Emily’s Revenge (The Mamluks Saga Book 3) by Edward Lake Read Free Book Online Page B

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
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    Q ueen 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