Perhaps this bodes well for when we can expect to get the next book, eh? George R.R. Martin, the bloody hand that crafts those epic fantasy novels in A Song of Ice and Fire — also known as the source material for HBO’s series Game of Thrones — has released another new chapter from the forthcoming installment, The Winds of Winter. And, naturally, fans are freaking out because, well, it’s pretty delightful. We’ve excerpted some of it for you, below. (And, duh: this contains some pretty big spoilers.)

Announced on his personal LiveJournal (aww, GRRM still has a LiveJournal!), called, of course, Not A Blog, the author prefaced the installment by saying, “the new chapter is actually an old chapter. But no, it’s not one I’ve published or posted before, and I don’t even think I’ve read it at a con (could be wrong there, I’ve done readings at so many cons, it all tends to blur together).” The excerpt comes less than a month after Martin released a Tyrion-fronted chapter on his A World of Ice and Fire app.

Titled “Mercy,” the chapter was allegedly supposed to be in A Dance with Dragons. A theory that’s supported by Martin’s claims that “it’s old in that it was written a long time ago, predating any of the samples that you have seen.” Here’s a sneak peek:

She woke with a gasp, not knowing who she was, or where.

The smell of blood was heavy in her nostrils… or was that her nightmare, lingering? She had dreamed of wolves again, of running through some dark pine forest with a great pack at her hells, hard on the scent of prey.

Half-light filled the room, grey and gloomy. Shivering, she sat up in bed and ran a hand across her scalp. Stubble bristled against her palm. I need to shave before Izembaro sees. Mercy, I’m Mercy, and tonight I’ll be raped and murdered. Her true name was Mercedene, but Mercy was all anyone ever called her…

You can read the entire thing over on Martin’s site. And trust us: you definitely want to read the whole thing. The ending is particularly exciting stuff.

What did you think of “Mercy”? Let’s talk about it in the comments! (And psst…make sure to join the fantasy fantasy league.)