Chapter 34
Zane
The twins were all in with him. Zane outlined what had happened—Talon and Emmeric had rescued Iyana, and Uther had tasked him with finding them; but, in reality, Zane had questions only they could answer. He’d been questioning his father’s motives, and his own place within the kingdom’s future, but Geoff and Gordon didn’t need to know all of his personal business. The brothers had enthusiastically agreed to help him. It seemed they loved and trusted the other two soldiers in their little retinue and were willing to commit treason to aid them. Zane wouldn’t lie to himself; if any of them were caught, they would all be killed. Uther would not make an exception for his own son.
They had trekked south towards Huton, and it didn’t take long for Zane to sniff out one of Uther’s tails—a man disguised as a merchant farmer who was following them a little too closely. After a quick interrogation, the man admitted to working for the emperor. He was supposed to watch their movements, make sure they were actually searching for the girl, and report back to Uther. He told Zane all the information without coercion. His father needed to find better spies. Zane offered the man money to lie low in Huton for a while, then report back to Uther that the prince was doing exactly as he was told, but he refused, too scared of the repercussions from Uther should he be caught. So Zane had no choice but to slit the man’s throat. He didn’t want to, and he felt terrible, but he told himself there was no other way. The twins never questioned his judgment.
Without going all the way into Huton, the trio turned around to head north, staying off the well-worn road and covering their tracks as they went. By riding hard for a few days, they picked up the escapees’ trail without difficulty. Zane was appalled to discover they hadn’t attempted to conceal their tracks at all. Horseshoes, footprints, doused fires, and food refuse were all left in the open. Blood spotted the ground in a pattern suggesting a gallop, and horsehair of such a high quality the beasts could only be from the capital littered the ground and shrubs. A tracker with much less experience than he could have followed them easily. He was sure his father did not trust him enough to get the job done and would hedge his bets by sending out another team or two to hunt down the girl. Zane didn’t see any evidence yet of anyone else following them, but he would stay vigilant and deal with them as well if the need arose.
The blood spatter was consistent until approximately two days’ ride north of Athusia. There they found an area with a larger pool of blood, and the first findings of an actual camp with a fire pit and scattered footprints. Zane picked out four distinct prints, one being much smaller than the others and barefoot. It had to be Iyana. He’d never met anyone else so adamant about not wearing shoes before. The fact he could see her footprints meant she was up and walking, so she must have found a way to be healed. Whether through her Aztia magic, her healer magic, or some other way was uncertain. It also wasn’t clear if she was fully healed, or still dealing with some injuries. Two sets of prints belonged to Talon and Emmeric, then, and the fourth set belonged to the mystery man he’d seen riding out with Iyana.
A nearby spring provided the three men and their horses with fresh water. Zane was stroking Ryunn’s side, contemplating staying there for the night or continuing on, when he noticed something lying in the roots of a tree on the edge of the water. It was a cloak—tattered beyond repair and filthy, but still an obvious Holygazer green. This was part of the mandated uniform of the royal guard. Zane brought it to his nose, then yanked it away with a grimace. The stink of blood, sweat, urine, and general despair was strong within the folds of the fabric. Along with the footprints, it further solidified that they were on the right track. He guessed it belonged to Emmeric, as he was the one visiting her in the dungeons, although it could have belonged to Talon as well. A very faint lemony scent was still present despite all the other layers of odor on top of it, which wasn’t what he remembered Talon smelling of. From their brief stay together in the same room in Huton, he recalled more of an intoxicating spiced rum scent. Zane decided they would stay the night there after all. Once a fire was roaring, he burned the cloak to ashes, and the next morning he removed all other traces anyone had been there.
After another couple of days, they came upon the scene of an altercation of some kind. Iyana’s footprints wandered away from camp into the surrounding woods, and then prints which must have belonged to a large cat were near hers. There was no blood, no body, and the cat prints disappeared. The strange thing was a new set of small, barefoot prints arrived and walked back to the camp with them. Zane couldn’t discern where the new person had come from, or where the cat had gone. The cat’s prints were massive, bigger than any he’d seen before; it had to be at least five feet tall at the shoulder. A shapeshifter was the only explanation that made any sort of sense, but he was under the impression they’d gone extinct. There had been books in the Athusia castle library about shapeshifting, and if Zane remembered correctly, they mostly congregated in Nyr. The kingdom stayed extremely isolated, and shifters might still hide within its borders. There was no way for him to confirm his suspicions until they caught up. As he did at the last site, he and the twins cleared the ground of any prints.
Days later, as they approached a clearing, the smell of death wafted towards them. Zane’s stomach flipped. Oh gods, no. He hoped it was only a deer carcass.
Geoff covered his mouth and nose with the bottom of his shirt. “Gods, I hate that smell.” He gagged.
Gordan laughed at him. “Come on, little brother, you’re tougher than this.”
“Just because you’re two minutes older than me doesn’t mean you can call me little brother.”
“I think it’s exactly what that means,” Gordon said, still laughing at his brother’s expense.
“Guys,” Zane said, keeping his voice low, “we may want to be on the lookout for trouble.”
“Yeah, right,” Geoff said at the same time Gordon said, “Of course.”
Tying their horses to a tree to avoid the clip-clopping sound of their hooves on the ground, the three men crept through the trees, approaching the clearing with caution. The stench of rotting bodies grew stronger, making even Zane want to gag, bile rising in his throat. This was more than a deer carcass. It had to be more than one body. Please, Zane prayed. He didn’t know which god he was praying to, or what he was praying for.
Peering through the branches, Zane counted seven bodies—all men, all wearing black. Whatever had happened seemed to be long over, but he cautiously eased out of the trees, tense and with his hand on his sword. Gordon toed one of the dead men so that the body flopped onto its back. Vacant, glassy eyes stared up at the sky. Flies buzzed around an open wound; half his throat had been torn away. Geoff gagged again. Zane continued to peruse the clearing. All the bodies appeared to be men they didn’t know—bounty hunters or bandits, based on their appearance and choice of clothing. Zane knew his father had put a large reward for Iyana to be returned alive; he hoped not many would be searching. It would make his life that much more difficult.
“The cat’s prints are here too,” Gordon said, still near the man missing most of his neck.
“Did they pick up a pet?” Geoff asked.
Zane shook his head, noticing a dead man further away than the others. “I think it’s a shifter.”
“No shit,” Geoff said.
There was a faint blast pattern on that side of the clearing, the grasses bent backwards at an unnatural angle. The body lay at the edge of the blast zone, but the cause of death appeared to be a sword through the chest. Interesting. The other five had also been killed by sword-inflicted injuries.
“Talon was here,” Gordon called from the opposite side of the clearing.
“How do you know?” Zane asked. His heart skipped a beat.
“There’s vomit in the bushes.”
“Classic Tal,” Geoff chuckled.
“What?” Zane was definitely missing some context.
“Talon can’t stand the sight of blood,” Geoff said, still walking the clearing. “He vomits after any altercation when he has to kill someone.” That was…oddly endearing.
“Emmeric took out these two,” Geoff added. “They were killed by twin blades.”
Zane gestured towards the man at his feet. “It appears this one was forced back this way by some type of blast or explosion. Although I don’t see any scorch marks.”
“Magic?” Gordon asked.
“Possibly…” Zane mused. “Here. There’s a man’s prints walking backwards, pulling along a woman with bare feet. It’s got to be Iyana.”
“So the blast came from Iyana?” Geoff asked.
“It must have,” said Zane. “She’s the only person I know with magic.” After taking another look around to see if there was anything he’d missed, he dragged the body back towards the others. “We need to burn the bodies.”
The twins immediately jumped in to help, depositing all seven men in a haphazard pile. Geoff complained the entire time, his shirt raised to cover his nose.
“The woman has enough magic to blast a man backwards, but she can’t dispose of some bodies? Oh, don’t worry about it, your buddy Geoff’s got it covered.” The muttering continued until the bodies were blazing on a makeshift pyre. The three walked their way back to their horses and rode hard to escape the smell of burning flesh.
The travel party of now five people seemed to slow following the skirmish in the clearing. Zane and the twins made good time by pushing their horses to the limit and taking minimal breaks. Their trail turned towards the east, leading Zane to believe they were heading toward the ancient library. Giddiness saturated his soul at the thought of visiting the forgotten wonder. Books had always been his safe haven. Uther had valued physical strength over education for his son, but his tender-hearted mother had insisted on the finest tutors and fostered Zane’s love of reading. Knowledge was its own kind of weapon, and one he used to his advantage often. Now that he was older and understood the sinister way his father operated, he surmised the emperor didn’t want a son who was stronger than him. In mental or physical strength. It was probably why his father beat him down so often. That way, Uther maintained his superiority and kept Zane from realizing his true potential. But the blinders were off now, and he sent a silent thank you to his mother for making sure he kept up with his studies.
Zane followed the trail to an inn in a small, snow-dusted town. They arrived after midnight, thrilled to find Athusan horses in the stables. They had caught up at last. Even Ryunn was excited to see his brother, Pryn, whinnying and nibbling on the other black stallion’s mane. The twins volunteered to rub down the horses and get them fed while Zane would go inside to pay for rooms.
Being inside instantly warmed Zane’s bones after being outside for well over a week. The sweet scent of apples and cinnamon curled into his nose, and he wanted to sink into a bath made of the same aroma. Gods, bathing sounded delightful at the moment.
A plump, middle-aged woman wearing an apron stood behind a wooden bar. She looked up as he stomped the snow off his boots at the entryway.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but we don’t have any vacancy,” she said.
Zane smiled at her, inwardly disappointed he wouldn’t be sleeping in a bed. “That’s okay. If you don’t mind me and my two friends sleeping in the stables?”
“That would be fine,” she said. “Let me get you something warm to fill your belly before you turn in for the night.”
“Much appreciated, ma’am.” She hurried to the kitchens, leaving Zane eagerly awaiting a hot meal. Boot steps sounded on the stairs behind him, and then the scent of rum and oranges wended through his nose, overpowering the apples. Zane’s heart rate increased, the scent triggering excitement and trepidation. Turning, time seemed to slow, and then there was Talon, whole, alive, and uninjured, with his long, red hair dancing around his face—a face which was usually lit up with laughter, but at the moment was staring raptly at Zane, his shock clear. His expression changed to wariness, and Talon drew his sword, pointing it at Zane’s chest. He raised his hands slowly in a sign of surrender. The keeper’s wife returned with three bowls of steaming soup that smelled absolutely delicious while Talon was drawing his weapon.
“Young man, you will not spill blood in this establishment!”
“It’s okay,” Zane said, keeping his eyes glued to Tal. “We just need to talk and this will be sorted.”
“Well, take it outside, you rapscallions. This is a respectable business.”
Talon motioned Zane towards the door with the tip of his sword. The easy rapport they had in Huton and on the way back to Athusia was hovering between them, and Zane hoped he hadn’t lost his friend’s trust completely. Friend…that was a shocking revelation—he considered Talon a friend. They walked outside as a light amount of snow fell from the dark night sky. Zane’s breath bloomed out into the cold air. Talon continued to keep his sword level with Zane’s heart.
“What are you doing here?” Talon asked sharply. “Did your father send you?”
“Technically, yes,” Zane said. Then hurried to add, “But I was going to come, regardless.”
“Why?”
“I have a lot of questions for Iyana. And I’m fairly certain Uther is planning on killing me.” Funny how information he’d kept from the twins spilled out to Talon within two minutes. Zane saw his resolve wavering. Tal’s gaze flicked over Zane’s shoulder and widened. Crunching in the snow told him Geoff and Gordon were approaching.
“The twins came with you?” he asked quietly. Zane nodded, hands still raised.
“Talon! Good to see you, buddy,” Gordon said, ignoring the blade pointed at the crown prince’s chest. Talon sheathed his sword so the large man could give him a hug. Geoff hugged him next, giving a hearty pat on the back. Zane lowered his hands.
“What are you guys doing here?” Talon asked.
“We came to find you!” Geoff said. “Zane, I mean, the prince—” Zane waved him off “—told us you and Emmeric helped break Iyana out of the dungeon, and that she has magic.”
“How did you know it was us?” Talon asked Zane.
“Who do you think gave all the guards the night off?” Zane raised an eyebrow.
“You knew?”
He shrugged. “I guessed. The day of the festival was when I would have attempted a rescue, so I went off of a hunch and it paid off.” Zane could see the moment Talon decided to trust him again, his blue eyes warming.
“Well, let’s go inside out of the cold. You three can eat your soup and tell how you got here so quickly.”
Zane looked at the twins as they walked back inside. “There are no rooms left, but the innkeeper allowed us use of the stables.”
“You can bunk with me,” Tal said. “It’ll be tight, though. There’s only the one bed and four of us.”
Geoff clapped Zane on the back, sending him stumbling forward. “You go ahead with Talon. Gord and I can sleep in the stables. It’s where he belongs, anyway.”
“Hey!” Gordon protested. Talon and Geoff both chuckled. When they made it back inside, the innkeeper’s wife gave them all a pointed look.
“No blood, I swear,” Talon said, showing his sword firmly sheathed at his side. Zane and the twins practically inhaled their soup. Feeling warm inside and out, he began to drift off in the chair. Tal awoke him with a gentle touch on his forearm and guided him upstairs to his room.
Exhausted, Zane only wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a whole day. But there were other, more important things that still needed to be discussed.
“Should we find the others?”
“Nah,” Talon said, pulling off his shirt to get ready for bed. “I had to walk downstairs earlier because all kinds of noises were coming from the other two rooms, and here I was sitting by myself. It sounds like they finally tired themselves out, though.”
Zane was only half listening, instead watching the way Talon’s back muscles rippled with the movement of removing his clothes. He swallowed, throat bobbing. “Even Emmeric?” He hadn’t realized the other man was seeing someone.
“Yeah, he’s with Kaz. You’ll meet her in the morning; she’s a lot of fun.” Talon finally noticed the way Zane was staring at him, and smiled wide. “See something you like, Your Highness?”
Zane cleared his throat, his face flushing, suddenly grateful for the low lighting. “It’s been a long day.” He removed his own shirt, not missing Talon’s appreciative gaze. Normally he’d sleep with it on, but it was filthy and he didn’t want to bring the dirt into bed with him. Turning to toss it in the corner, he heard Talon’s intake of breath behind him. Shit. Zane froze in place, limbs locked, fists tight. He’d gotten too comfortable around Tal and had forgotten to hide his scars. He didn’t let anyone see this side of him, not even his dalliances. But the damage was done, and now his heart skittered in his chest, waiting for Talon to say something. Zane was too nervous to turn around, not wanting to see pity in Tal’s expression.
Zane inhaled sharply when he felt a light touch on his back. Talon traced one of the longest scars with his fingertip, reaching from his right shoulder blade down to his hip. Zane closed his eyes, trying not to relive the day he’d earned that mark. Uther had been more upset than normal because of some perceived slight from a courtier, and he’d taken it out on his son’s back, whipping him repeatedly with his leather belt. After that, he’d been confined to his room for an entire week, unable to be seen around the castle. It would have been too difficult to explain away the wounds still oozing blood through his shirts. Zane was thirteen. Nobody had touched him this gently in ten years, not since…but he didn’t want to think about that either. Tears sprang forth, a burning sensation in his sinuses. He had denied himself personal relationships for so long—he hadn’t realized his body craved this tenderness. Not just random sex, but an actual connection between two people.
“Are these all from your father?” Talon whispered. How he had intuited that information was beyond Zane; Uther kept his beatings private and behind closed doors. He thought nobody was aware they were happening. “I’m sorry he did this to you.”
“Don’t be. I earned most of them.” Zane’s voice was raspy, strained.
“I sincerely doubt that.” Talon pressed a chaste kiss to the top of the large scar at the base of Zane’s neck. And now the tears did fall, a sob lodged in his throat. “Oh, Zane, no, I’m sorry.” Tal came around him and cradled Zane’s face in his hands, wiping away tears with his thumbs.
Zane shook his head, gripping Talon’s wrists. Tal was a couple of inches taller, forcing him to tilt his head up to look into his eyes. “It’s not you, I just…”
“Just what?” Talon prompted, gently. Zane took a deep breath.
“Nobody has been this nice to me in years. Touching me like I’m someone worthy of gentleness.”
“Zane…” Tal’s hands lowered agonizingly slowly down his neck, chest, abdomen to the laces of Zane’s pants, and he stopped breathing. Talon noticed his stillness. “I’m not starting anything. These are filthy, and I’m not allowing them into the bed.” Tugging them down gently, Zane stepped out of his pants, leaving him in only his undershorts. Talon, at some point, had also stripped out of his pants.
“Come on,” Tal said, gently tugging Zane’s hand. Zane allowed himself to be guided into bed under the sheets. Talon climbed in behind him and wrapped his body around him. Their legs intertwined, Talon’s arm slung over his side. Zane took Talon’s warm hand into his own.
“Is this okay?” Talon asked, whispering. Zane shuddered, but he nodded. It was more than okay. “You are worthy, and you deserve so much more than gentleness. You are deserving of friendship, respect, love. I hate that your father has convinced you otherwise, and I will continue to tell you this until you believe it.” Tal pulled him in even closer. “Get some sleep, Your Highness.” Talon placed a soft kiss on the skin behind his ear.
Closing his eyes, Zane wondered if Talon felt how fast his heart was beating. His brain was screaming danger, danger for allowing himself to get this close to someone, but his body molded to Talon’s so perfectly he couldn’t bring himself to care.