Inej
It was almost lunchtime when Inej made her way down to the dining room; the faint smell of waffles and lull of quiet conversation had risen to her room, waking her. She was alone and half disappointed that Kaz wasn't there, half relieved that she would have a moment to steel herself for the day ahead. Pushing open the door, the first thing Inej noticed was Kaz, who sat at the end of the table, a cup of coffee in hand and his eyes trained on hers. He was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing yesterday. You would have to look for them to notice the few faint creases that lined his usually pristine shirt, the same one he had been wearing the day before. He stayed, Inej thought, forcing the corners of her lips to remain in their straight line. Trying not to focus too much on what that might mean.
The second thing she noticed was that 5 more people were sitting around the table. Jesper, Wylan, Sturmhond, Anika and someone she didn't recognise. The room had fallen silent upon Inej's entrance until Sturmhond stood and crossed over to her.
"Inej, my dear. I'd heard you were en route to Fjerda - only the saints know how you beat me. Do you have a squaller on your crew? Do I need to update my ship? This is very bad for my reputation, you know." He winked at her. Inej knew Sturmhond's secret, and she had been planning to go to Fjerda with Nina, but as she prepared to board The Wraith, Nikolai had appeared at the Docks and asked that she arrive ahead of him to set the wheels in motion. She had said a heartfelt goodbye to Nina and spent the journey back to Ketterdam, readying herself to return for the first time in a year.
"A good captain never reveals their secrets" she smiled warmly at him as he sat back down. She glanced around the room again. "Morning Jesper, Wylan, Anika, Kaz" she tilted her head slightly at the face she didn't recognise.
Sturmhond spoke again, "This is Serin. He'll be joining your crew." Inej smiled at Serin as she walked over to the empty seat between him and Kaz.
"Have I missed much?"
The room was silent for a few moments until Wylan piped up, "No", he said, "we were waiting for you." They were waiting for me. Warmth ran through Inej. She was no longer just Dirtyhand's Wraith, waiting patiently for orders to be given to her - she was Captain Ghafa. She smiled.
"Does this mean that you're both joining the crew?"
"We've not agreed to anything yet, just waiting to hear the proposal." She shot a quick look at Kaz. The slight tilt in his lips confirmed her thoughts - Wylan and Jesper weren't going to turn this down, and the fact they were even entertaining this meeting meant they were in.
Kaz finally spoke, his eyes flicking between her and Sturmhond, "so, what does the queen of Ravka want with the heart of Sankt Feliks?"
"I'm afraid that I'm not at liberty to discuss matters pertaining to the Ravkan crown, but I can tell you that it would be best for everyone, Kerch included, if we were to locate the heart and deliver it to Queen Zoya."
"Okay." Kaz answered bluntly, "where do we find it and why us? Surely Ravka has thieves that would be better suited to such a task."
"We do. The problem is that it is so much harder to find trustworthy thieves." Sturmhond flashed Kaz a grin as Inej stifled a laugh; she had never been described in such a manner before. But it was true. Despite them all being barrel scum, the deal was the deal, and if the deal was ever broken, it was always the other party that broke their word first. She couldn't help but think of Van Eck and her conversation with Kaz the night before. You're my tell. Another quick glance toward Kaz told her his thoughts were wandering a similar path to her own.
Sturmhond continued, "We believe that the last known location of Sankt Feliks is in the northwest region of the Wandering Isle. Along the coastline, a series of caves that can only be entered during low tide. We believe the clue to finding the heart is in those caves. No one from the Ravkan delegation can go - the Wandering Isles remain under military control. We need a thief to slip in and out, unnoticed."
He rolled out a map on the dining table and pointed to spots along the coastline that faced the Bone Road. Inej had sunk a few slavers ships near the Bone Road - it was a treacherous route, filled with pirates and huge rocks that would break a ships hull before you had spotted them through the waves. Many ships would choose to go around the Bone Road, spurred to seek alternative paths by the hushed whispers of sea monsters that filled the taverns. Such a journey round could add several days onto a journey. The Wraith had managed safe passage through the Bone Road once, but it wasn't a journey Inej had ever hoped to repeat.
They poured over the map for hours, identifying the best routes to the caves, who would be best tasked with which role, and what supplies they would need for this journey. Sturmhond explained the cave system, and he and Inej plotted the best spot to drop anchor. Inej could only hope it would be as simple as entering the cave and the heart would be right there - but past jobs and intuition told her that this was likely the start of a faint breadcrumb trail and the caves of the Wandering Isle would likely only be the starting point. She wasn't sure how long this job would take, how long she would have with Kaz on her ship.
It was strange, working in this way. Inej had spent many evenings with Kaz, pouring over maps and planning. Still, he usually held most of the plan in his head, sharing the minimum amount of information only as and when it was required. However, this time, they were all interjecting with thoughts - even Anika had managed to get in a few words.
It was dark outside when Sturmhond stood and faced the group, "well, it seems we have a plan. This has been splendid - Wylan, Jesper, thank you for your hospitality. Mr Brekker, it is always a pleasure, Anika, Serin; thank you for joining the crew. Captain Ghafa, good to see you - you're welcome on my ship anytime".
He winked at Inej before walking to Kaz, who remained seated. "The deal is the deal," he said, shaking Kaz's leather-clad hand.
"The deal is the deal", Kaz responded with a single nod, and Sturmhond turned to leave with a flourish. Kaz remained impassive, but Inej didn't miss him slip a folded piece of paper into his pocket.