hoax | kaz brekker

seven. you know me

"When exactly did you see her?"

"Just after midday."

Inej pointed at the blueprints, looking to Malakai. "What's in this room?"

"It's a fitting room. The Sun Summoner will go there to change for dinner."

"Okay, so that's where we'll grab her?" Jesper spoke. "Out of the way, clean lines of sight, easily controlled space. I like it."

Kaz leaned back in his seat frustratedly, sighing. "I'd like it, too, if it had a door."

Inej looked to Malakai with her brow knitted.
"It doesn't have a door?"

Malakai shook her head, her lips pressed together tightly. "Not one that we can use. It's a grisha lock. It took a Materialnik to open it."

"Wait... can't you open it Malakai?" Jesper tilted his head at her.

"I already tried."

"Okay. I'm assuming if a Shadow Summoner can't open it, we can't pick it."

Arken finally speaks, the Crows all turning to him. Almost forgetting that he was there. "Actually, there is a way. I can get through the door."

Kaz sat up straight. "How?"

"The locking mechanisms are Fabrikator designed. Iron cogs that slide into place without a latch. But for one of us to open it, we'll need a lodestone. With a minimum two thousand gauss external strength. Hard to find."

Malakai looked at him, confused. He sounded like he was speaking some foreign language at this point.

"Well, it's not like we're just walking around with one of those in our pockets." Jesper said matter-of-factly.

Arken rummaged through his bag for a moment before pulling out a palm sized, ugly, black and white rock. The Crow's side eyed him.

"Oh." Malakai laughed breathily.

Holding the stone out to the blonde girl, the Conductor continued lowly. "You don't want to keep it in your pocket for too long. Not if you're intending on having children some day."

Before she could take it, Kaz spoke quickly. "All right. Arken grabs the target."

Inej did a double take at this. "You want the new guy to grab the million-kruge package?"

"The new guy knows his way around grisha locks." Nodding to the Suli girl. "Our futures depend on this. The rest of us will be setting up a lynx flush." He turned his eyes to Malakai.

"We are?" Inej asked pointedly.

Arken looked around at the teens in confusion. "What's a lynx flush?"

Inej answered him, already annoyed. "Lynx are pack hunters. Very smart."

Malakai leaned forward, staring the man down. "They clear a path for the prey." Leaning back when Kaz's cane tapped her foot.

"Oh..." The Conductor was confused by the sudden intimidation. "So, I grab the Summoner and you clear the path?"

Kaz quickly rolled the blueprints back up. "That's right. We do it before dinner. You grab. Malakai, Inej and I clear, and Jesper, make sure there's a fast way out."