𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒅 || 𝐊𝐚𝐳 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

𝑻𝒓𝒚 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒅

Halfway down the hall of prisoners Kaz and Nina try to split from the group.

"Where are you two going?" I ask, grabbing Kaz by the collar.

"We don't have time for this," Kaz complains. "Change of plans, Nina and I are going to search the cells for Bo Yul-Bayur."

"Oh no. No plan changing. That's when this gets screwed up." I say, clutching his collar tighter.

"Just trust me, okay?" He pleads. I sigh and Kaz grabs my wrists with his bare hands, pulling my hands down. "Do you trust me?"

"Sometimes," I reply, pushing him away and running towards the basement with Wylan and Inej close behind me.

We reach the basement where the incinerator still radiates heat. I reach inside and press my hand to a burning brick. I yell and snatch my hand back.

"I thought you said it was supposed to be cooled down my now?" I ask a pacing Matthias.

"That's what I remembered. They must have run it this evening."

"We don't have time for this. I need to do it now or not at all." Inej says. An idea sparks in my mind. I rummage through a bin of clothes and find Kaz"seat her gloves.

"Here. These should help keep the heat out but not much."

"Thank you." Inej ties a rope around her waist and grabs onto the burning stones.

We watch as Inej begins to scurry up the incinerator as though she is weightless. I begin to pace the incinerator room as Wylan, Matthias, and Jesper chew their nails or stare at the walls. My footsteps echo along the room and I peel up the incinerator. I see Inej continuing to climb, almost halfway now.

"Will you stop pacing? You're making me nervous." Jesper complains. I ignore him and continue to pace. Nina bursts through the doors as the elderclock screeches. Nina looks panicked.

"I'm sorry," Nina says, as a rope drops down the incinerator.

"No time I insist." I push them all in a line and instruct them how to best climb the rope. "Good? Good." I don't wait before pushing Jesper inside the incinerator.

Slowly each member of the team begins to climb. I watch as they climb, my hands shaking at my sides. Come on Kaz. Where are you? I shake my hands and pace the room again. Anxiety blooms in my chest and fear gnaw at my heart.

The doors burst open and incomes a fuming Kaz. I stare at him in shock as he is covered in blood.

"Go." Kaz orders.

I don't hesitate to begin climbing now that Kaz is here. I quickly scurry up the rope. I look down and see Kaz struggling. Shit. I slide down the rope and hook my leg around the rope. I dangle upside down and try to help pull him. He shoves me off angrily. I sigh and scurry back up. Soon I reach the light and Inej helps me out. It only takes a few moments for Kaz to emerge behind me.

"Now can I ask?" I question with a grin, admiring the crimson blood over his clothes. I bite my cheek as it reminds me of my hallucination.

"No," Kaz replies.

I roll my eyes and watch the gears work in his head he brushes past me and looks over the embassy roof. He sighs and I feel a tap on my shoulder. Inej stands with Kaz's gloves.

"You found them. You should give them to him." I smile and take the gloves happily.

"Change of plan." Kaz, I interject. "The girls are going I. With the menagerie girls." I feel Inej tense behind me.

"Isn't there some other. . ." Inej begins.

"There is no other way, Inej. It will be fine, you three need to seduce some guards Into telling you where Yul-Bar is."

"It'll be okay, Inej," I whisper to the girl. "Nina and I will be with every step of the way."

"Looks like we're all facing some fears today," Inej says stubbornly storming off to the edge of the embassy roof.

I cross over to Kaz. "Here." I hand him his gloves. He suspiciously takes them and slips them over his long pale fingers.

"Thanks."

"They might be a little warm." I give him a grin. "I found them in the incinerator room. Thankfully they hadn't burned our clothes yet." Kaz hummus a response.

"We're splitting up again," I say. "Last time you showed up covered in blood without an explanation. Try not to show up covered in blood this time." I say with a smile.

"I'll try, Emris." I sigh as he uses my name.

"Try hard, Kaz." I smile and turn away.

I join Inej and Nina. We find a ventilation shaft and crawl through. I tune out their protests and slip inside the tube. We crawl until I hear Tante Heleen's cackle of a laugh. We slip through the vent and grab three girls. We grab the Crow, the Kalesh mare, and the Silk lynx. We pull the girls into a separate room and steal their costumes before knocking them out and stuffing them in a closet. Nina gives us rushed menajere tattoos and poorly covers my arm of tattoos, thankfully they wont be checking that arm.

A black shawl of feathers rests on my shoulders. A black corset sinches my waist and my breasts nearly spill over it. The corset sits atop a cut skirt of feathers that barely covers my bum. Black tights cover my legs and thankfully my scars as well. Nina adds black powder to my lids and smooths back my now black hair Crow feathers rest behind my ear and run into my slicked back hair. She turns the Shu gold of my eyes to a nice green color with gold speckles. Nina quickly Adds purple spots to Inej's skin and dark makeup to my eyes and mouth. We near a checkpoint and my nerves heighten.

Nina and I make it through no problem but when they inspect Inej's tattoo and see her scar they pull her aside. I look at her, questions seeping through my eyes. Inej shakes her head and gestures for us to go ahead. Nina stands still and I grab her by the arm and drag her through the lines of people.

We enter a large circular room and I look up to see Kaz and Matthias. I smirk at Kaz. This is going to be a fun night.