by P. T. Hylton
Contents
Title
- Book One: Thorns and Tangles
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Book Two: Swords and Shadows
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Book Three: Lightning and Thrones
- Three Weeks Ago
- Chapter One - Now
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Book Four: Flames and Water
- Twelve Years Ago
- Chapter One - Now
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Book Five: Lies and Crossroads
- Eighteen Years Ago
- Chapter One - Now
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Book Six: Crowns and Dead Men
- Prologue
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Epilogue
- Note to Readers
- About the Author
The
Zane Halloway
Omnibus
By P.T. Hylton
BOOK ONE: THORNS AND TANGLES
CHAPTER ONE
The ship bucked and rolled under Lily’s feet. She touched the bulkhead of the captain’s quarters to steady herself, then let her hand linger a moment. She caressed the woodwork, admiring the fine details. The vessel had been built in Arrow. The famed shipyard was known not only for consistent quality but also for the magical elements built into each ship. Most people wouldn’t have noticed the subtle way the panels curved every six paces, but Lily wasn’t most people. Zane had taught her how to see the lines and edges of tangles.
Captain Zachary Derk took a long drink. When he put the bottle down on his desk, his beard was damp with the liquor. He dragged the back of his arm across his face, mopping up the moisture with his sleeve. He tilted the bottle toward Lily and raised his eyebrows. She knew he didn’t expect her to take a sip; he was merely being polite. She was tempted to do it just to see the surprised look on his face, but it would have been out of character. She gave her head the slightest of shakes.
Captain Derk shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She studied his face and was once again disappointed at how easy he was to read. She needed practice, and this man was no challenge, even for her novice skills. The way he tilted his head down and looked up at her. The way he showed his teeth in a display that wasn’t quite a smile. The way he found any excuse to look away.
He resented her. He thought her a spoiled rich girl overreacting to paranoid fantasies. He hated the stir she caused among his deckhands, the only woman to set foot on these pines in who knew how long. Maybe he hated the way she made him feel, too.
To her credit, this was all according to plan. She’d approached him in a panic just before the ship left port and begged for passage. She hadn’t been dressed for travel. She’d agreed to his outrageous fare and done it with overt gratitude. From there, she’d managed his perceptions by acting surprised at every little thing that happened aboard the ship, from the rough seas to the less-than-gourmet meals. And now, she’d come to his cabin just before sundown with the worried and vague report that she didn’t feel safe.
The captain took another pull on the bottle. “What exactly is your concern?”
She brushed a speck of dust off the shoulder of her bright orange dress, the color selected to offset her dark hair, dark skin, and dark eyes. Her training allowed her to blend into the shadows when it was useful to do so, but today it was important she be seen. That was the role. Someone who was accustomed to being seen.
“I got to thinking,” she said, “about your men.”
Derk squinted at her. “That so?”
“Indeed it is. How many of them are aboard? Twelve?”
“Fifteen,” Derk said, his weary eyes moving back to the bottle. “Not taking into account present company.”
“Fifteen,” Lily repeated. “Captain, it would only take one corrupt man among them, one greedy soul, and my life could be over. A dagger across my neck while I sleep and you’d be none the wiser ’til morning.”
His eyes narrowed. He was losing patience. This was a good thing, Lily reminded herself.
“Miss Rhodes, you told me you picked my ship at random. From the moment you approached me until the moment we put to sea, there wouldn’t have been time for your brother to bribe any of my men. And they know I’d see the lot of them hanged if harm came to my passenger. That would be the death of my reputation. It simply isn’t going to happen.”
She bit her lip, trying to display fear. “An assassin then. My brother could have hired an assassin. They could be following us, waiting ’til night to come aboard.”
The captain gave her a condescending smile. “You’ve been listening to too many tavern stories.”
“If it’s just tavern stories, how do you explain what happened to the pirate Longstrain ten years ago?” Lily asked.
The smile disappeared from Derk’s face. He sighed and stood, his chair scraping the fine floorboards as he pushed it back. He came around the desk, and Lily prepared herself for the possibility she’d misjudged the man. If he attacked her, she could end his life in a moment, but Zane would be sorely disappointed if she failed her assignment.
The captain put a hand on her shoulder. The look on his face was that of a father indulging a favored child, so she allowed it.
“I walk the deck every night before sundown. Tonight, I’d like you to accompany me.”
Lily waited just a moment and then raised her eyebrows. “Onto the deck?”
Captain Derk smiled. “There’s something I need you to see.”
He led the way and Lily followed him into the open air and up the companionway to the quarterdeck. He walked to the starboard railing and waited for her to join him. When she did, he gestured toward the sea. “What do you see?”
“Water.”
“What else?”
She made a show of looking over the choppy waters for a long moment. “Nothing else.”
Captain Derk turned to her and smiled. The first genuine smile he’d given her since the moment he took her money. “You’re wrong. You don’t see nothing. You see everything.”
She frow
ned in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Look across the water. You could spot a small ship three miles away. And there’s nothing.” He took her arm and led her to the port railing. “Same on this side. And all sides. There is nothing out there. No assassin. No angry brother. Nothing. If there were, we’d see it.”
Lily nodded slowly, as if finally understanding. “But what about after nightfall?”
“We light the deck of the ship and we have enough men watching it that the idea of someone attaching a hook and climbing aboard is nearly impossible. If through some miracle they did make it onto the deck, they would be spotted immediately.”
She looked out across the sea. “You make it all sound so simple.”
“It’s not simple. It’s twenty years experience running a ship and riding the crew until they perform like they’re greased with virgin oil.”
Lily wasn’t sure how to react to that. Would her character dispute the man, or would she accept it? She stared out at the ocean to buy herself a few moments.
“You people have it all wrong,” Captain Derk said.
Lily wasn’t sure what he meant by you people. A dig at her race, perhaps? Her rich-born status? Women in general?
“You think walls are the ultimate protection,” he continued. “Moats. Fortified castles.”
She turned toward him and arched an eyebrow, a move she’d been practicing in the mirror daily ever since she’d seen Zane do it and observed its disarming effect on a group of women. “You’re saying those things don’t provide protection?”
He shrugged. “Sure they do. Being trapped inside, cut off from food and supplies by your enemies, so hungry you resort to eating your own dead. I guess you could call that protection. But to me, protection is being able to see your enemy when he’s far away and having a fast enough ship to avoid him.” He waved an arm toward the endless waters. “You can keep your walls. The sea is the only ally I’ll ever need.”
Lily allowed herself a half smile. “And what about your men? Are they trained to fight? If by some miracle of fate you don’t spot your enemy and it comes to a battle.”
Captain Derk grinned. “Ma’am, these boys live to fight. Take one look at them and tell me they don’t.”
She nodded. “They certainly look capable. That man Matias looks like he could knock out a horse in a single blow.”
“I’d wager money on it, Miss Rhodes.”
This was the moment, and she didn’t want to rush it. It was like Zane said: When you work so hard to sow the seed, don’t forget to savor the harvest.
She made a show of looking around. “Where is Matias, anyway? Isn’t he usually buzzing around the deck?”
Captain Derk clucked his tongue without taking his eyes off her. “I expect he’s around. He has a hard time staying still. Hard worker, though.”
Lily concentrated on keeping the frown off her face. She would have to lead this horse a bit closer to water, it seemed. “I’ve noticed that about him. About all the men, actually. They’re always on the move. Always shooing me out of the way when I’m up here. I’m surprised we have the quarterdeck to ourselves.”
Derk shrugged. “Men do a little less shooing of their captain than they do of the passengers.”
She waited, not saying anything. He was almost there. She could feel it. She had to let him take the last step himself.
Derk glanced behind her and stared at the empty deck. His eyes narrowed and he slowly turned, scanning the breadth of the ship. “What the hell?” he muttered.
She took a step back into the long shadow cast by the mast and waited, trying to enjoy the moment.
The captain dashed down the companionway to the main deck, moving faster now, his voice growing louder. “What the hell is this? Where are my men?”
She followed him.
At the sound of her footsteps, he spun toward her. “You know about this? Is it your doing?”
Lily Rhodes met his eyes, letting the character fall away. She spoke in her true voice, a bit slower and deeper than the one she’d been using. “I do know about this. But it’s not my doing.”
He stepped toward her, his face wet with perspiration and red with fear. “You tell me what you know, girl.” He grabbed her upper arm hard.
She spun out of his grip, grabbing his hand as she turned and twisting it so hard and fast he fell to his knees and howled.
“What is happening is your men are dead,” she said, “and you are soon to join them.”
“You liar!” He spat the words at her. “You played upon my mercy, but it was all lies.”
She shook her head. “I told you I have a brother who does not approve of my lifestyle, and that is true. I told you I needed passage on your ship and was willing to pay a more than fair price, and that was also true. Whatever other conclusions you drew are hardly my fault.”
“You dare throw semantics in my face?” He attempted to struggle to his feet. She twisted his hand harder, driving him back down to the deck.
“I told you I believed an assassin could board your ship,” she said. “That was also true. Captain Derk, I’d like to introduce you to Zane Halloway, assassin.”
Derk twisted his head around, frantically looking for the man she described. Of course, Zane waited until Derk was looking directly toward him. The man knew how to make an entrance.
Zane stepped out of the shadows behind some rigging, shadows that seemed thin and shallow and utterly incapable of concealing a man, but until he came forward he’d been invisible even to Lily’s eyes. His dark hair was a wild unruly thing that looked wind tossed even on the stillest of days, and today was not still. He was tall and thin, and he wore a dark green cloak that flowed and shifted in the wind, making it difficult to tell whether he was moving or standing still. He held a long thin sword. Its tip rested on the deck.
“No,” the captain said. “It’s not possible. The tangles.”
Lily answered the man. She knew Zane wouldn’t speak. Not yet. “Your protective magics are indeed impressive. I noted the quality the moment I came aboard. But it’s a poor assassin who can’t get past even the finest of tangles.”
Derk was breathing faster now. He looked up at Zane with wide eyes. “Who sent you? At least tell me that.”
Zane’s face was stone. There was no emotion in it, neither pity nor anger. His piercing gray eyes bore into Derk. Lily envied that look. The utter stillness Zane exuded had a nearly physical weight to it. True stillness was a difficult skill to master, and Lily knew she was years away from matching Zane in that regard.
Zane said, “Gabe Nettles wants you to know he never believed the shipment was lost.”
Derk let out all his breath in a weary sigh. He gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The tip of Zane’s sword moved too quickly for Lily’s eyes to follow its passage. From the deck, across Derk’s throat, and back to the deck again.
Zane and Lily waited in respectful silence through the man’s final moments.
When she was sure he was dead, Lily said, “I could have done it, you know.”
“I know,” Zane said.
“Then why didn’t you let me?”
“Nettles didn’t hire you to do the job. He hired me.” He turned and walked toward the rigging. “Besides, just because you can kill doesn’t mean you are ready to do so.”
Lily knew arguing would be pointless. If Zane thought she wasn’t ready, she wasn’t ready.
“You gonna tell me how you got aboard?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” he asked.
Lily shrugged. “If I had to guess, you approached the ship in a camouflaged skiff, used a rope and hook to climb aboard, and disposed of fifteen men without any of them raising an alarm. But that would be impossible.”
Zane allowed the hint of a smile to touch his lips. “Highly improbable, at the very least. But not impossible.”
“How’d I do with my part of it?” she asked.
“You played the role, and the job got done.
That’s the important thing.”
“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means there’s always room for improvement.” He walked to the port-side rail and grabbed a rope dangling from a hook. “Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER TWO
Zane Halloway lived in a modest two-story home in a middling neighborhood in Barnes. Many of his neighbors were young people who held low-level positions in industry, people who hoped they would soon be moving on to something grander. Others were older couples, many of them former leaders and society members who’d fallen on hard times, the type of people who weren’t quite important enough to retain their positions of power when old age crept in.
The neighborhood was quiet and pleasant, but still low-class enough to make Zane’s wealthy clients uncomfortable. Which was exactly why Zane had selected it.
It had been two days since Zane had killed Captain Derk. He cherished this downtime between jobs. Sometimes it would be only days before the next opportunity presented itself. Sometimes it would be weeks. The unpredictability of his schedule made his time off all the more special.
He was reading a book on the latest scientific theories of astronomy when his appointment arrived. He heard Lily greet the man, and he put away his book and prepared himself. This was his least favorite part of the job. Listening to a potential client, and weighing the pros and cons of taking their case. Killing was a straight line, and while his methods varied from job to job, the end result was always the same. These appointments were curvy things, which was why he didn’t like them.
Lily led the man into the room. “Albert Graze to see you, Mr. Halloway.”
Mr. Halloway. She always insisted on formality in front of clients. She probably did it because it bothered him.
Albert Graze was a short, thin man with a narrow face and brown hair that hung halfway down his back. He wore a large gold chain around his neck. His clothes were expensive but wrinkled. Zane put the man in his early forties.
Zane greeted Graze with a handshake and offered him a seat.
Graze looked around the sparsely-decorated room. It was bare but for two simple chairs and a few built-in shelves. Graze was clearly unimpressed. This too was by design.
