All Chapters of The Awakening of Slave: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Senna’s POVWe all stood, staring back at the man who had bought us as slaves. Our derision was palpable.Kalev’s eyes swept over us. When they landed on me, my breath hitched in my throat.He had the most unusual eyes I’d ever seen, a glimmering silver-grey. His gaze held for a second too long, but then it moved on.Turning away from us, he spoke to Elvin, who I assumed was a steward of some sort.“The Game begins in three days. Ensure they are physically fit for island deployment.” His voice was steady and controlled.“Of course, Master Kalev,” Elvin responded.My heart clutched.Game?A cold weight settled in my stomach. My mind raced, piecing it all together. We weren’t being inspected for labour. We were being inspected to participate in the……the Slave Games?The realization ripped through me, sharp like a razor blade.We weren’t brought here to work. We were brought here to die! To fight for our lives on some island, all in the name of entertainment.I’d heard about the Slave G

Senna’s POVThey came on the second morning, exactly when I said they would.There were six of them, breaking the tree line below the ridge in a loose arrowhead. They weren’t hunting; they were displaying. The one in front was older than most of us, mid-twenties maybe. He had a fighter's stillness and a wolf already pacing behind his eyes. He stopped just outside bowshot. He knew exactly where bowshot was.That told me all I needed to know."The ridge is a good spot," he called up. His tone was conversational. "I hate to see it wasted on just three people.""Then don't look," I quipped. I had got an arrow knocked but not drawn. "There’s plenty of island. Go find some of your own piece.""Well, the thing is, I've seen the rest of it." He spread his hands, trying to look like a reasonable man. He wasn’t. "You fold in with us, you keep the ridge. You keep breathing. That's the offer."So he’d come to make a deal."Pass." I didn’t even have to think about it. There was no way I was joinin

Kalev’s POV"Emergency broadcast hold," I heard myself say. My voice came out level, even though my heart was slamming against my rib cage. "There’s a…terrain anomaly, western ridge. I need eyes on the ground before we resume the feed."The entire room went still. Emergency broadcast holds were rare. The nobility didn’t like to have the feed interrupted, not even for a few hours. Everyone looked forward to the games all year long.But my I’d called it before I’d thought about it."Authorization?" the duty officer said, watching me with careful eyes."Mine,” I replied quickly. “Architect's seal. Log it."I was already moving for the door. "Thirty minutes. Dark feed. Cut it off. Ground the drones. No one watched the ridge until I’m back.”"Kalev."Viktor hadn't moved from his console. He was still looking at the frozen frame, at the girl and the briars. His voice was light and bemused. "What exactly do you think you're going to do down there?"I had no idea know. That was the honest ans

Kalev’s POVI was gone for a total of twenty-eight minutes. As I sat back down in my seat, the feed came back up. Viktor was at my side before I’d even taken a full breath."Terrain anomaly," he said, clicking his chin. He leaned against the back of my chair with his arms folded. "Is that's what we're calling it?" Her tone was sardonic, mocking."There's a briar formation on the western ridge that wasn't there an hour ago. I'd call that anomalous." I didn't look up from the console. The duty log was open in front of me. I was backfilling it with steady, boring lies. Ground survey. Structural assessment. No participant contact. "I needed to confirm it wasn't a hazard system misfire before we put it back on broadcast. Which it wasn't. Which is now logged." I motioned towards the log system.“So the briars were a system glitch?” he asked.“Yes, of course. What else would they be?”"Mm." He stood up and sauntered over to the edge of the desk. He perched on the side of it, like he'd done s

Kalev’s POVThe main room cleared at midnight. Everyone went out to drink and gossip about the day’s events. I sent the night techs out by telling them I needed the floor. They went gratefully.Endrick and I were able to open the sealed records. He didn’t have the right key. Since the records hadn’t been opened In 60 years, he had to search his family’s vault for the key that would open them. I had no idea what was in those records, but I knew it had something to do with the flora wolf extinction.Endrick knew too. And I had the feeling there was something he wasn’t telling me. But I would find out soon enough.Alone in the main room, I kept my eyes locked on the screen. Senna was sleeping in a small cave they’d found. It wasn’t an ideal place, but I was sure they would find something better tomorrow.A rush of pride washed over me. She’d managed a truce and helped feed everyone. But when she shot that arrow at Korrigan’s feet?The entire room had exploded in cheers.She was far bra