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Authors: Denise Hall
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remain was the quiet conversation of the masters on the dais. Then came the heavy tromp as Shipe hopped down the dais' steps.
"Nice try," he told her. "You can delay all you want, but it's not going to change the fact that you've still got a whipping coming."
He caught her by the lobe of her ear and Mercy came right up onto her tiptoes, wincing expressively as he dragged her from her corner table.
"So," Tane asked, coming off the dais himself. "How do you like having your own Lesser to command?"
"I don't!" Shipe snapped, and pushed Mercy ahead of him.
"Back to your room!" He let go of her ear and his broad hand swung down to sharply smack her bottom. The blow was hard enough to cause her hips to jerk and sent her skipping forward several steps. "Don't drag your damn feet, girl.
Move!"
Behind her, well accustomed to Shipe's mood, the other masters only laughed as he swung past Tane, grumbling under his breath.
70
Judgment II: Mercy
by Denise Hall
It was only sheer reflex that caused her, when she reached the exit ahead of him, to stop just across the threshold and hold the door for him. It was not a gesture he appreciated, however, and the look on his face went from cross to seething in the space of a heartbeat.
"Did I ask you to do that?" he growled. "You think I need you to hold the damn door for me?" His voice lowered and his expression grew increasingly blacker. "I don't need you to do a goddamn thing for me! You get your skinny ass back to the room!"
She let go of the door, turning to flee even as it swung shut on him. Behind her, she heard the reverberating crash as he kicked it open and bellowed after her, "You do what you're told when I goddamn well tell you to!"
Lessers parted out of her way as she ran. She even heard some snickering as she passed them. Her face burned, and she ran faster.
By the time she reached his room, her hands were shaking and her heart hammered at her chest as though it would break straight through her ribcage. She was so rattled, she forget even to turn on the closet light. Her room was as dark as a tomb when she slammed the door behind her.
A dry sob choked from her throat as she crawled onto her bed. Grabbing her pillow, she hugged it to her chest and that's where she stayed, curled against the wall in the pitch blackness until she heard an outside door open and shut, and the unmistakable sound of Shipe crossed the floor.
The closet door swung open. She tensed, clutching the pillow so tightly that her knuckles whitened. Even her toes 71
Judgment II: Mercy
by Denise Hall
curled. But he didn't yell at her again. After a moment, the light flicked on and he leaned in the doorway to look at her.
Mercy cringed, waiting, but he still didn't yell. Instead, coldly, calmly, he said, "Get out here."
Mercy couldn't remember a time when she had ever feared the wrath of a man more. Not her father when she'd been young. Not Richard in his foulest mood. Not even Boyden when, in her second week at Judgment, for the sin of talking back, he'd taken her to the Demerit Hall and given her two vicious swipes of the heaviest cane he could find.
Struggling for obedience, she uncurled herself from around the pillow. Her legs refused to support her weight. They felt like rubber under her as she crept out of the closet to stand quaking before him.
"I may not have two legs," he told her. "But I am not a cripple, and you'll not treat me that way again."
Anger still trembled in his voice, but at least he wasn't yelling at her. Mercy jerked her head into a shaky nod. She bit her bottom lip, but it was too late. She could no more hide its betraying wobble than she could hide the tears that stung her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to offend you—"
"You offend a friend," Shipe snapped. "I'm not that to you.
Get on your knees."
It hurt her shins, she hit the floor so hard and so fast. The tears poured down her cheeks as she clasped her hands behind her back and bent to press her
"Nice try," he told her. "You can delay all you want, but it's not going to change the fact that you've still got a whipping coming."
He caught her by the lobe of her ear and Mercy came right up onto her tiptoes, wincing expressively as he dragged her from her corner table.
"So," Tane asked, coming off the dais himself. "How do you like having your own Lesser to command?"
"I don't!" Shipe snapped, and pushed Mercy ahead of him.
"Back to your room!" He let go of her ear and his broad hand swung down to sharply smack her bottom. The blow was hard enough to cause her hips to jerk and sent her skipping forward several steps. "Don't drag your damn feet, girl.
Move!"
Behind her, well accustomed to Shipe's mood, the other masters only laughed as he swung past Tane, grumbling under his breath.
70
Judgment II: Mercy
by Denise Hall
It was only sheer reflex that caused her, when she reached the exit ahead of him, to stop just across the threshold and hold the door for him. It was not a gesture he appreciated, however, and the look on his face went from cross to seething in the space of a heartbeat.
"Did I ask you to do that?" he growled. "You think I need you to hold the damn door for me?" His voice lowered and his expression grew increasingly blacker. "I don't need you to do a goddamn thing for me! You get your skinny ass back to the room!"
She let go of the door, turning to flee even as it swung shut on him. Behind her, she heard the reverberating crash as he kicked it open and bellowed after her, "You do what you're told when I goddamn well tell you to!"
Lessers parted out of her way as she ran. She even heard some snickering as she passed them. Her face burned, and she ran faster.
By the time she reached his room, her hands were shaking and her heart hammered at her chest as though it would break straight through her ribcage. She was so rattled, she forget even to turn on the closet light. Her room was as dark as a tomb when she slammed the door behind her.
A dry sob choked from her throat as she crawled onto her bed. Grabbing her pillow, she hugged it to her chest and that's where she stayed, curled against the wall in the pitch blackness until she heard an outside door open and shut, and the unmistakable sound of Shipe crossed the floor.
The closet door swung open. She tensed, clutching the pillow so tightly that her knuckles whitened. Even her toes 71
Judgment II: Mercy
by Denise Hall
curled. But he didn't yell at her again. After a moment, the light flicked on and he leaned in the doorway to look at her.
Mercy cringed, waiting, but he still didn't yell. Instead, coldly, calmly, he said, "Get out here."
Mercy couldn't remember a time when she had ever feared the wrath of a man more. Not her father when she'd been young. Not Richard in his foulest mood. Not even Boyden when, in her second week at Judgment, for the sin of talking back, he'd taken her to the Demerit Hall and given her two vicious swipes of the heaviest cane he could find.
Struggling for obedience, she uncurled herself from around the pillow. Her legs refused to support her weight. They felt like rubber under her as she crept out of the closet to stand quaking before him.
"I may not have two legs," he told her. "But I am not a cripple, and you'll not treat me that way again."
Anger still trembled in his voice, but at least he wasn't yelling at her. Mercy jerked her head into a shaky nod. She bit her bottom lip, but it was too late. She could no more hide its betraying wobble than she could hide the tears that stung her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to offend you—"
"You offend a friend," Shipe snapped. "I'm not that to you.
Get on your knees."
It hurt her shins, she hit the floor so hard and so fast. The tears poured down her cheeks as she clasped her hands behind her back and bent to press her
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