The Mamluks (The Mamluks Saga: Episode 1) (13 page)

Chapter 58

We had been living in the north for some time now. Madison and
I had salt and pepper hair, and Robert’s was completely gray. Elos’s reptilian
like skin had become scalier—and he walked with a hunchback.

We used rocks and brushwood to make fire. And to make a pot
for boiling drinking water, we used bigger rocks to smash up an
inconsequential, interior piece of the ship and tore some metal off. Then we
bent the metal into a bowl shape.

I was headed back to the ship with some fish I had caught
from a lake. Someone saw me coming and opened the ramp when I got close. I walked
inside and found Madison sitting in the cockpit. Since our arrival, Elos had
taught us how to operate the ship. And every so often, we gave it a test flight
to make sure we could still handle it.

I put the fish down. “Thanks.”

Madison closed the ramp. “How many did you get?”

Speedily, I rubbed my hands together and blew over them. “Four.”

Elos and Robert were sleeping on the floor. I walked past
them and went to the cockpit. I sat in the other chair and let out an exhausted
sigh. Madison and I stayed quiet for a moment, looking on with blank stares.

“Maybe I should wake Rob and Elos so we can eat,” she said.

This was our everyday routine. Catch fish. Cook fish. Eat
fish. Sit around and talk about nothing.

“Sure.”

Madison huffed and shook her head. “
Andrew
—you’ve
been so distant lately. Please, tell me what’s bothering you.”

I exhaled. “It’s just hard, Madison. Living like this—
it’s
—not
right.”

“We have no choice.”

“I know. But life is about serving a purpose. And we don’t
have that.”

“Our purpose is to stay together and take care of each
other.”

“
Yeah
. But what about all the others who’re still out
there?”

“There’s nothing we can do about them.”

We had each tied some ozlon to our wrist. I leaned forward
and put my arm out, checking mine for a second. The moving parts had slowed a
little. But it had also been stuck at that pace for a long time.

“Don’t you see? That’s why the ozlon hasn’t stabilized. Our
dejected attitudes are feeding it unbalanced energy.”

“You may be right. But nothing would change if it did
stabilize. We’d still be stuck in the north.”

I looked at her. “That’s what I’m getting at, Madison. It’s
time for us to take action. We’ve languished for long enough.”

She quickly shook her head. “We can’t stop them, Andrew.
We’re outnumbered by millions—if not billions.”

“But we know about ozlon and the sija. We know how to
operate their ships. We should be sharing that knowledge with the rest of the
world.”

Madison leaned forward. “
How?
If we leave this area,
we’ll be sitting ducks. All it would take is one barrage from their ships to
take us down.”

I sat there for a moment, staring into the distance. Then, I
leaned back and put my hand on my forehead.
She was right.
Even in
freedom, we had become prisoners of hiding.

Madison reached out and touched my leg, flashing an
encouraging smile. “I know things seem bleak. But we still have each other.”

I smiled back.
“Always.”

Chapter 59

Dalia and I were sitting side by side in an assembly room a
few miles from our building. The room was filled with citizens from around the
world. They had come to our region to discuss their concerns with Dalia.

“My citizens, I will hear your worries, and here to assist
me is Emily of Earth.”

She looked down at me with a smile. I widened my eyes and
shyly glanced at the crowd. Dalia had never let me speak at an assembly
meeting. I looked up at her and fretfully stared.

“You are ready to test your wisdom.”

I smiled and gave her a thankful nod. We looked to the crowd
and waited.

The first citizen stepped forward. He was dressed in lavish
attire, wearing a funky looking hat. “Great Dalia. Emily of Earth. I am
Mykolas.”

Dalia folded her hands. “State your concerns, Mykolas.”

“Production in our region has slowed during recent times.
Many of our slaves have died off. And others have been killed for trying to
flee. I ask that you supply our land with more slaves to maintain our way of
life.”

“Breeding of slaves has not yet commenced.”

“My Ruler, we must start now. Soon, there will not be enough
slaves to harvest the crops.”

There was an unsettling silence. Dalia looked on with a
blank stare. Then, Mykolas turned to me.

“What do you suggest, Emily?”

My heart
thumped
. I looked at Dalia, not knowing what
to say. She glanced at me and smiled, like she was telling me this was
my
moment. I slowly looked back at Mykolas and stood up. The crowd whispered as I
stepped forward.

“Well, I agree that we should start now. The slaves
are
getting
older. And it will take time to grow a new generation.”

I turned to look at Dalia for approval. She was still
smiling, staring at me like a proud mother. I returned a smile to her, but
quickly made a serious face as I looked back to the crowd.

“The breeding of slaves shall commence at once. In the
meantime, I will gather what slaves I can from around the world and send them
to areas in need.”

Chapter 60

The next day, Adomas gathered tens of thousands of slaves in
our region for an urgent announcement. They were lined up in vertical rows
about ten feet apart, spread out across an open terrain. There were hundreds of
soldiers walking through the rows, monitoring the crowd.

I was standing on a metal stage that had been placed in
front of the crowd. Dalia was at center stage, while Adomas and Juozas stood by
me.

A series of globe-shaped devices had been placed around the
crowd. Dalia held her sija to her mouth and pressed a button, and the devices
let off a steady
buzz. “Humans!”
Her voice echoed seamlessly across the
landscape.
“At sundown, you will begin reproduction with the females of your
species. Any slave who refuses will be killed.”

She lowered her arm and turned off the amplifiers. Then she
left the stage with Adomas and headed back to our ship.

Juozas and I stayed close as we stepped off the stage. And
not surprisingly, I glanced at him and saw an uncomfortable look in his eyes.

Later on, at sunset, I found Juozas standing on the balcony
that looked over our garden. He had his arms placed on the railing, holding his
hands together, looking down with a frown.

I quietly walked to my chair and took a seat.

Juozas turned around, surprised. “
Oh
…hello, Mother.”

“Hello, Son. Is something troubling you?”

Juozas shook his head. “No. I was just thinking.”

I studied him intensely, suspicious. “Well, have a seat.
Tell me about it.”

Juozas sat down and took a second before starting.
“Mother?—Why do we need slaves?”

I let out a deep
huff
. “Because someone has to do the
work.”

Juozas leaned forward a little. “Yes, but—couldn’t we do our
own work?”

I thought of my answer carefully. “Son, you must understand
that everything in life serves a purpose. From the sun to the soil—everything
contributes to our survival. Slaves are no different. Their duty is to serve
the dominant species of this planet.”

Juozas put his hand over his mouth and leaned back, staring
into the distance. I watched his face and saw grave concern in his eyes.

Then he lowered his hand and looked at me, smiling tensely.
“I was just wondering.”

“It’s all right, Dear. And remember—I’m always here whenever
you want to talk.”

Juozas got up and kissed my cheek. “Thank you, Mother. I
love you.”

“I love you, Son.”

Chapter 61

It was time. All servants in our region were ordered to the
main entrance of their building. I was standing by with the soldiers to make
sure the servants in our building were accounted for. As we checked them, I
realized Audrey was missing.

I went upstairs and marched to her room. She was sitting on
the edge of her bed, holding her hands in her lap.

I pointed down the hall in a rage. “
Audrey
! Go to the
main entrance.
Now
!”

Even as a grown woman, she was
still
a nervous wreck.
“
Emily
—I’m afraid.”

I stampeded inside and stood over her. “I don’t care. Get up
and go downstairs. Or you will be killed for disobeying orders.”

Audrey looked up at me with tears running down her face. “I
remember when we first met. You were so kind and appreciative. But since
then—you’ve become as cruel as them.”

I turned and walked to the entryway.

She got up and hurried past me. “
All right
—I’m going.
Please
forgive me.”

I followed Audrey downstairs and watched the soldiers take
her away. When the area was clear, I turned and headed down the hallway.

But as I approached the stairway, I felt a sharp pain shoot
throughout my body. In shock, I grabbed my chest and stumbled into the wall. I
slid to my knees and checked my hands. There was light flashing under my skin.
I quickly looked at my arms and realized the light was flashing all over.

“
Help
!” I screamed.

A soldier came running from around the corner and kneeled
beside me. “Emily? What has happened?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Call Giedre.” Then, slowly,
I blacked out.

Chapter 62

I woke up in my room and saw Giedre and Adomas standing over
me. I sat up in bed and checked my hands. The flashing light was gone.

I looked up at Giedre in a daze. “What happened?”

“You have become one with the ozlon. It seems the
stabilization shocked your system.”

I looked down and checked the substance. The inside was
solid. “
Wow
.” I climbed off the bed. I could feel a steady flow of
energy coursing through my veins. It was like an incredible high that lingered
on and on. Finally, I checked my arms and realized my muscle tone had
increased.

I ripped the marble off my necklace and held it up between
two fingers. Then, carefully, I made a fist around it and closed my eyes. “Um,
this feels good.” I opened my eyes and took a deep breath.

Adomas stepped forward. “Follow me, Emily.”

We went to the roof and boarded a ship. He took me to a
mountaintop and landed at the center. We got out of the ship and walked to the
edge of the mountain.

Adomas stood beside me as the wind blew my hair. “Like fire,
ozlon
can grow and become stronger.” He turned and faced the sky. “Now,
open your hand and expand the energy.”

I put my fist out and turned it palm up. I released my
fingers and carefully watched the ozlon, trying to make it grow. Gradually, the
marble got bigger and bigger. After a few seconds, the substance turned into a
bright, white orb and floated over my palm.

Adomas backed away. “
More
, Emily.”

I focused hard and the orb sparked. I could feel my body
getting stronger as the energy grew. Seconds later, the orb formed into a
massive laser beam and shot out into the sky.

I screamed as I felt the overwhelming power in the palm of
my hand. After holding it for a second, I quickly closed my hand and pulled my
arm back, making the laser beam disappear into the marble.

I took a huge breath and raised my fist. “
Unbelievable
.”

Adomas walked up to me. “That is why we wear these.” He
handed me a human-sized sija.

It was such a rewarding moment, something I’ll never forget.
I held the sija and stared at it for a second. “I’m speechless.
Thank you
—so
much.”

Adomas pointed at a hole on the back end of the device.
“Insert the ozlon
here
.”

I felt a rush of adrenaline as I put the marble in the hole.
The sija made some noises and something on the device shifted, closing the
hole.

A few lights came on, and a hologram of a rocky planet
popped out, gradually spinning around.
“Identity yourself,”
a
computerized voice said.

I smiled wide. “This is Emily of Earth.”

Once more, the sija made some quick noises, and the lights
flashed.
“Authentication complete.”
The hologram went away.

Proudly, I put the sija on my arm and closed it up. Then I
turned and stared at Adomas.

“I love you.”

He looked on with a blank stare. But I wasn’t expecting him
to say it back. Mamluks didn’t speak of love. They showed it.

“You have
earned
this power, Emily. When the time
comes, use it to rule well.”

Chapter 63

I kept thinking about what Madison told me, and—at last—I
realized there was only one resolution that would give us salvation.

I was by myself, lying on the cold floor of our ship,
staring at the ozlon on my wrist. I saw the moving parts slow down. My eyes
grew wide, and I looked harder. The substance was becoming almost non-moving. I
sat up and tore it off my wrist. I held the ozlon in my hand and stared,
nodding.
“Yes. That’s it.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the ramp, breaking my
concentration. I got up quickly and let everyone inside. They were carrying
some fish and set what they had on the floor. Then they spread out. Elos found
a seat in the cockpit, while Robert and Madison sat on the seats that were
built into the wall.

I closed the ramp and walked forward. “We have to talk.”

Elos turned in his seat and faced me. Madison and Robert
looked at me.

I paused and held the ozlon out. “Look.”

Robert got up, narrowing his eyes. “My God. It’s
stabilizing.”

“
Yeah
, and I think I know why.” I pulled my hand back
and waited a second before continuing. “I have to go back to Los Angeles.”

Madison huffed and shook her head. “Andrew, we talked about
this.”

“Just listen to me for a second,
all right?
” I
exhaled. “I’m not asking any of you to go with me. But I have to take the
ship.”

Robert gave me an aggravated look. “You’d leave us? After
everything we’ve been through?”

I looked down with great sorrow. “You don’t understand, Rob.
I’m not going back to live.”

A cold silence came over us.

“No. It doesn’t have to end that way,” Madison said.

I looked up and stared at her. “You’re wrong. That
is
my purpose: to send a message to the rest of the world—and let them know we
can
fight back.”

She crossed her arms. “But of all places, why Los Angeles?”

“It’s just like you said, Madison. If we leave this area,
we’ll be sitting ducks, so if I have one shot to send a message—I’m going after
the biggest target.”

Robert walked up to me. “Why, Andrew? We’re free. Sure, it’s
not ideal, but we have a place to lay our heads. Food to eat. Land with plenty
of water.”

“Sure, that’s great for us. But what about the rest of the
world?” I widened my eyes, glaring at him. “Don’t you get it? If we stay here
and die—all that we’ve learned dies with us.”

Robert looked away, blinking his eyes. “Good
God
—you’re
right.”

Madison stood up and stared at me. “
So
—you want us to
spread the word—while you go back to die?”

I nodded sadly.

Robert looked back at me. “What if we just left the ship
here? That way, we could all stay together.”

I shook my head. “No, my friend. I
have
to do this.
Imagine the kind of message it would send if I killed Adomas or Dalia.”

Elos got up and walked to me. “I will join you, Andrew.”

I gave him a gracious smile and put my hand on his shoulder.
“No, Elos. Your knowledge is too important. If there’s anyone who should share
what they know with the world— it’s you.”

Madison stepped closer. We were all standing in a circle
now.

“It would be a crime for any of us to let you do this
alone.” She erupted into tears. “So I’m going with you. And that’s final.”

I released a few tears and aggressively pulled her close. We
hugged and squeezed hard. Robert opened his arms and hugged us. I peeked at
Elos and saw him standing there clueless. I reached out and pulled him close.

Moments later, I felt a sharp pain throughout my body. I
dropped to the floor and shivered uncontrollably.

“Andrew!” Robert yelled.

Madison stumbled backwards and collapsed. I looked at her
and saw light flashing under her skin. I checked my hand and saw the same
thing. Then, I passed out.