Sankta Valerian – The meeting

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The church was dimly lit by candles. Large paintings of Sankta Valarian adorned the walls of the church near the alter, and a big tapestry hung behind the alter. Large windows covered much of the side of the rectangular building. The floor was lined with pews except for the elevated alter space. The church appeared empty at first glance, but Kaz knew he wasn't alone.

He walked until the first big glass windows, placing himself in full view for Jesper and Wylan. He let his hands rest on the cane as he stood still, having already clocked several people hiding behind the pews near the entrance. It only took seconds before he heard movement as the men positioned themselves to block the exit. He had recognized several of them as failed gang members. Two were even former Dregs members which he had evicted and chased out of the city for breaking the gang's laws of conduct. He regretted not slitting their throats when he had a chance.

The men hovered behind him, but didn't close in on him. Kaz didn't deign to look at them, instead keeping his gaze forward, waiting for their leader to appear. A well-dressed man stepped out from a small side door that led to a room behind the alter space. He looked to be around 40 years old, was wearing glassed, had a slight gut from too much food and wine, and thinning, grey hair that was slicked flat to his head. His suit was grey with a pink shirt underneath, his belly slightly pooling over the waistline. He had a matching grey hat, and a light blue bowtie and matching silk handkerchief in his breast pocket. Everything he wore looked to have been tailored to him, and belonged in a price range reserved for the rich.

"Ah, so you finally decided to show - welcome!" he said while opening his arms in a welcoming gesture. "I was afraid you might not have gotten our message. Apparently, the message boy ran a bit late with his delivery as your room isn't the easiest to slip into unnoticed. I am terribly sorry about the delay, but you made it none the less, so happy days!" he said while clapping his hands in delight.

The man looked like a common merchant, but his happy sing-song voice was grating on Kaz's nerves. Something seemed off about the whole man, but Kaz couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Where's my Wraith?" he asked coldly, wanting to move the proceedings along.

"Oh, right to business I see. Your reputation precedes you at that point, so I can already confirm that at least one of the rumours I've heard about you is true. That you are all business, all the time, except when it comes to your Crows. But I do still wonder if I would have gotten the same response if I had used a different crow…" the man mused.

The talkative, nonchalant man was not intimidating, and looked and acted like he belonged at an aristocrat's ball. Kaz's feeling that this was all a ruse was growing. There was no way this old, pudgy man could have gotten the jump on Inej. Kaz was getting ready signal Jesper and Wylan. "One last time, where is she?" he nearly growled at Keller, looking forward to dishing out his vengeance on this sad excuse for a man.

"Tut-tut, no patience or decorum I see! We will need to work on your manners while you are in my care, but as you wish, let's invite sweet Miss Ghafa to the party!" Keller announced.

Hearing the man call her by her real name, not just the Wraith, made Kaz want to gag. This man didn't deserve to know the real Inej, he only deserved to know the saints by her blade. Just as he was about to lift his cane, the man pulled a rope, and the tapestry behind the alter fell. Kaz forced himself not to react at the sight.

The curtain revealed a large man holding a tied and gagged Inej, knife pressed tightly to her throat. Her eyes shone with rage and fear as she saw Kaz – rage that she was the reason Kaz was lured here, and fear for how this would end.

The alter was one of the few spaces in the church that had no windows, making it impossible for Jesper and Wylan to see Inej, or take out her captor. Kaz ground his teeth, and planted the cane firmly to the ground, making sure Jesper and Wylan didn't act. They could do nothing while she was in mortal peril. Keller had placed himself in the same windowless space, apparently not as dumb as he looked. Kaz considered his options, but was pretty much left with none as long as Inej had a knife to her throat.

"It's me that you want, and I'm here now. Let her go, and I'll stay," Kaz spat, anger evident in his voice.

"I will of course let her go, but not just yet," Mr. Keller smiled. "I suspect I need her for a little while longer in order to keep you in line. I've heard rumours that you can be quite disagreeable, sometimes even violent, and we wouldn't want that in this holy place. I've also heard that you always have a plan for everything, and despite the brief time you had, I suspect you already have my downfall planned, and that me threatening your Wraith is the only thing keeping you and whatever plan of yours in check. So yes, I will let her go, but not before I have what I need, and that is you."

If looks could kill, Mr. Keller would have been dead ten times over by now. Inej's safety was the only reason Kaz hadn't murdered Keller yet.

"Now, you gentlefolk in the back, would you be so kind as to apprehend Mr. Brekker so that we can continue our chat in a more private area? And remember, don't go too hard on him, and no head injuries as I want his mind sharp and intact. Once you're done, please bring him and Miss Ghafa to the back office," he called to the gang members in the back, before once more turning to Kaz. "I am sorry about this Mr. Brekker, I truly am, but apparently the only people I could get to help, carry a deep hate for you. They demanded to get a piece of you before handing you over to me. I normally abhor needless violence, but I guess it will bring some catharsis to them. Just don't fight it, for both yours and Miss Ghafa's sake, and I am sure it will be over soon. If you do decide to fight Miss Ghafa will likely not be able to join us for our chat later. Now, toodles, and see you all soon!" Mr. Keller turned on his heels and walked out the small door he had entered from.

Kaz eyes flickered to Inej. Inej had a look of desperation in her eyes and started fighting to get free, a small drop of blood sliding down her neck as the man holding the knife tightened his grip. Kaz remained still except for a slight shake of the head to Inej, silencing her struggles. He could take whatever they dished out – he had survived worse. What he couldn't take was seeing Inej harmed, or worse, killed, because of him. He remained still, cane to the ground and waited for the men to surround him. All the gang members had reasons to hate him, either as he had been the reason for their downfall or just in general as everyone longed to bring down Dirtyhands himself. He let his lips part to reveal a disturbing smile, indicating that he was ready for them.

The first blow was to his side, it hit home, but he remained standing, masking the pain it caused. The second hit was to his back. It would bruise, but nothing serious. The third blow was a hard kick to his bad leg, and it sent pain exploding through his body, sending him to the ground on his hands and knees. The intense pain of his leg made the next blows blur together.

As the haze of pain started to clear, he registered that they had kicked his cane away, and that he was lying on his side on the ground. They were punching and kicking, not caring what they hit. He knew he would have won if he could have fought back, but all he could do now was try to shield himself from any major injures by curling in on himself, waiting for it to end. A blinding pain in his leg from another kick finally managed to rip a cry of pain from him, sending him into the oblivion of unconsciousness.