew, too, what this meant, of course.
"What next, my lord?" the demon asked quietly. "What shall be your next move?" Ciel's heart skipped a beat at the low, softly spoken words. He tried to think, to focus on what it was he was asking. Ah, yes.
"We just need to find Vanconmar, of course," he said huskily, embarrassed that he had flustered himself so much with his thoughts. "We should not release Martin until just before we do. We will hunt him down until we find him, the man who shall pay dearly for his crimes."
"And after that?" the demon persisted. He knew damn well what came after that, Ciel knew. He just wanted to hear him say it. He smirked back at him and only replied, "After that, well… we shall see. We aren't there yet."
"Mmm," the demon replied, in a tone of agreement, and smiled back at Ciel. "Then, shall we go, my lord?" and so saying put out his arms. They had resorted to breaking into the main records room by way of a window high up on a third floor balcony, in order to avoid the front hall royal guards. Ciel rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"You are ever eager to carry me at every opportunity, aren't you?" he laughed teasingly. "One would almost suspect that you liked it a little too much." The demon grinned widely at that, and chuckled in return, and Ciel stepped closer to allow himself to be scooped up once more in the demon's arms. His own arms wound automatically round the butler's neck for purchase, Sebastian holding him with one arm around his torso, and the other curled under his knees.
"I'll tell you a secret, young master." The demon leaned close to Ciel's ear. "I do like carrying you. I like holding you close to me," he whispered softly.
"I'll tell you a secret in return, Sebastian," Ciel whispered back, into the demon's ear. "I like it when you carry me." He nuzzled his face in Sebastian's neck, feeling his silken hair caressing and tickling him. "I like being held by you," he said with muffled voice. He felt the demon shiver, and he turned to look directly into Sebastian's eyes, gazing back at him like molten lava, smoldering it seemed with a hidden fire that licked and curled at the edges, drawing him in, hypnotizing him. Damn demon eyes, he thought for the umpteenth time.
Their faces were inches from each other, and Ciel could actually feel the hot breath of the demon's exhalation on his face, blowing into his own partially opened mouth. Those lips curled upwards as he watched them, opening slightly in a sly smile. Those soft, sweet lips that could induce such pleasure, beckoning him…
Closing the space between them, he connected his lips with his butler's without even thinking about it, and the next instant they were lost in the mutual drinking in of each other's mouths, lips sliding over slickened lips, tongues touching and entwining, arms going round, hands clutching at neck and hair. He shuddered with need as his body responded swiftly in a burst of intense desire, demanding and urgent. Shifting his left leg to wind it around the demon's waist, his right still being held by the demon's arm, he pressed his torso firmly against the demon's, pelvis tensed and writhing against sharp hip bone jutting into him, welcome and tormenting. He pushed up hard against it, and was rewarded by hot sparks of pleasure that cascaded throughout his body.
"Ah, Sebastian," he sighed brokenly. It felt so good, so reckless. So right, and so wrong, it felt to him. He raised his body up and down against that hip, pressing into him, so blindingly blissful, so splendidly deplorable. He felt more than heard the demon's low growl, a deep rumbling that reverberated throughout his body.
"Mmm, young master," Sebastian mumbled against his neck in turn, breath hot and mouth wet as he ran his lips along Ciel's neck, tongue lapping, teeth lightly scraping. "You feel too good, taste too sweet. I cannot resist you," he said with what sounded like exasperation, almost ire.
"Nng!" Ciel exclaimed as he felt the demon nip a little too fiercely, and then shivered in delight as he then licked and suckled against that same spot. Sebastian's hands were now gripping his thigh and his back with an iron tight hold, and Ciel could feel the demon's hardness against his leg as he wound it in between Sebastian's legs. It filled him with a heightened surge of excitement, to know the evidence of his butler's mutual arousal. Pressing harder with his thigh against the prize he had discovered, he was rewarded with a much louder growl this time, accompanied by Sebastian's taking two quick strides to back Ciel against the wall. Pushing up against the knee that was now lodged between his legs, the demon threw back his head and growled his pleasure again, then looked back at Ciel with a smile filled with demonic delight.
"Ahh," Ciel sighed, shuddering with ecstasy at the feel of the demon's passion and strength. It made him feel both alarmed and alive, and wanting more, and he took it, as was his due. Gliding his pelvis up and down against Sebastian's, which was now made a little more difficult with his body pressed up so close to his, he closed his eyes once more as shooting sparks of almost painful pleasure coursed through his body. He groaned and increased his pace a little, shuddering as his pleasure built. "Gah, ahh, Sebastian," he moaned out, and then was silenced by the demon's lips on his again, pulling and devouring, teeth and tongues meeting, open mouths panting and breathing out into each other's. The demon continued his movements against Ciel's leg, and Ciel continued his movements in turn, the bliss rising as he abandoned himself to his greedy pleasure. His member was grown fully engorged and stiff, and it slipped and slid from one side of Sebastian's pelvis to another, feeling like it was going to burst through his trousers they were so tight. Faster, harder, he thrust against him, his own hands gripping the demon's shoulders madly, desperately, his face now buried in Sebastian's shoulder, black wool fragrant and sharp. His butler's hands came down to reside on his rump, kneading and gripping it with bruising force. Turning and twisting his head, Ciel tilted it back as the ecstasy finally reached a tipping point, and burst forth in a crescendo of wave after wave of glorious reprieve. Through gritted teeth he let out his own growl of delight and release, gasping out finally when he was complete, his pleasure having peaked and ebbed.
He clung to Sebastian, drained and content. He cared not for the propriety of it, nor the depravity. It was good; that was all that mattered to him; and he accepted it. For the time being, for whatever little time he had left on this world, he would enjoy such delights that were offered to him, the consequences be damned; as he was, already.
Sebastian was now petting his head, and Ciel felt him then bend down and bestow a tender kiss upon the top of it, his hot breath tickling his scalp through his hair as it rested there.
"Ahh, young master," the demon murmured. "So gorgeous in your recklessness. You are truly a reprobate to allow this, and to tempt me so." He gazed at Ciel with blazing eyes, and smiled at him with a leer of wicked amusement. "How I would like to take my delight in you, full and corrupt, ere the time is up." Ciel shivered in response, and nuzzled into him harder, his hands now moving to grip his butler's jacket lapels between stroking fingers.
"Mmm, Sebastian." The thought intrigued him and enticed him more than he would have liked. "Hmm. Yes, well. We shall see." Thoughts of Vanconmar suddenly flooded him, and he was overwhelmed with yearning at the thought that he might finally get to exact his revenge on the one he had sought all this time. He shivered with delight at the thought of what he would do to the wretch once they found him. "Shall we go then, this night?"
"What?" The sound of surprised excitement in his butler's voice brought him around from his submerged thoughts, and he found the demon staring wide eyed, open mouthed at him.
"Huh?" He was a little baffled by Sebastian's reaction. Then he laughed. "I meant to find Vanconmar, you lech," he taunted, grinning with amusement.
"In any case," he continued, "I think it might be expedient to make a little trip to the townhouse first, before we do anything else, so as to get… a little cleaned up." Here he made a grimace of disgust and chagrin at the uncomfortable wetness of his trousers, and the no doubt very apparent stain on the front of them. Sebastian laughed aloud at this, looking down at Ciel's predicament.
"That would be advisable, my young lord," he smirked. Extending his arms, he inquired, "Shall we go, then?" Ciel nodded without hesitation, and his butler gathered him up more securely into his arms and then leapt to the sill of the window that stood open to the chilly night air. The moon had risen by this time to float just above the jagged London skyline, illuminating the patchwork cityscape of houses and buildings, sprinkled with a host of crooked tin smokestacks sprouting from clay-shingled roofs. Springing out into the night, Ciel clutching the demon's jacket tightly, they landed on the peak of a nearby gabled window, Sebastian's elegant shoes clicking as they tapped lightly down, before leaping back up once again to soar across rooftops and chimneys, bounding from one building to the next, flitting unseen by human eye; two figments of darkness blacker than the night itself.
Touching down smoothly on the veranda before the front steps of the townhouse, Sebastian lowered Ciel to the ground, and then unlocked and held the door open for him to enter.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Ciel found himself swung back around by his shoulders, and his back pressed to the door, as the demon's lips descended on his unexpectedly in a ravaging kiss once more. It took Ciel's breath away; he gasped trying to get it back as his mouth was plundered viciously and unrelentingly with hot breath and insistent tongue, lapping and greedily devouring, while his arms were pressed up against the door behind him.
"Nnnuhh… Shh… Seba…" He tried to speak, tried to tell the demon to let him breathe, but it was useless. He gave in and just settled for trying to breathe through his nose as he reciprocated the best he could, if somewhat less enthusiastically than the demon. "Sebastian, whadda you…" he panted. "What are you doing?" he got out, finally. "Let me breathe!"
The demon's mouth slipped off his in response, and slid down to his neck, trailing hot wet kisses along it, making Ciel gasp as he glided down to his collar to the knot of his necktie. This hindrance was apparently unacceptable, as the bow was flicked open in an instant with teeth, and the ribbon tossed to the floor. Having just regained the ability to breathe freely, Ciel only lost it again suddenly at the feel of the demon's sucking in a large area of his flesh, licking and lightly scraping his teeth along it as he did, and pulling at the spot near the crook of his neck.
"Dammit, Sebastian; hah… ah!" he scolded as his breath grew ragged again. "This isn't helping." The demon looked up, pausing in the middle of his handiwork, and smiled a devious, pointed incisor-baring smile at him, and then proceeded to drag his tongue up Ciel's neck in one long, shudder-inducing lick until he reached Ciel's mouth, clasping onto it once more with searingly sensuous kisses that sent sparks flying directly to Ciel's groin.
His legs started to wobble, and then his knees suddenly gave out, and he was only prevented from dropping to the floor by his butler's arms scooping him up in time, to then hold him close to his chest. Ciel took the opportunity to once more speak.
"Sebastian, please; stop. I'm exhausted and filthy, and would really just like to get cleaned up, first." He hoped that would be enough of a command to make the demon obey him, as it was as much as he was able to force himself to get out, being not completely eager to cease in their activities himself.
"But I don't want to," his butler growled, with a small pout, and leaned his head close to Ciel's once more. Nuzzling his face in Ciel's hair, he murmured, "Ahh, master, my sweet young master. Do you know how much I long for you? To be with you, to be one with you; to devour you, to consume your soul?"
A cold chill went through Ciel's heart when he heard these words, and a feeling of desolation went through him for some reason that he couldn't fathom. Of course that was all he meant to his butler; he knew that. He was a meal; a rich, highly-desired meal, but no more than that, at the end. Why should that matter to him? He had long ago come to terms with the fact that his life's destiny was to be as food for a demon; or so he had thought. But now… for some reason, he wasn't as resigned to his fate as he thought he was. For some reason that he chose not to contemplate right now, but instead to push back far from his thoughts, he wasn't as content with his fated ending as he had always been before, as inevitable it was.
"Well," he quipped lightly in reply, endeavoring mightily to keep a quaver out of his voice, "you'll just have to wait. I know how impatient you are to have your dinner, but you haven't earned it fully, yet." Sebastian turned his head back to focus his gaze back on Ciel, a slight frown to his features, his eyes burning a dangerous red. They seemed to reflect a confused, almost hurt look to them, but Ciel was sure he was just imagining it.
"Yes, my lord. Well, let's get you cleaned up then. Do you still wish to go tonight to Vanconmar?" His tone was cold and brusque now, and Ciel could sense that he was displeased. Thinking about it, he had to admit it would be nice to actually spend one more night together before… He shook his head.
"I suppose Vanconmar can wait until tomorrow." The relieved smile that spread over his butler's face made him realize that he wasn't the only one who was not as eager for that end to come as he had supposed. It gave him a feeling both of gratification and of despair, but he would not try to analyze it now. He would just take it; accept it as a last little gift, the acknowledgement that his butler, at least for a little while longer, craved his physical presence even more than he craved his soul.
"What of Martin Wentworth, my lord? Should I go release him now, tonight?" The demon's words were spoken directly in his ear, as Ciel felt his nose running up his neck, making shivers run down his spine. His eyelids draped downwards over his eyes, and he spoke huskily.
"Mmm… Martin can wait, as well," Ciel answered with a leering smile, and leaning back, the demon gave a gleaming smile in return.
Whatever the morrow would bring, Ciel thought with satisfaction, they would at least have this one last night to thoroughly enjoy, and revel once more in each other's embrace.
