Cedric the Demonic Knight

by Valerie Willis

  “Be still.” The thunderous voice rumbled from the werewolf’s chest as it stalked closer. The muscled monster’s saliva dripped heavily like rain at the villager’s feet. “I am in no mood to chase something so small.”

  “Help!” Was all he could manage before coughing consumed him.

  “Go on, cry for help.” The werewolf crouched, laughing in a roar. “Cry out in pain and fear! No one can save you! They have all locked their doors and windows! No nobleman is going to crawl out of his bed to save a man who is nothing but stable scum! What a shame!”

  “What of a Lord, then?” The villager’s heart skipped to hear someone else besides the beast before him, hope flooding his emotions.

  The monster’s laughter stopped, ears folding back on his head as it turned towards the direction of the questioner.

  “Who are you, pest?” Growling, the werewolf returned to all fours, his tail whipping from side to side.

  “I am Lord Cedric.” Cedric’s green eyes flashed from where he crouched on the ground next to the castle walls. He slowly stood, grinning, showing he was tall, broad, and fearless against the werewolf that stood before him. “I thought you were going to hide all night. It’s a shame that you are only a street dog. I can see why Romasanta left you behind.”

  “Quiet you!” Barking and growling, foam dripped from the werewolf’s mouth. “You have no business speaking my master’s name! I shall devour you for such insolence!”

  “I am afraid you are the meal tonight.” Drawing his sword Cedric sighed, his black tipped, blood red hair shifting in a gust of wind. “You are very naïve to think you are the predator here, mutt.”

  The werewolf’s yellow eyes widened. Crouching, he took a more offensive stance. “The demonic knight who feeds on his own kind, I have heard of you! You’re an abomination upon this Earth! I shall eat you here and end your suffering as a living being.”

  “I’d like to see you try.” He held his sword loosely in his right hand and nodded, daring the creature to come for him.

  The bulk of fur was instantly upon the spot where Cedric stood. With equal speed and grace, Cedric placed a hand on top of the massive wolf head, redirecting the pre-emptive attack. Using this connection for leverage, he propelled himself over the beast with a flip and landed without falter. Enraged at the defensive maneuver, the werewolf spun around, swinging his claw with all his weight. There was a loud clanking as sword and claw met in front of Cedric’s face. The muscles in the monster’s shoulders twitched. Jerking, Cedric leapt back. He had gained enough distance in time to see the massive jaws snap shut where his head had been a moment ago. The stench of the werewolf’s breath hung in Cedric’s nose; it was too close. Snorting, their vindictive dance continued, both of them fueling their untold desires for vengeance. A grin and sparkle grew in his green eyes. The beast’s panting became more apparent. The werewolf’s movements began slowing with each pounce.

  “You’re old! I can never tell under all that fur until I start fighting, but you are already a tired old man!” Cedric jumped back, making room between them. He was allowing the old demon a moment to catch his breath as he glared back at him, growling. “You’ve eluded me for a few nights. I suppose even a veteran falls victim to the hunger at a full moon.”

  “Yes, even an old salt has no willpower against the ways of demon blood.” His ears pricked forward and a toothy grin spread across his canine face. “How does one fight a cry of bloodlust with the mixed blood of many demons?”

  “Unlike you, I do not feed on pawns such as humans. My lust requires stronger bloods that hold power within and it only yearns for quality, not limitless quantity. Gluttony is a sin, you know?” Placing his sword in its scabbard, Cedric straightened into a more relaxed pose. “I do not care for half-bloods very often. On the other hand, the older the half blood, the better the meal he is. You should be a decent snack for me within castle walls.”

  “Speak for yourself; you’re my meal!” Racing towards him, the pounding of the werewolf’s weight reverberated through the cobblestones at Cedric’s feet. “You should have never sheathed your sword, pest!”

  “Fool!” Cedric’s voice boomed, a yelping sound escaping the great wolf; crackling bones filled the air.

  Cedric had brought the large beast’s attack to an abrupt halt. The beast’s arm was broken and he could feel a sharp pain stabbing into his neck. He had fallen for Cedric’s ploy. The sword had merely been a distraction, which had allowed the demon at his neck to toy with his food. Wincing as Cedric’s fangs dug deeper into him, each suckle pulled his soul further from him. A deep sigh escaped the massive chest. The last of his life drained away into the darkness of death. Finally, his soul would be at rest after living beyond his means. Perhaps falling prey to the demonic knight had been a blessing in disguise…

  Cedric released his hold from the now cold heap of fur, spitting blood across the ground as he looked at the corpse with disdain. “What a waste of my time; he was near death and had very little life force to offer me…”

  “Pl-please mister, I… let me live, my Lord. I will tell no one!” The villager, still bleeding, had crawled to Cedric’s boots.

  Smooth as silk, Cedric pulled his sword and severed the man’s head. A pot crashed down from a nearby balcony. He had come through that way, but had seen no sign of anyone. Surprised, he stared wide-eyed at the young girl frozen in fear against her balcony door. He realized that he’d neither heard nor smelled her approach as he kept his intense eye contact with her. That was the first time he laid eyes on Angeline. Her big brown eyes wide, she could not break from his gaze.

  Cedric scoffed, annoyed he would have to use the other abilities of his blood right, but he had no choice in the matter. Leaping up to the balcony, a feat no mere mortal could have accomplished, he stood towering over her, their eyes locked into an endless bond.

  “Be still my pet,” his whisper was tender as if spoken from a lover.

  He used what the myths called the incubine stare. The unbreakable stare allowed incubus to ensnare their victims, tricking them into “falling in love” or even lulling them to sleep. It was usually not a dependable ability with full-blooded demons, since their powers that created an intoxicating level of sexual arousal would take hold by this point. In his case, it never failed him due to the vampiric mix in his blood. His voice came as a low, tender rumble for a whisper as he spoke to her in a songlike tone. Her fear fell away as he opened the door behind her. As he sung she followed without hesitation:

  “Don’t fret my Dear,

  Come to me, close here.

  Go back to sleep, now love,

  I am now here, my dove.

  Pay no mind to the demons below,

  My eyes and heart you now follow.

  Come, my pet, lay your head down,

  And in dreams you now drown.”

  With the last note, he managed to lay her in bed. Her room was large and expensively furnished. A banked fire holding a low flame kept the room warm. A log fell apart into coals, popping and crackling. Curious, he sat in the embroidered chair placed in a dark corner of her chamber. Looking her over a moment, he took in her cotton gown, thin and translucent with elegant lace flowers along its hem. She was clearly a daughter of a nobleman, a Lady of the Court. Unlike the stable trash painting the cobblestones crimson, her death would cause alarm. Still, he could use this to his advantage. King Frederick insisted if he, Lord Cedric, won the tournament tomorrow that he could have his pick of the Ladies. In this case, he knew who he would choose to marry: this girl he had caught in his stare. It was exhausting playing the games of the Lady and Knight, and he was glad to be putting an end to it at last.

  She was fairly plain, and he could detect a hint of the farms in her scent. He assumed she was here to make her richer cousin stand out further. Despite what the world thought, he found himself staring deeply at her. She was far more beautiful than the background purpose given to her by the nobles. Her hair was long and thick, chestnut in color, wh
ile her skin was peachy and sun-kissed. The lips on her sleeping face folded out like the wide petals of a rose. She was lucky that she had gotten to her age untouched. With her voluptuous hips and the muscling in her arms and legs, she was a pleasant sight. She would have made for a good fight to any that may have tried to force themselves on her. A scowl came across his face. He cursed his incubine blood and the uncanny awareness it gave him of both age and sexual status.

  A malicious grin crawled across his lips. Indeed, she would be a fitting mate for a short time and a better lure for bigger prey on his journeys. Yes, he would use this girl to attract his prey.

  Bait.

  Chapter Three: The Tournament

  “Hear ye! Hear ye!” Trumpets sounded and the bustling of the noblemen and peasants filled the arena. “Clear the arena! Your King, King Frederick the Fair, approaches! The tournament will be starting!”

  Yelps, whistles, and gasps rang out. The arena for the tournament emptied quickly as the King and Queen stood before their chairs. Noblemen and their daughters rushed to get seats as close to the king as they could. Ladies of the Court had chairs below the royal family so that the men competing in the tournament could see every Lady of his majesty’s court. One by one, knights and mercenaries of high skills came out when announced. A knight gave his Lady a flower; another gave a napkin with their family seal, while the others simply took a chance to kiss a soft hand. Lastly, they called out the man in whose honor the tournament was being held.

  “Now enters our champion against the demons and the dark in this world, Lord Cedric of the House of Romulus, last of the Romulus line. We gather today to witness your skills and talents first hand! First King of the Germans, King Frederick, wishes for you to take the hand of one of his Ladies of the Court! Upon the chance that you defeat our own kingdom’s finest warriors and knights, this shall be your prize!”

  The crowd roared with delight as Cedric bowed, one knee to the ground, towards the King, and more importantly, to the Ladies who watched, blushing. All the Ladies, but one, were red cheeked from his stare. His grin faltered as his green eyes locked onto the frightened brown ones. The sweat on her brow and paling complexion told him all he needed to know. For some reason, she remembered him. It was the first time in over a hundred years that he had seen anyone break from the spell and its memory-altering effects. He would have no time to toy with his competitors. It was unclear if she thought of last night’s events as a vivid nightmare or reality. Sighing a curse under his breath, he managed to grin again as he stood.

  Out of the five total fighters, he and the ogre-sized brute were the only ones without a helmet and ensemble of metal. Thought unlike his giant cohort, he depended heavily on his agility and dexterity to win his battles. He was far stronger than the men next to him, but he was partial to the dance of swordplay. The smallest knight was wearing more armor than necessary for his size and with the array of daggers in his belt it was clear he favored close combat. On the opposite end of the lineup was the oldest competitor in brightly reflective armor. He dismissed the old man and shifted his attention to the mountain of flesh next to him. Sweat poured from the mildly obese brute, he would prove harder to take down without exposing his true strength to the observing audience. The last knight was a mercenary knight of average appeal. He war his family seal with pride, but the armor he wore looked poorly maintained and ill-fitting for this tournament.

  Again, his smirk failed him as his eyes fell back to the girl. She visibly flinched as their eyes met and his jaw twitched in annoyance. While he was distracted by the Lady’s fearful stare, the ogre-of-a-man took advantage and swung his two-handed mace and slammed it into Cedric’s shield. Thrown like a doll, he landed on the arena floor in a cloud of dust. The onlookers shouted and laughed at the feat. They cheered on the larger man for taking the first strike in the game and on Lord Cedric! Cedric huffed, tossing the bent shield to the ground as he brushed the dust from his pants. He would have to abandon his shield far sooner than he had initially planned.

  “Whoa!” Cedric shouted. A shorter opponent made a swing and he simply sidestepped for the miss. “I haven’t drawn my sword yet. What dishonorable twits you all are.”

  The smaller knight retreated to give his larger companion another chance to challenge Cedric. Yanking his sword from its sheath, he blocked another blow from the massive mace with his blade. Cedric’s feet slid, pushed back by the sheer force. This man clearly had some experience in small demon hunting. A shimmer came to Cedric’s green eyes and his grin grew wide. He flawlessly back flipped to gain some distance in order to catch a better glimpse of the four men, two of them clearly braver than the others. The audience whistled and clapped at the acrobatic stunt.

  Taking an offensive stance, he flicked two fingers, beckoning the brute to come. As if a dog called by its master, the large brute charged towards Cedric, mace readied for another try. Crouching low to meet his approach, Cedric waited for the swing. Elegantly, he leapt above the ground-skimming swing, and with massive strength, Cedric hammered the hilt of his sword into the back of the ogre-like man’s head. There were gasps hovering in the air as all watched the large bulk frozen for a moment. Cedric walked past the man and focused on the other competitors, while everyone watched the brute’s eyes roll back. He fell forward, knocked out in a dust plume on the arena floor.

  The squirrel-of-a-knight came from behind the impeding paladin-armored guardsmen, anger seething from him as he closed in for a second attack. He aimed high at Cedric, who swiftly dropped to the ground and swung his leg around, knocking the mousy man off his feet. The roar of laughter that followed fed Cedric’s ego as he dashed forward, locking his sword with the claymore of the mercenary guardsmen who had patiently waited for his turn. He was too slow for Cedric’s taste, and after exchanging several ear-shattering blows from both knights’ swords, Cedric managed to get behind the man. With a wicked kick to the lower back, Cedric brought the guardsmen to his knees and one swift knock of the hilt dropped him to the floor.

  Two down and two to go.

  Irritated by the rat-sized knight, he finally exchanged blows again after the second retreat. On the third hit, Cedric’s strength and force knocked the man’s sword free from his hands. Seeing that the knight was too stunned to react, Cedric took the opportunity and landed a punch through the haphazardly open helm. Like a miniature tree, the squirrel fell back on his heels, out cold.

  One left.

  “Ah! This is more like it!” Cedric twisted his sword about as he approached the last opponent. “I take it you prefer the one-on-one battles?”

  “I am much older, and content to wait, but yes. I do savor the one on one battle.” Unlike his fellows sprawled on the ground, this knight had lighter armor and his weapons of choice seemed to be two short swords. “I must admit, after watching how quickly you dispatched the others, I am a bit wary, Lord Cedric. There is a reason everyone calls you the Demonic Knight. You fight like a demon, that’s for sure.”

  “Keh,” Cedric paused, admiring the sense of honor the man had towards his own skills. “It is hard to gauge one’s skills with such clumsy opponents.”

  “Let me be the judge of that.” The knight charged forward, his blades extended out behind him as he raced toward Cedric, who stood unmoving.

  For an older warrior, he was just as fast as the small knight. Cedric slid backwards, missing the first swipe of a blade and almost failed to gauge the second swing that followed it. Much to Cedric’s surprise, the knight dropped, knocking Cedric’s legs out from under him with a skilled kick. Reacting on instinct, he managed to firmly land a hand on the ground and flip himself upright, saving himself another bath into the dusty dirt. It appeared he had misjudged the range of skills that this aging fighter possessed. Again, he came at Cedric, and Cedric blocked the dual onslaught of the two short blades as efficiently as he could. Sweat crawled down Cedric’s cheek as he guessed which swings to dodge or block with the sword. This knight clearly devoted himself to master
ing the technique of hiding his second blade behind the other, a talent rarely seen in the kingdom.

  Once more, Cedric caught a glimpse of the young girl’s watery brown eyes. A stinging sensation sliced across his abdomen and he pushed himself back to gain distance. Rubbing a hand across the cut, he could feel that it was skillfully shallow wound. The old knight was breathing hard from his efforts, a smile across his face as sweat dripped from his chin. Cedric scoffed in annoyance, spitting at the ground as his anger seeped forward.

  How annoying. I hate using any of the incubine skills. They always do this to me! So damn distracting!

  With uncanny speed, Cedric closed the gap between him and the knight.

  Startled by the increase in skill, the knight faltered. He yelped, dropping one of his short blades as Cedric knocked him off his feet in a tackling motion. There was no mercy in Cedric’s next move, a punch directed into the man’s face. A crunching sound could be heard, crisp, and clear. He had broken the knight’s nose and the audience was quiet after this last defeat. Cedric snorted in dissatisfaction as he walked towards the king and knelt before him. After a short pause, the arena filled with cheers and laughter. Under his fake smile, Cedric was fuming. He hated the very idea that a human girl distracted him and a human warrior landed a cut on him.

  She will be bait, nothing more.

  “Lord Cedric, our Demonic Knight! The savior of the lands!” King Frederick liked keeping the crowd shouting. “I now ask you, please choose a Lady from my Court for your own bride! May you live long and prosperous! May the House of Romulus stand strong in future generations!”