Zane Halloway: Omnibus Edition

by P. T. Hylton

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It was morning—that was the one thing Zane had going for him. They wouldn’t expect him in the morning.

  As soon as he left the Harken inn where he’d spent the night, he felt a weight in the air, like he was being watched. It could have been the Pruits, but it could have just as easily been his paranoia. He was afraid of what he was about to do, of what he’d already done the previous night in the Craggish camp, not because of the consequences for himself, but for his nation. He was vain enough to think he could probably worm his way out of whatever situation he’d gotten himself into. He always had in the past, after all. But if his plan didn’t work the way he wanted, Opel could be in serious trouble. In the very near future, there might not even be an Opel. It was a lot to bet on his own plan. At some point, Zane knew, his hubris would hurt someone, just as Jacob’s hubris had hurt Rebecca Waters that night eighteen years before. He hoped his entire nation wouldn’t pay the price.

  Still, he genuinely wanted to help with the war. He needed to stop Caleb Longstrain from hurting Lily. He also wanted the king to call off the Pruits. This was the only way he knew to accomplish all three goals.

  He kept to the busiest streets as he walked through Harken. Not that the Pruits wouldn’t attack him with witnesses, but it could make them hesitate. More crowds meant possibly injuring a bystander which led to all sorts of complications. If they really were following him, and he was becoming more and more convinced they were, they would want to catch him alone, if possible. So the busy streets were his best bet.

  Leaving town, there were many travelers following his same path toward the Opelean Army camps. Merchants were heading toward the camps, and soldiers were heading toward town, apparently wanting to spend their downtime in the city rather than in the crowded, smelly camp.

  When he reached camp, he headed for the largest tent near the center, the tent that must have belonged to the king. He saw a cluster of the King’s Guards sitting around a fire, roasting a rabbit. Zane walked up to the Guard on the far right, a man who wore a red stripe on his sleeve that indicated his rank.

  “Captain,” Zane said. “My name is Zane Halloway. I’m a wanted fugitive. Would you be so kind as to take me to the king so I may surrender to him?”

  The captain looked up from the tiny bones on his tin plate. He was still chewing the rabbit, and his mouth was smeared with grease.

  “A fugitive, you say?” he asked through the food. He looked annoyed. “The king doesn’t have time to see every scoundrel and deserter mucking around this camp, so if you want to surrender, it’ll have to be to me. I’ll throw you in the brig, if that’s what you want, after I finish my breakfast. What did you do, anyway?”

  Zane said, “I killed the High Prince of the Crags and helped the new one take the throne. The king blames me for the Craggish declaring war on us.”

  The captain stopped chewing. He set his plate down on the ground next to him.

  Zane noticed the chatter had stopped and the eyes of every Guard in the group were on him.

  The captain stood, brushing off his pants. He stared at Zane with the cautious gaze of someone looking at a madman. “Tell you what I’ll do. I’ll put you in the brig, then I’ll get the king and bring him to you.”

  Zane sighed. Why did even surrendering have to be so difficult? “I don’t think so. Take me to the king and I’ll surrender to him directly.”

  The captain’s eyes narrowed. Sensing the tension, a few of his fellow Guards stood up and put their hands on their swords.

  “First you disturb me during breakfast, and then you get disagreeable,” the captain said. He drew his sword and let the tip rest on the ground, just letting Zane know he had a weapon and would use it if necessary. “This isn’t a discussion. I’m taking you to the brig.”

  Zane didn’t have time for this. He’d vainly assumed the King’s Guard would have heard of him. It seemed a demonstration was in order.

  In one quick motion, he drew his sword and swung it, knocking the captain’s sword out of his hand. Zane had his sword back in his scabbard before most of the Guards knew what had happened.

  The captain’s face reddened. “You’ve just assaulted a member of the King’s Guard.”

  “Yes, I’m very naughty,” Zane said. “If you’d be so kind as to take me to the king, I’d be glad to face my punishment.”

  The other Guards drew their swords. Zane felt the first prickle of sweat on his forehead. Five-on-one was never good odds, and against the King’s Guards? He wouldn’t have the element of surprise now. They no longer thought of him as just a crazy person. They’d seen how fast he was. He had to talk his way out of this fight.

  “Captain, please accept my apologies, but you must understand it’s urgent that I see the king. I have important information that could help end this war.”

  The captain picked up his sword, his gaze never leaving Zane. “If that’s true, we’ll make sure your information gets passed to the appropriate parties. But our job is to protect the king, and there’s no way I’m letting you anywhere near him.”

  “I’m a ferox. You know Lily Rhodes, the Shadow’s apprentice? I’m her former mentor.”

  A few of their eyes flashed with recognition at Lily’s name, but none of them lowered their weapons.

  “Last chance,” the captain said. “Drop your weapon and we’ll talk. Otherwise, we show you how we treat people who strike King’s Guards.”

  Zane had only a moment to consider how he was supposed to drop his weapon when he wasn’t holding one. Then a voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “Hells bells! Is that Zane Halloway?”

  Zane turned and saw a familiar man approaching. He didn’t remember the Guard’s name, but he’d seen him on his visit to Langton two years before. It was the Guard who’d let Zane and Lily into the castle.

  The captain’s eyes flickered toward the new arrival, but only for a moment. He wasn’t comfortable taking his eyes off Zane, apparently.

  “You know him, Grady?” the captain asked.

  “Of course! The king’s been hunting him for weeks.”

  Ten minutes later, Zane was led into the king’s tent, surrounded by a healthy allotment of King’s Guards.

  The king sat in a large chair behind a table. He stared at Zane, his eyes burning with barely contained rage.

  “I’ve already sentenced you to death,” the king said. “Since the assassins haven’t done their job, my Guards will have to take care of it. You’re to be hanged within the hour. But first, I’m curious why you came here.”

  Zane bowed his head. “I understand, Your Majesty. I wanted to show you something.” He reached into his pocket, and the Guards around him tensed.

  “Slowly,” the king said.

  “I paid a visit to the Craggish camp last night, Your Majesty,” Zane said. He raised his hand and showed the king what he’d taken.

  “What is that?” the king asked, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

  Zane had the feeling the king knew exactly what it was. “Just my contribution to the war effort. And the first step in a plan I believe can turn the tides in our favor. Your Majesty, will you allow me to explain?”

  The king stared at the object in Zane’s hand for a long moment, then nodded.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Lily finished speaking and closed her mouth, letting the silence hang in the air. She felt slightly lightheaded. She’d done it. She’d finished saying her vows, committing herself to the Abditus Society for life.

  It was bittersweet. On the one hand, she hadn’t chosen this path because it was her passion. She’d been forced into it to protect Zane. On the other hand, there was no denying she was good at it. Jacob had seen something in her, and he hadn’t been wrong. More than that, she enjoyed it. She lost herself in the work when building glides, and the occasional tangle, in a way she never had with her ferox tasks. Although there were plenty of things she missed about that life, too.

  All that didn’t matter now,
not how she’d come to this nor whether it was her first choice. It was done. She’d said her vows. Lily was now and forever an abditus. The only question was what type of career she would choose. Of course, she had to survive the war first. And there had to be a nation left for her to live in.

  Another thought struck her. She’d completed her apprenticeship. She’d fulfilled her obligation to Jacob. Which meant he was now required to destroy the evidence he had against Zane. She wondered if she should bring that up now or wait.

  A King’s Guard entered the tent, disturbing her from her thoughts. “The king would see you.”

  He was looking back and forth from Jacob to Lily.

  “Me, too?” she asked.

  The Guard nodded. “Both of you.”

  Lily awkwardly shook Worring’s hand before leaving. She then followed Jacob toward the king’s tent.

  “What do you think he wants?” Lily asked, although she could venture a guess. If it involved her, it was either something with the elves or…or, the assassins had succeeded in killing Zane and His Majesty wanted to share the good news.

  “I don’t know,” Jacob muttered, but she had the feeling he too suspected the possible reasons. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  When Lily first met Jacob, she’d seen him as an adversary. It hadn’t helped that he’d killed Faraday and coerced her into service by threatening her mentor. But over time she’d come to…not like him, exactly. But she did respect him. And she felt she understood him. He was a lot like Zane in some ways. Zane would bend the rules as long as it got him to where he needed to be, as long as it served his version of the greater good. Jacob was an even more extreme example of that. He worked diligently for what he believed in, and he was willing to do terrible things if it was required. He had been a good mentor, and she’d always felt he was trying his best to help her succeed, even if his methods were sometimes strange.

  Zane, on the other hand—

  No, she didn’t want to think about Zane. About what news could be waiting for her inside the king’s tent.

  They reached the tent and the two Guards stepped aside, allowing them to pass. Jacob went first, and, as he stepped inside, Lily heard him let out a soft gasp. A moment later, she saw why.

  Zane Halloway stood in the tent, his hands bound in front of him, a King’s Guard on either side. He gave her a wry smile.

  Ewrkind, General Brewner, and Prince Christopher were all present, and they all wore somber expressions.

  She wanted to run over and hug Zane, but she didn’t think that would be well-received. Instead, as was protocol, she went to the king and bowed. “Your Majesty.”

  Jacob did the same and, relieved of the burden of custom, everyone in the tent seemed to relax a little.

  The king nodded toward Zane. “We caught him in camp an hour ago.”

  Lily cocked her head. “He turned himself in, Your Majesty?”

  The king shrugged. “He surrendered once he saw we had him surrounded. Who knows what kind of mischief he had planned before that.”

  Lily allowed herself to relax a little. If Zane had been in camp, if he’d allowed himself to be seen in camp, he’d intended to turn himself in. That changed everything. That meant he had a plan. He was here for a purpose.

  Or, a darker part of her suggested, maybe he was just tired of running. Maybe he really did want to die.

  No, she wouldn’t allow herself to believe that.

  “What of the assassins?” Jacob asked. “Kipling and the Pruits?”

  “Kipling’s dead,” Zane said. “Killed him myself, the sadistic old bastard. The Pruits are still alive and hunting for me, to the best of my knowledge.”

  The king’s smile faded into a mask of skepticism. He turned to Jacob. “Ferox Halloway says he wants to help with the war effort. He has a plan.”

  Jacob’s face was unreadable. “Does he, Your Majesty?”

  The king said, “Yes. After allowing my traitorous King’s Sword to escape. After attempting to kill the High Prince of the Crags, and then actually doing it. After participating in a scheme to win a new High Prince the throne, a High Prince not sympathetic to the Opelean cause.”

  Zane hadn’t just participated in the scheme to win Nicholas the Craggish throne; it had been his idea. Lily wasn’t about to point that out now.

  “After all that,” the king said, his voice growing louder and his face reddening, “now he wants to help. What’s more, he’s put his plan into action without consulting his king.”

  Lily suppressed a smile. Now that sounded like Zane.

  The king waved his hand toward the ferox. “Tell them.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Zane said. “The Craggish culture is such that personal offenses cannot go unanswered. Not repaying an insult would be seen as weakness, and weakness is death. So last night, I snuck into the Craggish camp and delivered an insult.” He glanced toward the king before continuing. “I went to the High Prince’s tent—”

  “Wait,” Jacob said. “The Craggish High Prince? We weren’t even sure he was here. It makes sense that he’d accompany his troops into battle, but we wondered if he’d leave his country so soon after taking the throne.”

  The king slammed his hand down on the table, and everyone fell silent. “What we did or didn’t know hardly matters. What matters is that Zane snuck into the tent of the High Prince and took this.” He held up what looked to be a foot long black rope.

  Lily squinted at it, trying to identify it. Then her eyes widened as she realized what it was. She turned to Zane. “You cut off the High Prince’s hair?”

  Zane nodded, his expression blank.

  “How the hell did you manage that?” Jacob asked.

  “It’s wasn’t as difficult as you’d think,” Zane said. “The Craggish are an overconfident people. All it took was the cover of darkness and a few minutes with a knife. He was sleeping.”

  “And he didn’t wake up?” Jacob asked.

  Zane shook his head.

  Lily was barely listening. She was trying to work out the consequences of what Zane was telling him. Craggish men wore their hair in buns. Only those who lost one-on-one duels were required to cut them. Having this happen would be a huge embarrassment to any Cragsman, even more so to the High Prince. But to this High Prince, this man who had already been dishonored once when he’d lost a duel, it would be doubly embarrassing. Nicholas would be out for blood.

  “I don’t understand,” Jacob said. “If you were in his tent, why not kill him?”

  “Currently, we’re only facing a quarter of the Craggish Army,” Zane said. “If their High Prince dies in battle, so be it. The Craggish understand that is the price of war. But if we were to assassinate him in the night, that would be another matter. The Craggish would attack us with everything they had. Am I not correct, Prince Christopher?”

  Lily saw what Zane was doing, subtly taking control of the conversation and calling on the second most powerful person in the room, a man who also happened to be a prince.

  Prince Christopher didn’t seem to notice. “Your logic is sound.”

  General Brewner growled. “Our course is clear. We hang Ferox Halloway. That lets the High Prince know Halloway wasn’t acting on our orders. We could even send an envoy to explain things, to let him know you already had ordered Halloway’s execution weeks before any of this.”

  Jacob squeezed his eyes shut, as if what he was about to say pained him. “That’s not a good idea, Your Majesty.”

  The king frowned. “Explain.”

  It was Ewrkind who answered. “It makes you appear weak. As if you’d do anything to appease them. Executing the man who struck such a demoralizing blow sends the wrong message to both the Craggish High Prince and your own troops. It shows that you fear them. And once they know you fear them, they will press their advantage, attacking more aggressively than before.”

  The king looked at his brother.

  “The elf…is not wrong,” Prince Christopher said.

&nbs
p; The king sighed. The room was silent as he rubbed at his chin. Finally, he looked up at Zane. “Ferox Halloway, you have succeeded in painting us into a corner. The way I understand it, that is your specialty. Killing you does not seem like the ideal option at the moment.” He raised a finger and pointed it at Zane. “But understand that this is only a temporary reprieve. When the war ends, so does your life.”

  Zane bowed his head. “Of course, Your Majesty. Until then, I shall serve at your pleasure.”

  King Edward scoffed. “My pleasure. My pleasure would be to see your head on a spike.” He scratched at the stubble on his cheek for a moment. “Well, Halloway, you’ve put us in this position. I assume you have some plan for exploiting it.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Zane said. “The beauty of our position now is that Nicholas is honor bound to find me on the battlefield. His top soldiers are honor bound to protect their High Prince.”

  General Brewner let out a laugh that reminded Lily of a dog barking. “So we can control where the Craggish forces attack. Put Ferox Halloway somewhere visible, and Nicholas will attack it.”

  Zane nodded. “And I’m told you haven’t used the elves in combat yet.”

  “No,” Ewrkind growled. “They haven’t.”

  Lily knew this was a point of contention with the elves though they’d only been here a few days. They’d imagined immediately leaping into battle upon arrival. In truth, there’d only been a few major battles thus far, though the last one had been especially costly to the Opelean Army.

  The king frowned. “Please. While we appreciate the elves’ enthusiasm, we can’t count on them to turn the tide. Even if they’re immune to our thorns, we’ve seen that the Craggish thorns are on a different level. For all we know, the elves will burn the same as our men.”

  “That’s not how it works,” Ewrkind said, his voice thick with irritation.