The Mamluks (The Mamluks Saga: Episode 1)

by Lake, Edward

  Adomas crashed through the top floor and landed on a heap of boulders. I fell through the hole and landed on my side, letting out a sharp scream. I desperately grabbed my shoulder and rolled over.

  There was a cloud of dust hovering over me, and I couldn’t see Madison anywhere.

  “Madison? Are you all right?”

  I wobbled to my knees and crawled forward, swiping the dust away. Then, I bumped into something and put my hand down. I felt around for a second and realized it was her leg.

  “Oh, thank God.” I looked up and checked the hole. “Come on, let’s go.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Madison?”

  Chapter 71

  The dust cleared, and I saw her face. Her eyes and mouth were closed, and there was blood seeping from the back of her head. I frantically lowered to the floor and looked closer.

  “Oh no—please God no—Madison!”

  My eyes filled with tears as I shook her limp body. “Come on, wake up.”

  Finally, it hit me. She was gone.

  I buried my face next to her head and cried my eyes out. Moments later, I gradually looked up and brushed some dust off her face. I smiled tensely and stared at her for moment. “I love you.” And finally, I closed my eyes and kissed her cheek.

  In the background, I could hear the soldiers marching down the steps. I opened my eyes and gently rubbed her hair. “We’re gunna win, Madison. I promise.” I struck a kiss on her lips as the marching got louder. “Okay—I gotta go.”

  I hobbled to my feet and staggered past Adomas’s lifeless body. I wanted to check if he was dead, but there was no time. I looked around and found my sija buried in a pile of rocks. I quickly reached down and grabbed it, then limped to a stairway at the end of the corridor.

  As I went along, the adrenaline surging through my body numbed the pain. I made it to the first floor and found the main entrance. But as I headed outside, I saw a few ships landing in the front yard. I turned around in a hurry and ran down the hall.

  There was a wide entryway at the far end. I went through it and walked into an enormous room that looked like a fancy ballroom. I leaned against the wall and snuck to the exit on the other side of the room. Again, before I could go outside, I saw a group of soldiers marching around the building.

  “Shit.” I turned around and jogged back to the entryway. Then, before I could leave, a woman walked into the room.

  I backed away and studied her from the ground up. She was wearing all black, and she had a sija on her arm. And sadly, when I got to her face, I realized who she was.

  “Emily.”

  Chapter 72

  I could hardly recognize Andrew. But that didn’t matter. He was the enemy. And he needed to be dealt with.

  “Why have you come back?”

  He slowly shook his head, eying me hard. “It hurts my heart to see what you’ve become.”

  I gave him a stern look. “I’ve become wise, Andrew. The world is a better place now. And I’m going to make sure it stays that way.”

  We started circling each other.

  “No, Emily. Behind all the grandeur—you’re just a coward.”

  I chuckled. “I could never expect someone of lesser importance to understand.”

  Andrew’s face became heated. “No. I get it. You betrayed your own kind to become a part of their society.”

  I shook my head. “No. I didn’t betray my own kind. I accepted reality and made the best of things. And in doing so, I discovered a wonderful world.”

  Andrew stood still and glared at me. “So, what now? You going to call the soldiers and have me killed?”

  I paused and grinned. “No. It would be fitting for me to finish you.” Then, with style, I got in a fighting stance. “And besides, I need some practice.”

  Andrew nodded and got in a fighting stance. “If this is how it ends—you better believe I’m taking you with me.”

  We shared a brief stare down.

  And right after, I ignited my laser and rushed forward, shooting at him with rapid-fire. He responded with rapid-fire of his own, blocking my shots. I ran at him and created a laser orb around my fist. Andrew quickly created an orb of his own and blocked my strike. We went back and forth for a moment. I threw punches with my orb, and Andrew used his sija like a sword, swinging it around as I attacked.

  I put my hands together and made a bigger orb. I swung it like a baseball bat, jumping from side to side. Andrew copied me and we attacked each other relentlessly.

  I kept coming at Andrew, making him back up. The flashing lights from the lasers were blinding. I rolled to the side and quickly shot a steady laser beam at Andrew. He jumped out of the way, and the laser hit the wall. Rocks fell to the floor as he circled away.

  I created a constant beam and aimed at Andrew’s feet. He ran. I followed him with the beam. The floor began to break apart. I lifted the beam and aimed over his head. Boulders came down, nearly hitting Andrew as he sprinted across the floor.

  A lucky escape.

  He shot at me with rapid-fire. I ducked and created an orb, blocking the shots. Andrew ran at me screaming and tackled me to the floor. He got on top and punched my face. I kicked my legs out and grabbed his arm. Then, gradually, I rolled him over and got on top.

  I put my hands around his neck and choked him. I tried to spark my laser, but Andrew quickly reached for a rock and grabbed it. He swung at me hard and hit my head. I fell to the floor and winced, gripping my head.

  Andrew got to his feet and shot at me. I quickly leaned back and shot at him from the floor. Then, I staggered to my feet, still shooting. But Andrew came right at me and elbowed my face. I stumbled backward, and I tried to shoot, but he kicked my arm away.

  Desperately, I ducked and avoided some rapid-fire. Then, I created an orb and leaped up with a punch. The laser sparked against the continuous rapid-fire Andrew was sending me. He stopped shooting and staggered backward.

  I ran at him and kneed his chest. Andrew fell to the floor and shielded himself with an orb. I put my hands together and made a massive orb. And with it, I chopped at him like an axe. Andrew quickly created a constant beam, making me run away.

  But as he rose, I made a constant beam of my own. I aimed at him, and our beams collided. We held it there for a moment, and the lasers got bigger and bigger. Andrew rolled away. I lowered my arm, trying to follow him. The laser beam hit the floor, and the floor gradually caved in.

  We both ran away from the crumbling floor, going toward each other. And right then, a large piece of the floor came down and we slid onto it, falling into a dark pit. Boulders followed us down. I slid off the piece we came down on and landed on a pile of rocks. And before the falling boulders could crush me, I hurried to my feet and ran away.

  Chapter 73

  I got to my feet and ran into the darkness as the rocks came down. Luckily, they stopped just as I got to the wall. I paused and took a deep breath. Falling down had knocked the wind out of me, and I could feel myself bleeding from a gash on my arm.

  The opening from above gave me enough light to see. I looked around, trying to find Emily, wondering if she had been crushed by the boulders. Cautiously, I walked forward, scanning every inch of the area.

  I looked up and realized the rocks had piled on top of each other, creating some steppingstones that led back to the ballroom. I hurried to the stones and climbed up, stepping into the light.

  Out of nowhere, I saw a bright light out of the corner of my eye. I spun around with only seconds to spare and blocked Emily’s shot with an orb. She ran out of the shadows, sending rapid-fire my way. I jumped out of the light and tried to hide behind a boulder. But Emily stayed on me. She leaped through the air like a ballerina and landed in front of me.

  There was blood running down the left side of her face, and she had a sinister look in her eyes. We went at it with orbs, leaping from place to place. Seconds later, Emily nailed me with a swift kick to the side. The strike sent me crumbling to my knees.
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br />   Emily wasted no time and tried to crush me with a constant beam. But I blocked it with an orb. The force from the colliding lasers sent her stumbling backwards, and the constant beam went away. I got up, then quickly lowered to my knees, clutching my side. It felt like my ribs were broken.

  Emily ran up to me and fired away with rapid shots. I was able to block them with an orb, but my awareness was slipping away. I tackled Emily out of desperation. But she easily pushed me off and got up. I tried to get up, but I was hurt and exhausted.

  Emily kept shooting furiously. I blocked a few more shots, then—she caught me. A laser zipped past my stomach, cutting deep. I screamed and fell backwards. The sija slipped out of my hands and tumbled away. I trembled as I gripped my stomach.

  Emily stopped shooting and let out a slow exhale. She walked up to me and aimed. I lay there, taking deep breaths, looking up at the woman I once loved. There was no emotion in her eyes. Just a coldness that made her seem more frightening than the Mamluks.

  I rolled over and crawled to the light. I made it to the first steppingstone and pulled myself up. My vision was getting blurry, and everything sounded like a steady buzz. I collapsed on my back and spread my arms out. I saw Emily walk up and stand over me, still aiming her sija.

  At that moment, I leaned my head back and saw someone standing at the top of the wreckage. Struggling with my blurred vision, it took me a second to realize it was a Mamluk. He was holding his hand out, like he wanted Emily to stop. He hurried down the stones and said something to her. Finally, just before I blacked out, he kneeled and looked at me with concern in his eyes.

  Chapter 74

  Juozas lowered my arm. “Mother—he’s dead.”

  I checked Andrew’s face and saw no life in his eyes. Juozas rose and gently checked the gash on my head.

  “Are you all right?”

  I stayed silent for a moment, still looking at Andrew. “Yes. I’m fine.” I looked up at Juozas and smiled. Then I hiked out of the wreckage.

  There was a group of soldiers standing by the exit on the far side of the demolished room. They noticed me and came over.

  Seconds later, Juozas came out of the wreckage, carrying Andrew. I turned with the soldiers and watched him set the corpse on the floor. Juozas backed away and slowly looked at me, his eyes full of guilt.

  There was a long silence.

  Finally, a soldier stepped forward.

  “Emily of Earth. The other intruder is dead. However, Adomas is unconscious. And we’ve lost communication with Dalia.”

  I looked up at him, then to all the others. Finally, I realized they were waiting for me to give them orders. I glanced at Juozas—then looked back to the soldiers.

  “Take the intruders to the forest. Have the slaves bury their bodies.”

  The soldiers got right to it and scooped Andrew’s corpse off the floor.

  “Giedre is standing by at a secure location. We have a ship waiting for you outside.”

  I nodded and headed out with the soldiers. But before I could leave, I looked back and saw Juozas standing in the same spot, holding his head down.

  “Son?”

  He looked up and stared at me for a moment. Then he walked over and joined the rest of us.

  “Forgive me, Mother.”

  I let out a troubled sigh as I watched him go past us and head to the ship.

  “Come, Emily. Your wounds need tending.”

  Chapter 75

  That night, Giedre patched me and Adomas up. Afterward, we gathered at the beach for a celebration. Dalia cut her trip short and came back to join us. The soldiers were playing the drums—and everyone found a dance partner. Dalia was dancing with Ignas. And I was dancing with Adomas.

  I looked around, smiling—hoping to see Juozas dancing with Lauren-Lynn. Instead, I saw him sitting by the shoreline, looking out into the ocean. I gave Adomas a concerned look—and he gave me a nod. I danced away from him and jogged over to Juozas.

  I sat down beside him and rubbed his arm. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  He was quiet for a second. “I don’t know, Mother. Something doesn’t feel right.”

  I leaned my head against his hulking arm. “You worry too much, Son. Everything is how it should be.”

  Juozas exhaled. “What should I do?”

  “Let go of your emotions. Only then will you mend the conflict of your soul.”

  He slowly nodded.

  I looked up and saw Lauren-Lynn approaching. She stopped beside me, and I flashed a warm smile.

  “Here’s someone to cheer you up.”

  Lauren-Lynn smiled and put her hand out. “Dance with me, Juozas.”

  I stood up and backed away, crossing my arms.

  Finally, Juozas looked up and smiled back at Lauren-Lynn. He took her hand and rose to his feet. “Come, we will show them how to dance.” Juozas led her to the crowd.

  Adomas came over and stood by me. We stayed there for a moment and watched Juozas.

  “What do you think?” Adomas glanced at me. “Can he escape the compassion?”

  I wanted to be confident in Juozas’s abilities. But the uncertainty that had plagued him for so long seemed like it was getting worse. I worried that it would eventually lead to an early demise.

  “For his sake—I really hope so.”

  Chapter 76

  The sun was just coming over the horizon as I walked along the edge of the forest, monitoring a field of working slaves—making sure they were doing their jobs well. Still, as I looked down at their miserable faces, I felt utter guilt. Mother was right. To find peace, I needed to let go of my emotions and accept reality.

  I exhaled and held my head high as I stepped away from the forest, out of the shade. I walked onto an open terrain and felt the warmth of the sun. Then, suddenly, I heard someone humming a delightful tune.

  I looked around and found the singer. It was a slave, working about twelve feet from me. He had dark skin and a head full of gray hair. I paused and listened as he added words to the humming.

  First, he sang about being born by a river, in a tent. Then, he ended with a remarkable phrase that struck me like a rock. “A change is gonna come.”

  My heart raced and my eyes got wide. The slave had an amazing voice, unlike anything I’d ever heard before. Slowly, I walked toward the man as he kept singing. The words were gripping, like a benevolent force calling to me.

  The slave went on, singing about how hard life had been and about his fear of death. Again, that phrase at the end struck me. “A change is gonna come.”

  I stopped in front of the man, smiling. “You have an incredible voice.”

  The slave looked up and put a hand over his eyes. “Well now—I ain’t never seen one of you Mamluks say something nice to us.”

  I quickly checked the area, making sure I was a good distance from the other soldiers.

  “Where did you learn to sing like that?”

  The slave chuckled. “I used to be a somebody in this town before your kind arrived. That was ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ you just heard. Sam Cooke—Nineteen-sixty-three.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Sam Cooke? Nineteen-sixty-three?”

  The man shook his head and got back to work. “My Lord—I guess our history dies with us.”

  I watched him shovel the dirt for a second, like he was shoveling away the precious history he spoke off. I wanted to stay there and learn more. But I knew I couldn’t. Finally, I snapped out of my daze and let out a desolate sigh. I moved on, looking down at the soil. But in the background, I could hear the slave continue the song. I smiled and listened carefully.

  “A change is gonna come.”

 

 

 
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