Among the Wanted

Stiler has only ever known the pain and drudgery of slavery. On a planet where species fight to the death, his own species fighting for survival, war deserters are punished with death or a life of slavery. When his parents fled the fields of battle with Stiler and his older brother they were captured by the enemy, leaving Stiler and his brother Darwin to be punished in their place. Their punishment was slavery, a difficult and deadly fate that took Darwin's life. Now, twelve years later, Stiler has decided to make his escape. He no longer wishes to be beaten and starved, forced to feed a great furnace used to heat the metal that makes weapons of war. If he escapes can he survive in a world he hasn't seen in twelve years? No one will take in a traitor, and only the foolish travel without protection against foreign threats. More importantly, what role does he have to play in his kinds survival?