Chapter Thirteen
It was auction day.
The despair of the night before had passed, now Kim felt a sense of adventure, a desire to prove herself in a new arena. She had spent a sleepless night in her cell, thinking long and hard about the words her Mistress had spoken. She had bonded to the woman, she told herself, only because no one else in the training center had displayed any kindness and affection. Certainly she could find it in herself to feel just as deeply for a new Master or Mistress, whoever it might be. In time, if she were a loyal and obedient slave, the Master might come to feel something for her as well. Still, when the guards came to gather the girls up and take them away, Kim searched in vain among the faces around her for Mistress Gyve.
Before the slaves left the training
