by DC Little
“Oh, that got your attention.” The laughter that filled the room echoed in Orion’s pounding head.
“You touch her…”
“And what? You think you’re in the position to do anything about it? You’re a pawn.” The evil man grabbed his face again, squeezing hard enough he could feel the bleeding flesh filling his mouth. “You’re no longer needed. Your Old Man will get the son he always dreamed of in his son-in-law.” He tossed Orion’s head away and stood.
“Except,” Orion’s voice cracked and choked. He did his best to clear it and tried again. “Except you won’t ever live up to his expectations.”
“Ahh, is that the deal between the two of you? You not making daddy proud.” The Commander pulled his face down in mock sadness.
“Oh, no, that’s not it. I’m everything he wanted.” Orion chuckled, the vibration rattling against his bruised throat, making him gag and choke.
“You sure look it,” he said, his tone souring.
“And you don’t know how to play the game.” Orion did his best to smile, but his swollen face didn’t seem to want to cooperate.
He thought of his dad in this same position eighteen years before. They had beaten him for weeks trying to find Chantry’s first camp. Somehow they discovered it, even though his father held out. Would this evil commander find Zion? His body tensed, but as the guy continued to rattle a bunch of nonsense, he realized the man was nothing compared to Meyers. He would never find Zion.
“You know,” Orion interrupted him, “I’m tired of hearing you babble.”
The Commander stopped, head swiveling to him, rage reddening his face.
“Oh, I see, you’re not used to people telling you how dumb you are.” Orion slowly shook his head, doing his best to click his tongue.
“You insolent—” the man smacked Orion so hard he fell back into the dirt.
The smell of fresh earth filled Orion’s senses, breaking through the sharp light that blasted through him with the impact. Red hair, flashing green eyes, and the sweet smell of spring swam in his mind. What was it they said in Zion? Faith. Honor. His eyes shot open. Hope.
He struggled, bound as he was, to get himself back into a sitting position. He had Faith he was doing the right thing. He had Honor of upholding his promise to Mercy. He had Hope...he would see her again.
“You still smiling?” The Commander grabbed him, holding him by the jacket. “Tell me where the camp is!”
“You’re not so good at this, are you?”
The Commander kneed him in the stomach, sending Orion doubling over and retching.
“I see you have no regard for yourself, but your sister... If you tell me now, I promise I will treat her well. She’ll continue to live as the princess she has grown up as.” He shoved his face into Orion’s, his stinking breath causing Orion to continue retching. “You don’t, and let’s just say...once we are wed, she is my property, and I can do whatever I want with her.”
Orion’s stomach continued to convulse, but as the last spasm eased, a hysterical laugh bubbled forth, causing him to lay back and roll in the dirt.
“You think I won’t?” The Commander pulled him back up to face him.
Orion sucked down the laughter and leveled him with all the intense emotions he felt. “I think you won’t see another day. You won’t ever lay a hand on my sister, because I am going to kill you.”
“Oh, now that is funny.” The Commander hooted. He glanced around like he was used to having an audience. “The boy beat to a bloody pulp, not to mention bound and tied up in his own filth, thinks he can kill me. Me!”
The man lost control then, kicking Orion until he gasped, thinking for sure he would die before he could keep to his promise of ending the Commander’s pitiful life. His mind swirled again, and he heard the most beautiful voice he knew he ever would here on this earth.
We’re here, Orion. It will be over soon.
Orion rolled into a ball, protecting his belly from the incessant kicks, holding on, until they suddenly stopped. As if they came from another world, voices in anguish and panic filtered into his consciousness. He pushed his eyes open, searched for the Commander’s beady eyes, until he found them widening, his mouth opening, and head cocking as if he couldn’t believe the sounds he heard.
“What is going on?” the Commander muttered.
“That is the sound of your death coming,” Orion said, letting himself lie back as he struggled to breathe.
“Mulroney!” The Commander roared, his voice warbling with a tremor Orion guessed to be fear. The guy had probably never seen actual combat, only bully missions like this one.
Mulroney burst through the tent flaps, his large machete wielded in one hand. His eyes met Orion’s for a moment, then he faced the Commander.
“Well?” the Commander asked.
“Well, looks like the boy has friends.” Mulroney held the knife up to the Commander’s throat. “Including me.”
Orion would have laughed, but his body ached too much to even breathe. A single chuckle would probably send him straight into the fog slowly swirling in to overtake him. The only thing that kept him conscious was the expectation of seeing his red-headed angel, at least once more.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
>>>—MERCY—<<<
The rush that coursed through Mercy was one hundred times stronger than during a drill. She caught every movement, heard every sound, and moved like a mountain lion on the hunt. Her hand slipped in for another arrow without thinking. It flew a second later, hitting the man wielding a knife running like a maniac toward Ethan. He dropped to his knees, screaming, holding his arm with the arrow piercing straight through his hand.
Ethan nodded at her, motioning her to move on toward the tent, the place where the screams had gone silent. Mercy spun just in time to block a blow coming toward her head. She elbowed the man in the nose, but it didn’t stop him. He continued coming at her, blood running down into his mouth and past his chin.
She whacked him with her bow, dropped and swung out a leg to sweep him off his feet. A single jab to the temple made him slacken, and she moved on. She ran toward the tent, seeing a man from both her right and left coming at her. Dodging one, the other reached for her but ended up in the dirt, an arrow piercing his chest. He writhed, screaming as blood gurgled from his mouth.
Focus. Focus. She reached down, still at a run, grasped the long knife the writhing man had been planning to use against her, and pushed blindly into the tent.
She immediately backed herself against the side while she blinked her eyes, trying to make sense of the shadows in front of her. Two men stood on the opposite side. As her eyes adjusted, she saw an older man holding a long knife like she held up against the younger man’s neck.
The older man’s eyes narrowed, but he gave her a slight nod. The younger man's mouth gaped as perspiration ran down the side of his face.
She scanned the room, her heart sinking as she sunk to the ground next to a bloody mess of a body. “What have you done to him?”
Her eyes stung, and her heart hardened with a shudder. She pushed back her hood, her hair having loosened from the leather during the fighting, and spilled over her shoulders as she heard one man gasp.
“Mercy,” Orion choked.
She swept a light hand across his brow. “I’m here.” Monitoring the other two men, she carefully cut the binds that held Orion’s wrists behind him and connected to his feet. Then she cut the ties around his ankles.
Seeing him alive, relief flooded her, allowing anger to wash through her. “I told you not to leave,” she yelled.
“I know,” he said, rubbing his throat and wiping a sleeve across his blood-soaked mouth.
She helped him up, and he lowered his battered head to hers. She battled between wanting to kiss him or knock some sense into him, but as battered as his face was, she didn’t think the latter was needed.
“I’ll make this up to you,” he whispered, his hand covering hers in warmth. “First, I ha
ve a promise to keep.”
In a flash, he wrenched the long knife from her hands, lunged toward the younger man, and slit his throat clean through.
Mercy froze, the blood draining from her face, leaving behind a tingling that soon filled her entire body. The man jerked once, his face frozen in shock, before the older man let him fall at Orion’s feet.
Orion stood over him, his face beaten past recognition. “I keep my promises. You won’t be touching Lily, ever.” He kicked the body, staring at it for several moments.
Finally, he glanced up, first at the older man who nodded, then toward her. She took a step back, horror filling her.
What she could see of Orion’s swollen eyes searched hers frantically. “I...give me a chance to explain.”
Mercy blinked several times, drawing in rapid gulps of breath. He had killed a man, a defenseless man in cold blood, like it was nothing, like he had done it before...many times before.
The older man looked from Orion to her and back again. “This man was evil, Miss. Pure evil. Better to put him down than have him hurt...more.”
The man’s voice brought her out of her shock. She shook her head. “The others.”
She glanced back at Orion once as she sped out into the foray. Her eyes stung, and the light blinded her. As her hand shielded against the glare of the sun, she saw the last of the battle being settled, her men standing over the others.
A quick scan counted every member of her team standing, some a little worse for wear, but all alive. Their grim expressions turned to open mouth shock as their gazes followed past her. She turned to see the older man assisting Orion out into the light. He lifted a hand to block the bright sun.
She counted the hours, wondering how long they had beaten him. Whatever he had suffered, she didn’t need to add more to it. Not right now, at least.
When he lowered his hand and watched her through swollen lids, a small grin pulled at the corner of her lips. She turned back to her band of brothers and raised her arm. “Faith. Honor. Hope!”
“Faith. Honor. Hope!” they cheered with her.
She glanced back at Orion as he lowered his own hand, and the last word echoed from his broken lips.
They did it. They rescued one of their own...one of her own. She turned to meet Tucker’s eyes. He dipped his head, pride shining in his eyes. Butler limped his way to his son, and the others started slapping each other on their backs while a few watched the remaining survivors.
“You!” The growl erupted behind her. She spun, ready for another attack, her exhaustion instantly replaced with the prickling heat of adrenaline.
Butler swung at the man supporting Orion, knocking the older man back as he stumbled, and though he held the long knife, the man did not raise it against Butler.
“Hear me out, man.” The older man held up the hand that didn’t hold the knife. “Let me explain.”
“Dad!” Orion called out, freezing Butler, but her uncle’s eyes stayed fixed on the hard-eyed older man. “What are you doing? Mulroney is a friend.”
“Friend!” Butler grabbed the man by the back of his neck, dragging him to face Orion who wobbled unsupported.
Mercy ran to Orion’s side, shoving a shoulder under his arm. His hand squeezed her in acknowledgment, but his focus stayed on the men in front of him.
“Let this friend tell you what he did.” Butler shoved Mulroney toward Orion.
Mulroney turned away from Orion and to Butler. “I’ve been doing my best to make up for it these last eighteen years, Butler. I’ve covered for him. Took him under my wing. What else could I do?”
“What is he talking about, Mulman?” Orion’s voice tightened as he leaned heavily on Mercy.
“I…” Mulroney hung his head. “I was the one who captured you. The one who brought you along eighteen years ago. I...I had no choice. He...Meyers would have killed my wife...my own daughter.” The older man’s eyes shone, his lip trembled. “He ended up taking them, anyway. My wife has passed. My...Megan...he still has her. I can’t even...help her.”
Butler backed up, his shoulders slumping. He walked away from Mulroney, scanning Orion before taking his son’s other side. “They did a number on you, but luckily not to the extent of Meyers’ work.”
“No, not Meyers, and the man won’t harm another soul, especially not my sister.” Orion’s words had pushed through gritted teeth. He turned toward Mercy. “You understand?”
“Enough for now. We need to get you home.” Mercy met his eyes briefly, then looked around the bloody camp.
“Have any of that tea with you?” He coughed, his chest heaving and a groan escaping with the effort.
“What about them?” Ryan asked, his eyes scanning the few injured coalition soldiers left.
“We can’t let him go. They’ll tell Meyers.” Butler eyed Mulroney.
Mulroney walked toward the small group of captives, peering each one in the face, and scanning the group of her warriors.
He shuffled toward her, standing before her. “I’m guessing you’re the one to negotiate with.”
“Mercy, you can’t…” Orion started, but she pushed his weight toward his father and stepped away.
“What would you have me do?” She looked at the men, most frightened and most young...her age and younger. “Kill them? Slit their throats and end their young lives?”
“If you’d excuse me, Miss. These boys are just doing what they have to, to survive. Their loyalty lies with where they get their next meal.” Mulroney ducked his head.
“What would you have me do?” she asked the older man.
“Protect them as you protected this lost soul,” he said, his eyes finding Orion’s.
Mercy’s breath caught in her throat, and her eyes stung. She met the eyes of the boys pleading into hers, then she lifted her gaze to meet Tucker’s. His eyes remained open and yielding. This was hers to shoulder. He would stand by his own prophecy.
She scanned Orion, her heart breaking at the damage done to his beautiful body. Her own prophecy had led her to him, saved him from a fate that she didn’t want to ponder.
The weight of the decision sat heavy on her while every eye waited for her command. A rush filled her, not with ego, but with a responsibility for their lives.
“Bury the dead.” She let herself look each boy in the eye, reading them, looking for signs of evil like the man lying in the tent in a pool of his own blood.
Their eyes did not hold malice, but fear and...she squinted, peering closer...and hope. “Tie their hands and blindfold them. No more killing today.”
It wouldn’t be the first time their camp had adopted coalition men. In fact, she met one of her own men’s eyes, William. He had been one of those boys eighteen years ago and look at him now. His eyes shone with gratitude and as he inclined his head toward her with respect.
Zion had grown once again.
>>>—ORION—<<<
After Orion had collapsed for the fifth time, his father and Mercy gave him no choice but to be pulled in a travois. The group halted to cut two saplings and weave a hammock between them.
Exhaustion filled every aching muscle. Yesterday, after they had buried the bodies, Mercy had them flee the camp as if she feared the death that hung in the air. They had traveled a short distance before making a crude camp for the night.
Orion hadn’t wanted to move. Guilt spurred each painful twitch of muscle. They had come for him...not to save Zion, not to seek retaliation, but for him. The least he owed them was his absolute best. That they built a travois for him humbled him enough.
“Well, if this isn’t familiar,” Orion said with what would be a smirk if his face hadn’t been swollen.
“That’s twice you owe me,” Mercy said, softly knocking into him as they sat on the rock awaiting the travois to finish.
Her eyes tore off him and scanned the surrounding group. He followed her gaze, seeing Ethan give each prisoner a sip of water and checking their fingers to ensure their bindings weren’t cutting off
circulation.
“We have to protect Zion.” Mercy’s statement seemed more of a spoken thought, but he answered it anyway.
“Of course you do. Precaution is warranted.” He reached for her hand, entwining his fingers in hers, trying to ignore the specks of dried blood marking them. “I love the mercy you are showing them. Most of the coalition is just trying to survive under the rule of a cruel dictator. I have every belief you can make Zionians of them yet.”
“Zionians?”
Orion shrugged. “What I want to know, not that I doubted you, but how did you get into the leadership role here?”
She stood, smiling down at him. “Haven’t you heard? I’m going to save us all.”
A muffled chuckle spun Orion’s attention to his other side, where Tucker wove a hammock between the saplings. He glanced up and met Orion’s eyes. “She has finally accepted it, brother. The world better watch out now.” Tucker’s eyes sobered before they pulled away, leaving Orion just as bewildered as before.
Not long after midday, he recognized the area, even from the back of the travois. Mercy walked beside him while his father with his one good hand and Tucker pulled him. Her steps stiffened and her lips thinned the closer they came to Zion.
“Your father didn’t approve this mission, did he?” Orion’s gut twisted, knowing that once again Mercy went against protocol to save him.
She looked down at him, her eyes flashing with that spark he loved, and he knew she didn’t regret it. “No.” Then a slow grin spread across her beautiful, full lips, lips he could almost still feel against his. “But I succeeded.”
“Changes are coming,” Tucker said, joining the conversation.
“So you keep saying. What is that supposed to mean?” Orion asked, biting back his irritation.
“Don’t you think it’s time to tell him?” his father asked Tucker.
Orion tried to bend his neck to see them, irritation building. “We’re almost there. Can I at least walk into camp as a whole man?”
The travois stopped, and soon he sat, rubbing the blood back into his unused and aching limbs.