Natasha Van Doren is a shadow summoner. She bides her time and resides in darkness, feared and esteemed by Ketterdam's civilians, a ghost . She cons Kaz Brekker into joining a heist he can't refuse and with thirty million kruge on the line, the crow...
" Make a wish, blow onto the lamp, and we'll let it float in the air. "
- N.Z
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AS THE CROW'S BOAT WAS HAULED ONTO THE SHORE, Nina Zenic skidded down to Natasha's side as the boat swayed from left to right. "Sorry," she stammered, cheeks flushing as Natasha kindly held out her hand, helping her onto the scratch of sand surrounding Hellgate.
The prison undoubtedly lived up to its name.
Dark brick turrets bulged from the main compound, cone-shaped roofs heaped on top of one another. A small moat encircled the prison. The group stepped down the planks in costume, hardly standing out between the strangely attired crowds.
"Look alive," Nina whispered to Inej, poking her shoulder with a grin. Nina's long brown hair was styled into a bun, the strands tightly woven like the dense coil of rope. Loose strands framed her soft cheeks like water dripping down glass.
"When you're in a place like this, I'd prefer death," Inej replied darkly. She refused to stand by Kaz's side as he had refused to allow her knives to accompany them on the journey.
"They should just shut up and make out," Nina sighed, adjusting her long red veil.
"They'd both kill you if they heard you," Natasha sulked, linking arms with the heartrender and striding ahead of Kaz and Inej, who shared bitter remarks.
The lamps were strung across a thick metal pole, hovering above their head like branches of an old tree. Often, Nina would stretch onto her toes, grazing the thin red paper with her fingertips. "Why do you keep doing that?" Natasha asked, turning to Nina curiously.
"Good luck," she shrugged. Natasha had never taken Nina to be a believer.
They both continued in silence, listening for the faint thump of Kaz's cane against the pebbled floor. Inej was noiselessly advancing, her body hidden in the darkness.
She owes me.
The voice in Natasha's head said bitterly. Kaz prided his wraith on her stealth, her ability to blend in with the darkness. Inej herself believed the dark played at her leisure, her guardian.
If only she knew.
The voice was wicked, cruel even. Natasha shook out her shoulders, sighing low in the cold ocean air. Her fingers were curled into fists, blood rushing to the surface of her skin. Her fingertips felt numb, the darkness retracting within, slowly destroying her.
She pushed her arms behind her back, letting go of Nina's arm. "You go forth. I need to talk with Kaz." Natasha smiled, waving Nina forward and waiting for Brekker to catch up to her.
"What?" Kaz asked. The pair began to walk at a steady pace akin to the pulsing waves against the shore.
