Dirtyhands {Kaz Brekker X OC}

XVI

*This chapter is so long overdue, I'm sorry about that. But thank you so much for over a THOUSAND READS!! That's incredible, and I'm thankful for each and every one of you<3*

Truly madly deeply I am
Foolishly completely fallen
And somehow you kicked down my walls
-One Direction-

-Jae-

The first thing we did after exiting the Fold was find the nearest pub that had spare rooms available. We found a pretty large one and gathered inside. There was even a stage where there was a performance going on. Indistinct chatter could be heard with the occasional crowd cheering as the performers did something amazing.

Kaz had ordered us drinks as Arken was gathering information. We all sat silently around the table. Jesper was the usual one to break the silence.

"So... that went well." Jesper sighed, playing with the glass in his hand. My mind immediately flashed back to our traumatic experience.

The volcra growling

Arken's screaming.

The goat's bleating.

Inej's praying.

And Kaz... his hand holding.

I hadn't brought it up but we both remembered what happened. It just hung between us, like a silk thread of a spider, strong but near invisible.

Both of us were aware of it, but none of us wanted to talk about it. I guessed that maybe for once on his life Kaz was genuinely scared for his life, so he acted on instinct, grabbing the closest thing near him... my hand. There probably wasn't much thought put into it.

"The Little Palace winter fete." Arken joined the table. "There's just no way we can find a way to the Sun Summoner without Nina. Especially during this ridiculous party." He looked around at the unusually high amount of crowd around us. "The place will be crawling with Second Army."

"We're in luck." Kaz countered. "There's a good chance we can crack on. Now that we're only a couple hours travel from the capital, the next play is finding a way inside the Little Palace." He explained. Then he turned directly to Jesper, Inej, and I.

"It turns out the Kribirsk archives house the Little Palace blueprints. But..." He paused, a devilish smirk growing on his face. "They're kept under lock and key. Far from the prying eyes of...the masses."

"Yes!" Jesper exclaimed gleefully.

"What does that mean?" Arken looked around confused.

"Time for a heist." Jesper answered with a smile. I finished my drink with the others, and everybody got to work. Jesper was still carrying around the goat.

"Jesper we can't take him." I told him.

"But Milo's one of us now." Jesper pouted.

"Hand him over to a barmaid or something." Kaz suggested.

"There's one right there, here I'll come with you." I got up and went with Jesper over to the barmaid.

"Will you be willing to take this goat, we have no use for it, and it might sell well on the market." I asked the barmaid. She nodded taking the goat in her hands.

Milo bleated and Jesper's face dropped. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a string. He then opened his gun and took out a bullet. He put the bullet through the string and tied it around Milo's neck.

"I leave you a bullet, to remember me." Jesper finished tying the necklace. "Let's promise never to forget each other, Milo."

Milo bleated in response.