chapter eleven. ketterdam

 "Inej!" Aria cried, running to her.

 Her arms wrapped around Inej's figure, bringing her flush against her own. The hug was bone-crushing, and despite her weakness, Inej hugged back just as hard. "Aria," Inej said in a relieved breath. At once, everyone was around them, laughing and throwing Inej throughout them, grinning brightly.

In the small space of the tomb they hid in, Jesper crowed loudly. "The Wraith returns!" He said, slinging his long arms over Inej and Aria, swinging them along to his make believe music. When Wylan appeared in front of them, Inej sent him a peculiar look. Aria removed herself from Inej's side and went to Wylan, grabbing his chin with one hand. Another pointed at the boy sat at the small table.

"This is Wylan."

Wylan formed that lopsided grinned and walked to Inej. She laughed, hugging him. "I'm sorry about my father." He said, in a hushed tone.

Inej shook her head. "We are not our fathers."

When Kaz tapped his cane on the floor of the tomb, Aria turned to him. "If everyone's done cuddling, we have a job to do."

Aria made a face, folding her arms over her chest. "We're not talking about anything until we figure out what the hell happened with those things on the Stave." She said, and Kaz gave a nod.

"What things?" Inej asked.

Jesper furrowed his brows. "Did you miss half the Stave blowing up?"

Inej shook her head. "No, we saw the bomb at the White Rose go off. Then, we heard another explosion."

"At the Anvil," Nina stated.

"After that, we ran." Inej said.

Aria shrugged. "If you'd stuck around, you could've nearly been killed by a Shu guy with wings."

"Two of them," added Wylan.

Inej frowned. "Two wings?"

Jesper snickered. "Two guys."

"With wings?" Inej asked. "Like a bird?"

Aria nodded, watching as Nina dragged Inej toward the table where a map of Ketterdam had been spread. "More like a moth. A deadly, mechanical moth. Are you hungry? We have chocolate biscuits." Nina offered the tin which had a few remaining biscuits, Alys Van Eck had practically cleared it out the day before.

"Oh, sure. She gets the cookie hoard." Jesper complains, crossing his arms over his chest. Aria nodded in agreement. Nina pushed Inej into a chair and set the tim in front of her.

"Eat," Nina ordered. "There were two Shu with wings, and a man and a woman who were...not normal." Nina said, taking a biscuit for herself. She nibbled at it so gently, which was so unlike her. Inej frowned at the sight.

Matthias joined the table and sat across from Inej, and Nina placed a hand on his shoulder. "The Shu woman we faced was stronger than me, Jesper, and Wylan put together."

"You heard that. Stronger than Wylan." Jesper said, smiling.

Wylan furrowed his brows, shoving Jesper. "I did my part!" He objected.

Aria reached over and slung her arm over him. "You most definitely did, Wy. What was that purple stuff?" Aria asks, feeling as Wylan did the same with his own arm. Inej watched the two intently, their movements practically intertwined. They were like lost brother and sister, so identical in heart. And even though Wylan stood there looking like her real identical counterpart, Inej began to miss the real face of Wylan. Fluffy red hair, big blue eyes. Wylan and Aria moved almost as one, they'd taken on characteristics from one another, and only Inej noticed.

"Something new I've been working on it's based on a Ravkan invention called lumiya. The flames are almost impossible to extinguish, but I changed the formulation so that it burns a lot hotter." Wylan explained, finding Aria's eyes. Aria laughed, nudging him.

"Sounds a lot like me, ja?" Aria asks. Wylan nods.

"We were lucky to have you there," Matthias said as he bowed forward. It left Wylan looking pleased and entirely pink and flustered. "The creatures were nearly impervious to bullets."

Nina shook her head. "Nearly. They had nets. They were looking to hunt and capture Grisha." She said grimly.

Kaz appeared behind Aria, shoulders resting against the wall. Aria faced towards him, eyes fixating on him. Inej noticed this, too. When Aria looked at Wylan, her eyes were so soft and pleased. When Aria looked at Kaz, something was different. Her eyes were sharper, more focused. Tracing over every feature Kaz displayed, trying to dig deeper into what was inside Kaz Brekker. Maybe Aria Antonov was the only one who could do that.

"Were they using parem?" Kaz asked. Aria shook her head, turning to walk towards the table. Inej noticed how Kaz's eyes followed every part of her figure—Inej could've laughed then and there.

Aria turned to look at Kaz over her shoulder. "No. I don't think they were Grisha. They didn't display any powers, and they weren't heali bc their wounds. It looked like they had some kind of metal plating beneath their skin."

Kaz furrowed his brows. "What?"

"Matthias said they were almost impervious to bullets—it's because they were...metal."

Nina turned to Kuwei, the real Kuwei, and spoke rapidly in Shu. He sighed, then groaned. "Kherguud." Every person in the room stared at the boy blankly. "When my father made parem, the government tests it on Fabrikators."

Jesper cocked his head to one side. "Is it just me or is your Kerch getting better?"

Kuwei stared him down. "My Kerch is good. You all talk too fast."

Jesper blew out some air. "Okay," he drawled. "Why did your dear Shu friends test parem on Fabrikators?" He positioned himself in a chair, legs sprawled out, and his hands rested on his revolvers. Aria saw through his relaxed demeanor. Wylan kept his eyes on Jesper, scaling over his body. His cheeks were still pink, he looked at Jesper so intensely.

"They have more Fabrikators in captivity," said Kuwei.

"They're the easiest to capture," Matthias said, ignoring Nina's sour look. "Until recently, they received little combat training, and without parem their powers are poorly suited to battle." He explained.

"Our leaders want to conduct more experiments. But they don't know how many Grisha they can find—" Kuwei began, but Nina spoke between his words.

"Maybe if they hadn't killed so many?"

Kuwei nodded, either ignoring or missing Nina's sarcasm. "Yes. They have few Grisha, and using parem shortens a Grisha's life. So they bring doctors to work with the Fabrikators  already sick from parem. They plan to make a new kind of soldiers, the Kherguud. I don't know if they succeeded."

Jesper scoffed from his chair near Aria. "I think I can answer that question with a big fat yes."

Aria nodded in agreement, throwing herself down in a chair just as Jesper got up. Inej was watching again, unknown to the others. Kaz appeared at Aria's side within a few seconds, leaning against the side of the chair, keeping a good amount of distance between himself and her. Jesper looked back to them with a dirty look, muttering about how she was quick to steal his chair, he found another closer to the table.

"Specially tailored soldiers," Nina said, looking off at the map. "Before the war, I heard they tried something similar in Ravka, reinforcing skeletons, tampering with bone density, metal implants. They experimented on First Army volunteers." It was then Nina noticed Matthias' disgusted look. "Oh, stop grimacing, Matthias. Your Fjerdan masters probably would have gotten around to trying the exact same thing, given the time." Nina waved him off.

"Fabrikators deal in solids," Jesper began. "Metal, glass, textiles. This seems like Corporalki work."

From behind him, Aria fiddled with a quill she swiped from Wylan, her eyes remained on it as she began to speak. "Tailors blur the line between Fabrikator and Corporalnik," Aria said—Kaz's eyes were glued to her, occasionally going to her hands where they twirled the quill and flipped it between her fingers.

"I had a teacher in Ravka, Genya Safin. She could have been either a Heartrender or a Fabrikator if she'd wanted to—instead she became a great Tailor. The work you're describing is really just an advanced kind of tailoring." Nina explained, and Aria furrowed her brows together. It still didn't explain it.

"But you're telling us you saw a man with wings somehow grafted onto his back?" Inej asked, confused.

Aria shook her head. "No, they were mechanical. Some kind of metal frame, and canvas, maybe? But it's more sophisticated than just slapping a pair of wings between someone's shoulders blades. You'd have to link muscalature, hollow out the bones to decrease the body weight, then somehow compensate for the loss of bone marrow, maybe replace the skeleton entirely. The level of complexity—"

"Parem," Matthias said, blond brows furrowing together. Aria stopped short of her words, mirroring his expression. "A Fabrikator using parem could manage that kind of tailoring."

Nina shoved herself back from the table in a huff, crossing her arms over her chest. Aria set the quill down and moved towards the table, dragging the chair with her. It almost caused Kaz to lose his balance, but he composed himself with his cane. "Won't the Merchant Council do anything about the Shu attack? Are they just allowed to waltz into Kerch and start blowing things up and kidnapping people?"

Kaz thought for a moment but shook his head. "I doubt the Council will act. Unless the Shu who attacked you were wearing uniforms, the Shu-Han government will probably deny any knowledge of the attack."

Aria huffs, shaking her head. "So, they just get away with it? I cannot let the crimes against my people go unnoticed."

Kaz's lips formed a thin line. "Maybe not. I spent a little time gathering intelligence at the harbors today. Those two Shu warships? The Council of Tides drydocked them."

Slowly, Jesper's boots slid off the table and hit the floor with a loud thud. "What?"

Kaz nodded. "They pulled back the tide. All of it. Used the sea to carve a new island with both of those warships beaches on it. You can see them lying on their sides, sails dragging in the mud, right there in the harbor." Kaz pointed a gloved finger where they laid. When he removed his finger, Aria traced her fingers over the spot. A piece of home, but it felt like everything but. Her mother was Shu, and taught her many of the customs. Then, when she took the test to see if she was Grisha, she never saw her mother again. She never got to dress in traditional Shu gowns, hear her mother sing in her native tongue—none of it. She was shoved into the Little Palace with force. Aria could barely remember her face.

"A show of force," Aria said, looking up to Kaz.

"On behalf of the Grisha or the city?" Asked Jesper.

Kaz shrugged. "Who knows? But it might make the Shu a little more careful about hunting on Ketterdam streets."

Aria swallowed hard and looked back to the spot on the map. She remembered seeing the large Shu ships—and she imagined how they looked now, broken down on their sides.

"Could the Council of Tides help us? If they know about parem, they have to be worried about what might happen if the wrong people get their hands on it."

Nina shook her head and scoffed. "How would we find them?" She remarked bitterly. "No one knows the Tides' identities, no one has ever see. them coming or going from those watchtowers."

"It's smart when you think about it. The Shu were just maximizing their resources. A Grisha addicted to parem can't live for long, so the Shu found another way to exploit their powers." Kaz explained, stepping up to the table, pushing most of his weight onto the cane. He propped himself up on the table.

Aria rubbed her temples and leaned back in her chair, practically shrinking into the material.

"Indestructible soldiers who outlive their creators." Matthias stated.

Jesper rubbed a hand over his face. "And who can go out and hunt more Grisha. I swear to the Saints one of them found us by our smell."

Aria let out an audible groan.

"Is that even possible?" Inej asked in a horrified tone.

Aria slumped her shoulders and thought long and hard for a moment. Nina was looking to her, wondering if she had any idea about that. "I've never heard of Grisha giving off any particular scent..." Aria said, brows furrowing. In all honesty, she was beginning to wonder if that was actually true or not.

"I guess it's possible? If the soldier's olfactory receptors were improved...maybe it's a scent ordinary people can't detect." Nina suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

Jesper began tapping his ringed fingers against the wood of the table. He pursed his lips and his dark brows knitted in concentration. "This can't have been the first attack, though. Wylan, Aria—do you remember how terrified that Squaller in the rare books was? And what about that merch ship Rotty told us about?"

Kaz nodded, placing his hands on the head of his cane. "It was torn apart, a bunch of sailors were found dead. At the time, they thought the crew's Squaller might have gone rogue, busted out of his indenture. But maybe he didn't disappear. Maybe he was captured. He was one of old Councilman Hoede's Grisha."

Nina swallowed hard, turning to Kaz.

"Emil Retvenko," Nina said.

"That's the one. You knew him?" Kaz asked.

"I knew of him. Most of the Grisha in Ketterdam know about each other. We share information, try to keep an eye out for one another. The Shu must have spies here if they knew where to look for each of us. The other Grisha—" As Nina pushed herself out of her chair, she grabbed it for support, stumbling.

Inej and Matthias were on their feet in an instant and Aria had grabbed Nina to steady her.

"Are you all right?" Inej asked

Nina formed an unconvincing smile. "Splendid," she said. "But if the other Grisha in Ketterdam are in danger—"

"You're going to do what?" Aria asked, her tone laced with a hard edge. "We're lucky to be alive after what happened today. Those Shu soldiers can smell us, Nina." Aria said, turning to Kuwei. "Your father made that possible."

Kuwei went to stand, but Wylan held out his arm to block the two from one another. Aria pushed herself out of the armchair and planted her arms on the table, leaning forward.

"Hey," Wylan warned. "Go easy."

Jesper shook his head. "Go easy? Like things weren't bad enough for the Grisha before? What if they track us to the Black Veil? There are four of us here." Jesper stated.

Kaz rapped his knuckles against the table. "Wylan's right. Go easy. The city wasn't safe before and it isn't safe now. So let's all get rich enough to relocate."

Aria scoffed. "We're still talking about money? That's not what this is about anymore. This is so much more than four million kruge, Kaz. This is about Nina, Jesper, Kuwei, and I. Our lives...are at risk now. They always have been."

"We're talking about the job and making Van Eck pay." Kaz said in a lower tone, eyes casting towards Aria.

Inej stood, looping her arm through Nina's. "I'd like to know what we can do the help the Grisha who are still in Ketterdam. And I'd also like to know how we're going to make Van Eck suffer."

Matthias shook his head. "There are bigger issues here."

Jesper sat back down, rubbing up and down his face. "Not for me," he said with a sigh. "I have two days left to get right with my father."

Inej cocked her head. "Your father?"

Jesper let out a bated breath. "Yup. Family reunion in Ketterdam. Everyone's invited."

Inej swallowed and met his eyes again. "The loan?"

Jesper placed his hands on his revolvers. "Yeah," he said shortly. "I'd really like to know just how we intend to settle this score."

Kaz shifted beside Aria, readjusting his cane. "Have any of you wondered what I did with all that cash Pekka Rollin's gave us?"

Aria felt her stomach turn. "You went to Pekka Rollins for a loan?"

Kaz could've scoffed, but he only shook his head. "I would never go into debt with Rollins. I sold him my shares in Fifth Harbor and the Crow Club."

Aria moved abruptly, the chair that sat behind her clattering to the stone floor loudly. Everyone flinched, casting their eyes to her. "All of it?"

Kaz nodded. "All of it."

Her breath caught in her throat. "You built that from nothing, Kaz—"

"Where do you think the money went?" Kaz repeated.

"Guns?" Asked Jesper.

"Ships?" Came from Inej.

"Bombs?" Suggested Wylan.

"Political bribes?" Nina asked, then turning to Matthias. "This is where you tell us how awful we are."

Matthias shrugged. "They all seem like practical choices."

"Sugar," said Kaz.

Jesper slid the bowl of sugar cubes towards Kaz, who let it slide to the floor and shatter with a glare. "Not for my coffee, you podge. I used the money to buy up sugar sales and placed them in private accounts for all of us—under aliases, of course."

"Aliases? What's mine?" Aria asked.

Kaz looked towards her. "Imogen Abranova."

Aria cocked her head and shrugged.

"I don't like speculation," said Matthias.

"Of course you don't. You like things you can see. Like piles of snow or benevolent tree golds." Kaz said sarcastically.

Inej leaned her head on Nina's shoulder and grinned at Matthias. "Oh, there it is! I missed his glower."

"Besides," began Kaz. "It's hardly speculation if you know the outcome."

Aria pursed her lips. "You know something about the sugar crop?"

"I know something about the supply." Kaz corrected. Aria fell onto the small worn sofa besides Wylan, leaning her head backwards.

Wylan sat up straight rather abruptly, startling back up. "The silos. The silos are in Sweet Reef."

Kaz wore the ghost of a smile. "Very good, merchling."

Matthias looked around. "What's Sweet Reef?"

"An area just south of Sixth Harbor." Inej said. "It's where they keep molasses, raw cane, and the processing plants to refine sugar. We were right near there today. That wasn't a coincidence, was it?" Inej asked, looking to Kaz.

Kaz sighed and shook his head. "No, I wanted to get a look at the terrain. Most sugar cane comes from the Southern Colonies and Novyi Zem, but there won't be another crop until three months from now. This season's crop has already been harvested, processed, refined, and stored in the Sweet Reef silos."

"There are thirty silos. My father owns ten of them." Stated Wylan.

Jesper let out a low whistle. "Van Eck controls one-third of the world's sugar supply?"

"He owns the silos," said Kaz. "But only a fraction inside them. He maintains the silos at his own expense, supplies guards for them, and pays the Squallers who monitor the humidity inside the silos to make sure the sugar stays dry and seperated."

Aria watched as Kaz picked up the quill and began to sketch exactly what he'd been talking about. Aria's eyes followed his precise movements. "The merchants who own the sugar pay him a small percentage of every one of their sales. It adds up quickly."

Matthias hums. "Such enormous wealth under one man's protection. If anything we're going to happen to those silos, the price of sugar—"

"Would go off like a cheap pair of six-shooters," said Jesper as he jumped to his feet and began to pace across the small confines of the tomb.

"The price would climb and keep climbing," said Kaz. "And as of a few days ago, we own shares in the companies that don't store sugar with Van Eck. Right now, they're worth about what we paid for them. But once we destroy the sugar in Van Eck's silos—"

Aria sat forward, eyes wide with excitement. "We're going to be filthy, filthy rich."

"Kings and queens," Kaz said, meeting her eyes.

Jesper was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Our shares will be worth five—maybe ten—times worth what they are now."

"Try twenty." Kaz smirked.

Jesper practically howled. "Don't mind if I do."

"We could sell a huge profit," Wylan said. "We'd be rich overnight."

Aria knees rapped up and down, jittering with excitement and anxiety. "Thirty million kruge rich?

Kaz smiled in her direction. "Give or take a million."

"Give," she replied. He smiled wider.

Wylan bit at his fingernails, brows knitted in concentration. "My father can weather a loss. The other merchants, the ones who own the sugar in his silos, will be hit worse."

"True. And if we destroy the silos, it will be clear Van Eck was targeted." Matthias stated.

"We could try and make it look like an accident," Nina suggested.

Kaz nodded. "It will. Initially. Thanks to the weevil. Tell them, Wylan."

Wylan sat forward like an eager schoolboy ready to prove he knew all the answers. He drew a vial from his jacket and presented it between his fingers. "This version works."

"It's a...weevil?" Aria asked.

"A chemical weevil," said Jesper. "But Wylan still hasn't named it. My vote is for the Wyvil."

"That's terrible," said Wylan.

"It's brilliant," Jesper winked at Wylan. "Just like you."

Wylan flushed a daylily pink, practically falling limp against Aria. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Across from them, Kuwei had his arms crossed of his chest. "I helped as well," he commented, his tone sulky.

"Yes, Kuwei helped." Wylan said, the rest of them all casted annoyed glances towards Kuwei.

Kaz let out a sharp exhale. "We'll make him a plaque. Tell them how it works," he said.

Wylan cleared his throat once more and began to speak. "I got the idea from cane blight—just a little bit of bacteria can ruin a whole crop. Once the weevil is dropped into the silo, it will keep burrowing down, using the refined sugar as fuel until the sugar is nothing but useless mush."

"It reacts to sugar?" Aria asked, inspecting the small tube.

"Yes, any kind of sugar. Even trace amounts if there's enough moisture present, so keep it away from sweat, blood, and saliva." Wylan stated.

"Do not lick Wyvil. Does someone want to write that down?" Jesper asked.

"Wy, those silos are huge. How much will we need?" Aria asks, handing the vial back to him.

"One vial for each silo," Wylan stated.

Inej blinked at it. "Truly?"

"Tiny and ferocious," Jesper winked. Aria burst into laughter, holding her stomach. Wylan flushed pink once more, rolling his eyes.

"The weevil will make the destruction of the sugar look like an accident," said Wylan.

"It will," said Kaz. "Until the other merchants learn that Van Eck has been buying sugar that isn't stored in his silos."

Wylan's eyes widened. "What?"

"I used half of our money for our shares. I used the rest to purchase shares on behalf of Van Eck—well, on behalf of a holding company created under Alys' name. Couldn't make it too obvious. The shares were purchased in cash, untraceable. But the certificates authenticating their purchase will be found stamped and sealed at his attorney's office." Kaz said.

Matthias raised his brows in surprise. "Cornelis Smeet," he said, impressed. "Deception upon deception. You weren't just trying to figure out wheee Alys was being kept when you broke into his office."

Kaz nodded. "You don't win by running one game," said Kaz. "Van Eck'a reputation will take a hit when the sugar is lost. But when the people who paid him to keep it safe find out he profited from their loss, they'll look more closely at those silos."

"And find the remnants of the weevil," added Wylan.

Aria let out a soft laugh, leaning against Wylan. "Destruction of property, tampering with the markets, it will be the end of him."

"Could he go to prison?" Inej asked.

"He'll be charged with violating a contract and attempting to interfere with the market. There is no greater crime according to Kerch law. The sentence is the same for murder. He could hang." Kaz stated, and Aria couldn't help but let the grin cross her mouth.

Before Aria could even get the words I'd love to see that out of her mouth, the smile faded from her face as she found Wylan's expression. Soft, his eyes cast towards the ground. "Will he?" He asked in a wavering voice, his finger drawing a line down the map of Ketterdam.

"He won't. He'll get the lesser charge. If he'll see a jail cell or not, it matters how good of a lawyer he has." Aria stated.

Wylan nodded slowly, trying to compose himself. "He'll be barred from trade, and his holdings will be seized to make good on the lost sugar."

"The end of the Van Eck empire," said Kaz.

"Alys. What about her?" Asked Wylan.

Kaz waved his hand. "No one's going to believe she had any part in a financial scheme. She'll sue for divorce and probably move back in with her parents. She'll cry for a week, sing for two, and then get over it. Maybe marry a prince."

"Or maybe a music teacher," Inej suggested.

"There's just one small problem," Jesper said. "And by small, I mean 'huge, glaring, let's scrap this and go get a lager.' The silos. I know we're all about breaching the unbreachable, but how are we supposed to get inside?"

Wylan readjusted himself in his seat and fell back against Aria, leaning against her. "Kaz can pick the locks."

"No," said Kaz. "I can't."

The room went almost silent.

"I don't think I've ever heard those words leave your lips," said Nina. "Say it again, nice and slow."

Kaz ignored Nina's comment. "They're quatrefoil locks. Four keys in four locks turned at the same time or they trigger security doors and an alarm. I can pick any lock, but I can't pick four at once."

Aria pursed her lips and propped her boots on the table. "Then how do we get in?"

"The silos also open at the top," said Kaz.

Aria scoffed. "Those silos are nearly twenty stories high. Is Inej going to go up and down town of them in one night?"

"Just one," Kaz stated.

Nina placed her hands on her hips. "And then what?"

"And then," said Inej, pushing herself out of her chair. "I'm going to walk a high wire from one silo to the next."

Nina threw her hands in the air. "And all of it without a net, I suppose?"

"A Ghafa never performs with a net," said Inej.

"Does a Ghafa frequently perform twenty stories above cobblestones after being held prisoner for a week?" Aria asks, brow cocked.

"There will be a net," Kaz stated. "It's in place behind the silo guardhouse, under a stack of sandbags."

"I don't need a net." Inej argued.

Kaz looked to his watch without looking to Inej. "Didn't ask. We have six hours to sleep and heal up. Aria and I will nab supplies from the Cirkus Zirkoa. They're camped on the western outskirts of town. Inej, make a list of what you'll need. We hit the silos in twenty four hours."

"Absolutely not," said Nina. "Inej needs to rest."

Jesper nodded. "That's right. She looks thin enough to blow away in a stiff breeze."

"I'm fine." Inej said.

Aria rolled her eyes. "You always say that."

"Isn't that how things are done around here?" Asked Wylan. "We all tell Kaz we're fine and then do something stupid?"

Aria let out a small laugh, as did Inej. "Are we that predictable?"

"Yes." Wylan and Matthias said in unison.

"Do you want to beat Van Eck?" Kaz askrd.

Nina rolled her eyes and exhaled. "Of course

Kaz scanned the room, moving from face to face. His Crows. "Do you? Do you want your money? The money we fought, and bled, and nearly drowned for? Or do you want Van Eck to be glad he picked a bunch of nobodies from the Barrel to scam? Because no one else is going to get him for us. No one else is going to care that he cheated us or that we risked our lives for nothing. No one else is going to make this right. So I'm asking, do you want to beat Van Eck?"

"Yes," said Inej.

"More than anything." Aria spoke. One by one, they all nodded.

"The stakes have changed," Kaz said. "Based on Van Eck's little demonstration today, wanted posters with our faces on them are probably already going up all over Ketterdam, and I suspect he'll be offering a handsome reward. He's trading on his credibility, and the sooner we destroy it, the better. We're going to take his money, his reputation, and his freedom all in one night. But that means we don't stop. Angry as he is, tonight Van Eck is going to eat a fine dinner and fall off to a fitful sleep in his soft merch bed. Those stadwatch grunts will rest their weary heads until they get to the next shift, wondering if maybe they'll earn a little overtime. But we don't stop. The clock is ticking. We can rest when we're rich. Agreed?"

The Crows all nodded once more.

"On one condition," Nina said.

"This is not a negotiation."

Nina scoffed. "Everything is negotiation with you, Brekker. You probably bartered your way out of the womb. If I'm going to do this, I want us to get the rest of the Grisha out of the city."

Kaz shook his head. "Forget it. I'm not running a charity for refugees."

"Then I'm out." Nina stated

"Fine. You're out."

Aria swallowed hard and stood. "You need me—and if you don't do this, I'm out."

"You need me." Inej stood, too.

Kaz rested his cane across his legs. "It seems everyone is forming alliances."

Aria snickered. "They're called friendships, Kaz."

"I don't like being held hostage." Kaz said.

"And I don't like shoes that pinch at the toes, but we must all suffer. Think of it as a challenger for your monstrous brain."

After a long pause, Kaz sighed in defeat. "How many Grisha are we talking?"

"Less than thirty, plus the Council of Tides." Nina stated.

"And how would you like to corral them? Hand out pamphlets directing them to a giant raft?" Kaz said with a sarcastic tone.

Nina sighed. "There's a tavern near the Ravkan embassy we use it to leave messages and exchange information. I can get word out from there. Then we just need a shop. Van Eck can't watch all the harbors

Inej shrugged. "I think he can. Van Eck has full power of the city government behind him. And you didn't see his reaction when he discovered Kaz had dared to take Alys."

"Please tell me he actually frothed at the mouth," Jesper said.

"It was a close thing." Inej stated.

Kaz made his way to the tomb door, staring out into the darkness. "Van Eck wont have made the choice to involve the city lightly. It's a risk, and he wouldn't take thag risk if he didnt intent to capitalize on it to the fullest. He'll have every harbor and watchtower on the coast on full alert, with orders to question anyone trying to leave Ketterdam. He'll just claim that he knows Wylan's captors may plan to take him from Kerch."

"Doing this is risky, and dangerous." Aria stated, walking to the door beside Kaz, drawing her coat over her shoulders. "The last thing we need is to have all the Grisha fall into the wrong hands."

Jesper tapped his revolvers. "We need a miracle. And possibly a bottle of whiskey. Helps lubricate the pain."

Kaz shook his head. "No," he drawled. "We need a ship. A ship that couldn't possibly be suspect—a ship Van Eck or the stadwatch will never have to stop. We need one of his ships."

Aria turned to him with a smirk. "Van Eck's trading company must have plenty of ships heading to Ravka."

Matthias folded his arms over his chest. "Get the Grisha refugees out on one of Van Eck's own vessels?"

"We'd need a forged manifest and papers of transit," said Inej, scribbling a list down.

"Why do you think they kicked Specht out of the navy?" Kaz asked. "He was forging leave documents and supply orders."

Wylan pulled at his lip, deep in thought. "But it's not just a question of a few documents. Let's say there are thirty Grisha refugees. A ship's captain is going to notice why thirty people—"

"Thirty-one," Kuwei said.

"Are you actually following all of this?" Jesper asked Kuwei.

"A ship to Ravka, I understand that very well."

Kaz shrugged. "If we're going to steal a boat, we might as well put you on it."

"Thirty-one it is," Nina said with a victorious smile. Matthias didn't look nearly as thrilled.

Wylan smoothed his hands over the map, brows furrowing. "Okay, but a ship's captain is going to wonder why there's thirty-one people being added to his manifest."

"Not if the captain thinks he's in on secret," said Kaz. "Van Eck will write a passionately worded letter calling upon the captain to use the utmost discretion in transporting these valuable political refugees and asking him to keep them hidden from anyone suspectible to Shu bribes—including the stadwatch—at all costs. Van Eck will promise the captain a huge reward when he returns, just to make sure he doesn't get any ideas about selling out the Grisha. We already have a sample of Van Eck's handwriting. We just need his seal."

Jesper looked to Wylan. "Where does he keep it?"

"In his office. At least that's where it used to be." Wylan responded, thinking. "No, it should be there."

Inej nodded. "We'll have to get in and out without him noticing," she said. "We'll have to move quickly after that. As soon as Van Eck realizes the seal is missing, he'll be able to guess what we're up to."

"We broke into the Ice Court, I think we can manage to break into a mercher's office." Kaz said with raised brows, amusement evident on his face.

"We did almost die breaking into the Ice Court, though," Aria stated, and Kaz gave a nod.

"Several times, if my my memory serves correctly." Jesper added.

Kaz waved Jesper off. "Aria and I lifted a DeKappel from Van Eck. We already know the layout of the house. We'll be fine."

Wylan's finger traced the map again, over his father's address. "The seal is in a safe,"

Aria scoffed. "So cautious, that man."

"It's almost like he wants us to take it. Kaz is better at making friends with combination locks than with people." Jesper laughed.

Wylan shook his head slowly. "You've never seen a safe like this. He had it installed after the DeKappel was stolen. It has a seven-digit combination that he resets every day, and the locks are built with false tumblers to confuse safecrackers."

Aria let out a low whistle. Kaz shrugged at this. "Then we go around it. I'll take expediency over finesse."

Wylan shook his head again. "The safe walls are made of unique alloy reinforced with Grisha steel."

"An explosion?" Suggested Jesper

"I think Van Eck will notice that," said Aria.

Jesper jumped up. "A very small explosion?"

Nina snorted. "You just want to blow something up."

"Actually..." said Wylan, cocking his head to one side. "Come morning, there'd be no hiding where we'd been, but if we can get the refugees out of the harbor before my father discovers the theft...I'm not exactly sure where I can get materials, but it just might work..."

"Look," Jesper whisper.

Aria's face twisted into a devious smile. "Is that scheming face?"

"Possibly." Said Jesper.

Wylan snapped back to reality at once, glowering at them. "It is not. But, I do think I have an idea."

"We're waiting, merchling." Kaz said.

"The weevil is basically just a much more stable version of auric acid," Wylan started.

"Of course. And that is?" Jesper asked.

"A corrosive. It gives off a minor amount of heat once it starts to react, but it's incredibly powerful and incredibly volatile. It can cut through Grisha steel and just about anything else other than balsa glass." Wylan explained.

"Glass?"

"The glass and the sap from the balsa neutralize the corrosion," stated Wylan.

Aria hummed. "We'll get through there in a matter of minutes."

"Without damaging the contents inside?" Nina questioned.

"Hopefully."

"Hopefully," Kaz breathed. "I've worked with worse. We'll need to find out which ships are departing for Ravka tomorrow night, and get Specht started on the manifest and papers of transit. Nina, once we've got a vessel chosen, can your little band of refugees make it to that dock on their own or will they need their hands held for that too?"

Nina's jaw went slack. "I'll handle that."

"Wylan, Aria, and I got the safe. Jesper can escort the Grisha and we can map a route so Matthias can get Kuwei to the docks. But that leaves only Nina to distract the guards and work the net for Inej at the silos. The net needs at least three people on it to be worth anything." Kaz said, trying to think.

Inej stretched in her chair, rolling her limbs. In the dim light of the mausoleum, she truly felt like she was at home. "I told you. I don't work with a net."

emma / 2023
edited: 05/29/23