The Mamluks (The Mamluks Saga: Episode 1) by Edward Lake

“Yes.”
    He grinned and turned off whatever he was looking at. “Come
with me.” Adomas took me upstairs to the roof and led me to a parked ship. He
opened it, and we got in the cockpit.
    On his sija, he pressed a button that started the ship. I
watched closely as he worked the control board. He pulled back on the handle,
and we went up. I stared out the window as we drifted away. The traffic in the
sky was calm, and there were a few hovercrafts watering the forest.
    Minutes later, we arrived at the beach. There were hundreds
of Mamluks and women dancing to drums, standing around a huge bonfire. Adomas
landed by a row of parked ships, about fifty yards from the action. We got out
and swaggered to the scene.
    When we got to the crowd, Adomas bobbed his head to the
beat. I smiled and copied him. We went to the front of the crowd and got close
to the fire. Slowly, the music stopped and everyone silenced. I looked around
and saw a band of drummers spread out around the crowd.
    “The Champion has arrived!” one of them shouted. Then they
started the drums up again.
    “Now, you wanted to dance , Emily?” Adomas said, over
the drums, like I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
    I smiled and nodded. The drums got louder and louder. Adomas
stomped with the beat, bouncing his shoulders. And then swiftly, he leaned his
head back and howled at the moon. Everyone went crazy. The drummers played
wildly, and the crowd stomped with the beat. I staggered around like a pinball
for a second before falling down.
    The beat slowed, and everyone backed off. I quickly got up.
Adomas was smiling, dancing around me as I looked on. He jumped at me, daring
me to do something.
    “Dance, Emily,” he laughed, like he had caught me in a trap.
    I smiled and rocked my head to the beat. Adomas paused and
casually swayed, like he was giving me the floor. I stomped the sand, inching
closer to the fire. The beat picked up little by little. I leaned my head back,
closed my eyes and screamed as loud as I could.
    The drummers went crazy, and everyone bounced around. Adomas
got close to me, gracefully popping his shoulders with the drums. I like the
way you move. I put my hands up and jumped all over, bumping into
everybody. It was an extraordinary experience. The best night I ever had.

 
     
    Chapter 46
     
    All I could think about was the escape. I sat against the
wall for a long while, staring at the lights on the machinery. Robert was
sleeping on the other side of the room, snoring. Elos was sitting a few feet
from me, putting his mask on. I turned my head a little and watched him.
    “Why do you wear that, Elos?”
    He took a moment, adjusting the speaker. “I cannot pronounce
the language. This device was designed to assist me.”
    I nodded, trying to imagine his home planet. “What’s it like
on Eztu?”
    “It is like Earth. Full of plants and water.”
    I smiled, thinking about how cool it would be to visit. “Did
you have family there?”
    “ Family ?”
    “Like, someone you cared about.”
    “Yes. A mate named Ena . She was bearing my offspring
when the Mamluks arrived.”
    “What happened when they arrived?”
    “She was killed by Adomas.”
    I gave him a sorrowing look, and bowed my head. “So, that
means your children…I mean, offspring , where never born.”
    “Yes. All female and undeveloped Ecknors were deemed
useless.”
    My heart ached, hearing about the slaughter of young souls.
I wondered if the same thing happened on Earth.
    Thinking about it made me angry. “We’re going to get out of
here and get the ozlon. Then we’ll give these bastards something to be sorry
about.”
    “I have considered every option. There is no means of
escape. Perhaps the courage you have shown has proven to be unwise.”
    I sternly shook my head. “No, there’s always a way. We’re
just overlooking something.”
    Robert woke up, snorting. “What’s going on?”
    I looked over and checked on him. “It’s just us, Rob. Did