𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒅 || 𝐊𝐚𝐳 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

Silo

The cold night air seems to chill my bones as we near the warehouse district. In the night the district seems to have sparked with life. The towns at its eastern edges bustle with life as the streets along the silos standstill. With nothing but guards at their posts and stadwatch grunts walking their beats.

The boat moors in the central canal that travels in the middle of the district. We keep quiet and away from the street lapels lining the water's edge. We pass barges loaded with lumber and cast troughs piled with coal. Every so often we would see men lifting barrels of whiskey or cotton. Up ahead a large wagon is parked by the edge of the canal lit by a single blue fire lamp. Body cart.

"Corpse light," Inej says sadly.

"They can't bury them in a graveyard?" I ask, appalled.

"What are they doing here?" Nina asks, clueless.

"Their dumping bodies into the canal. This district is nearly deserted at night so they come here." I say.

"Why don't they build a new cemetery?"

"No room. I know there was some talk of reopening Black Veil a long time ago, but that all stopped when the Queen's Lady Plague struck. People are too afraid of contagion. If your family can afford it, they send you to a cemetery or graveyard outside Ketterdam. And if they can't..." Inej says.

"No mourners," Nina says grimly.

The silos are thirty feet high and eery in the foggy night. A round cluster of silos is guarded by a razor-wire fence. I sigh. Great.

"Razor wire, perfect," Nina grumbles.

"It won't be a problem," Inej states confidently. "Ten silos, nine crossings."

"Six minutes each. Remember not to go if it's after six minutes. The guards will see you and we're all dead."

"Great no pressure."

"I will signal you with the green light to let you know you're clear."

"I remember the plan, Emris."

"Just making sure," I say defensively.

"They're a lot taller up close." Nina states.

"No matter how tall the mountain, the climb is the same." Inej says.

"Not true. You need different picks, rope-"

"Don't be a Matthias, Nina," I say with a grin. She gasps and covers her mouth.

"I'll eat twice as much cake to make up for it."

"Sound policy," Inej mutters as the patrol sets out from the guardhouse again.

"Inej you should know, my powers haven't been the same since parem. If we get into a scuffle,"

"No scuffles tonight. We pass through like ghosts." Inej gives her shoulder a squeeze. "I know no fiercer warrior, powers or not."

"But, Inej-"

"Nina the guards," I warn. The patrol has disappeared from view. If we don't act now we will have to wait for another chance.

"On it." Nina strides to the guardhouse to begin to faze one.

As Nina nears the guardhouse her demeanor shifts. She is no long arrogant Nina. She is a scared, confused foreigner. As Nina distracts the guard, Inej and I make a break for it.

Inej lights the low-grade flash bomb and sprints. I follow quickly after her. Inej quickly climbs the fence. Inej climbs directly behind Nina and the guard and then above them. Inej slips soundlessly through the coils of razor wire.

I wait until Nina pretends to leave before joining her. The flash bomb makes a pop and the guard is distracted. I take our window and use it. We skip easily through the ajar door and inside the gates. We slip into position between one of the silos where we can signal to Inej. We watch as Inej opens the silo hatch and reaches into her pocket. She dumps the weevil and shoots off a magnetic grappling gun of some sort. Wylans' own invention.

She scampers across the wire like a squirrel on a branch. So graceful and professional. She seems to reach into her past as she uses her body to manipulate gravity. She pulls a small pole from her pocket and extends it. She gets the first silo without a hitch. The second silo takes longer for her but then she begins to wobble on the line. I feel Nina clutch my arm the entire time.

A band of laughter sounds. I look beyond the gate and see a band of barrel thugs. Circular tattoos flash on their forearms. Dime lions. They all whoop and holler with laughter as they neared the gates.

"What is Pekka Rollins's gang doing here?" I shrug and Nina sighs.

"Heard there were a couple of no-goods hanging out in sweet reef tonight, boys. I hear one of ems a heartrenderer." Nina looks up at me with fear. "The others the pretty little Blade of the barrel." I stiffen and push Nina farther behind me. How did they know?