by Lake, Edward
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.”
Chapter 16: Juozas
Queen 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. “Pleas
e 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.
In my group, after finally making the hole deep enough for the space pod, along with the others at the bottom of the pit, I climbed back to the surface. From my view, the hole looked to be about fifteen feet deep and ten feet wide.
Together, we pushed the space pod into the hole, then covered it up with the massive piles of mud spread out around the edge of the hole.
When every group was done burying their space pod, King Azar and a large group of Turks led us, Queen Vera, and thousands of young Turks to an enormous cave, far on the other side of Turkland. Paired with a few of the King’s troops, Isabella and I had the honor of looking after the Queen and her young.
Before going in, the King turned around and spoke to us. “Inside this cave, you will be well hidden. There are many small animals to eat, and plenty of drinkable water that flows from the cave walls. We will use loads of rock, brushwood and leaves to conceal the entrance. However, you must never go deep into the cave. It leads to a massive pit, and beneath the surface is a world of majestic and powerful creatures. It is known as The Underworld—and all who have fallen into the abyss have never returned.”
I took the warning to heart, and hoped the others did as well.
Everyone who had a sija turned on their flashlights. We went inside the cave and walked as far as we could go. Just as the King had said, there were tiny creatures running away from us, and water dripping from the pebbly walls.
With Isabella, I found a spot on the floor and cuddled with her and Samantha. Across from us, Queen Vera took a seat with Theron and Hemma, and the King’s band of troops took seats at her sides.
Now we hope. Now we wait.
Part Four—The Interim Champion
Chapter 17: Emily
It was early in the morning. I was standing on a long, open landscape with London and a group of soldiers. We were staring at a never-ending row of giant space pods. Unlike the space pods for Mamluks, these space pods were designed to carry ships.
I held my arms behind my back and marched forward with the others close behind. “Have the coordinates been set?”
“Yes, My Ruler. Our mystery planet is within reach,” London affirmed.
I stopped and took a good look at a space pod. There was a buzzing roar coming from the massive machine as it hovered a few feet off the ground. “Send a report to the soldiers. Tell them to gather their things and assemble here at sundown. We’re leaving tonight.”
I heard a few in the group howl with pleasure. I smiled at the response and turned to London. “Now, go get ready for the fight.”
“Have you chosen the second combatant, Great Emily?”
“Yes I have, and you will meet him shortly.”
Afterward, I flew to the Championship stadium. There were droves of spectators flying in from around the world. Bridget had called me and asked to attend the fight, but I had to decline the request. I needed her on Marsden in a time of war. Still, I knew she would be watching from the control center.
I met up with Dalia and Ignas, and together we found our seats in the front row. Ignas was still bruised up from the beating I had given him. I sat between them, and we leaned back carefully and looked on as the capacity crowd cheered.
The first horn sounded and London came jogging out of the tunnel on the other side of the stadium. I smiled as I watched him practice a few moves and flex his shoulders.
Fight well, Dear.
The second horn sounded, and the crowd went silent in anticipation of the next combatant. Nojus came marching out of the tunnel on our side and was met with an ovation that shook the building. Apparently, he was very popular.
Nojus went ahead and circled London, but London wasn’t fazed. He stood tall and grinned as the stadium hushed. At last, the third horn went off and the battle began.
London backed away and waved Nojus on. He waited, but Nojus wouldn’t take the bait. Finally, London ran at him and tried to deliver a jab. Nojus easily ducked the strike. They calmed down for a moment and studied each other’s movements.
I placed a hand on my chin and tapped the other hand on my chair. This is going to be an interesting contest.
London ran at Nojus again and grabbed him. They wrestled for control for a second until London finally forced Nojus to the ground. He intended to wrap his arms around his neck but Nojus was able to break free and get back to his feet.
London took a deep breath as he rose. He waved Nojus on with a tense smile. I knew he wanted this badly, and I wanted it for him, too—but he seemed a little off, and Nojus was no scrub.
Before selecting Nojus for the fight, I had asked Ignas about his training at the academy.
He had assured me that Nojus was worthy of this opportunity.
London carefully approached him and did a spinning back-kick. Bad move. I called it spot on. Nojus read the maneuver perfectly and caught him with a swift jab as he came back around. The strike sent London staggering backward. Without hesitation, Nojus rushed ahead and peppered him with kicks, elbows and punches.
The crowd jumped to their feet and screamed with their hands waving all around. Nojus continued the barrage and ended with a big left hook that dropped London. I sat up a little as Nojus went in for the kill. He dropped his knee into London’s face with incredible speed and got on top. London protected himself and turned away. Nojus blasted him with punches and broke through his shield. I could see blood on London’s face, and he looked completely exhausted.
Nojus popped London with a sharp elbow that made him curl into the fetal position, but I knew he wasn’t going to give up. He had always wanted to be the Champion. He had always believed he was better than Juozas. This was his chance to prove it.
London screamed as he grabbed Nojus’s arm. He held on tight and made a dazzling reversal, pushing his hips off the floor and throwing his body weight into Nojus. London fell on top of him and secured his hulking arms around his neck. Now the crowd was cheering loudly for him.
London squeezed with all his might. Nojus grabbed onto his arms and tried to break the hold, but it was no use. London let out a deafening roar as he increased the pressure. Still, amazingly, Nojus kept fighting. He leaned forward and got his hands on the floor. He pushed up and rose with London dangling on his back. It was an impressive display of strength.
Nojus tumbled toward the wall and turned his back just before he hit. London banged against the sandstone wall and lost his hold. He fell to the floor, but Nojus stayed on his feet. I stood up in awe and watched as Nojus dropped down and hammered London with brutal strikes.
