Cedric the Demonic Knight

by Valerie Willis

  Both the King and Cedric took a great leap into the air, their wings wide, they slammed into one another with a sickening thud. Surely, bones were broken as a cracking sound echoed over the sounds of the war that was spilling further down the great hall. Falling to the floor, Boto was on top of Cedric, one claw gripping Cedric’s throat the other held high, ready to strike. Cedric was struggling to concentrate as amazing pleasure flooded his body from the broken ribs he had received that laid under the weight of the king. His new bulk was still not enough to give Boto’s size a challenge in a head-on collision. Angeline could feel the extreme arousal from Cedric, but pushed the distraction back. She readied her bow and struggled to keep her aim focused and her shaking arms were frustrating. Cedric needed her.

  Barushka reared up into the air, knocking Angeline to the ground. Gasping from the awkward pleasure of the pain she should have felt, her eyes locked with Cedric’s green ones. They both looked back in time to see Barushka fall to the ground, the daito buried deep into his chest. In the commotion, they had failed to keep watch on Morrighan. Barushka had taken the sword in order to save Angeline and lay gasping on the cold ground, his flames disappearing. Crawling to his side, tears streamed down Angeline’s face as she hugged his massive horse head. Whispering her gratitude and apologies, she choked on her tears. Barushka exhaled, his massive eyes rolled back, and the warmth faded from him.

  Morrighan’s laughter echoed about them as she sat at her throne, “Oh my, I missed.”

  Cedric tried to sit up, but Boto’s grip on his neck tightened and slammed his head back against the hard floor. His blood was no long heated by pleasure, but rage. He felt toyed with, but his strength could not surpass the Incubus King’s hold. The air was being cut from his lungs. Fear was starting to take a hold on Cedric as all he felt was the sickening excitement of his death coming closer. His vision was blurring as he fought for his eyes to stop their attempts at rolling back in their sockets. His gasping did nothing, no air would come in his attempts. He had failed. Angeline would be dead, whether by Boto, Morrighan, or Romasanta… she would follow close behind his own death.

  A great roar brought his focus forward, Boto’s grip failing, Cedric rushed to his feet. He wheezed as he engulfed air, hungry to breathe again. The pain and arousal that Boto allowed to wave out of him and into all in the room imploded back into him. The sensations Cedric had been receiving from the king became eerily silent and empty. The great King was clawing to reach something in his back, clearly in pain. His red eyes were white as he twisted and turned, his cries harrowing. Cedric caught the gasping face of Angeline as she stumbled back, away from the Incubine King as he swung about wildly. Returning his bewilderment to the great demon, Boto wrenched and twisted himself on the ground now, a chimera hilt protruding from his back.

  Screeching came from Morrighan as she twisted in her chair. The pain Boto was experiencing was reaching her body as well. Their bond was taking a toll on the both of them as their pain fed into each other. Breaking out of his shock, Cedric scrambled to put himself between Boto and Angeline. Clawing at the floor, the incubus king managed to wrench his arm-like wing behind him and grip the chimeran hilt of the black bladed dagger. With another round of howling, they watched the blade burn and sizzle as it pulled free of his flesh.

  Cedric leaped forward, scrambling for the dagger that inflicted such a large blow. Boto swung his massive tail, sending the dagger spiraling down the hall and too far out of reach to chance chasing after it. Angeline was still sobbing, while Morrighan gasped for air, leaning against her throne. The great incubus looked like a maddened beast, his eyes still white and foam dripped from his fanged mouth. Boto crawled towards Cedric on all fours, toppling over him with all his weight. Feeling crushed beneath him, Cedric was struggling to hold back the wrists of angry claws that yearned deeply to rip at his flesh. Blood from Cedric’s injuries seeped into his mouth and fueled his frustration. Spitting into Boto’s face once more, he was met with more howling of pain from the incubus. His bloodied spit sizzled as it seared Boto’s cheek.

  Boto lashed out wildly, landing a strike across Cedric’s abdomen. Stumbling back, pissed at his dumbfound moment of standing still, Cedric lunged forward in retaliation. Boto’s tail swung violently, desperate to keep all the attacks at bay. Dodging, Cedric was given no choice to back off and wait for another opening. Boto had given himself to the incubine animal within, he was no longer coherent or aware of anything. This was what Vladimir meant and the more it raged on, the more pitiful and belittled Boto seemed. His cries and roars were mixtures of rage, frustration, and constant pain. Turning to face Cedric, Boto had clawed his face and neck open. The lose flaps of fileted skin was grotesque enough to make Cedric’s stomach to turn. It was insane reactions to both his spit and the dagger, but the logic and reasons seemed so distant still.

  The answer to the great puzzle exploded in Cedric’s mind: that’s it! My blood is the key! Incubi are weak to the invasion of another Incubus’ blood! And considering Boto’s hunting off his offspring, the closer to the King’s lineage one is, the more poisonous it is to him. Even my dried blood has devastating reactions, which means— Biting into his tongue, Cedric coated his fangs red with his blood, the flavor of iron igniting his excitement. Predatorily, he leapt onto Boto, staring down into the white eyes of an Incubus ravaged with pain. Cedric’s fangs dug deep, savaging Boto’s neck further. He pulled all the power and strength from centuries of experience from him. Every gulp held immense energy as Cedric devoured Boto’s soul. Morrighan’s cries wailed as she twisted to the floor in front of her black throne. Cedric could feel with each sip of the King’s blood, the unstitching of their bond. The process was beyond painful as Boto roared and squirmed under his weight now.

  Boto stopped moving, going cold and limp. Cedric broke away from him and gasped for a breath of air. Stepping backwards, Cedric moved away from the large grey heap that was no longer with the living. Morrighan crawled to her King, her face painted with black streaks from her tears and makeup. She nuzzled his cold face for a moment before kissing Boto deeply. Sobs of pain and sorrow engulfed the sorceress as she hugged onto the once great incubus. All Cedric and Angeline could do was watch in silence. It was clear that breaking one’s bond was like destroying the soul. They watched as Morrighan’s body shook, her grip on the dead Boto left marks from her nails as her pain continue to take hold.

  “No, no. This can’t be!” Morrighan’s voice was cracked as she struggled to speak. “Boto, my love, why have you left me all alone! Why does it hurt so!”

  “What do we do now?” Angeline was leaning against the blood stained column that Cedric had hit earlier. “What do you plan on doing with her?”

  “I, I don’t know.” Cedric was at a complete loss. “This is not how I had imagined it. I have played this moment out in my head so much, that I did not take into account how heavy a binding could break. I have finished the deal made with Romasanta with Boto’s death, but what to do with Morrighan…”

  “Is, is this what will happen to you when I—” Cedric’s sharp glance at Angeline stopped her.

  “Let’s go.” Cedric turned his back to the sorceress who sat on the ground drowning in her grief, walking away from his vengeance, once and for all. “I think I have done efficient damage.”

  “You’re so much weaker than him.” The bitter tone of Morrighan’s words stopped Cedric. “Go ahead, my little chimera. Kill me. Did you not wish to destroy the one that created you? To take down your God?”

  “I think death would be too soft of a punishment for you, Morrighan.” He refused to look back into the broken eyes that burned at his back. “You have made me and so many others suffer similar emotions of loss that it is only fitting I leave you like this. This is the plague you have drowned many in, and it is natural you drink from the cup of sorrow as well.”

  “He wasn’t as horrible as you think.” She stumbled to her feet, her voice rumbled, as she demanded Cedric’s attention. “You
have no idea what drives me to do the dark arts that I practice. Boto knew, and he loved me despite knowing the true motive behind it all.”

  “Normally I would feel sorry for someone’s loss, but you have taken so much from me, Vladimir, and many more that the idea is numb.” He glanced over his shoulder at the broken girl before him, no longer seeing his creator, his vengeance, or even the menacing sorceress. “Morrighan, you know the dangers of practicing magic on demons and magical creatures. What made you think you were immune to the recoils? I am shocked this did not happen sooner. You were lucky to be able to get this far before it struck.”

  “You twat!” Suddenly, laughter came from her, mixing into a deeper tone still. “You have no clue! I am immune to recoils thanks to the Amulet of Avalon that I wear. Do you not understand that something far larger is in play! Do you not realize there are Morrighan and me inside this putrid body?”

  “Morrighan and me?” Cedric turned around as his senses started to push past the pleasure that was still haunting his body, making him aware of the other danger that had been in the room with them. “Badbh had mentioned a possession, but this is the first signs of your existence, demon.”

  “My name is Beelzebub.” Her voice took on a demonic sound as her eyes rolled back into a solid black color. “How else do you think this sorceress was capable of mixing and controlling such powerful demons of old? The poor thing summoned me and here I am trapped in this disgusting human flesh. It is time I possess something far more appeasing, perhaps you shall do.”

  “I refuse your offer.” Cedric’s jaw muscles tightened as he looked for any aid within his mind. “You should go back to the depths of hell. There is not much else Morrighan can do for you in her current state.”

  “And I have you to thank for her worthlessness.” She spat on Boto’s corpse with a look of disdain. “This thing was far too affectionate to her, unlike the reputation he held. Incubi have always had soft spots for the heart. You’re all laughable to the fallen such as me.”

  “At least we don’t spend eternity roasting in hell.” His gut was twisting as he looked into the black eyes of Beelzebub. “Doesn’t one have to willingly accept or make a deal with your kind in order to gain access to your powers and be possessed?”

  “Technically, yes.” A wicked grin crawled across her face as a reptilian forked tongue glided across her upper lip. “But we have our ways around that annoyance.”

  “I refuse to allow you access to my body.” The wealth of knowledge stirred in him, and he avoided saying the demon’s name, in fear this was all that was needed to leave him the tiniest crack to seep into. “You have no place here. Go back to your fiery home. I think the devil misses his bitch.”

  “Watch your mouth!” The demonic tone dropped deeper as it blasted him backwards into the column with an unseen force. “How dare you speak to a superior with such filth!”

  “Struck a nerve I see.” A grin crept across Cedric’s face as he knelt at the base of the column. “I would have thought you were used to hearing such talk.”

  “You are toying with the wrong power, maggot.” Snarling, she stretched her hands out, black flames whipping out of her palms. “Let me share the searing pain that Hell’s fire brings!”

  Chapter Twenty-One: The Curse

  The heat and smell of death engulfed the great hall as the flames from hell crawled further from Morrighan’s hands. Cedric tensed, unsure of what pain the black fire held, but the waves of knowledge within him told him enough that his goal was to keep away from its venomous touch. Looking behind him, Angeline shook, unable to move in her fear. As she drew closer, the heat from the flames sent unnerving chills across Cedric’s skin. This heat surpassed any he had encountered. The Chimeran and Hellhounds flames were nothing by comparison. Shaking off the last of his nervousness, he readied himself for the fight that was approaching.

  A great wind blew through the hall, swirling about the three of them; it extinguished the black flames with ease. Cedric watched as a look of surprise hit the possessed Morrighan’s face. This was not the doing of Beelzebub or her. Something far more powerful was making itself known. A figure began to materialize behind Morrighan as it reached around and pulled the larger enchantment stone from the front of her skirt. Howls erupted from Morrighan as the ornament broke free of her dress. Her body twisted and contorted, the smaller stones cracking and shattering as her body shifted and deformed. All the recoils from her magical attempts at creating chimeras hit her at once, changing her, mashing the chimeran species into her body.

  The figure stood back as he stroked his long white beard staring at the large amulet, the Amulet of Avalon. He paid no attention to the commotion of Morrighan and Beelzebub’s cries that spilled from the same mouth. The wind had dissipated as Angeline and Cedric watched the shifting of claws, spikes, snouts, and more come into existence, then shift and fade away again. It was unclear who took the most recoil, Morrighan or the demon within her. Falling to her knees, she collapsed onto Boto’s corpse. Her final transformation left her with a wolf’s head with the skin of a snake, large fur covered her arms and claws, and her legs were the hocks of a massive goat. No longer conscious, it laid panting from its pain in silence now.

  “Hmm, so that’s what centuries of chimeran recoils looks like.” He paused from stroking his white beard. “Sorry my dear, but I need my amulet back. Thank you for finding it for me. Now, to tend to the next piece I need.”

  The white-haired man turned his attention to Cedric and Angeline. His pale blue eyes were icy as they looked the both of them over. Humming to himself, he slid the amulet into one of his robe-like jacket sleeves. Pulling up on his belt, tugging at his satchel, he took a step towards them but paused at seeing Cedric’s defensive reaction. He leaned to the side, catching a better glance at Angeline before returning a look back at Cedric. Removing his pointed cap, the old man scratched his baldhead for a moment. Stretching his wings out to hide Angeline from sight, Cedric took an aggressive step towards this unknown figure. His instincts were reeling, something was not right. If the only thing he needed from this place were the amulet, he would have left as swiftly as he had entered; He wanted something from them, but at what cost?

  “Who are you?” It came out as a growl and Cedric whipped his tail side to side. “What do you want from us?”

  “Merlin,” Placing his cap back on his head, he took in a deep breath. “And you are in my way, demon.”

  “The girl belongs to me.” Once more, his wings flared wider. “We have no business with you wizard nor do we have anything of interest to you.”

  “On the contrary,” A coy smile slithered across his thin lips and he began stroking his beard again. “You are responsible for devouring my Coinn Iotair, or hellhounds as you call them here, and behind you is the item I sent them here to look for.”

  “Leave her be.” His heart thudded hard against his chest as the sensation of magic nipped at every nerve in his body. No, not now! Don’t let this be the moment you come into existence, curse!

  “You see, I have been digging through a century’s worth of time and resources trying to find that particular bloodline, but I see you have spoiled it with your own blood.” A frown crossed his pale elderly face. “This is going to delay my work. I will have to find a way to undo the damage you have done to her witch’s blood. I despise demons and the work they do on the human body. Worse off, you have gone as far as binding yourself to her, it’s degrading.”

  “Don’t touch her.” Heat radiated off Cedric as waves of Angeline’s fear hit him. “You will not take her!” You’ll have to kill me first. I will not let her go without a fight, wizard. She’s mine!

  “Ah, but I will. Demons are such poor thinkers, tsk.” The thin smile returned and a sparkle shone in his eyes. “She will be making her new home on Avalon, without you of course. It never shocks me to see how easily demons fall for humans. The wolf never sleeps with the sheep for a reason.”

  “What do you want from her?” Be
hind Cedric, Angeline shakily picked up her bow and readied an arrow. “Her magic is dormant; there is nothing you can get from her.” Angeline run, you fool, this is not the time to get brave!

  “Ah, but you see, I have been pulling such deep magic into my own blood’s magic to gain immortality. With the ancient line she holds, I will be able to achieve this as well as the power to clean the rest of the demon powerhouses off this earth. I will become supreme ruler of mankind, not Beelzebub, or any creature of such spoiled lineage.” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Feh, but unfortunately, I got here far too late and now will have to cleanse her of your filth and without killing her in the process of doing so. Binds and transformations are difficult filths you hellish dogs have plagued mankind with.”

  The wizard took another step forward and Cedric charged. Inches away from Merlin, Cedric only swiped a swirl of wind. Catching his balance, he spun around searching for the wizard. When his green glare caught the ghostly form of Merlin, it was too late.

  “CEDRIC!” Angeline’s shriek unraveled his nerves as their eyes met.

  “LET HER GO!”

  Merlin had materialized behind Angeline and held her by a fist full of her hair. Cedric was frozen where he stood, his mind reeling at what he should do, fearing to take any rash actions. Her brown eyes wide as the tears poured from them, a dagger pressed into her neck drew a small drop of blood that slid down her pale neck. The scent of it hit his nose and he clenched his teeth. Glaring at the pale eyes of Merlin, he struggled to keep his fears in check. Smiling, Merlin’s eyes grew wilder seeing the panic growing on Cedric’s face. Angeline’s racing heart filled Cedric’s ears. There was nothing he could say to calm her, the weight of the curse pulled at him, there was no mistaking the sensation. You fucking curse, why? Not like this!