CHAPTER I7
The Auction
Brynn entered the Church of Barter with the Kaelish delegation, a perfect cover and with a perfect view of the entire church. For once, her flaming red hair didn't stick out amongst the Kaelish who all had similar red hair, pale skin, and grey eyes. But Brynn still wore a hat pulled down low over her ears and her collar was turned up to shield her face.
Seconds after the Kaelish settled down, Brynn in the second to last of the pews they had taken, everyone was on their feet again when someone yelled, "The Shu!"
The Shu flowed through the huge doors of the cathedral, a tide of red banners marked with the horses and keys, their uniforms embellished with gold. They looked livid as they marched up the aisle, then stopped as the Shu ambassador argued angrily that his delegation should be seated at the front of the room and that they were giving the Ravkans and Fjerdans precedence by placing them closer to the stage.
Brynn rolled her eyes. They were like a bunch of spoiled children who hated when they didn't get what they wanted.
"If you wished to be seated in the front, you should have forgone the drama of a grand entrance and gotten here on time." The voice was familiar, too familiar. Then Brynn glimpsed Van Eck striding down the aisle from wherever he'd been lurking by the stage. Threats from a girl who has no power are not very threatening, Miss Adala.
I'll show you power, Brynn thought bitterly.
Eventually, however, the Shu settled in their seats, murmurs and speculative glances from the rest of the crowd. Most of them didn't know what Kuwei was worth or had only heard rumors of parem, so they were left to wonder why a Shu boy had drawn so many bidders to the table.
Brynn kept her eyes on Van Eck as he went back to lurking, his expression cold and calculating, as always. Brekker thinks we're still playing a game, does he?
If so, it was a very well-thought game, one where there was no way Kaz didn't lose. He would get his money, his city, and maybe a little bit of revenge, too. Van Eck was just right in the middle of it all.
The church bells began to chime three bells, a hush fell over the pews of the church. The Merchant Council gathered on the stage. And then every head in the church turned. The great double doors opened and Kuwei Yul-Bo entered, flanked by Kaz and Matthias and an armed stadwatch escort. Matthias looked as proper as ever, even in his simple tradesman's clothes. Kaz truly looked like the worst kind of Barrel thug with his black eye and split lip, despite the sharp lines of his black suit.
Then the shouting began. Brynn wasn't completely sure who was shouting at who. The drüskelle in their black uniforms were shouting insults at Matthias in Fjerdan, the Dime Lions began booing at Kaz as soon as they caught sight of him, and the Shu continued shouting the same word in Shu over and over again: sheyao, traitor. Kaz and Matthias walked with their backs straight and eyes forward, Kuwei safely wedged between them. Kuwei, however, wasn't faring as well.
The city auctioneer approached the raised dais and took his place at the podium next to the altar. All Brynn knew about him was that he was Jellen Radmakker. He was pale, with tufty orange brows and a hunched posture that made him look like a giant shrimp.
Brynn made eye contact from the other side of the middle aisle separating their pews. He was dressed similarly to her, covering up his features for anyone who was a little too interested in the people. His grey eyes flickered once, a faint trace of a grin passing over his features, before he turned back to the stage.
Radmakker brought his gavel down in three furious swings. "There will be order," he bellowed. The clamor in the room dulled to a discontented murmur.
Kuwei, Kaz, and Matthias climbed the stage and took their places by the podium, Kaz and Matthias partially blocking the still shaking Kuwei from view. Then Radmakker, as soon as there was absolute quiet, began to recite the rules of the auction, followed by the terms of Kuwei's proffered indenture. It was all the stuff that Brynn had memorized.
She risked another glance at Van Eck. He looked smug, his gaze set on Kuwei and the future ahead. He was about to get everything he wanted in the first place. Money, power, and even more money. It almost made Brynn want to stand up and beat him so hard he wouldn't be able to get back up again. Almost.
As Radmakker called forward a medik from the university to examine Kuwei, Brynn thought back to her role in all of this. Kaz had told her everything she'd need to do. Watch out for any trouble that could be a problem for them, stay inconspicuous, and make sure Kuwei Yul-Bo dies. Maybe prevent a war while they're at it.
When the medik was done with his examination, Radmakker asked Kuwei if he consented to abide by the rules of the auction and however it would turn out. The first time he answered, Brynn couldn't hear.
"Speak up, boy," Radmakker said.
Kuwei tried again. "I do."
"Then let us proceed." The medik stepped down and Radmakker lifted his gavel once more. "Kuwei Yul-Bo freely gives his consent to these proceedings and hereby offers his service for a fair price as guided by Ghezen's hand. All bids will be made in kruge. Bidders are instructed to keep silence when not making offers. Any interference in the auction, any bid made in less than good faith will be punished to the fullest extent of Kerch law. The bidding will start at one million kruge." He paused. "In Ghezen's name, let the auction commence."
Then the bidding began, bidders shouting as the numbers climbed higher and higher, Radmakker pointing his gavel at the bidder, repeating their offers in staccato bursts. Brynn sat back and watched the chaos, counting her friends everywhere she could see them. Jesper, with the Zemeni delegation. Kaz and Matthias, up on the stage with Kuwei. Inej would be somewhere above them, silently watching and waiting for any sign of trouble.
The Fjerdans and the Shu were the main bidders, batting numbers back and forth, the Zemeni occasionally upping the price, hopefully to slow the bidding's momentum. The Kaelish sat quietly in their pews, Brynn among them like a white sheep among its flock. She briefly wondered if they knew anything about Kuwei or parem.
The tension in the air was thick and hot, many people standing as they upped the bids in shouting, many of their faces red. Brynn desperately wanted to try what she'd done to the bedroom back in the Ketterdam suite, but perhaps it wasn't the best idea. If they succeeded today, there would be plenty of time for her to practice and learn her limits.
When the bidding hit forty million kruge, Sturmhond finally raised his hand amongst the calm of his entire Ravkan delegation. "Fifty million kruge," he said. The Church of Barter fell silent.
Even Radmakker paused, his cool demeanor shaken, before he repeated, "Fifty million kruge for the Ravkan delegation." Excitement rose among the Merchant Council, and suspicion among the other bidders.
"Do I hear another offer?" Radmakker asked.
Brynn could see the other bidders hesitating and conferring with each other. Then, "Sixty million kruge," declared the Shu.
A counter-raise of ten million. Just as Kaz had anticipated.
Then the Fjerdans offered sixty million two hundred thousand, a serious blow to their pride. The Zemeni were eager to slow down the bidding too. They bid at sixty million five hundred thousand.
The auction was slowing down, that much was obvious. The Shu ambassador was growing impatient, and soon, the others weren't even bidding anymore.
"Seventy million kruge," said the Shu ambassador.
"Eighty million," called Sturmhond.
"Ninety million." The Shu weren't bothering to wait for Radmakker now.
"Ninety-one million," Sturmhond said in an overdue attempt to slow the pace.
As if he'd grown tired of the game, the Shu ambassador stepped forward and roared, "One hundred and ten million kruge!"
"One hundred and ten million kruge from the Shu delegation," cried Radmakker, his calm obliterated by the sum. "Do I hear another offer?"
All was silent in the church, a pompous look on the Shu ambassador's face.
Sturmhond gave a jagged-edged laugh and shrugged. "One hundred and twenty million kruge."
Boom. The massive double doors blew open. A wave of seawater crashed through into the nave, frothing between the pews, then vanishing in a cloud of mist. The crowd's excited chatter turned to startled cries. Brynn lifted her feet calmly to keep her boots dry.
Fifteen figures cloaked in blue filed inside, their robes billowing as if captured by an invisible wind, their faces obscured by mist.
The people were in chaos. Some were calling for their weapons; others were clutching one another and screaming. The Kaelish were considerably calmer than the others, but a group of redheaded girls in front of Brynn were shrieking incoherent things in Kaelish.
The figures glided up the aisle, their garments moving in slow ripples.
"We are the Council of Tides," said the blue-cloaked figure in the lead, a female voice, low and commanding. The mist shrouded her face completely, shifting beneath her hood in a continuously changing mask. "This auction is a sham."
Shocked murmurs rose from the crowd. Radmakker called for order, bangng his gavel in an attempt to quiet the people. His voice rose frantically, his voice booming but ignored.
Brynn's eyes flickered back to the stage where Matthias and Kaz stood in front of the quivering Kuwei, protecting him. Kaz was watching the scene apathetically, with eyes only full of calculating perspicacity.
Always another trick up your sleeve, Kaz Brekker.
a/n— There's literally like five chapters left after this one guys, and then the extra cameos from ROW, which I am SO EXCITED about. But first, I'd like to ask if anyone, ANYONE, has anything they'd like me to write after I finish A LITTLE WICKED because I know I will be in a writing slump. So reply to each if you...
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