Kaz was making his best attempt at walking confidently up to the ship in the harbor. His leg bothered him immensely on nights such as this, but he would never dare let anyone see it. For him, it was a strength, not a weakness; he was determined that even pain would bow to him.

He hoped to glean secrets from this stranger. Because where there were secrets, there was money.

Kaz hardly noticed anyone else around him in the dark, foggy night. A man rushed past, a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. It looked too much like a body; but that was no business to Kaz. He continued forward.

Only three people were in sight on the ship when he approached. Two were the Shu warriors he had noted earlier; one was a drunken crewman. The warriors were at full alert, watching him as though stalking him.

They were precisely the reason why he hadn't attempted to sneak onto the ship. At least if he came from the front they wouldn't kill him instantly.

"What business?" called out the girl, almost mockingly. What did she know about language in the Barrel?

"I would like to talk with Sturmhond about some specifics of the job," Kaz responded in what he hoped was a cordial tone.

"He's out."

Kaz remained expressionless, but inside he was scowling. So many things could go wrong with someone like that on the loose. Aloud, he asked, "When will he return?"

"Why do you ask?"

"As I said, I have business to discuss with him."

"That's not what you said, actually."

Kaz racked his brain, coming up with a new plan. He couldn't ask them direct questions. But if he could get close enough to the drunken crewman, maybe he could get him to talk. "Would you mind allowing me on your vessel? Perhaps you can answer some of my questions. It seems rather crude to simply stand here shouting at one another."

The girl only barked out a harsh laugh. Kaz found his anger difficult to control.

He turned to leave, furious. It was only then that he saw the two figures sprinting at him through the dark fog of the bay. He raised his cane in preparation to fight.

Jesper was on the brink of being dragged from the club when he caught a glimpse of Sturmhond slipping inside.

His large ego that he had been stalking the club with quickly turned to panic. This amateur was about to mess everything up. Which, all things considered, was strange since he was the one who wanted the job to get done.

"Don't mind me, gentlemen, I'll see myself out the door," Jesper called out to the guards who prowled nearby. He had been waving his guns around in the air for quite some time, bragging to the young women in the foyer as though he were trying to impress them in some kind of drunken reverie. To his disgust, some of the girls actually found his brazen arrogance attractive.

He rushed over to Sturmhond, who looked like he was going to force his way upstairs. "Where do you think you're going, pretty boy?" Jesper hissed, grabbing his arm.

He gave him an annoyed look. "Inej said watch and learn. I was going to try and find her."

Jesper shook his head quickly. "Finding her means certain death. Don't put her in that kind of situation."

He rolled his eyes. "Look, she said it was okay. And I happen to be on my own mission. So, if you would just stand aside…"

Jesper folded his arms. He didn't care how pretty this idiot was. He wasn't falling for anything. "What might this mission be, exactly?"

Sturmhond folded his arms as well, mimicking Jesper. "Long story."

"Either you boys pay up or stop loitering," came a brute voice. Jesper was about to turn around to make a rude retort, but Sturmhond quickly flashed a handful of coins to the owner.

"We'll be going upstairs now." He smiled at her, all charm. Jesper was seething.

They took the stairs two at a time, as though one were trying to outrace the other. Jesper shoved Sturmhond hard into the wall. Sturmhond tried to trip him in response.

They paused at the top of the staircase, breathing hard and glaring at one another.

"What do you think you're trying to do here?" growled Jesper as he attempted to block the way again.

"I'm trying to learn espionage tips," Sturmhond retorted.

"You call that espionage?" Jesper gestured wildly at the stairs. "Boy, do you have a long way to go." He shook his head, incredulous.

"You're making this a lot more difficult than it needs to be."

"You think sneaking around in the big bad world was really going to be easy?"

Sturmhond ignored him and stalked off down the hall.

Jesper jogged quickly to catch up. "I don't get you. I really don't. You hire us for a job and then you intervene on the work you paid us to do. Why?"

"It's complicated."

"Enlighten me."

"Now is really not the time nor the place. And why should I? Like you said, I'm paying you."

"We could back out of the job now. We don't have to finish this."

"I would go find someone else."

"There wouldn't be anyone better. And you already know that, or else you wouldn't have come to us first."

"I just need the job to get done. It doesn't matter who does it." But Jesper could tell from the sour look on his face that this wasn't the case.

They had reached the end of the hallway. Only one door remained in front of them. "What is it you think you're going to do right now, anyway? You've reached a dead end. What's your brilliant plan?"

Just as Sturmhond was about to respond, the door flew open. A huge man stood there, glaring down at him. Behind him was another man standing with his hands on a desk.

And behind him was Inej, slowly trying to sneak back from the window. What had she been doing so close to the room, in plain sight?

Sturmhond gasped when he saw her. The man at the desk turned around quickly before she had the chance to escape. He yanked her from the ledge, dragging her inside. Jesper reached for his gun while the other man at the door reached for her as well, and in a moment they vanished down a side staircase in the room. Jesper chased after them, firing at the closest man. But they had already vanished.

Without pause, Jesper sprinted down the staircase after them. The door at the bottom had been barred. He kicked at it, trying to shove it down. Sturmhond appeared beside him, and together they managed to break it open. They emerged in a back alley, but the two men and Inej were nowhere to be seen.

Jesper turned around, swinging at Sturmhond. He blocked Jesper quickly, surprising him.

"Trust me when I say you really don't want to hurt me. We can get her back, I swear!" Sturmhond looked so calm, so rational, as he spoke. Jesper didn't care.

"Those were slavers, you idiot! They've probably taken her to the docks. You're useless!" He paced around in circles, frantically running his hands over his head. He gripped the pearl-handled guns at his waist, trying to find security.

"What if I can prove to you I'm not as useless as you think? We still have time to save her."

Jesper thought quickly. If he could get to the docks, there was a chance he could steal Inej off of their boat. They probably wouldn't leave until morning. And, knowing Inej, she would find a way to stall for time.

"You're not coming with me." Jesper turned to walk through the back alleys.

"I can help. I have a rowboat."

Jesper wheeled on him now, pointing at his chest. "You're the one who got her into this mess in the first place. I don't care who you are or who you claim to be. Heck, I don't care if you're the king of Ravka. There's no way I'm letting you help me save her."

"What if I was?" came the quiet response.

"What?" Jepser yelled, practically in his face. Sturmhond had a strange light in his eyes.

The words fell into place in his mind. And then recognition hit Jesper like lightning.

"No. You can't be..."

A smile played across Sturmhond's lips. "Stop gaping like that, you ingrate. We have a damsel in distress that needs saving. Lead the way."

Jesper was shocked. Beyond shocked. It had been so long…

"Well?" Sturmhond demanded again, louder this time. "Take me to the docks before your lovely lady is stolen away forever."

Jesper staggered back, taking a good look at him. Then he turned and ran down the alley without another word. He was actually speechless. But if he was right, he knew with certainty that this boy could—and would—get Inej back.

Maybe it was because he was so distracted as he ran that he didn't notice Kaz standing on the dock until he and Sturmhond almost ran him over.