MERCY: Playlist, Prologue, Chapter One

(Thank you so much for checking this out!) OPTIONAL PLAYLIST:

RUNRUNRUN: Dutch Melrose

Fairness: Dalparan

Etude in E Minor: Francisco Tarrega

Romance: Yuhki Kuramoto

Toxic: 2WEI

Worship: Amber Run

War of Hearts: Ruelle

Dynasty: MIIA

People You Know: Selena Gomez

Luminary: Joel Sunny

Experience: Ludovico Einuadi

Wars of Faith: Audiomachine

Friends: Finding Hope

You're Somebody Else: flora cash

I Found: Amber Run

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PROLOGUE

COBRA TERRITORY — YEARS EARLIER

COBRA TERRITORY — YEARS EARLIER

“Mom!”

A young boy’s voice shouted, his dark hair drenched, plastering to his tan skin. He blinked, the rain dripping off his sleeves. “Mom!” He screamed again. Fear shot through his small body. He didn’t know where she headed. She said she would come back. That’s all she told him. He thought she was just going for a walk. His stomach dropped, suspecting the worst. Where could she have gone in this weather?

Thunder boomed. Lightning crackled, hitting a tree. It hit the ground with a thud. Rain crashed down. The boy took a few steps back, stumbling. Small footprints were left in the slimy mud as he adjusted his footing and trudged through the storm. He saw a bright light up ahead. It looked warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding it. He began stumbling towards it, hoping for warmth, or possibly some shelter for the stormy night. He was blinded by hunger. The boy knocked on the heavy, metal door. It was secured with bolts and stones. He froze as the door creaked. And again. A shadowy figure appeared in the doorway. The boy took a few steps back, alarmed. It was a bad decision. He should’ve never come. The figure exhaled slowly. He staggered back again.

“What do we have here?”

A lady revealed herself in the entrance. She had long, thickly-layered dark hair with cold, beady, light brown eyes and thin lips. The lady had skin as pale as the moon.

“C-can I come in-n?” The boy whispered, shivering. His eyes were filled with fear, trembling, but tempted by the radiant warmth, despite how she stared coldly. The lady eyed him up and down. “Where are you supposed to be, little boy?”

“I got separated in the s-storm,” he replied, shaking with cold.

The lady thought for a second, and something in her expression shifted. She sighed. “Come on in.”

Gratefully, the boy followed her down the stony hallway. He stared wide-eyed at his surroundings. A huge window was set on the right, and he watched the lightning flash, lighting up the walkway for a second.

A train of thought abruptly came to the lady. There was something different about this boy. Something mesmerizing, something valuable. Something…useful. He was quiet when he walked, she observed. His feet hardly making a noise, his eyes clear and narrow.

As she walked away, a vision flashed in her mind. She would train him as her own. Why not? She would make him the second most feared in the Tribe, the first loyal assassin in Istaeile. Obedient, crafty, quiet. No one would dare question him, except her. She would name him after the sea, calm, but powerful and unpredictable, just like the ocean’s waves. Only then would even the others respect her Tribe. Her mouth curved into a soft, cunning smile.

She believed she was forging a powerful, ambitious weapon. But she didn’t know it then—that not all oceans can be tamed. Some only leave you crawling for mercy.

CHAPTER ONE--RAVEN

Never trust anyone.

It was what Axel taught the Eclipse Tribe from the very start. It made sense. Never get attached, never get hurt. So I’ve learned to accept it, even if it didn’t resonate with me. Or…I thought it didn’t.

I’ve lived here for years. Ever since I got abandoned and Axel took me in, the Eclipse Tribe has welcomed me as their own. And I hardly ever questioned anything or any of Axel’s choices. After all, he was leader. And this Tribe is his. He raised me.

And so I follow his rules. I try my best to.

I broke it once. And lent my heart to a boy last winter. A boy called Draco.

He is still living in the Tribe, and I catch him constantly just staring at me. I always shift uncomfortably under his amber gaze, the hairs on the back of my neck rising whenever I hear his name. When I was in the relationship, he kept pushing my borders, pressuring my decisions, taking the advantage way too quickly.

I took that as a lesson, and my best friend Solar helped me break up with him, taking my back as I confronted his actions. Looking up, I realize I’ve locked eyes with him. Again. I shift my weight from foot-to-foot, pretending to be interested in another conversation. “You’re avoiding me,” Draco hisses. I turn away, my hands clenching.

“Raven?”

I look to see Axel approaching me. Relief washes over my body. I have something else to deal with besides him.

“Yes, sir? What do you need?”

“Would you mind gathering some fruits for the Tribe? Our stock is running pretty low, and I would like it restocked and full,” Axel explains. “Of course!” I say right away. I don’t mind getting away from the bustling crowd of people for a bit. The quiet is sometimes…comforting, the wind blowing my dark blue hair up.

I walk out the entrance, then venture quite far away from the camp to a small berry patch. It is my favorite spot, and I love sitting on one of the smooth boulders, letting my mind drift. A little llygon scurries past me. It freezes, its fairy wings glittering in the sun. Its little pink tongue flicks as it scavenges for scraps of food. I smile, and it stops for a moment, cocking its head to the side, midnight eyes wide, and seems to mirror me. I laugh and shake my head as it scurries away.

It’s not the only animal type here. In Istaeile, the animals have all adapted to the land. Lucky for me, this is one of the harmless types. My jaw tightens, picturing the Dewryn and Mokie. The Dewryn is a panther with antlers like a deer. The spikes protrude out of its fur and line its spine, making any living thing easy prey. The Mokie is a mountain lion, and its tail is like a whip with sharp, jagged sides.

And from experience, I’ve learned to never. Ever. Approach them. A small smile crosses my face when I remember being younger, thinking they were pet-worthy, and trying to carry a baby Mokie home. I still remember Axel’s look of horror planted on his face.

I start humming a tune to clear my head from my busy thoughts. Despite the dangers, the humans usually live in harmony with nature, finding peace in the running streams and rocky cliffs. My mind shifts back to Eclipse. The place I’ve always called home.

Axel talked often about a pendant. I’ve only heard of it. He said it was a deep, mesmerizing blue, and held healing powers. I could see the desire in his eyes, the hunger for power and dominance. His ambitious dreams were dangerous. He also knew that the Cobra Tribe had it. He told us the legend. The healing magic came from a radioactive-looking plant, with neon blue veins. It only blooms once in a million years. And from the way he spoke about it, I could tell he believed it. And wanted it. Badly.

So, I wasn’t surprised when he launched an ambush. Cobra was ready, surprisingly. I assume that they had spies, eyes on us, somehow. We lost that battle. We lost it because of one person. Cobra’s assassin. He looked young, his eyes sharp. Quick with blows, he aimed with accuracy, taking Eclipse out. Knocking us down, one by one, until Axel was forced to call a retreat.

Suddenly, something large and solid smashes right into my head. Hard. I try dizzily to stand up and turn around, but by now, my vision was already fading in and out and fizzing black. No…no…no! Who did that? I stumble, tripping over a bump in the ground. The solid dirt comes rushing to my head. Everything goes dark.

I wake up in a dark, cold room. I try to stand up, but something was holding me back. I turn around to see ropes tied tightly around my wrists, which were then looped several times around a chair. Fear shoots through me. Where am I?

“Finally awake?”

I look back forward to see a boy. A young man with mesmerizing, unusually dark blue eyes and shiny, jet black hair. His eyes seem to glow a light electric blue in the dim light. Yet they look hard and calculating. His voice sounds amused, and he looked a bit older than me. Cobra’s assassin! I stare into his eyes, refusing to break eye contact. I remember how he could knock people out with just a blow, and how his eyes dart around, observing and calculating how fast he had to move, and how much effort he had to use. Clever. He starts to circle me.

“I remember you from the battle,” he continues to say, examining his hands. He picks up a sharp dagger. “What’s your name, darling?”

“Don’t call me that,” I insist. My cheeks burn with rage. He bends down to my eye level, his face so close to mine that I lean back. My eyes follow the motion of the dagger, which is getting awfully close.

“Then what is your name?”

“Raven.”

It suits me.

He chuckles, a smug look on his face. “Fine, I won’t call you that, little Blackbird.”

I roll my eyes, flushing. I want to wipe his expression off so bad, but I don’t know what to say.

“It was fairly easy to knock you out.” I flush, glaring at him with fire in my eyes. He sharpens the dagger, and I tense up. He stares at me, a ghost of a smile on his face.

Was I really that unaware? I exhale slowly. That’s my fault. “What am I supposed to do with that information, idiot?”

“Great nickname,” he drawls sarcastically.

“I give up,” I sigh. I suddenly notice a blue pendant resting heavily on his neck. I suppress a gasp. The pendant Axel is hunting for! I imagine the look on his face if I bring it back to him. I would be doing a great honor for Eclipse.

“Good,” he replies. My attention snaps back to him, watching as he grabs another weapon, sharpening that as well. The sound of screeching metal reaches my ears. He looks at me again, his eyes darkening. My heart thumps, and I feel blood rushing to my head. He hesitates. I tilt my head. What is he hesitating about? He pauses, lets go, and continues to move to a shelf, leaving the newly sharpened weapons and grabs another dagger. A shudder of fear takes over me, and I try desperately to free myself. “What are you going to do?”

“Don’t worry, little Blackbird,” he says. “trust me.”

How does he expect me to trust him? I raise an eyebrow, wriggling. He’s from Cobra. Worst of all, he’s Thorn’s assassin. But still I freeze, scared that he would threaten me if I say no. I feel him behind me. My breath catches in my throat as I feel his warm breath on my ear. He grabs the rope. It tightens around me. Fear spikes through my chest. “What are you doing?” I repeat, my words scraping up my throat. It suddenly loosens. He had used the dagger to free me. I turn around, full of surprise. “Go ahead,” he murmurs, opening an entrance I had not noticed before. “The door’s open.”

I look back with confusion. “Why did you bring me here then?”

He glances over at me. “You don’t need to know, little Blackbird,” he says, his eyes observant.

“What’s your name?” I ask, curiosity overtaking my fear.

“Why do you want to know?” His smug look says it all. I sigh.

“Never mind.”

“Now, do you want to stay? Because I will gladly keep you here,” he mutters impatiently. His eyes flick towards the open entrance, then settle back on me. “I stick to my words.” I press my lips together tightly, backing towards the door.

“I’m going, I’m going,” I say, then without another word, I run out of there. I try to forget the situation. To move on. There was nothing special about the encounter. My chest tightens. But the thoughts won’t leave me alone, and it gets even worse when I tried pushing them down. His unique, dark blue eyes… they carried a sense of observance. Sharp and focused. His presence still lingers with me. I feel a strange drop in my stomach. I’ve never thought much about anyone. Not like this. Even when I first met Draco. Cobra’s assassin could’ve kept me there. Or he could’ve done even worse. I shudder, my thoughts overflowing. So… why didn’t he…?

…why did he spare me?