COTN House of Micha Part 3

Sacrifice

Medi remembered the day she used the Scepter on Cedi. He was in the throes of pain and she did her best to calm him but he would not. In the end she held the Scepter over him and gave her thought of healing towards him. The Scepter emits out a yellow shade and it enveloped Cedi. It went on for hours and soon she found herself sprawled on the floor.

It felt like years when she was only with him for a short time. She pulled herself up and the wolf came to nudge at her side. She leaned over to pat at the Wolf and it licked her face. She crawled over to Cedi and noticed that he looked better. Cedi did not wake up for sometime, but Medi was also not in the best of conditions.

Medi took a week to recover and soon she was back at where House of Micha used to stand.

There was only the burnt out structure of what used to be a set of five Towers. Medi searched the land and she could not find anybody from the House but she found something interesting; a patrol of Man. Its a five man patrol and they are leading a prisoner in chains. Its not any prisoner but one clad in a yellow cloak.

Medi rode her wolf over to them and she did not stopped before them. She rode passed them and then she jumped off before the prisoner. She send the Wolf back to attack the guards.

Medi pulled the prisoner up and noticed that its not her Mother but another Councilor. The Councilor is a old elf with a hawkish nose and sunken eyes. She remembered him well; he is the Councilor for the Diplomatic and Trades and his name is Monik.

"Councilor, tell me what did happened here? Last I heard that all of you betray the House for your personal means." Medi grabbed the Councilor and shake him up well. Monik pulled away and tried to run away.

Medi swing her scepter at the Councilor like a club and hit him at the back of his shoulder.

"Aargh! Do not hit me. I had many of that these days. I cannot take more of it." Monik fell to the ground and crawled on the ground. Medi jumped on him and lay some punches on the Councilor.

"Tell me what happened here and I may spared your life."

Monik told her what did happened then.

"Councilors of the House of Micha, your skirmish with the House of Canaan is not working to your advantage. You are losing a lot more than you can recruit. This coming war with Man would make it worse and may just end your House like Judas. Do you now appreciate your condition?" Seti who appeared to them some time ago now made his offer to them.

The Council was short of one which is the Mother of Medi; she was left out as they viewed her as non-compliant to change. The four remaining Councilor ponder the issue for a short while before Monik the leader of the pack spoke out.

"Give us back our House and spare us the war, we would do as you wished."

The pact was sealed and the House of Micha was spared by Man. For then.

It was also then that the Council vote to join the war with the other Houses and Medi was sent to invite the Canaan. It was a ploy to trap the Canaan, and Medi was not advised. The trap was set by Seti with the help of Man to do the killings. Once Canaan strength was depleted, the next attack was the Micha, who stood no chance against Man' Army.

"We live to our bargain. Why do they attacked us? I thought we have an understanding." Monik asked the Serpent King.

"I did not renegade on the pact.Its only Man who attacked you. I only said I would avert their attack but that was then. Now they decided to do your House against my advise. Blame me not for their action." Seti was playing to the words of the pact. What he said was true but there is an element of influence which he did not deploy.

"Monik, live your remaining life knowing that you have made your people a pledge which led to their demise. I would not kill all your people, but I shall made them slaves of mine. I would assimilate them into the sect and become my wiling follower. Be thankful for that, as I am not always that unkind." Seti continued with his gloating as he turned his back to the Councilor.

Monik took the move to draw on his hidden dagger inside his robe and charged at the Serpent King. The dagger stabbed at the King' back but it could not penetrate his tick scales. Seti swing his body back and pushed the Councilor away.

"Is this my reward from you? Back stabbing like a coward." Seti glared at the fallen Councilor. "A person of your standing can resort to this means your people cannot be trusted."

Seti walked to the Councilor.

"I am still merciful. Your people would be spared for those who are young and able to work for me. The frail, old, wounded and unappreciative would be sentenced to feed my Army." Seti drew a circle with his right hand to unveil a magical view to the holding pen where about a thousand of the Micha are held. They are the old, and frail with the wounded warriors.

"Beware my new Army of Serpents. My lovers bear them for me." Seti introduced his children. They are like the twins who died at the lake; but there are more than twins here. There are about a hundred of them, and they are larger than the twins. "They are off weaning from their mother. They now relish the flesh of meat."

Monik broke down into tears on recollecting that moment. The Councilor looked up to Medi, and he shook his head.

"The bastard killed them all. He is a butcher. He spared no one there."

Medi let the Councilor sink to the ground and have his sad memories poured out in tears.

"Where were they taking you?" Medi had to asked.

"They needed me to identify your Mother. They claimed to have captured her and going to imprison her at the Twilight Tower. I am to meet them in the Third Junction. I am to join your Mother there."

The Third Junction is an Outpost for Man, near the boundary of Micha. Its a stone walled structure that rests on top of a low hill that oversee the road to Micha, Canaan and Man' cities. Its guarded by a strong squad of Red Guards who also have adequate supply to food and water. The other unique part of the outpost is the tower that sits over looking the three path. On the tower is the beacon which once lighted up would sent the alert back to the nearest City by a series of beacon chain.

No one would pay attention to the young Elf who comes in with the traders and morning crowd for trade.

If the Councilor is held here, the only place would be the tall tower in the center of the Outpost. Medi had tied Monik to the tree at the forest edge so she could pursue this alone without interruptions. Inside the stone walled outpost, she was surprised that to note that Outpost was not build on the hill but into the hill. The builders have actually dug up the earth to form a crater which the structures are build inside it by a depth of one level. There are two barracks and then there is the traders' structures all around the main center tower. The access to the Tower base is build a number of bridge way from the sides of the crater. In another way of describing, its a like dry wide moat around the Tower but this moat has structures inside it.

"For Micha!" The war cry of the Micha Elites were heard and then they were chaos as people starts screaming as the Red Guards battle the Elites. There are twenty of the Elites but they are veterans and had proved their worth in battle. They are making good of their reputation while battling the Guards.

The Elites are using their favored weapons; the halberd but theirs is a short handle. Medi uses the spear given to her by the Genoe as her training as Jhitai. She saw one of the Elites who looked like the leader. He is young, tall and wide shoulder with two halberd in his hands. The warrior is dressed in the Elites uniform which he probably hid beneath a cloak when he came in. The Elites uniform are yellow with leather armor that is held more by tight lashings. Medi ran to assist the warrior and thrust the spear into a Guard who was attacking the warrior.

"Elgin, why are you here?" She remembered Elgin as he seen her before when he use to sneak in to see her at times with messages from her Mother when she was in Genoe. She stood by his side and faced the four Guards who surrounded them.

"Medi? You are here too. We are trying to get your Mother out. She is held captive here." Elgin shouted back to her as he block a thrust from the Guard and swing with the other at the Guard' left ribs. His swing was deadly as the halberd sink in deep into the ribs.

"I heard too. But are we winning?" Medi shouted back as she took down her second Guard with a thrust into the throat. She pulled her spear out and smiled at Elgin. "Never did like the odds then."

"I think we are winning but we need to get your Mother out first. There could be reinforcement coming up. We need to hurry." Elgin was already finishing off the last Guard while Medi was running for the Tower. Elgin followed suit and they kicked down the door.

Inside was one Guard holding a dagger to the Councilor that was the leader of the Elites. The Councilor could not move much as she was tied with chains around her limbs.

"Come any closer and she would die." The Guard pressed the dagger harder to the throat. The two warriors of Micha walked in slowly regardless of the warning.

"Stop or she die...... " The Guard never finished the statement. He was stuck by an arrow shot by an Elite Guard. He then ran outside to join the fight.

Medi ran to her Mother and she hugged the older lady.

"Give me the Scepter quick." The Councilor demand from her. Medi took out the Scepter and the chain binding to the Councilor fell away. The Councilor took the Scepter and walked out. She then grabbed Medi' hand and led her to the outpost gate followed by Elgin. The three ran out of the Outpost and into the nearby forest.

"Councilor, I need to go back and help my men. They are still in there." Elgin was pointing to the Outpost as the reinforcement arrived from the nearby city. "They won't be able to make it."

"Elite Elgin, they are already dead. They sacrificed their life' for me. There is honor to die for the Councilor. Its the Elite' honor.." The Councilor stopped Elgin from returning to the Outpost.

Sacrifice? Is that all her Mother know? She is without emotions. That were the thoughts crossing Medi' mind as she looked at her Mother. Medi thinks she is heartless and not deserving as a leader. She looked at Elgin and saw that anguish in his face knowing he cannot help his men.