Emily’s Revenge (The Mamluks Saga Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Emily’s Revenge

  Copyright

  Part One—The Hunt For Samantha | Chapter 1: Emily

  Chapter 2: Juozas

  Chapter 3: Emily

  Chapter 4: Juozas

  Chapter 5: Emily

  Chapter 6: Juozas

  Chapter 7: Emily

  Chapter 8: Juozas

  Chapter 9: Emily

  Part Two—A New Home | Chapter 10: Juozas

  Chapter 11: Juozas

  Chapter 12: Juozas

  Part Three—The Search | Chapter 13: Emily

  Chapter 14: Emily

  Chapter 15: Emily

  Chapter 16: Juozas

  Part Four—The Interim Champion | Chapter 17: Emily

  Chapter 18: Emily

  Part Five—War On Turkland | Chapter 19: Emily

  Chapter 20: Juozas

  Chapter 21: Emily

  Chapter 22: Juozas

  Chapter 23: Emily

  Chapter 24: Juozas

  Chapter 25: Emily

  Part Six—To Rule Them All | Chapter 26: Juozas

  Chapter 27: Emily

  Chapter 28: Juozas

  Chapter 29: Emily

  Chapter 30: Bill

  Chapter 31: Emily

  Chapter 32: Samantha

  Emily’s Revenge

  A Novella

  By

  Edward Lake

  Copyright

  All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the publisher.

  Copyright © 2013 by Edward Lake

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Please be advised: This book is part of a series. It is highly suggested that you read episodes 1 and 2 before reading episode 3.

  Part One—The Hunt For Samantha

  Chapter 1: Emily

  Samantha was my daughter, our Champion, my responsibility—our future. More importantly, she carried the bloodline of Ignas and Adomas, former Champions of the Mamluk society. It was a powerful bloodline, a bloodline that had reigned supreme for generations. It was the bloodline that had conquered Earth, and now, it was the bloodline that would secure my reign as Ruler of all Mamluks.

  Right after the ceremony for Adomas and all the soldiers we had lost, I went home and marched to the security room. London met me there shortly after. At the center of the control board, on the big holographic screen, I saw my fleet of hundreds of thousands of ships, attacking the rebels. They had reached Juozas’s ship, too, and had now surrounded him. Furthermore, their primary order was to rescue Samantha and bring her back to Earth.

  I crossed my arms and tapped my foot as I watched the proceedings with London. “Give me an update, Dear. What’s going on up there?”

  “The soldiers have the rebels trapped, Great Emily. It won’t be long before they take them down.”

  I nodded in response. “Good. But remember, Samantha is with Juozas. We can’t take that ship down until she is free.”

  London stepped closer to the screen and pointed at the swarm of ships surrounding the rebels. “Certainly, My Ruler. We have contained Juozas’s ship and ordered him to return to Earth. If he does not comply, we will threaten to shoot the ship down.” London turned and faced me. “Of course, the threat will serve as just a deception. Juozas will crumble under pressure and realize the rebellion is not worth risking his spawn’s life. He will return to Earth, and Samantha will be safe.”

  It was a solid plan. Still, I couldn’t help but feel on edge. “I don’t know, London. Juozas is as stubborn as they come. He’ll try something. I know he will.”

  “Sure he will. But he only has one option, and that is to search the universe and find a habitable planet, then discharge from his ship in the escape pod. As you know, a search of the universe will take a moment—a moment they don’t have.”

  I exhaled and watched as my ships blasted the rebels. A part of me wanted to be up there with them, fighting the good fight. I was tremendously proud of them for sticking by me. They were truly loyal to my rule, and loyal to the Mamluk way of life. My soldiers.

  London gently placed his hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you get some rest, Your Greatness? I will watch over from here, and make sure this mission is successful.”

  I looked up at him with a smile and touched his hand. “Thanks, Dear, but I won’t. This mission is too important. I need to see this through, and make sure we get our Champion back.”

  London gave me a bow. “I sincerely admire you, Great Emily—may you rule forever.”

  I blushed. “No. I couldn’t do this forever. I’ll serve my time and retire, like Dalia before me.” I glanced at the entryway. “In the meantime, why don’t you find me a servant and have her bring us some food and refreshments.”

  London flashed a smile. He promptly stepped back, kneeled and bowed his head before leaving. “Right away, My Ruler.”

  Chapter 2: Juozas

  I was sitting at the control board, watching Mother’s fleet attack us with steady laser beams. From behind, I could hear Samantha crying. It pained me a great deal to see my wonderful daughter in this situation. She should have been some place safe and warm, snuggled in a thick blanket, with her mother and I singing her to sleep.

  I turned around in my chair and saw a soldier holding her. Her name was Saule. I remembered her from our time at the Soldiers Academy. She was a bulky female, with long brown hair, dark brown eyes and a chin that looked like a rock. I smiled as I watched her cradle Samantha. My beautiful daughter.

  I took a deep breath and turned back around. Out the window, I could see the other rebel ships, spread out amongst the bright, white stars. It was an uplifting view to see us united as one, fighting to end slavery and bring peace to our society. Still, if we were to have any chance of survival, we needed to hurry and find a new home before the enemy destroyed us.

  At the control board, I glanced at the soldier sitting across from me. “Have you found anything yet?”

  He quickly checked the scanner and shook his head. “No. A search of this magnitude will take some time, Juozas.”

  We were looking for a habitable planet, scanning Earth’s neighboring star systems. I stared at the screen and watched the scanner doing its work. I felt tension all over my body, hoping that something would come up.

  The soldier conducting the search lowered his head. I looked at him and saw immense suffering in his eyes. “Perhaps we should surrender, My Champion. In just a moment, our ships will begin to fall, and we will all die.”

  I reached out and kindly touched his shoulder. “There are so many depending on us—so many innocent beings that have lived in agony for so long. We have to keep fighting—we have to keep trying.”

  He let out a solemn sigh. “Forgive me, Juozas. You are right.”

  I gently tapped his shoulder. “Somehow, we’re going to make it.” I turned around in my chair and released the metal straps. I stood up and quietly walked over to Saule.

  She looked up at me with a smile. “How are you feeling, Juozas?”

  I kneeled in front of Saule and rubbed Samantha’s soft head, and her crying gradually faded. “I’m doing fine, My Friend, and thank you for watching her.” Samantha stared at me with a happy, empty gaze as her cheeks perked up. I laughed and smiled.

  Saule saw her adorable, gleeful face and laughed too. We shared a peaceful silence for a moment, then Saule’s face saddened. “We’re
going to die, aren’t we, Juozas?”

  I reached out and took her hand. “No. Not today at least. One way or another, I will end this, and we will be free from Mother’s attack.”

  A moment later, my comrade at the control board called to me. “Juozas, the levels on our shield are dropping fast.”

  I quickly stood up and hurried back to the control board. Another soldier had taken my place in the other chair. I stood behind them as we watched the screen together. Mother’s ships had increased their fire. “Ready the lasers.”

  “But that will drain energy from the force field.”

  “Please, Soldier—trust me.”

  He blew out an aggravated groan as he activated the lasers on our ship.

  “Concentrate your fire on the nearest ships, block their lasers the best you can.” I released a heated breath as I looked on. “All right, Mother. Your move.”

  Chapter 3: Emily

  My new lead servant was a woman named Claudia. She was about the same height and size as me, and the strings of gray in her hair made me guess she was a bit older than me.

  She promptly came to the security room and pushed a wooden cart inside. On the cart, she had a tray filled with seasoned, grilled meat, steamed vegetables and a few bottles of wine. “Where would you like it, Great Emily?”

  I turned in my chair and glared at her. “You were not permitted to speak, Servant. If I weren’t busy, I would have you whipped or killed. So just stand there, and wait for my orders.”

  Claudia’s face became tense and sad. She put her head down and stood there like I had told her. To teach her a lesson, I ignored her and went back to watching the monitors. If you move, or say another word, I will kill you.

  My fleet was blasting Juozas’s ship, and it seemed as if their shield was on its last legs. I turned on the radio and sent my first command. “Listen up, Soldiers. This is it. Our primary objective is to rescue Samantha and bring her home. Hold your fire and stand by for instructions. I will attempt to resolve this issue with diplomacy.”

  Truthfully, there was still a shred of hope left in me that made me think I could reach out to Juozas and stop the violence. I called to him over the radio. “Juozas, if you can hear me, please respond. I would like to talk.” I glanced at London and waited. After a while, I sent another message. “Juozas, please respond. I just want to talk.”

  Finally, after about another minute of waiting, he answered. “What do you want, Mother?”

  I smiled before sending my reply. “Hello, Son. How are you?”

  “Stop your shenanigans, Mother, and tell me what you want—or get on with it.”

  “I want you to come home and return to your rightful place as my protector, as Champion of all Mamluks.”

  “I have told you once before—if you are not prepared to free the slaves, and liberate the planets the Mamluks have conquered, then we have nothing to talk about.”

  I released an angry exhale before sending my next response. “Juozas, think about your fellow rebels. Think about your love, Isabella. This is not just about you and Samantha. It’s about all of us.” I let that register with him before going on. “It doesn’t have to be like this. We can come up with a solution. So please, come back to Earth.”

  I waited for a long while, but Juozas never replied. My demeanor intensified and my chest pounded as I stared at the screen. “Fine. Have it your way.” I thumped my index finger onto the button for the radio and ordered the strike. “Soldiers, take down those ships.”

  I leaned back and watched the screens. There were lasers sparking and shooting from every angle. Excellent.

  Finally, I turned around and looked at Claudia. Like a good girl, she hadn’t moved an inch, and her lips were sealed. I smiled. “You may speak, Servant.”

  She was clearly afraid to talk. But after a little twitching, she spoke up. “Where would you like it, Great Emily?”

  I glanced at London with a grin. “Where would we like it?”

  He turned around in his chair and laughed, then waved his hand over the space between us. “Put it right here.”

  Claudia pushed the cart to the suggested spot and stepped back. She firmly placed her hands at her sides and waited for instructions. I stared at her as I poured myself a cup of wine. After taking a sip from the smooth, metal edge, I put the cup down and folded my hands in my lap. “Return to your duties.”

  Claudia turned around and walked to the entryway. Before she could leave, I stopped her.

  “Oh, and Servant, one more thing,” I said, spinning my finger in the air, telling her to turn around.

  She spun around and waited.

  “From now on, you will call me—Master.” I put my hand out toward her. “And you can speak after I say this next part.” I smiled again. “Do you understand?”

  She gave me a speedy, frightened nod. “Yes, Master.”

  Chapter 4: Juozas

  I took over at the control board and operated the laser on my side, firing constant beams at Mother’s fleet. To my left, my comrade was blasting away at the enemy ships with rapid-fire. But no matter how hard we tried, the enemy ships broke through our attack and continued their assault on our shield.

  “This is it, My Friends,” a worried soldier called out from behind.

  I fretfully glanced at the soldier sitting next to me. “How’s that search coming?”

  “Still nothing,” he said with a fearful tone in his voice.

  In the distance, I saw one of the rebel ships explode into tiny particles. I banged my fist on the control board. “No!”

  A moment later, another ship went down, then another shortly after. Finally, I sent a frantic message to Mother over the radio. “All right, stop! Please stop!”

  She didn’t respond, and moments later, another rebel ship exploded.

  I desperately kept trying to reach her. “Mother, answer me!” I knew she could hear me. Nevertheless, after calling to her over and over for a while longer, I gave up. Out the window, in the battle, the abundance of flashing, bright lights was blinding, and the continuous buzz of lasers firing was deafening. One by one, more and more ships went down.

  At last, Mother responded. “Ceasefire, Soldiers.”

  The shooting stopped, and my sight and hearing gradually cleared up. I took a deep breath and waited for her to go on.

  “Do you see now, Juozas? Do you see how tragic this situation has become?”

  Angry, and deeply saddened, I sent her a fierce reply. “You will answer for this brutality, Mother. One day, I swear you will.”

  “I am only doing what’s best for my people. As Ruler, that is my responsibility.”

  I covered my forehead and looked down as I waited for Mother to continue.

  “Well, Juozas? Are you coming home?”

  I looked up and stared out the window. I could see the tiny particles from the destroyed ships floating away like feathers in the wind.

  “Answer me, Juozas!”

  I leaned back and put my hand over my mouth. “The search, My Friend?” I mumbled under my hand to the soldier watching the scanner.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw him shake his head. “Still nothing.”

  “Juozas...this is your last warning. Return to Earth with Samantha, or I will end this rebellion now.”

  Finally, I reached out to the control and pressed the button on the radio to respond. “Please, Mother. Give us some time. Let us think about this decision. Can you at least give us that?”

  She took a moment before sending a reply. “You’re stalling, Juozas. I know that the only way you and your pathetic band of traitors can get out of this is to find a habitable planet to escape to.”

  I quickly sent my reply. “I beg you, Mother...please.”

  “No. This war ends now. So again, return to Earth with Samantha at once—or you all die.”

  Chapter 5: Emily

  I ordered the soldiers to carry on with the destruction of the rebel ships. However, they were also instructed to leave Juo
zas’s ship for last. I wanted him to watch his followers die, hoping that by the end of it, he would finally realize the error of his ways and return home with Samantha.

  As I waited, London and I began to eat. On my sija, I played some music from a new Mamluk band I had discovered called The Fire. They were a group of drummers who lived on Marsden, and they were the creators of a lot of popular songs.

  I swayed to the beat as I ripped apart my meat with my fingers.

  London caught me dancing to the music and smiled. “I like your moves, Great Emily. I didn’t know you could dance.”

  I shrugged. “I do all right.” I ate a slice of meat and licked my lips. Claudia was an excellent cook. I sucked my fingers clean before going to my cup of wine. I took a big gulp and let the sensation take over.

  London sipped his cup of wine and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. “My, oh my, I can’t get enough of this drink. It’s tremendous.”

  I nodded. “Yes it is.” I took another swig and set the cup down. I turned in my chair toward the screen and watched the battle. With each passing second, another rebel ship went down. I merrily laughed and went back to the wine. “It’s over, Dear. We’ve won.”

  London grabbed a slab of meat and bit off a huge chunk. While chewing, he turned his head and stared at the screen. “Juozas will surrender. I know him all too well,” he mumbled.

  “So do I, and yet I’m not so sure.” If Juozas didn’t surrender, I would be forced to take his ship down, meaning I would be forced to kill Samantha.

  With that conclusion, my reign would end, and after the next title fight, the mother of the winner would become Ruler. Still, at that moment, I didn’t know if I was capable of making such a difficult decision. Take advantage of this opportunity and end the war? Or continue my quest to save Samantha?

  I took a deep breath and thought about it long and hard. Finally, after an agonizing debate in my head, I made my decision. My reign was more important than ending the war at this particular moment. Also, even if Juozas escaped, it wouldn’t be difficult to track him down.