"Nina," Jesper began suddenly one day. The six of them were all siting around a table in one of the den's private gambling room, exhausted after the nights' adventures. "Settle an argument for me, yeah? Matthias doesn't think ghost are real."

The rest of the group all looked up at Nina. "They are," she admitted after a second. "But they're pretty rare." Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Kaz's eyes dart to his right, but it happened so quick; it was more likely a trick of the light. "Most people who are haunted don't even realise it, because they think that their minds are just creating this figment of their imagination."

"How are ghosts created?" Inej asked out of interest.

"The ghost and the person they are tied to have to go through a very traumatic event together and the person who dies has to die during the event. It's extremely rare for someone to go through that kind of trauma with another person, to the point where it binds their spirits in death. Ghosts are more common in Ravka, after the civil wars, especially in soldiers. If two soldiers go through something traumatic together and one of them dies during it, they are often bound to the other soldier's soul."

"Is there a difference between an actual ghost and a figment of someone's imagination?" Kaz asked, his raspy voice lower than usual.

"I'm not sure of many, but I do know that figments don't age. The human brain can't age the dead person up, because all its memories of the person are up to a specific age. You can guess what a person might look like after growing up, but the human brain can't hold on to that image for long. Ghosts, on the other hand, age like you or me," Nina explained. She watched Kaz out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't react. The glance to the right must have been imagination on her behalf.

With the others were all gone to bed, Kaz was the only one still up.

"I told you I wasn't a figment of your imagination," Jordie said, from where he was floating on Kaz's right.

"That's exactly something a figment of my imagination would say, so forgive me for not believing you," Kaz replied sarcastically.

"Turns out I was right," Jordie replied gleefully. "Besides, this is a good thing?"

Kaz threw Jordie a look.

"No, think about it,"Jordie said. "This means that you're not going mad."

Kaz tilted his head in acknowledgement, one eyebrow raised.

Everything came crashing down a few weeks later. They were back in the same room, discussing the next part of the plan, when Nina burst into the room.

"Did you hear?" she asked, breathless. They all stared. "Obviously not. I was talking to the Grisha at the embassy, and apparently the Shu have given some jurda parem to a Heartrender and a Grish amplifier. Apparently they've been experimenting and that if they do it right, ghosts will be revealed."

"Revealed as in..." Kaz started.

"As in, everyone can see them, not just the person they're tied to," Nina explained, collapsing into the spare chair next to Inej.

"How?" Wylan asked, mouth agape.

"After Nina took jurda parem her powers changed. She could raise things from the ground and control bone shards. This is something familiar."

"And if they have a Grisha amplifier," Nina added.

"But why?" Matthias asked. "What's the point of it."

"They want to see if they can," Kaz spoke up. "If they can do this, what else can they do? Raise people up from the dead? The possibilities are endless."

"Do we know when they are going to accomplish this?" Inej asked, looking at Nina.

"Sometime tomorrow the other Grishas think," Nina replied.

"Eventually you're going to have to tell them about me," Jordie said, though only Kaz could hear him. Kaz directed a glare in Jordie's direction, but apart from that, made no indication that someone had spoken. He rested his hands on the crow top of his stick and rested his chin on the back of his gloved hands.

They were sat in the same room the next day when it happened. Out of nowhere, Nina screamed, interrupting Jesper mid-sentence. The others all looked around, instantly latching onto what Nina had seen.

There was a boy in the corner of the room. He was about twenty-one and didn't seem to mind that all eyes were on him. He had dark hair and brown eyes and looked scarily similar to...

"Kaz," Inej breathed.

They all turned to look at Kaz, who was looking slightly sick.

"Kaz. What the hell is going on?" Jesper asked, his eyes back on the boy in front of him. The ghost grinned at Kaz, and it was quite chilling to Jesper to see such an expression on a face that looked so like Kaz.

"I'm Jordie," the ghost said, clearly enjoying the attention. They all stared at him. "Jordie Rietveld."

"Who the hell is Jordie Rietveld?" Matthias asked with a growl.

Jordie titled his head, but didn't reply, instead smiling at Kaz. Finally Kaz snapped. "Would you quit smiling at me like that?" he asked, his voice coarser than usual.

"I told you that you'd have to tell them about me eventually," Jordie replied smugly.

"It it weren't for the damn Shu, I wouldn't have to," Kaz shot back.

"Oh saints," Inej said suddenly. "This is your brother, isn't it?"

Instantly, the room erupted. "You have a brother?" seemed to be the common question.

"I had a brother," Kaz corrected.

"Oh, so you did tell someone about me?" Jordie asked.

Kaz sent him a disbelieving look. "You were there when I told her," he reminded Jordie. "You're always there."

"And you didn't believe I was real," Jordie replied.

Kaz scoffed and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "I'm not having this argument with you again."

The other crows watched them like a tennis match. It was weird to see Kaz argue with someone in such a brotherly manner.

"Wait," Jesper said suddenly. "You said your name is Jordie Rietveld?"

"Yeah," Jordie answered.

"But Kaz is Kaz Brekker?"

Jordie snorted. "He took that name off the side of a piece of machinery."

Kaz glared at him again. "Do you have to tell them everything?"

"Your tattoo," Inej said, another revelation having been revealed to her. "The R tattoo on your bicep. I always wondered what it stood for."

"How did you die?" Wylan asked Jordie's ghost.

"Wylan!" Nina scolded.

"No, I don't mind. It was the Queen's Lady Plague that got us."

"Us?" Matthias asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

"Kaz and me," Jordie replied. They all looked over and Kaz, who was staring at the table intently. "I died and he survived. That's why his voice is all messed up."

"So that's the traumatic event you went through together?" Nina asked slowly.

"No, that was just the beginning." Jordie looked over at his younger brother. "Shall I tell them, or will you?"

"I-" Kaz started, but his voice vanished and his breathing became laboured. The rest of the crows looked at him with concern, but after a moment, his breathing was back to normal. "I can," Kaz said quietly. "Jordie died and I went unconcious. The next time I woke up, we were both on Reaper's Barge. And there were so many bodies-" Kaz choked, but steeled himself, determined to get the words out of his mouth. "And there was Jordie, except it wasn't Jordie."

Kaz risked a glance at the other crows. They were all looking at him with various expressions of shock and horror. He ploughed on. "He was all bloated and distorted and dead. And I was nine." Kaz pushed down the images, and the vomit rising in his throat. "And I had to swim back to Ketterdam, but I knew I was too weak. So I had to use Jordie as a float."

There were several horrified noises made by members of the crows, but Kaz only looked at Jordie. Jordie smiled sadly at him.

"That's why I wear the gloves," Kaz said, surprising even himself with the information he was giving up. "Any skin on skin contact and I'm right back on Reaper's Barge, among the rotting corpses."

"Oh Kaz," Nina whispered miserably.