Cedric the Demonic Knight (The Cedric Series Book 1)

Chapter Four: Bait

"Are you going to speak at all, girl?" They had traveled for several hours and she'd remained silent through everything. "You are stuck with me, my pet. You can free your tongue. Hell, you can even spit venom at me if it would take that look off your face."

"My name's Angeline." Her face flushed as she huffed at him from her horse. "I was told by my uncle and King to hold my tongue in fear that I would anger you."

"My! A lively one!" He chuckled as he looked back at her. When he saw her cheeks reddening again, he could only assume that he was nothing but a man from a nightmare. "Red suits you, my Lady."

"Ugh!" Her eyes darted away from his gaze.

The path they were following came to the edge of a clearing. Pulling back on his reins, he brought both their horses to a halt. Glancing back towards Angeline, he saw she was watching his every move. The fear faded sometime during the ride, and she now gave him a hardened look. Grinning, he pulled himself off his horse and walked both mounts over to a dead tree, hitching them to it. It was amusing to see how hard she avoided his stare as he gave her a hand off her horse.

"We'll camp here." Pushing her along, she noticed he was putting an abnormal amount of distance between them and the horses. "You can get the camp started. Clear this spot of rocks and limbs; I'll grab the packs."

"Fine." Hiking her long skirts up, she made quick work of clearing the campsite. "I will need to find more travel worthy clothes soon, Lord Cedric. I wish not to slow you down in your travels. I prefer to be free of skirts if you would allow me to be."

"Don't worry, pet. We will be traveling through the cursed woods to a village there." Circling back, he pulled all the bags and packs off the two horses and returned, offering them to her. "If a dress does not suit you, then you shall pick out something more proper to meet your needs. I do not care what you wear, just as long as you do not slow me down."

"Thank you, my Lord." Cedric smirked at her as she took the packs from him. Angeline laid out the campfire and sleeping spots without any further instruction from him. "You have camped out before I see."

"I used to live in the village we are going to, Raven's Den. I travelled with my father many times to sell goods at the castle and to see our cousins." She bit her bottom lip, annoyed that he continued to stand there, watching her do all the work. "Do you not have other business to tend to, perhaps food for the fire? I see you packed nothing to eat. For someone who travels often, that seems naïve."

"I am already at work for food. Don't you worry your pretty little head about that, pet." He walked past her and toward another tree. "Now excuse me while I take a piss."

Angeline's face mottled. Raised on a farm, she couldn't help but scoff at the fact his lordship was rather bold for someone of his rank. In all her years at the Castle, not even a peasant had dared to spit in front of a Lady of the Court, let alone relieve himself. It was exasperating keeping her back to him. He was right behind her doing his business while she was trying to gather wood. Dropping what little she had in a pile, she decided it would have to wait. He was in the way and she was in no mood to go too far from the camp. She watched as the horses started fussing and fidgeting at their hitching tree. Her eyes caught a strange movement from the tree. Once more, the bare tree shuddered and one horse screamed, pulling its reins tight as it backed away.

"There it is." Cedric finished and turned around to walk back to the horses. "Stay back."

"What is going on?" Swallowing her nervousness, she watched the dead tree quiver again as more screams came from the horses. "What is happening?"