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The Sorceress	By : phoeyay Category: > Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji ???) Views: 3578 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler / Kuroshitsuji, The Sorcerer, The Ruling Class, or the works of Tom Waits. I make no money from the writing of this fiction.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Additional Tag / Warning: Death occurs in this chapter (no room in summary). Rather graphic OC death. It happens quick, but it is there. Think Murder at the Rue Morgue by E.A. Poe.
***

Chapter 8: The birds keep singing, baby, after you're dead

***
The master looked surprisingly dashing in the costume of a rugged outlaw from the New World - complete with a black mask, of course, which made his identity difficult to discern. Sebastian wore a Venetian carnival costume. It glittered splendidly in all its gaudy colors, and the white mask trimmed with pink feathers covered his face much more thoroughly than Ciel's did.
The two twirled across the ballroom, looking into one another's eyes. They had arrived separately, of course, so as not to cause suspicion. Now they took advantage of their relative anonymity to share the first dance. Even if Ciel were recognized, he was simply dancing with an anonymous lady at the ball. They could not dance too much, of course, or talk might get back to Lady Elizabeth. Still, the demon was happy to have a chance, just once, to dance with his master in public in this way. He gloried in the feel of his master's strong hand about his waist, remembering the sweet intimacy they had shared the night before. Nothing will take him away from me now…Nothing!
Sebastian began to cast about the room, searching for the countess. He would find her, then he would alert his master to her whereabouts, and the two of them would attempt to corner her. Perhaps if I simply kill her, the spell she's placed upon me will be lifted, and I will be capable of proper reasoning again….
There was something wrong with that line of reasoning, in itself, but Sebastian was not sure what it was. He shook himself in frustration. The Master is here. He will help. Relying on his master was difficult, for an understatement. Sebastian was supposed to protect him… not the other way around. He felt so powerless, so ashamed.
It was Ciel who caught sight of the countess, nodding subtly in her direction. Sebastian looked in that direction the next time the couple turned about, and saw her leaving the ballroom for the refreshments area. The dance ended, and the two separated, the butler gesturing in the direction the countess had gone and quickly following after. Ciel would be there soon enough.
Sebastian found the refreshment area, but not the countess. He wandered further outward, not sure where she had gone from there. Casting about for her in a back hallway, he did not even see the countess approaching him. She also wore a Carnival costume. Apparently they were the latest fashion for fancy-dress balls. I suppose if I were really a lady, I'd be mortified..
"I see we've both been highly original in our dress. Let me congratulate you on your taste," the countess remarked wryly.
Sebastian spotted his master in the refreshment area. He signaled him, and the master nodded his understanding, slipping into an unobtrusive corner to await another sign.
He turned to Louisa, his confidence buffered now that he knew he had reinforcement if needed. He took hold of her arm in the manner of a good friend, but his grip was like a vise. The countess gasped. He led her into a remote end of the hallway, beckoning behind them for his master to follow.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hissed the countess angrily as they moved away from prying eyes and ears.
Sebastian was direct with her. "I fear I must kill you now, milady."
The countess' eyes widened, then her lips drew back in a snarl. "You won't find it so easy, milady."
He attempted to refute her by the simple expedient of snapping her neck, but before he was able to raise a hand, she was on top of him. How can her reflexes have been quicker than mine?
The countess was holding a small silver dagger, with which she softly tickled his neck, almost playfully. "My mistress would not be happy with me if I let you kill me just like that, my dear."
Mistress?
His attacker's eyes flashed a distinctive shade of red. I see.
He remembered her noting his black fingernails. She would already know what he was, then. So much for that advantage.
Knowing he was dealing with his own kind, Sebastian stopped holding back. Within seconds, the dagger was across the floor and the countess was the one on her back.
"Who might that mistress be, then?"
"I scarcely see the point of telling my secrets to someone who's about to die." Her hands wrapped around his throat.
Sebastian chuckled. "Empty posturing, milady. You know neither of us can kill the other so easily." He removed his left glove and shoved the back of his hand roughly in Louisa's face.
"There is my seal, milady. Won't you show me yours?"
The idea had been to obtain a clue as to the identity of the demon's mistress, but it did something unexpected. The countess flinched from him, then rounded on him angrily. "How dare you? Scum!"
He saw tears standing in the she-demon's eyes, and a sudden realization broke over him. Only one eventuality could bring about that reaction. He looked once more into those desperately pleading eyes. His voice was soft, almost pitying. "You don't have a contract, do you?"
She fixed him with an indignant glare. "I am not like those fools who fall in love and throw themselves away on a master they can never have. It is different with me! She is…. she…."
A single tear broke out and fell down the lady's cheek. It seemed to harden her. She rounded on him again, this time in earnest. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you for knowing that…" She leapt back, ripping her skirt away from her legs, taking a stance Sebastian was familiar with from a very long time ago. She could move into any number of lethal strikes from that. Lethal to a human, at least… and if a demon's head were kept away from its body for long enough, even a demon would die.
Sebastian mimicked her actions, tearing the skirt away and taking his stance as far from her as possible.
Ciel stood at the other end of the hall, watching the two as they circled one another, preparing to fight. He knew at this point that trying to get between them would result in nothing but a quick death for himself.
"Pity, isn't it?"
The young lord glanced over his shoulder to see an unassuming young lady approaching him. She had mouse-brown hair, no costume, just a dowdy dress, and her expression was …not as it should be. She was far too calm, he felt.
"I could have kept both of them, you know. I did become quite fond of the Lady Selina. She is quite handy with that tongue of hers…" Ciel's eyes widened, and the girl cocked her head to the side. "Oh, did I say something to disturb you? So sorry. At any rate… all demons love me, you see. It's on account of what my father did for me…" Her eyes glazed over for a moment. She looked mad and stricken with grief at the same time. When her calm expression returned, it was somehow even more disturbing.
"I chose the Countess to be my demon, and she will kill anyone who gets in my way." The lady looked down at her hands, fidgeting with them nervously. "I'm going to make them pay, you know." She looked up hopefully at Ciel, almost as if for encouragement. She smiled winningly. "I'm going to make them all pay for what their parents did. You'll help, won't you, Lord Phantomhive? You'll bring them to justice, see them hanged for me."
The young girl's eyes were too bright, her smile too fixed. She stared past Ciel's right ear at something only she could see. "Their parents took away my father, so I shall take away their children. Poetic, don't you think? And I'm using their own vices, their own impulses, to do it to them. No woman in my Sisterhood does anything she would not have thought about doing on her own."
The madwoman took hold of his arm. Ciel kept very still. "Do you know what they did right after they drove him to his death?" Her face twisted in anger and disgust. "They had a feast. A feast!"
Nervously, Ciel looked again toward where the demons were fighting. Sebastian had held his own, but appeared winded. Blood was also running down one of his legs. Could demons bleed to death? Sebastian...
He would have to try to deal with this young lady, maybe get her to call her demon off. He put on his most dashing, lordly smile and bowed to the poor mad girl.
"You'll pardon me, milady… I am afraid you have the advantage on me. I have not had the pleasure of an introduction."
"Oh! How rude of me. I am Charlotte Maxwell, Marquise of Fife. I'd like you to call me Charlotte Wells, though. That was Father's name, you see, Wells. I only married the Marquis in order to exact my revenge for Father's death. It seems remiss for me to use his name so freely, now my revenge is almost complete."
Ciel was not sure how to bring the conversation back to the demon. "Tell me of your father," he hazarded. She did seem fond of the subject.
The marquise smiled girlishly. "He was such a wonderful man. The best father in the world… but because of his profession… because he ran the occult shop… they hated him. Everyone hated him… the doctors wouldn't come to me when I had the accident…and Father…he worked so hard….oh….." tears spilled down her cheeks.
Ciel handed the marquise his handkerchief. She thanked him demurely and wiped at her face rather ineffectually.
"He was so good, you know… he was so good to me. He was so kind… and he was determined. He would not let me live my life as a cripple. Far from it. He made me better."
She tucked the handkerchief into her bodice and dragged off her right glove, showing him what lay beneath. Ciel stared down, transfixed. The thing was hideous and beautiful at the same time. The hand appeared to be made of porcelain, but he could see the fingers waving. Some type of black magic… she can move it like a regular hand…
The things on the surface were what really stood out, though. An oddly nauseating pattern of interconnected designs writhed and shimmied over the surface of the hand. Ciel thought he saw Sebastian's seal.. he thought he saw about a hundred different seals, and more of them disappearing and reappearing constantly. Good God...
"That's why they all love me, you see. I can have any of them that I want. Don't worry about your precious Lady… she could not help but be corrupted by me. That is why she committed such indiscretions, you know. It was not her fault at all. I'd like to keep her, but..."
Charlotte glanced toward where the demons were fighting. "They don't seem to be getting along, do they?"
Ciel followed her gaze. Sebastian was down.
In that moment, as Charlotte was briefly distracted, Ciel thought and acted simultaneously. Save him… end this!
He drew the large hunting knife which was part of his costume, modified one of the feints he had learned in fencing… a feint if you were using something with just a point, but deadly if you had a blade…
Charlotte turned back toward Ciel as the impact of the blade hit her. The earl's desperation lent him uncanny strength as he brought the blade down with everything he had.
At the last moment the marquise realized what was happening, and a hopeless plea filled her eyes as the porcelain hand shattered before her on the ground, and blood poured from the stump of her arm. The girl collapsed to the floor unconscious, an expression of anguish still painting her face.
Sebastian drew upon his last reserves to push himself up again. He'd merely been blocking the attacks until one finally got through. There was no helping it… this woman was simply a better fighter than he was. Given long enough, he would tire and she would kill him. He had to hope that…
But the Countess was not paying attention to him anymore. She stood with her back to him, looking toward the end of the hall. Sebastian thought to take advantage and lurched toward her, but she held out a hand, pushing him away. She did not appear at all concerned with him any longer. Sebastian followed her gaze to the end of the hall. Master! And…
The crumpled form beside his master was Charlotte, there was no doubt of it. But…
She had been beautiful before. She had been so sweet, so pure, so lovely. She had been something to be held, kissed, comforted, loved. An object for devotion…
Now, she was simply disgusting. He could feel her shriveled soul, like a flower barely clinging to life after being kept in a cellar for years. It was so weak, so sad, but inside it, malaise and corruption had taken hold.
He glanced at the countess. He could see from the expression on her face that her thoughts were running along similar lines. Unlike Sebastian, though, she seemed profoundly affected by the revelation.
"She… she was my life for twenty years. Twenty years, I slaved for her…not a single soul… not a single contract… "
The she-demon glared down at the motionless form with a unique breed of hatred that had no words strong enough. "She will die now."
Before anyone could make a move to stop her, the demon was tearing into the girl, ripping her limb from limb. Her head rolled silently to land by Sebastian's foot, while one of her legs, bent back across her torso at an impossible angle, was left lying several yards away beside Ciel.
Someone around the corner in the main foyer screamed. The commotion must have brought witnesses. Sebastian thought quickly. He grabbed his master by the wrist, hurriedly picked up the hunting knife, and took a detour through the wall, whistling for the carriage. Meyrin knew the whistle well enough and brought the horses scampering. She may not be much for dishware, but the girl is good at what counts.
As the carriage hurtled away, Ciel began insolently putting his hands all over his butler. "Sebastian.. Are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?"
"My lord, please cease that fussing. Have you forgotten what I am?"
He glance at his master and realized he was on the verge of tears. More gently, Sebastian repeated his reassurance. "I am not beyond repair, young master. All will be well."
"Oh, Sebastian…" the earl clasped the demon to him, shaking with emotion.

***
"What of the others in the cabal, Sebastian?"
Having changed into dressing gowns and slippers, demon and master were drinking tea in the sitting room. One did not need to sleep, and the other would not have been able to.
"They will not be any trouble, my lord. I believe they would never have considered committing such crimes on their own."
"Perhaps. Now that they have done so, though…"
"I will see to it that they do not continue, my lord."
The two sipped quietly at their tea for several minutes, savoring the silence and one another's company.
"It's a pity, you know…"
"My lord?"
"I shall miss seeing you dressed as the Lady Selina."
"And I shall miss having you treat me so gallantly, sir."
"Of course, you do still have all the dresses, do you not?"
"My lord! Are you asking me to…."
He was cut off by Ciel's amused chuckle. "Oh, it is so easy to fluster you. I like this new Sebastian." But you are the one who has changed, my lord…
The master grinned at him then, the dark satisfaction of possession flickering in his eyes. "… and yes, Sebastian. That is exactly what I am asking you to do. You make such a lovely lady... it would be a shame if I could not ravish that lady just once."

***
The following morning's headlines were all about the gruesome killing at the Douglas' costume ball. The killing was attributed to a wild animal that had somehow wandered into the city.
On the second page, a hurriedly-written piece talked of the joint suicide of three ladies, thought to possibly have been members of a cult. The three had drunk wine laced with strychnine. A note was left, confessing to the murder of ten MP's over the past two years.
"It appears you will not need to tie off any loose ends after all, Sebastian." Ciel closed the paper and glanced up toward his butler.
The vision walking toward him was not dressed like a servant at all.
The master's delighted smile was worth going through any humiliation known to humanity, Sebastian decided.
"Most likely, my lord, they were freed of the demon's compulsion, which led them to reflect on their actions as they had not done since they were inducted into the Sisterhood. They became wracked with guilt, and did what they felt was the right thing."
"Let's not talk of such dreary subjects, milady." Ciel's smile simply would not die. "Will you accompany me upstairs? I have something of interest to show you."
"It is hardly seemly for a lady to accompany a gentleman to his quarters."
Sebastian found himself lying on the floor, his master above him, grinding his very prominent hard-on into the demon's own excited member.
"Are you so eager, milady, that you would prefer to do it right here?"
The demon's breath caught deliciously. "V-very well, my lord.. I should not want to upset the help."
His master stood, extending a gloved hand, and the dashing pair promenaded up the staircase in more dignified fashion than they had any right to.

***End.***

A/N: And so ends my tale. I feel the need to point out that this is technically a crossover of Kuroshituji and The Sorcerer (and If you know some of my other stuff, you might have guessed that's a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta).
A brief summary of the plot to The Sorcerer: John Wellington Wells, a two-bit sorcerer, gets hired by an idiotic couple of nobles who are about to be married to lace all the wedding guests' drinks with love potion, because the couple is so happy that they want to share their joy by making everyone be in love like they are. When things inevitably go horribly wrong, the sorcerer is blamed for doing what he was hired to do, and is condemned to death for his trouble. I've always been highly displeased with that ending.
Charlotte does not appear in the operetta, nor is there any mention of his having a daughter. She is my invention, and initially I didn't have any intent to use her that way. She just kind of walked into it by being a little bit weird and making Sebastian like her too much. Bitch.
The title of this chapter is a lyric from Tom Waits' song Top of the Hill, found on the album Real Gone (2004).
Anyhoo, I hope you loved reading my fic as much as I loved writing it!
Till next time, love and kisses - phoeyay.
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The Sorceress