Page 94 of Spark of Madness

Then Wesley begins to speak.

“October sixth, twenty-one eighty-five. We gather days before the full moon to bear witness to this Service of the Flesh, the first of the three Trials of Dissension for sinners Mercy Madness and Delle Carter of Ember Glen. We welcome all who belong to the community of Ember Glen to bear witness to this trial, such that it brings awareness to the hardships that await servants who sin.

“It has been decided by the authority of Ember Glen that this trial shall be carried out by the seven members of the Control, who shall seek sexual service from the sinners over the course of seven hours. The sinners shall be bound and suspended for the entirety of the period, exclusive of two brief breaks to service their biological needs. Each break shall last no longer than ten minutes.” He pauses. “Mercy Madness shall be the only sinner streamed for viewing in this intimate trial.”

Mercy’s head jerks up. “What?” she says with audible surprise.

“As the instigator of the events that prompted Delle to fall into sin and volunteer to participate in these trials, we, the Control and the Elders of Ember Glen, find this to be most appropriate given the circumstances.”

Wesley side-steps, bringing Delle and Mercy into full view of the camera where they kneel in front of me. He turns sideways to speak to me and Theo.

“Arlo Rainn and Theo Hughes, as the selected wardens of these trial participants, please present them for this Service of the Flesh.”

I step closer, close enough that I can see the way Mercy feels my presence at her back—it’s evident in the way her shoulders stiffen the moment I move into her space.

“I present Mercy Madness for the first of these three Trials of Dissension. Mercy, do you enter this trial with the understanding of your sins and the means by which you are required to serve?”

She hesitates, but strongly replies, “Yes.”

Theo speaks next. “I present Delle Carter for the first of these three Trials of Dissension. Delle, do you enter this trial with the understanding of your sins and the means by which you are required to serve?”

A small sob wracks her narrow shoulders, but she replies with a whimper, “Yes.”

I take a step back as Mercy turns her head to the left, giving Delle a quick smile, but I see she uses it as a guise for looking back at me. Her eyes strain to look behind her, and I wish I could catch her gaze with mine.

Wesley moves in front of the girls again. “Let us share a prayer before we begin.”

Clasping our hands in front of us, we all bow our heads, even Delle…but not Mercy.

Facing forward, she pulls her shoulders back as if to make it more obvious, clear that she refuses to pray. It should enrage me—and in many ways, it does—but it also impresses me. I’m not impressed by her defiance or her insolence; rather, I’m impressed by her commitment to rebellion. It’s wrong and it’s sinful, but regardless, it shows her strength.

I catch my brothers’ stares as they notice from beneath their lashes, Killian turning his bowed head ever so slightly to look at Ryker beside him with a look of disgust on his face. He’s disgusted by Mercy’s show of rebellion, and that won’t bode well for her in the upcoming hours.

My pulse is steady, but heavy, insistent through each beat that I have something to be concerned about with Killian.

I have nothing to be concerned about.

These are mybrothers.

I swallow my conflicting feelings and close my eyes to shut them all out, to listen to Wesley’s prayer and say a silent one of my own that God will find a way to remind me of what’s right and true, that He’ll guide me back to my purpose here in Ember Glen and take away this sinful longing I hold for Mercy.

“Our celestial creator and divine spirit, we come to You in this hour of trials and tribulations, seeking good favor in honor of our righteous choices,” Wesley continues. “We bring these sinners before you, offering the sacrifice of their service in honor of the Impulse Edict, to the sanctity of Your divine word. We ask for Your righteous judgment of the souls of these sinners. Should they serve appropriately through these trials and prove themselves to be truly sacrificial servants, we ask for absolution of their wretched souls. Please grant me and my brothers of the Control the strength and stamina to carry out this trial to the greatest extent of our endurance, such that we may present these sinners with a fair and exhaustive trial for their souls.Malo mori quam foedari.”

“Malo mori quam foedari,” we all repeat.

I open my eyes and lift my head at the same moment Killian steps forward to Mercy. “Say it,” he demands, moving closer against her side.

She turns her head away in response, his belt buckle level with her eyes. “Say it, sinner,” he demands. “Malo mori quam foedari.”

Bravely, she turns her head and lifts her chin high to meet his eyes. I don’t have to see them clearly to know her stare has enough heat behind it to birth a thousand stars. She glares at him silently, refusing to speak a word.

This is perhaps the stupidest she’s ever been. Either she doesn’t understand or she doesn’t care that my brothers loathe her and her rebellion. They’re eager to show this woman just how wrong she is for standing against our values, against the authority they’ve been granted to uphold the sanctity of our community.

And she refuses now, in the moments before they prepare to take her and do vile things to her precious flesh.

I latch my fingers around the back of her neck. She cries out as I jerk her sideways, bending over her, coming in close and demanding with clear, concise insistence, “Say it, Mercy. Now is not the time to show your defiance.”

I toss her forward before releasing her, and she drops to the floor, catching herself on her palms, which slap against the tile. She stays in place, chest rising and falling with her heavy, angry breaths.

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