Read The Maze for Free Online Page A

arms and deposited her on the soft platform bed.  She cursed at him as he untied her ankles and wrists, and then expertly bound her, spread eagle, to four of the eight posts that surrounded the round padded frame.
    “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she screamed, struggling wildly.  He leaned forward and whispered something in her ear, silencing her. No, he couldn’t mean what he said! His words left her silent.  He wrapped a gag around her mouth to prevent her from calling out for help, just in case one of the others was about.  Tapping her nose with his finger, Traisk leaned over her, his hot breath again in her ear.
    “Stay here like a good girl and you might find a special reward.  Try to escape and you will be punished very severely.  Remember, your trainers were once Strong Men.  The techniques they’ve used on you are only a portion of what we know how to do.” With that subtle threat, he left.  Lina felt tears in her eyes, her resolve slowly melting away when she realized she was, indeed, a captive.
    Lina’s short sword in hand, Traisk marked the doorway with a gouge that could not ‘accidentally’ be erased.  He suspected the elders played games to confuse and confound them even more.  He marked his path carefully as he ventured down to the end of the dark hall, listening cautiously for every sound.
    His exploration took him up another level, and he stood in a well-lit passage that ended in yet another door.  He was tired and getting bored with playing hide-and-go-seek now for at least six hours with the Trained Ones.  He also suspected that they were even less thrilled than he was.  It angered him, this stupid game.  The elders, all men who were once like himself, sat back fat and happy watching these women suffering under the brutal treatment of sadistic males trained for that purpose.  Why would society keep these people in power? Maybe because society was as sick as they were, he concluded. Many of the Free Citizens had money and power, gleaned off the populace for their own profit. If they enjoyed the Maze, they would keep it going as it was.
    He had never viewed the televised program—Strong Men were not permitted any insight into the specific things which took place in the Maze—but he had heard rumors of the torturous treatment the women usually underwent before finally submitting as Conquered Ones.  More questions raced through his mind.  Was this planet really as overpopulated as the Elders claimed?  He also considered another point; if these Trained Ones were the cream of the crop, why force them to endure such a horrible process to gain a mate as strong and as intelligent as they were?  And the offspring? What happened to the ones who did not fit into the elders’ molds of perfection?  Were they spayed and neutered like house pets? None of this made sense to him.  Unless, of course, it was only for the money.  The Maze, just like the arena matches, brought in tremendous revenue to the show’s Free Citizen producers and the High Council, which meant significant tax breaks to the less wealthy.  This alone ensured the incumbent Elders being chosen to lead the civilization for another term.
    Traisk paused to ponder his situation.  He made a promise to himself that if he survived this ordeal and gained his freedom, he would find a way to end this senseless violence once and for all.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Keeria hid behind a tree, watching as a strange animal drank from the stream.  She studied it, unsure of its purpose.  She had been trained that everything that existed had a purpose, but this thing was an enigma to her.  It was roughly the size of a loaf of bread, with a pointed nose, short legs and long, thick, sharp looking strands of hair that lay back against its body.  The creature froze, lifting its coat and putting on a display of lethal quills that extended to a short, flat tail.
    It bristled as it stared back at the girl, who sat on the