COTN House of Judas Part 11

11. Nikite

"Jedi, Nikite just rode in." Dern alerted the Judas warrior that early morning. "She is injured. They are treating her now."

Jedi rushed over to see his previous squad mate who is now lying on the bedding at the Infirmary. She is breathing shallow and the healer is trying to soothe her wounds. The healer chased all of them out so she can be treated without any more harassment by them.

An hour later, the healer meet them outside the Infirmary.

"She is dying and there are nothing much I can do. Her wounds are deep and nasty. She wants to speak to you." The Healer is looking at Jedi. "Only you."

'Jedi...I am dying. The serpent beasts took down my men. They trapped us in the mountain. All of them died in the fight except me. I had to run to warn the others." She is whispering in low tones to me. "I will start from the beginning."

Nikite' tale starts from the day she left the camp with the others.

They rode some days to avoid the Red Guards and also to get as far from the rest, especially Jedi. Nikite fears him and he may bring these men back to his camp. She rode at the front but she was not sure where they would go. She heard of the attack at Red Dawn Temple from traders who hear more from their own sources. The rumors that the temple was sealed off because of that attack. There was also rumors from drunk guards that they killed a large serpent man. There was one interesting news that the sorceress is there.

"We would ride to Red Dawn Temple." She told the men but one protested on the decision.

"Red Dawn Temple is full of guards. Why do we go there?" Nikite looked at the one who questioned her command.

"If you don't like it, then ride away. I don't like my orders questioned." Nikite rode out without looking at the others. All of them followed her including the one who questioned her. The ride took two days when they reached the next hill that overlooked the temple. Nikite left instructions to the men and she rode off for the temple.

"I am here to see the Sorceress. Tell her that I am Nikite."

"Hello, Nikite. I trust you are here to see me on something important. I am surprised that you still believed me. My father betrayed you. You probably know now; we pre-arranged that to throw the belief that my father is fighting Lord Netsu on my so called death. Its all a ploy to pulled the elves who are still a threat to us. Yet you came here to see me."

"The Serpent clans killed my people. I heard they were here and I intend to find them, if they are back."

"You disappoint me. Your feed yourself with rumors. If there were any serpent clans here, do you think we would sanction it. We also hate the Serpents like your kind. If there is any Serpent beasts here, we would kill them first .........."

"Unless you are working with them, Pipa. Like me." Nikite pulled a medallion from her tunic. Its one which showed the double head serpent and Man. "I know you have one. I seen it before when I was guarding you. Lie not to me, Pipa. We are on the same side."

The Sorceress pulled the warrior by the medallion chain towards her.

"Don't taunt me with your medallion. My back of my medallion is has a logo of Seti. Do you think know what that means?"

"I am sorry, Priestess. I beg for your forgiveness." Nikite pulled away and fall back to her knees.

"There is no forgiveness as that is a sign of weakness. As you are my friend, I would give you a short respite to get clear. The serpents are here and they can sense your presence. I can feel it asking for your life."

"It? You mean Seti is here........." Nikite feels her spine taut with suspense. She did not wait for reply as she ran to her mount. The horse is nervous and was pulling at its reins but Nikite jumped onto the saddle to comfort the horse. She galloped out of the temple area. She rode hard to the men she left on the hill hoping she made it there on time.

She was halfway up the second hill when she heard the screams. She heard those screams many times in her warrior fights; they are not of bravery but of a merciful kill. Its usually that of a maimed victim. She rode hard while she shield her mind from the screams and pain. Then she saw made her fear; the serpents are in the forest moving parallel to her. She stopped her horse in mid gallop and a serpent flew out from the tree top. Nikite reaction was faster with her long handle sword when she cut the head of the reptile.

"I hate serpents.......Aargh!" Another one has bitten her in the thigh. She can feel the poison flowing, so she pull out the dagger and cut the serpent' head from its body. She then thrust the dagger into her bite wound. She had to let the blood flowed out or she would die. The serpents are not deadly for their bites, but their relentless pursue of the objective. The current objective is Nikite. Nikite struck down three more but the fourth bit into her right ribs as it find itself in between the lapels of the armor. 

Nikite did not scream out now, as she seem to had anticipated the pain and its all numb to her now. She reached with her left hand onto the serpent at her ribs and pulled it out. She bite into the serpent below the head. She moved her horse into a different directions and she rode hard. She had to escape from the trap.

It did not take long for her mount to dropped dead and she fell over. This time she screamed out loud. She sprained her right wrist and its been years she had tears on her cheeks.

She got up and ran while holding her wrist. She need to find Jedi. He need to know.

"I know." Jedi answered her. "I saw with my own eyes at the Twilight Tower. The Serpent' are back and this time they may win and we lose."

Nikite coughed and the blood that came out of her mouth does said much of her condition.

"I know of something which the Sorceress told me when we were sharing after the attempted assassination. Its to do with the sunken city of Aleria. She casually said that the next power base is not at Trivium with Man, but at Aleria. I thought that she meant Ealeria, the other name for House of Genoe." The two were sister cities before the wars between the two. Aleria was then also a city to rival Trivium as it was the later predecessor in glamour.

That was before the serpent took over Aleria. It was a combined effort of Man and Elves magic to sink the city to trap the serpents. They place a magical barrier on the walls to prevent the serpents from leaving.

"The Sorceress also mentioned that there is another one like her there, Kiring. They were both Malech the Spellbinder apprentice. It seems that Kiring is working with the Serpents to free them. Pipa fear her."

"You just said to me that Pipa is working for the Serpents." Jedi confront Nikite for more clearer statement. "You also told me before that Pipa' assassination attempt may be from Kiring. If they are on the same side, why are they fighting?"

"It a tussle for power. Pipa tricked Kiring to get the task to stay back at Aleria." Nikite is dying now. "If we find Kiring, we can find Seti. And also Malech."

"Why Malech?" Jedi grabbed the dying warrior.

"Malech is the Master. He may be working for the Serpents." The dying warrior is seeping away as her breathing became shallow. "Find one and you may get all three. Kill them and you may destroy one more weapon that the serpents can do without."

Nikite drew her last breath.

Jedi walked out of the Infirmary and bumped into Cedi.

"When did you arrive? You heard everything." Cedi ignored the warrior and looked into the Infirmary.

"Give her a funeral warrior. She is a Elite Guards of Judas. We would talk after the funeral.

The funeral for a warrior involved a burning pyre for the warrior with full dressed up regalia including weapons. The body would be carried on a six person carrier pallenquin to be marched into the makeshift temple for worshiping. The whole new Guards lined up in two columns and they would salute when the pallenquin passed them. The pallenquin would then be placed on top of a funeral pyre made of woods and fire potion. The funeral would then be addressed by the leader.

"I am not here to give you a speech. All I asked of you to do had already been done. Your salute to her is worthy of her status as a warrior. Now we send her on her way." Jedi leaned down to set the pyre on fire.

"Goodbye, Nikite. Send my love to our kid. He would like to have you at his side now." Jedi whispered to his lover whose soul is now joining their son. Their son, Midate died a year ago when he was bitten by a serpent. Since then, Nikite have not spoken to Jedi.

It was after the funeral that Jedi confront Cedi.

"You left Malech with Medi at Aleria? Can you trust Malech?"