The sea washes the devilish
Jesper was once again on the deck of the ship that evening, he was sitting on a crate cleaning his revolvers. Not far from him, Kuwei Yul-Bo kept him company. He never said a word, sometimes he nodded or smiled when Jesper spoke to him. It wasn't easy to figure out if he was just a weirdo or didn't understand anything Jesper was saying. But at least Jesper felt less alone, it was comforting knowing that he would find him there, every night. And that helped distract him a bit from the confusion reigning in his head.
That journey had been the most disorienting experience of his life, there was no doubt about that. Some memories would forever remain etched in his mind. A heist at the Ice Court was dangerous, he knew that well even before they left Kerch. He was aware that he could have lost his life in that Fjerdan prison. What he hadn't expected was instead to lose the idea he had of himself.
He avoided the Grisha world for so many years, that he was convinced it didn't concern him. And yet he couldn't get that Tidemaker woman screaming in the drüskelle prison out of his head. And then the guilt that had risen in his chest at the thought that he could have done the heroic gesture of taking parem, instead of leaving it to Nina. It was just too much to handle.
He had always considered himself as the charismatic sharpshooter of the Dregs, with no other characteristics than being great at shooting and terrible at knowing when to stop gambling. But now he was starting to question it. Who was he really? Was he supposed to live like Grisha or continue to hide that part of his nature? Perhaps, if his mother had still been there, the answer would have been easier to find. But his mother was dead. She had died because she was a Grisha. And now Jesper was alone, trying to figure out what to do with his life.
He felt fragmented, divided into so many pieces that he didn't know how to put them back together. Not knowing who he was anymore was a big enough worry. But then, a childhood friend who had suddenly reappeared had to be added to the list. This news definitely didn't help his nerves.
Wylan was nowhere to be found, but where the hell could he be hiding? They were on a ship, he certainly couldn't escape somewhere. Was he avoiding him? And why should he? Jesper hadn't done anything wrong, in fact, he was the one who should have been angry. Wylan had recognized him, he had known for who knows how long, and he didn't say anything. He just pretended to not know.
What if he didn't mention it because he was disappointed to meet him again, after all these years? Maybe Wylan didn't want to deal with him anymore, now that Jesper had grown up and turned out to be a Barrel rat, a Dreg, a penniless man who couldn't stop throwing what little money he had into clubs.
Jesper fought the thought away, telling himself that Wylan had never been a snob. It had always been obvious that he was richer than Jesper, even when they were children it was clear the difference between their families. But Wylan had never made him feel inferior for that. After all, however, the Wylan that Jesper knew belonged to 10 years earlier and many things can change in 10 years. Wylan had had plenty of time to grow up in his marvelous Geldstraat mansion, waited on hand and foot. He could have become one of the many snotty merchants who looked at people like Jesper with disdain.
The fact was, that Jesper didn't know this new version of Wylan. He'd barely had time to get to know Hendriks and, unexpectedly, he'd liked that little merchling. He was a silent guy, even shy and naive, but when he opened his mouth, it was always some clever remark or an unexpected quip. He was embarrassed when Jesper flirted with him, but he didn't back down, in fact he played along. Jesper could read every emotion on his face, he wasn't good at lying, and he was fun to tease for that reason. But how much of that personality was true? The Hendriks who introduced himself to the Dregs could have been a character that Wylan had crafted, for all he knew. The more Jesper reasoned about it, the more he realized that he just couldn't frame that merchling. The idea Jesper had of the Novyi Zem's small and timid Wylan was still far from the one he had of Hendriks, the runaway son of a member of the Merchant Council, now the demolition man for the Dregs. But somehow those two people overlapped, the point was to understand how.
What the hell could have happened in those years to make him that? What must have happened in his life to betray Jesper like that? Wylan treated him like an idiot pretending not to know him for weeks and, to make matters worse, that hug, that seemed so genuine, so affectionate, had turned out to be just a ploy to steal a gun from him and use it to negotiate with Kaz Brekker. Jesper had felt used, mocked. How could he fall for that trick? If at first he was just terrified of seeing Wylan die right in front of him, without the possibility of doing anything to stop him, later that fear had turned into hatred for the treatment Wylan had given him. And then, whenever he remembered Wylan's expression while holding the gun to his own head, the feeling was just pity. That was the plea of a desperate man, willing to do such an absurd folly. Who would come to such a gesture if there weren't a good reason? What the hell had his father done to him to make him threatening for his own life? Was there still a trace of the Wylan from his memories or was it lost forever?
After the fight with Inej, he hadn't brought it up again with anyone. Jesper really hoped she'd forgiven him. He prayed he hadn't triggered some memory of her time at the Menagerie. Even if the frightened expression she gave him explained enough. He hated making her feel in danger, especially since it had taken so long for her to trust him enough to allow him physical touch. Jesper had been so happy the first time they'd hugged. From then on he had considered Inej like the sister that he had never had. And now he had hurt her because he couldn't control himself.
The Wylan problem remained a constant in his brain. He wanted to talk about it to the person concerned, but Kaz had ordered him to stop asking everyone where Wylan was. Apparently, Wylan was in charge of Nina's condition, always in her cabin to monitor the parem detoxification process. Wylan was still their chemist expert, so he had 'no time to waste with him'; those had been Kaz's exact words. Jesper's questions would have to wait at least until they got to Ketterdam.
Jesper yawned. The gun was polished as a mirror. He stood up and twirled it around his forefinger. When the revolver reached enough speed, he tossed it into the air. It continued to rotate for a second above his head and, when it came back to the ground, Jesper was already ready to drop it elegantly into the sheath on his belt.
Kuwei smiled at his little sleight of hand. Jesper bowed a little, satisfied that his audience appreciated the trick, and Kuwei responded by rolling his eyes, but still giggling. Even if he never spoke, somehow they still managed to joke with each other.
"Did I ever tell you how I got these two beautiful babies?" Jesper asked, pointing to the shining guns attached to his belt.
Kuwei shook his head, and waited for him to speak.
"Then get ready, because it's a story full of intrigue, betrayal, identity theft, passionate love and twists and turns," Jesper sat next to him and began to tell. "It was a dark and stormy night. Inej had just returned to the Crows Club from her rounds with some interesting news about a certain painting by a very famous artist, whose name I can't actually remember now. But whatever, because Kaz knew that painter really well, so he immediately planned a heist, but he didn't know that…"
Finally on the ground. Jesper had really missed the city, the open, empty space of the sea was uninspiring. Instead all those shops, the signs, the people, the noise. That was right for him; he loved the chaos of Ketterdam. Yet it was almost destabilizing to be back to normal. After everything that had happened and what he had seen, it was strange that he felt so changed when the city remained exactly the same.
The meeting with the representatives of the Merchant Council would take place in Vellgeluk at dawn the following day.
"Will Wylan come with us to meet Van Eck?" Jesper asked Kaz as they rowed towards the Ferolind, where they would spend the night.
"No," he replied, his eyes fixed on the ship. "Matthias will be with us, and someone has to stay with Nina. Besides, if we need to use Wylan to twist his father's arm, it's better that we don't show our hand too early."
It made sense. Like everything Kaz planned, the gears interlocked perfectly and moved exactly as he'd predicted. Jesper said no more, but it was still disappointing not to find Wylan on deck with them the next morning. He had sensed that Wylan was avoiding him, but deep down he hoped that he would at least come to say goodbye before the meeting.
"Just one longboat? Where's the other one?" Jesper asked as he climbed aboard.
"Repairs. One is enough," Kaz answered dryly.
On the longboat the tension was palpable. Jesper thanked that he was busy rowing with Matthias, at least he could vent his anxiety like that. He could see the nervousness in everyone's face, but Kuwei in particular seemed on the verge of passing out or vomiting at any moment. The Shu sat in front of Jesper and Matthias, next to Inej. It must have been obvious also to her how panicked that boy was, because she put a hand on his knee and squeezed it. They exchanged a look, as if they wanted to support each other. Jesper wondered when those two had become friends. It was weird to see Inej giving anyone physical contact.
"Maybe she's just sorry for him, becuase he's scared to death." Jesper explained himself and continued to stroke as Vellgeluk got closer and closer.
When they docked, they all took a moment to settle down. Matthias shrugged off his enormous shoulders, with the rifle strapped on his back, it made him look even bigger than normal; Inej whispered something in Suli with her fingers delicately placed on her daggers, one by one she touched them all; Jesper's hands were gripping his gun grips firmly. Kuwei watched them in silence, while Kaz already had his eyes on the brigantine moored off the opposite side of the island.
"All right," Kaz said. "Let's go get rich."
"No mourners," Rotty greeted them, settling down to wait in the longboat.
"No funeral," they replied.
They strode towards the center of the island, an entire contingent of the stadwatch was approaching them, armed with batons and repeating rifles, two of them hardly dragging a heavy trunk. Leading the group was a man in a typical black mercher's suit accompanied by a tall Shu man.
Jesper recognized Jan Van Eck immediately. It wasn't the first time he'd seen him, but now he couldn't help but notice how much he actually looked like Wylan. His face was so similar, the straight nose, the shape of the mouth, the shade of blue of his eyes, completely emptied from the kindness that instead was so present in his son's. But what really distinguished between them was the hair, while Wylan had a head full of red golden curls, Jan Van Eck had a rather high hairline and platinum hair combed rigorously back.
However, as much as curious Jesper might have been of Jan Van Eck, his attention was immediately captured by the trunk, and so was Kaz's. They would soon finish the job and walk away with their prize, if the longboat hadn't sunk under the weight of thìat enormous amount of money.
"Just you, Van Eck?" Kaz didn't hesitate to be the first to speak. "The rest of the Council couldn't be bothered?"
"The Council felt that I was best suited to this task, as we've already had dealings before". Van Eck's voice was exactly as Jesper expected; emptied of any emotion. He was a man of facts, there was no room for any feeling.
"Nice pin," Kaz teased, glancing at the huge gold-inlaid cameo attached to Van Eck's tie. "You were right to change, I like this one better".
Van Eck pursed his lips slightly, as if that half smile wanted to hide his annoyance. "I preferred the other. But this is a family heirloom. Well?" he asked to the Shu man beside him.
He replied, "That is Kuwei Yul-Bo. It's a year since I've seen him. He's quite a bit taller now, but he's the spitting image of his father." Then he added something in Shu accompanying the words with a small bow. However, Kuwei, before reciprocating, turned to Kaz as if to ask for confirmation. Was that boy that nervous that he forgot how they greet each other in his own country?
But that was all they needed, when Van Eck confirmed that they had indeed brought him the right Shu, he had the trunk deposited in front of Kaz. It didn't take long for Kaz to make sure that it really was full of bill after bill.
"It's all here" he confirmed, then waved Kuwei forward. Jesper watched as he crossed that short distance and positioned himself beside Van Eck, as directed by him. When the merchant put a hand on his back Kuwei jumped, but Van Eck didn't move it and Jesper almost laughed when the boy made a face that looked like pure disgust.
Kaz rose from the still-open trunk in front of him. "Well, Van Eck. I'd like to say it's been a pleasure, but I'm not that good a liar. We'll take our leave."
Van Eck stepped in front of Kuwei. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, Mr. Brekker."
Kaz, leaning on his cane, watched him keenly. "Is there a problem?"
"I count several right in front of me. And there's no way any of you are getting off this island." Then he pulled a whistle from his pocket and blew a shrill note. On his mark, Van Eck's servants revealed themselves as Squallers and Tidemakers, clearly wracked with addiction to parem. Jesper cracked his knuckles with a smile. The game was about to get interesting, it was finally his time to shine.
It was absolutely no surprise that Van Eck had just turned out to be a crook who had gone behind the backs of the Council to be the only one to benefit from the jurda parem trade. The Grishas at his service had already attacked them, blocking every possible escape route: the longboat Rotty was on had been destroyed and he had narrowly escaped.
"None of you will leave this island, Mister Brekker. All of you will vanish, and nobody will care. This is the advantage of doing business with Barrel trash like you." With a wave of his hand he directed the Tidemakers towards the Ferolind.
Jesper felt his heart skip a beat. Wylan and Nina were still aboard. "No!" he cried instinctively, but Van Eck did not react to his plea.
"Van Eck!" Kaz yelled. "Your son is on that ship."
That seemed enough to make him esitate. He blew his whistle and the Tidemakers stopped the waves that loomed over the Ferolind.
"My son?" the merchant asked with a puzzled face.
"Yes, your son. Wylan Van Eck." Kaz confirmed. "Do I have your attention now? Surely you don't want your only son and heir to be hurt."
Van Eck laughed, genuinely amused. The warm and jovial laughter of that man left a bad taste in Jesper's mouth.
"Let me tell you about my son," he spat that last word like poison. 'That boy was destined to inherit a trading empire and fortune that all of Kerch would have envied. Built by my father, and my father's father. I've worked so hard all my life to expand our trade more and more, I've made it so successful. But my son can't do what a child of seven years can. That stupid, idiotic, useless boy stubbornly refused to learn to read. I tried everything, the best tutors, specialists, tonics, hypnosis, forbidding him food and water, beating him up, tying him to a chair in front of a book until he read it. Nothing made him give up his idiocy and in the end I accepted it: Ghezen cursed me with a defective son."
Jesper wanted to plug his ears, but he couldn't take his eyes off Van Eck. "The letter…" he said through gritted teeth, brows furrowed in pure hatred. "You weren't pleading with him to come back. You were mocking him. You're a monster! He is your son, how can you-"
"No, he's not my son. He is a mistake. One soon to be corrected. My lovely young wife is carrying a child, and be it boy or girl or creature with horns, that child will be my heir, not some soft-pated idiot who cannot read a hymnal, let alone a ledger, not some fool who would make the Van Eck name a laughingstock.".
"You're the fool," Jesper yelled, beside himself now. "Wylan is smarter than most of us put together, and he deserves a better father than you."
"Deserved," Van Eck corrected him before blowing on his whistle. Before anyone could protest, the Tidemakers had already unleashed waves so large and tall on the Ferolind that instantly annihilated it with a loud roar.
Jesper was already ready to open fire on Van Eck, but Kaz blocked him. Jesper tried to protest, how far could that calculating brain go? Wylan and Nina had just been killed in front of their eyes, if there was a time to drill shots at that Van Eck bastard it was now.
"Be still," Matthias repeated, placing a hand on his arm and guiding him to lower the guns. Inej was nodding in turn, begging him to trust her. Jesper looked at them confused, how could they be so calm?
"Mr. Brekker, no tears? No righteous protests for your lost crew? They raise you cold in the Barrel." commented Van Eck mockingly. Jesper was clenching his fists so tightly that the nails digging into his skin were starting to hurt.
"Cold and cautious," Kaz answered quietly. "But rather you, Van Eck, will you do penance? Ghezen frowns on broken contracts."
"Ghezen shows his favour to those who are deserving, to those who build cities, like I do, not the rats who eat away at their foundations, like you do. He has blessed me and my dealings. You will perish, and I will prosper. That is Ghezen's will."
"And you might as well be able to, if you had Kuwei Yul-Bo."
"You are surrounded, how do you plan to take him away from me?"
"I don't need to take him from you. You never had him. That's not Kuwei Yul-Bo."
"A sorry bluff at best."
"I'm not big on bluffing, am I, Inej?"
Not as a rule.
Van Eck's eyes were reduced to a blue slit. "And why is that?"
"Because he'd rather cheat.'' Kuwei said, but Wylan's voice came out of his mouth. Jesper looked at him in disbelief, the same stunned expression was on Jan Van Eck's face. "Hello, father. Aren't you happy to see me again?"
"Worthless," he hissed at his son, his face contorted with fury. "I knew you were a fool, but a traitor as well?"
Wylan took a step in his direction, closing the gap and staring into his eyes. "A fool would have been waiting to be smashed to bits on that ship. And why 'traitor'? Because I failed you as a son? Then we're even, because you failed me as a father."
"Where is Kuwei Yul-Bo?!" he yelled at Kaz with a wild look.
"For all you know, the real Kuwei Yul-Bo could have been on the ship you just turned into a toothpick." he answered shrugging.
Van Eck, still immobilized, watched them one by one, as if he were thinking about his next move. "Why don't you do me a favor for once and disappear forever?" he asked his son with all the hatred he could muster.
Wylan's face twisted into a grimace. "It wasn't fair that you were always the only one who tried to kill me, I'm here to return the favor." He didn't give his father time to react, with a decisive blow Wylan planted a knife on the merchant's shoulder. Jan Van Eck collapsed to his knees and Wylan lunged at him. Immediately the Grishas rushed at them, Wylan quickly got up from him and ran to the rest of the group. Jesper drew his guns, Inej had her knives ready and Matthias took his rifle, but Kaz promptly stopped them from engaging the fight.
"Kill us, and you'll never find Kuwei." he threatened the merchant. Van Eck was still on the ground, the hand clutching his injured shoulder was now soaked in blood. One of the soldiers helped him up.
"Kill everyone but Brekker." he ordered.
The fight instantly became pure chaos, Jesper had never dealt with anything like it. Wylan covered behind him and Matthias, who were firing wildly at Van Eck's Grisha. But the battle stopped suddenly when the merchant's order changed: "Leave the others! Get the money and the girl!" he shouted.
They tried everything, but nothing worked. Inej fought without sparing a blow, Kaz tried to get in the way, Matthias and Jesper shot as many soldiers as they could. But the Squaller still managed to take Inej. In the blink of an eye, all of Van Eck's retinue sailed to the brigantine and left them at Vellgeluk, watching them disappear towards Ketterdam.
That was the last time they saw Inej.
"Why the hell would you do this?" Jesper grab Wylan's arm. He was afraid that if he didn't hold him, he would disappear again. Jesper looked intently into Wylan's face, looking for anything that might remind him, but everything was gone. The red golden curls, the blue eyes, the freckles, nothing was left.
"We needed leverage. It was our best chance against my father." he replied as he wriggled out of his grip.
"Did Nina do this? With parem?" Jesper didn't wait for an answer, Wylan's now amber eyes spoke for him. "Wy, you could be stuck like this forever, don't you see that-"
"It doesn't matter. The plan worked, Kaz had a good idea."
"How can you not care?"
"And why do you care?"
"I don't know! Maybe I liked your stupid face." his voice sounded exasperated. Then he turned to Matthias. "You knew? Inej too, right? Was I the only one who didn't know about it?"
Kaz cut in: "Ask me why, Jesper."
"Why?" he repeated, annoyed, shifting uneasily on his feet, unable to contain the agitation.
"You were the one who sold us out to Pekka Rollins." Kaz thrust an accusatory finger at him. "You're the reason we were ambushed when we tried to leave Ketterdam. You almost got us all killed."
"I didn't tell Pekka Rollins anything. I never-"
"You told one of the Dime Lions you were leaving Kerch, but that you'd be coming into big money, didn't you?"
Jesper swallowed. He well remembered Rollins' henchman backing him to the wall and how he begged for more time. It was just before they left for Fjerda, while he was waiting for Hendriks… No, for Wylan, to return from the University District. But Jesper didn't have a choice, he had to say something, anything to save the farm. "I had to. They were leaning on me hard. My father-"
Kaz didn't give him time to finish, his eyes made Jesper feel one more time with his back against the wall, helpless: "I told you not to tell anyone you were leaving the country. I warned you to keep your mouth shut."
"I didn't know he'd go to Pekka. Or that Pekka knew about parem. I was just trying to buy myself some time."
"Saints, Jesper, you really haven't learned anything in the Dregs, have you? You are still the same dumb farm boy who has just landed from Novyi Zem, ready to have his wallet emptied in every club in the city."
"And that's why you didn't tell me about Wylan? You made me believe he and Nina were dead! Why did you do that? Did you want to punish me?" Jesper had stopped justifying himself, now he only felt anger.
After a few moments of waiting, Kaz answered coldly, "Yes."
That was the last straw, Jesper lunged for him, ready to take all his frustration on him. Kaz didn't look outdone, there was only violence in his eyes. Jesper didn't have time to grab him by the collar that Matthias got in the way. With his giant hand he separated them effortlessly.
"Stop. Stop this." he ordered, as if they were his fellow soldiers and he was still in the ranks of the Drüskelle. But Jesper kept pushing to free himself from the Fjerdian and Kaz was still defying him with his eyes.
"Jes." A light pressure on his sleeve made him turn around; Wylan had placed a hand on Jesper's arm. He wasn't holding him down, he was just asking for his attention. Then he turned to Kaz: "Jesper made a mistake. A stupid mistake, but he didn't set out to betray anyone."
Kaz seemed to weigh his words for a moment before stalking away. Jesper did the same, feeling the slightest bit relieved that Wylan stood up for him.
"Can we talk?" he asked before Wylan could slip away again. Wylan nodded uncertainty. But he followed him as Jesper headed to an area of the islet where they would be far enough away from the rest of the group.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jesper asked, he tried to look into his eyes, but Wylan was unable to hold his gaze.
"Kaz said it was part of the plan, I didn't-" he tried to explain, but Jesper immediately cut him off.
"I'm not talking about… that." he said pointing to his now unrecognizable face. " I'm talking about us. Why didn't you say anything when you recognized me?" Wylan fell silent, one hand nervously gripping something Jesper couldn't see. "Did you even stop to think about how I would feel to find out you were pretending not to know me? And when you tried to kill yourself in front of me? Did you think for a second about what I felt when I saw that ship fall apart?"
"I… I didn't want to think about it."
"Do you realize how angry I am with you?"
"I didn't think you care about… me."
"Wylan, when we were kids, you were my best friend. Of course I care about you. I'm not a monster! How can you-"
"You forgot about me! Did you feel hurt because I pretended not to know you? Well, I felt hurt because you didn't even recognize me!" Wylan had snapped. If up until a second ago he'd taken Jesper's accusations head-on, now he'd shown that he, too, had unexpressed anger. "How could I have guessed you cared about me? You didn't even remember who I was!"
Then it was Jesper's turn to shut up. Wylan looked at him with a mixture of hatred and sadness. His face had turned red from the effort of screaming. After that sudden outburst of voice, silence returned.
"Was it you?" Jesper finally asked, almost in a whisper. "All those nights, when I thought it was Kuwei. Was it you?"
Wylan looked him straight in the eyes for a few moments before answering, "Yes."
"Why? If you wanted to avoid me, why were you looking for me?"
"I missed you." That confession had turned Wylan's cheeks even more red. Jesper couldn't trust him so easily. Wylan looked sincere when he gave him that embarrassed look, but he'd been lying to him since they first met. And yet Jesper still had that warm feeling for the little boy in the garden of a villa, too big for an only child. After all those years, the memory of his Wylan was still a sweet wistfulness. He couldn't erase that feeling. The past was all still there, exactly where he had left it.
"What do you got there?" he asked, pointing to the hand Wylan was holding tightly closed.
Wylan loosened his grip and Jesper saw on his palm a golden brooch, the same one Kaz had noticed on Jan Van Eck's tie as soon as they approached the merchant.
"It belonged to my mother." Wylan explained. "I couldn't leave it to him."
"And the dagger? Where did you get it from?"
"Inej." His smile was sad.
"Do you think we can save her?" Jesper asked, almost forgetting that he was still mad at him.
"Jes, I'm not staying."
"What? What are you saying?"
"The deal was that I had to stay for the exchange. I've done my part, this is my last chance to escape. That was the plan from the start."
The anger was back in Jesper's voice. "And what about Inej? Don't you care about her?"
"You saw how my father is! I can't stay! Besides, you never really needed me, you just needed leverage. There are many other bomb experts at the Barrel, it doesn't have to be me."
"Fine. You want to run for the rest of your life? Do whatever you like."
"Jes, wait-" he tried to stop him, but Jesper had already left to join Matthias, Kaz and Rotty. In the distance he could see the boat in which Specht was coming to rescue them from that damned island.
Kaz had a plan, obviously. The time they waited on Vellgeluk was enough for him to choose their new base of operations and their next move to strike at Van Eck. At the Black Veil Island they would benefit from the secrecy that was no longer possible at the Barrel, now that probably the whole city knew that the most valuable hostage in the entire globe was in their possession. It wasn't a pleasant feeling to hide in a tomb, but at least in that place they wouldn't be killed on sight by the first gang member that caught them strolling merrily through the streets of Ketterdam.
Within hours Rotty brought them everything he'd managed to retrieve from the Crow Club. Change of clothes, food supplies, blankets. Everything they needed to spend the next few weeks locked up in a cemetery. Rotty had also stopped by Wylan's lab and grabbed whatever he could. There were a few bombs left and other materials that maybe could have been useful.
Wylan hadn't waited any longer, after Rotty finished with the unloading, he had had the boat escort him to the dock, ready to leave Ketterdam forever. The goodbyes were brief, everyone was still shaken by Inej's kidnapping and Wylan's departure didn't help.
Jesper watched Wylan from the distance; hugging Nina, shaking hands with Kuwei, letting Matthias pat him on the back a little too hard and losing his balance a little. Then Wylan approached Kaz and handed him what Jesper immediately recognized as Inej's dagger. For a fleeting moment Jesper saw a sign of emotion on Kaz's face. Jesper was surprised, but if anyone could soften Kaz's frown, it was Inej.
'We'll get her back,' he said to himself, not yielding to despair. Once again, they would solve everything, as they always did. Kaz wasn't going to let Van Eck fool him a second time, Jesper was sure of that.
Wylan shaked Kaz's gloved hand for a long time, Jesper saw his lips move, but he couldn't hear what he said. At that point Jesper returned to the tomb before Wylan could meet his eyes. Perhaps it was cruel to let him leave without a goodbye, but Jesper had stopped saying that word.
"Jespers." After the fight they almost got into, Kaz was the last person he expected to hear from.
"What is it?" he asked without being able not to sound wary.
"He said he wanted you to have it." The golden brooch gleamed on Kaz's hand, waiting for Jesper to take it.
But Jesper didn't, he just stared at the jewel, unbelieving. "Why?"
"I don't know and I don't care." Kaz shrugged. "Do you want it or not? If you don't take it, I'll keep it. There's always room in my collection of stolen Van Eck pins."
"Give me that." Jesper grabbed the brooch and put it in his pocket. "Kaz, listen… I'm sorry about-"
"I don't want to hear it. When Inej will be there, you're gonna tell her your sorry."
"Where do I put this stuff?" Matthias had just entered the tomb with a heavy looking chest in his arms. Nina succeeded him, she sat on the sofa busy listening to something that Kuwei was trying to explain to her in Shu.
"What is it?" Kaz asked, peering at the contents.
"I have no idea, Rotty says it's stuff he found in the lab."
"Leave it there, I'll take a look at it later." Kaz pointed to an indefinite side in the room with a distracted gesture. His attention had already switched to something else. Matthias placed it in the corner that Kaz had mentioned, then took a seat on the sofa next to Nina and Kuwei.
Some alembics and containers could be glimpsed, but there was also a weird contraption, large enough to emerge from the chest, that caught Jesper's attention. He had never seen such a thing, so he approached to observe it better. It appeared to be some kind of wooden box, with something that looked like the end of a trumpet welded into the center. Jesper took the object out of the case, delicately.
"Don't break anything." Kaz ordered him from the other side of the tomb.
"Yes, mom. I'll be good." Jesper replied sarcastically. Then he returned to admire the mysterious object. There was a handle attached to the base, he hadn't noticed it before. Jesper brushed his hand against the wooden surface, concentrating on what the handle could reach inside. He sensed a brass cylinder, all grooved with fine incisions. The more he looked at the object, the more he was curious to understand what he had in front of him. "There's only one way to find out." he said to himself, and turned the handle.
Even though the sound was muffled, he instantly recognized Wylan's voice when he heard the device saying: "This is a private recording. Please deliver the phonograph to Mr. Jesper Fahey."
Jesper stopped turning the mechanism, he looked at Kaz who returned his astonished gaze. Matthias also stared at the contraption with his clear eyes wide open and his eyebrows furrowed in perplexity. Nina and Kuwei had abruptly interrupted their conversation and turned towards the sound.
"Am I still doped or did that thing just talk?" she asked, pointing a finger at the contraption.
"That little genius of a merchling has created a device to capture sounds." observed Kaz with an amused smile.
Jesper grabbed the phonograph, or at least that was what Wylan's voice had just called that strange thing, and then hurried out of the tomb.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Nina had asked him, and he answered without slowing down: "Didn't you hear? It's private. Mind your own business."
"Rude!" she had shouted after him, but Jesper was already outside. In an instant he found a place to settle down and began to turn the handle again.
'Dear Jesper,
That's how a letter should start, am I right?
You don't remember me, but we knew each other for many years. Maybe I can brush up your memory if I tell you that my name is Wylan and I was your neighbor when we were kids? The last time we saw each other was 10 years ago. It's a long time, I know. But I have never forgotten you.
I didn't expect to meet you again, it was nice to find out who you became. I really don't know how it is possible, but you are even taller than I imagined! I have often fantasized about where you could be and what you were doing. I always wondered if you still thought about me.
I thought I'd never see you again, but I was lucky! Too bad it didn't last so long.
As soon as we leave Fjerda, I will have to disappear forever. This recording is my farewell letter, just like the one you gave me 10 years ago. Even if I must confess, I've never read it. I am sorry.
I never told you, but I can't read. This is the only way I have to say goodbye to you and thank you. I haven't had the chance before, but I always wanted to thank you for being my friend. You are the best memory I have, thank you for sharing those happy moments with me. Sometimes I've wondered who I would be now if I hadn't met you. I'm really grateful to have had you in my life, even if for a short time.
Goodbye, Jes. I wish you a beautiful life, like jurda flowers.
Love, Wy.'
Even before the recording finished, Jesper had started to feel a lump in his throat. The first sob, however, caught him on that final greeting. Jesper had been so full of resentment up to that moment, but now the only thing he felt was a deep emptiness. Once again abandoned.
He reached into his pocket for the brooch. He looked at it as if he was waiting for that woman figurine sculpted on the cameo to speak to him and console him. But the woman continued to ignore him, Jesper's eyes were now too blurry with tears to look at her clearly. He squeezed the jewel tightly and only then did he perceive a small engraving on the back of the brooch. He immediately turned it over and read: 'The sea washes the devilish.'
Jesper remembered it, it was the motto of Sankta Maradi. His mother had told him her story so many times; a woman, a Zemeni, a zowa, a Tidemaker, but also the protector of impossible loves.
'The sea washes the devilish.' he repeated softly, spelling out the words like a spell. Then he leapt to his feet, suddenly. "This is not the time to cry, this is the time to act." he said aloud, as if to convince himself more decisively. And then he strode off to one of the boats, heading for the harbor where Wylan was about to sail.