The last thing Kaz wanted, upon just barely getting away from the harbor at the potential cost of a member of his crew, was to deal with one of Wylan's anxieties. He considered just telling the boy to leave, but he supposed there was a chance that whatever he had to say would be important. All things considered, that wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"What is it, Wylan?"

Wylan jumped a little, like he hadn't expected Kaz to know he was there. "I- I need to talk to you."

"I figured as much," Kaz said dryly. "What is it?"

Wylan swallowed hard, his throat bobbing visibly. He took a deep breath, then said all in a rush, "You can't use me as a hostage against my father."

"I can't?" Kaz repeated, lingering on the second word just long enough to imply a threat. He didn't take kindly to being told he couldn't do something, especially not by upstart merchlings like Wylan Van Eck.

"You can't," Wylan repeated, which meant he was either brave or stupid, or possibly both. "It won't work."

"Won't it?"

"No, it won't," Wylan said insistently. "My father doesn't care about me. He doesn't care if I'm alive or dead."

"I think you might be exaggerating," Kaz said dryly.

Wylan laughed, sounding almost hysterical. "Wanna bet?"

"You know, I assume, that I had Inej keep an eye on you. She read the letters from your father. They didn't seem like things a man who didn't care about his son would write."

Wylan froze. He hardly even seemed to be breathing. "She read the letters?"

"Oh, don't fuss at me about an invasion of privacy."

"What did they say?"

There was a curious note in Wylan's voice, something almost pained. Van Eck writes to his son weekly, Inej had reported to Kaz when he set her to spy on Wylan, and Wylan never opens the letters.

If he wanted to know what they said, why didn't he open them?

"Inej told me they all said much the same thing," Kaz said. "Something along the lines of, If you're reading this, then you know how much I wish to have you home."

Wylan's laugh was distinctly hysterical that time around. "Of course. Of course that's what he would write."

Kaz had the feeling there was something he was missing. He wasn't particularly fond of that feeling. "Wylan, if you're so insistent that you cannot be used as leverage against your father, tell me why."

Wylan nodded. "I-" he began, and then stopped. "I-"

"Spit it out."

Wylan's face was growing pink with embarrassment. "I- I can't-"

"If you're not going to tell me, then stop wasting my time-"

"I can't read!"

Kaz blinked. Wylan's face was red, and he seemed to be shaking, and he looked like he'd just overcome some massive obstacle, but what he'd said didn't make sense.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't read," Wylan repeated. Now that he'd said it once, the words almost tripped over each other to get out the second time. "I've tried to learn, I've tried everything, but I can't do it. Words just… don't make sense to me. I can't read, and I can't write."

Kaz shrugged. "So?"

"So?" Wylan repeated in a strangled voice. "I- I'm supposed to be my father's heir! I'm supposed to inherit his business, but I can't even read a trade agreement!"

"Then hire someone else to read it for you."

"You- You don't understand."

"Perhaps I don't," Kaz agreed. "But what I do understand is that this is something that matters to you, and…" He thought about the letters in this new light, and suddenly the words took on a whole new meaning, this one much crueler. "And it also seems to matter to your father."

"It does," Wylan agreed, nodding frantically. "Alys, his new wife, she's pregnant. He doesn't want me for an heir, and soon he'll have a new one. He doesn't care about me, Kaz. You can't use me as leverage."

Kaz nodded absently, his mind already spiraling down new pathways, trying to figure out what to do next. If he couldn't use Wylan as leverage, he'd have to figure out something else to use instead.

And then, an idea came to him. It was something that would have to happen immediately if it were going to work, and there was a chance it couldn't happen anyway, but if all the pieces fell properly into place, it should work. The hard part would be getting the pieces to agree.

"I think I can use you as leverage," Kaz said slowly, "but not as you. Come with me. We need to see Nina."

"Nina?" Wylan replied, clearly confused by the non-sequitur. "Why do we need to see Nina?"

"Just go belowdecks and wait for me there. I'd rather only explain this once."

Wylan nodded, although he was still clearly confused, and headed belowdecks while Kaz went to find Nina. She was speaking with Inej near the prow of the ship, and although Kaz knew time was of the essence, he could see that Inej was smiling, and he waited.

After a few moments, Nina kissed Inej on the cheek - Kaz tried not to burn with too much jealousy - and slipped away. Somehow, she must have known Kaz was there, because she walked over to him.

"I'm going to find Matthias," she told him, her eyes still distracted and glittering. "I don't want anyone else there once it gets bad."

"Before that, I need your help with something," Kaz said. "I need you to tailor Wylan."

Nina reared back. "You need me to what?"

"I have a plan," Kaz replied. "For insurance against Van Eck."

"Has Wylan agreed to this?"

"Not yet."

"I won't do anything Wylan doesn't agree to," Nina told him firmly.

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"I can't tell if you mean that as an insult or not."

Kaz merely gave her a flat look, and Nina made an exasperated noise, then went belowdecks. Kaz should have followed her. Time was of the essence. He had to assume Nina would only have an hour before the high receded. He had no idea how long it would take her to do the level of tailoring he required.

He still went up to Inej.

Wylan spent the entire time waiting for Kaz fidgeting. Neither Nina nor Matthias seemed to notice it at all; Nina seemed disconnected from the world, and Matthias only paid attention to her. Honestly, Wylan was fairly certain he could have left and neither of them would have noticed.

But Kaz told him to wait belowdecks, and Kaz had a plan, and Wylan wanted to know what it was.

When Kaz finally limped into the room, Nina's eerie gaze focused on him. "Explain this plan of yours, Kaz. How do you want me to tailor Wylan?"

"You're going to tailor me?" Wylan asked, looking from Nina to Kaz. "Why?"

"Because you were going to be our insurance against Van Eck, but if you're certain it won't work, then we need another form of insurance," Kaz said, leaning forward on his cane.

"Why wouldn't that work?" Nina asked, looking from Kaz to Wylan.

Wylan squirmed slightly under her gaze. "My father doesn't care if I live or die. He… never liked me, and his new wife is pregnant now, so he'll have a new heir. I can't be insurance."

"I think you can be," Kaz said. "If Nina tailors you to look like Kuwei."

Wylan felt his eyes go wide. "To look like Kuwei?"

"When we get to Ketterdam, I'll send a message to your father," Kaz said. "He'll presumably choose a place for us to hand over Kuwei. Matthias, Jesper, Inej, and I will go to the meeting place, along with you, tailored to look like Kuwei. The real Kuwei will hide with Nina. If Van Eck tries to double cross us, which he almost definitely will, then the real Kuwei will still be in our possession."

"Yes, but Wylan will be in his!" Nina cried. "You're putting him in the most dangerous position!"

Kaz looked over at Wylan. "Are you absolutely certain that your father will not care about whether you live or die?"

Wylan thought about Prior's hands around his throat. "If anything, I think he might prefer it if I'm dead."

To Wylan's surprise, Kaz's lips twitched in the smallest of smiles. "You offered before to make a bet on it. How about five kruge?"

"Have you no decency, demjin?" Matthias asked, disgust in his voice.

"I'll take that bet," Wylan said, not quite sure where the words came from. If he lost, then it meant his father did care about him, if only enough not to kill him. If he won, then it only confirmed what he already knew, and he got five kruge.

"You two can have fun with your bet, but am I the only one who remembers that regardless of what Van Eck is willing to do, we don't actually want Wylan dead?" Nina demanded. "How will you keep him safe, Kaz?"

"Once we tell Van Eck he's not really Kuwei, Wylan will use the moment of surprise to get back to us," Kaz said. "After that, he won't be in any more danger than the rest of us."

Nina groaned. "Kaz…"

"Wylan," Kaz said, ignoring her, "this is your choice. It shouldn't put you in any more danger than you'd be in if you were with us looking like yourself, but if Nina tailors you now, while on parem… It may be permanent."

Wylan thought about it for a moment. "Will you still try to use me as leverage? The real me?"

"It would be easiest, yes. Tailoring you just adds another level of insurance."

If Kaz did that, then Wylan's father would have the chance to speak freely. Wylan would hear what he really thought of him.

"Then do it."

Nina frowned. "Wylan-"

"I need to know," Wylan said simply. "Once and for all, I need to know what my father really thinks of me."

"There are easier ways to find out."

"This is the best one we have available right now," Wylan said, trying to sound braver than he felt. "We need leverage. That was supposed to be my job."

"You've done your job," Matthias countered. "You played your role at the Ice Court. You owe nothing more."

But Wylan knew why he'd been chosen for this job. "You're passable at demo. You're excellent at hostage," Kaz had said, back when they first started planning. Wylan did what he was supposed to do at the Ice Court, but that wasn't his main role.

Maybe he wasn't as good at hostage as Kaz thought, but tailored to look like Kuwei, he might be.

"I want to do this," he said, looking at Nina earnestly. "If this will make sure we get our money and my father doesn't double-cross us, I want to do it."

Nina threw her hands up in the air. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Will you do it?" Kaz asked. "Can you do it?"

"With parem, it'll be easy," Nina dismissed. "I can do it. And if Wylan is sure he agrees-"

"I am."

"-Then I'll do it."

"Good," Kaz said, straightening. "Shall I send Kuwei to you, as a model?"

"I don't need him," Nina dismissed.

"Are you sure?"

Nina looked at him, her glittering eyes hard. "I'm sure."

Kaz seemed to know better than to argue. "All three of you, be discreet. Inej will find out, I'm sure, and we'll probably have to tell Kuwei, but besides them, no one outside this room can know."

"Not even Jesper?" Wylan asked, a bit uncomfortable with the idea of leaving him out.

"No one outside this room," Kaz repeated. "Wylan, you can only go out on the deck when Kuwei is below. Don't say a word. I'll tell everyone you're helping with Nina. You know enough about chemistry for it to be believable." He frowned at Wylan. "Do you speak any Shu?"

"Only some basic phrases," Wylan admitted. "Hello, goodbye, thank you, that sort of thing."

Marketable skills, merchling, he could almost hear Jesper say.

"Then be extra certain to keep your mouth shut," Kaz said dryly. "And spend some time with Kuwei. He may be able to teach you some more Shu, and you can learn how to hold yourself like him. As far as I know, your father has never met Kuwei, but he may have friends who have." He looked Wylan dead in the eye. "Are you sure you can do this?"

At the beginning of the trip, Wylan would have looked away. Now, he held Kaz's gaze.

"Yes."

Kaz nodded. "Then Nina, you should get tailoring."

Kaz left the room, and Wylan turned to Nina. "Should I do anything?"

"Sit down," Nina said, gliding towards him, "and stay still."

Wylan sat. "Anything else?"

"Stay still," Nina repeated.

She took his face in her hands, and Wylan Van Eck disappeared.