Hello! I'm pineappleyogurt, and this is my first-ever fanfic shared to this website! It's set after Crooked Kingdom. Reviews would be so great if you can spare the time. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom are some of my favorite books, and I'm glad to share my ideas about them with you!
Enjoy! ~pineappleyogurt
Prologue
Matthias
Matthias had a strange taste in his mouth. It was like a bitter cold day and a smoky fire all at once, with the metallic tang of blood added in.
His brain felt disconnected from his body. That is, he was only aware of his thoughts. His arms, legs, even eyes seemed very far away, out of his control entirely.
Am I dead? he wondered. This wasn't the Fjerdan afterlife, nor was it one he'd ever heard of in stories Inej, Nina or Kuwei told.
"Yes." The voice was female. Crisp, clean, and sharp. It reminded Matthias of the time he dared his best friend to stay in the icy-cold stream for fifteen minutes and he pulled him in too.
Matthias tried to talk, but his mouth-although present, unlike the rest of him- didn't obey.
"Oh, I haven't done your voice box yet. One sec." The taste seemed to spread down Matthias's throat slowly, and he regained the use of his neck. He still couldn't move it without his head, but it was nice to be aware of more than just his mind and mouth.
"Who are you?" Matthias asked, struggling to form the words. He felt like he was speaking around air that was heavy and gooey. He couldn't see the woman talking, nor feel her physically.
"Nobody you need to worry about right now," the voice said. Matthias wished she'd give a name, and although now he knew she could hear him think that, she said nothing.
A long pause elapsed, the voice staying silent and Matthias's mind floating between shots of memory.
Cold, sharp air. Snow stretching out to forever, and a mountain in the distance. A blonde girl smiles at him. "Come on, Matt, play with us!"
The heat of a fire warming his face as he screams himself hoarse. The people who created it are leaving without noticing him.
A girl, young and shameless. Her skin so close to his, he can feel the hairs on it raise from the chill.
A boy with dangerous dark eyes, killing a man. The man's body hits the wine-dark seas with strangled screams. The boy's eyes glint, with violence the closest thing to satisfaction Matthias has ever seen on him.
The same girl, her lips against his. Her hand on his neck, his in her hair.
"Good. Memories are good, they mean your brain is working. I guess I can do your eyes next, but I can't have you scared or restless." The voice seemed nonchalant as it talked about nothing Matthias could understand. "I just need you to stay calm when you can see, all right?"
Stay calm?! Matthias suddenly felt frightened, as most people are when told to stay calm, or not to panic. What was going on? He remembered trying to plead with a young Fjerdan. He remembered the gunshot, the pain ripping through him. He remembered saying goodbye to Nina. He remembered nothing after that, save waking up here. It wasn't even technically waking up. He'd simply become aware of his brain. "Where am I?" he said. This time the words seemed easier. "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing important," she said.