𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃//𝐊𝐚𝐳 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐫

𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈.

CHAPTER I7

The Auction

     Brynn entered the Church of Barter with the Kaelish delegation, a perfect cover and with a perfect view of the entire church. For once, her flaming red hair didn't stick out amongst the Kaelish who all had similar red hair, pale skin, and grey eyes. But Brynn still wore a hat pulled down low over her ears and her collar was turned up to shield her face.

Seconds after the Kaelish settled down, Brynn in the second to last of the pews they had taken, everyone was on their feet again when someone yelled, "The Shu!"

The Shu flowed through the huge doors of the cathedral, a tide of red banners marked with the horses and keys, their uniforms embellished with gold. They looked livid as they marched up the aisle, then stopped as the Shu ambassador argued angrily that his delegation should be seated at the front of the room and that they were giving the Ravkans and Fjerdans precedence by placing them closer to the stage.

Brynn rolled her eyes. They were like a bunch of spoiled children who hated when they didn't get what they wanted.

"If you wished to be seated in the front, you should have forgone the drama of a grand entrance and gotten here on time." The voice was familiar, too familiar. Then Brynn glimpsed Van Eck striding down the aisle from wherever he'd been lurking by the stage. Threats from a girl who has no power are not very threatening, Miss Adala.

I'll show you power, Brynn thought bitterly.

Eventually, however, the Shu settled in their seats, murmurs and speculative glances from the rest of the crowd. Most of them didn't know what Kuwei was worth or had only heard rumors of parem, so they were left to wonder why a Shu boy had drawn so many bidders to the table.

Brynn kept her eyes on Van Eck as he went back to lurking, his expression cold and calculating, as always. Brekker thinks we're still playing a game, does he?

If so, it was a very well-thought game, one where there was no way Kaz didn't lose. He would get his money, his city, and maybe a little bit of revenge, too. Van Eck was just right in the middle of it all.

The church bells began to chime three bells, a hush fell over the pews of the church. The Merchant Council gathered on the stage. And then every head in the church turned. The great double doors opened and Kuwei Yul-Bo entered, flanked by Kaz and Matthias and an armed stadwatch escort. Matthias looked as proper as ever, even in his simple tradesman's clothes. Kaz truly looked like the worst kind of Barrel thug with his black eye and split lip, despite the sharp lines of his black suit.

Then the shouting began. Brynn wasn't completely sure who was shouting at who. The drüskelle in their black uniforms were shouting insults at Matthias in Fjerdan, the Dime Lions began booing at Kaz as soon as they caught sight of him, and the Shu continued shouting the same word in Shu over and over again: sheyao, traitor. Kaz and Matthias walked with their backs straight and eyes forward, Kuwei safely wedged between them. Kuwei, however, wasn't faring as well.