Inej's latest letter had come two weeks ago.

Dear Kaz,

It has been a long time since I had an opportunity to write to you. Business has been brisk; I hope the same is true for you. Wylan told me when I was in town last that they don't see much of you, so it must be true. Speaking of, how are he and Jesper getting on? Jesper looked rather restless last I saw him. Wylan said that he had lost a small sum on an investment he was sure of and was a bit worried about him.

We got in a spot of trouble the other day when a slaver ship came after us in revenge for their sister ship. After Jan froze the sea beneath them though, they didn't put up much of a fight. There were a dozen Ravkan women and children in shackles on board, and we are en route to return them home now. I cannot thank the Saints enough for sending me a Tidemaker. He has really made all the difference, and the crew has welcomed him with open arms. While he is as dedicated as the rest of the crew, he still seems to be having trouble getting used to my habits. He nearly fell overboard when I walked up behind him the other day without him noticing.

The crew have started getting the same tattoo, one of a black wraith. So many of them come from the Barrel or similar places, I shouldn't be surprised they want a tattoo to mark themselves as one of ours, and yet it touches me to see that they feel a dedication so similar to my own, enough to show it. In addition to sharing similar backgrounds, or perhaps because of them, they have started teaching each other sea shanties and drinking songs from their homelands, usually during the night shift and much to the dismay of the rest of the crew who are trying to sleep. To my ear, they all have the same tune, but each one tells a different story. I have truly started to get to know all of my crew. While they come from all over, they have ended up together on our ship. I wonder if it is true that no man can escape his past; it does not seem true for them.

Saints blessings, Kaz.

All the best,

Inej Ghafa

The first drafts of a reply Kaz had burned in his office.

Dearest Inej, How wonderful it is to hear from you

Greetings,

Treasure of my Heart,

He'd started a dozen letters, but they all seemed too much or not enough. He didn't even know where he should send the letter now or, more importantly, what to write, but letting it go unanswered felt like trying to hold water in his hands. If he did nothing, it would just slip through his fingers; he needed to drink it or let go.

It was late now, and he had already climbed those damned stairs, but he still felt restless. He puttered around, half-heartedly getting ready for bed, procrastinating sitting at his old desk that was somehow managing to tap its ball and claw foot at him. Finally, he relented and sat with a groan in homage to the day he'd had. One hand rubbing his face, he reached for a piece of paper.

Dear Inej,

There is no business without busy, so yes, it has been brisk. Though there is no replacement for a wraith, Roeder is doing adequately as my new spider. He's seen and heard nothing of Rollins since his disappearance from his country house. I would say he's laying low, but the note he left there makes me think otherwise. It's just as well. I'm too occupied by the here and now to spare much thought for what is in the past. I haven't seen much of Wylan and Jesper, as you say, but my reports note that nothing has much changed with them including Jesper's light speculation.

Ketterdam is much changed, seemingly due to the fallout of all the events last year and our subsequent mutual effort. I see fewer problems in the Barrel, though I am sure you would question what I define as a problem. Some new gang has popped up in Rollins' place. Some Zemeni woman named Nazrin has gathered the remainders of his gang and found others to join in annoying me. There have been several scuffles on the borderlines, but it's nothing I can't handle. Neighbors saying hello. Reports say she came simply because she heard there were opportunities due to all the vacancies – in the Merchant Council, the gangs, or both, no one has said – but truly, I can't disagree with the assessment.

I miss you.When are you coming home?I hope your business continues to be brisk. I hope to hear from you again soon.

With all my love, best,

Kaz Brekker

It took a while to write. The ink in his pen dried or dripped onto the page multiple times, and he'd had to cross things out. But this draft wasn't nearly as difficult as the others, so he shook out his hand and rewrote it cleanly. He set it aside to dry, winced, sighed, pulled out a new piece of paper, and wrote a note to Wylan saying he would be by for dinner that evening.