Chapter Nine
Intense Questioning
The other Shinigami stared at Ashling in complete shock, and it took them a moment to comprehend what she had said. Once it sank in, there was an explosion of questions.
"A demon?"
"What did they look like?"
"Why would a demon help a Shinigami?"
William shot everyone a piercing look, and they fell silent. The stern Shinigami returned his gaze to Ashling.
"Alright, so a demon stopped the werewolf from killing you?" he asked slowly, making sure he had understood her.
"Yes, sir." Ashling replied evenly.
"Did it offer any sort of explanation? Anything at all?"
"Not really. He just looked back at me and said "wolves-bane", then ran off. I thought maybe he was talking about the plant, because there were rumors that wolves-bane can cure a werewolf. I tried it. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked."
William sighed.
"Leave it to a noxious beast to choose then to be cryptic. You said he, so it was a man. What did he look like?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose with a tired look in his eyes.
"He was about your height, and very thin. He had somewhat long black hair, and wore a tailcoat-" Ashling was cut off by a loud shout from Grell.
"Oh, that has to be my Sebastian! My sweet Bassy! Ooh, will I get to see him again? It's been much too long!" the Shinigami crooned excitedly.
"Did this "Bassy" of yours have oddly colored eyes?" Ashling asked quickly.
Grell gave her a confused look, lifting his eyebrows.
"Not for a demon, no. They were a deep red. Why?" he asked curiously.
"If that's so then this wasn't the same demon. This one had eyes the color of melted gold. They were very odd." Ashling replied.
It was William's turn to be confused.
"A demon with golden eyes? That's very unusual. Who could he have been?" he asked.
"I get a feeling he might have an idea, William." Alan said shakily, pointing out the window.
The Shinigami were surprised to see the very same man Ashling had described standing across the street from the Dispatch Building. He watched them with a blank expression, and his golden eyes were easy to spot through the lenses of his glasses.
"Golden eyes. Maybe he's part Shinigami?" Ronald asked nervously.
"No, idiot! No Shinigami in his or her right mind would breed with a beast! That man is 100% demon." William growled angrily, standing up and striding quickly to the door.
The demon smirked when he saw William stand, and walked calmly to the other side of the glass door. The two stared at one another intensely before the demon shot William a taunting smile.
"Are you going to invite me in, Shinigami? I believe I can help answer a few of your questions." he asked in a deep voice.
"What do you want in return?" William snapped back; demons never did anything without a price.
"Nothing from any of you. I am simply following my master's orders."
"And who would that be?"
"All will be explained inside."
William narrowed his eyes angrily at the demon, then stood back and pulled the door open. The demon grinned victoriously.
"Thank you, Mr. Spears." he smirked and walked to the table where the other Shinigami were sitting, watching him warily.
The demon grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it to the edge of theirs, waiting for William to return to his seat before taking his own. The Shinigami waited in tense silence for the man to get comfortable before he glanced at Ashling and nodded.
"You didn't take my advice." he said simply.
Ronald growled at him and protectively pulled Ashling closer to himself.
"That's your fault for not being clear with what you meant." he snapped, and the demon chuckled.
"Ronald, let me handle this. What is your name, demon?" William asked, trying to keep the tension out of his voice.
"My name is, and forever shall be, Claude Faustus." the demon answered calmly.
"Who is your master?"
"A young woman by the name of Silver. She is a successful writer and psychologist living in America."
"If your master is in America, why are you here?"
"Silver is in London on a business trip. She told me to wander around while she attended a meeting. Thus, I am here."
Ashling sat forward a bit, staring somewhat fearfully at the strange demon.
"Why did you save me those years ago?" she asked, and Claude turned to look at her.
"My master's orders."
"A different master?"
"No, the same."
William chuckled.
"She must have had a long-term goal if you haven't stolen her soul yet." he mused.
"That is not of your concern. I believe you wanted to talk about the young werewolf?" Claude replied blandly.
"Yes. Why did your master order you to save Ashling?"
"She did not. We were in London for a trip with a class she took in college several years ago. She spotted the werewolf that later attacked Ashling running into the woods, and ordered me to keep it from killing anyone. Thus, I did. It did not kill anyone."
"What did you mean by "wolves-bane"? I tried everything I could think of with the plant, but nothing worked." Ashling asked, her voice anxious. This demon could be the key to her cure.
"I was not talking about the plant. I was talking about the ritual." Claude replied, smirking mysteriously at them.
William narrowed his eyes at the tricky demon. There was something not right about this demon. He was being far too cooperative, offering his information much too readily. Either he was plotting something, or his master had him on a very tight leash indeed. Either way, he would have to be wary of him. This demon would ask for a price at some point, and whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
See what I've done? I tied this story a bit to my other one, "Silver and Gold". I thought it would add to the excitement a little. What could Claude possibly gain from helping the Shinigami cure Ashling? Read on to find out, my Silverlings! Allons-y!
~Silver