RAYA ▸ SHADOW AND BONE

16 | always about the company

"I hate this town," Raya grumbled, taking a seat beside Kaz in the tavern. The odd looks and glares she got for her darkened skin tone angered her. She glared up at one oblivious man who was gazing her way with a look that was probably meant to be intimidating. "What the fuck do you want?" she snapped up at the racist man.

He glared, going to step up to her but stopped short when he saw Kaz's arm stretch out behind him, on the back of Raya's chair, claiming her. The hardened look he sent the man was enough to have the stranger turn around and walk right out of the bar.

"That's right," Raya mumbled, taking a bite out of her food. "You better run." She then turned to Kaz with a wide grin. "Did you see how intimidating I was? I scared him off."

"That, you did," he smiled softly at her, stealing a piece of stale bread from her plate to feed to Callus, who sat by their feet, eating his own meal. He gratefully accepted the food from Kaz's hands. Lighthearted Kaz who liked to joke around with Raya was replaced with the hardened, dirtyhands Kaz when he saw Inej and Jesper walk through the door to the tavern.

They took their seats in front of the pair. As Jesper stole some of Raya's food, Inej defeatedly stated, "No horses missing at the stables, so..."

"So?" Kaz started, giving her a look.

"What?"

"Are you going to tell me how the target got away?"

Now, this caught Raya's attention. She stopped eating and glanced between Kaz and Inej. "What's he talking about?" she asked the other Suli girl.

Inej sighed, revealing, "I let her go."

"What?!" Both Raya and Jesper snapped.

Ignoring their outburst, Kaz snarled, "You were hired to do a job."

"The job was to pick up a fake for an easy million kruge. We found a living Saint who can summon the sun." Raya groaned, not wanting to hear any further praise directed towards Alina. "You saw her summon with your own eyes. You both did!"

Kaz was quick to reply. "The best illusions are the most convincing. That's the game."

Inej turned to her Grisha friend. "Raya?"

Raya rolled her eyes. "She's not a Saint, Inej. It's not the first time a one-of-a-kind Grisha has existed, remember?" Right on queue, the Innkeeper walked up the four, asking if they needed anything. Raya rested her hand on the woman's arm, smiling charmingly as she felt the connection form. "Just keep the free food coming, please. Oh, and we'll need a few rooms for the night."

"We're not staying," Kaz interrupted.

"But—" He gave her a look, causing her to slump in her chair, sulking.

She turned back to the woman. "Just more food," she ordered. The Innkeeper nodded, walking away to unknowingly follow Raya's orders. Raya turned back to Inej. "See?"

Jesper sighed in awe. "Have I ever told you how much I love your power? All the free food and housing—truly, you're something else." Raya grinned proudly at him.

"You two can hide behind your cynicism, but I believe she's the real thing," Inej countered, returning to the original conversation.

"Raya has a point. I don't see you drop to your knees to worship every Heartrender or Squaller we meet." The girl beside him nudged him in the ribs. "Or Raya."

"This is different," Inej insisted. "Her power is a miracle."

Raya was rolling her eyes so much, she swore they could've rolled right out of her eyes just then. "I mean... if we're going off that standard, maybe people should be worshipping me. I think my powers are pretty miraculous."

"Think one of us already worships you, Raya." Jesper inputted, eyeing Kaz who was still staring down Inej.

"I won't give up my faith," Inej insisted, ignoring Raya and Jesper's comments.

"Pious as that may be, we cannot work effectively as a crew if you're making decisions based on religious zeal," Kaz snapped, also ignoring his friends' words.

Inej was now practically growling at the leader. "Is that a threat to return me to Heleen?"

At the mention of that wretched woman's name, Raya's head snapped towards Kaz, answering for him. "Of course not! Right, Kaz...? Right?!"

Kaz sighed, revealing, "Either we get the target or Heleen gets the Crow Club and Pekka gets whatever's left."

Jesper asked what everyone was thinking. "Why would Heleen get the Crow Club?"

Kaz glanced at Inej before standing up and storming off towards the exit of the tavern, and out into the damp and drizzly air. Raya was out of her seat not even a second later, going to follow after him. "He'll be fine in the morning!" she promised Inej, hoping to give the girl some sort of comfort so the thought wouldn't eat away at her.

Raya found Kaz pacing in the alley beside the tavern, a prominent frown decorating his face. She silently walked up to him, leading him away from the rain and under the tavern's canopy, where they could stay dry.

"Kaz," she started. He hummed, refusing to look at her. "Did you put the Crow Club on the line in exchange for Inej's freedom?" He shrugged, causing Raya to softly reach out and brush her hand against the back of his. "You did..." She was then smiling.

Kaz rolled his eyes, going to walk away from the conversation before Raya stepped in front of him, cornering him back under the canopy until his back hit the brick wall of the tavern.

"We might not have anything to go back to in Ketterdam," he whispered.

"It was never about the Crow Club," Raya revealed, shaking her head. Her hand boldly reached across and grabbed hold of Kaz's, offering him a soft smile. "It was always about the company inside." She then glanced down at her feet before looking back up at him. "What do you want to do?"

"If we don't move soon, the Black General will be on top of us. We can't risk going after the Sun Summoner, not right now."

Truth be told, while they were riding away from the Little Palace, she wanted nothing more than to sell the Sun Summoner off and earn a pretty penny for her troubles. But, now, looking at Kaz, she couldn't have cared less about Alina. She just wanted to stay with him, and Inej and Jesper –– her family.

"We're really going to leave empty-handed then?" came Jesper's voice from a few feet away. Raya's head turned to see him, Inej and Callus stood by the tavern's entrance, looking at her and Kaz. Before Kaz could even answer, a loud and bright explosion went off on the other side of the tavern, sounding an awful lot like the alarm trigger Jesper had set in the wagon they'd come in on.

"Time to go," Jesper hummed, watching Raya take Callus into her arms.

"Split up," Kaz stated. "Much easier to take a Grisha one-on-one than a whole squad of them. Rendezvous at the fountain." He grabbed Raya with his free hand, ready to lead her away but stopped short when he saw Inej and Jesper halt in front of them.

Raya followed Inej's eyes, noticing a few of the Darkling's Grisha standing several yards away, facing the group. Among them was Zoya, who keenly eyed Raya and the pup in her arms.

They'd found them.

"Fuck," Raya mumbled.