"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you never take me on a mission without feeding me first!" Nina huffed triumphantly.
The Crows were sat in one of the private rooms of the Crow Club; him, Nina and Inej lounging on the chairs whilst Kaz paced back and forth.
"Kaz." Inej said warningly.
Kaz paused, looked up at her, before continuing to pace.
It just proves he really does have a permanent death wish, Matthias thought, rolling his eyes.
"If you're really that worried about this target of yours then you should have just sent me!" Piped up Nina, flicking her auburn curls behind her. "I can get things done quicker than any bullet."
"No offence, Nina, but a tall, feminine Heartrender dressed in all red going round on the streets of Ketterdam killing people isn't exactly very subtle." Kaz growled.
Nina snorted. "What, do you think Jesper's any better? Have you seen what clothes he wears?"
This drew a giggle from Inej, which then caused Kaz to stop, before continuing to pace again.
"They're right, you know." Matthias finally spoke. "Impatience never helped anyone."
"Oh, so what would you be doing in my situation right now, bowing before a tree?"
"Someone's getting an-gry!" Nina drawled. Kaz tutted and flopped down in an armchair facing the empty fireplace.
Matthias hated to admit it, but even he was starting to get anxious. His portion of one million kruge would be enough to clear all of his debts and buy passage to the farthest corner of the earth he could find. And not just one ticket.
He glanced over at Nina, fiddling with her nails, humming softly as she tapped her boot against the floor. Right then, in that moment, she was perfect. Djel be damned, she was more than perfect. She was a part of him now, like the crackling frost of Fjerda, and the lonesome howl of wolves.
Then his mind returned to Jesper. If anything had happened to the boy... well, he and Kaz would have a field day burning down the streets of the Djel-forsaken city. As much as he hated to admit it, Matthias had begun to look at Jesper and Kaz as brothers, even if he knew this notion would never be returned. Inej was like a calm, kind older sister and Nina... she was so much more than that. He couldn't imagine needing anyone else in his life other than those four.
That was when the door burst open, and Jesper staggered in.
Once everyone had lowered their weapons and Nina had raised his heartbeat back to normal, Jesper strode through the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. That was when Matthias noticed the boy slung across his shoulder.
"Saints, Jesper. I didn't expect you to bring him here!" Exclaimed Kaz, though Matthias could sense the relief in his voice.
Jesper dropped the boy on the floor, stepped over him and reclined on one of the sofas. "There was a slight problem."
Kaz eyed him suspiciously, then he walked slowly towards the boy until he was standing directly above him. He kicked the corpse sharply on the shoulder.
And the corpse breathed.
Inej:
Inej had seen and felt many miracles in her lifetime.
Like the fact she survived the first time she fell off a tightrope. Like the moment she heard a Sun Summoner had graced the world, even if it was all the way in Ravka. Like the first time she had made Kaz Brekker, DirtyHands and Bastard of the Barrel smile.
But this? This was something else.
Which was why she had rolled off her chair and had two daggers in her hands quicker than Jesper could swear. The others were no better. Matthias looked paler than his hair, Nina was frantically feeling the air for the boy's heartbeat and Jesper just looked tired.
And as for Kaz? Well, she would have laughed if a corpse hadn't just come back to life.
"Jesper Llewyan Fahey, what part of "Bring him back dead," did you not understand?!" Kaz hissed, barely raising his voice.
Jesper sighed. "Look, I know this isn't convenient but-"
"Not convenient? HE'S STILL ALIVE!"
"I'd prefer not to have this conversation when he's still in the room." Jesper snapped.
"And I'd prefer it if he was dead and I had you strung from a Tides Watchtower, but it seems none of us are getting what we want today!"
For once the room was silent, though Inej could sense the tension sewing it's strings into the air. This would end in blood, but who's, she didn't know.
"Soooooo... should I kill him?" Nina asked.
"No." Jesper and Kaz yelled.
Kaz was shooting daggers at Jesper. But before he had a chance to speak Jesper piped up again. "Who is he? Really? And why is his corpse worth one million kruge?"
Inej tensed, slowly putting her daggers away. This conversation wouldn't end well once Jesper knew the truth.
"Matthias," she whispered. "Put the boy in the Crow's Barrel."
For a moment Matthias hesitated, before stepping forward and lifting the boy up like he was merely a stack of paper. Maybe that was not because of strength though, Inej thought, as she observed how the boy's clothes barely clung to him at all.
"Well?" Jesper said impatiently once the boy was gone. "Who is he?"
Kaz was silent for a moment before he spoke. "His name is Wylan. He's been working in the tannery for two months now. I was keeping track of him because I thought he would come in handy." He glanced at Inej before continuing. "Which I suppose he did."
"But who wants him dead? And why?" Jesper fiddled with one of his precious revolvers. "He has no idea how to fight, he looks like he could barely kill a fly. Saints, I'd be surprised if he had never been out at night in his life!" He paused. "He's not from Ketterdam, is he?"
Kaz shifted. "That's where you're wrong," he paused as Matthias re-entered the room. "That was Wylan Van Eck, son to the merchant Jan Van Eck."
Nobody moved. Inej watched as Jesper's face turned to confusion, to horror, to anger.
"You're joking," he spoke softly. His fist slammed into a table. "YOU'RE LYING!"
"No. I'm not."
Jesper's face was like a broken vase. He looked at Inej then, as if expecting some sort of reaction from her. But she had none. She had known for months who Wylan really was. After all, she was the one that had tracked him.
Inej turned away from Jesper, not wanting to see the hurt that would be painted on his eyes. She knew how he longed to be more involved in Kaz's plans, how he wished he could be the one carrying the weight of the world with him. And she knew how betrayed he would be.
"Hold on a damn minute," Nina burst out suddenly. "You mean the Van Eck who owns half the jurda and sugar trading in all of Ketterdam? The one you've had to keep tabs on for months, the one that may have an alliance with Pekka Rollins? The man that owns one of the biggest empires in Kerch? And that was his son?" She snorted. "I think Matthias could pass off as Van Eck's son better than that kid."
"Well whether you like it or not, that is Jan Van Eck's son. And we were hired to kill him."
"You don't get it, do you?" Jesper rasped. "Don't you understand? If I had killed him, who would take the blame if we got caught? Who would be dragged through the Stadhall and hung by the neck? Is that why you chose me for this? To be your scapegoat for one million kruge?"
"You don't think I didn't think about that?" Kaz hissed. "That was the first thing on my mind. But it turns out it's irrelevant."
"Why? Because you knew I would chicken out? Do you give a damn about anyone in your life, Brekker?!"
Inej saw the malice in Jesper's eyes, and just as he was pulling out a revolver she stopped him.
"Jesper! Stop!" She spoke as calmly as she could.
He looked down on her, his face softening before hardening again. "And I suppose you knew about this then?" He snorted. "Typical of the Wraith. Ready to sell a limb to be free!"
Inej let the words sting before replying harshly. "Van Eck hired us to kill his son."