The exception ° Six of crows

Chapter two

"There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty."  -The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The group had made it back to the main city in Ketterdam and into one of the rooms at the crow club. Adelaine had stuck close by Kaz's side, anxiously looking around the city that tortured her for many years and haunted her once she got out.

"We're done here," Kaz told the others. "I'll send word to each of you after I find us a ship, but be ready to sail by tomorrow night."

"So soon?" Inej asked.

Kaz hadn't told them much of their plan and it was making them all nervous. They were also still left in the dark about Adelaine's relationship with Kaz and why they needed her on this heist.

"We don't know what kind of weather we'll hit, and there's a long journey ahead of us. Hringkälla is our best shot at Bo Yul-Bayur. I'm not going to risk losing it."

Kaz needed time to think through the plan that was forming in his mind and he couldn't do that with all these people around. He needed quietness to think properly.

"Keep Wylan out of trouble," he told Jesper as he dismissed them.

"Why me?"

"You're unlucky enough to be in my line of sight, and I don't want any sudden reconciliations between father and son before we set sail."

Adelaine started wandering around the room, fingers running along the desk as she fiddled with the items laid on top of it.

"You don't need to worry about that," said Wylan.

"I worry about everything, merchling. That's why I'm still alive. And you can keep an eye on Jesper, too."

"On me?" Jesper said indignantly.

Kaz slid a blackwood panel aside and unlocked the safe hidden behind it. "Yes, you." He counted out four slender stacks of kruge and handed one over to Jesper. "This is for bullets, not bets. Wylan, make sure his feet don't mysteriously find their way into a gambling den on his way to buy ammunition, understood?"

"I don't need a nursemaid," Jesper snapped.

"More like a chaperone, but if you want him to wash your nappies and tuck you in at night, that's your business." He ignored Jesper's stung expression and doled kruge out to Wylan for explosives and to Nina for whatever she'd need in her tailoring kit. "Stock up for the journey only," he said. "If this works the way I think it will, we're going to have to enter the Ice Court empty-handed."

"Stop it," Adelaine snapped out of nowhere causing all eyes to turn to her.

However, the blonde wasn't looking at any of them. Instead, she was looking to her right, glaring into the air.

The crows exchanged a bewildered look, confused and a bit freaked out by the girl's weird behaviour. Kaz ignored the questioning looks that they sent his way and instead walked over to the girl who was still staring at nothing.

"Adelaine." His voice was softer than any of the crows had ever heard before.

The girl kept her harsh glare until her name left his lips once more, causing her to finally snap out of it and look at him. Once she realised what had happened and noticed all the eyes on her, her cheeks flushed red and her hands started to shake.

"I- I- I, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she stuttered.

Kaz just shook his head, eyes gentle as they rested on her anxious form. "It's alright, don't worry about it. Are you alright now?"