Drowning (Kaz Brekker)

iv - Black Veil

Kaz leant against the wall slightly. "Were they using parem?"

Nina shook her head. "No. I don't think they were Grisha. They didn't display many powers and they weren't healing their wounds. It looked like they had some kind of metal plating beneath their skin."

Asra was deep in thought, absentmindedly twirling a blade she'd picked up in her hand. "Sounds like the Kherguud."

They all stared at her blankly, except Kuwei.

"How do you know about that?" He asked in better Kerch than Asra expected.

"I know everything." She shrugged, then hesitated. "My mother was contemplating reaching out to the Shu about them, though I don't know the details." She turned to Kuwei, switching to Shu. "Care to enlighten us, Yul-Bo? This sounds like something your father would've had a hand in."

Kuwei sighed. "When my father made parem, the government tests it on Fabrikators."

Jesper, sprawled out in a chair with his hands on his guns, cocked in his head to the side. "Is it me or is your Kerch getting better?"

"My Kerch is good. You all talk too fast." Kuwei said.

"Okay," Jesper said slowly. "Why did your dear Shu friends test parem on Fabrikators?"

"They have more Fabrikators in captivity." Kuwei said.

"They're easiest to capture." Matthias added, ignoring Nina's look. "Until recently they received little combat training, and without parem their powers are poorly suited to battle."

Asra couldn't help but snort. Everyone turned to her.

"Okay," Jesper said. "Before we go on, I demand to know who the hell you are. I mean, you didn't really make sense before, but now it's relevant."

Asra forced a sigh, glancing about the room. All their gazes were curious, expectant, none more so than Kaz's. She decided against looking at him, at any of them. Almost subconsciously, she traced the target tattoo on her left wrist, the blade like ice on her skin. She settled the point of the dagger on the spot in the centre of the blood red tattoo.

"I used to be... an assassin. Of sorts. I didn't choose it, I was... I don't know how we all got there. About a year ago, I ran away. I've been living in hiding since with you lot with my own name and well, you all know who I am now. Kinda. My mother runs the... organisation, I guess you'd call it. It's difficult to word it all. Van Eck contacted her just before we left for Fjerda. She'll be in Kerch within the month to take me... back. But by then I'll have left Kerch. My work took me all over the world. I did a lot, killed a lot, learnt a lot." She shrugged. "I know things."

She could feel them staring at her. She refused to look at them.

"You're leaving?" Nina asked.

Asra nodded, silent. The information settled over the room, thick and heavy as smog. Asra felt like she was drowning.

Jesper opened his mouth, hesitated, turned to Kaz. "Did you know about all this?"

Kaz shrugged. "I had my suspicions."

"Of course you did." Asra muttered, resting her head in her hand. She laughed lightly, though she wanted to cry. She didn't know why.

Inej reached out and lay a gentle hand on Asra's shoulder. She felt herself tense at the touch, but gripped Inej's hand when she tried to pull away.

"What will happen?" Wylan asked. "When your mother arrives."

Asra shrugged. "Hopefully she'll see I'm gone and go back to... whatever she's been doing this last year."