"I remember him, and what he did. He deserved death, but escaped due to his money and the crooked stadwatch." Kaz said bitterly.

He knew should have made the connection sooner, but the change in name and appearance had thrown him. His injuries and worry for Inej hadn't helped either. He spoke to King again. "His face, it's changed. The marks I put on him should have left him scarred for life. He is not the man I remember."

"Amazing what a lot of Grisha magic and many skilled surgeons can do when you have money to spend, isn't it?" she answered smugly, proud to have fooled Kaz.

"After you turned him in, he had no name, papers, money or titles, and a face that scared people. His life became hard, and he barely managed to survive. When we met, I discovered a clever and inquisitive mind underneath the horrid exterior, a mind to rival my own. I took him in, paid for his healing and remodelled him according to my tastes," King said proudly.

Kaz felt even more disgusted by Kinker at hearing how he had let himself be owned and changed according to another person's whims. That wasn't love, it was servitude. He had been right in his belief that Kinker wouldn't be intelligent enough to turn his injury into an advantage. Instead he had let himself be bought and used by another person, almost like a pet.

King continued. "With his willingness and knowledge of the human brain and surgical skills I found many uses for him in my life. It allowed me to further my skills in potion making, and indulged my fondness for experiments. I learned much in our studies, but he never found a subject that tickled his brain as much as you did. He never managed to get over you, and in the end, I returned to Ketterdam with him so he could have his fun, before I claimed the city as mine. To think that his clever boy was brought down by a dirty Suli slave," she laughed, coughing up more blood.

At the last remark Kaz's hand shot out, twisting the knife still stuck in her chest. King cried out in pain.

Inej looked on from afar, trying her best to follow along with the story from the bits and pieces she managed to gather.

"I'll only ask once more. What is in these syringes? What does the stuff do?" Kaz questioned, needing more information from her.

"My life is already forfeit, so you will learn nothing from me. Still, it gives me endless pleasure to know that my little Damian will win in the end. My only regret is that I won't be by his side when he finally makes you his pet," she said, and in one swift movement she pulled out the knife from her chest and plunged it down into her own eye, her death instantaneous.

Kaz and Inej were left dumbstruck by the move.

Kaz sighed, putting the syringe back in the white box. "These people sure have a flair for the dramatic."

Inej collected her knife, wiping it on King's clothes, before walking back to Kaz. "You've met him before. Who is he?"

"It's a long story, but in short he is a man I should have killed long ago," Kaz said, exhaustion slipping into his voice.

They both turned as the hatch was thrown open, Inej knife already flying towards the stairs.

"Aaaahhhhh, what kind of way is that to welcome the rescue party?!" Jesper shouted as the knife pinned his hat to the wall. "And that was one of my favourite hats!"

Inej smiled. "No, it wasn't, you hate that hat."

"No, i…" Jesper paused, looking at the somewhat flattened hat. "Fine, it wasn't one of my best, but still! Anyway, would it kill you to get some light in here? Wylan?"

Wylan followed Jesper halfway down the stairs, fumbled with something in his bag, before throwing it out into different parts of the room. Small cubes of bioluminescent light started to glow softly, giving the room an eerie blue light.

"Thanks, Wyl… "Jesper started, before pausing at the sight that met him. The room had chains, a cage, and the floor was painted red with blood and bodies. A man in the corner pretty much looked like a bloody pulp. Kaz was seated on a chair, Inej by his side, his clothes ripped and bloodied, looking like he was about to keel over any minute.

"What the saints happened here? And why did we trudge all the way over here, in the freezing rain I might add, when there is no one to battle or save?! I mean, you could at least have saved one for me to shoot!" Jesper said with outrage.

Wylan smirked in the background, more than happy that they didn't have to battle, and to find both their friends alive and safe.

Kaz and Inej looked around at the chaos of in the room, at the havoc they had caused, before meeting each other's eyes. They both burst out laughing.

Jesper was dumbstruck. "I think they've gone mad down here," he commented to Wylan.

At the sight of the perturbed Jesper, Wylan couldn't help but join in on the laugh. It felt good to be together again.