“I am sure you have noticed,” Cedric stopped and she halted, staring at the back of his long red hair, “No one has come to trade at the castle from here in weeks. Rumors that the village has been bestowed with a curse have started to be whispered between the merchants passing through town. Word of an Orm blocking the path spread like wildfire as travelers were spooked away or witnessed shifting of the trees in the area. Since we confirmed there was an Orm, there must be something bigger going on in your little village, my pet.”
“You are going to see if a demon has claimed my village then?” Her voice was disheartening as she rubbed her arm. “That’s why you look like a hero. You feed on demons, who feed on us. Showing up in time is easy for you. You take your fill and it just so happens to destroy the beast plaguing the town and spooks others away for a time.”
“Did that take you long to figure out?” A warm breeze ruffled the leaves and blew past. “I hate to tell you, precious, but the wind tells me Raven’s Den may be no more. The closer we get the more I can smell rotting flesh. There are signs of a pack of hellhounds near as well.”
“No.” Angeline’s denial escaped as a weak whisper.
Cedric continued walking and she followed without hesitation. Staring at her feet, her thoughts revolved around the faces she knew and her father. He was old and feeble, raising her alone after her mother died in childbirth; he did what he could for her. Raven’s Den was one of the small villages that had been around for decades, but was now fading away as more and more of the newer generations left, never to return. It was unclear what the agreement was between her father and uncle, but somehow he managed to give her the chance to be a Lady of the Court with hopes of marrying into a better life. Unfortunately, she was now the Lady to the Lord Cedric, a demonic thing with no respect for the life of other living beings.
If Raven’s Den was attacked, they would have been wiped out in seconds, whether it were demons, beasts, or bandits. It was nothing more than a farm ran by the elderly the last time she visited. Some of the houses stood empty, abandoned by the last of their occupants, hoping for something better. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice that Cedric had stopped again. She rammed into his back, falling back onto her buttocks.
“Watch it!” He hissed as he knelt down next to her, signaling for her to stay quiet. “Something isn’t right.”
He furrowed his brow, staring ahead. Turning her attention in that direction, she could see Raven’s Den, nestled in the shade of the towering trees. From where she sat on the ground, everything looked normal. She could see someone plowing up new rows for seasonal plants, and an older woman was walking down the main path with a large basket of flowers. It looked like an average day; no one appeared fearful or upset from where they sat on the road. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to focus on individual people, but they were still too far away. When she failed to recognize someone, her brow knotted in confusion when she noticed there were too many villagers. Two herdsmen were standing at the front fence like guards, but their bodily movements seemed wrong. Watching the activity within the sleepy village, she became aware of an eerie silence. There were no bird calls and the main path was missing the usual herd of goats and flock of chickens, making her shudder. There were people tending to a cow that seemed nervous and kicking, and further down the fence line more guardsmen.
“Who are those men at the front fence? I do not know them.” Looking over to Cedric, she was hoping he could see further. “There are far too many people to be just the occupants of Raven’s Den and the animals are nervous. At this time of day we usually let the animals graze in the field there.”
“Those men are dead.” Rubbing his nose, Cedric tried to alleviate the smell as he spat at her feet, grimacing. Catching her eyes again with a rigid look on his face, he helped her stand. “I smell some sort of magic in the air, but I don’t recognize it. It seems there are living people among the undead ones but I have never come across anything like this before. Not sure what will happen when we approach.”
“Undead? Wait, approach?” Angeline questioned as Cedric thrust her in front of him. His hand gripped the material at the back of her shirt, pushing her forward. “Wait! What are you doing?”
“You live here, don’t you?” Her heels slid as she failed to stop her descent towards the two men wielding spears. “Just go tell them that. Ask for a relative or something.”
“My Lor- Cedric! You can’t!” Her shouting caught the guardsmen’s attention. “Let go, I don’t want to die!”
“Stop making a show of it, pet!” Shoving her off balance, she fell to the ground, her chin bouncing off the ground and rattling her teeth. “You are so difficult. Do you think I would bother to give you to them with me right behind you? How incompetent do I look?”
“You’re a wicked thing!” Tears rolling down her cheeks, she picked herself up. “You! You demon, you!”
“Halt!”
Following the spearhead down to its owner, she gasped, sucking in a stench, a flavor, of decay and rot. More tears filled her eyes as her shaking lips whimpered what she saw there. “Undead.”
“Hey now!” Cedric smirked throwing his hands up, pulling the tension to him. “I heard the village was cursed. I suppose I can confirm the rumors are true. I am Lord Cedric, the local demon hunter. Perhaps you have heard of the Demonic Knight?”
“Cedric, the heir to the House of Romulus?” Cedric’s smile fell, his jaw twitching as the unnatural voice of the zombie continued. “The old witch told us of you. Angeline and you are allowed to enter. We have a task for you, my Lord.”
“How do you know my name?” Angeline’s stomach lurched as she watched his silent zombie companion pick maggots from his arm, flicking them out on the ground where they wiggled further. “How does a dead man know my name?”
“Please follow me.” Replied the first zombie as he motioned with his decrepit hand for them to do as he asked. Cedric brushed past, his shoulder smacking Angeline’s arm, making her stumble. “My name is Josef. I used to be a sheepherder here before I died a very long time ago. All the undead you see here have been brought back with a single purpose, to defend the village against the attacking hellhounds that have come recently. Not even I knew about the protection spell that the old witch cast on Raven’s Den. It was a form of thanks for allowing her to live out the rest of her life among us. My ancestors knowingly took her in, treating her no different than a neighbor or family.”
Regaining her balance, not wishing to be close to the worm infested undead man, Angeline picked up her pace, staying close behind Cedric. At least there was no dread of falling flesh or bugs coming from him. Shuddering, she looked about her old home. There were no signs of her father out in the backfields. Instead, her eyes fell upon several undead doing his normal chores and work. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized her deceased grandfather and saw his unhinged jaw; her eyes focused back at her feet. It was much safer to look at the ground. She decided she’d rather not know if she could recognize anyone from her past in their new broken, rotted forms. Rubbing her throat was becoming a habit while listening to Josef’s dry, eerie rasping. Each syllable sounded agonizing, as if speaking forced the air from his lungs as it ripped through his decaying throat. Being an undead being was obviously not easy. Watching Josef was proving to be both unimaginably painful emotionally and physically for him. Holes riddled his body, but the way he spoke seemed as if every movement and word took a huge amount of effort.
“I see. The hellhounds I noticed on my way in are targeting the village after all.” Cedric hummed a moment before continuing. “Was there a Chimera leading them?”
“No sire, no Chimera, but a pack of the same kind far as we could see. Do you think the Sorceress Morrighan sent them, or perhaps one of her sisters?” Josef signaled to the other zombie to watch the gate as they walked into the main section of the village. “I did not see any branding or collars on the beasts. Does the custom remain the same as in my day? Magic users tend to bind them
with collar whereas demons brand the hellhounds?”
“For the most part, yes, but Morrighan would have sent a more loyal creation to at least lead them. Her sister Nemaine has meticulous taste and is known for using snakes and spiders. As for Badbh, she would have just done it herself.”
They stopped by a door and continued the conversation.
“No brandings or collars?” he mused. “That is odd. With the overpowering smell of all this rotting flesh and magic, a wild pack would have moved on to the Orm carcass upon sensing its death. I saw signs of them staying close, as close as their noses would let them come. Without a demon involved, there is nothing here of value.”
“This, this is my house.” Angeline whimpered, on the verge of crying again as she stood staring at the door. “Why are we at my house? Oh no, father...”
“Not this again.” Scoffing, Cedric crossed his arms staring at her with disgust. “I will have to take you back to my home at this rate. You cannot possibly cry like this about everything for much longer, pet. Your annoyance is outweighing your worth.”
“He is fine and well, alive if that is what you fear.” His intentions to comfort her failed. Looking at Josef’s cloudy blind eye, along with the dangling good eye that peered at her added to the nausea churning in her gut. “Lord Cedric, will you come with me so I may show you our findings? Let Angeline catch up and get some rest. Perhaps she is feebl-”
She shoved past them both, flying through the door that slammed behind her with a great bang. Cedric spit at the ground and sucked on the side of his cheek, agitated. Regrets of dragging her along this far were already plaguing his mind.
I should have left her to the Orm and its scavengers. I have no patience for such ignorance…
Nodding to Josef, he followed the broken form further into the village where a larger group of undead farmers and herdsmen surrounded an object of great interest. Much to Cedric’s surprise, he found they had managed to catch a hellhound, despite how fragile the zombies appeared. The hound’s hellfire was barely evident; bound tightly to the ground by ropes, it wheezed.
It was nothing like a wolf or dog with its pig-like snout and wide nostrils. They were known to push up dust and scents from the dirt in order to track their victims. The fur was thick, unkempt and wiry, curling outward in random places, with the overall color a deep gray with black splotches. Its overall physique was boney in structure. Muscles stretching across the delicate frame lacked any fat, giving the creature a mangy appearance. Even its stomach sucked inward, towards its ribs, something you would expect to see in a wormy dog. It was odd seeing a hellhound in the daylight. These demon dogs tended to track and remain invisible during the daytime, while at sundown, they would burst into their true physical form. In doing so, they shrouded themselves with the flames of hell, which provided them with immense power. The tomes spoke of how the rangers would snare hellhounds long enough for the sun to come up in order to weaken and kill them. With each passing hour of the sun’s touch on a hellhound, the closer to death it came.
He turned to Josef with a confounded look on his face.
“I see you managed to capture one, but I am a little confused as to why I am needed for this. The beast is dying; unable to become a spirit again during the day is costly for hellhounds.” Kneeling down close to its gnarled snout, its smell engulfed Cedric’s nose. The scent held a salty musk fragrance that caught his attention. “This is not any hound. It is a Coinn Iotair! He’s a long way from home if he is.”
“Precisely,” Josef creaked and popped as he knelt next to Cedric. “The witch woman said there was a chance if you fed on the beast, that maybe you could te-”
“What did you just say to me?” Cedric’s eyes shot a furious glare as he stared at the undead man next to him. His voice came through his clenched teeth in a growl. “The witch woman said for me to what?”
“Lord Cedric, there are no living souls near the beast. We undead can see souls and knew immediately what you were. The witch woman has summoned you here for many reasons that we do not understand. Her magic is older than the land itself.” With a nod of his crusting head, the other undead made a covering wall around them and the Coinn Iotair. “She said you increase in power when you feed on other magical beings or demons. Her hope is in this feeding you might be able to reveal some information as to who has sent these beasts here to find her magic.”
“When I am done, I want to meet this witch of yours.” Cedric snarled as his fangs extended to their proper length. “No one is to disturb me until I am done. If any living man sees me, I will kill them.”
#
“Father? It’s me, Angel.” Angeline was struggling to slow her breath. She held her back against the door, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the low light in the room.
“By the Gods!” Embraced in her father’s warm arms, her tears fell as relief washed over her. “She said you were coming! I cannot believe such magic was possible!”
“Oh Father! I have been given away as a prize at a tournament by your brother!” Clinging to her dad as her knees started to give way, she cried on, “I have been married to a demon! A nightmare is all I have been rewarded in life!”
“What on earth are you sobbing about?” Sliding her to the floor as she choked and sobbed, he did what he could to calm her. “Angeline, my girl, it cannot be as bad as you make this out to be. Come now, you made it back home, did you not?”
“But he’s a monster!” Wailing, she threw herself into her father’s arms again. “Please! Please do not let him take me away!”
“What manner of behavior is this?” An icy voice sliced through the room. “Stop that, right this instant. I will not have the heiress to my power behaving in such a manner!”
“Angel, honey,” Her father pushed her back, his heavy hands on her shaking shoulders. “Your fate has taken its place in your life. You must be brave.”
“But, I don’t understand.” She let her father lead her to a chair where she sat down. “I don’t understand at all. What have I done to anger the spirits to earn such a horrible fate?”
“You will soon understand, girl. Your fate is far from horrible, yet.” Angeline winced, acknowledging the sharp presence that demanded her attention. “There is a reason for why that monster was attracted to you and a reason why you were drawn from your bed that night. The magic beating in your veins seeks protection where it can, and it chose Lord Cedric.”
“How do you know about that night?” The warmth drained from Angeline’s face. Across from her was a skeleton dressed like a gypsy fortuneteller, its fleshless frame well concealed. With each gesture, its bony hands creaked. “I, I haven’t told a soul. I wasn’t sure. It was like a nightmare but then I saw him…”
“Your magic is far from coming into full bloom. It is a long ways off before you’ll have access to it, that is, if you ever do.” The witch scattered tomes across the table before her. The skeletal fingers picked through the pile as the witch continued, “I have information for Lord Cedric that he will need to know. In order to climb ranks, all manner of demons make pacts with one another-”
“Why is the information for him?” Feeling thrown to the side and discarded, Angeline’s anger started to seep forward. “What is so important about helping a demon? Why am I to be the messenger for him? Can’t you tell him yourself?”
“That’s more like it!” Dry cackling echoed from the skeleton. “Perhaps I am mistaken about you. You have not come into yourself just yet! Now listen closely child, it will fall to you to make the decision to accept what needs to be done. For both of you to gain something, and for him in terms of power, you play a very important role. The most powerful creatures that walk this land are bound to another demon or being. The Sorceress Morrighan is bonded to her Incubine Lover Boto. Having bonded himself to that sorceress, instead of a demon or the Succubus Queen Lillith, the King of the Incubi was granted a larger leap in power than anyone has ever seen. Both he and Morrighan’s powers were exchanged, shared, and i
ncreased beyond what they started with. This can be the same for the two of you, but you must willingly accept Lord Cedric.”
“Why do I need to accept him?” Shifting in her chair, the hair on the nape of her neck started to stand on end. “What does this have to do with me willingly accepting Cedric and the binding of an Incubus and Sorceress?”
“Are you daft?” Cold bones gripped her hand from across the table, dragging her closer to the shambling figure. “Listen here, and remember well! If you are to do your bloodline justice, and me, your ancestor, you will bind yourself to Cedric girl! You will be called upon to consummate this marriage of yours. In order to do so, your Lord will have to succumb to his incubine flesh and feed on his lover as his moroi roots demand. He must satisfy his bloodlust and his lust for the flesh—the binding rights for both his bloodlines need to receive the proper offerings! You must willingly let the magic accept him as it has already chosen him! Failing to do so will cost you both your lives later. Horrible things are still to come; this present is nothing to what it will become! Be warned!”
“Witch!” Cedric jerked open the door with a great thud. “I have business with you!” The rage in his eyes and fanged mouth were harrowing.
The bones at Angeline’s aching wrist fell to the table. Fragments of the skeleton scattered across the floor as cackling filled the small house. An icy wind blew by Angeline whispering ‘Remember…’ in her ears before flying through and past Cedric. Her eyes locked with his enraged emerald ones. Marching across the room, he jerked her out of the chair by her arm. Burning pain from his twisting grip brought tears to her eyes as she staggered to gain balance.
“What have you dragged me into?” The smell of blood was on his breath, and his fangs were still visible as he glowered at her. “Speak swiftly, pet, before I make you pay for holding your untamed tongue! Tell me now!”
Chapter Six: Hellhounds
“I don’t know! You’re the one dragging me into this!” Angeline struggled to free herself from Cedric’s grip but it only caused him to tighten his hold. “You’re hurting me! Stop!”
Cedric the Demonic Knight Page 4