Zane Halloway: Omnibus Edition

by P. T. Hylton

  A new High Prince of the Crags had just claimed the throne.

  ***

  The Opeleans, Zane included, were confined to their quarters for the next three days. They were treated well. The servants catered to their needs, and their rooms were luxurious. It was made clear, however, that they were not to leave the palace.

  The servants gladly passed on news as soon as they heard it. Nicholas, having defeated in single combat the man who killed the High Prince, took on the title himself. There were no illusions about what had happened. Everyone knew Nicholas had been part of the plot against his predecessor. In the Crags, that kind of ruthless, violent ambition was not only tolerated, it was celebrated. The servants reported that the Craggish people were enthusiastic about their new leader.

  “And what of us?” Prince Christopher asked the first night of their captivity.

  Lily, Zane, and the Prince were sharing a late night drink in the Prince’s sitting room. Being together on the balcony had bonded them in some strange way.

  “Nicholas has promised to free us,” Zane said. “As soon as it’s possible to do so.”

  “And do you trust that he will?” the Prince asked.

  Zane thought about that a moment before answering. “My Prince, please understand. Lily put her life on the line to save mine. I knew she’d be caught, and I knew she’d pay the price. I knew that you all would. That Opel itself would pay for her kindness. Killing the High Prince was the only thing I could think of…it was our best option, as terrible as it sounds.”

  The Prince grimaced as he drained his glass. “It’s foolishness. All of it. Risking your nation for the life of a ferox!” He looked at Lily and shook his head, but his voice lacked conviction. He was too shaken by what he’d seen to be angry.

  “In answer to your question, yes,” Zane said. “I do trust him to free us.”

  “Really? He’ll free the man who killed the leader of his nation?”

  “Also the man who gave him the throne,” Lily said.

  “Things work differently in the Crags,” Zane reminded them.

  “We shall see,” the Prince said. “We shall see.”

  Two days later, Nicholas called for the three of them. The servants led them to the High Prince’s sitting room, the same place Zane had been caught attempting to steal the ruby that didn’t exist.

  Nicholas was sitting in the tallest chair, a fur cloak wrapped around his shoulders. Zane was surprised at how regal he looked after only three days on the throne.

  The new High Prince gestured for them to sit. When they had, he said, “Firstly, I want to let you know you needn’t worry about your safety. You’ll come to no harm here, and you’re free to leave the Crags as soon as we’re done with this conversation.”

  Prince Christopher did a less than admirable job of hiding the relief that washed over his face.

  “Secondly, I apologize for the delay in having this conversation. There was a lot to deal with. The people in the palace, the rich, my old friends in the underneath…they all wanted my attention.”

  “How are they?” Zane asked. “You’re friends in the underneath, I mean. Are they pleased you have the throne?” Now that they’re no longer under the spell of the shimmer, he didn’t add.

  Nicholas frowned. “They…they’ll come around. In any case, I also had the Tavel diplomats to deal with. I’ve sent them on their way back home.”

  This time, Prince Christopher didn’t even try to hide his excitement. “That is wonderful news, High Prince. I stand ready to resume the negotiations we started with your predecessor.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I think you’ll find I do things quite differently than Gullins. Long, drawn out negotiations aren’t the way I operate. I understand what you want from us and what you have to offer. There’s nothing to discuss.”

  “Then you’ll unite with us to fight the Tavel threat?” the Opelean Prince asked.

  Nicholas turned to Zane. “Before you helped me take the crown, I made a promise. I told you I would do the right thing for my people, always, even when it was hard. That starts now.” He looked at the Prince. “I’ve signed a treaty with Tavel to provide ground troops for the war. I’m sorry to inform you we are now enemies. Your people will soon be facing my people on the battlefield.”

  The Prince’s face went pale. “High Prince, whatever they offered you—”

  “This is not a discussion,” Nicholas snapped. “You have twenty-four hours to depart. I’ll provide an escort to the Opel border to ensure your safety.” He turned to Zane. “I’m clearing the city of all Opeleans. That includes Danum and his ferox. You should know they played no part in my plan to have you executed. As far as they knew, I really wanted you to steal a ruby from Gullins. You’ll take them with you when you leave?”

  Zane nodded.

  “Good.” The new High Prince put his hands on his knees and pushed himself to a standing position. “Then we’re done here. I’ll leave you with good wishes for your safe travels and even better wishes for your nation’s luck on the battlefield. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Lily sat astride her horse, waiting to leave Sicar and return to Opel. She thought back to her old horse Moon who’d struggled to keep up with Zane and Faraday’s horses on her first trip to Langton. It seemed like so long ago. She felt like she was as different from that girl as her current horse was from Moon. She wondered, though, if she were better or worse. If she had it to do over again, would she lag behind while Zane and Faraday rode off into the distance? Maybe she’d turn Moon in a different direction. Maybe back to her parents’ farm. That life had once seemed insufficient; now she wasn’t so sure.

  A young serving boy weaved his way through the Opelean horses and stopped next to her. “Abditus Rhodes? One of the Tavellers left this for you.” He shoved a piece of paper into her hand and ran off before she could respond.

  She unfolded the paper and saw a brief note written in a familiar hand.

  Lily,

  I owe you a thousand apologies for my actions, both in Opel and here in the Crags. I wish we could have spoken while we were both here, but it wasn’t safe. I came to the Crags to acquire something more than the support of an army, and I succeeded in my goals. Someday, you will understand. There isn’t room on this page for the explanation you deserve. Simply know that I still love you and that we will be reunited. I am coming for you. Soon.

  Yours,

  Caleb

  She read the note a second time, then crumpled it in her fist and let it fall to the ground. The cryptic statements alongside the professions of love sickened her.

  Lily saw Zane standing next to Charles Danum, their heads close together, deep in conversation. She waved and caught Zane’s eye. He made his way toward her.

  They hadn’t talked since Nicholas told them his decision the day before. What was there to say? She’d done something incredibly stupid to save his life and he’d done something incredibly stupid to save hers. To thank each other would cheapen their actions. They both understood.

  They had saved each other’s lives, but at what cost? Would the Craggish nation even be entering the war if not for them? What destruction would Nicholas bring with his near-savage warriors and his powerful thorns, thorns that Opelean tangles had no hope of stopping? What price would the world pay for Lily and Zane’s meddling, for the high regard in which they held each other’s lives?

  Zane approached her horse and gave it a pat.

  Lily nodded toward Danum and the other ferox. “How are they?”

  “Confused.” Zane glanced around as if checking to make sure no one was listening. He needn’t have worried. Among the hustle and bustle around them, Lily could only just make out his voice. “Lily, do you remember when I told you Jacob illegally sold shimmers that could change people’s emotions?”

  She nodded. Where was this going?

  “I lied to you.” He sighed, and she realized he couldn’t meet her eyes. �
�I didn’t turn him in after I caught him. He agreed to stop selling the shimmers, but only if I allowed him one more sale. He said that if I went along with him for this one job, he’d pay me half the profit. And I did it. The customer was Nicholas.”

  Lily didn’t know which shocked her more, that the customer had been Nicholas or that Zane had sold an illegal shimmer to a foreigner.

  “Our mentor caught us, and Jacob used a thorn on her. He wiped out her mind. Forever.” He paused for a moment. “She’s still like that. A creature of the impulse, unable to hold a thought for more than a moment. She lives in the Oasis. I went to see her when we were searching for Irving Farns.”

  Lily remembered him slipping away when they were in the Oasis. She’d been furious at the time, angry that he’d abandoned her to take care of business he wouldn’t discuss with her.

  “That’s the real reason I quit my abditus apprenticeship. I couldn’t take the guilt of what we’d done to our mentor.”

  “Thank you,” Lily said. “Thank you for telling me.” She meant it. After all the years, all the secrets and lies, he was finally sharing something deeply personal with her. She knew how strongly that went against his nature, and she knew how much it meant.

  He just nodded. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. “Oh, I meant to return this to you.” He handed her the Nettle. “It’s yours. I gave it to you.”

  She smiled wryly. “And I gave it to you.”

  “And I’m giving it back.”

  She put the Nettle into her saddle bag. “You said that the ferox were confused. Is that because of Nicholas’s shimmer? Were they under its spell?”

  Zane nodded. “They didn’t know about his plan to betray me, to have me executed, but they were under his spell. I made Nicholas give me the shimmer before I agreed to help him take the throne. If he wants to win the love of his people, he’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.” He looked up into her eyes. “Lily, as soon as we cross the mountains, the ferox and I will disappear. We’re not going to Langton.”

  She’d suspected as much, and she didn’t blame him. She was half tempted to join him, but there was too much work to be done. “Where will you go?”

  He looked off into the distance. “We haven’t worked out the details yet, but we’ll do what we can for the war effort. We’ll do it in our own way.”

  “The ferox way?” she asked with a smile.

  “Absolutely.” His face grew suddenly serious. “With the Craggish Army joining Tavel’s side, we have only one chance of evening the odds.”

  “I know,” Lily said. “I’m already working on it.”

  Zane smiled. “Good.”

  He turned and walked back to join the other ferox.

  ***

  King Edward glared across the table at Lily. She’d just finished giving her summary of what had happened in the Crags.

  “Let me make sure I understand,” the King said. “I sent you to Tavel to form an alliance. Instead, you caused the death of their High Prince, helped crown his replacement, and then lost the support of that replacement. Am I understanding correctly?”

  This wasn’t the first time the King was hearing the story. He’d heard it from the couriers Prince Christopher had sent ahead of them. He’d heard it from Prince Christopher. He’d heard Lily’s version of the story from Jacob Von Ridden. But he’d wanted to hear it from Lily herself.

  “That is indeed an apt summary, Your Majesty,” Jacob said. “Though I’ll hasten to add that much of what you attributed to Lily was actually done by Zane Halloway.”

  They were in the room under the castle, the room where the King preferred to have his most important meetings. The same room where she’d first met the King. And Jacob.

  The King shot Jacob a furious look. “The same Zane Halloway you recommended as a reliable and skilled ferox when I needed help with that Charles Danum situation two years ago?” When Jacob didn’t reply, the King turned to his brother. “What about you? Anything to add?”

  Prince Christopher shook his head. “She gave an accurate summation.”

  Jacob licked his lips and held up a finger. “If I may, I’ve observed a few positive outcomes from this diplomatic excursion.”

  The King raised his eyebrows. “This I must hear.”

  “For one thing, Lily learned a good deal more than we previously knew about Craggish abditus and their thorns.”

  “A great comfort that will be when they’re slicing through us on the battlefield. And may I point out that she also tutored them in glide magic.”

  Jacob bowed his head, conceding the point. “We also developed a relationship with the new High Prince. Granted, it’s not currently paying dividends, but in the future, one never knows.”

  The King scoffed. “Please stop trying, Jacob.” He rubbed at his eyes wearily. “We are already losing the war. Only by inches, yes, but we are losing. Now they have the Crags on their side? If anyone has a suggestion, I would be pleased to hear it.”

  “Actually,” Jacob said, “Lily has a rather intriguing idea.”

  The King looked at her expectantly. “I’m about five minutes from throwing you in a cell, so make it good.”

  Lily took a deep breath. Even after all this time, she still got nervous when speaking to the King. Or maybe it was the fact that she was about to confess to a crime. “Back when I was apprenticing under Zane Halloway, we did a job behind the Blue Wall in Barnes.”

  “The elvish ghetto?”

  She nodded. “We met an elf named Ewrkind. He was a…a leader of sorts. He was gathering young elves, trying to teach them that they didn’t have to be so docile like their parents’ generation.”

  The King leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You’re saying there is a revolutionary elf raising an army in Barnes?”

  “I think we might be able to persuade him to join our cause.”

  The King glared at her. “That’s not good enough. How many can he have? A few hundred? A thousand maybe? That’ll hardly make a dent in the Craggish forces.”

  “If they’re like the elves of old, they could prove useful,” Prince Christopher said.

  Jacob tapped Lily on the arm. “Tell him the other part.”

  She cleared her throat. She reminded herself Ewrkind wanted this revealed. That he hated secrets. “Elves are immune to our magical devices. They don’t work on them.”

  The King’s eyes narrowed. “Impossible. My grandfather fought them. He would have known.”

  “The elves left few human survivors in those battles,” Jacob reminded him. “It would explain how they tore through us so easily.”

  “Let me go to the elvish ghetto,” Lily said. “Let me talk to Ewrkind. I believe I can convince him to join us.”

  “Freeing elves to fight in a war…I can barely guess at the political ramifications such an act would bring with it.” The King scratched at the stubble on his chin. “You understand that if I agree to send you to the elvish ghetto, I will not tolerate an empty-handed return. You cost me an army. If you fail to provide one to replace it, I will not be happy.”

  Lily bowed her head. “I understand, Your Majesty.”

  “It’s certainly an interesting idea,” the King said. “Before we talk about adding more players, there is one we need to subtract. Zane Halloway.”

  A chill ran through Lily.

  “He’s done too much damage. He’s like a Cull Flame, destroying everything in his path. We have to kill him.”

  “He’s a ferox assassin, Your Majesty,” Jacob said. “They are difficult to kill in the best of circumstances. And with all our resources focused on the war effort—”

  “The way I understand it,” the King interrupted, “he’s one of four ferox assassins. Where are the other three?”

  Jacob’s eyes widened. “I…I don’t know. I’d have to check with the Ferox Society.”

  “Find them. Tell the Society to pull them off whatever they’re doing. This is the priority now. As far as I�
�m concerned Halloway is the reason the Craggish Army is on Tavel’s side. I want him dead, and I want it to happen quickly. Understand?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Jacob said.

  “Good.” The King turned to Lily. “Now, let’s talk about how you’re going to get me an army of elves.”

  BOOK SIX: CROWNS AND DEAD MEN

  PROLOGUE

  Bartholomew stood as still as a stone, his sword held straight in front of him. Sweat rolled freely down his arms, face, and back. He badly wanted to wipe it out of his eyes, but his mentor wouldn’t allow it. If the tip of the sword dipped more than an inch, or if he took either hand off the hilt, he would have to start again. He been at it twenty-five minutes, and he did not want to start again.

  His mentor watched him silently, her face unreadable. Her hands were crossed behind her as she slowly paced, observing him from all angles. He wanted to ask what she was looking for, whether the tremors that occasionally passed through his arms would count against him, but speaking would also result in being forced to start over.

  His mentor was a difficult woman.

  With the finish line only two minutes away, his hands began to shake. He wondered why his body was revolting, betraying him at the moment when he needed it most. He took long, slow breaths, breathing air into his burning muscles and his aching limbs, concentrating on feeling the healing power flow into him with each breath. His mentor had once told him, “The greatest gift in life is all around us. It’s freely available to all, rich or poor, man or woman, young buck like you or old crone like me.”

  “Are you talking about magic?” he’d asked. He was desperate for her to begin teaching him magic, the thing for which she was so well known, but she’d scolded him each time he’d mentioned it.

  “I’m talking about air!” she’d snapped. “Take a moment to marvel at the wonder of it. The thing we need most, the thing that keeps us alive, the thing that sustains our very bodies, and we barely give it a moment’s thought. When you’re in pain and it feels like you have nothing left, think of air.”