Free Emily’s Revenge (The Mamluks Saga Book 3) by Edward Lake

with Nojus. We watched the scanner as Azar guided the soldiers through the forest in search of the rebels.
    Across from me, Nojus was eating a slab of meat, holding it in his hand like a giant turkey leg. I had one leg overlapping the other, eating a bowl of gwaop with a spoon. The radar screen was showing an abundance of life forces, making it difficult to pinpoint where the rebels might be.
    I finished my food and set the bowl down on the floor. I picked up a bottle of wine and cracked it open. “This is going to be tricky, My Champion. It seems Turkland is loaded with strong life forces—or whatever these readings are.”
    He nodded, still chewing. “I agree, My Ruler.” He turned and stared at me. “Do you really think they’re here?”
    I leaned back and thought about it for a second. I concluded with a shrug. “I’m not sure.”
    Moments later, London radioed to me from the sky. “Great Emily, I recommend we concentrate our efforts on the ground. The wealth of life forces on this planet have made our scanners useless.”
    It was a good idea. I sent London a reply, telling him and over half of my fleet to land and search Turkland by foot. I left the rest of the ships in the air to cover the ground units, in case of a surprise ambush attack by Azar’s troops.
    Finally, after sitting around with Nojus for a bit longer, I decided to get up and join the hunt. “Come on, we’re going out there.”

Chapter 20: Juozas
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    O n the screens of our sijas , we could see the signals of the enemy ships. “They’re here.” I pulled Isabella closer and kissed her forehead. She was petrified, trembling in my arms with Samantha tucked between us. “They won’t find us.”
    Bill was sitting close by. “I hope you’re right, Buddy.”
    Day after day, we languished in the dark cave. It was utter torment, wondering if Mother would find us, knowing our chances of survival would decrease dramatically if she did.
    On this day, I woke up with Isabella nudging me. “Juozas, wake up. Let’s eat.”
    I rolled onto my shoulder and pushed myself off the cold, wet, rocky ground. Since us male Mamluks didn’t have the proper materials to shave our heads and faces anymore, we had hair growing all over. It felt strange after being bald all my life, and I couldn’t even imagine what I looked like in the mirror.
    With Samantha in her arms, Isabella led me to a pile of dead creatures. The soldiers had shot them with their sijas and gathered them for the group. We took a seat by the others and grabbed a few.
    After eating, we went to the wall to get a drink. I made a cup with my hands and pushed my fingers against the slow-dripping water. Finally, when my hands filled up, I moved them to Samantha’s mouth.
    Isabella leaned our daughter’s head back as I placed my hands at her lips. I carefully spilled the water into her mouth and watched as she slurped it down. Once Isabella and I had drunk some water, we went back to the ground and snuggled up.
    Bill saw us and made a funny face for Samantha. Isabella giggled at the kind gesture, and I smiled. It was nice to see him as his silly self, even in a time of war.
    “That’s one cute kid you got there, Juozas and Isabella.”
    I gave him a nod. “Thank you, Bill.”
    A moment later, Saule walked by and went to the pile of dead creatures to eat. She caught Bill’s eye, and he couldn’t stop looking. “Hey, Juozas.”
    “Yes?”
    “I got a thing for Saule over there. You think a big, strong Mamluk girl like that would go for a human guy like me?”
    I flashed a teasing smile. “Perhaps.”
    Isabella laughed. “If you’re interested in her, then why don’t you go over there and introduce yourself.”
    “Oh, we’ve been introduced. She kept me warm in the rain, remember?”
    I recalled how funny it was to see him wrapped in Saule’s massive arms. “Yes, that was a sight to see.” I took a moment to check Saule. “Isabella is right, My Friend. You should