8. Rebuild
Cedi counted the survivors and they came out to only about two thousand with some of them on hearing of the new place of sanctuary, had come to joined in the last few days. Among the two thousand are only four hundred warriors but they are well protected in the island. There are adequate weapons and food for all of them. The lake is gone when the sorcerer died but since the Elves taken over, they have placed in new traps there around the castle.
"Cedi, the word is that Man is fighting the Orcs in the north and as such we are of no threat to them; they have ignored us. They are expecting us to regroup our scattered numbers before they come to complete the annihilation of the people. It may be year before they come for us again, but we need more than a few years to grow. We need more of everything. That was what we learned from the information the travelers tells us."
Medi speaks wise of their predicament now. They are sitting on the same long table as they feast themselves on some food. It has been a long month since they rescued the people here. Cedi reached for his previous injury on the side as its still ache from his exertions. He chose not to it to Medi for fear of concerning her.
"Its a respite for us but we are not safe here. We need to move the people another place where they can be safe. I am thinking of the Dark Valley. There is another cavern beneath the valley which we kept secret from the others. It can housed the people we have now and there are water there for them to drink and cooked. I am suggesting we move there but we can't move in great numbers. The spies in the land would informed the Man. We need to move in small groups and in stages."
Cedi told her of his plan and she nodded. He continued on with her listening into his idea.
"The spies know of me and my flying creature. I am proposing to distract them with my presence away from the people. That way they can escape faster and with less observation. More to it, I need more alliance. That required diplomatic skills and sometimes gold. And also, we need to hunt down the remaining Judas traitors. So we would do the later to get more gold for the alliance."
They both laughed at the suggestion but soon she stopped him.
"Cedi, there is something you may need to know. The group I am in as a Jhitai; we are guardians of artifacts and also sometimes secrets. I heard of one which might interest you. There is a rumor of a trader who used to trade with us for our products. Its said he has a treasure chest which we might want to explore. He is Man and he is considered our enemy now."
Cedi smiled at her and remembered she was always inquisitive when she was with his family. Nothing that comes to her ears would be left unexplained to her as she would harassed you constantly for it. That was also why his father once said that Medi could be a spy.
"I understand, Medi, but right now the safety of the people is important. We need to plan their escape first. So let us discuss the routes they can take."
They discussed all the possible routes and safe houses which they can take shelter in. It was during one of the discussion, that one of the elves came running in unannounced.
"Cedi of Canaan. We have a situation below with the people. The Genoe are in conflict with the Micha and they could end in fighting. Some of them are armed and we must hurry."
The two of them rushed to the conflicting people.
A fight has started and about twenty or more of them were fighting. They are armed and some are wounded in the fight. There was no time to delay on the intervention as Cedi jumped in with the shield and pushed them apart with it.
Medi used her blunt end of the spear to knock into them some senses. Cedi pushed one Genoe Elf from slashing the Micha but he slipped on the flooring and his sword thrust into Cedi' left shin. He suppressed the pain and did not screamed in pain.
"Stop your fight! I command you as Cedi of Canaan." He slammed the shield into another Elf who was trying to run the sword into one other of another House.
They are all angry and misled by their emotions. Soon they come to their senses and stood on their side of the group.
"Fools you all are. Have not he war taught you anything? Now you still fight among yourself? You are all fools and I am the bigger fool to try to bring you all together." Cedi hobbled over to the rebelling Micha group which was held back by Medi.
"Name me your leader, and let me slay him here now. The same applies to you too, Genoe. Canaan, and any House. Speak those names and let me complete the task now. Lest me complete what the Man sat down to do us. "
None step forth nor any dare to speak. Cedi looked around and then he spoke out to them.
"Do you want to continue the killing? Then do so but not here. Do it outside at the forest or the plains. Here the people wants to live and continue to live until one day they would fight Man again."
Cedi glared at his own House to see if anyone who may harbor hostile reaction. Medi was standing by the Genoe people as she also looked at them.
"No, we do not want to anymore. But you must stand justice for our conflict."
The person who speak was a Genoe of a old lady in age.
"I lost all my children in the Elves War, and then my grandchildren goes missing in this last war with Man. But in our weakest position, I find the man who was responsible for the death of my children. He owns not to the murder but I know his face as well as my mine. Come forth, Daren of Micha. You murderer."
"I am here, Mislet of Genoe. I still stand here denying the action you just said. You can accuse me of more if you wished as your champion is one of the two who rescue us. But as a Micha, I deny all again these accusations." The man who stands there is a warrior and I know who he is. He was one of Micha finest and he could had done it not as murder but as casualties in battle. He stand not alone now but the rebelling group stands before him.
"Silence, all of you. Mislet of Genoe, that was the past which we are trying to forget. Please do not harbor ill feelings for the others on that. I know how you felt but is it not now the time to rebuild our people. Can we not be of any Houses but of one nation. The Elf Nation is what I meant. Be as one."
Cedi got his answer sooner than expected. One of the Micha men threw his dagger that thrust into the lady Mislet chest. She fell down on her knees supported by Medi. Cedi looked at the assailant and he now stand behind the leader Daren.
"Cedi of Canaan, punish not my man. He does what was expected of him as my follower. If you pursue the matter and I would be forced to fight you." Daren now raised his sword towards Cedi.
Cedi looked around and see the people are divided in choices. He looked at Medi and she also gave me the look that tells me the same thoughts. He walked up to Daren and told him the choice.
"The people of this Nation. Just before I came here with Medi of Genoe, we were talking of rebuilding the nation. Now as I stand here, I doubt we are ready for any united Nation. I given you freedom from your slavers and now I decided to tell you that you may leave or stay as I am not going to take your freedom to serve in the Nation. You may all go."
Cedi turned to walked away but as he passed by Medi, she took hold of his arm.
"Cedi, what about those who are to followed us?"
He looked at her. She used the word 'us' to him. He felt then he may mean more to her than what happened after she left them.
"We shall lead them away from here. From them, I would build the new Nation of Elves. Let the others be other Nation but not of the New Nation of Elves."
The people who followed them numbered no more than a hundred, and Cedi took them back to the Dark Valley.
"Its not much, but it used to house over twenty thousand of my people. I want you to live here and rebuild your family. Then re-build the new House of Canaan. It does not matter whether you are Dark or White Elf; you are an Elf. My pet Gryphon would take you below and there you would stay. No Man can reached you as the place is protected by magic."
He looked to them with the hope they would heed his words. One asked of the future.
"I have no answer now, but soon when I gather more of us. I am leaving to find them but I shall return one day. "
Cedi looked to the forest around him and then to the sky. He need to find more of them to join and also heroes to assist them when the time to reclaim their heritage.
Cedi watched as the last of the new Nation people fly down there with the Gryphon. He then looked at Medi as she stood there with her pet.
"Medi, why did you not followed your people? I set everyone free and why did you stay with me?" She looked at him.
"Isn't it obvious? The people of mine need time to heal But you need me more. You do as your task is greater and you need more friends. I am your friend." He smiled at her reply..
"Is he also with us, or is he with the Genoe?" Cedi looked at the Wolf as it glared back at him.
"Silver is my friend and mate. Just like me, he would followed you" She smiled at me. "He knows that we need to find the others to rebuild the Nation."
Cedi wished she could rebuild their love again. He would had like that too but he knows its not to happen. The look in her tells me that she would not be his again.
Then he caught the scent in the air.
Dark magic leaves it trail in the air. It can only be the works of the Elves. He hear the voices screaming from the bottom of the cavern. He rushed to the cavern opening and see the dark beasts attacked his people.
He cried out for the Gryphon which came flying up. He jumped onto the back and it took him down. He dropped himself off from a short distance above the flooring to drop onto one of the dark beast with his Excab sword drawn to kill.
When he thrust his sword into the dark beast, it dissolved into a dark mist and dispersed.
He find himself standing on the flooring with his feet apart and thrusting an empty space. The dark beasts are real to the killing they do around him. Elves sword have no effect on them, but when he slashed them with the Sword Excab, they die in a wisp of dark mist. I went for them; where I can find them I killed with my sword. There must be more than a few of them here, as I can see not many of the hundred I brought down to here. There are more dark beast than I can see.
In the end he find himself all alone in the cavern while dying and dead elves once again lie at the flooring. He have failed once again. My New Nation in a disarray now. My heart only bleed for vengeance.
"I would find you, the one who betray my people." I fell to my knees with my sword holding my body up. I see in front of him a mangled body of a young elf who may not seen more than five winters in those eyes.
"We would, that I promised you. We shall do it together." Cedi looked up at Medi as she stood by him. She must had flown down with the Gryphon. She laid her hand on his shoulder and he leaned to it for comfort. It warmth is ever comforting but yet he felt a coldness in his heart.
There is something missing.
"Cedi, look." Medi called out and Cedi can see the moving shadows in the cavern. He know who they are and they have smell blood.
"It time for us to go." Cedi signaled the Gryphon and got her to fly them up.
The next morning, Cedi was awaken from it by a voice. .
"Cedi of Canaan, we speak of your prize to us. We have not decided and when we do, we would seek you." The Spirit Guardian has reminded him of their promise. His father once also used their services when the call was desperate. They spoke to him like now and like what they wished of my father, he repaid them. He did not know that it was to be his mother's soul. She betrayed them to the Micha for her personal reason. It was a secret she carried to her death but she paid a price for it.
"Cedi, are you okay?"
He heard her and nodded his head. She would never know of his pledge as the pledge is made only by him and only himself can perform on it. That is also the rule of the prize.
"Cedi. I found this at the cavern opening." She showed him a dagger that is not any dagger but an elf dagger. It carries the emblem of the House of Judas.
"Judas again?" Cedi shouted out in anger.
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