Lady Shadowhive and her Demon Butler Lucius Dracovich. PT 2

The Case Is Closed

Jade's POV
I gathered all the evidence i learned while investigating my case. Wrote down the characteristics of the murderer and where to find him, of course i explained to the queen that he may appear to be a mere puppet but he was indeed a man. I made sure no detail was spared in my report. From every word uttered in my trip down the memories of the ring that now rested on a cloth upon the table down to the location of that strange castle. Lucius had been doing his best and hardest to try and steal my attention from my work so that i would eat. I only flipped the trays out of his hands and yelled at him to leave my side. I did not want company.. this was closure for nine girls who were killed with no reason.. no justice.. no mercy. I sighed as i finished the reports and then held my head in my hands.. I stared at the pictures of all the girls. They were so young..so full of life. I pulled out nine more sheets of parchment paper and began writing a letter to each of their families. I explained that there was nothing they could have done to save their poor daughters. That a strange force in this world we have yet to understand was at work against the poor souls of this earth. I tried my best to sound as comforting as possible but all i saw in the results of my letters was despair and heartache to follow after each reading.

"What would be better.."

I found myself saying absently as if in deep nostalgia.

"To find out that your little girl... your angel... was taken from this world to become a toy on the shelf.. or that they were murdered gruesomely in an alley and stripped of their worth."

I place my hand upon my head once more and covered my eyes. Sadly the answer was not as easy as it seemed... one is highly illogical while the other is horribly grotesque. I would not know how to start my mourning if i had been the mother of these children. Jade... My eyes widened and I spun around in my chair. Ciel... what was he doing here.. He walked forward towards me and then knelt by my side.

"My darling Jade.. I haven't seen you in two weeks... i missed you terribly and when i discovered you were ill these last three days i came to bring you home. But... now your-"

I smiled softly at him and took his hands in mine. I kissed them gently and said in a very hoarse and tired voice.

"Im awake.. and feeling much better... I have finished the case.. I am writing my reports and then will begin my journey home again after sending them to the Queen. Please.. go home my love.. make sure everything is ready when i get there.. i think i'll be skipping supper tonight.. I need rest."

Ciel was obviously not happy with my answer, but i didnt care at the moment.. what mattered now was closure for these girls. Ciel looked like he was about to fight me but he sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine....but im taking your luggage back.. that way you dont need to worry about gathering your things when your ready to depart."

I nodded and told him that was fine and gave him a gentle kiss upon his cheek. He made Sebastian gather my belongings and i turned back and began looking over my reports. I needed to make sure that i didnt miss a single detail. A sketch i drew of the puppet toy from the shop was paper-clipped in the top corner of my murderer page. A detailed description of how he performed each crime, stole each girl and found each new victim was listed underneath. The next few pages all had an individual report of the actions of each girl and how they fell victim to his trap. I also pleaded and insisted very highly to her majesty that the toy shop be shut down and the owners be taken to jail as the accomplices. The only thing that made me furious about my reports was the castle.. Its location was unknown to me and I had sent Lucius out five times to discover its location and each time he told me that there were no castles or buildings that looked anything like the sketch i drew... but i saw it... It was real.. it was there.. the ring showed me. I sighed and closed the file and wrote down my personal experience with the ring as security for in case she didnt believe the facts stated in my report and sealed it in an envelope. I marked it with the words 'read only if you dont believe me.' I tied a vibrant purple satin string around the folder and followed it with a black one from the top to bottom. I sealed them where they met in the middle of the folder with a red candle seal of my family crest. I turned in my chair and looked at Lucius holding it out to him.

"Have a carriage ready for me in precisely fifteen minutes, that should give you long enough to run by the palace and deliver this to the queen. Do not let anyone else get a hold of this file, you are to hand this to the queen herself. That is an order."

Lucius bowed and smiled at me with a devilish grin like before.

"Of course Mistress, your wish is my command."

I waved my hand dismissively at him and he was gone from the room within seconds. I sighed as i clasped my hands together and rested my elbows on the table. My lips leaned against my fisted hands as i gazed out the window at the busy town of lower London. The case is over... two weeks of raking my brain and pushing my sanity to a new level... two weeks of chasing after puppets and stupid shadows. Finally.. justice will be served and the wronged will be avenged... A small glint caught my eye and i looked at the ring on the table. Sitting there almost mocking me..as if saying not everyone was avenged.. I clenched my hands tighter and felt the anger within me rise again. Elsie.. I reached a hand forward and picked up the ring in my hand. I stared at it in my palm and said out loud for no one to hear.

"I will never rest... I will never stop... I will find you mysterious man with the scar, and when i do..."

I clenched my fist tightly around the ring as if trying to crush it with the strength of my hate as i stood up and opened the window.

"You will suffer more than any victim...any mourning bride or mother... any terrified or despaired soul on this planet.. because when i find you.. I will make you curse the day your ancestors were ever born."

I raised my fist and flung the ring as hard as i could out into the streets below.

Puppet Man's POV

I tilted my head and lifted a hand in the shadow carefully catching my master's ring.

"Dear oh dear...it seems that our new friend has dropped her ring.. Well this wont do.. no it wont do at all.. I guess its time to speed things along, after all the master doesnt enjoy all this dawdling. No not one bit. The new friend must take the ring to its intended target yes she must..after all... she is closest to them."

I began walking along the streets of merry london humming the lullaby i sing to all who wore the ring. I knew that sooner or later.. she would be like the rest. A doll of Iron skin and steel joints.. yes... iron and steel for a strong lady and yet so lovely and fair.