Chapter Text
The sun had just risen above the horizon, the air smelled of salt and morning chill. The surface of the sea was quite calm and glittered with a thousand reflections of gold. The moment she stepped on the deck, the sea breeze blew her brown hair into her face. Nina tucked a stray strand behind her ear, wrapped herself tighter in her coat and looked for the captain. She was glad that Genya had managed to restore her appearance before leaving. Nina didn’t want to make this journey in Mila’s body. This was the time for Nina Zenik. She had felt a little strange in her own body at first after such a long time. Even now, after several days of sailing, she sometimes didn’t recognize herself when she looked in the mirror. What did it say about her that she had slowly forgotten what she really looked like? Would she forget who she was too?
It is me, Matthias. I’m back. This is how you knew me. What would you say about Mila Janderdat? Would you like me as a Fjerdan girl? Staid, obedient, quiet and in a knitted vest? We could have the long courtship you had always wanted. But I wouldn’t be your little red bird anymore.
As she expected, Inej was awake and busy. Nina saw her climbing the ropes, agile as a cat and lighter than a bird. Nina had to smile as she watched her friend. Inej seemed in her element, as if she had merged with the ship and was a part of it. As soon as Inej caught her gaze from the deck, she looked down, smiled, and was standing beside her friend in a moment. She landed so soft that her bare feet didn’t make a single sound. Nina wasn’t used to her in sailor clothes yet. Or pirate clothes? She wasn’t sure. Inej now wore a white long-sleeved shirt, black leggings, and a vest that was open from the waist down and ended almost at her knees. But now the vest was gone, just as dark boots. When Inej was climbing, she didn’t need them. Only her hair was still braided the same way Nina remembered. Nina understood now because the wind kept blowing her hair into her green eyes and mouth. It was annoying. She was already looking forward to solid ground, although she thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with her friend after such a long time since they hadn’t seen each other.
“Life at sea suits you,” stated Nina. “There is a little too much salt and not enough waffles for me.”
Inej laughed. “We’ll be there in a few hours and then you can have as many waffles as you want.”
“Is it an invitation?” Nina grinned.
“Of course, once…”
Inej didn’t finish the sentence. The originally relaxed expression changed in concern. Nina understood her completely and knew exactly what she wanted to say. Once they solved the problem that had been bothering them all the way from Ravka. Both were worried about their friends. Neither of them knew what awaited them in Kerch. Probably nothing good, otherwise they wouldn’t be making this trip.
“Will you be alright?” Inej asked carefully, as if she was following the flow of Nina’s thoughts.
Nina nodded silently, even though she wasn’t sure about it. She hadn’t been in Ketterdam since Matthias’ death. At the place where he had died. In the streets that had used to be her home for more than a year, though it didn’t feel like home at the time. She was afraid and excited at the same time. It was a strange feeling to come back.
Inej was still watching her closely. Nina felt uncomfortable because of it.
“What about you?” she asked to distract her.
“Me?” replied Inej, but she knew very well what Nina was talking about.
“You and Kaz?” Nina suggested.
“There is no me and Kaz,” Inej snorted, looking into the distance where the city would appear later.
“If you think so,” Nina said with a smirk, glancing at Inej’s wrist, hidden under her long sleeve.
Inej, as if sensing her gaze, nervously lowered her sleeve. Nina would like to ask her about it, but she knew it would have to wait. However, she would find a moment to get everything out of her. There would be no excuses, just the truth, because there had always been just excuses as soon as Nina mentioned Kaz, or Inej tried to divert the conversation. At the same time, Nina knew very well who had given her the ship, and Nina was eager for details. It was a strange gesture, considering that grumpy bastard from Barrel anyway. Maybe there was a heart hiding in that pale chest of his. Maybe just a small one. In any case, Nina needed to know more than the bare facts that Jesper had written to her in one of his letters. Of course, Inej didn’t say anything to her, even when they had met at Zoya’s coronation in Ravka. Thanks Saints for Jesper. Without him, she would have no idea at all.
Inej returned to her duties and Nina leaned against the railing. After all, they still had a long journey ahead. But she had nothing better to do than enjoying the first rays of the sun. It was a nice change. She just shouldn’t get used to it too much, otherwise she would get lazy. Nina closed her eyes and let the sun fall on her cheeks. She no longer had Mila’s milky white skin, which would surely get sunburnt immediately, so she could stay here as long as she wanted. Plus, they wouldn’t get much sunshine in Ketterdam. She already knew that very well.
She missed Ilya, even though it had only been a few days since they had seen each other. Sometimes in the safety of her mind it was still Hanne, the same person she met in Gäfvalle. After Zoya’s coronation in Os Alta, Inej, Nina and Ilya had intended to travel together to the harbour in Os Kervo. Instead, Specht surprised them in the palace with an urgent letter from Jesper to Inej. Apparently, he had sent one to Nina as well. At least judging by what was written inside. He begged them both to come back to Ketterdam as soon as possible. He didn’t explain anything to them, but the terse message oozed with hidden danger. Something was happening, they were both sure. Why else would he call them back?
“You don’t write to each other with Kaz?” asked Nina on the very first day on the ship.
Nina wasn’t sure if Inej had been in Kerch since she had first set sail with the Wraith several months ago.
“Yes, we do, sometimes. Kaz sends me information about the slavers,” Inej replied calmly.
“So now he’s spying for you?” Nina smiled in disbelief.
“Maybe,” Inej shrugged, smiling slightly. Then instinctively pulled down her sleeve a bit.
They had talked a lot during their journey. Inej told her about her adventures at sea, Nina about her new life in Fjerda. They had a lot of catching up to do, since there hadn’t been as much time after the coronation now on the ship. But the dark cloud of danger hung over them all the time and didn’t fade away. They laughed for a while and chatted casually as if they hadn’t seen each other only for a few days and then there were moments of silence when both were immersed in their own thoughts and fears. Nina had already come up with several pessimistic variants of what could happen. She was getting more and more angry with Jesper for not writing more. A few more lines of explanation wouldn’t have killed him. Maybe he just tormented them with unnecessary worries and wanted to brag how he had progressed with his training. But Nina didn’t really believe it.
The outline of the grey city with its canals and a mix of luxury and ugly buildings appeared earlier than Nina expected it. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that time flew by all too quickly. She had to take a deep breath when she saw the shadow of the prison island, Hellgate, in the distance. It was like a slap in her face. The memories of Matthias came back in waves and she didn’t know how to face them. This prison took away a year of his life that they could have spent together. All that precious time that no one could give her back. Would she had made the same decision then, accuse him of slavery, or abandon all patriotism just to be with him? She wasn’t sure. Unwelcome tears welled up in her eyes.
Matthias, if you knew how much I miss you. You’d be like a solid rock by my side and hold me if I fall.
Then she felt the squeeze of a tiny hand. Inej stood beside her, watching her with concern.
“I’m fine,” Nina assured her.
She blinked away the tears. But in truth, she was trying to convince herself rather than her friend. How could she hide anything from Inej? She was a master at uncovering secrets. Suddenly, Nina realised with horror that she sounded almost like Kaz Brekker at that moment. Because everything was fine, when you hide yourself behind a mask of indifference. Rather, she shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought. At the same time, the image of the Dirtyhands’ gloomy expression and the sharp features of his face strangely calmed her. Could it be that she had missed him? He was a grateful object of her prodding, there could be no doubt about that. However, his composure would be useful now.
Matthias, what would you say to me? I’m already so sentimental enough that I ’ m looking forward to meeting Demjin .
Nina turned her head to Inej. The girl held her hand and gripped the railing tightly with the other hand. She probably wasn’t even aware of it herself.
She is worried , Nina realised. Inej would never admit it, but it was true. Was she afraid of what lay ahead, or was there more? Nina wished she would open up to her more. But then Inej would be someone else, not the keeper of secrets and mostly her own. So she returned her friend’s grip and Inej smiled nervously at her.
The city in front of them took on increasingly distinct contours. They sailed past the island of El Komedie. If Inej had any memories of her imprisonment, she didn’t show it. The sun was slowly setting. A whole day passed without Nina realising it. She even forgot to eat because of her nervousness, and only now she remembered how terribly hungry she was.
They were approaching Fifth Harbour. The memories were back. Ferolind , their dramatic departure, Kaz with an unconscious Inej in his arms, Inej bleeding on the table, Matthias… Matthias and his frown, Matthias and his smile.
“I certainly didn’t miss that smell,” Nina wrinkled her nose in disgust, trying to mask the tears that were coming out despite all her efforts.
Inej smiled at her, then an expression that Nina couldn’t place flashed on her face. Was it an expectation? Or perhaps fear? Wraith couldn’t be afraid, Nina relied on it. The ship was already anchored in its place. Berth number twenty-two. Just like when they had set sail for Ferolind. Was it just a coincidence?
Nina looked at Inej. “Twenty-two?”
Inej shrugged. “Kaz bought it.”
Nina raised an eyebrow. “Kaz bought you a ship and a berth? How romantic.”
The girl’s expression remained neutral and Nina burst out laughing. If she was trying for Kaz’s cold expression, she didn’t quite succeed.
The captain left her for a moment. She had to pass out instructions to her crew and hand over command to Specht. There was a lot of work to do with docking the ship and the paperwork required by Kerch law. She could imagine that Inej would usually stay on the ship the whole time and keep an eye on everything, but this time she wanted to accompany Nina and face whatever awaited them in the city. In any case, Specht as her mate was competent enough to handle her duties. It seemed that after months of sailing they worked very well together.
When Inej was done, she motioned to Nina. It was time to go. Neither of them really wanted to, as if the ship offered the safety. Nina took a deep breath. Before she could take a step, someone scrambled onto the deck. Much to her surprise, it was Rotty.
“Rotty!” cried Nina, rushing over to greet him.
Rotty looked a little scared, but finally let himself be pressed into a hug. Nina realised that she was really getting sentimental. If she hugged every single member of the Dregs like this, it would be a long evening and everyone would think she was crazy. Despite the fact that Kaz would scold them for neglecting their duties.
“Boss sent me,” Rotty announced as he finally broke free from Nina’s embrace, handing each of them a package. “Put this on, then I’ll take you to the boss to join the others.”
Nina looked at Inej. The girl seemed as confused as Nina. They opened their packages and found costumes from Komedie Brute.
“What should we do with it?” Inej turned to Rotty.
“Put it on.”
“Why?” Nina wondered.
“I’m just doing what I was told,” Rotty replied impatiently.
As Kaz would say, time was money, Nina thought.
Inej sighed and covered herself in her costume, Nina reluctantly followed her. It was the same masks as they had worn when they had rescued Matthias from the Hellgate. As soon as their faces were hidden by the masks, the three of them set off into the thickening gloom of the streets. Rotty led them, and Nina soon realised that they weren’t going to the Slat. After all, she hadn’t been gone long enough to forget the way. Could he lead them to a safe house? If so, the situation would be even more serious that she allowed herself to admit. She looked questioningly at Inej and she replied with a shrug. With the masks on their faces, they couldn’t exchange more than a few gestures. Nina tried to ask Rotty along the way, but got nothing from their guide. Rotty remained silent as if his life depended on it. They ended up in front of a building that Nina didn’t recognise at first. It was only after a while that she found out where they were. The back entrance to the Slat, although it didn’t look like the Slat at all.
“It’s expanded a bit, hasn’t it?” she said after a moment of silence.
Rotty grinned in satisfaction. “Boss bought the building besides the Slat. Now everyone has a proper room with real furniture and there is a bathroom with hot water on every floor. It’s finally warm inside. No one at the Barrel had that luxury. You should see the common room with the huge fireplace. Or the boss’ new office on the ground floor.”
Before they could answer, he pushed aside the high wall of crates, revealing the entrance. At first glance, the crates seemed so heavy that it would be impossible for one person to move them. Again, as always when it came to Dirtyhands, nothing was as it seemed. He still managed to surprise her.
Meanwhile, Rotty knocked some kind of signal on the door, and then they heard the sound of the key rattling in the lock and the door opened. Anika’s blond head peeked out. Without a word she stepped back to let them in. The girls slipped in and Anika immediately slammed the door shut behind them and locked again. They could tell by the sound from outside that Rotty was putting crates back into place, hiding the secret entrance.
Anika grinned at them. “Welcome back.”
Nina wanted to hug Anika as well, but the girl had already started up the stairs without saying a word. Nina and Inej took off their masks and exchanged a look. Then they followed Anika, apparently leading them up to the attic. The Slat was busy. Most of the gang were getting ready for their evening and night duties as the Crow Club and the Silver Six were sure to be full of people soon. Nina peeked here and there through the open doors into the rooms and had to admit that Rotty wasn’t exaggerating. It looked cosy inside, with a proper bed, dresser, and enough space to move around. Sometimes an old acquaintance greeted them noisily, but there were also a lot of new faces watching them curiously.
“The Dregs are in the spotlight lately,” Anika said with pride in her voice. “But Kaz is careful about who he accepts.”
Nina was sure that many locals would like to live here. Upstairs, Anika knocked briefly on the door and let them in, remaining in the corridor. Nina turned back to her, but Anika didn’t wait for anything again and closed the door behind them. Nina looked around in amazement. She had expected them to come right in Kaz’s old office, with his small bedroom hidden at the back. Instead, they were standing in a common room. There was a large couch and some comfortable looking armchairs. She would prefer to curl up in one and relax after a long journey. Under the windows stood a large dining table with several chairs and in the corner something that resembled a small kitchen.
“What the…,” Nina gasped .
Even Inej looked surprised. Interesting, Wraith didn’t know all the secrets? Someone was already rushing from the corridor, which Nina didn’t notice before. It was Jesper with his tall, lean frame, dressed in his usual jumble of colours, and behind him Wylan, his ruddy gold curls tousled. Looking at them, Nina realised how much she missed them. It seemed to her that Wylan must have grown a bit. She was the first to throw full weight into Jesper’s arms, causing him to wobble slightly. So far, Inej was greeting with Wylan less dramatically. Then Jesper hugged Inej tightly. His expression was strange. It was a mix of joy and something else that Nina couldn’t recognise.
“So here you are,” he sighed, sounding a little disappointed.
“I imagined the welcome a little differently,” Nina snorted.
“It… it’s not like that,” Wylan muttered sheepishly. “We were just hoping…”
“What?” Nina asked.
She was running out of patience with this whole weird situation. She felt like an intruder who had barged into a party without being invited.
“Well, when we heard the Wraith was coming, we hoped you weren’t on it,” Jesper explained.
“You aren’t helping,” Wylan nudged him.
“Can we sit down?” Inej asked.
Jesper looked at Wylan and then nodded. They settled around a coffee table. Nina ended up sprawled out on the couch, leaving the armchairs for the others. She eyed both boys suspiciously. Jesper was stomping with one foot, which was quite usual for him. He could never be still for a moment. He would probably prefer to pace around the room, but even Wylan tapped his thigh nervously. Nina wasn’t definitely in the mood to wait silently, so she got straight to the point.
“What the hell is going on?”
She was hungry, tired, and in desperate need of a bath. Her hair was full of salt and her skin felt sticky. Despite the fact that nobody could sleep properly in a hammock as in a bed. After a few days on the ship, she felt like everything was still rocking with her, and it certainly wasn’t because the buildings in the Barrel didn’t have proper foundations.
Wylan and Jesper exchanged a look. Wylan nodded slightly and spoke.
“It’s complicated, but… why did you come?”
“Shouldn’t we be the ones asking?” Nina snapped.
Patience had never been her strength, especially when she was hungry. If they would simply feed her right away, then they could do their little games.
Inej looked at her comfortingly and then turned to the boys. “We got Jesper’s message.”
Jesper snorted. “I didn’t send you anything.”
“What?”
“What was in that letter?” Wylan asked cautiously.
“Not much,” answered Inej. “Just that we both need to arrive as quickly as possible, that it’s important.”
Jesper shook his head. “Kaz knew it.”
“What did I know?” A raspy voice cut through the room as a knife and dark silhouette appeared from the corridor.
Nina noticed how Inej froze when her gaze met Kaz Brekker’s cold eyes. A boy with dark hair entered, his crow-headed cane tapping lightly on the floor. Although he looked unfriendly, Nina was glad to see his lean figure in a dark, carefully tailored suit. Kaz looked exactly the same as the last time she had seen him. Just a shame that the terrible haircut hadn’t changed at all.
“He lured you here,” Wylan siad.
“Who? By all Saints, can someone explain to me what’s going on?” Nina called out.
“Nina dear,” Kaz replied calmly, but she was well aware that there was anger beneath all that coldness. “You have allowed yourself to be tricked and lured into a trap.”
Wylan was aware of the thickening atmosphere, so he preferred to do the talking himself. Neither Jesper nor Kaz obviously wanted to.
“Pekka Rollins is back in the city.”
“What?” asked Inej. “It’s not possible.”
“Unfortunately, he somehow managed to gather the remaining members of Dime Lions. We don’t even know what forces were up against yet. We don’t know what he’s planning or where he’s hiding. It’s been a few weeks since Kaz came to us. He offered us to stay here in the Slat where we would be safe. Apparently, Pekka is trying to get my father out of prison.”
“Why would he do that?” Inej asked.
“For revenge,” Kaz stated in an icy voice. “He has plans for each of us.”
There was silence in the room.
“Is that why you secretly smuggled us off the ship?” Inej asked quietly.
Kaz didn’t return her gaze. He was looking somewhere in the wall.
“Precautions. Probably completely useless.” Kaz took his watch out of his pocket and checked the time. “I have to go to the Crow Club. No one leaves, that’s my order.”
Nina wanted to object, but the door slammed behind him.
“At least some things don’t change,” she snorted.
“He means well,” Wylan said.
“Well, this is new. Are you defending Kaz?” Nina stared at him.
Jesper frowned at her.
“He’s done a lot for us,” Wylan explained. “I know, I didn’t want to be connected with his… activities, but we’re all in this together and Kaz is really doing his best. He moved us here, he made sure my mom got out of the city safely into the countryside where she wouldn’t be in any danger. He showed us his secret tunnels so we could move around the city undetected. We just lack information. Pekka hides his plans well. He certainly recruited new people.”
“Tunnels?” That was new.
They boys nodded wordlessly.
“So you’re just waiting for him to strike?” snapped Nina.
“No, but there’s not much we can do,” Jesper shrugged. “We’re gathering information, it’s just taking an awfully long time.”
Inej was already on her feet.
“No, don’t even think about it,” Jesper shouted, jumping out of his armchair to get in her way. “You heard Kaz, we’re supposed to stay here.”
“I heard, but I’m not a member of his gang, so I don’t have to obey him,” answered Inej calmly. “I’m the Wraith, no one will order me around.”
Nina was very proud of her friend at that moment. About how strong she had become and what she had built in such a short time. Never before had she so steadfastly stood against Kaz’s orders.
Nina gave her an encouraging nod before Inej disappeared out the window into the darkness. If anyone could find out anything useful, it would be Inej, the best spy in this damn dirty city.