Chapter 5

Sebastian's POV:

I wondered what I'd ever done to deserve this. I was very weak, none of my powers were any use at all, and I had a devoted nurse who was the very embodiment of a plague. The redoubtable Florence Nightingale would meet her match in this girl. I had thought that Augustus had been an attentive caregiver but this human girl gave a whole new meaning to the term "nurse." Dictionaries across England were being rewritten at the moment, I just knew it. Under "nurse" they would print "Cecilia Caldwell."

Cecilia had taken over my care entirely. In every way. I spent half of my time being mortified because she insisted a daily wash and change of attire were necessary for me. Oh, the ignominy of being given a sponge bath by a human girl! There were absolutely no words in any language for the humiliation I was being forced to endure!

Augustus thought it all highly amusing, of course. He thought Cecilia's nursing propensities were "precious" and seeing her fuss over me was "adorable." My embarrassment, apparently, did not mean a thing to him.

"Do you have any complaints about her care of you?" he asked the one time I tried to protest to him.

"I'm absolutely mortified," I explained. "I mean, a young girl should not be caring for a fully-grown man!"

"Has she been negligent in her work?" he asked.

"No," I admitted. "But..."

"Then why are you complaining? She's doing very well!"

"That's not the problem!" I almost wailed. "Every day she's helping me change my clothes and bathe and...!"

"Oh. That?" he said, finally getting a glimmer of what I was driving at. "That's what's bothering you?"

"Yes!" By this point, I was wailing.

"Don't let it worry you," he said blithely. "Just think of her as an ordinary nurse."

"Which I've never really needed before in my lifetime," I said flatly.

Cecilia arrived shortly after that to help me wash and change into a fresh nightshirt, but before she could begin her reign of terror, Augustus stopped her.

"Just a moment, my dear," he said, approaching my bed with an odd look on my face.

"What is it?" I asked, beginning to be concerned. Why was he looking at me like that?

"This will help you relax," he said, his voice dropping in tone and his eyes locking with mine.

Immediately, before I could look away, I relaxed. My arms and legs went limp, my heartbeat and breathing slowed and all of my fears and worries dissipated just as quickly. In one short moment, I became a living rag doll. Indeed, it was as if I had no more volition than a child's plaything since it had suddenly gone beyond me to move on my own or speak. Cecilia undressed me, washed me, dressed me, and tucked me in again and I could work up no more worry about it than I could convince Augustus to listen to me. Cecilia left and returned with a tray and while Augustus held me in a sitting position, she fed me. I was glad that I could still chew and swallow on my own, but that was small comfort in the current situation. I knew I should be panicking about what had just happened to me, but I could not. All I could do was let them do with me as they wished.

"Well done, Sebastian," Augustus complimented me after they'd finished feeding me. "Ah, if only you were so tractable and quiet all the time."

"If he were always this good, I would be worried," Cecilia stated, washing my face and hands with a damp cloth. "What did you do to him, Papa?"

"I simply forced my will on him," Augustus said, causing me to panic...or not-panic...even more. At any rate, I was concerned.

"Forced your will?"

"Regular demons have something similar. They call it thrall, but forcing my will on him is a bit different. It forces him to relax and give in to me. I think it's very useful."

If his tone became any more smug, I might have to take drastic action. Murder came to mind.

"Well, if he becomes difficult, I'll call you," Cecilia said with a smile. "Now, could you let him...have his own will back? I need him to be able to answer me."

Just like that, with no outward sign or shift in my body, I was able to talk. "What...please don't do that again!" All of my worry and yes, my fear, had come flooding back. I knew that if I became any more frightened, I would start shaking.

"I won't do it unless you force me to," Augustus told me, smoothing my hair. "Now, you behave for Cecilia, all right?"

I felt very meek as I nodded. I would do whatever it took to keep him from doing that to me again. I'd thought thrall under Marcellus had been bad, but this had been infinitely worse! I lacked the words to even think about it clearly, let alone describe it!

"There's a good child," Augustus said. "I'll see you later."

Cecilia started chattering immediately after that, asking me questions about how I was feeling. She told me about certain exercises her Papa had told her about and she thought it would be a good idea if she started them with me today. For the next hour or so she helped me lift, bend, and stretch my limbs, helped me sit up and lie supine again, and it all ended with being settled in a sitting position in bed with a book for my reward. Augustus was not there, so I took this chance to speak to her. I needed more information, if only for my safety, let alone my master's. "Miss Caldwell..."

"Oh, call me Cecilia," she offered. "Everyone does."

"Very well, Cecilia," I said. "Could we talk a bit?"

"If you like," she said. "What did you want to talk about?"

"How long have you known that your father is an elemental demon?"

"Oh, years," she admitted. "He married my mother when I was little, but I could remember thinking that there was something a little strange about him even before the wedding."

"Did you figure out what he was or did he tell you?" I asked.

"A little of both," she told me. "I'd noticed how fast he could move sometimes, how well he seemed to hear and see things, his strong sense of smell, and other things like that. I thought he was a wizard or something like it, so one evening, after Mamma had gone to bed I confronted him about it. I was eight, marched up to him, and demanded to know if he was really a wizard. He laughed and said that he wasn't a wizard and that I was a sharp little thing. That was when he told me he was an elemental. I didn't realize that it was a type of demon until later."

"And you're not afraid of him?"

"Why should I be?" she wanted to know. "He's Papa, not some monster."

How could I explain this to her? Well, perhaps she wouldn't listen. Best not to waste my energy making the effort. "And you know what I am."

"Of course," she said. "Papa told me. You're a demon. A demon is not as powerful as an elemental."

This put a new perspective on her care of me. "Did you ever think I was human?" I was thinking of those countless meals that had been such a trial for me.

"Oh, no. Papa told me what you were as soon as he found you."

"If you knew I was a demon, then why did you bring me meal after meal of human food?" I still couldn't understand it. If she'd known my true nature, why had she brought all of those dishes for me to eat?

"Papa did tell me that you'd need to be fed, but he took his time telling me what would best nourish you," she said, sounding a bit put-out.

I was at some emotion beyond anger. That...that...creature had been making fun of me; I was sure of it! I was sure that he found it oh, so amusing to watch me suffering due to all those meals! Once I got my health back, I would do everything in my power to slaughter him. Suicidal? With him being so much more powerful, of course it was, but I wasn't about to let that stop me. There had to be some way for me to get out of here and meet him on equal terms. Any encounter would be short and violent and most likely deadly, but I had my dignity and my master to think about. A very human feeling overcame me then, actually surprising me. Perhaps it was a remnant of my recent time as a human, but the feeling was strong and it would not be ignored. This elemental could not keep us prisoner forever. My determination and the stronger, human determination of my master would ensure that the both of us would escape and of course, gain our revenge.

Ciel's POV:

Aside from the books and drawing materials I'd brought with me, I had little distraction from boredom. During the day the floor where I was staying was so quiet that there were times when I was convinced that I was the only one left in the house. Occasionally I would hear the other children when they were outside, but mostly, it was quiet. Miss Anderson came up once a day to check the progress on my lessons and Mrs. Partridge or Jim would bring up my meals, but mostly, it was quiet.

Very, very quiet.

I kept myself to a routine just to keep myself from going mad. In the mornings, after breakfast, I did the lessons Miss Anderson assigned and reviewed them to make sure they were correct. Checking them took up time, so I was happy to do it. By the time I finished, it was usually time for lunch. After lunch, I indulged myself in a nap. I'd found an alarm clock in the nightstand and so I usually set it for an hour or so. After my nap, I had an afternoon wash in the bathroom, and then it was time for tea. Once tea was over I would read or sketch, and then after that was dinner. After dinner, I would check my lessons again and usually (when I managed to bore myself enough) I was ready for bed by then.

My meals continued to be bland. They still felt that I was suffering from a nervous stomach, so I received the blandest and most easily-digestible food Mrs. Partridge could make. I received soups, bread, milk, and puddings so much that most of it all began to taste alike. That put me off my food even more, which led to even blander things being sent up. The issue was resolved by the fourth day, when I complained to Jim about how everything was so boring and tasted alike. After that, Mrs. Partridge began to send up more savory fare, lightly seasoned and well-prepared. It wasn't Sebastian's cooking, but it tasted good and I went to bed that night feeling much better for having had a proper meal.

The quiet and isolation weren't the only things making this difficult to bear. The other thing was Mr. Caldwell. He came at least once a day, usually to talk about how proud he was of me for accepting my punishment for what I'd done. By the second day I was sick and tired of hearing about it...this was the real punishment, it seemed, being plagued to death.

By the third day, I'd had enough. "You don't have to keep on about it, you know."

"I mean every word I say," Mr. Caldwell said. "I am very proud of you."

"It's not important. Why can't you let me be instead of talking about it all the time?"

"I'm not talking about it all the time," he pointed out. "Just a little bit, that's all."

I gave up. I wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing with him.

He usually came in the afternoon, after my nap and before my tea, but on the fifth day, he didn't come at his usual time. He still wasn't there by tea time, nor by dinner time, and I went to bed that night wondering what had happened. When Jim brought my breakfast the next morning, I asked him where Mr. Caldwell had gone.

He smiled. "His lady friend arrived yesterday."

"Lady friend?" I could remember Cecilia mentioning her at some point.

Jim nodded. "Oh, yes. She's very nice and all of yesterday she was introducing herself to the children. She'll be staying here from now on and from what I can tell, all of the children just adore her. You'll be meeting her later today, most likely."

I'd almost forgotten the lady's promised visit by teatime, which was when Mr. Caldwell and the promised lady showed up, bringing enough tea for all of us. The lady acquainted herself with me while Mr. Caldwell set the table and I was wishing to disappear on the spot.

"It's so good to see you again, Ciel," Miss Alyssa Villefort said, taking my limp hand in hers and bobbing it up and down. "How are you?"

I glanced at Mr. Caldwell. "Ah...I'm fine, Miss Villefort," I managed through the panic. "And you?"

"Perfectly fine," she said, leading me to my seat for the meal. "I have to confess, though, I'm very surprised to find you here. Aren't you supposed to be at the Phantomhive manor?"

Damn. Well, my cover had already been irrevocably blown, but now it was blown clear out of the water and up into orbit. Practically everyone in society knew the Phantomhive name. I could have gotten away with the change of name to "Ciel" if she hadn't mentioned "Phantomhive."

Oddly, Mr. Caldwell did not seem surprised. I watched him while Miss Villefort poured tea for all of us and realized something. "You knew who I was the whole time."

He smiled. "Yes. A boy wearing an eyepatch, accompanied by a slim man with dark hair; who else could you be? Your Sebastian is quite an actor, youngster. He had my men entirely convinced that he was a drunken dustman."

"If you knew who I was and that it had all been an act, then why was I brought here?" I demanded, getting to my feet. "Why didn't you send me home?"

"I'm sorry, I thought you were investigating the disappearances of children for the Queen," Mr. Caldwell said, depositing a sandwich on my plate. "If we allowed you to return home, you would make your report and then we would all be in quite a bit of trouble with Her Majesty."

Who was this man and how did he know exactly what I did for Her Majesty? Once again I wondered if he was reading my mind. I sighed. First things first. "Have you seen Sebastian?"

Mr. Caldwell smiled. "Yes."

"Where is he?" I was on my feet again.

"I don't think I'll tell you."

I found myself staring at him. "Why?"

"If I told you, then you would go running off and then we'd never see you again," he said lightly.

"But you know where he is?"

"Yes."

"Why won't you tell me? I want to see him!"

"He is fine."

I could tell that my doubt was showing on my face.

"He really is fine," he hastened to assure me. "Cecilia and I have been watching after him and right now Cecilia's keeping him company. He's fine."

"Sebastian always comes when I need him," I said calmly. "How have you been keeping him away from me?"

Miss Villefort chuckled. "It's funny when you think about it. Augustus here knows all about wards and things to keep a place safe, and it looks like your Sebastian ran afoul of them."

I started to panic. This woman...it sounded like she knew a great deal about...well, things no woman in society should know about. Spiritualism and such things had been popular for the last few years, but they weren't widely accepted. How much did she know about Sebastian? "Wards?" I said, hoping for an explanation.

"They're like shields that one can erect around a place to keep unwanted visitors out," Augustus said. "I didn't want anyone...unsuitable...coming into this place. I have to protect you children, after all."

I was quiet, my mind working furiously. How much did he know about Sebastian? Did he know he was a demon?

I didn't get my answers. Whenever I approached the topic, I received more assurances that Sebastian was fine. Yes, he was fine. No, he was in no danger due to the wards. No, I wasn't allowed to see him and no, I would not be told where he was.

"But WHY?" I demanded. "I don't understand why you won't tell me where he is!"

"What would you do if I told you?" Mr. Caldwell asked. "No, don't answer. I already know. You would go to where he was. I don't wish you to do that, so I won't tell you. It's as simple as that, Ciel. When I feel that it's a good time for you to see him, I'll take you to him myself. Until then, you'll just have to wait."

Oh, he was infuriating! Somehow, I vowed, I would get even with him over this!

"Once you've finished your week up here, I'm sure you'll be glad to get back to the others," Mr. Caldwell told me. "Cecilia has missed you."

"I have to admit that I've missed her, too," I confessed, trying to stifle my murderous impulses for the moment. After all, a gentleman had to be a perfect gentleman in any situation, no matter how maddening. As I'd heard my father say once, the mark of a true gentleman was remaining polite no matter how crazy other people were making you. "How are her roses doing?"

"They're just fine."

There was plenty more of conversation like that, and then Mr. Caldwell and Miss Villefort took their leave, saying they would see me soon.

I did. I saw them the very next day, at tea time. There was more pointless talk about things that I didn't really care about. More statements of how Mr. Caldwell was proud of me for taking my punishment so well. "Today's the sixth day," he informed Miss Villefort. "He only has tomorrow to go and then he'll be able to go back downstairs."

"Oh, well done, Ciel!" Miss Villefort complimented me.

I shrugged. "It's nothing difficult," I said. "I have things to occupy my time."

"But haven't you missed the company of the other children?" Miss Villefort asked.

"Not really," I admitted. "I miss talking to Cecilia, but that's about it."

Mr. Caldwell put a slice of honey cake on my plate. "She asked me about you this morning," he said. "I told her that you were holding up well in your confinement and that you'd like to see her. Was that all right?"

"Perfectly," I said. "I wouldn't mind seeing her again. There's been something puzzling me, though, Miss Villefort. I know what all the adults here do within their organization, but what is your function?"

She laughed and turned to Mr. Caldwell. "Augustus, did you not tell him? Oh, silly man."

"So you do have a role to play?"

"Of course, little detective," she said, ruffling my hair. (I fought down an urge to throttle her.) "I act as...well, I suppose you could call me the spiritual advisor."

I took a sip of tea. "How so?"

"Alyssa's far too modest," Mr. Caldwell said. "Her title is 'Priestess'."

Now I was getting nervous. Was I in the clutches of some fanatic cult? Fanatics were always difficult to deal with and very, very dangerous. "Priestess?" I said, fighting for time to think. "Of what?"

"Of Sanctuary," she told me. "Sanctuary's purpose is to provide a safe haven for all children in distress and to help others see the holiness that resides in every child."

Oh, yes. That sounded like fanatic rhetoric to me. Wonderful. I would have to be very careful. "How did you discover such a thing?"

"It was a revelation I had one evening before I came back to England," she said. "It was late one night and I was in the garden, and I was thinking about all the children in misery here in England. There are all sorts of charities and organizations working to better the lot of children in India, but I haven't found as many here, so I began Sanctuary."

"How long has Sanctuary been functioning?" I asked.

"Still gathering information for the Queen?" Mr. Caldwell asked, giving me a wink.

"I doubt I'll be able to get away in order to report," I snapped. I didn't want to admit it, but the captivity was starting to make me...tetchy.

He smiled, a smile that reminded me a great deal of Sebastian's, sometimes. Just why it did, I didn't know, but it did. Whenever Sebastian got that look on his face I knew that I'd approached a border and that it was best for both of us if I stepped back. "I'm sorry," I said, considering my words carefully. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. You'd done nothing to deserve it and such an action was unworthy of a gentleman. I suppose being up here all week has made me a bit irritable."

Now the smile he gave me was entirely human smile with no hint of Sebastian in it at all. "I understand, Ciel. I'm surprised you haven't snapped at me before, to tell you the truth. Thank you for having the fortitude to realize when an apology was warranted."

Just like that, the moment passed. Talk turned to other matters and I wasn't able to return to my information-gathering attempt again. As a treat for me, I suppose, he and Miss Villefort remained with me and the three of us had supper together, and after supper they played a board game with me until it was time for me to go to bed.

I didn't see them the next day, which would be my final day of my confinement. I was thankful that my exile was almost over...enough time spent by oneself would drive any human creature mad. Things were fine until the time came for my afternoon nap. I had a bit of a headache when I lay down and it did not go away as I fell asleep. Instead, my head pounded even while I slept, and the dream that I began to have terrified me. Usually when I had a nightmare it was about my captivity or my parents' deaths or about strangers hurting me, but this dream...it was disturbing. I was in a church or temple somewhere, a place I didn't know. I was lying down on a cushioned altar and was covered with a snow-white comforter. There were candles everywhere and smoky incense made the air around me hazy. I turned my head and saw the pews filled with people, all of them whispering prayers. People in white robes moved up and down the aisle, swinging censers and chanting under their breath. I tried to move, to sit up and ask what was going on, but my body wouldn't obey me and my voice was dead in my throat.

A man in red robes approached me from behind the altar and suddenly, I was in the aisle, watching everything happen. I was still lying on the altar, but I could see myself as if I were standing in the aisle. I couldn't understand anything that was going on...I saw my head turn to stare at the man in red, and his hand came out and smoothed my hair. He leaned close and whispered something to me, but I heard it as easily as if I were still there next to him.

"It is all right, my child, do not be frightened," he said, his voice echoing in the air around the "me" on the altar. "Nothing is wrong."

Both the me on the altar and the me in the aisle gasped the same question. "Where am I?"

I could see the man smiling, but I couldn't see anything else of his face. "You are just where you should be," he said, his voice still echoing and making the air around me throb.

"What's going on?" both of us demanded. Neither of us could move.

"They are praying for your favor, and as soon as this ceremony is completed, then you will become our god," he said, a golden goblet suddenly appearing in his hand. "Drink."

"No!" I cried, but neither of my bodies would obey me. Neither the Ciel on the altar nor the Ciel in the aisle could move. I felt the cup press against my lips and liquid fire flowed into my mouth and...

...And I was awake, gasping for air and staring at the ceiling above me. I felt my mouth water and in the next moment I was hanging over the side of the bed, retching. My abdomen muscles contracted so much that I felt as if I were being torn in half. With each retch I was sick and by the time it was over I was shaking and exhausted and soaked with sweat. Not only that, but my head was still pounding and my joints were on fire. Oh, wonderful. I'd come down with something.

There was only one person I wanted to see while I was in this condition. Despite being a demon, Sebastian would help me through any illness and even see to my comfort, both physical and mental. He would actually comfort me if an illness worried or frightened me, and that was what I wanted now. "Seb...a...stian..." I moaned, my throat raw with retching. "Sebastian..."

Nothing. The bond between us would always draw him to me, whether I wanted him or not, but this time, it seemed, he wasn't about to come.

"Sebastian!" I said, raising my voice a little. "Sebastian!"

Nothing. My stomach clenched once more and I was sick again, leaving me feeling even worse. Once I'd stopped I took a deep breath and shouted.

"SEBASTIAN!"

Silence. Even the very air itself seemed to be listening for some sound that would tell me he was coming.

"SEBASTIAN! THIS IS AN ORDER! COME TO ME NOW!"

Sebastian's POV:

"SEBASTIAN! THIS IS AN ORDER! COME TO ME NOW!"

I surged up out of my cocoon of pillows and blankets and found myself on very unsteady feet. "Yes, my lord," I said, fighting to stay upright. "I am coming!"

Holding onto the bed, step by agonizing step, I made my way toward the door that Augustus and Cecilia always used. Since I was bedridden, they had not locked it, and for that I was deeply thankful. Behind it I found a very narrow staircase, leading upward. The bond that my master and I shared beckoned me up, so up I went. On the second step I collapsed. I didn't have the strength to walk the stairs, so I crawled. I would kneel on a step, put my hands on the next one, and pull myself up. Step by step, inch by inch, I made my way toward my master. Three landings and an eternity later, I reached the top of the stairs. I was in a plain hallway and from the way the ceilings peaked down the center of it, I could see that I was near the top of the house. The bond with my master urged me down the hall and I crept my way down it, my limbs and joints screaming with pain and begging me to stop. I would not stop, though. I passed empty bedrooms and approached the doors at the end. On my left was a bathroom but on my right the door was closed. I reached up, turned the knob, and there was my master. There was no color to his face, dark circles under his eyes, and puddle of vomit on the floor. I could smell the fever from the doorway.

"Sebastian!" he gasped.

I smiled. "Hello, young master." I crawled into the room and made my way to his bed. I pulled myself up and in the next moment, he was in my arms, sobbing.

"It will be all right, Bocchan," I said, feeling fondness well up in my chest. "It will be all right." My arms tightened around him and my hands made soothing circles on his back. That usually relaxed him.

"Don't let this go to your head, but I missed you," he said, sniffling.

I smiled. "I missed you, too, young master."

A creak from the doorway made us both look up. Augustus stood there, his eyes glowing with rage. "Well, haven't you two been naughty children?"