Six of Crows One-shots

Dirtyhands Returns

It happened a week ago, Inej had been at the docks with Jesper, Nina, and Wylan. It was then that the ambush had occurred. Then that the near extinct gang had risen up with a defiant roar, and the small crew Inej had gathered didn't stand a chance. The blaze of pistol fire had lit up the sky, and then it was over. When Inej woke, she had been in a darkened theater house, and her body froze up at the memories that came bubbling up from it. Something had been stuck in her neck, a syringe, and then darkness had snuck deep into her brain.

"Hello Inej, Dear." Rollins purred, tilting his head with a sick grin. Inej groaned as her vision filtered in. She was on the ground, Inej tried to stand but her body screamed at the movement of her left leg, she gasped and collapsed back to the dusty floor with a whimper. "Aww, don't get up too quickly now, little Wraith. That will affect that broken leg, won't it?" Inej's gaze rose sharply and her hands curled into fists, she wished she had opened his heart when she had a chance. "Stay down, little lynx. He isn't going to come for you now." Inej flinched at the words and took a panicked look around the cell. Nina, Jesper, and Wylan all were thrown about the floor, out cold. They had clear bruises from their treatment, Inej didn't know what had happened to them.

"Now you've really done it," Inej whispered, her throat was dry and aching but she had to get it out. Pekka sneered down at her when he crouched down to where Inej was curled on the floor, she caught sight of a shadowy man that looked a little too familiar to one Jan Van Eck for her comfort. "You don't touch Dirtyhands's crew." Pekka laughed at her, smiling.

"He has no power, don't you get it? I have the playing cards, I have all of you. He comes here, he risks all of your lives. Just like with my son, you are his one weakness. He will be completely helpless to follow through with my terms of surrender." Inej felt herself shrinking at the words, as they rang true in her mind, but still, she shook her head and bared her teeth. "You will lose." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "We shall see, Inej Ghafa." He got up with a shake of his head and left them there.

The hours passed soundlessly and empty, when Jan left, Inej watched as her friends slowly came to. "Is everyone okay?" She whispered, they responded quiet reassurances. Left to their angry fuming, Inej tested her bonds. The metal was unyielding and disabling to Inej's hands. No one was really ready to risk a beating to say anything, so there was nothing to distract them. No reassurance, no reminders that Kaz was still out there, and he was going to get them back. Slowly, they each fell prey to uneasy sleep again when the tiredness and pain overtook them. Inej wondered when he would come if he could. She wouldn't doubt him... not again. He would come, he had to. The thought chased her into sleep.

It wasn't until late the next day that they were fed, some beans and rice that was nothing but scraps to keep them together while they waited. Pekka and Van Eck came to gloat, and then let the gang at them. Dimelions poured into the cell to send rounds of punches onto them, from personal vendettas and to gloat at Kaz's to-be fall. Inej muted it out, she let go of her surroundings as she once did as the kicks and punches came. How did he do it? How did he get past the pain enough to fight back? 

When she woke again, Wylan was crying. He had an ugly bruise across his face, and Jesper was cradling him while staring out of the cell with a murderous expression, soothingly running a hand through his hair. "Your okay, Wy. It's going to be okay." Nina looked over at her, her eyes were wide and fearful. "What is it?" Inej whispered. "Jan just threatened to have us... sold to the peacock." Inej froze, the chains on the wall seemed to rattle a little louder and Wylan's sobs became harder to ignore.  Inej couldn't go back, that was all she knew. The familiar weight of her knives was gone, now that she had enough thought to look for them. "how long has it been?" Jesper asked quietly, his concerned face was slightly puffy. His lip was broke, and his cheek swollen, he had a black eye. "Five days?" Inej guessed, frowning. Nina sighed, rubbing her throat.