Emily’s Revenge (The Mamluks Saga Book 3) Page 6

There was blood all over the place. I couldn’t even tell who it was coming from. London desperately tried to crawl away but Nojus was relentless. He pounded London down until his body finally went limp.

  The crowd exploded into an uproar. London was unconscious, and the Interim Champion had been crowned.

  After the fight, I went down to the stadium floor. Everyone was still going crazy. Giedre and a team of caregivers hurried out of the tunnel and tended to London. I walked over to Nojus and led him to the center of the stadium.

  He kneeled and bowed to me. The crowd lapsed into silence as I prepared to make my announcement.

  “Congratulations, Nojus. As the winner of this fight, you have become the Interim Champion of all Mamluks. You will serve as my protector until Samantha is ready to defend her title. At that time, if you defeat her, you will be become the Undisputed Champion of all Mamluks, and your mother will be crowned Ruler of all Mamluks. ”

  He bowed lower. “I am truly grateful, My Ruler.”

  “Rise.”

  The crowd danced and cheered as he rose. I took his hand, and together, we turned and headed to the exit.

  A short while later, I went to London’s building to check on him. He was in his bedroom, lying down with his arm covering his face. I walked to the bed and sat down beside him. “Hey, Dear.”

  He uncovered his face with a smile, showing me a collection of horrendous bruises. “Hello, My Ruler.”

  I kindly touched his chest. “You fought well today.”

  His eyes squinted. “But not well enough.”

  “I’m still proud of you, London. Always will be.” I firmly gripped his hand. “You are a champion of your kind.”

  “Your grace is uplifting, Great Emily. It is an honor to serve you.”

  I bent down and kissed his wounded cheek. I rose and gave him a caring smile. “Be ready at sunset.”

  “Certainly, My Ruler.”

  Chapter 18: Emily

  After visiting London, I took Nojus to Dalia’s building to have dinner with her and Ignas. We met them at the entrance, and Dalia kneeled and bowed to me, then Ignas kneeled and bowed to Nojus.

  “Welcome, My Ruler.”

  “Welcome, My Champion.”

  They rose as one, and we headed to the dining hall. There, a servant was setting a small, circular table. We gathered around the table and took a seat.

  Ignas stared at Nojus with a smile, then glanced at me. “You were very wise to select Nojus, Great Emily. He was one of my finest students.”

  In response to the kind words, Nojus gave him a nod. “I am honored, Ignas.”

  Within minutes, the servant brought us our food and filled our plates with boiled meat, steamed vegetables, and a side of fresh fruits. For a drink, she served us chilled water.

  We took our time as we ate, chewing slowly. At the end of the meal, I took a big gulp from my cup, letting the cool, smooth water wash everything down. It was a great meal, and a peaceful setting before departing for such a daunting mission.

  Before leaving the table and saying goodbye, Ignas and Dalia had words for us.

  “You are stronger than you know, Great Emily. Fight well, and rescue our dear Samantha,” Ignas said to me.

  Next, Dalia gave Nojus the warmest look, and flashed a beautiful smile. “Protect our Ruler at all cost, My Champion. That is your responsibility.”

  He reached out and kindly touched her shoulder. “I give you my word, Dalia. No harm will come to her.”

  At sundown, after going home to change, I flew to the space pods and met with the soldiers. A crowd had assembled around the vast terrain, cheering us on as we prepared to leave for war.

  Nojus found me and kneeled. “We are ready, My Ruler.”

  “Very good, My Champion.”

  Everyone went to their assigned space pods and got inside. There was a ship docked on every space pod, and two spaces on the floor for the soldiers who would operate the ship.

  Thousands of caregivers from around the world had come to help Giedre and the other caregivers in our region send us into orbit, standing by with their sijas at the ready.

  Giedre was waiting by my space pod. I climbed inside and moved around the ship that was docked on the surface. I went to the spot on the floor for the passengers and lay down. After adjusting my body, the metal straps came out and locked me in place.

  From outside, Giedre called to me. “Are you prepared for takeoff, My Ruler?”

  “Set and ready to go,” I shouted back to her.

  She pressed a button on her sija that closed the space pod. The lights on the inside came on, and I heard the buzzing sound of the machine increase. I felt the space pod rise, and within seconds, it blasted away at faster-than-light speed.

  Part Five—War On Turkland

  Chapter 19: Emily

  In a flash, we arrived at our mystery planet and the metal straps that held me and my ship in place came down. I sat up and pressed the button on my sija that opened the space pod. Once open, I froze and checked the area. Right away, I saw heavy rain coming down and listened to it spatter on the metal roof of the open space pod.

  I felt a cool breeze whoosh over me and tightened the hooded cloak I was wearing. I got up, moved toward the edge of the floor and looked down. We had landed on a foggy, muddy landscape, and there was an unpleasant stench oozing in the atmosphere.

  From above, I saw a gray, cloudy sky, and in the distance, I saw thousands of space pods, and I knew there were hundreds of thousands more spread out further than my eyes could see.

  The soldiers began to climb out of their space pods and undock their ships. A soldier caught me still standing in my space pod and walked over to me.

  “Are you all right, My Ruler?”

  I looked down at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you, Soldier.” Finally, I jumped out of the space pod and my feet splashed in the mud, sending clumps of mud onto my black-and-red outfit.

  Disgusted with the environment, and annoyed that the fine wardrobe Linas had made me was now stained with mud, I blew out a sharp gasp and brushed some of the mud off. “I hate this place already.”

  A moment later, I met up with Nojus. “Are we ready, My Champion?”

  He gave me a bow. “Yes, My Ruler.”

  “Then let’s move out.”

  He lifted his arm and radioed to my fleet and the ground units. “Begin the investigation.”

  The soldiers assigned to the fleet boarded their ships and took off. With Nojus, I led a ground unit down the lumpy terrain in search of any inhabitants. Thousands of soldiers stayed behind to watch the space pods, and the other ground units went in opposite directions from us.

  We marched for miles with nothing in sight but fog, and walking through the mud was an irritating experience. “If the rebels are here, I hope we find them soon.”

  Nojus glanced at the slushy land we walked on, and I saw repulsion on his face. “I concur, Your Greatness.”

  Finally, after what felt like hours, we found some evidence of life. Just ahead, there was a collection of huts, clearly built for shelter from the rain. Carefully, we moved toward them with our sijas at the ready. Everything was quiet—too quiet for my liking.

  I reached a hut and walked inside. On the ground, it appeared as if there was an indentation of a body, like someone had slept there. I bent down and studied the marking. It was large, and shaped similar to a human body—or a Mamluk body.

  A soldier walked in and stood beside me. “The rebels, perhaps?”

  I exhaled. “I’m not quite sure.”

  “My Ruler,” someone called to me from outside.

  I got up and left the hut. It was Nojus. He was standing by another hut, holding a dagger. I walked to him and he handed it to me.

  “It would appear that the natives of this planet do not have the technology to combat us,” he suggested.

  I scanned the dagger from all sides, then gave it back to Nojus. “Appearances can be deceiving, My Champion. Stay sharp and keep
your eyes open for anything.”

  “Certainly, Great Emily.”

  We went ahead and found a scattered forest. Inside, there were many more huts. I marched into the forest with Nojus and our ground unit close behind. About a mile or so into the woodland, we came upon a massive, tall, spacious hut.

  I glared into the hut with my eyes shifting from end to end. “Soldiers, go in there and see what you can—”

  A creature came out of the giant shed. It was noticeably a male, standing tall like a Mamluk, with a furred, muscular body, mean eyes and fangs peeking from his mouth.

  Without fear, I stepped closer. “Who are you?”

  The beast looked down at me for a moment, then glanced at the soldiers. “I am King Azar.” He looked back at me. “Who are you?”

  I eagerly pointed at him, then pointed at the ground in front of me. “Come to me and kneel. Then I will tell you who I am.”

  The beast growled loudly. “As King of these lands, I will kneel to no one.”

  My eyes tensed, and I felt my heart rumble. “Get over here now—and kneel! Otherwise I will slaughter you and all the ugly creatures on this horrid planet.”

  The beast disobeyed my command and stood tall.

  I laughed at his arrogance. “My Champion—beat this so-called King to the ground, and drag his body to me.”

  Nojus quickly marched forward.

  Finally, the creature surrendered. He put a paw up and backed away. “Please stop.”

  Nojus slowed his march and looked back at me. I gave him a nod, telling him to stop.

  The beast growled softly as he lowered his paw. “I will kneel to her if you will refrain from violence.”

  I grinned and pointed at the ground again. “We will do as we please. Now, come to me and kneel.”

  Cautiously, the tall brute walked past Nojus, then walked to me. He looked down at the mud with a dismal look in his eyes. He let out a soft, heated snarl as he kneeled in the mud and bowed his head.

  I put my chin up and held my arms behind my back. “Allow me to introduce myself.” I leisurely circled the beast. “My name is Emily, and I am the Master of the universe.” The soldiers cheered and howled as I went on. “I have come to this planet in search of a rebel group who kidnapped a very special member of my society.” I glanced at Azar with furious eyes. “Therefore, you will now serve me as I scour this planet. You will comply with my every command or watch your people suffer and die.” I stopped in front of the beast and looked him over. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  I smiled. “Tell me, what species are you, Azar?”

  “I am a Turk, and this is Turkland.”

  I looked around for a moment, then looked back at him. “As of this moment, Turkland is under my rule, and in my presence, you are no King—you are my servant—therefore—you will call me Master.”

  Azar struggled to reply, and after releasing a sad growl, he gave me a pleasing response. “I understand...Master.”

  Once he had submitted, we set up camp near Azar’s hut. I had a soldier fly my ship over and park in a spacious area. On board, we had packed plenty of food and water. I went inside and sat at the control board with Nojus. We watched the scanner as Azar guided the soldiers through the forest in search of the rebels.

  Across from me, Nojus was eating a slab of meat, holding it in his hand like a giant turkey leg. I had one leg overlapping the other, eating a bowl of gwaop with a spoon. The radar screen was showing an abundance of life forces, making it difficult to pinpoint where the rebels might be.

  I finished my food and set the bowl down on the floor. I picked up a bottle of wine and cracked it open. “This is going to be tricky, My Champion. It seems Turkland is loaded with strong life forces—or whatever these readings are.”

  He nodded, still chewing. “I agree, My Ruler.” He turned and stared at me. “Do you really think they’re here?”

  I leaned back and thought about it for a second. I concluded with a shrug. “I’m not sure.”

  Moments later, London radioed to me from the sky. “Great Emily, I recommend we concentrate our efforts on the ground. The wealth of life forces on this planet have made our scanners useless.”

  It was a good idea. I sent London a reply, telling him and over half of my fleet to land and search Turkland by foot. I left the rest of the ships in the air to cover the ground units, in case of a surprise ambush attack by Azar’s troops.

  Finally, after sitting around with Nojus for a bit longer, I decided to get up and join the hunt. “Come on, we’re going out there.”

  Chapter 20: Juozas

  On the screens of our sijas, we could see the signals of the enemy ships. “They’re here.” I pulled Isabella closer and kissed her forehead. She was petrified, trembling in my arms with Samantha tucked between us. “They won’t find us.”

  Bill was sitting close by. “I hope you’re right, Buddy.”

  Day after day, we languished in the dark cave. It was utter torment, wondering if Mother would find us, knowing our chances of survival would decrease dramatically if she did.

  On this day, I woke up with Isabella nudging me. “Juozas, wake up. Let’s eat.”

  I rolled onto my shoulder and pushed myself off the cold, wet, rocky ground. Since us male Mamluks didn’t have the proper materials to shave our heads and faces anymore, we had hair growing all over. It felt strange after being bald all my life, and I couldn’t even imagine what I looked like in the mirror.

  With Samantha in her arms, Isabella led me to a pile of dead creatures. The soldiers had shot them with their sijas and gathered them for the group. We took a seat by the others and grabbed a few.

  After eating, we went to the wall to get a drink. I made a cup with my hands and pushed my fingers against the slow-dripping water. Finally, when my hands filled up, I moved them to Samantha’s mouth.

  Isabella leaned our daughter’s head back as I placed my hands at her lips. I carefully spilled the water into her mouth and watched as she slurped it down. Once Isabella and I had drunk some water, we went back to the ground and snuggled up.

  Bill saw us and made a funny face for Samantha. Isabella giggled at the kind gesture, and I smiled. It was nice to see him as his silly self, even in a time of war.

  “That’s one cute kid you got there, Juozas and Isabella.”

  I gave him a nod. “Thank you, Bill.”

  A moment later, Saule walked by and went to the pile of dead creatures to eat. She caught Bill’s eye, and he couldn’t stop looking. “Hey, Juozas.”

  “Yes?”

  “I got a thing for Saule over there. You think a big, strong Mamluk girl like that would go for a human guy like me?”

  I flashed a teasing smile. “Perhaps.”

  Isabella laughed. “If you’re interested in her, then why don’t you go over there and introduce yourself.”

  “Oh, we’ve been introduced. She kept me warm in the rain, remember?”

  I recalled how funny it was to see him wrapped in Saule’s massive arms. “Yes, that was a sight to see.” I took a moment to check Saule. “Isabella is right, My Friend. You should go over there and talk to her.”

  Bill slapped his knee and stood up. “Then hot damn, that’s what I’m gunna do.” He did a sly walk as he approached her. “Hey there, Saule. Mind if I join you, Honey?”

  She turned around and looked down at him with a grin. “Sure, Bill. I don’t mind at all.”

  Together, they went to the wall and found a seat. Isabella and I watched them for a moment and listened to Bill trying his best to woo Saule. It was surely an odd pairing, but still rather endearing.

  Later on, after everyone had eaten and gone back to their spots on the floor, we began to fall asleep. I whispered ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ to Isabella as we faded away.

  She hummed the words with me, then kissed my cheek. “I love it when you sing to me.”

  I exhaled softly and returned a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll sing a lot louder when M
other leaves, My Love.”

  Chapter 21: Emily

  It had been a few days and we still hadn’t found any signs of the rebels. If Juozas was here, he sure had picked the right planet.

  With Azar guiding us, we marched into a village and began to search the huts. I, along with Nojus and a few soldiers, walked into a hut and pushed aside the Turks who occupied the shed.

  On their faces, I saw great fear and anger. Nevertheless, they were lesser beings, and their feelings were irrelevant.

  I dug through their belongings, kicking over wicker baskets, shoving aside a pile of tools they used. Once again, after finding no evidence of the rebels, I slammed my fist into the mud and let out an aggravated scream.

  I stormed out of the hut and froze. I thrust my hands onto my hips and watched the others from afar as they tore through the neighboring huts.

  Nojus walked up to me from behind. He stood by my side and exhaled. “Perhaps they are not here, My Ruler.”

  At this point, I wanted to agree with him, but there was still something inside me that said otherwise. “No. I can feel them, My Champion. They are indeed here.” At last, I realized it was time to get brutal.

  I turned around and pointed at the hut. “Bring those natives to me.”

  Nojus went back inside and dragged them out.

  Azar spotted us and rushed forward. “Master, why are you doing this?”

  “Silence! I’ve had enough of this. It’s time to find out if the rebels are really here.” I gave Nojus the signal to kill the natives, but before he could fire, Azar quickly dropped to his knees and bowed to me.

  “Please stop, Master,” he growled.

  I put a hand up to stop Nojus from shooting. I stared at Azar with heated eyes. “Do you have something to tell me?”

  The area fell silent as I looked on.

  Finally, Azar lifted his head. “Please don’t kill them.”

  “No. I am going to kill them. However, you can save the next Turk if you tell me the truth. Where—are—the rebels?”

  Azar glanced at me and sorely growled. “I will take you to the rebels.”