Mercy Rising: The Prophecy

by DC Little

  “Mercy told you everything?”

  He nodded, unable to meet the woman’s soulful eyes.

  “Do you have questions? She can’t remember, of course, and I wasn’t sure if you could either...it would seem not. My husband said you thought he had killed your dad?”

  “That’s the lie I was told, but you say he’s alive? Mercy said he was on a trip.”

  “He is on a scavenging hunt with Ryan. They should be back any day.” She squeezed her hands together. “He’s going to be so happy to see you. He has waited for so long.”

  Orion cocked his head, lifting it to look at her. “You guys keep saying you’ve been waiting for me, like you knew I would show up one day.”

  “Well,” she smiled and sighed, “in a way, we did...but that isn’t for me to tell you. I can tell you it pained your dad every day not to have you with him. It’s one of the few things that your dad and my husband ever fought over.”

  Orion narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  Kris wrung her hands until she finally squeezed the furs she sat on. “I’m not sure how much my daughter shared, but years ago Blake helped your dad escape so he could return to you, hoping he would bring you back to be with us.”

  “She shared that. What does that have to do with them fighting about me?”

  “Because Blake did that, Meyers found us...all of us. They attacked our home. We lost lives. We lost the safety we thought we had.”

  “You blame my father for bringing Meyers?”

  Kris shook her head. “No, I don’t. Nor does Blake. Your father gave nothing away. He suffered to keep us safe. But Meyers still found us...and the carnage that followed...it weighed heavily on us all, but mostly on Blake.”

  Orion thought through this. Chantry feeling like Meyers’ attack was his fault because he let his friend go...he sacrificed the camp for a friend. “So, he couldn’t do it again.”

  Kris nodded, a sadness living in her eyes. “Your dad would have attempted it on his own, but…” She made sure he looked at her. “I want to prepare you. The injuries he sustained from Meyers are...gruesome. His right arm he keeps in a sling because he can no longer use it. He is blind in one eye, and his body...it aches all the time from repeated beatings. If he thought he could do you any good, he would have come for you. Nothing would have stopped him.”

  Orion’s eyes burned. He nodded, keeping his gaze on his own hands. He did his best to understand, yet he still felt betrayed. They could have rescued him. They could have banded together, found him and his mom...and infant sister, and taken them from the cruel life he had grown up in. He wouldn’t make that same choice.

  “Thank you for telling me.” Orion pushed himself to a stand.

  “I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive those of us who have let you down.” Kris stood as well. “I understand if you cannot.”

  “Blame does not do any good,” Orion said, realizing that the words were true. In the end, there was only what came next, and now they had a common enemy.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  >>>—MERCY—<<<

  Mercy met Owen’s brown eyes before she threw herself into him, knocking him off his feet and landing on top of him. She held her training knife to his throat. “Got ya,” she said triumphantly.

  “Ugh, you know, there is such a thing as a man’s pride,” Owen said, pushing her off him in a huff.

  “Oh, well, I’m sorry to have bruised your sensitive ego.” She held out a hand and pulled him to his feet, then leaned in to whisper. “It’s not like I haven’t done this to every other guy out here.”

  Owen cocked his blonde head. “True.” He turned away, but swiveled to face her once again. “You know, I almost feel bad for whoever you choose.”

  Mercy bristled. Coming at him with the knife again, she growled, “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It’s no offense, really, just that he’s going to have to be quite the man to have you as a mate.” Owen held up his hands. “I would take it on in a heartbeat, but I know I have no chance. I’ve got to get on Noel’s good side.” He winked at her.

  She shoved him away. “Is that all you guys think about?”

  Owen shrugged. “What else is there to focus on?”

  “Stop jibber-jabbing. It’s my turn,” Darius said, strutting up to them.

  “Well, I primed her for ya, Darius.” Owen punched him. “But you may want to choose another day. She’s a bit testy right now.”

  Mercy glared at Darius. Just what she needed, someone she didn’t have to hold back with, because if he got hurt, it wouldn’t upset her one bit.

  “Just the way I like them,” Darius sneered, stretching his hands back, cracking the knuckles.

  “Them?” Mercy looked around. “I think I’m the only one...unless you want to smash up Noel’s pretty face? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Come on, scoundrel. Let’s see if you learned anything since the last time.”

  Darius let out a growl and ran toward her. She dodged him at the last second, taking his thrown punch past her, sending him to the ground. He rolled back up to his feet, snarling at her.

  “Well, doesn’t look like you learned restraint,” Mercy quipped.

  He came at her, fists flying, legs kicking, even his teeth gnashed. She countered his attacks, feeling the bruising that would develop on her forearms from blocking him. He came fast and furious, with no break in the assault. Mercy gasped for breath as she ducked, dodged, blocked, and thwarted each attack.

  “Hey! I thought this was training, not an assault!” Orion’s voice pulled Mercy out of the fight.

  She turned toward him, and her lack of focus earned her a fist contacting her left cheek. “Oof,” she spat out, her head ringing, but she learned her lesson and tired of playing Darius.

  The crowd that had gathered had gasped when Darius landed his punch, and now they jeered as her face reddened with rage. She waited for Darius to come at her again, striking out the moment he left his side open. She jabbed his ribs in a rapid fire from both right and left fists. When he doubled over she elbowed him in the nose and kicked his legs from under him. He fell, groaning and holding his nose.

  Mercy planted a foot on his neck and leaned over her bent knee to glare at him, face to face. “I hope you enjoyed that hit, because it’s the last one you’ll get.”

  The crowd cheered, but she didn’t revel in it. Instead, she met the shocked blue eyes staring at her. Forgetting the group surrounding them, she strode to Orion.

  “Wow...I knew you could fight but—”

  “Never distract me during training!” Her voice, high-pitched and strained, sounded foreign to her. This new rage was something different, something deeper, and even now she realized had nothing to do with Orion pulling her attention out of the sparring.

  “Whoa, Little Sis. Ease off. It’s not his fault you allowed yourself to lose focus.” Tucker shooed the others away and pushed her back off Orion a little.

  “No, she’s right. I shouldn’t have interfered...I just, man, that was brutal. I’ve never seen a woman—”

  Mercy’s eyes went wide. “Now it’s because I’m a woman? All I’m good for is breeding and staying at camp!” She launched herself at him, knocking him back, but he surprised her by jumping backwards into a flip and landing on his good foot, ready to get out of her way if needed.

  The maneuver stopped her as curiosity won out.

  “How did you do that?” Tucker asked for her.

  Orion didn’t take his eyes off her, but slowly stood, watching her warily as if she were a wild mountain lion, and she didn’t blame him. What had come over her? She folded her arms, one, to show him he was safe...for now, and two, to keep herself reined in.

  “We’re okay? You’re okay now?” He held up his hands toward her, his eyes pleading.

  “For now,” she said evenly.

  A grin pulled at one side of his lips. “You’re a wildcat.” He leaned forward. “I like that.”

  Tucker cleared his throat. �
��Uh, you’re not alone.”

  “Yeah,” Orion coughed and stood up normally. “Were you asking about the flip?”

  “Yes, I have only seen a few people do something like that, but it was on movies I saw in the World Before,” Tucker said.

  “The man who taught me called it Free-running, but that flip is just a taste of it.” Orion’s eyes lit up, instantly making Mercy want to know more. “It’s the most amazing taste of freedom ever.”

  “Show me,” Mercy said, remembering how she had asked him the same thing the night he had shown her the sling, the night that she had found out he was her Orion.

  “I would like to learn as well,” Tucker added.

  “I would love to show you, but,” he said, looking pointedly at his leg, still braced, “I can’t...yet.”

  “When it’s healed then,” Mercy said with a nod and started back toward her dwelling. The fight with Darius had left her famished.

  “She’s a hard one to refuse, isn’t she?” Orion said as she walked away.

  “I’d like to see the man who tries to,” Tucker said, and she heard the smile on his words. “I have garden duty. I’ll see you two later.”

  Mercy raised a hand in farewell to her brother, not easing her pace, not even when she heard the strained gait of Orion doing his best to catch up with her. He caught her as she made the dwelling, reaching for the door to hold it open for her.

  “Ladies first,” he said gallantly, with a grin from ear to ear. She glared at him as she ducked in. “I’m guessing that’s not something that impresses you.”

  She shrugged out of her cloak, hanging it up and rummaging for food. Stupid comments didn’t warrant answering.

  “So, uh,” he started, as she handed him a piece of jerky and tore off a chunk of her own. “That Darius guy...it seemed like that was more than just your normal training spar.”

  “He’s a pompous jerk,” Mercy snapped, “and deserves to be put in his place.”

  “Ahh, that must be the guy your father spoke of.”

  “What do you mean?” She grabbed his shirtfront, intent on getting answers.

  He clasped his hands over hers, holding them. “Your dad once mentioned that it wasn’t a good idea to get on your bad side, that he’s seen the result of what happens.”

  Mercy let go of his shirt, sitting back on her furs. “Hmph, well, I’m glad he noticed. I can handle things on my own.”

  “That is something I think everyone could agree on,” Orion said, smoothing down his shirt. “Now a little P.C. might not hurt.” He chuckled.

  “P.C.?”

  “Politically correct. Really, it just means you could use a little sensitivity training.”

  Mercy glared at him.

  “Not that I’d change you,” he said, with a grin of peace.

  Mercy grunted, wondering if she came off as cold, but maybe that was okay. If she scared everyone off, maybe she wouldn’t have to choose one to match.

  “So, tomorrow you think you could teach me some of those moves you used on Darius? I mean, I may not be able to do them yet, but I can learn by watching.” Orion looked at her with those deep blue eyes of his.

  “I’m going hunting in the morning. We need fresh meat.” She pushed off her mat to prepare for the trip.

  “Oh, want some company?” he asked.

  She glanced down at his leg.

  “I get it. I’m still too cumbersome.” He fiddled with the tie of his boot.

  She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “You use a lot of big words.”

  He shrugged. “Reading was my favorite pastime...when I got the chance. You learn a lot from knowing how to read.”

  Mercy nodded. “We have few books here, but the ones we have, we know by heart.”

  “I’m impressed. Did your father miss any skill?”

  “Maybe this PC stuff you’re talking about?” She smirked and tossed him another piece of jerky.

  >>>—ORION—<<<

  Orion tossed and turned. His thoughts wouldn’t leave him alone. His dad should return to Zion any day now, and the thought terrified him and excited him at the same time. Would he recognize him? Would he embrace him and call him son? Would he be someone that Orion liked? Could Orion forgive him?

  The worries and what-ifs kept coming, giving him interrupted and scrambled dreams, leaving him restless. Which was why he was aware of Mercy readying to leave before dawn. The sky had barely lightened, and she was shrugging into her cloak, a garment that fit her well. He shook his head, trying to clear the sleep from it.

  He froze when he saw her turn toward him. She seemed to study him, but in the dark of the dwelling, he didn’t believe she could see that his eyes were open. With a quiet sigh, she slipped out into the freezing morning.

  His furs felt so warm and comforting. His body protested the thought of leaving them, but that woman called to him like a siren of Odysseus. He glanced over at Tucker’s furs, finding them empty and remembering Tucker had sentry duty.

  Orion grinned. With Tucker at the point, he had a chance. Quickly, he rose, threw on his outer garments and shoes, grabbed a couple strips of jerky and a bladder of water, and peeked out of the dwelling. Mercy slipped past the last dwelling.

  As silently as he could with his limping gait, he followed her, intent on getting some time with her away from camp. He had never crossed the threshold since entering Zion. By now, he knew where the entrance was located but had not gone near it. Of course, they had forbidden him to leave.

  Glancing up toward Tucker as he came to the entrance, Orion saw him looking in the direction Mercy traveled, yet his stance showed suspicion. Orion went for it anyway, and in the half-light he became turned around in the granite labyrinth. This place really was a hidden oasis, hidden in a maze of a passageway.

  Once he finally saw the light at the end, he came out from it in time to jump back behind a boulder. Mercy took her time, brushing something along the wet ground behind her as she went. He peered out, holding his breath, and saw that it was a tree branch that she used to erase her footsteps. He shot back into hiding as she turned, feeling something prickly under his fingers. Leaning against the rock were a few more tree branches.

  These people of Zion continued to amaze him. Regardless of what Meyers wanted, there was no way, without an escort, that he would ever find these secluded people…he hoped.

  Once Mercy had disappeared out of sight toward the east, he picked up a branch and, sweeping it behind him, followed the direction she had traveled. At one point, about halfway through, he felt the stare of eyes on him. He glanced up to see Tucker watching him. Orion knew Tucker had caught him, so he shrugged and lifted a hand, pointed toward where Mercy disappeared, and shrugged again.

  Tucker turned his back like he had never seen him. Orion let out a held breath, picked up his pace, and continued to follow Mercy’s tracks. A few times, she paused, turning in his direction right as he hid behind a tree. He had to wait until they were far enough from camp that she couldn’t send him back alone.

  He stopped short when he came upon her, standing in the clearing, arms extended, head tilted back as if she, herself, drew that first beam of sunlight to enfold her. The radiance lit her hair as if it were a living flame, a golden red halo encircling the angel he knew her to be.

  Guilt twisted his gut as he shifted behind the large pine. He had meant to announce his presence immediately, but the heavenly image stunned him to the point of immobility.

  What was it about this woman that had him so enamored he couldn’t function? He knew she saw him as a fumbling imbecile. That was why he had followed her on this hunt, to prove himself.

  He had to. It seemed like everything depended on it.

  His leg had only slightly pained him as he followed her through the forest. It surprised and delighted him, knowing healing was well on its way. He swallowed, readying himself to end the trance and let her know he was there.

  Suddenly, Mercy pulled her bow over her shoulder and nocked an ar
row so fast that he blinked several times in disbelief. Had she caught him? She didn’t turn toward him, though. Rather, she soundlessly pulled back the string of her bow, aiming at the thicket in front of her. She paused, frozen in preparation, waiting...waiting for what? Then she released the arrow, and her head fell as if in defeat.

  Orion wanted to reach for her, soothe her. He did not know what had happened, but the need to wrap her in his arms overwhelmed him. She moved then, light on her feet. She disappeared behind the thicket, and a moment later her soft voice floated to him. Her words were only murmurs, but soothing and awe-inspiring. Then he heard a sniffle and an intake of breath, a soft sob.

  His feet unfroze as he made his way to her, sure that something terrible had happened. What in the world would make the impenetrable Mercy cry?

  He heard her sniff again, then her voice rose. “You can come out now.”

  Orion froze again. How long had she known he was there? “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you…” He had rehearsed the lines the entire time, yet now, when he needed them, they had flown away with the breeze.

  “You still have a lot to learn.”

  He saw her shift when he cleared the thicket, and her arm wiped across her eyes. In front of her lay a deer, an arrow sticking from its side, right at the heart.

  “How did you know it was there?” he asked.

  She shrugged and laid her hand on the deer, murmuring again.

  “You talking to it?”

  “I am thanking the deer for giving its life, and the Creator for providing it.” She turned toward him. “Don’t you thank the animals that have fed you?”

  The question seemed more criticism than curiosity.

  “Actually, I have only succeeded at killing a few rabbits and squirrels, but yeah,” he shrugged, “I thank them, and I feel awful.”

  “But we need to eat.” Mercy and he said the words simultaneously.