GHOSTS • ⟨Inej Ghafa⟩

Chapter One

Kaz Brekker didn't need a reason, they said. Niklaus knew better. Even if the reason wasn't entirely apparent at first Kaz Brekker always. Always had a reason and there was no point questioning him either, if he wanted you to know you would have. It was something he'd learned very early on in his time with the dregs. When it came to Kaz Brekker every single breath was deliberate.

A carefully crafted reason behind it. Niklaus respected that. The bastard of the barrel had earned his respect and had yet to lose it as everybody did eventually. Even now, as Niklaus trailed him, Jesper and Big Bolliger on either side of him he could sense Brekker had a plan. He looked to his right, easily spotting Inej. She was good but the shadows were an extention of him. They didn't blind him like they did others.

Inej was the only person he knew who could match his skills in darkness and she wasn't even Grisha. After the first few times she'd snuck up on him he didn't know if he should be impressed or a bit worried that she, a normal human was getting the jump on him, a shadow summoner.

"Three ships!" Jesper's voice broke through Niklaus's thoughts. "The Shu sent them. They were just sitting in First Harbour, cannons out, red flags flying, stuffed to the sails with gold." Big Bolliger gave a low whistle at that. "Would have liked to see that" he said "Would have liked to steal that" Jesper responded "Half the Merchant Council was down there flapping and squawking, trying to figure out what to do." He said "Don't they want the Shu paying their debts?" Big Bolliger asked.

"Yes and no" Kaz said, shaking his head "It's always good to have a country in debt to you. Makes for friendlier negotiations." He stated. "Maybe the Shu are done being friendly?" Jesper suggested. "They didn't have to send all that treasure at once. You think they stuck that trade ambassador?" For weeks Ketterdam had been ablaze with talk of a murdered ambassador.

It had nearly destroyed Kerch-Zemeni relations and sent the Merchant Council into a complete uproar. The Zemeni blamed the Kerch. The Kerch suspected the Shu. Kaz didn't care who was responsible, neither did Niklaus. If anything, the murder fascinated them because neither of them could figure out how it had been done. In one of the busiest corridors of the Stadhall, in full view of more than a dozen government officials.

The Zemeni official had entered the washroom but when he didn't come out they found his body in the washroom, a knife in his back. Kaz had sent Inej to investigate after hours but she couldn't see any apparent way that the murderer had struck. After her, Niklaus had gone too but found that she was right, unless the killer had somehow mastered the art of squeezing through narrow plumbing he didn't see any way for them to have gotten in there.

Him, Inej and Kaz had come up with hundreds of theories as to how it could have happened. One of his had been that the killer was in the washroom the entire time, hidden and waiting for an official but much like the other theories it didn't seem too likely, neither did it satisfy or offer a good enough explanation.

When they stopped Kaz signaled for Niklaus, Jesper and Big Bolliger to dispose of their weapons. The rules of Street law parley of this kind stated that each lieutenant was to be seconded by two or three of his foot soldiers and that they all be unarmed. Silently slipping out of the shadows Niklaus began removing his weapons. The two revolvers at his hips, the assortment of knives and two other guards under his cloak, the rifle at his back and the two daggers he hid in his boots.

"Go on, give those guns over" Dirix said to Jesper. The Zemeni let out an exaggerated sigh as he removed his mother of pearl guns from the gun belts, giving them a mournful kiss. "Take good care of my babies" Jesper said as he handed them to Dirix. "If I see a single scratch or nick on those, I'll spell forgive me on your chest in bullet holes." He threatened. "You wouldn't waste the ammo" Dirix said dismissively "And he'd be dead halfway through forgive" Niklaus pointed out as Big Bolliger handed a hatchet, a switchblade and a thick chain weighted with a heavy padlock to Rotty.

Jesper rolled his eyes. "It's about sending a message. What's the point of a dead guy with forg written on his chest?" he asked "Compromise" Kaz said. "I'm sorry does the trick and uses fewer bullets" Dirix laughed but Niklaus didn't fail to notice how he seemed to hold the guns with more care.

"What about that" Jesper asked, gesturing to Kaz's walking stick. "Who'd deny a poor cripple his cane?" Kaz asked with a low, humorless laugh "If the cripple is you, then any man with sense" The Zemeni said "Then it's a good thing we're meeting Geels" Kaz said, taking his pocket watch out of his pocket.

"It's almost midnight" Niklaus shifted his attention to the exchange, a large rectangular courtyard surrounded by warehouses and shipping offices. During the day it was the heart of Ketterdam, bustling with merchants but when the moon came out it was deserted. Other than the gangs the only other people were members of the Stadwatch who had been bribed to look the other way during this parley.

The exchange was one of the few neutral parts of Ketterdam that belonged to none of the gangs. Countless skirmishes had taken place here, sometimes the result of a parley gone wrong and other times it was a few gangs arguing over the territory but in the end it belonged to nobody. "This is a mistake" Inej said.

Big Bolliger started, unaware that she was standing there. "Geels is up to something" she continued. "Of course he is" Kaz said. "Then why come here tonight?" Inej asked "Because this is the way Per Haskell wants it" Niklaus said. "He's going to get us all killed" Inej grumbled. "Statistically, he'll probably only get some of us killed" Jesper said. "It's not something to joke about" Inej said. Kaz gave her an amused look.

"It's not really a joke, just a fact" Niklaus pointed out with a shrug.
Big Bolliger cracked his knuckles. "Well, I've got lager and a skillet of eggs waiting for me at the Kooperom, so I can't be the one to die tonight." He said. "Care to place a wager?" Jesper asked. "I'm not going to bet on my own death" The bruiser responded.

"Why not, Bolliger? We do it every day" Kaz said before striking his walking stick against the cobblestone as the bells from the Church of Barter began to chime. The dregs fell silent. The time for talk was done. "Geels isn't smart, but he's just bright enough to be trouble" Kaz said "No matter what you hear, you don't join the fray unless I give the command. Stay sharp" he then gave Inej a nod "Stay hidden" he instructed. "No mourners" Jesper said as he tossed his rifle to Rotty. "No funerals"

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