Six of Crows One-shots

Severed ties becoming realized

Guys, I have an important notice! This has Grisha trilogy spoilers, about the very end of the story. Please watch out, and do enjoy....

Inej took a deep breath of the dark polluted air that clung to Ketterdam shadows. It may not have been the pleasant air of the open roads and mountain sides that she travelled as a little girl, the sweet smells of nature and homemade meals enticing and welcoming, nor was it the same satisfaction of the salty tang that caught with the wind on the open ocean, the cool breeze always promised justice and Inej's freedom to do as she wants. But Ketterdam held the memories of her friends and Kaz, it held the scent of the Wraith and Dirtyhands, dangerous together and full of excitement. She was surprised to find Nina and Nikolai with one man's unfamiliar face and a face Inej had seen in a story book. Sankta Alina. What was happening? Nina whirled, a smile breaking her face but the others still looked glum. "Nina! What's going on? Why are you here and not helping Fjerdans in Ravka?" She hugged Inej tightly. "Kaz is stirring up trouble. We can't even be sure what's going on, but apparently it's a big deal if their suspicions are right." "What are their suspicions?" She asked curiously with a tone of worry in her eyes. "I have no clue, don't worry yourself 'Nej. I'm sure everything is alright with him." Inej sighed, "let's hope."

They made their way down to the Slat, passing the crow club on their way, Inej felt the giant silver crow in front of it had its eyes on her back, and as if to inform the other crows on some secret telegram, several crows more than usual sat atop the Slat, their black eyes peering over the edge intelligently as they cawed and tapped their beaks together to create a strange raspy clacking, that eerily filled the air as a wave of wind rushed to rustle their feathers and make them appear larger. Inej walked in and was quite startled, the place was dark, shattered lightbulbs on the ground and whisks of Smokey dust furling around corners like soot. The place was strangely empty, no blood, no rubble from something causing them to run. Inej began to worry more as she ascended the steps finding a few corpses, a dark grey as if color was sucked from their being, and their eyes completely black as if their pupil had overtaken the iris and the whites of their eyes. She shuttered and continued up with the Ravkans behind her whispering furiously. She made her way to Kaz's old study, pressing the door opened warily. "Kaz?" "Welcome back to Ketterdam, Wraith..." whispered a dark rasp, it wasn't normal though, it shone with danger and eerie tension.

A small shuffling noise came from one corner, the bit of light leaking from the hallway window illuminating one side of his face, from its angle it should have illuminated all of him, and yet it didn't, for half of his face was completely immersed in shadows that weren't there, the border had a sort of dusty look between unnatural shadow and his pale skin. The only thing that pierced the black was his smile and one eye, his smile was twisted and sharp, ferocious and shark like. His eyes were shimmering to a near golden color, but the one in shadow was black whites of eyes that didn't appear and a jagged slit of a diamond of burning gold, like a small portal to hell's eternal flame, a minuscule white slit inside it that made for a pupil. Inej shuddered and took a step back as Kaz limped forward, his silver cane hitting the dull boards below it. "Kaz-" Nina gaped at him, he slowly put his hand out, the leather had sharp claws coming from them, a silver edge telling them that it was sharpened, yet his eye that wasn't shadowed was scared, and confused, it's pair looking excited, a spider who felt tremors of fear upon his silken web. "Impossible..." whispered Sankta Alina as she stiffened at the sight of Kaz. "It's alright. Let us help you control it." The unknown man said softly, clearly seeing Kaz's youth through his monstrous air that darkened every corner of the room and boxed them in. "Explain it now." He snarled, his voice dropping mid sentence into a thicker purring growl. "When Alina lost her power after killing the Darkling, her powers were spread to others nearby, we didn't realize it but the Darkling power must have to. Many lost their power to control light quickly, one didn't. However, I have no clue as to why you have suddenly been granted this gift and how it didn't appear earlier, can something trigger Grisha powers to arise?" Nikolai had started explaining only to trail off in thought, Kaz slowly seemed to calm down, but he still looked half frantic and half homicidal. "Kaz- where are the Dregs?" He shuddered and the very shadows by him copied the small movement, they started to squirm and seep away from their fixated places Kaz quickly put them back with a flick of his hand, but if he was controlling it or it him, Inej was unsure. "Dead. I think- I may have killed them..." Kaz furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Let us help you to control you powers...." "I don't want to become your personal weapon, your majesty." Kaz filled the title with venom, his golden diamond eye glowing brighter to a point where you could almost feel it's cold heat burning as he took a step back and black dust began to swirl and the shadows began to reach forward with twisted limbs and arms that looked far too realistic but were also in broken angle and points, a clump of clawed hands with webs starting to fall from those claws. Inej stepped beside him, trembling at the crazy things that were happening, they needed to get out of here. "Kaz.. please stop..." Inej whispered softly, he looked down at her and her pleading eyes and immediately his hand stopped the strange dance it was doing in mid air, he shivered and reached tentatively forward, Inej nodded and tugged off his glove, grasping hold of his pale hand, she could feel his heart jump and his steadying breath as he used her presence to help anchor him. He breathed softly and closed his eyes, "I- I'm not sure how to control it or what I did to make all these nightmares appear..." "each Grisha can learn to use their powers in different ways, especially if they are special like yours and have to deal with what one has gone through in their life." Nina whispered softly to Alina and Mal, the stranger from earlier. "I'll come with you Kaz, everything will be fine..." he looked down at her disbelievingly but nodded and slowly the shadow flecked and peeled away from his face like shattered glass without any cuts it pulled away in shards like it was just a mask to hide his fear with danger. Inej watched as the crazy things around them began to dissolve and evaporate with small hisses.

The others began to relax and Inej moved a little closer to him, she could feel his distrust. He not only needed Inej because she knew him best, but because of all the new things going on... he needed someone who he trusted fully. "Alright, we both know it would be safer to keep you at the little palace." Kaz shifted uneasily, Inej gently ran her thumb along the side of his hand once. He nodded slowly, "I will not be subjected to stay there no matter what state I'm in." "As long as you do not endanger anyone." The King clarified. "Alright. Can you give us a moment?" Inej asked, looking towards his window to see a small black bubble, little holes revealing curious crow faces as they watched.

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That's it for now, hope you enjoyed I know it's crappy... sorry bout that. The next one will be the moment in private and what happens after a couple of years at the little palace with Nina, Wylan, Jesper and the whole gang back together minus one.