Let my fires protect you || Kaz Brekker X Reader

6. Schemes

A/n - I'm sure people who read the last chapter may have doubts in where i'm going with this due to the whole Phoenix legend thing, but I can assure you this story won't divert too far from actual canon. All I've done is add a little bit of mythos to the fanfiction that is this story,

We arrived at a farming village a few miles outside Ryevost, "Come on, lets get you inside and healed." I say leading Inej into a barn. I sit her down on a wagon and watch as Kaz and Jesper come through. Jesper and Kaz empty there pockets showing a bit of Vlachka and Kruge left, oh fuck. "Is this all we have left?" Inej asks, the simple movment making her wince. They nod. "(Y/n) my bag." I go after it and bring it to her, she lifts up her shirt and Jesper gags, "Holy Mother of Saints." 

"Do you need any help?" 

"No, it's fine. You need to find something to make sure your skin doesn't get chopped off." she winces again, "It's not healing on it's own, I need to stitch it." She puts the needle in her skin. "How long before you can travel?" Kaz asks, is that worry I hear in his tone? "Not long. Where?" she responds. "Ketterdam."

"Between our dwindling funds, lack of time and conflicting interests, it's time we cut our losses." he continues, he looks down and leaves, "Guess the Bastard misses the Barrel." Jesper states. Inej continues her stitches, Jesper wretches, "You can watch a bullet tear through a man, but a needle's too much?" 

"It... Yeah, well you see, bullets are bam. In and out. That's just--" He wretches again, I laugh. "Where did you learn to do that?" he asks, "All girls at the Menagerie learn it, makes dealing with the beatings easier." I explain, "Oh, that's dark." he states, "sure is, which is why we can't go back." I look at Inej and she nods, we aren't going back to Kerch. I can't do my final solution, not when I still might have some sense of morality.

"If you told Kaz that story I think he'd murder Heleen himself." 

"Jesper, you're not hearing her. We can't go back." he looks at us in sympathy, "What?" she groans, "Well, I was going to tell you to trust Kaz and that he'd never let you go back,but, I don't have the right to tell you what you should do with your shot at freedom, and on a lighter note, you always have (Y/n)'s genocidal path." 

"Apocalyptic Inferno" I hear the memory of Inej's voice. "You make this alot harder you know." Inej proclaims. "I know, I'd miss me too, I'm fantastic." he smiles, so do we.

~ 

Inej and Jesper stay inside while I go find a bucket of water to pour over my face. I find one outside and I see my reflection in the water. The left side of my face is completely fine, but the top right is covered in blisters and redness, my eye is still intact which I knew, but there is no redness on the ball. I dunk my head in the water. I feel immensely relieved the moment my skin is encased by the water. I turn round and see Kaz at the top of the hill. I go ang grab his fixed cane from outside the door. "Are you hungry?" he says, alerted of my presence, "Nah, I saw my face and now have immense nausea." I jest, he doesn't laugh. "Or are you just saying goodbye?" 

"Jesper fixed your cane." I hand the cane to him, he examines it and places it in his hand, "So both of you are leaving. I thought you were going to go on a genocidal warpath for both of you."

"I can't, and is that it? After everything, there's nothing else you want to say to me? or her?" I feel my anger bubble up to the surface, how after everything that Inej has done for him can he not move his ass down there and say goodbye? Or at the very least say it to me, the person who has killed to save his life. "What else is there?" he replies with a cold expression. I start walking back to Jesper and Inej, "You were right." he calls to me, I stop in my tracks. Now this is interesting.