Free The Uprising (The Mamluks Saga: Episode 2) by Edward Lake

of my eye, I saw Lauren-Lynn step closer and nervously rub her hands together. “I’ve failed you, Great Emily.”
    I heatedly shook my head.
    “Juozas has found another.”
    I quickly faced Lauren-Lynn. “Do you know who she is?”
    She responded with a speedy nod. “Yes. A caregiver named Isabella.”
    I nodded. “Ah yes—I’ve seen her around. She’s one of Giedre’s best students.”
    Lauren-Lynn let out a depressing sigh and looked down. “I am greatly disappointed in myself.”
    I was pleased to see her show some empathy for her failure. Still, it was a major setback.  If Juozas were to betray us, I needed to have control of his spawn—and that meant having influence over his mate.
    “I appreciate your honesty, Lauren-Lynn. However, you will be punished for this.”
    She nodded. “I understand, My Ruler.”
    I gave her a nod. “Good. Now follow me to the backyard.”
    I gathered a few soldiers as I led her downstairs. When we got to the backyard, I stepped back and ordered the soldiers to deliver an onslaught to Lauren-Lynn. They immediately got in a fighting stance. Lauren-Lynn stood tall with her chin up and took a deep breath.
    One by one, the soldiers attacked her and beat her to the ground. They kicked and stomped Lauren-Lynn as she tried to protect herself. I crossed my arms and casually walked around as the soldiers continued.
    I waited a few minutes until I heard Lauren-Lynn screech in pain. “That’s enough, soldiers. Step back.”
    They backed away and relaxed a little. Lauren-Lynn staggered to her knees, clutching her side with one hand.
    I bent down in front of her and forcefully grabbed her jaw. I moved her head up and glared into her eyes. “Don’t ever fail me again.”
    With watery eyes and a bloodied face, she nodded. “Yes, My Ruler.”

Chapter 31: Juozas
    I was flying over an open terrain, trying to locate a group of runaway slaves. London and a few other soldiers were assisting me, flying nearby in their own ships. After scanning the area for some time, we finally picked up some activity when we came upon a mountain range.
    I pressed a button on my control board to activate the radio. “I’ve picked up a life force.”
    London sent a quick response. “I see it as well, My Champion. There are several, actually.”
    “Yeah, I think we found them. Let’s get closer.” I flew down and slowed my speed. The holographic screen on the control board showed some lively readings. We were getting closer.
    A moment later, an alert flashed on the screen and a beeping sound blared from the speakers on the control board. I glanced at the other monitor to my left and spotted the runaways. “I’ve found them.”
    I landed and hurried out of the ship. London and the others followed my lead and marched out of their ships. The slaves froze and put their hands up. I exhaled deeply and pulled out my whip. OK, you can do this.
    I quickly got into character as I walked up to them. “So, you thought you could run from us?”
    London and the others laughed and pulled their whips out. I flashed a fake smile as I circled the group of slaves. There were seven of them, all with heads full of gray hair.
    I chuckled and backed away. Then I pointed at one of them. “You, come here.”
    The man came forward, trembling, with his head down.
    I looked him over with a grin, shaking my head. “Where were you going to go?”
    London laughed hysterically as he looked on.
    I’m doing well so far. I boorishly waved my hand over the slave. “You may speak, Human.”
    The man looked up at me. “We were headed to the northern ice lands. They say there aren’t any Mamluks up there.”
    I nodded. “Yeah, we don’t like the cold, or snow.” I bent down and got in his face. “And we don’t like it when you peasants run, either.”
    I lifted my hand and back-slapped the man across the face. He stumbled to the ground and curled up into a ball. I raised my whip and beat him wildly, aiming my lashings at his head.