Cedric the Demonic Knight

by Valerie Willis

  Did I smell it before and not realize it? It’s such a distinct smell of magic, I have a hard time believing I missed it before. Perhaps my Incubine blood desired her more than I originally feared. If so, I will have to find a way to get rid of her before I lose myself to that side again.

  The sound of Angeline’s dragging feet interrupted his thoughts. She was several minutes later than she should have been. A bow strapped across her chest, she looked less fragile in her woodland outfit. Proper boots, long sleeves and pants, and a turtle-necked shirt covered her chin, resting just below her bottom lip. The skin on her cheeks and jaw was purplish red, possibly bruised from his grip. Catching his glare on the bruise, she tucked her face further into the shirt. Her rosy lips frowned at him and he scoffed in response. Spitting at her feet, he made her back up several steps.

  In all her eighteen years, she had never felt so much like an object. Not even after her uncle revealed that he took her in for his own benefit, she still had not felt like a piece of property. To a nobleman, marrying your daughter off to a high Lord, like Cedric, came with rare prestige and even money and higher positions within the castle hierarchy. Her father had been shamed, banished to the family holdings on the outskirts of the kingdom where his position defaulted to that of a farmer. Allowed among the Ladies of the Court, she was grateful to have been living in the castle, even if it was only to make her cousin look more attractive. Cassandra was the rose among thorns. She was even more beautiful than the rest of the Ladies. To her Uncle’s thinking, his daughter needed someone by her side to remind the kingdom that not even her own family could do better. Her farm girl appearance was like a mahogany backdrop to a gold and sapphire trinket.

  It hurt that her father said nothing but a weak good bye as he hugged her. What she once took as warm and comforting now felt cold and false. He had no way of protecting her or helping her. Cursed, she found herself travelling down a path to her death. It was only a matter of when she would be meet her assured death.

  “Let’s go.” Cedric ordered, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Don’t fall behind. I won’t come back for you if a scavenger takes advantage.”

  “Why are we walking? They had horses.” The resentment in her voice made him smile.

  “We are getting a better horse, the best kind in the world! I can smell one not far from here. Perhaps my luck is changing after all, pet.”

  Chapter Seven: Shade for a Horse

  Sweat rolled down Angeline’s flushed cheeks as she tried to maintain a half-speed run to keep up with Cedric. They had taken a turn down an animal trail and were walking through heavy underbrush. She stumbled over yet another stump as they made it to a small clearing, sporting a few boulders and a small cave on the opposite side from her. The sun hit her face and she moaned at the heat that welcomed her out of the trees. She couldn’t help but wonder why she bothered to even follow Cedric. The image of hellhounds out searching for her crept back into her mind and she picked up her pace again, that was why.

  “Fine,” Cedric stopped, glaring at her in loathing. “You sweat like a pig. Set camp here, while I go look around for any signs of what I am looking for. We are close enough that it shouldn’t be far from here. Try not to get yourself killed while I am away, pet.”

  Twisting her mouth, Angeline found nothing to say to him. She was far too exhausted to go any more rounds with him today, and the sun was setting fast. Pulling her pack off her back, she went to work setting the camp up for herself. At this point, she was no longer worried about catering to what his needs were. Cedric disappeared into the woods next to the cave. Sighing, Angeline could feel her muscles relax as she cleared a spot and managed a fire. All she had with her were some supplies she scavenged from her dad’s things. Dreading the heat of the fire for the moment, she crawled onto a nearby boulder and took a few swigs of cool water from her canteen. At least she was better equipped, with no need to ask his lordship for anything.

  The sound of neighing came from the woods behind her. Stunned, she turned in the direction of the cave and saw a solid black horse. It stood there, staring at her, shaking its head and neighing again. As far as she could tell, it was the largest horse she had ever encountered. There were no signs of tackle, harness, or saddle; this must be a feral horse. Much stockier than a Shire or Clydesdale, its thick legs were embellished with long hairs from its knees down. A mane thick and wild crested its neck as it flicked its massive tail twice before stepping closer to her, curling its lips up. Perplexed, Angeline started shushing it as if she were talking to a baby.

  “It’s okay, I am just here to sleep for the night.” Its lips closed and the black horse snorted, pawing at the ground. “I have no intentions of staying any longer, I swear. I respect this as your territory. You can keep it.”

  Huffing at her once more, it came closer to the camp. Angeline pulled herself further onto the boulder, praying she was out of reach in case the horse decided to attack her. It was not unheard of for a horse of smaller stature to kill a stableman; she would have no chance against this horse. It nuzzled at her belongings and snorted at the smoking fire, pacing around the camp. The massive stallion inspected everything, flipping its ears at her as he went from item to item. He came closer to where she sat on the boulder, staring up at her. It neighed at her, pawing the ground once more, as if it were trying to tell her to come down.

  The woods were growing darker by the second and Cedric still had not returned. Looking back at the large black horse, Angeline watched as it snorted at her, shaking its head again. She could see its large round eyes; a red glow seemed to crawl out of them as the sun started to fade ever faster over the horizon. Angeline whimpered. There wasn’t much else she could do but hope for either Cedric’s arrival or the horse’s departure. Hugging her knees did not comfort her as she exchanged glares with the thick muscled brute.

  “Go away.” She whispered. It was a weak attempt and her voice was not very convincing. “I don’t have anything for you. I just want to sleep here. And just so you know, you’re rather hairy for a horse.”

  Its massive head turned to watch the last of the sunlight fade. Rearing up, it let out a bone chilling scream. Flames erupted from its hind hooves, swarming their way across its entire body. What once was long hair now blazed with patches of blue and orange flames. It snorted smoke and steam from its nostrils as it turned back to face Angeline. Shocked, her eyes opened wide, they reflected the image of the horrifying creature. Before her stood what she remembered in children’s stories being called a night mare or shag foal. The stories told of the shaggy-haired horses with fiery eyes that would chase travelers who were alone to their doom in the middle of the night.

  “Cedric!” She screamed his name so loud that it hurt her throat. “Cedric! Where are you?”

  The fiery horse pawed the ground and snorted at her again. Tears tried to fight their way forward, but her stubbornness took hold and kept them at bay. Watching closely, she noticed that it was behaving the same as earlier. Stretching its muscled neck out, it attempted to nibble at her feet. She couldn’t back up any further without the risk of falling. Once more, she cried out for Cedric, but the woods were deserted. Looking down at the shag foal, she watched as he pranced around the field and returned to try to nuzzle her boots with his nose. A game of sorts was starting to take root as the fiery horse repeated this for a while. Her eyes took turns between watching the horse and seeing if there was any movement in the woods around them. Where is he? Didn’t he hear me?

  This went on for what felt like hours and still no Cedric. Angeline was becoming warier as she took another sip of her canteen, watching the horse poke around her pack and sleeping bag. Amazingly, despite the fire rolling off the horse, none of the things he touched caught on fire. She found herself entertained as she watched the creature. It was curious about everything that was hers, snorting and nibbling at all her belongings. Despite its demonic looks, it acted no different than most of the horses she had come across in the stables. The mo
re skilled riders seemed to have horses with larger personalities, much like this shag foal. Now her campfire was smoldering and smoking as the last remnants of wood became ash and the flame dissipated. She found herself in darkness with only the light of the shag foal.

  “Oh no,” Capping off her canteen, she took the chance to stretch her legs out. The horse had stopped his attempts to get her, as he had grown tired of that game hours ago. “There goes the fire.”

  The horse pulled his nose from her bag and snorted steam in her direction.

  “It needs some wood. I doubt his majesty, Lord Cedric, was out gathering any wood.” Pulling her knees close again, she rested her chin on them. “Maybe I can sleep like this.”

  After a few minutes, she heard the hooves pacing back and forth. Neighing and stomping sounds began, but she ignored the horse’s antics. After several moments, curiosity got the better of her and she finally gave the demon horse a reluctant glance. Nodding its head, neighing, the stallion looked silly as its flaming mane reminded her of a candle flickering in the wind. It walked over to the fire, pawing at it. After all this time watching him, she thought that maybe the shag foal enjoyed communicating to her. Perhaps he was just as lonely as she felt.

  “No, please don’t do that.” She whined, standing on the boulder, frustrated. “Why don’t you go spook some other lonely traveler off? I am stuck on a boulder and not coming off!”

  Shaking its head, it nuzzled the ashes, breathing fire onto some newly placed sticks of wood. Awe took hold of Angeline.

  “Who put the wood there?” The horse exchanged a look with her as it flicked its ears. A new campfire had started in a poorly shaped pile of sticks; it was a weak attempt to rebuild what had been there. “You’re trying to get me to come down. It’s not going to work demon horse. Making a new fire isn’t going to get me to come any closer.”

  “What are you doing?” Startled by Cedric’s voice, she nearly lost her balance on the rock. “Get down from there. You look ridiculous, pet.”

  “But, the shag foal!” Her face reddened with anger as he strolled past her boulder from the darkness, towards the fiery stallion. “Wait! Where have you been? I’ve been screaming for help for hours!”

  “He’s friendly.” Cedric petted the horse’s nose and rubbed him down without fear. His hands glided over the fiery mane, completely unscathed. “Shag foals are known for frightening travelers, nothing more. They run off to their own deaths. Nowhere has it been written that they eat people or have ever killed anyone on purpose. I would imagine they get lonely for companionship from the way they frequently approach travelers. Figured it was worth seeing if what I researched was true.”

  “Uh!” Angeline sighed as she slid down the side of the boulder, watching as the horse danced excitedly when her feet hit the ground. “He wouldn’t let me down.”

  “Brush him down; he’s going to be our ride.” Cedric flopped some rabbits down on the ground. “Wait, get some wood for this sorry campfire. You’ll never be able to cook anything on twigs. I thought you were experienced at making camp?”

  “That’s not my fire! It’s his!” Pointing at the horse, she realized too late how ridiculous she just sounded. “Really!”

  “I see this is going to be a common occurrence.” Cedric removed his leather vest and began tugging his shirt free of his pants. He pulled the shirt over his head as he flopped to the ground nest to the dwindling fire. “You may want to hurry, there’s not much time left in the night.”

  “Fine,” Marching off, she felt herself blushing at the sight of his scar-filled chest.

  Walking off to the nearest patch of undergrowth, she could hear the sound of hooves thudding behind her. Looking back, she saw that the fiery horse was trailing close behind her. Ignoring him the best she could, she started looking for more firewood. A soft nose nuzzled her elbow, startling her. She turned to face the glowing beast. The horse nodded at her, his ears high and forward. Hand shaking, she reached out, and without hesitation the fiery nose was placed against her palm. Angeline winced, but felt no burn. No abnormal heat came from the encounter, chipping away her weariness about the shag foal. Fears melting off her shoulders, she smiled before turning back to the ground. His flaming mane set off light so that she could go about her task more quickly. A sense of security was a welcomed change, giving back some of the hope she’d lost back in Raven’s Den.

  Returning to the camp, she found Cedric lying on his back beside the fire, asleep for all she could speculate. It was the first time she seen his masculine face without a snarl or malicious grin across it. Staring, she started to place wood on the fire. The flames grew brighter with each piece, revealing more of Cedric’s physique. In the reflection of the campfire’s light, his sweat highlighted each muscled curve. He was handsome, with a square jawline and a strong chin under his full-bodied lips. The muscles leading from his neck to his chest were both elegant and succulent, leading her eyes further along. She found herself focusing on the ripples of his abs and thinking of all the men she had seen shirtless. No one else seemed so fit at King Frederick’s castle. Her heart was pounding in her throat as she found herself insanely aroused. This was not the same sensation she experienced before meeting Cedric, and she sucked on her cheeks that reddened in response to the wave of emotions it stirred.

  “For a virgin, you stare at me like a hungry whore.” His glowing green eyes caught her breath. Startled, she dropped the wood at her feet. “And you’re horribly clumsy. You’ll have to be more agile than that if you want to keep up with me, precious.”

  “You’re as evil as they come.” Embarrassed and angry, she spit at the ground next to his head. “You are nothing but demon scum!”

  “Now this is a new side of you, my pet.” He turned to look back up to the sky as he grinned. “No offense, but I would never lay with the flesh of a farmhand’s daughter. The stench of dirt claims what little you have to offer me. Don’t you worry about needing to consummate this marriage of ours, you’re not my type.”

  “If I knew how to curse someone – I hope that you experience the worst heartbreak ever.” Throwing wood into the fire it flared wild and high, a howl whispering from the wood as it whooshed far into the sky. Ignoring it, she set to work to make herself some food, glowering at him as she did so. “I hope that you learn to love and that it’s ripped away from you in the most horrendous way so that you can experience one of life’s worse feelings. You have torn away any chances of me ever experiencing true love. I will pray the spirits return that favor to you, dear Cedric. I hope it will bring you many years of pain in your miserable existence.”

  “Watch your words, witch.” His grin was wide and Angeline caught a glimpse of his fangs as they crept from under his lips. As his animalistic stare caught her in it, sweat dripped down his temple. “Cursing a demon can be costly I hear. I have heard there’s a hellish recoil for attempting to curse other magical beings. You might regret saying that later, pet.”

  “What do you know about magic?” Hissing at him as she pushed her items into her pack again, she watched as his smile dropped. “You’re an animal that crawls about this earth devouring other creatures and lack any grace needed for magic.”

  “Shut your mouth.” The tone of his voice was dark. She’d struck a nerve and his jaw muscles flexed. “You know nothing about magic or what it is capable of doing to a person, regardless if they are demon or human. Do not speak to me about magic, whore. Perhaps I should have left you gawking at me earlier, pet.”

  Biting her tongue, she decided to end the conversation. Her cheeks flushed with rage as she continued to prep her meal, careful to avoid looking in his direction again.

  Chapter Eight: Shaman in the Woods

  “How much further are we going into the woods?” Swiping at a fly, she adjusted her seat on the large steed, trying to keep a gap between her and Cedric’s backside. “We’ve been traveling for over a week now.”

  “I know how long we’ve been traveling.” He scoffed in respon
se. “Trust me, I dread every day I spend with you at this rate. Wylleam’s place is not much further, no more than two hours from here. Two hours of hell that is.”

  “And who is this Wylleam again?” It was so awkward and uncomfortable to sit behind any rider on such a wide horse. The soreness of her legs was going to be a constant battle with the shag foal. “Does he have a saddle that will at least fit the horse?”

  “We’ll see. He is only a Shaman from the Hemicynes Tribe from the far North and his people aren’t known to ride horses or anything of the sorts.” The horse snorted and bobbed its head, trying to relay he agreed with having a proper saddle over the bareback method. “He may know a skilled leather worker that can make one. Please do not act up while we are here. You’ve embarrassed me enough in front of your village.”

  “Act up? Act up!” Crossing her arms, she wished her eyes could burn holes into the back of his head. “Are you kidding me? You are the one who pushes me down and lashes out. I have done nothing wrong. You picked me to marry…”

  “Hold your tongue when we get there.” Looking back at her, his eyes cut their message deep. “Save your venom for our most wonderful days of traveling, pet.”

  “I said to stop calling me that. It’s degrading enough I am married to you.” The feeling of her hopelessness crept into her chest and she bit her lip to hold the tears. “I have a name.”

  “I don’t care.” The words hit her with a coldness that stung her heart. “Now still your tongue before I take it from your mouth permanently.”

  Sulking behind him, they approached a woodland cottage. Smoke billowed from its stone chimney, and chickens pecked the ground around them. Cedric dismounted and offered her a hand, which she shook her head in disapproval. Once more, his jaw tightened, eyes flashing his anger in response to her rebellion. Sliding into a more comfortable position on the horse, she shook her head again, her eyes trying to match the heated intensity of his. She was voicing silently that she rather stay on the horse. He reached for her, but missed as the shag foal stifled sideways, neighing and snorting his own disapproval. Exchanging glares with the horse, he spit at the ground before turning his attention to the door.