**A/N: Hello everyone! I wanted to take a second to say a huge THANK YOU for all the love this story is getting! All the faves, follows, and reviews are a powerful motivating factor and an effective confidence booster for when I doubt myself. I have some big plans for our soulmates in the next couple chapters and story arcs, so stay tuned! Enjoy!
"Holiday! Holiday! We're going on holiday!" The three servants joyfully chanted in their open wagon while old Tanaka dutifully manned the reins. Their excited voices drifted to the comfortable carriage Sebastian drove for his master and Lady Rosenberg.
"Do you hear how happy they are? They are very grateful to you. Such a kind young master," Sebastian remarked over his shoulder. Lilliana giggled, raising her hand to cover her mouth. She had been informed late the previous evening that she would be traveling with the little Lord on his mission to the Queen. This was her chance to prove herself useful. Though, at the moment, she was finding it hard to concentrate on much else besides the butler on the driver's seat directly behind her cushioned bench.
She was so distracted, in fact, that she hadn't been paying attention to their surroundings at all until Sebastian drew the horses to a stop and announced their arrival at the entrance of the village. When she looked out and saw the rotting wooden sign with the spiked collar, bare trees, and dismal gray skies, Lilliana was confused. Then she caught sight of a massive dead tree filled with hanging metal collars that swayed over barren ground covered in skulls. It exuded such negative energy that it turned Lilliana's stomach.
The screams of the servants brought her attention back to her traveling companions and she heard Ciel's unapologetic confession that the resort was yet to be built. She felt mildly annoyed that he had not bothered to share that with her before now. Lilliana could feel the toxic negativity here that was quite literally stagnant in the air and choking the land. She closed her eyes and searched ahead with her magickally enhanced senses for the source of the negative energy. With a frown, Lilliana realized there were two sources in the town responsible for this atmosphere. Wait, she thought, what is...that?
Out in the marsh, some distance from the village, Lilliana detected a being with an otherworldly signature energy. She had never come across anything like it, nor could she remember ever hearing of anything similar from her coven or reading about it in any of their ancient texts. She opened her mouth to ask Sebastian if he knew what it was, then quickly snapped it shut. Idiot! He still thinks you're human! Lilliana scowled and huffed at herself, leaving her curiosity unsatisfied.
"Look! Someone actually lives here!" Finnian shouted from the other carriage.
Lilliana turned to witness the legendary brute strength she had recently learned of as Finny lifted a carriage straight over his head. She brought a hand to cover her giggle, which quickly died as the old woman under the ragged shawl spoke.
"The white dog is a good dog, a good dog, good. The black dog is a bad dog, a bad dog, bad. He'll eat your flesh down to the bone, down to the bone." The chant drifted back to them as the old woman disappeared into the fog.
Lilliana paled. The words themselves carried such oppressively negative energy that she instinctively began to search in her cloak for her bundle of sage, only remembering when her hand closed around it that she would not be able to burn it yet. She fought down her nausea with deep breaths and remembered the pendant of peridot and black tourmaline in her bag. Her coven had gifted it to her before she began her long journey to England. Their ancestors believed the peridot stone would convert negative energy into positive and the black tourmaline would create a barrier against others' negativity while also acting as a sponge to soak up any lingering negative energies imprinted in the environment. Together, the two stones create a powerful protective energy source.
"That's why we're here. Apparently a lot of the villagers have been violently killed or gone missing. The village has shrunk to a third of its size in the last 10 years. A part of my task is to find out why and put an end to the problem," Ciel gravely offered.
Lilliana frowned. Now I really need to find that pendant, she thought. The fog swallowed the old woman and Sebastian urged the carriage forward, strangely silent. As they crested a hill, they found a drab collection of dilapidated buildings clustered at the edge of a sparkling blue lake. The natural beauty was a stark contrast to the wasteland that surrounded it. Beyond the village, a dark ribbon of road led to an old stone castle atop a smaller hill that loomed over the gray town. The atmosphere for miles was dead, stagnant, and oppressed.
A short while later they arrived in the rather unpleasant village of Houndsworth. To her dismay, the barking of numerous dogs greeted them. She clutched her locket as if to shield her precious familiar from the mangy canines that lined the road. Disgust was clearly visible on her face, which the smug little Lord across from her smirked at.
"Oh my! I'd let him pet me, yes I would!" Mey-Rin gushed as they passed a young man training a dog on the side of the road. Lilliana blushed crimson as she remembered thinking something very similar when she saw Sebastian coddle the cat in the alley in London.
Lilliana jumped when the subject of said fantasy spoke from directly behind her. From his condescending tone, she guessed that he was not a fan of dogs, either.
"If you're trying to get at something deep, just say it," Ciel demanded.
"No, it's nothing of import, my lord" Sebastian quickly answered. "Simply, that's why I love cats. I'm not especially fond of dogs. To be completely frank, I hate them."
Again, Lilliana blushed. She was proven correct in her assumption, yes, but also reminded again of her familiar and earlier fantasy. She couldn't stop a giggle from escaping when Ciel further taunted his butler, barking at him. Even with Sebastian staring straight ahead with his back to her, Lilliana could practically feel him glaring at her. She may not enjoy dogs, but she was curious to see how their stay in a village full of dogs would play out now with the butler's just-announced hatred of said creatures.
The villagers stared silently at the newcomers from the streets, in open doors, and behind windows as the two carriages passed through the town. When they continued on the road that would take them up the hill and to the castle, Lilliana was conflicted. On the one hand, she was grateful that they were not physically surrounded by the noisy dogs anymore. On the other hand, the castle seemed to be the origin of the negative energy she had sensed earlier. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as Sebastian reined the team to a stop in front of the stone castle.
Lilliana had her back to the castle entrance and was watching the little Lord in front of her in an attempt to distract herself from the nausea still building in her stomach. She was beginning to panic, her heart racing, fighting both the urge to vomit and her instincts to combat the negative energy here.
"This is the Earl Phantomhive?" A female voice called from the ground.
"Yes," Sebastian answered.
"Welcome to Barrymore Castle," the voice responded. "My master awaits your arrival."
She was still unable to see the woman from her position in the carriage, but something about her voice made Lilliana uneasy. She was able to see and hear the servants in the other wagon fawn over the mystery woman who was apparently very beautiful and a servant of the castle's lord. Ciel stood and Lilliana felt Sebastian jump down from the driver's seat to assist his master in stepping down from the carriage. She waited her turn, taking deep breaths to try to calm her nausea. Lilliana finally rose from the carriage seat and turned to exit when she locked eyes with brilliant purple orbs that burned with a dark fire set in an innocent face framed by silver hair.
Lilliana's face lost all color and she collapsed.
With his master safely settled on the ground, Sebastian turned to help Lady Rosenberg disembark from the carriage. He frowned lightly hearing her racing heart, assuming that she was reacting as most human females do when around him. Internally sighing at the predictability of humans, Sebastian extended his hand to her and looked up at her face, his fake smile already in place. Lady Rosenberg, however, wasn't even looking at him. Her stare was fixed on something behind him, though he had no time to figure out what because in the next instant, her face had lost all color and Sebastian watched her eyes roll back in her head as her body collapsed.
Almost without thinking, Sebastian leapt into the carriage and caught her head in his gloved hand before it made contact with the edge of the seat. He heard his master shout from the ground and an exaggerated gasp came from the 'maid' who greeted them. Of course, Sebastian knew what she was and he was honestly repulsed by her. A frown briefly crossed his face. Was it her that Lady Rosenberg was looking at when she collapsed? If it was, why did she have such a visceral reaction? Lady Rosenberg is only a human, there is no way she could know what sort of being stood before her. The most likely explanation is exhaustion and stress. After all, it has only been a week since she arrived in England.
Sebastian shook himself from his thoughts and gathered the limp form in his arms, gracefully exiting the carriage. He was careful to maintain a sense of propriety, grateful for the long sleeves of his fine tailcoat and the gloves that kept their skin separated. His master looked concerned and mildly annoyed as he approached to look at the unconscious face of his guest.
"What happened to her?" the Earl demanded.
"I believe she may need some rest, my Lord. After all, it has been a very eventful week for her," Sebastian replied with a light inclination of his head.
His master sighed and turned to the maid. "I do not wish to insult our host, but might we be shown a room where my acquaintance can rest?"
The gray-haired maid bowed and bid them follow before making her way into the imposing castle. Sebastian followed after a look at Mey-Rin, eager to be rid of the body in his arms that currently was preventing him from fully serving his master. The ditzy servant rushed to follow them. It was, after all, her duty to attend to Lady Rosenberg.
Sebastian carefully placed her still unconscious form on the bed once they arrived and ordered Mey-Rin to tend to her until she awoke. He would have one of the other servants bring her bags to the room later. With that unexpected situation finally taken care of, Sebastian turned to the maid with another fake smile.
"Would you kindly escort us to your master now?"
The maid cast one last look at the lady on the bed and bowed. "Please follow me, sirs."
Sebastian carried his master's elegant tophat and resumed his post as butler as they made their way to a grotesquely decorated sitting room. The numerous stuffed heads of trophy hunts lining the walls were dreadfully tacky. What incredibly poor taste, Sebastian thought sourly. A pained cry turned their attention to the maid who was now kneeling on the purple carpet while a middle-aged man cracked a long whip over her.
"Who the hell is this chihuahua?! I told you to bring me the Queen's guard dog when he arrived!"
Sebastian deadpanned. "Chihuahua?"
The frighteningly ugly man continued to whip and berate the crying maid until Sebastian received his order to move. At his master's behest, he instantly crossed the room to grab the man's wrist from behind, halting his strikes.
"What are you doing you filthy doberman?! Someone should train you better!" The man grunted, struggling to free his wrist from the demon's vice-like grip. "Let me go right now!"
"He's acting on my orders," the Earl spoke up from across the room.
"Who are you?" Lord Barrymore demanded.
"From the sound of it, you have already received the letter I sent. My name is Ciel, the Earl of Phantomhive." Sebastian observed the boy's proud behavior as he took a seat at the table as if he owned the place. Which, to be fair, he soon would. Sebastian released the dog-brained man's wrist, a smug smile on his face. He may have gripped more tightly than normal out of his irritation at being compared to a dog. Though the location of this 'holiday' left much to be desired, Sebastian knew he could look forward to humiliating this poor excuse of a man.
He served tea while his master discussed the sale of the estate with Lord Barrymore. The man was incredibly stubborn, though he seemed to rely on fear and intimidation to get his way. Sebastian inwardly chuckled. It would seem that Lord Barrymore has met his match in my master. This talk of a 'curse' has only turned this into a game for my master, which he will not lose. Such a persistent and proud child who creates his own rules cannot be beaten, Sebastian thought to himself. A worthy master, indeed.
A couple hours later, Lilliana awoke in a strange room. She sat up, confused, before the mass amounts of negative energy in the air reminded her. Houndsworth, she thought sourly. She flung off the blanket and rushed to her bags that had been left in the corner of the room. Digging, she finally found what she was looking for- the pendant of peridot and black tourmaline. It was quickly fastened to a long chain and hidden beneath her bodice with her locket. Instantly the air around her cleared and Lilliana let out a sigh of relief. Now that she had some energy, she smoothed out her dress, brushed her hair, and left the room in search of the little Lord.
She heard his voice a couple doors down and knocked. The door opened to reveal Sebastian's dark figure. He quickly stepped aside and granted her entrance to the room. Ciel stood from his chair and walked toward her.
"Are you quite alright, Lady Rosenberg?" he asked.
Lilliana blushed. "Yes, my lord. I apologize if I caused you any embarrassment or trouble." With a covert glance in the butler's direction, she continued. "I simply must have had a reaction to something."
Ciel's eyes narrowed slightly and he nodded. "Well if you are feeling up to it, I will fill you in on what I have learned since our arrival."
She nodded and took the seat he gestured to. Her face displayed all her emotions as she listened to the story. Lilliana was disgusted by Lord Barrymore and skeptical of the 'curse' he preached. She was still uneasy about the maid, Angela, but couldn't discuss what she knew while the butler was present. It would have to wait. Those burning purple eyes still haunted her, but Lilliana wasn't afraid of that woman with her coven's pendant resting against her skin.
A short while later, a knock was heard at the door. Lilliana frowned, knowing who it was by their potent aura, and moved to stand behind Ciel.
"Come in," the Earl called.
Angela stood in the doorway. "I apologize for calling so late," she said softly.
"What is it that you need? My young master is about to retire," Sebastian said from his place in front of the wardrobe.
Angela walked further into the room before saying, "I have a request to make. Leave the castle, leave the village completely! You mustn't stay here!" She pleaded.
"Why is that?" Ciel asked, bored and unimpressed.
"I can't say." Angela gasped as a loud howl outside the castle cut her off. "No," she whimpered, "The demon hound! It's coming!"
"The what?!" Ciel demanded. Lilliana felt her gut clench. "Something is wrong," she whispered.