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

“Welcome, Great Emily.” He took a moment to study me. “You seem...refreshed.”

I grinned. “Very much so.”

“Very well then.” Ignas turned his back on me. “Attack.”

Gradually, I got in a fighting stance and took a huge breath. I focused my eyes and counted to three in my head. After three, I ran at Ignas and tried to kick his leg. He easily side-stepped me. I tried again, and this time he tripped me and I stumbled into the wall.

I shook off the embarrassment and went back at him. Ignas got low and swept his leg at me. I jumped over it and ran at him. I leaped through the air and punched his stomach. The maneuver surprised Ignas and he smiled.

“Very good, My Ruler.”

I waved him on. “Come on, Ignas, fight me.”

He sped up and came at me with a combination. I slid through his legs and did an upward kick to his knee. Ignas spun around and tried to crush me with a hammer fist. I rolled away just in time. He stayed on me and delivered a swift kick to my side.

The strike hurt badly, and it sent me crumbling to the floor. I grabbed my side and clenched my teeth.

“You’re stronger than that, get up.”

I tried to get up but couldn’t.

“Get up, My Ruler!”

I tried to again but still struggled.

“Get up and fight!”

Finally, I let out a wild roar and wobbled to my feet. I got back in my fighting stance and waved Ignas on. He ran at me and pushed me into the stone wall.

I fell down again and curled up, protecting myself. “Stop, just stop.”

As I looked down, I heard Ignas release a frustrated breath. “Why are you not using your speed, Great Emily?”

I hid my face in shame. “Because I don’t know how.”

Ignas walked over, bent down and pulled my hands away from my face. He saw the tears in my eyes and wiped them away. “I’ve seen you run through the forest. I know how fast you are.” He smiled. “Remember, you must use your advantages.”

I gave him a quick nod.

“Now, get up, My Ruler, and show me that speed.”

I rose with a vengeance and flexed my shoulders. I stepped away from Ignas and got in my fighting stance. I focused, staring at him with burning eyes. He lowered and got in his fighting stance. We shared a brief, intense stare down.

I ran at him and began my attack. I slid through his legs and jumped up in a flash. Before Ignas could turn around, I sent a vicious kick to his leg. I slid through his legs again and did an upward kick to his shin when I rose.

Still facing the opposite direction, Ignas blindly swung his arm, trying to hit me. I ducked down with blazing speed and rolled away. He leaped off the ground and spun around, and just as he landed, I ran up to him, jumped high in the air and elbowed his stomach.

The strike made him grunt a little. I did a back flip before he could grab me. Ignas copied the move and got close. He tried to punch me, but I ducked again and dropkicked his left ankle. He wobbled a bit, so I rolled through his legs and did it again from the other side.

Ignas nearly lost his footing. To capitalize, I hurried to his left ankle. I reached down, firmly grabbed his leg and threw my body forward. My weight lifted his foot off the ground and he stumbled as he tried to break free.

Ignas fell face forward to the floor and used his arms to protect himself from the fall. Wasting no time, I sprinted ahead before he had even hit the ground and did a baseball slide to his head. The shot made a sickening
thud
sound, but there was no time for mercy.

I hopped up from my back and kicked his face. Ignas was bleeding, and the sight of it gave me a burst of energy. I felt the power of the
ozlon
surge throughout my body, making me stronger.

Ignas tried to grab me as he got up. I dashed to the side just in time, causing him to miss me. Still on his knees, he threw a punch at me, but I eluded that, too. Ignas staggered back to his feet and stomped the floor. It shook a bit, but not enough to make me lose my balance.

I slid through his legs, and when he began to turn, I leaped to the floor and threw my body into his ankles. Ignas fell down again and landed hard. I could hear him breathing heavily, too. I ran to his head and kneed his face. He covered his head and rolled away. I kept kneeing him over and over and over.

Ignas swung his elbows, trying to deflect me, but he wasn’t fast enough. Not even close. I ducked each strike and patiently waited for my opportunity to continue the onslaught.

Finally, when he lowered his arms, I did a front kick to his face. Ignas let out a pained yet quiet screech. I kicked him again and again. His eyes were now covered in blood. Ignas tried to clear his vision as he attempted to rise off the floor. 

I took a few steps back, then ran forward and delivered a knee to his chin. Ignas collapsed and rolled over onto his back. I froze and watched him with a smile.

He began to pant as he looked up at me. “Outstanding, My Ruler—utterly tremendous.” 

I couldn’t believe it. I had toppled a giant. I slowly raised my hands and stared at them with fiery eyes. I looked harder and harder and felt the tingling sensation of the
ozlon
coursing through my veins. “Incredible.”

Ignas hobbled to his feet and placed his hands on his hips. “Yes, Great Emily. You most certainly are.”

With great pride and admiration, I looked up at him as the blood on his face dripped to the sandstone floor. “It was truly an honor, Ignas. Thank you.”

He kneeled and bowed to me. “The honor was all mine, Your Greatness.”

––––––––

Q
ueen Vera and King Azar were kind enough to let us stay in their hut, and they had their troops show the others to the villages in Turkland to share huts with the natives.

On this day, little Theron and Hemma woke me, shaking me with their tiny, furred hands.
“Wake up, Juozas. Wake up,”
they said as one.

Inside the hut, I rose from the grass and wiped some dirt off my face. “Good morning, Friends.” I yawned and stretched as they ran off. I saw Isabella sitting a few feet from me, breastfeeding Samantha. I crawled to her and watched. “How is she?”

She smiled. “Hungry.”

Moments later, King Azar came into the hut with a wicker basket. Once he reached us, he dropped to one knee and set it down. “Please, eat.”

I checked inside the basket and saw slabs of roasted meat, some eatable plants, and those slippery nuggets we had eaten when we first arrived. I gratefully took the food and gave him a bow. “Thank you, King Azar.”

“When you are finished, Juozas, meet me in the village.”

“Certainly.”

After eating, I left the hut and headed to the village as promised. As it had been since we arrived, the sky was gray, and there was a light drizzle coming down.

I looked around as I walked and saw hundreds of Turks working together to get what they needed. They were gathering crops, hunting animals, collecting water, feeding those large beasts we had ridden on.

Curious, I stopped along the way to study a group as they fed one of the giant creatures. They were dragging the dead bodies of a large animal and making a pile of them for the beast. I walked over and took a closer look. The dead animals were plump and had little fur on their bodies. “What are those?”

One of the Turks glanced at me, showing a fanged grin. “These are
vistenas
, Juozas.”

“Is that what I ate this morning? Vistenas?”

He laughed. “Yes you did. Turkland is rich with them.”

The colossal beast stomped over to the pile, shaking the ground, and bent down. The creature opened its mouth wide, revealing its thick, jagged teeth, and gobbled a few vistenas off the top. Still bent down, the beast crushed the dead animals into oblivion.

“And what are they called?” I asked, pointing at the massive beast.

“These are
drambies
. They are great allies to us Turks.”

With a smile, I stepped closer and looked into the drambie’s eyes. Surprisingly, its eyes shifted and locked onto me, then the creature gave me a sharp growl. Feeling as if I had disturbed the animal, I stepped back. “There, there—I mean no harm.”

I turned to continue up the muddy trail, but before I could leave, I heard the beast grumble something at me, like it was talking to me. I quickly looked back and saw the drambie walking toward me on its four legs.

The Turks stopped what they were doing to watch. The beast got face to face with me and mumbled something. Not knowing what to think, I glanced at the Turks. “Is the creature speaking to me?”

They laughed, and one of them answered. “Yes, she is.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know it’s a female?”

“Because there is nothing dangling from its backside,” the Turk said, still laughing.

I couldn’t help but laugh, too. I stood there in awe as the drambie sniffed me. A Turk came up to her and began to speak the same jargon the beast had. I listened carefully. “What are you saying to her?”

He was using quick, loud, grumbling noises to communicate with the beast, jumping at her with his arms out. “I’m telling her to back away. Clearly, you are not a threat.”

“Is that why she’s sniffing me? Because she wonderers if I’m a threat?”

“Yes. And if I don’t stop her, she will attack you.”

Finally, the drambie turned around and went back to eating. The Turk watched her for a moment with a smile and let out a few laughs. Then he looked at me. “Don’t let the drambies’ demeanor fool you. Like many animals on Turkland, they are very intelligent.”

I smiled and gave him a nod. “Thank you for showing me that, My Friend.”

Afterward, when I got to the village, I found King Azar standing by a tall tree. He was observing his people with a brave stare. The villagers were causally walking around from hut to hut, sharing conversation and laughter. I saw many of my kind sprinkled throughout the land, socializing with the Turks.

King Azar saw me approaching and turned to me. “Welcome to
Nam
, Juozas. This is the largest village in Turkland.”

“I am honored to be here, King Azar.” I looked up and watched the sky. “Does it always rain on Turkland?”

“Yes—and when it storms, you and your kind had better find shelter.” He remained quiet for a moment.

I checked his eyes and saw what looked like sadness. “What troubles you, King Azar?”

He growled. “I fear many of my people will die if your enemies find our planet.”

Hearing his worries made me feel awful. I thought about little Theron and Hemma, and all the other children in Turkland. If anything were to happen to them, I wondered if I could live with myself. “I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to your kind, King Azar.”

I heard someone call to me. “Hey, Juozas. There you are.”

Hearing the voice, I knew it was Bill. I turned slightly and saw him coming toward us with Robert and Elos close behind.

He stopped in front of King Azar and gave him a bow. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

The King softly growled. “Please introduce yourselves.”

“I’m Bill.”

“I’m Robert.”

“I am Elos.”

King Azar fixed his eyes on Elos and studied him carefully. “You are not like the others.”

“No. I am an Ecknor. Descendant of the planet Eztu.”

The King shifted his eyes. His teeth showed a bit as he grumbled. “I suppose your home planet was invaded as well.”

“Yes. The Mamluks killed the females and offspring and enslaved the males. To my knowledge, I am the last of the Ecknors.”

I could see that this news was disturbing to King Azar. He looked down at the soil and let out a low roar. “Have you devised a plan, Juozas?”

“Not quite. However I do have an idea to get us started.”

“Then we must discuss it.”

Together, the five of us headed into the forest. We walked slowly as I began to explain. “When Mother finds this planet and comes looking for us, we will hide until she’s completed her search.”

“Search?”

Robert stepped in. “Yes. Emily will search Turkland from top to bottom until she is certain we’re not here.”

I nodded. “Exactly. So just cooperate with whatever she wants—but don’t be
too
cooperative at first. If you do, then she’ll know you were expecting her.”

The King didn’t seem too sure about our strategy. “Perhaps this
Emily
will threaten us with violence to ensure we are telling the truth—what I am to do then?”

“Good point,” Bill added. “I hear your mom is one brutal bitch, Juozas.”

I laughed. “I agree with that colorful description.”

It started to rain harder when we stopped at a small lake to continue the discussion. Bill was right. Mother would stop at nothing to destroy the rebellion and recapture Samantha.

“Regardless of any plan we come up with, Emily
will
arrive on this planet with many soldiers, and they will use violence if they deem it necessary,” Robert said. “The question is: are you willing to risk the lives of your people to help us, King Azar.”

He growled. “The decision has already been made. My Queen has spoken, and she has agreed to help you.”

Rightfully so, all of us gave The King a look of gratitude. Still, I was determined to protect the Turks, and there was only one option that seemed plausible. “If we are to hide, then your people should hide as well. Perhaps Mother will conduct her search and never find any of us. She will then leave Turkland.”

King Azar grunted at the suggestion. “There are millions of Turks on this vast planet. It is impossible to hide us all.”

“Then at least the children,” I persisted. 

The King looked at me with a bold stare. “Again, there are not enough places to hide all the young on Turkland.” He turned away from us and released a long growl. “However, we will be able to hide some—and so we will.”

After the meeting, we gathered the rest of the rebels and quickly went over our plan, then hurried and got to work.

First, we marched back to the area we had landed on to bury our space pods. Thousands of Turks came along to help. In groups of twenty or so, we got down on our hands and knees and dug into the wet soil. We dug for a very long while, and when the holes began to get really deep, we used a ‘hand off system’ to transfer the clumps of mud from the bottom of the holes to the surface.