CHAPTER ONE
Achilles heel

IT WAS RAINING IN KETTERDAM. The yellow glow of the lights lining the streets reflected onto the puddles, the smells of mist and rain and alcohol in the air. Eden's booted feet stepped through the puddles — something she wouldn't have done when she first arrived — as she made her way through the Barrel, expertly avoiding lone criminals that stared at her pockets with a glint in their eyes.

She finally arrived at the Crow Club, pushing the door open. She dried her shoes on the welcome mat, took off her coat and hung it up in the closet, and grabbed a spare towel to dry her hair. She walked through the entrance into the main room, where the club was in its peak hour. Gamblers sat around tables, couples were making out in the corner, the bar was completely full. She continued scrunching her hair as she walked to the back office, giving small smiles to the staff members who greeted her.

Eden knocked on the door and waited. A deep voice coming from inside said, "Come in," so she pushed the door open. The office was cozy yet impersonal, the warm light casting giving only the impression of a safe place. The desk was completely devoid of character — a cup with a few pencils and pens in one corner, a beer in the other, a stack of papers off to the side, a letter in the middle. The walls held one painting and one map of Kerch, there was a plant in the corner of the room that was near death, and an uncomfortable, breaking couch. That was all.

Kaz Brekker sat at his desk, hunched over piles of papers. When she entered, he did not put down his pen, missing all manners. He was the Bastard of the Barrel, after all. "Caddel. You're here," he said, glancing briefly at her dripping hair. "Did you not think to take an umbrella?"

She sighed, used to his shit. "It wasn't raining when I left."

"If you had looked at the sky, you would have seen it was overcast."

"Oh my god, stop," she groaned, covering her face with her hands. "You're so annoying." If anyone else talked to Kaz Brekker like that, they'd be murdered — no, tortured slowly, for the rest of eternity. Luckily for her, Eden just happened to be Kaz's best friend and Achilles heel, so she was allowed. Sometimes.

"So I've been told. By you. On numerous occasions." He finally put down the pen, meticulously organizing the mess of papers and pushing them to the side of the desk.

     "Someone has to humble you," she shrugged. "What's on the schedule for this evening, boss? Any heists? Robberies?"

     Kaz stared at her with a look of resignation. "You think so low of me." After a moment, he continued, saying, "I'm having Erikson and his crew pull a hit on a Dime Lion's boat in two bells."

     Eden gasped and put her hand over her heart. "You know how sentimental I am about boats, Brekker!" Her voice became high-pitched and laced with sarcasm.

     "If you want to go, the answer is no," he said resolutely. Kaz Brekker had a way of speaking that made every word out of his mouth concrete — there was nothing anyone could do to argue it. Eden had watched him speak to the Dregs in large groups, commanding them, controlling them with nothing but his voice. He was a powerless orphan with a fucked up leg, and yet, he wielded more power in his pinky finger than most Grisha did in their entire bodies.

She scoffed, collapsing onto the couch. Kaz might be able to control everyone else, but not her. "Why not? I never do anything. I sit here all day long and wait until someone inevitably gets a bullet wound, when I can then, finally, do something."

"If you go, Caddel," he turned to her before continuing, "not only will you somehow find a way to fuck up the mission, but you will end up being the one with the bullet wound."

"Aw, Kazzie, you care if I get shot? So sweet."

He scowled. "I do not want to lose our best healer."

"Oh, of course," she nodded with a knowing glint in her eye. They've never spoken it out loud, but deep down, they both knew how close they were. Eden knew that if Kaz got hurt, she would lead the Dregs on a revenge mission until the people who did it to him were too scared to ever mess with them again, and Kaz knew if she got hurt, he would burn down the city until he found the people who did it to her and cut off their limbs.

"I'm serious," he deadpanned. "You're not going."

She tapped her chin in thought. "I will... do your paperwork for a week if you let me go."

"No."

"A month."

"No."

"You suck," she huffed, falling backwards onto the couch. She stared at the ceiling, noting the water stains she'd let the janitors know about.

"I know."

"If I were Inej, you'd let me go."

"Inej is trained for this sort of thing. You are not."

She sat up so fast, her vision went spotty. She waited a moment, holding up her finger to signal she needed a second. Her vision finally cleared and she no longer felt like she was going to pass out, so she said, "I have an idea."

Kaz's eyebrows shifted up slightly. So little, in fact, that nobody else would have realized it. "That's never a good thing."

"What if you train me?" The minimal expression Kaz wore on his face turned into one of full shock at her words, and before he could interrupt, she continued. "Hear me out, okay? You said it yourself, I'd end up getting hurt. However, if you you trained me for missions — both stealth and combat — it would be beneficial for both of us. I would be on the field, able to heal people as soon as they get hurt so they can get right back out there. Not only would it cure my boredom, but it would also increase the likelihood of a successful mission."

     She thought he would shoot it down. She thought he would push away from his desk and storm out of the room, not giving her idea a second thought. She should have known better by now than to try and predict the choices of Kaz Brekker.

     "That... is not a bad idea."

     "Wait, what?" Eden laughed. This was probably a prank. Kaz, despite acting like a middle-aged man most of the time, was still a teenager — and one that loved pranks. He would often say a ridiculous lie, and follow it with a kidding and a rare smile.

     Kaz shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I don't like the idea of you going out there, but you're right, it would be better for the mission."

     "Did you just—" she would have finished with "say I'm right" if he didn't interrupt her.

     "Mention it to a single person, and I'll set fire to your hair while you sleep."

     No, he wouldn't. "Careful! Someone might think you're an arsonist."

     He shook his head, clearly annoyed, but had the smallest hint of a smile on his face anyway. It made him mad how much he let her get away with, but he couldn't help it. She was his Achilles heel, after all. "I'll speak to Inej and have her clear time in her schedule to train you."

     "No, you must have misheard me." Eden stood and got closer to the desk. "I want you to train me. Not Inej, not Jesper, not Nina or Matthias. You."

     "No, you don't." Kaz gestured to his worn-down backup cane resting against the desk (his usual much-too-fancy cane had a few scratches on it — Saints forbid — so he had sent it to a woodworker to repair it).

     She sighed deeply. Moving around a couple of things, she made room on the desk to sit, her legs dangling off the edge, shoes nearly grazing his pants. "Not only are you the smartest, most cunning person I know, but you are the strongest, too. You have to work twice as hard to do the same thing as someone else, and you do it better. I want you to train me because you are the best. I also know that you're a control freak, and would micromanage anyone else training me anyway."

     He was silent for a while, serious eyes boring into hers. She was still learning the language of his eyes, and couldn't figure out what he was thinking. "When are you free next?" he finally asked.

     "You're my boss, you tell me."

     He gave her a nasty glare. "Tomorrow morning, the Slat, eight bells."

     A grin spread across her face, and she clasped her hands together. "Kaz Brekker," she started slowly, her voice sing-songy.

     "Oh no."

     "You loooove me."

     He rolled his eyes. "There is something very wrong with you."

     She was beaming now, and she lightly kicked him in the shins a couple times in her excitement. "I can't believe you actually said yes. I expected that I'd have to grovel and agree to, like, clean the club's toilets for a year."

     "You can still do that, if you wish." The slightest hint of a smile played on his lips again, but it was most noticeable in his eyes. They glittered in the warm candlelight, sparkling with humor. "But to you, I could never say no." As soon as the words left his mouth, all humor left his eyes and he pressed his lips together tightly. Regret.

     Once she processed what he said, her mind was going a million miles an hour. Every word was replaying in her head, over and over again, and she was methodically attempting to break down what he meant. To you, I could never say no. Those words would be forever imprinted in her soul, she realized. Whatever meaning was behind them, whatever outcome he desired from it, it didn't matter. That sentence would stay with her until the end of time.

     The silence was consuming them, wrapping around them like a python, suffocating them until Eden felt lightheaded again. The air was too heavy, the room was too small, and she needed to get out of this conversation immediately. She faked a gasp, glancing at the clock. "Shit! I have to go. I promised Jesper I'd accompany him to the West Stave, in, like, ten minutes." Not exactly a lie, she had been planning to meet Jesper, but in two bells. "He's trying to preserve his money, you know. I know he's been saying that forever, but I think he means it this time. Anyway, I'm going with him so I can stop him from spending too much. I don't know how I can physically stop him, but I'll figure it out, I guess. I'm very good at figuring out solutions for —"

     "I understand," Kaz said, and she let out a breath of relief. She was rambling, and once she started, she could hardly ever stop. It was like a snowball rolling down a very, very steep mountain. "Have a good time. I will see you tomorrow."

     "Yes, you will." She slid off the desk and headed for the door. Right before it was going to shut, she gave him a grin and called, "Don't kill too many people tonight!"

     She didn't see it, but he shook his head in disbelief, with yet another smirk on his face.

NOTE I have a PROBLEMMMM I make things move SO FAST LMFAOOO IM SORRY!!!! I just know that most ppl stop coming for updates after a while so I think that subconsciously I try to add things in that I KNOW people will like, like tension, and they'll keep coming back 😭😭 IDK IDK I know I shouldn't care about like engagement and validation and whatever but I DO lol💔 anyway I hope you enjoyed!!!