Free The Mamluks (The Mamluks Saga: Episode 1) by Edward Lake Page A

first and filled his plate with grilled
meat and steamed vegetables.
    “Thank you,” he said, flashing a kind smile.
    I quickly glared at him. “Son, we don’t say 'Thank you' to
servants.”
    Juozas looked down and frowned. “Sorry, Mother.”
    Madison finished her duties and went on her way.
    “Did you enjoy the shore, Juozas?” Adomas said.
    “Yes, Father. I won against Mother in the game we were
playing.”
    Adomas chuckled. “What is this… game , you speak of?”
    “It’s called cat and mouse. I was the cat, and Mother was
the mouse.”
    Adomas glanced at me, smiling. “This surprises me, Emily.
The cat , or feline breed of this planet, is superior to the mouse. Is it
not?”
    I nodded. “It is.”
    “Juozas has not matured. Therefore, you should have
been the cat.”
    I laughed. “Are you kidding me? Have you seen our son
lately? I’m no match for him.”
    Adomas narrowed his eyes, chewing. “Why are you no match?”
    I leaned my head, giving him a sarcastic look. “That’s
obvious.”
    Adomas shook his head. “You confuse size with strength,
Emily.”
    I grinned and put my elbows on the table. “So, what are you
saying? That I could beat even you ?
    Adomas nodded. “Certainly.”
    I chuckled, shaking my head. “That’s impossible.”
    Juozas cut in. “I think you could beat Father.”
    We all glanced at each other for a second, then busted into
laughter. It was such a delight to have this silly debate at the dinner table.
Being part of a family again made me feel complete. And unlike my previous
life, I was determined to never take it for granted.

 
     
    Chapter 34
     
    I was standing in a cave, waiting for the soldiers to give
me orders. They were blasting the walls with their lasers, knocking large
chunks of rock to the ground. After gathering a nice sized pile, a soldier
pressed a button on her device and a thin laser popped out. She turned a knob
on the device, adjusting the width of the laser. And gradually, she moved the
laser over the rocks.
    Shockingly, tiny pieces of metal extracted from the rocks
and fell to the ground. Seeing that kind of advanced technology sent chills
down my spine. She went on for a while, moving the laser over the rocks until
there were heaps of metal on the ground. Finally, she waved over another
soldier. He walked up to me and dropped a stack of bins.
    “Now, Human. Put the particles in these bins,” she said.
    I got down on my knees and picked the tiny pieces up off the
ground, placing them in the bins. We stayed in the cave until sundown. By then,
I had filled ten bins. The soldiers carried them out of the cave and loaded
them in a hovercraft. And at last, they ordered me to a ship. Feeling
exhausted and starved, I wobbled to my feet and dragged myself to the ship.
    The soldiers flew to Adomas’s building and put me in the
dungeon I had been living in for so long. There was a bowl of food on the floor
and two cups of water next to it. I sat down and ate half the food, leaving the
rest for Robert.
    A few minutes later, the door opened, and a soldier pushed
Robert inside. He looked just as spent as I was. Robert took a seat against the
wall and massaged his legs.
    “How was the day?” I asked.
    “Numbing.”
    I handed him his cup and the bowl. Robert drank the water in
a hurry and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Then he quickly ate.
    “What did you do today?” he asked, chomping.
    I put my hands up and spread my fingers, showing him the
cuts and blisters. “They had me working in a cave—picking up metal as they
extracted it from the rocks.”
    Robert sadly shook his head. “I was working in the
forest—gathering crops.”
    I exhaled. “I would've much rather been doing that.”
    At this point, sharing our misery was the only thing that
made sense anymore. And, every night before sleep, I joined Robert in prayer.
It was always pleasing to end the day with some encouragement.
    “Dear Lord, even during these dark times, I know that you
have