Chapter Nine
Jesper
Once everyone had finished their waffles, they all headed back to the mansion, stuffed. Normally, Jesper wouldn't mind this, but going on a long walk back to the mansion right after consuming a tower of rich chocolate waffles wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. He made a mental note to himself to maybe not finish his food next time and just take the rest of it to go. When they got back, he decided that he was going to take a nice long nap on his bed or one of the couches in the parlor.
"Feeling those waffles now, Jesper?" Nina asked him as they walked.
"Ugh, don't remind me. But they were so worth it."
Nina looked him up and down and then arched an eyebrow. "Your dragging feet say differently." He rolled his eyes.
Jesper threw a glance at Inej and her parents. All three of them had big, warm smiles on their faces and even after that meal, had a spring in their step. Inej had brought up her parents and family in conversations only a few times in the past, but briefly. And he hadn't really given it much thought except for feeling sorry for her then. Seeing them together now, after years of separation, finally made him see how much they meant to her, and it warmed him to his very core.
Inej's parents headed upstairs to their room once they had got back, saying that they will be back down in a minute and just needed to take care of something. The second their absence was present in the room, Kaz informed them on how the other gangs had teamed up against the Dregs, with the goal of bringing them down. The news hit Jesper like someone had just dumped a bucket of freezing water on top of his head. He had stood frozen on the spot for a brief second before he started pacing, running his hands through his hair and over his revolvers' handles. The smooth, pearly surface of the handles usually helped him calm down and relax, but in that moment, it wasn't working. Nina was furious.
"How dare they!" She bellowed, her hands planted on her wide hips. "How dare they think that they can rise against us!" But the unspoken part hung in the air. How dare they rise up against Kaz Brekker. You'd think that after all of what had just happened, they would get a break. But no. The other gangs wanted to have their butts handed to them on a platter by Kaz Brekker. Or Kaz, him, and the rest of his friends were totally screwed.
Nina had started pacing too, her face a mix between infuriation and concentration, like she was trying to come up with some elaborate plan to take them out herself but couldn't come up with anything good. Nina may be a powerful Grisha, but not powerful enough to bring all these guys to their knees. To Jesper's left, Wylan looked terrified. His eyes had widened significantly, making him look like a frightened puppy on the street. Jesper stopped his pacing so that he could wrap an arm around Wylan's waist, pulling him close against his side. Jesper felt him relax, but only by a little. He rubbed his thumb over the merchling's arm, trying to comfort him. He looked up from Wylan's face and realized that Inej didn't look as upset as the others were. In fact, she didn't seem to be reacting at all to the unsettling news.
"How are you handling this so calmly?" he asked.
"Because Kaz already told me," she replied, almost as if it were common knowledge. Confusion ran through his brain. Why did Kaz tell her before he told the rest of them?
"Kaz, why'd you not mention this to us earlier?" he asked, the smallest hint of involuntary irritation in his voice. Kaz turned and faced him.
"Jesper, what really matters is not who I told first, but the problem at hand and what we will do next."
Jesper nodded but felt something stir in the back of his head. Anger? No. Fear? No, not fear. Something else. Before he could say anything else, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs thumped into his ears. Inej's parents came back into the parlor, but not before he, Nina, and Wylan hid their upset faces and plastered on fake smiles and grins.