chapter two, I seem to find myself with the craziest.

"HE'S ABSOLUTELY INSANE!" Selene professed. "Like lost all of his marbles and is in dear need of help kind of insane."

"I fear that's an understatement." Briar responded grimly.

Not a second of sleep had happened over the past day for Briar Aldrich, therefore there was none for the Morelle girl as well. The two had spent all awake moments doing something, from pacing around every corner the flat pondering how the hell they could pull off this heist, pouring their fifteenth cups of coffee, to debating on how they could make Kaz Brekker's death look like an accident. Every moment was being used in some way.

"I mean the Ice Court? The Ice Court! It's a bloody fortress!" Selene exclaimed, her hands rising up slightly in her visible distress. "I mean the money, it's more than enough and Saints it's incredible but for a trip bound for death? I don't believe it."

"Very comforting Sel," Briar smiled sarcastically.

Selene frowned slightly, "Sorry Bee, it's just this is still so hard for me to comprehend this all. Bo Yul-Bayur is supposed to be on trial for what he's created and knowing well enough soon executed for his crimes against the people. Who is he to stop that?"

Briar felt a small pang in her heart for Selene. She knew that sour tone in her voice and the almost undetectable venomous undertone. Selene Morelle was a tidemaker, not a very good one as she was never trained in the Little Palace as traditional grisha were, but she was still grisha and this still affected her. 

"And who is he to blackmail you?" Selene asked Briar, "An utter pain he is."

"Tell me about it," Briar huffed, refocusing her attention on the document that sat on the table. "But once he gets this and we make our journey to Fjerda and back, I'll be rid of him for hopefully forever." The schematics weren't as hard to get as Briar thought it was going to be. With the whole favor of asking a dear contact for the plans of the Ice Court, she expected it to be hard but it seemed she had forgotten they had owed her, so they thankfully came so easy that she had them within hours.

"Let's hope so," Selene affirmed, the sleep she had been missing becoming clear to the visible eye as it caught up to her, the darkness under her eyes making an appearance.

"Get some sleep," Briar said to the Morelle girl as Briar packed the schematics into its holder that was to be slung across her back. "I have to be heading out to meet with the bastard anyways."

"Come back from the bird club alive and then I'll think about it." Selene responded with a small shrug, retreating to the kitchen for probably yet another cup of coffee to keep her awake until Briar was to return.

Briar appreciated her concern, a ghost of a smile had tried to form because of it. Though the thought of where she was headed next kept it suppressed. She supposed Kaz said the Crow Club for that reason, not only was it a ground she had not known very well but it was his home turf. It gave her an uncomfortable, cautionary feeling.

Grimly, she supposed, it was a feeling she'd soon become familiar with.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The Crow Club was not a pleasant place for Briar to be. That warning sensation followed her like it had become her own shadow, it was inescapable.

It almost drowned her like the surrounding sounds, the streets were filled with nothing but noise. Plenty of business, plenty of pigeons Kaz's men had lured to come spend all the kruge they could. He was a pain but she respected his driving tactics, if someone had to make money she'd rather it be his irritating ass than the other business men who unfortunately thrived here as well.

Looking up at the Crow symbol that almost seemed to be looking back at her, Briar wondered what the fascination Brekker had with crows stemmed from. Everywhere he had gone that damned bird seemed to follow. For a man who always seems so unable to care, to have a bird as the head of his cane must mean something.

The second she stepped into the club she was immediately escorted to the back, a parlor filled with some notable faces and a Fjerdan man tied to a chair.

Delightful.

"Briar?" Nina Zenik was the first to recognize her. She had Nina hadn't been per say, friends, but as all grisha in the city seemed to know one another know one another, they knew each other through Selene. Inej Ghafa was a face easy enough to spot, the infamous Wraith and her had met only once before, though Briar doubted Inej knew it was her. Jesper Fahey and his pearl revolvers were a familiar sight, knowing him from afar at gambling dens and the boy doodling, who seemed completely out of place, was Wylan Van Eck.

"Zenik," Briar nodded at her while shucking off the holster the Ice Court schematics sat in and taking her spot in a nearby chair.

The group was taken back by her presence it was clear to see, only two out of six of them had known her name, it was a reasonable response.

"I'm hoping you have it." Kaz spoke to her.

"Don't hope too hard, I'd hate to see you doing something other than glower." Briar snarked as she slightly waved the holder, that she now held tightly, for his awaiting eyes as confirmation.

It seemed only when the others had exchanged a shared confused glance that Kaz noticed they hadn't understood why Briar was here. "You know who they are," Kaz spoke to Briar, "Everyone this is Briar Aldrich. Or more commonly known as, the Whisper."

The looks they had expressed were priceless, Briar almost laughed. Nina's jaw had dropped so far Briar was sure it was to hit the floorboards, Inej's eyes had widened, her brows could've reached the sun, Jesper had let out a chocked laugh, taken back by the reveal and Wylan had dropped the pencil he was scribbling with. Briar almost felt sad to know he had once lived with Jan Van Eck, from what she had gathered in her times well spent on the Geldstraat he wasn't exactly as good of a man as many made him out to be. Just another cruel businessman, who even with a family, chose to have his money and power be his only care.

"Briar here has offered her gracious help in getting to the Ice Court," Kaz had continued, his gaze directing towards Nina, whose jaw still hung low, for his next words. "If Helvar won't tell, the schematics she brought will."

"I'm sorry," Jesper interjected, still taken back. His eyes focused on Briar. "You? The Whisper? The Whisper?"

"A shock, I know, but I wouldn't be a whisper if people knew who I was." Briar shrugged quickly.

Kaz opened his mouth to speak again, most likely to move past this but Nina wasn't ready to do that just yet. "Don't even think about just dismissing this," Nina added, picking her jaw up. "Briar Aldrich, sweet Briar Aldrich who lives with Selene Morelle is the Whisper? Even more so the Whisper who is helping us break into the Ice Court?"

"It's not willingly I'll tell you that," Briar shot a glare at Kaz, then turned her attention back to Nina. "But yes, Nina."

"You got your confirmation, now can we move on?" Kaz spoke, it wasn't as much of an ask as it had seemed to be, he didn't wait for any objections but simply let himself talk. He went on about jurda parem and it's lethal effects, the incredibly stupid idea of breaking into the Ice Court, and finished with the large sums of money they'd receive if they managed to make it out alive and secure Bo Yul-Bayur.

When Kaz finished speaking, which Briar felt took far too long, the Fjerdan spoke up, saying only one word. "No."

"Believe me when I say this, Helvar: I know getting knocked out and waking up in strange surroundings isn't the friendliest way to start a partnership, but you didn't give us many options, so try to open your mind to the possibilities."

"You could have come to me on your knees, and my answer would be the same."

"You do understand I can have you back at Hellgate in a matter of hours?" Kaz told him, a warning tone in his voice. "Once poor Muzzen is in the infirmary, the switch will be easy."

"Do it." Helvar had challenged him, "I can't wait to tell the warden your ridiculous plans."

"What makes you think you'll be going back with a tongue?"

"Kaz—" Nina had tried to protest.

"Do what you want," Helvar interjected.

"I told you," Nina spoke.

"Don't pretend to know me, witch," The Fjerdan seethed.

Briar wondered what exactly had happened between the two, besides the clear look of betrayal he had when his eyes had found hers.

"Without him, there's no practically no job," Jesper noted, then looking towards Briar. "I mean the schematics may be a good outline but there's always more. For this to work we can't break into the Ice Court blind."

"You can't break into the Ice Court at all." Helvar conveyed to the group, his stance still stubborn.

"Come now, Helvar," Kaz started, "Surely there's something you want. The cause is righteous enough for a zealot like you. Fjerda may think they've caught a dragon by the tail, but they won't be able to hold on. Once Bo Yul-Bayur replicates his process, jurda parem will enter the market, and it's only a matter of time before others learn to manufacture it, too."

"It will never happen. Yul-Bayur will stand trial, and if he is found guilty he will be put to death." Helvar had persisted.

"Guilty of what?" Nina questioned him.

"Crimes against the people."

"Which people?" Nina pressed on.

"Natural people," Matthias replied. "People who live in harmony with the laws of this world instead of twisting them for their own gain."

Briar rolled her eyes, the whole Fjerdan's believing grisha were all pure evil thing was getting old. She could recount the many times Selene had told her about this, how Fjerda had viewed people like her, Briar wished they would just come to their senses. She knew she wasn't going to be the one to change anything, for one it wasn't her place, for two she may have been a girl who specialized in undermining the wrong but she knew that wasn't enough to get an entire nation to change their beliefs. But for Selene's safety, she wished she could've.

Nina let out an exasperated sound, Briar expected nothing less. The others just looked amused at the scene.

"You're being shortsighted about this, Helvar," Kaz remarked. "Another team could get to Yul-Bayur first. The Shu. Maybe the Ravkans. All with their own agendas. Border disputes and old rivalries don't matter to the Kerch. All the Merchant Council cares about is trade, and they want to make sure jurda parem remains a rumour and nothing more."

"So leading criminals into the heart of Fjerda to steal a valued prisoner is a patriotic act?" Matthias prodded scornfully.

He had a point. It was a reluctant thought.

"I don't suppose the promise of four million kruge will sway you either."

"You can keep your money." Helvar hissed. "Choke on it." But there was something more, as he stayed silent Briar had seen the cogs in his brain turning, configuring an idea he wouldn't mind executing. He focused in on Kaz and spoke up. "I'll make a deal with you."

"I'm listening."

"I won't go with you, but I'll give you a plan for the layout of the Court. That should at least get you past the first checkpoint."

"And what will this valuable information cost me?"

"I don't want your money. I'll give you the plans for nothing." Helvar explained, he then paused for a moment. "If you let me kill Nina Zenik."

Guess the execute part was right, Briar thought grimly.

Inej had made a sound of disgust, Wylan, who had picked up his pencil earlier and continued drawing, had halted his sketches and let his mouth part in shock. Kaz, of course, looked nothing but pleased with his choice. 

"I can give you something better," Kaz declared.

"There's nothing else I want."

"I can make you a drüskelle again."

"Are you a magician, then? A wej sprite who grants wishes? I'm superstitious, not stupid."

You can always be both, Briar thought to herself. 

"You can be both, you know, but that's hardly the point." Kaz had practically picked the words from her brain and said it himself, it took her back slightly.

 Kaz handed Inej a document and she brought it up to his face for the Fjerdan to read. "What new evidence?" Helvar had asked.

Kaz leaned back in his chair. "It seems Nina Zenik has recanted her statements. She will face charges of perjury."

"Perjury? How long will you serve for that, Zenik?"

"Two months," Nina responded.

"Two months?" The laugh he then let out made Briar question just how many marbles he had lost in his time at Hellgate.

"Just how crazy is he?" Jesper questioned, his fingers drumming on the pearly handles of his revolvers.

Kaz had just shrugged in response. "He's not what I'd call reliable, but he's all we've got."

"She can't be trusted, you know," Helvar assured once he finished laughing, "Whatever secrets you hope to gain from Bo Yul-Bayur, she'll turn them over to Ravka."

"Let me worry about that, Helvar. You do your part, and the secrets of Yul-Bayur and jurda parem will be in the hands of the people best equipped to make sure they stay rumours."

"What if Bo Yul-Bayur is dead?" Helvar prodded.

"Van Eck insists he isn't."

And he's such a reliable source, Briar almost let the sarcasm slip from her lips.

"But what if he is, Brekker?"

"You still get your pardon."

Briar watched as he contemplated his choices, the gears clicking into place once he reluctantly made his decision, the bitter words spoken. "I'll do it."

"We're going to untie you, I hope prison hasn't robbed you of all your manners or good sense." Briar wondered if this was truly the best idea. If you have to tie someone up, maybe it's best you keep them that way. Inej pulled a knife out of one of her many hidden places and began to cut the ropes that kept him bound to the chair. "I believe you know Nina. The lovely girl freeing you is Inej, our thief of secrets and the best in the trade. Jesper Fahey is our sharpshooter, Zemeni-born but try not to hold it against him. Briar Aldrich meet Matthias Helvar, Helvar meet the girl who's been suspiciously quiet, Briar Aldrich. A notorious criminal known as the Whisper,"

This seemed to have struck something in the Fjerdan. "Whisper," He muttered it to himself a couple more times before realization seemed to hit him. He looked up at her and focused in, "Drea Hawthorne?"

"So Scott Avox still has a tongue," It wasn't a question, more of a sorrow realization. "Pity."

"He went insane," There was a spark of anger in his icy blue eyes, Inej slightly halted her cutting of the ropes. "He had a family."

"He had several," Briar corrected quickly, "All of which were secret and kept from his first wife and son, while also being severely exploited for the profit of his business, at the expense of their futures and they had not one clue. So yes, he had a family, he also was found on several counts of forgery, fraud, kruge laundering, extortion and somehow the list goes on. I did all of his families a favor."

Matthias clearly wanted to continue going back and forth, trying to hopelessly find a reason to argue for a man who did so many wrongs but Kaz broke up the conversation. "And this is Wylan, best demolitions expert in the Barrel."

"Raske is better," Inej mentioned, finally picking back up on the rope cutting she had stopped.

Wylan looked up and finally spoke for the first time. "He's not better. He's reckless."

"He knows his trade."

"So do I."

"Barely," Jesper interjected.

"Wylan is new to the scene," Kaz admitted.

"Of course he's new," Matthias responded, "He looks like he's about twelve,"

"I'm sixteen," Wylan noted.

"We should be using Raske," Jesper suggested, "He's good under pressure."

Inej showed her agreement with a nod. "I don't like it,"

"I didn't ask," Kaz said flatly, "Besides, Wylan isn't just good with the flint and fuss. He's our insurance."

Nina raised a brow, "Against what?" 

"Meet Wylan Van Eck," Kaz introduced as Wylan had gone a deep shade of red. "Jan Van Eck's son and our guarantee on thirty million kruge."

Jesper had burst into laughter at the reveal, "Of course you're a Councilman's kid. That explains everything."

Briar felt slightly bad for him, she was sure there was to be more to him than that. Looking around she saw Nina stunned, Matthias utterly confused ( but what could you expect ), either Inej was incredible at hiding her surprise or had already known and Kaz being Kaz, looked almost as pleased with himself as he did when he threatened to expose Briar's identity as the Whisper just a day ago.

"You knew?" Wylan had asked him, his throat hollow.

Kaz leaned back in the chair he sat in and stretched out his bad leg, "Why do you think I've been keeping you around?"

"I'm good at demo."

"You're passable at demo." Kaz renounced him, "You're excellent at hostage."

"It doesn't matter," Jesper had cut in, "We should still take Raske and leave this baby merch on lockdown in Ketterdam."

"I don't trust Raske."

"And you trust Wylan Van Eck?" Jesper questioned him incredulously.

"Wylan doesn't know enough people to cause us real trouble." Briar restrained a laugh, it was rude but she had to admit it was funnier than it was supposed to be.

"Don't I have some say in this?" Wylan interjected, "I'm sitting right here."

Kaz raised his brows at him. "Ever had your pocket picked, Wylan?"

"I ... not that I know of."

"Been mugged in an alley?"

That was never fun.

"No."

"Hung over the side of a bridge with your head in the canal?"

Wylan blinked, taken aback. Just as Briar was, who has done that? "No, but—"

"Ever been beaten until you can't walk?"

"No."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I—" Wylan couldn't finish whatever thought had come to mind.

"It's been three months since you left your daddy's mansion on the Geldstraat. Why do you suppose your sojourn in the Barrel has been so blessed?"

"Lucky, I guess?" Wylan suggested, he even sounded unsure of his answer.

Jesper snorted at it. "Kaz is your luck, merchling. He's had you under Dregs protection – though you're so useless, up until this minute none of us could figure out why."

"It was perplexing," Nina said.

"Kaz always has his reasons," Inej affirmed.

"Why did you move out of your father's house?" Jesper pressed.

"It was time," Wylan's answer was vague, Briar could tell he didn't want to talk about the matter.

"Idealist?" Jesper continued on, "Romantic? Revolutionary?"

"Idiot?" Nina suggested. "No one chooses to live in the Barrel if he has another option."

"I'm not useless," Wylan frowned.

"Raske is the better demo man—" Inej began.

"I've been to the Ice Court." Wylan blurted out, "With my father. We went to an embassy dinner. I can help with the plans."

Briar furrowed her brows. Matthias and Wylan both had been practically walking schematics on their own, what was Kaz's need for her?

"See that? Hidden depths." Kaz rapped his gloved fingers over the head of his cane as he spoke. "And I don't want our only leverage against Van Eck cooling his heels in Ketterdam while we head north. Wylan goes with us. He's good enough at demo, and he's got a fine hand for sketching, thanks to all those pricey tutors."

Wylan somehow managed to go even redder than before.

"Play piano, too?" Jesper questioned.

"Flute," Wylan responded defensively.

"Perfect."

Kaz was about to speak again when Briar cut in, her eyes narrowed in on Kaz. "You have the Fjerdan and Wylan. What's the point of me?"

"If you'd let me continue you'd know," Kaz retorted, Briar glared harder at him. "Since Wylan has seen the Ice Court with his very own eyes and Briar has the plans to the entire place, they both can keep you honest, Helvar."

Briar didn't believe it. Blackmail just to keep a Fjerdan honest? There had to be something more to Kaz's plan, or else it wouldn't be a Kaz Brekker plan, she knew that.

Kaz tapped his cane on the polished wood floor. "Take out your pen and proper paper, Wylan. Briar, if you'd stop gripping that holster like your life depends on in and take out it's documents, let's put Helvar to work."

This was going to be one long day.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

g speaks! 

I swear these chapters will be put out sooner but anyways, Briar and Selene >>>