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The Dark Path	By : zoni Category: > Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji ???) Views: 3462 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters, and do not make any money from my fan fiction.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter Two

A flurry of students stood in the hallway outside of Ciel Phantomhive's dorm room. No more than twenty minutes had passed since the earl had discovered the dead rabbit in his bed. It was already becoming difficult to get through the hallway. The teachers had managed to keep the students out of the room and were trying to get the crowd to disperse. News of the gruesome discovery seemed to travel quickly. This was the largest gathering of students that Ciel had seen since arriving at the school, and even then it wasn't a massive crowd. Even so, it was still enough to cause him an inconvenience. He had finally finished speaking with the first instructor that had arrived in the dorm room. Now, he wanted to go speak to Sebastian about it. Ciel pushed and shouldered his way through the other students in the hall, trying to get past the spectators. The other students paid him no mind, shuffling forward in an attempt to get a look at the blood spattered sheets within. Ciel looked up and stopped struggling when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Young master," Sebastian said, looking down at him. Quickly and easily, the butler lead Ciel away from the crowd. Outside of the main hallway that lead to the dorms, the silence came as a relief. "You seem to have had a little bit of excitement. Would you like to get cleaned up?"

"Yes," Ciel responded even as Sebastian turned a corner and walked down the corridor that lead to his room. Ciel looked down at the blood on his hands and sleeves. The mess bothered him, but there were other reasons for needing privacy as well. The dead rabbit was the first real new potential source of information that they had discovered since their arrival. Once inside of Sebastian's room, the butler made quick work of removing his master's soiled jacket and shirt. Ciel sat down on the bed as he watched Sebastian fill the wash basin with water and pick up a sponge to clean his hands off with. "I take it you already know what happened."

"You found a dead rabbit in your bed, if the rumors are to be believed," Sebastian said, kneeling on the floor in front of the bed. He picked up Ciel's right hand and began wiping the rabbit blood off of the skin. Ciel was surprised to see just how much was going onto the sponge. He hadn't realized there had been so much of it. Sebastian continued, "However, you are not the only one who found a gift in your room this morning."

"Someone else had a dead rabbit turn up in their belongings?"

"A dead pheasant, but the similarities are obvious. The student who received it is named Alexander Mosley, two years younger than yourself." Sebastian wrung out the wet sponge and toweled Ciel's hand off before moving to the other hand.

Ciel watched him, considering what he had just been told. "I know that the murder victims also found dead animals in their rooms and things. What were the animals?"

"There were two additional rabbits, an additional pheasant and three quail."

"They are all game animals," Ciel said. "Whoever is doing this apparently considers themselves a hunter."

"Perhaps, but they're apparently hunting larger game than quail, young master." Sebastian finished cleaning his master's hands and stood to place the basin in its usual location. He also removed a clean shirt and jacket from the chest of drawers.

Ciel was incredibly frustrated. They had been there for more than a week and hadn't found anything that pointed toward anyone as a culprit. There weren't even clues that could lead them in the wrong direction. There was simply nothing to be found. All that they had was the strangely small list of school miscreants that caused trouble. That wasn't terribly helpful, but it was a starting point. Perhaps he would get lucky and the perpetrator had decided to stick around to see the reaction. "Sebastian, were any of the students on that list of troublemakers outside of my room this morning?"

"Yes. There were two of the boys from the list standing outside of your door this morning. Please stand up, young master." Ciel stood and held his arms out as Sebastian slid the clean shirt over them. The butler knelt down and began to button the shirt. "Both Andrew Evans and Edward Crowley were in the hallway with the group of observers for some time."

Edward Crowley. Ciel recalled the name from meeting him outside of the classroom not an hour before. He also remembered the nervous tutor that had been accompanying him. "Did any of the boys on that list have a tutor or private instructor?"

"No, not at all. Why do you ask, young master?"

"I ran into Edward Crowley this morning," Ciel said as Sebastian slid a jacket over his shoulders and began to fasten it. "He was accompanied by a tutor named Basil Rosier. You didn't see anything about a private tutor for him when you looked into the boys on the list?"

"No," Sebastian looked up at him, an eyebrow raised skeptically. "Edward Crowley did not have a tutor."

Ciel stared down at him for a moment. It was very unlike Sebastian to miss a detail like that, even when doing a cursory search for information. "I want you to look into both Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier. Find everything you can."

"Very well," Sebastian said, standing up and gathering the dirty clothing.

"Why was he in the hall outside of my room?" Talking mostly to himself, Ciel stared at the wall as he considered the situation. After meeting Edward Crowley that morning, he had watched the other student turn down the hall in the direction leading away from the dorms. So, how had he come to be standing in front of Ciel's door only a matter of minutes later?

"Perhaps he was heading to the lavatory to wash the rabbit blood off of his sleeve," Sebastian suggested.

"What?" Ciel looked up sharply.

"Edward Crowley had a small amount of rabbit blood on the right hand sleeve of his jacket this morning when he was in the hallway outside of your room," Sebastian said. "However, were it anyone but myself, I doubt that they would have noticed."

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Ciel glared.

Sebastian smiled. "You did not ask, my lord."

Ciel wondered idly if Sebastian was trying to be as frustrating as possible. Sighing, he concluded that it didn't matter. Sebastian would get the information and that was the important part. However, while he was doing that, there were things that Ciel would need to do. On top of that, he needed to inquire about where he would sleep at the end of the day. The mattress in his dorm room was being replaced, but the replacement would not arrive until the next morning at the earliest. That problem, at least, was easily solved. "Sebastian, I will sleep in here tonight."

"As you wish, young master." It wasn't as though the demon was actually planning on using the bed. Even so, Ciel needed to let one of the instructors know so that his dorm mates didn't report him to the teachers as having not returned to the room that night.

"I will return in one hour. In that time, complete your research on Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier," Ciel said. He stood up and walked to the door.

"Yes, my lord."

The hallway outside of Ciel's dorm was finally free of spectators. Ciel's roommates had apparently taken advantage of that fact to make their way to classes or whatever else they had to take care of. Inside, Ciel glanced at his bed. For the time being, it was covered with a large blanket. On first glance, no one would be able to tell what he had discovered there. Walking past the bed, Ciel collected the rest of his school books and a spare pair of shoes. Attending classes wasn't absolutely necessary and even seemed like a waste of time. However, he wanted the other students to believe that he really was just there to learn. In a way, he was. Just not about history, politics or religion.

Walking around the bed, Ciel looked at the wood of the frame and the floor beneath it. There was nothing to indicate anyone else's presence. There were no scratches in the surface, no smeared blood. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Sebastian had told him that Edward Crowley had rabbit blood on his sleeve. Ciel was quite certain that Crowley had not been inside of his room after the rabbit had been found. The fact that he had blood on his sleeve was suspicious, to say the least, but it wasn't exactly damning evidence.

It was true that there weren't really many other reasons for Edward Crowley to come into contact with rabbit blood. Crowley was a troublemaker and known nuisance, but theft hadn't been on his list of transgressions. Still, it was possible that he had broken into the dorm at some point before the rabbit had been found. All of the boys sharing the quarters were affluent. Many of their personal belongings were valuable. However, Crowley was also well off. There would be no reason to steal aside from the sheer thrill of it. Even then, why would he be looking at the bed? Hunting was also not a possibility, as it wasn't allowed on the school grounds. No matter what explanation Ciel thought of, there was only reason he could find for Crowley having rabbit blood on his sleeve. At some point, Edward Crowley had come in contact with the dead animal that had made its way into Ciel's bed.

It was logical to assume that Edward Crowley had placed the rabbit in the bed, based on that information. At the same time, the rabbit was the only thing that Ciel could be even mildly certain of. The murders were another issue all together. Moving a dead body all the way out to the lawn of the school was not something that someone the size of Edward Crowley could do on their own. Especially not without leaving drag marks, damage to the body or damage to the lawn itself. Yet, there was nothing like that at the school to indicate how the bodies made their way onto the lawn. If Edward Crowley was responsible for more than the dead animals, he was not working alone.

There was nothing else to be learned from the dorm room. Ciel turned and walked out. He quickly made his way down the hall and found one of the instructors. After letting them know that he would be sleeping in Sebastian's quarters, and also telling them that his tutor had taken a room in town for the night, he walked straight to Sebastian's room. The hour that he had given Sebastian wasn't even nearly up. He raised a hand to knock on the door. Even before his knuckles struck wood, it swung open and Sebastian motioned for him to come in. "What did you find out about Edward Crowley?" Ciel walked inside and set his belongings on the bed before turning to look at Sebastian.

Sebastian closed the door behind his master and turned to face the bed. "Like many of the students at this school, Edward Crowley comes from a relatively wealthy family. Their wealth stems from the fact that they previously owned a family business, a brewery called Crowley's Ales. The business was sold some years ago, however, and the majority of the profits are what now fund Mr. Crowley's more scholarly ambitions. He comes from a religions family. His father was previously employed as a member of the clergy for an obscure Christian sect. "Two years ago, Edward Crowley Senior passed away. I was told that, at this point, Edward Crowley Junior began to act strangely. His mother was disconcerted by his behavior and sent him to Ebor School, in Cambridge. It is a religious establishment. I take it that she hoped that it might fix whatever problems she found."

"He obviously isn't there now," Ciel said. "Did he leave on his own or was he expelled?"

"He was expelled," Sebastian replied.

"What reason did they give for the expulsion?"

"The school records were actually rather vague on that particular point. I was able to discover that he was expelled for corrupting another student, but no details were recorded after the incident."

Ciel sighed and sat down on the bed. "And after an expulsion like that, he wound up here."

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian said.

"What did you find out about Basil Rosier?" Ciel asked.

"Nothing."

Ciel looked up at Sebastian. "Excuse me?"

"Young master, while I was very thorough with my efforts to find information," Sebastian began, face serious, "I was unable to find any information on anyone by the name of Basil Rosier. Neither Edward Crowley nor his family employ a private tutor. There are no monthly expenditures from either party to cover the cost of such a thing. Following the name, I was able to find one Basil Rosier in the area. However, he is an eighty year old vicar. I am assuming that is not who you meant."

"No," Ciel said. "The Basil Rosier I met was a young man in his twenties or thirties."

Sebastian nodded in acknowledgement. "On the off chance that it was an alias, I researched use of the name. However, the name Basil Rosier is not a known alias for anyone, criminal r otherwise. While I suspected that perhaps the young master had misheard the name, several other students were able to confirm both the name and the presence of the tutor. Even so, I have not been able to find any information on him. By all appearances, aside from the people who have seen him, it would appear that Basil Rosier does not exist. I am sorry."

Ciel stared at Sebastian, dumbfounded. Sebastian had never failed to find information before. Even though this sort of thing wasn't usually his domain, he did well enough when the need arose. They were too far from London to ask the Undertaker or Lau to find information for them. Sebastian should have done better than either, at any rate. And yet, the butler had found absolutely nothing. This had never happened before. "Did you speak to Crowley directly at all?"

"Yes," Sebastian said. "He was alone at the time."

Ciel considered that carefully. "Does Edward Crowley have an alibi for any of the murders?"

"No. Like many of the other students, he claims that he was asleep in his dorm."

Ciel nodded. He had expected as much. "Do you know where he spends his time when he is not in class?"

"Yes," Sebastian replied. "He is most frequently seen in the school library."

Nodding, Ciel stood up from where he had been sitting. It was information that they were lacking. If even Sebastian was having a hard time getting what they needed then there was really only one option left. Ciel would go straight to the source.

The library at Tonbridge School was every bit as impressive as the rest of the school. Massive wooden doors lead the way into a two storey room that was completely encircled in books. Two iron staircases spiraled up to the second level, which hung out over shelves filled with even more volumes. On either side of the library, two rows of desks were lit by lamps and the sunlight that filtered in through windows built into the walls. Just inside of the door to the library, a stern looking librarian sorted books on a desk that was several sizes too large for the work required of it. Since it was the middle of the day, the library was nearly deserted. A few of the older students browsed books or sat on chairs to the side, perusing the pages of various tomes. It was all too easy for Ciel to spot his target. Edward Crowley stuck out like a sore thumb, not in the least because of the tall, pale man beside him.

Even before approaching, Ciel took note of Basil Rosier's appearance. If he had to give a description to Sebastian, it would help if he could at least be thorough. He should have just had Sebastian accompany him, but he didn't feel that it was necessary to go back for him now. Instead, Ciel focused on the task at hand. Sebastian was a tall man, but Basil Rosier stood nearly half a foot taller than he did. Despite his height, he was very thin. Even his face was gaunt. His prominent cheek bones and sharp nose stood out even more on his face due to his sickly pallor. Though very pale, his skin was flushed as though he were running a fever. He looked like someone who was recovering from a serious illness. Even without his height and mealy appearance, he would have stood out at the school. Where his pupil and most of the other students had brown or black hair and eyes, Basil Rosier had hair the color of corn silk, offset by green eyes. Most of the other tutors and instructors were never seen without a suit jacket and tie. Rosier wore only slacks, a button down shirt and a sweater vest. He looked very out of place. Perhaps that was why he was continuously fidgeting and looking around as though he thought someone was going to jump out at him.

In front of Basil Rosier, Edward Crowley was seated at a desk and flipping idly through large book. He paid no mind to anyone else in the library. Ciel walked directly from the library doors over to where he was seated and sat down at the desk directly next to him. Crowley looked up, momentarily puzzled. When he saw who was sitting next to him, he smiled broadly. His voice was quiet, due to being in the library, but he still seemed to be quite pleased to have the company. "Phantomhive. I heard that you had a bit of excitement this morning."

"A bit, yes," Ciel said, returning the smile with a smirk. "Someone left a bit of a mess in my bed."

"Someone told me that it was a dead rabbit. Was that much true?" Edward Crowley watched him with interest.

"Well, parts of a dead rabbit. I would like to find out who was responsible for it," Ciel said, watching Crowley's face as he spoke. The smile on the other boy's face faltered slightly at the comment. His expression became unreadable. Ciel continued, "I really admire them."

Crowley arched an eyebrow and leaned back casually in the wooden chair. "Why would you admire someone who did something like that?"

"That takes a lot of courage," Ciel said. Courage was one for it. Insanity was a better word, but he doubted that honesty would help him out in this instance. "And they also left a note for me. Very dramatic, I must say. They have an artistic touch. I rather like that." Ciel took a breath and sat back in his chair, mimicking Crowley's casual pose. There was no use beating around the bush. "So, is that the sort of trouble that you were talking about this morning?"

For the smallest fraction of a second, Edward Crowley's eyes flicked towards Basil Rosier. Then, he looked back towards Ciel. "Why would you say that?"

"Call it a hunch."

Crowley looked at him dubiously for a moment, as if trying to gauge his intentions. Then, he sighed dramatically. "Fine. I admit it. You caught me. However, placing dead animals in bedrooms is nothing but a childish prank, you know. I am afraid that we have higher aspirations than that."

Ciel sat forward in his seat, one eyebrow raised curiously. He hadn't really expected Crowley to admit to putting the rabbit in his room, let alone that casually. "'We'? What sort of aspirations are you talking about?"

Crowley shrugged and then looked thoughtful for a moment. When he spoke, his words seemed almost unrelated to the previous topic. "There are things that schools like this cannot offer me no matter how hard I work. They expect so little of the world. Have you ever felt like that?"

"Yes," Ciel replied. The conversation was beginning to take a strange turn. He would let Crowley tell him whatever it was that he wanted.

"Tell me, Phantomhive," Crowley said, "if you could have one thing in the world, anything at all, what would it be?"

"Revenge." Ciel didn't even bother with lying.

"Something so petty?" Crowley said skeptically. "You need to look at the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture?" Ciel asked.

"Well, look at it this way. Revenge is just one thing, isn't it?"

"Of course," Ciel said. "However, you did say 'if you could have one thing'."

"Yes, I did. However, why would you take the most direct course when there is another way that would let you do so much more?" Edward Crowley's face was lit up with excitement as he spoke, as if he were thoroughly enjoying a party rather than a hushed conversation in a school library. It was rather unnerving.

"What are you talking about?" Ciel's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Power," Crowley said simply. He grinned, settling back in his chair once more. "With revenge, you only accomplish revenge. With power, you can have your revenge and anything else that you desire. Anything at all."

Ciel went stock still. He had come to the library hoping to find information that might lead him to pinpoint Edward Crowley as possible culprit for the crimes. He had also hoped that he might be able to find out more about Rosier, or at least other parties that might have been involved as well. After all, acting out against someone on the flimsy pointers that he and Sebastian had gathered in a single day was risky at best. In addition to the slightly sarcastic confession about the animals, he seemed to be getting more than he had bargained for here as well. Something wasn't right. "What kind of power?"

"The sort that this school doesn't even begin to provide for," Crowley said. Sitting up a bit straighter, he adjusted his tie. "There are things that I would like to accomplish and that no book... well, most books... will not help with."

Ciel chose his words carefully as he responded, trying to sound interested as he did so. "I can imagine. You can accomplish anything if you have power. Knowledge is power, but why stop there?"

"Precisely." Crowley nodded, obviously approving. "And here at this school, some of us have found a better way to get that power. A better way to achieve our ambitions, you might say."

"A better way? What is that?"

Edward Crowley leaned forward a bit in his chair. "Tell me, are you a religious man?"

"No," Ciel responded honestly. Religion had little meaning for one whose soul would be devoured at the end of his life. Yet again, the conversation had taken a sharp turn. He raised an eyebrow and resettled himself in the wooden chair.

Crowley considered this for a moment before speaking again. "We have a sort of ceremony, I suppose you could call it. A very interesting one. Normally, I wouldn't tell anyone straight out like this, but... well, I like you, Phantomhive. I think you have potential."

The way he said potential was enough to send chills down Ciel's spine. It didn't sound like a good thing when said in that particular tone of voice, dripping with implications. When he didn't respond, Edward Crowley continued. "We only do it once a week or so, but I think that I'd like for you to come see. It might be to your liking."

"I am very curious," Ciel said.

"We're holding one tonight, actually. You should come."

"Where?"

"Why don't you meet me here at seven, and I'll lead you the rest of the way?" Crowley smiled pleasantly.

Ciel nodded. "That would be agreeable."

"This will be interesting." Edward Crowley got to his feet, closing the book on the desk. He took a step away and then turned back to face Ciel once more. "Oh, and one last thing."

"What is it?"

"Make certain that you come alone and are not followed. Do not bring anyone else. Make no mistake, I will know if you do." Crowley's eyes had lost all of the warm enthusiasm he had while talking about power. "Not even your most interesting tutor."

Ciel walked back toward Sebastian's dorm. His mind ran over every detail of the strange conversation that had just taken place in the library. He had expected to get a new lead. Something he could use to finish this miserable business. Instead, he had gotten an invitation. It wasn't even a well disguised invitation. Could it really be possible that he had just been invited to witness the activities of the very cult group that he had been sent here to eliminate? When something sounded too good to be true, it usually was. The entire situation coming together in such a short amount of time that it was ridiculous. He hadn't even really had to put up a front. All he had done was sit down and Edward Crowley had given him what he had wanted.

Reaching up, Ciel knocked on the wooden door that lead into Sebastian's room. It slid open easily and Sebastian bowed as he gestured for Ciel to enter the room. "Welcome back, young master."

"I was able to find Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier in the library," Ciel said. "I want you to look into Basil Rosier again. He shouldn't be hard to find out about, especially for someone like you. I figured a description might help you out, since his name isn't helping. He's very tall, very thin, pale and blond. Very sharp facial features. People will have noticed him. He also dresses very casually. I'm rather surprised that they're allowing him to walk around on the campus dressed like that."

Rather than continuing to stand just inside of the doorway, Ciel sat down on the wooden chair in the room. "I believe I have received an invitation to a meeting of the very cult we are having to investigate."

"That is most unexpected," Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow. "In that case, we can..."

"No," Ciel said.

"Young master?"

"I am going alone," Ciel said, crossing his arms. "Something isn't right about this, and I was warned to go alone. I think that, in this case, I will do so. We can't risk ruining this opportunity."

"Young master, if something happens and you-" Sebastian frowned heavily at him, turning to face him.

"Sebastian, I am fully capable of handling this without your help." Ciel looked up at him. "Something isn't right with Edward Crowley. He knew that I had a tutor, and seemed to suspect something was off about you. I'm not going to miss this opportunity. I'll take the pistol with me, so it's not like I'll be defenseless. If something happens, I'll call for you. You can come quickly if I need you, right? So, there are no problems."

"Have you considered the possibility that the dead animals and a subsequent invitation may be how they find their victims, young master?" Sebastian's voice was firm, even as he turned his back and continued organizing a load of laundry that he was placing into the chest of drawers. "You may find yourself in a situation which you are ill equipped to deal with."

"Are you saying that you think I'll wind up getting myself killed, thus costing you a meal? Keeping me alive is part of our contract, after all," Ciel said, his voice cuttingly direct.

"That is not what I meant," Sebastian said quietly. He placed a folded shirt into a drawer and turned to look at Ciel. His voice was louder when he spoke again. "I simply wished to say that it is unlike my young master to not utilize all of the tools at his disposal."

Ciel regarded him dubiously. He was annoyed with the demon even though he was well aware that Sebastian was right. Walking in alone was stupid and risky. The conversation with Edward Crowley had unnerved him a bit. Especially when the other student had mentioned Sebastian. Sebastian had said himself that he had met Crowley. Crowley also hadn't said anything to directly imply that he had known that Sebastian was not just a simple tutor. It was the wait that he had said it that made Ciel feel uneasy. "You ill stay in your room until I call for you, Sebastian. That is an order."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bowed. Ciel huffed, looking away. He hated conversations like this. It was definitely going to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Shortly before the appointed time, Ciel walked down the hallways that lead from Sebastian's room to the library. Due to the lateness of the hour, the library was already closed. However, Edward Crowley and Basil Rosier were waiting for him in the hallway outside. The contrast between Crowley's darker figure and the pale man behind him were startling. As Ciel approached, Crowley smiled broadly. "I knew you would come, Phantomhive. Are you ready to get going?"

"Of course," Ciel said. "Lead the way."

The three of them walked down a series of hallways for nearly a quarter of an hour. More than once, they doubled back or went a way that Ciel could have sworn they had already passed through. If they were trying to confuse him, it was working. The fact that he wasn't familiar with most of the school wasn't helping matters. Eventually, they paused in front of a worn-out looking wooden door. Ciel presumed that it opened on a storage closet, but when Basil Rosier pulled it open he could see a flight of stairs. Rosier lit a candle and closed the door after them, leading the way down the steps. There were more than Ciel had originally guessed. The room at the bottom was pitch black. It smelled of mold. The three of them began walking, the two boys following the tall figure in front of them. The candle light was dim, but it illuminated stacks of chairs and disused mattresses and tables on the edge of the path that they walked along. This was a storage area for school furnishings. It appeared to be in a state of severe neglect.

At the end of the path, they came upon another door. Unlike the last door they had passed through, this one was finely carved from a thick, hard wood. Undoubtedly, it had originally been placed in this section of the school to keep moisture out of the room behind it. Ciel wondered what it was intended to keep out - or in - now.

"You will want this," Crowley said, handing a bundle of cloth to Ciel.

Ciel shook it out and stared at it in the dim light. "What is this for?"

"Not everyone here is as... forward thinking as you and I, Phantomhive. They prefer their privacy. It's only polite to follow suit, don't you think?" Crowley smirked. "I may not get another chance to talk to you before tomorrow. If that's the case, I will see you in the morning. I am so very, very interested in seeing what you think. Well, let's go."

Ciel pulled the cloak over his head. Rosier pulled the door open and they stepped inside. The very first thing that Ciel noticed was the smell. It smelled like incense and licorice. Sickeningly sweet and so thick that it made it difficult to breathe. Like the room before, this one was also dark. Pinpoints of light, candles, lit the room up from the periphery. The darkness that had been there on first glance was even more menacing when Ciel realized what he was seeing. It wasn't the blackness of the room but the blackness of cloaks, exactly like he was wearing. He had assumed that there were five or ten people involved in the murders and the cult. Inside of this room, the number had to be over fifty. There were people of all heights - students of all ages, he presumed, and possibly even instructors. They were all standing in a semi-circle around the front of the room. Ciel pushed his way through the crowd, trying to look at the faces under the hoods even as he moved to see what they were looking at. When he finally reached the front of the group, he felt his breath catch in his chest.

There was a table in the front of the room. Roughly hewn from some unfinished wood, it was shaped like a cross. Religious symbolism seemed to have little to do with the shape, however. Instead, its practical purposes were obvious. On top of the table, the body of a young boy was tied down with ropes. Alexander Mosley, the student who had received the dead pheasant that morning. His entire body was covered in bruises and blood with barely an inch of it clean. Ciel couldn't tell whether or not he was still breathing. He looked dead. Little trails of blood trickled down from the large gash on the side of his head, hitting the wood table with an audible dripping sound.

From the side of the room, Basil Rosier walked up to the head of the table. Unlike all of those gathered in the room, he wasn't wearing a cloak. He set the candle that he was carrying on a stand next to the table, illuminating the boy in front of it. He wasn't trembling or nervous any more. In the harsh light of the room, he looked terrifying. His sharp features were thrown into sharp relief, making him look like a living skeleton. A smile played across his thin lips as Edward Crowley walked up to stand on the near side of the table. Like Rosier, he wasn't wearing a cloak. In one hand, he carried a long silver knife. "Welcome, friends! A time for celebration is near!"

At that, the entire room burst into loud cheers. All around him, Ciel could feel the shuffle of people bumping into him as they thrust their hands into the air in excitement. Crowley clapped his hands together twice and the entire room fell silent. "Brothers! What are we gathered here for?"

"Power!" The crowd cried in unison.

"Who are we gathered here for?" Crowley asked, excitement evident in his voice.

"The dark one!"

"Yes! I am the voice! I speak for him!" Crowley's voice was louder even than the crowd as he cried out. He lifted the dagger in his hand high above his head so that everyone in the room could see. "We have all gathered here to beg the dark one for his many gifts. Power..."

The congregation muttered, "Power."

"Wealth."

Again, there was a murmur that went around the room. "Wealth."

"And knowledge," Crowley intoned, pausing to let them all repeat the word before he continued. "However, these gifts are not given to us freely. They come at a price. Power demands sacrifice. Shall we give him that sacrifice?"

"Yes!" The cry was a roar from the crowd. Ciel had a very bad feeling. Everything about this room reminded him of where he had been held captive. The smell, the feel of the cobblestone under his feet and the sight of the pale boy covered in blood and tied down to the table. It could have been him two and a half years before. Even though the room all around him was silent, Ciel could almost hear the clanking sound of manacles holding him in a cage as he pressed against cold iron bars. Ciel shook his head, willing the memories to go away. He focused on what was happening right then, even though he found himself having difficulty watching.

Edward Crowley raised the dagger high above his head and brought it down on Alexander Moseley's right arm just below the elbow. Then, Ciel knew that the boy was still alive. As the knife dug into his arm, he screamed. Edward Crowley pulled the blade towards the boy's wrist. The boy's voice was like nails on a chalk board, completely raw and shrill as the blade of the knife cut through skin, veins and tendons. Then, just as quickly as it had started, Crowley pulled the knife out of the child's arm. He lifted the blade in the air so that all of the people gathered around could see the smears of blood that still covered the blade. A droplet fell off, hitting Crowley's cheek. He laughed.

This was too much. Ciel felt ill, his stomach turning at the sight of the young boy on the table. Even from where he was standing, Ciel could hear him whimpering and crying out. He should call for Sebastian. The butler had been right; this was more than he could handle. This was a different kind of danger than what he had been expecting. His pistol wouldn't help him here. His feet seemed to be rooted to the ground, though, and he couldn't seem to say Sebastian's name. All that he could do was watch as Edward Crowley paced around to the other side of the table. "Power corrupts. What is the heart of corruption?"

"Wealth!" The roar of the crowd was louder than ever.

"Why do you desire wealth?"

"To gain power!"

Edward Crowley drove the knife into Alexander Moseley's left arm. The child was screaming once more, crying out for his mother. His small body shook with the pain even as he struggled against the ropes. Whimpers of pain and wordless pleas to stop when unnoticed by everyone in the room. Ciel found himself unable to take his eyes off the face of the boy. Little by little, Crowley worked the blade towards the child's wrist, cutting through delicate tissue as blood ran down the sides of the boys arm. Crowley's eyes were completely fixed on the edge of the weapon, lips twisted up in a gruesome smile. He was enjoying this.

He pulled the blade from the boy's arm and slowly began to walk back around to the other side of the table. As he walked, he spoke. "You desire power and wealth. Both of these things corrupt, and yet there is one thing that can give you both. It is free from corruption. What is that one thing?"

"Knowledge!" The sound of the crowd could barely cover the sound of the screaming boy on the table. The sight was so close to everything that Ciel remembered that it almost felt as if the brand on his back was burning once more. Instead of hearing the people around him, he was hearing the sounds of people who had been dead since that very last night. Every hooded cloak was replaced with masks. Faceless terrors who had forced him down and done unspeakable things to him time and time again. Pain, humiliation and terror. It didn't matter that he was not the boy on the table. It was almost as if he could feel the pain himself.

Slowly, Edward Crowley reached up and pushed the cloth of the boy's shirt aside, leaving his chest bare. It was already spattered with blood and shallow cuts, evidence of earlier entertainments. "Why do you want knowledge?"

"Power!"

"What must we do to gain power?" Crowley's voice was ecstatic. "Tell me!"

"Sacrifice!"

Ciel barely heard the word over the sounds of the child screaming in front of him. As he watched, Basil Rosier leaned over the table and pressed his lips to those of the small boy in front of him, as if kissing him. At that moment, Edward Crowley lifted the dagger and brought it down on Alexander Moseley's chest. The blade sunk deep into flesh. There was a short, harsh gurgling sound. Then, the screaming stopped. On the table, the body twitched. Feet and hands flexed mindlessly for a moment and then went still.

All around him, cheers erupted and joyful shouts went up from the crowd. Ciel felt nauseas. He couldn't take any more of this. Stumbling and pushing his way through the pulsing crowd, he found his way back to the massive door that had lead into the room. Leaning all of his weight against it, he forced it open far enough to slide out into the damp mustiness of the storage room outside. The door closed behind him. He fell onto his knees and vomited. Even if the room hadn't been pitch black, he wouldn't have been able to see straight. He collapsed on the ground, leaning against a wall. Barely louder than a whisper, he called, "Sebastian."

Almost instantly, he was surrounded by warm arms pulling him up against a solid chest. Sebastian pressed Ciel up against him as he carried him swiftly back to his room. In the small converted storage room that made up Sebastian's quarters, the butler walked quickly across the floor to the small bed. Sebastian leaned over to set Ciel down on top of the blankets, but paused as Ciel's hands tightened on the lapels of his coat. Instead, the demon sat down on the bed and simply held his master in his lap.

Against his chest, Ciel buried his face in the wool of the jacket, not wanting to move away from the one thing in the entire school that seemed safe at that moment. At any other time, it would have been embarrassing or humiliating to cling so closely to Sebastian. Just then, he didn't care. He was afraid. It was too easy to remember exactly what had happened two and a half years before. He tried to focus on anything but that, but he could still see snippets and flashes. All of it was because of what he had just witnessed. It was as if it had only happened a few days before rather than a couple of years previous. For a moment, he could stay like this. With Sebastian this close, he felt safe. The demon would not let any harm come to him. However, even Sebastian couldn't protect him from his own memories.

Sebastian slowly moved the arm that had been under Ciel's legs and used it to move Ciel to a slightly more comfortable position before winding one arm around the earl's waist. The other was still wrapped around his shoulders, holding him to the demon's chest. Nearly an hour passed and the demon began to wonder if his master had fallen asleep. Ciel hadn't said a word since Sebastian had picked him up. "Young master?"

Ciel's hands tightened on Sebastian's coat. He turned his head to the side, but didn't move away. "They were the ones who committed the murders." His voice was shaking. "They... killed Alexander Mosley. Like it was some sort of show. They watched and the laughed. They enjoyed it."

Without realizing it, Ciel pressed himself closer to Sebastian. The demon watched him with concern. It was rare for Ciel to show emotion. It was rarer still for him to be this badly effected by anything that he had seen. For once, Ciel Phantomhive was clearly shaken. It was disconcerting for him to see his master in such a state. Sebastian had obeyed the order and he had stayed in his quarters until he was summoned. He had hated every minute of it. He did not like knowing that it could very easily have been his young master that had been chosen for the ceremony instead of the unfortunate victim that it was. He hoped that he would have the opportunity t repay the people who had reduced Earl Ciel Phantomhive to this crying child. Sebastian's arms tightened around the form of his young master and he pressed his lips to the top of Ciel's head, breathing in the scent of his hair. It was an unexpected relief, having him there and safe. "What would you like for me to do, young master?"

Ciel went very still as he felt Sebastian's lips against his hair and the way that the demon's arms tightened around him. It felt comforting. He kept leaning against Sebastian's chest for a moment and then pushed away. He sat up a bit more properly in the butler's lap and then looked away. His voice was steadier, but he was very quiet as he spoke. "Nothing tonight. Edward Crowley and his tutor seem to be orchestrating this, but they aren't the only ones involved." He paused, pressing a hand to the side of his face and then running it through his hair, pushing the eye patch away from his face. It fell harmlessly to the floor. Even considering the events of the evening brought up things that he had almost forgotten. He hated that. "We need to know the names of everyone attending those ceremonies."

"What will you do when you finally have all of the names?" Sebastian inquired quietly.

"I will destroy them," Ciel said simply. He leaned forward and sighed. "Sebastian, I'm tired."

"Shall we get you ready for bed, young master?"

"Yes." Ciel slid off of Sebastian's lap and onto the floor, pressing a hand against the wall for support. His legs felt weak. Sebastian stood and quickly retrieved a nightshirt from the chest of drawers. In short order, Sebastian had him dressed and ready for bed. Ordinarily, Ciel's teeth would have been brushed and he would have bathed. Sebastian did not even broach the subject. Instead, Sebastian simply folded down the blankets on the small bed and tucked Ciel in after the boy climbed into the bed. The butler leaned over and picked up the lamp that had been illuminating the room. Ciel couldn't even remember seeing him light it.

"I will return in the morning. Rest well, young master." Sebastian said, bowing slightly. The demon turned and walked toward the door of the room.

"Sebastian," Ciel said.

The demon turned to look back at his master. "Yes, young master?"

"Stay by my side tonight."

"As you wish." Sebastian shortened the wick on the lamp to lower the light and then placed it on top of the wardrobe. Then, he went and sat down in the wooden chair that stood next to the bed. He hadn't realized quite how small the room was until he discovered that just sitting in the chair pushed his legs up against the side of the bed.

Under the blankets, Ciel looked exceptionally small even in comparison to the tiny bed. Face halfway tucked underneath the covers, he looked at Sebastian. The demon looked back at him evenly, offering a soft smile. Ciel felt himself blush under the unwavering gaze. He turned his eyes and looked away. After a moment, he glanced back. Sebastian was still watching him and smiling his mysterious smile. Shyly, Ciel pushed a hand out from under the blankets on the bed and took hold of Sebastian's jacket sleeve, dragging it onto the bed and holding it loosely between his fingers. Sebastian arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Young master?"

"Shut up," Ciel muttered and closed his eyes.

The following morning, Ciel walked back to his own room. He needed to get an additional book for the first morning class. In addition to that, he wanted to see if the mattress had been replaced. He was still shaken from the events of the previous day, but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to bring all of this to an end unless he could uncover the entirety of the cult. Crowley was obviously spearheading the murders. However, unless he was thorough, the same thing would happen again even if they managed to take care of Crowley. He was certain of that. In addition to that, nothing but a thorough purging of this particular menace would be worthy of reporting to Queen Victoria. How else would she be able to know that the students at the school were safe? He only wondered how many of those students were involved in the bloody ritual that he had witnessed beneath the school.

As disgusting as it was, Ciel knew what he would have to do. He would have to earn Edward Crowley's trust and get him to reveal everyone that was involved. It would also be useful to learn how, exactly, they selected their victims. He didn't really wonder about why they were doing it. It was called insanity for a reason. 'The dark one' was obviously nothing more than a figment of a deranged mind. One that managed to successfully rally dozens of people and drive them to kill children. Ciel only hoped that he would be able to finish this business before another person was killed, if only so that he wouldn't have to watch something like that again.

Ciel put his hand on the wood of his dorm room door and pushed it open, stepping inside. The mattress on his bed had been replaced and clean blankets and sheets were neatly folded on top of it. He set the books down on top of the mattress and knelt down beside the small suitcase that he had left in the room. He dug through it for the world atlas that he knew was inside. He stood and turned around when he heard footsteps on the wood behind him. Standing just inside of the door was Edward Crowley. "I'm sorry that I missed you last night, Phantomhive. What did you think of our little party?"

"It was interesting," Ciel said, feigning interest. Crowley nudged the door with his elbow and sent it sliding closed. Ciel watched warily. "I'd love to hear more about the dark one you were talking about."

"Oh, is that so? I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself." Crowley crossed his arms and leaned casually against a wall. "Perhaps you'll have even more fun tonight, then. It's such a shame that you left before we could talk last night. I was hoping that you and I could have a little heart-to-heart."

"What do you mean?" Ciel frowned. Suddenly, he became very aware of the fact that something massive was standing behind him. Just as he turned to see what it was, a cloth-covered hand descended over his nose and mouth. For a moment, he recognized the sweet, chemical scent of chloroform. Then, everything faded to black.

To be continued...
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The Dark Path