Embers of Mercy

Table of Contents title copyright author note playlist dedication chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven chapter eight chapter nine chapter ten chapter eleven chapter twelve chapter thirteen chapter fourteen chapter fifteen chapter sixteen chapter seventeen chapter eighteen chapter nineteen chapter twenty chapter twenty-one chapter twenty-two chapter twenty-three chapter twenty-four video record one video record two video record three video record four video record five chapter twenty-five chapter twenty-six chapter twenty-seven chapter twenty-eight chapter twenty-nine chapter thirty chapter thirty-one chapter thirty-two chapter thirty-three chapter thirty-four epilogue from the author connect with brynn brynn's books acknowledgments about the author Embers of Mercy (Ember Glen, Book 3) Copyright © 2023 Brynn Ford Published by Brynn Ford Cover Design Copyright © 2022 Qamber Designs and Media Interior Formatting by Qamber Designs and Media Editing by Silvia Curry at Silvia’s Reading Corner All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews that are cited appropriately. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the author’s work. More from the Author www.brynnford.com [email protected] content warning This is a dark romance series involving many triggering elements which may be upsetting for some readers. A complete list of tropes and triggers can be found on the author’s website. www.brynnford.com/triggers series note Embers of Mercy is book three of three in the Ember Glen trilogy. It is not a standalone and the books must be read in order. Books one and two end on cliffhangers. reading order EMBER GLEN Spark of Madness Blaze of Misery Embers of Mercy playlist CLICK HERE TO STREAM ON SPOTIFY Landmines by BELLSAINT Born To Die by Euphoria ft. Bolshiee Detached from Reality by MEJKO ft. Arkane Skye Where the Lonely Ones Roam by Digital Daggers Reaper by Glaceo & RIELL The Calling (EPIX Remix) by The Rigs Breathe by Parah Dice & Brianna Marble by Neptunica & Shockz & Rebecca Helena Lover. Fighter. by SVRCINA MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Elley Duhé Unstoppable by Sia Where We Rise by Neoni Royalty by Egzod & Maestro Chives ft. Neoni Ember by Katherine McNamara Alpha by Little Destroyer For all the women who are struggling to rise… Dig deep, have faith in yourself, and begin with a single step. chapter one Arlo I'M STUNNED, PARALYZED, rooted to the spot. A whip of black lace from Ellary Hill's skirt catches on the wind before following her down into the abyss, dropping into the empty space beyond the cliff's edge. Her sudden descent is silent—no scream escapes her—and I'm horror-struck. A stunned beat of silence passes. My soul has sprouted deep roots that snake into the earth beside Mercy's grave, keeping me motionless despite the horror unfolding before my eyes. My heart, which I tore from my own chest and gave her freely, is trapped in the coffin with her, resting at the bottom of a hole dug six feet deep. But when Cambria screams, breaking through the eerie silence, the rest of my consciousness leaves my heart and soul behind. We all feel the collective pull, as though Ellary's fall drags us all down with her. My brothers and I run to save the servant who's already fallen, already gone. Cambria runs for the edge, but Killian grabs her wrist and snaps her backward into his hold. Wesley is the first to reach the edge, but his focus is set on Killian. Coming up behind him, Wesley grabs Killian's shoulders with a firm grip and jerks him back so hard he stumbles. Killian loses his grip on Cambria as he whirls to face Wesley, whose face is tense with rage. The moment she's released, Cambria runs for the edge in a panic. I sprint ahead, skidding toward the edge, barely stopping in time as I lasso an arm around her waist and tug her back. In her frenzy, she nearly met the same fate as her friend. I stumble backward as I drag her, drop my weight to sit, and pull her down with me to anchor her to the solid ground. She turns her head back to look at me with dark, teary eyes. "He pushed her…he pushed her…" "What the fuck did you do?" Wesley's voice echoes, calling for our attention. I glance over to see him stepping up to Killian, grabbing his jacket collar, and jerking him closer. Killian slaps Wesley's hands away as Owen approaches, coming in close. "Shut up, both of you. Everything is being streamed to the village right now." "There's a ledge!" Theo calls out from where he carefully leans out, looking down. He glances back at us. "She's there, I can see her!" I release Cambria and scramble to my feet, quickly telling her to stay put, then rush to join Theo's side. Cambria ignores my demand, and I see her moving from the corner of my eye, but she's down on all fours, crawling slowly, so I'm not as fearful she'll accidentally leap to her death to chase after her friend. While I lean out to look over the edge, she flattens to her belly, creeping forward to do the same. We wait and watch as the rolling fog clouds over everything, then gradually clears. At first, all I can see is the gray rock forming the ledge Theo spotted, maybe twenty or thirty feet below. But then a gust of wind blows, pushing the clouds and revealing a morbid palette of black and red splatters against the gray rock canvas.