"Game of Thrones" author George RR Martin has released a new chapter for book 6 in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, "Winds of Winter." Read the chapter here, ahead of HBO's "Game of Thrones" season 4 premiere date!

The chapter is titled "Mercy," and George RR Martin revealed that the "the new chapter is actually an old chapter" from book 6, "Winds of Winter."

"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)," Martin said, Mashable reports. "So it's new in that it is material that no one but my editors (well, and Parris, and David and Dan, and a few others) have ever seen before, but it's old in that it was written a long time ago, predating any of the samples that you have seen. The first draft was, at any rate. I've rewritten it a dozen times since then."

Read an excerpt from the chapter below. The entire chapter can be found on Martin's blog.

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...

Book 6 in the series doesn't have a release date because Martin hasn't finished writing it yet. This early release of a "Winds of Winter" chapter suggests he either wants to keep fans interested, or prove that he's actually working on the next installment. Fans have voiced concerns that the author will not finish writing the book by the time the HBO TV show's plot catches up but "Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss told Vanity Fair that they sat down with Martin and heard his plan for every future chapter, Mashable reports.

"Game of Thrones" season 4 premiere date is April 6, and will focus primarily on the second half of book 3.