by P. T. Hylton
“Rebecca,” Jacob said, “I never meant—”
She silenced him by dropping the pendant to the ground and crushing it with her heel. She closed her eyes and gasped. “My God. My head’s been so clouded. Why didn’t I see it?”
“Because I didn’t want you to,” Jacob said. His voice dripped with venom.
“I’ll see you both punished for this,” she said.
“No,” Jacob said. “You won’t.”
He opened his hand and Zane saw something flash. Then Rebecca was on the ground, squirming as if in pain.
Zane was frozen with shock. But only for a moment. He slapped at Jacob’s hand, and an object with a distinctive, curved edge fell to the ground.
A thorn. Jacob had used a thorn against Rebecca Waters.
“What did you do?” Zane asked through clenched teeth.
“What you wouldn’t. I saved our lives.”
Zane seethed with anger. Half of him want to leap at Jacob, to attack him with everything he had, no matter that the older man was three inches taller and outweighed him by fifty pounds. But his better instincts prevailed. He ran to Rebecca and dropped to the ground next to her.
He brushed her chestnut hair out of her eyes. “Rebecca, can you hear me?”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide and unfocused. Her lips began to move, but all that came out were unintelligible, guttural noises.
He glared at Jacob, who was bending down to pick up his thorn. “How long will it last?”
Jacob’s eyes widened in surprise. “Surely you’ve heard of Walling’s Razor.”
Zane’s breath caught in his throat. Of course he’d heard of it. It was one of the most notorious thorns in existence. It rendered the victim in a constant state of forgetting, unable to hold any thoughts for more than a few moments. There was no recovery. Rebecca Waters would be like this for the rest of her life.
There were so many questions burning within Zane. So many things he needed to know. He asked the first one that came to mind, though it hardly seemed like the most important. “How the hell did you get a Walling’s Razor?”
Jacob shrugged. “I borrowed it from a client. Thank God you didn’t damage it. Don’t worry. My client is discreet. I brought it just in case we were seen.” He paused for a moment and looked at Zane quizzically. “What, don’t tell me you thought I’d come to do a deal with a Cragsman unarmed?”
Then Zane remembered. Of course Jacob wouldn’t come unarmed. Neither would Zane.
He had the thorn halfway out of his pocket when Jacob’s foot connected with his chin, sending him sprawling onto his back. He rolled over and leapt to his feet.
Jacob punched him in the eye so hard he fell back down again.
Zane put a hand to his face and groaned. He had never been much of a fighter. Apparently the same couldn’t be said of Jacob.
“Fool,” Jacob said. “Don’t you know I just saved your life?”
Zane looked over at Rebecca, still wriggling on the ground in confusion and pain. “I’ll turn you in. You’ll hang.”
Jacob raised his hand and slapped Zane across the face. “Wake up. If you turn me in, we’ll both hang. But they’ll want to make sure they get all the details, so they’ll torture us first. We may not have pressings in Opel, but I’ve heard the king’s jailer knows his business. We’ll tell all we know, and then we’ll die. Is that what you want? Two of the Abditus Society’s brightest young minds destroyed? And for what?”
His tone softened a bit when he continued. “Look, I’m sorry I brought you into this. And her?” He bent down and gently stroked Rebecca’s hair. “She’s the last person I’d ever want to hurt. But we had to, don’t you see? It was self-defense.”
Zane shook his head. He didn’t know what to say. Selling black market shimmers was one thing, but this…“You’re a terrible human being.”
For a moment, Zane thought Jacob was going to slap him again. Instead, he said, “Make no mistake, we are in this together. You agreed to come here tonight. You agreed to sell a powerful magical device to a Cragsman. You betrayed your country. So don’t act superior. You are morally compromised. Now and forever.” He rubbed at the stubble on his chin for a moment before continuing. “The only thing we can do now is make the best of it.” He held up the coin bag and shook it. “Look, we have fifty thrones. We can spend five of them to buy five witnesses. We can even say a Cragsman attacked her. Their Abditus Society is so shrouded in mystery, no one knows whether they have Walling’s Razors. The Society will see to it that Rebecca receives the best possible care.”
“And what about us?” Zane asked.
At this Jacob smiled. “Us? Well, I’m going to take my half of the money and expand my business. I’ll be able to build up a supply of legal, approved shimmers. No more black market for me. I’ll even let the Society study my shimmer. And you? You can take your placement exam. You’re ready.” He put a hand on Zane’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “We are the future of the Abditus Society. I won’t let anything change that.”
Zane looked into Jacob’s eyes. “I’m not sure that’s your choice.”
The next day, Zane resigned from the Abditus Society and enrolled in the Ferox Academy. But he never told either Society what really happened to Rebecca Waters. He never told anyone.
CHAPTER ONE - NOW
Zane crouched in the shadows at the base of the rocks. He was staring into the black, gaping maw of a cave. It was night, and the city of Sicar was dim. The Craggish people didn’t use nearly as many street lamps as Opeleans did. He focused his eyes on the mouth of the cave. There was something hypnotic about it. Like the cave was trying to draw him in. Which was fine, because in was exactly where he needed to go. He just needed to wait for his accomplice.
A moment later he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Lily crouching behind him. As always, her approach had been silent. He’d been impressed at how quickly she’d learned to silence her steps when he’d trained her. He’d only had to show her the basic concept once. Set your foot down gently on the inner ball and slowly roll your foot to the side until it’s flat on the ground. It was a slow, methodical way to travel, requiring patience and discipline. Lily had both, and, aside from the occasional pointer to refine her technique, he’d never had to bring up the topic again.
She nodded toward the cave. “This is it?”
“Through the darkness and into your romantic paramour’s hideaway.”
She nodded again.
He’d meant his comment as a playful insult, but apparently she hadn’t noticed. That was good. It meant she was focused. She’d need to be. According to Zane’s sources, they could be facing as many as four ferox, including the former head of the Opelean Ferox Society. And Caleb Longstrain. It was impossible to say how many would be there at this time of night. If their luck held, Lily and Zane would find Caleb alone, which would present enough of a challenge.
Zane wasn’t worried. He and Lily made a hell of a team. Besides, this was very likely going to be a reconnaissance mission. He hoped they’d be able to observe Caleb’s hideout from the darkness, and, if too many people were there, they simply wouldn’t engage.
“Can you do it?” Zane asked Lily in a halting voice. She’d been hesitant to talk about her relationship with Caleb, and he wasn’t sure how she’d react to seeing him.
She looked at Zane sharply. “Capture him? Or kill him?”
“Either. Preferably, I’d like to take him alive. We need to find out who he’s been feeding his information to on the Tavel side. But, yes, killing him may be necessary.”
“I can do it,” she said, and Zane believed her.
He lit his lamp and Lily did the same. He waited to see if she’d take the lead, but she didn’t. Old habits, he supposed. He moved into the cave.
It had been a week since Zane arrived in the Craggish capital city of Sicar, and he and Lily had been going out each night. In some ways, it was like a love affair. Lily had to sneak out of the palace without anyo
ne knowing. But they weren’t sleeping together; it had never been like that with them. Although, now that Zane thought about it, the activities they engaged in were just as primal. They hunted.
They were searching for Caleb Longstrain, the King’s former Sword, the son of the greatest pirate in recent memory, and Lily’s former lover. Caleb had pretended to be the crown’s greatest defender when, in fact, he was actively working toward its destruction. And now, with Opel at war with Tavel, Longstrain’s inside knowledge and unique skill set made him a very dangerous man.
Zane had to wonder what Caleb was doing here in the Crags, the one place the war wasn’t. If all he wanted was for Tavel to win the war, he could have gone to their capital city and given them his information. But instead he’d come to a neutral country.
And then there were the four rogue ferox to consider. Two years ago, Zane had saved Charles Danum’s life and asked the man to rescue three ferox who were imprisoned in Tavel. Apparently Danum had succeeded. Now, for some reason, the four ferox had set themselves up in Sicar. It made sense as a place to hide from the authorities of both Tavel and Opel, but it appeared the ferox had covertly opened up shop here. And Caleb Longstrain was one of their clients.
And somehow they knew Zane and Lily were looking for them.
It had started innocuously. A strange noise here. A diversion there. But now both Lily and Zane were convinced that not only were they hunting the ferox; the ferox were also hunting them. And doing a better job of it. It made sense. The ferox had been living here for well over a year now, if Zane’s information was correct. Zane and Lily were newcomers. Even still, the rouge ferox’s surveillance skill had been impressive. They seemed to be able to appear and disappear at will. Charles Danum had been a well-respected ferox back when Zane had started, but he’d somehow managed to take his skills to a different level. Impressive. Especially at his age.
Last night, one of Zane’s newly-acquired sources had come through. She had seen a figure dressed in black disappear into this cave, and she eagerly reported what she’d seen, clearly anxious for the coin Zane had promised in exchange for information. Zane had stolen city plans from the hall of records later that night and learned about the series of interconnected underground tunnels. Long ago, they’d been used to make deliveries to rich families without cluttering up the surface-level streets with the serving classes. Now, they mostly sat empty.
Zane had been more than a little pleased at the discovery. After a week of frustration, finally a breakthrough. He was also pleased to uncover the rogue ferox’s method of travel. They weren’t masters of illusion. They were just disappearing into tunnels every time Zane or Lily got close.
Now Zane and Lily crept down the tunnel, which was silent except for the faint stir of their breath. And the rats. There were so many rats down here. Zane couldn’t see them, but he could hear them as they scurried along the stone. A memory flashed into his mind, the stories he’d heard as a child about the monstrous rats living in the sewers beneath Langton, some of them supposedly the size of dogs, but he quickly pushed it aside. He’d been afraid of rats once. He’d been afraid of a lot of things—his father, his first schoolmaster, Rebecca Waters, elves—but that had been a long time ago, another life. Now he knew fear was like the lookout on the mast. He couldn’t afford to ignore it completely, but it also couldn’t be allowed to steer the ship. It was something to be taken into consideration, something that called attention to things he might not otherwise notice. But it wasn’t his master.
After a few hundred yards, the hall widened and they saw a distant light glowing somewhere ahead. Zane glanced back at Lily.
She raised a questioning eyebrow, silently asking whether they should proceed.
He nodded. He was just about to move toward the light when a loud voice called out.
“Zane Halloway! Well met, old friend.”
The voice came from near the mouth of the cave.
Zane quickly snuffed out his lamp, and Lily did the same. The darkness was short-lived, however. Bright lamps, much brighter than the ones Zane and Lily were carrying, approached from both sides. They were surrounded.
Lily already had her sword in her hand. That sword. The one enhanced with glides. The idea of Lily, the most naturally gifted ferox Zane had ever met, as an abditus still tore at him. He’d done everything he could to keep her away from the world of politics and magic, but he’d somehow pushed her right into it. Although now, as they were about to face off against four ferox, a pirate warrior, and maybe a few of their Craggish friends, Zane wasn’t about to turn his nose up at having a magical sword fighting for his side.
He spoke quietly, so only Lily could hear him. “Any suggestions?”
“Suggestions? Let me see. Yes. You talk our way out of this so we don’t have to die in a rat-filled tunnel in the damned Crags.”
“I shall do my best.”
The light coming from the cave opening drew near, and he saw Charles Danum approaching. Alone.
“We can rush him if need be,” Lily said. “I can cut through him. Just give me the word.”
Zane hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He had saved the man’s life, after all.
He heard someone approaching from behind. He turned, putting his back against the cave wall so he’d have visibility in both directions, and saw three figures in black ferox garb, two women and one man.
Lily cursed under her breath.
“What is it?” Zane asked.
“The blonde one. Her name’s Gladys Harrington. She was in her last year of Ferox Academy when I was in my first.”
“I take it you don’t like her?”
“No.”
Danum was close enough now that Zane could see he wasn’t holding a weapon. Neither were the others.
“I see you got our message,” Danum said, a wide smile on his face.
It took Zane a moment, then he got it. That source had been far too eager to point out this cave, and Zane had been far too eager to believe he’d lucked his way into the information. It wouldn’t have happened back home in Barnes, where he had a trusted network of informants cultivated over many years. But here he’d been desperate. He’d been sloppy. And now it would cost them their lives.
One look at Lily showed she was thinking the same thing. Her lips were pressed together in an angry line.
“Indeed I did,” Zane called back to Danum. “And here we are. What did you want to talk to us about?”
Danum stopped ten feet away from them. The ferox approaching from the other direction did the same. “We don’t want to talk. We want to hire you. Shall we go somewhere more comfortable?”
A few moments later, Danum was leading them through the tunnels toward what he called the underneath.
“I’ll tell you, Zane, leaving Opel was the best thing I’ve ever done,” he called back over his shoulder. “The things I’ve seen. And the adventures! Stepping out of that stuffy office at the Society Hall was like waking up from a long, bureaucratic nightmare. For the first time in years, I feel like myself again.”
Zane had to admit, his old friend did look good. He had lost the belly, but it wasn’t just that. There was a spring in his step that made him look ten years younger.
“We heard you were working for Caleb Longstrain,” Zane said. No use beating around the bush.
Danum hesitated in his gait, but only for half a step. “Ah. So that’s it. You came to collect the little traitor.”
“Among other things,” Lily said. “He made it sound like you were his personal ferox. At his beck and call.”
Danum glanced back at Zane. “She’s good. Pushes all the right buttons. Trying to goad me into an emotional response.” Then, to Lily, “Where’d you end up? I was considering placing you in Gippen, to follow in your mentor’s footsteps, before I was deposed.”
There was an awkward pause, then Zane said, “She isn’t a ferox. She’s an abditus now.” He almost added the word apprentice but omitted it at the last moment, afraid she mi
ght take it the wrong way. As good as things had been between Lily and him over the past week, as natural as it had felt working together, they still hadn’t talked about the big questions. The big question, really. Why she’d left his tutelage for Von Ridden’s.
“Ah,” Danum said, clearly taken aback. “I’m surprised I hadn’t heard about that. There must be a story there.”
“You were going to tell us about Longstrain,” Lily said quickly.
Danum said, “We did some work for him. Two quick jobs.”
“And those were?” Zane asked.
“Come now. We might be morally comprised, but we haven’t fallen so far that we’re willing to talk about a job without our client’s consent. But we aren’t his—what did Lily call it?—personal ferox.”
Zane said, “Charles, we need to tell us everything you know about Longstrain and what he’s up to. I won’t consider accepting a job from you until you’ve done so.”
Danum nodded slowly. “I’ll tell you what I know, but it isn’t much. It was two quick jobs, nothing more. We just needed the money. For our real work.”
“What work is that?” Lily asked.
“It’s just ahead. I’ll show you.”
A few moments later the cave expanded once again, this time to a huge open space filled with what must have been two hundred Cragsmen and Cragswomen. Some just milled about, but many of them were at work. Basket weaving seemed to be the most common activity. But there were also woodworkers and seamstresses. And a few on the north side were sparring with axes.
“What is this place?” Zane asked.
Danum clapped him on the back. “This is our real work.”
Zane noticed that a high percentage of the people, maybe a quarter of them, were missing a limb or were disfigured in some other way.
Danum continued, “Dueling is an important part of The Crags culture. As is a lack of tolerance for the weak. The duels often result in death. But the losers who survive are cast out. Often, they end up down here in the underneath, doing menial work and barely scraping out enough to eat. But the worst part is the despair. They have no hope of ever improving their lots in life. Many turn to crime. Or suicide.”