Let my fires protect you || Kaz Brekker X Reader

14. The return of a nightmare

"I'm good at demo."

"You're passable at demo, you work excellent as hostage." I can't fucking believe this. Oh, wait, never mind I totally can, this is Kaz and Kaz would do anything to get what he wants. "It doesn't matter, we should still take Raske and leave this baby merch on lockdown in Ketterdam." Jesper suggested, I mean if Kaz says he's alright at demo I don't see why we can't take him, he's also useful on the Van Eck side, if we kept him with us that gives us time to maybe learn more on Van Eck. "I don't trust Raske." 

"And you trust Wylan Van Eck?" 

"Wylan doesn't know enough people to cause us real trouble." Wasn't his father enough? How do we know if Van Eck won't stab us in the back the moment we give him what he wants? Shit, that was actually a decent point, we're gutter rats, people who no one would miss, it's literally implied in our fucking words. I needed to keep my guard up, higher than it already was.

~

 I had spaced for quite a while apparently because I saw Wylan getting out an ink bottle, quill and paper they looked to be decent quality. "How nice, a nib for every occasion."

"Lay off, Jesper." I warned him, he put his hands up in surrender and leaned back before putting them to his sides. "Start talking, it's time to pay the rent." Matthias directed his gaze to Kaz and his look sent shivers down my spine, I knew he was going to become a problem for me, but Kaz freed him, he should at least regard Kaz with some positivity, even though he's forcing him to be a traitor. But now I knew I had to be extra careful, Matthias gives me any reason to believe he will actually harm one of us, especially Kaz, I would end that attempt as soon as he started making it. 

Matthias starts explaining the structure and how things work in the ice court, albeit reluctantly. Then when all hope was thought lost regarding actually getting on to the White Island, Nina said, "Hringkalla is coming." The words frightened me, I had been to Hringkalla and I hated it. Tante Heleen chose her most exotic birds for it, I was one of them. My first time at Hringkalla I had fought on the journey, I tried to escape but failed and was kept in the bottom of the ship for the remainder of it, I then tried to commit suicide in the cell, that failed too. I was used brutally whenever I was in Fjerda, there was no mercy from them, no respect, I was a whore after all.

"Be silent."

"Pray, don't."

"Hringkalla. It's the Day of Listening, when the new druskelle are initiated on the White Island." If I didn't think Matthias' anger could get any more hot, it could, "You have no right to speak of such things, they're holy."

"And? If legend is correct, so am I." I retort, I wasn't wrong, if I was imbued with powers of an angry fire god and cursed by the other gods, maybe even Djel and Ghezen themselves, to be linked to Kaz in the way that I was supposed to be, I was holy. "You are a demon that I will take great pleasure in killing."

"I'd like to see you try, you'll be ashes before you take a step." I send flames to my eyes for show and the terrified look on his face was what would probably help me sleep tonight. I rarely sent flames to my eyes because it hurt, but this was worth it. It was weird my own fire didn't hurt me the same way that flames made by others did, it still burned but not much. I felt everyones gaze on me, "What?"

"You just conjured fire without using your hands." Nina replied, oh, I forgot Inej was the only one who had seen my wings. "Yes, I'm abnormal, so? I thought you all thought I was the inferni from legend anyways." Wylan raised his hand, "I didn't, I will take that information though and probably never forget it." 

"Can we all get back to discussing the heist that might get us all killed? Your religious bullshit is not important." That shut both of us up, "Basically," Nina started, "The Fjerdan royals throw a huge party with guests from all over the world, and plenty of the entertainment comes straight from Ketterdam."