The Warrior Queen

PROLOGUE

Editha's POV

I stood at the training ground, today was the day, the day that decides if I can have a better life or if I spend the rest of my existence living in the prison they call the facility. I was born to traitors who dropped their new born daughter to pay for their crimes and died. I don’t know what crime they committed but it must have been bad for me to suffer so much.
The facility which lies at the center of the camp is a place where slaves are corrected or trained and where I live or lived if I pass this test. This “test” decides the next generation of Aspers.

Aspers are the warriors of the camp who answer only to the royals, if I manage to get this not only will I be free from the facility I’ll also gain respect and power in exchange for my loyalty to the Royal Family. The test was endurance, strength and accuracy over watched by the greatest asper “Agnar Brendt”, his name is known all over the camp as the youngest general in the empire, he is also known to be very ruthless in his judgment, I am both honored and scared to be in his presence.
The test has 4 stages, the first 3 which are;
• Speed
• Strength
• Resistance to pain
Once you have completed these three stages you are required to cross the dead beast woodland and make it out alive for the final stage, once you have done that the survivors are official Aspers.

I am currently in the fourth stage, my body still stings from the bruises of the third stage held only 48 hours ago. We started out as 25 aspiring Aspers but only 5 of us remains.
We stand at the border of the dead beast woodland as we await the alarm that announces the start of the trial, they’re no rules just survive.

I stand ready, my eyes scanning for the best possible route and then the alarm blares and I took off into the woodland, my worn out combat boots stomping on the ground crushing the dried leaves and broken twigs, the word ‘survive’ repeats in my head like a broken record, as I ran forward I hear another stomping of boots but this one seems less precise and more panicked I wonder why, my question answered almost immediately as the shrill scream of a grey render thunders through the woodland. The scream pumps adrenaline through my veins, the word ‘fight' replaces the survive that once pounded in my brain, which is stupid because if I stayed to fight I’d never make it out alive and I need to be alive in order to fight and I need to fight in order to succeed.

I ignored the voice and ran my fear propelled my legs allowing to swiftly pass the person in front of me and I ran, I ignored the sound of bones snapping as the monster devoured his/her body. I saw the end off the Woodland in front of me and I sprinted survival and hope burning within me. I busted out of the woodland almost crashing into the general in the process, I sighed in relief, a few tears of joy rolled out of my eyes… I made it out but no one else did, ‘what is your name?’ general Agnar asked “Edith, Edith Aloisa” I answered ‘Welcome to the team Private Aloisa’.