Cedric the Demonic Knight

by Valerie Willis

  “In camp?” A smirk crawled across his face, and her cheeks flushed at the sight of it. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

  “No.” She rubbed snow in her hands to wash off the blood that clung to them, and then took a cloth to wipe the last of it. “I can only imagine what you want.”

  “It’s not like that.” Grunting he sheathed his sword and stretched. “No signs of anything big still?”

  “None that I saw, the rabbit was rather plump,” She rotated the meat over the fire. “Considering we are on the back side of winter, it seems there is a lack of predators in this area.”

  “No, that just means there’s something big enough to be eating the rabbit’s predators.” He gave her a stern glare before watching the last of light fade away to its wintry purple. “Just be on alert at all times. I haven’t seen any evidence of deer since we started into this area a few days ago. No signs of any large animals.”

  “Understood,” She huddled closer to the fire’s warmth, throwing her hood over her head so she did not have to risk meeting his eyes. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

  “How long are you going to stay this bitter?” His voice cut her thoughts, and all she could manage was to bite her cheeks. “You’re as stubborn as they come.”

  His footsteps were heavy as they crunched away into the frozen darkness of the woods. They were both still struggling with their emotions. It seemed when one would submit to the idea of love, the other would become abrasive, and it was a volatile reaction. She was still hurt from the night prior to them leaving a month ago. It was impossible to shake the word distraction from her mind and the disconnected sensation it brought. They had managed to get better at keeping one another from feeling the other’s emotional peaks, but this lead to the fighting again. Both could not help but ask themselves whether it was best to give way to the instincts or keep a distance.

  #

  They were a day shy of clearing the dense patch of forest. Camping out in the thick brush, Angeline had come across a large buck. A 10-12 pointer with shoulders as wide as a large stallion scrapped its antlers against the tree in the distance. Her heart thudded in her ears; this was going to be the largest kill she has ever taken down. Thinking over her studies, she took her time, identifying the different kill spots, choosing which would leave her the best chance to hit her mark. It was unclear how she was going to manage to drag the deer back to camp, but she was not going to let this one go. The fur was worth the effort alone, not including the amount of meat and use of the horns for new handles on her daggers. Drawing her arrow back, she paced herself. Deer were fickle, and utter silence was of the utmost importance. She was blessed to have started her life as a farmer’s daughter, learning the art of skinning, preserving, and more importantly, knowing the many ways to stitch the leathers to common goods.

  Snapping of a frozen branch caught the Buck’s attention as he drew his head high, eyes wide as his ears flicked about nervously. Squinting, holding back the cursing, she looked down at her feet expecting to see the branch she had leaned into, but found nothing. Crunching of the snow to her left sent her hair on end as a large paw rested there next to her. She could smell blood and dirt coming from the creature as it crouched in the shrubs close to her, clearly unaware of her presence. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the sight of the chimera. The heat of its breath melted the snow in front of it, its massive lion’s head and mane crowned with four curving horns of a goat, its back half flowed out from its feline front into a split hooved creature. The tail whipped side to side as its scales glittered in the sunlight. The sight of the eyeless serpent’s head at its end made her bite her bottom lip until she tasted the iron of her blood across her tongue. Repeating lessons of stealth, she hoped to keep calm as her thoughts flew. Her lip remained in her mouth, fearing the smell of her blood would reveal her to the massive creature.

  The sound of something metallic caught her attention, and she saw that it wore a crude collar, buried in its mane. This was a sign that this creature belonged to the Sorceress Morrighan, and as she looked back to the large buck, it was obvious he was part of a pack. Two smaller chimeras were stalking on the other side of the deer, which stood stone still unaware of the glowing eyes approaching. Another pop of a branch from a smaller chimera sent the buck jolting towards her and the larger monster. With effortless grace, the beast pounced, shattering the antlers of the deer with one large aggressive bite. The three creatures fought over the deer, ravaging it across the snow, painting it a gruesome red in the sunlight. Slowly, she backed herself out of the shrubs, hoping that their prey and hunger kept them blind to any movement in the area. Panic was causing her to shake; she struggled to switch her focus from the chimeras to her feet. They were consuming the deer so fast. There was no way she could make enough distance to get away. Her shoulder bumped against a tree, and looking up, it became clear this was her only chance to remove herself from the immediate danger. Climbing as swift and silent as she could, she was thankful for her new rabbit fur gloves. Managing to get a good height up, she pulled her bow off her shoulders and readied herself just in case.

  A sensation of anger hit her and instinctually she looked back towards the way of camp. She could see glimpses of Cedric’s red hair through the far off trees approaching. He had sensed her fear but could not possibly know the cause for it. Panicking, she whistled the bird song he had taught her in case of danger in order to warn each other. In the process, she neglected to prevent the spraying of blood from her lips. The chimeras froze and started sniffing the air in her direction, and Cedric broke into a run. Sucking her lip back into her mouth, she turned her focus on the chimeras smelling their way closer to the tree. Pulling the arrow back, she waited for the right moment to release it. She could feel Cedric getting closer, his anger adding to her anxiety. He broke through some shrubs, catching the attention of all three creatures, and she let her arrow free. It landed its mark into the largest chimera’s paw, bringing his attention back to her. This would give Cedric a chance to kill the others if she could keep the larger, stronger one’s attention.

  The tree shook, and snow-covered branches rained down around her to the ground, threatening to knock her off her perch. Another thud of its massive lion paws made her hug the trunk of the tree. Looking down did nothing to soothe her fears, as the flames rolled between its teeth. Chimeras were infamous for breathing fire and nowhere to go, she had to think fast. She sat on the branch and wrapped her legs as firmly around the limb. Locking her feet and ankles to one another, she readied her bow. Swinging upside down confused the chimera who mistook the motion as falling, cancelling his fire breath thinking to catch her in its jaws, opening his enormous mouth. This was just long enough for her to take aim and make her shot count. Roaring, it pawed at its mouth knocking into the tree, desperate to free its tongue of the arrow she had placed in it. According to the book of Rangers, an injury to the mouth will keep a fire breather from using this tactic. Now she struggled to right herself as the beast bashed itself against the trunk, still occupied with the arrow lodged in its tongue. A branch fell across her left hand, causing her to shriek. She flailed wildly, her legs losing their hold, her fingers possibly broken. The mixture of pain and pleasure was adding to her hysteria.

  Cedric’s jaw twitched as he dropped his sword from the unexpected pain in his left hand. There was no time to waste, it was clear Angeline was not going to be able to recover her position on top of the branch after smashing her fingers. Running head on against one of the smaller chimeras, he picked it up with amazing strength and flung it into the larger beast. The two slid and rolled across the snow, and without missing a beat, Cedric launched himself up the tree. Angeline’s wild tear-filled eyes met his enraged green ones. There was a large jolt against the tree, and a large crackling like thunder roared from the bottom as it started to tilt and roll. Her legs slipped from the jerking and she braced herself. Catching her in time, Cedric gripped her waist hugging her close, and together they abandoned the f
alling tree. The pack of chimeras had regrouped quickly and rammed the tree in unison, breaking it at its base. They were fast and worked in union unlike the Hellhounds he had faced.

  The popping and snapping was deafening as they stood close to the falling behemoth. They landed nearby and she let her feet touch the snow. The ground shook violently before the tree settled in its final resting place, and there in the snowy ruckus was the approaching pack of chimeras. The eyes of the larger one was glowing red as they drew closer, blood dripping from its mouth, now free of her arrow. Cedric shoved her behind him, and she winced as she tried to get her fingers to grip the bow, but failed. It was clear he was taking her pain from her, and each movement was causing her to feel aroused. The chimeras stopped just a few feet from them, and the jaws of the larger one opened. Purple mist flowed from its eyes and mouth as it began to speak.

  “You have been busy, Cedric.” The voice was female and the tone was smooth and articulate in manner. “I was astonished how much you were able to work Lillith over. The latest information I have received on your activities as of late has certainly caught my attention. Is this what you wanted?”

  “What do you want, Morrighan?” The heat from his anger astounded Angeline and she leaned against his back in response as a wave of pleasure and anger pulsed through her. “It won’t be long before I come for you.”

  “Clearly, but I was curious to see this witch you had bound yourself with. It seems the magic in her blood has been catching a lot of attention as well.” The chimera shook snow from its shoulders and mane as Morrighan continued her conversation through it. “First I was told my sister Nemaine had killed you, and then Lillith nearly out did herself fighting you. Here you are with my chimeras, so I could not sit back without at least engaging in some small talk. It is clear my little sister failed to dispose of you for me, and there is no doubt that you have grown in power at a rather alarming rate. It saddens me to think I did not see your full potential before. Here I thought you were a failure, but now, I see that I was more successful than I had originally expected when I created you.”

  “I am not one of your handmade puppets.” Sweat poured over her as Cedric’s anger continued to grow with every word. “I will stop your madness, even if I die, I will make sure your days of creating abominations like me ends. You’re a plague upon every living creature here.”

  “Such a big promise, I am curious to see if you can keep it.” A wicked laugh came from the chimera’s gapping jaws. “That’s if you can even make it past Boto? Moreover, before that, how do propose getting past my army? You cannot possibly think you would gain enough power from binding with a witch to get you on the same playing field as your own creator? I am your God and you can only dream of being blessed by my presence, if I allow it. You forget, I made you and I can undo the magic that stitches you together.”

  “Like I said, I will knock you off that pedestal if it kills me.” The purple mist faded, and the chimera shook its head at Cedric. “I will kill you, Morrighan.”

  “Cedric,” Angeline slid to her knees, the hatred she felt coming from him was breathtaking. “I am so sorry. I had no idea how much…”

  “I need you on your feet, Angeline.” His glare cut the air between them as she stumbled to her feet again. “I don’t care if your fingers are broken; I need you to keep them off my back long enough for me to get two of them down.”

  “Ye-yes.” Her fingers gave her a pleasing sensation, despite the purplish and black colors that stained the skin under her ripped glove. “I’m ready.”

  Cedric charged headlong at the largest chimera. His rage for Morrighan fueling the attack, he gripped the massive horns and buried his knee between its eyes. Angeline managed to land an arrow into the cheek of one of the smaller beasts, interrupting its attack on Cedric. She ran across the snow for a better shot and sent another arrow into the back hock of the other, slowing its movements drastically. She was recalling everything she could on ways to delay an attacking beast. Watching as Cedric leapt backwards to dodge the swiping of a large paw, he ran forward making his way behind the beast. Desperate, she grabbed up an arrow, paying no heed to the chimeras limping her way. The arrow glanced Cedric’s ear, pausing his attack as it made its mark on the other side of him. Looking up Cedric saw she had risked cutting him to take out the serpent’s head on the end of its tail. He had failed to take note of it. Frantic, she shuffled back, trying to gain distance between her and the other two chimeras.

  Cedric gripped the tail of the massive chimera, and with all his might, pulled and swung the beast into the fallen tree. Blood oozed from the ears, forehead, and mouth as it struggled to keep a focused attack. It curved back, swiping at him from where he still pulled at its tall. Yanking, Cedric pulled its balance off, and its jaw slammed to the ground with a loud clamp of its teeth. Kicking his heel into its hip, he positioned himself on top of its shoulders. Fangs long, he bit into the back of the monster’s neck to deplete it of its life. The beast released an ear-shattering roar as it attempted to stand and claw at Cedric. Ignoring the slash across his shoulder, Cedric indulged in draining the last of its life force as it slumped to the ground, the light in its eyes fading.

  The other two chimeras had shifted their attention back to the commotion of their dead leader. Angeline sighed as she pulled another arrow, taking out one serpent tail and quickly the other. She was determined not to face a repeat of Cedric poisoned again. Once more, she had called their attention back to her, and she just kept the onslaught of arrows coming, hitting one then the other. By the time Cedric caught up to them, she had managed to blind them both in one eye. He gripped one by the back legs, knocking it off its feet and jumped on top to continue his feeding.

  Angeline couldn’t help but compare him to a hungry wolf as he took it down. It was clear that the chimeras were never the predator here, but it was Cedric. A demon that devours demons and the darkness that all creatures fear is what she was staring into the eyes of. In her moment of distraction, she had failed to keep the other chimera off his back as its claws dug into his back, yet he never released his bite. An arrow in its remaining eye caused it to fall away, but the ravenous stare from the feeding Cedric made her heart race. Breaking the stare, she pelted the remaining chimera with arrows. Deafened by the thudding of her panicked heartbeat, cold tears crawled down her cheeks. All her frustration, anger, and fear went into every shot. The beast stumbled and wavered with each hit as she stood her ground. After a moment, her vision was blurred, and she was just aiming at the heaping blob, only wanting this nightmare to end. Reaching into her quiver, she grasped air. She was out of ammo. Slumping to her knees, she wailed and let herself cry out the remaining dread as it poured out of her.

  Arms grasped around her from behind, and she could feel Cedric’s breath against her neck and ear. The smell of blood met her nose and she sobbed more, but leaned into his warmth and security. She had lost touch with the situation a moment too soon, but she had done what was asked of her. There was a long ways before she would be worthy of the Ranger title just yet. All she felt was broken, both physically and mentally there in the cold darkness on the snow.

  “It’s ok. You killed it, pet.” His voice was soft as he nuzzled his lips close to her ear. “You did a good job. It’s over, you’re safe. You killed it before I even had a chance to finish…”

  Chapter Fifteen: Badbh the Battle Goddess

  They rode for a day and a half before they came across a bustling town. Cedric’s wounds were having trouble healing. He had consumed some of Morrighan’s magic from the chimeras and it had backfired. It was undoing the magical binding between his incubus and moroi bloodlines, slowing his healing and draining him of his strength. They had said nothing to each other about the issue. Angeline followed behind him in an obedient fashion as they walked into the town brothel, silent and firm. He looked pale and was starting to sweat like he had done with the cobra’s bite. She was in such a daze still, her fingers blackened and sore, but her mind wa
s arguing which issue to deal with first, Cedric or her hand.

  Her ears could not track the conversation he was having with the brothel keep as they stood among the commotion of the downstairs tavern. After a few moments, he turned to her and motioned for her to follow one of the girls up the stairs. The girl wore a long skirt, and her top barely held her breasts in them. Clearly, she was one of the brothel girls that a patron could pay to keep them company at night. She had heard many stories from the drunken merchants and nobles of places like this, but this was her first time in one. The girl unlocked a door, and handed her the key. The smell was no better than the drunken tavern scene from the first floor. There was a sour yeast smell, and the bed looked to have been ridden hard for quite some time.

  Looking back, she realized that Cedric had not followed them up. No one was in the hallway with her anymore, and she was baffled as to where he could have gone. Closing the door behind her, she took a deep breath, allowing some of her tension to unwind. Despite the rough look of the bed, she flopped herself on it, burying her face in her arms as if to hide herself from everything. After the battle with the chimeras, she had sat in the snow while Cedric tended to his wounds, packed camp, and from there they had travelled nonstop. They were exhausted, but it was no mystery that they both needed to heal. Rolling onto her back, she pulled her left hand free of her glove to have another look of it. It was scattered with dark angry colors, and the left ring finger was crooked. This one had been broken, and would never look right again. She was fortunate enough that she had full movement in that finger, despite the numbing pain that screamed from it.

  #

  The bang of the door spooked her from her sleep. Cedric dropped some bags at the foot of the bed and began undressing. Sitting up from where she had passed out on the bed, she caught herself watching him. Blushing, she looked away, afraid that he would notice or that she would find herself losing to her feelings again. He paused for a moment as he dropped his torn shirt to the ground, and with a grunt, he continued inspecting his bandages. Walking over to the wash basin, he began to take off the bandages from his shoulder and back. Looking at him Angeline could see the deep punctures in his back were still trying to bleed. The gaping holes were painful to look at, as they oozed dark red blood over the muscles of his back. Tearing her eyes away from the gore, he began to wash out the wounds. The sound of the water made her stomach turn and she tried to distract herself with taking off her boots.