Edge of Mercy (Young Adult Dystopian)(Volume 1) (The Mercy Series) Read Free

view. John Cane and Levi Wilson were the daytime guards for the Council chambers. Whether the Council was in session or not, they sat in front of the entrance, guarding the room itself. Supposedly, inside were documents and plans to which regular members couldn’t have access, so the guards kept the room clear of prying eyes.
    As I came upon them though, I could tell immediately the Council wasn’t in session. They burned a small fuel lantern, played cards, and talked low to each other.
    John was a friend of Zeke’s, so I considered him one of mine as well. He was a little on the short side, freckled with light brown hair. Most of the time, he had a joke or a funny story to tell, so when the guards traded out in the evenings, we anticipated John’s arrival to the dining hall. As for Levi, other than his name, I didn’t really know much about him. He had red hair, stood about a half a foot taller than John, and never smiled.
    I stopped briefly to see what game they were playing. Looked like a version of an old card game my dad and I used to play called war. “Who’s winning?”
    “I am.” John grinned.
    “Bull. I am and you know it.” True to form, his lips never moved, not even a twitch of a smile.
    John looked up at me, his grin widening. “You want to play? We’ll deal you in.”
    “Nah, I’m more of a spectator than a player.”
    “Okay, suit yourself.”
    Instead of sticking around to watch them though, I spun on my heel and continued down the corridor. “Some of us have to work, you know. Not all of us can sit around playing cards all day.”
    Levi spoke, his voice a growl, “You try sitting in this hallway for hours and hours without a break. It’s not as fun as it looks.”
    I really didn’t think it looked fun at all, but I gave a nod of my head and continued on. At the end of the hall, the path branched off two ways, like a “T”. I threw a nervous glance over my shoulder as I turned left. I’d never turned right, had no reason to, but I was curious about what was down that way. It wasn’t closed off like all the restricted sections, so if I wanted to, I could explore the area, but truth be told, as interested as I was, my fear outweighed my curiosity. Hard to say what I’d find, so better to stay with the paths I knew.
    I continued down and turned right, spotting two more guards stationed outside another locked door that led to a hallway from which the Council’s living quarters were accessed. Though they greeted me with the usual hellos and unlocked the door without argument, I responded with a nod, moved past them without stopping, and plodded to the door at the end of the hallway.
    At the end of the left side of the hallway, I knocked on the door. Though a small lantern burned at the guards’ feet down the corridor, no light shown around me until the door opened and a soft glow spilled out. Once I was inside the room, the guards closed the outer door with a thud.
    “Charlie’s here, Star.”
    I handed the tray to the lean, gray-haired man, who was older than my forty-ish father had been last time I saw him, and strode into the room. My sister was sitting on the floor, her curly mop of white-blonde hair stuck out in various directions. The color was the same as mine, but unlike my cropped do, hers was a mass of adorable ringlets on top of her chubby little cheeks. Her hair could never be tamed, no matter how hard I tried each morning.
    She bounced on her bottom and reached for me the minute her dual-colored eyes registered I was in the room. I rarely thought about her eyes nowadays, but when I’d first noticed her left eye was ice-blue and her right eye was brown, to be honest, I thought something was wrong with her. But Quillen had been there too, and he’d assured me it was normal for her and meant she was unique, special even. Now, I only wondered about the oddity occasionally.
    “I see you’re no worse for wear after last night, huh?” Quillen spoke around bites and crossed the