Chapter Sixteen
Real Men Don't Need Other People
Kaz stared at Inej for a moment too long. Multiple words came to the forefront of his brain. They than promptly disappeared before he could voice them. He had been right about her distracting him at least. Kaz had managed to complete the last few stitches whilst she talked. The entire time Inej's hand had twitched as if she ached to take the needle from him and fix them herself.
"Did I miss the news that Heleen was giving out free first aid courses then?" That was what he finally chose to say.
Inej's face twisted, as it was accustomed to doing when Heleen or the Menagerie was mentioned. "One of the girls taught me, and you've done it wrong."
"I have been stitching myself up longer than you have Wraith, I'm hardly a novice."
"Is that why your scars are some of the worse I've seen?"
"If that's the reason you want to believe."
Kaz returned his equipment to the draw and shut it with a click. He moved around his room to his shirts, looking for a suitable replacement for his ruined one. He pulled out a shirt and began to change, shrugging the torn one-off fully. It was a brief change in the air that made him look up. The room was empty. He wondered for a moment where the Wraith had gone, but the thought was chased from his head as he spent the remainder of the night busying himself with paperwork over candlelight.
Inej did not return in the morning, nor in the afternoon. By the time night fell it was officially odd. Kaz pondered whether he should be concerned as he changed the dressing of his stitches and poured alcohol over the angry red wound. The door clicked open, making him pour more than needed.
"Crows Club tonight then… Oh! Sorry, Boss!" Jesper had shut the door again with a hand firmly over his eyes. Kaz felt like a young boy again, hyper-aware of his own body and shrugging on his clothing quickly. His hands worked fast even through his gloves, doing up the buttons and finding a vest and coat to accompany it.
"You know Jesper, I'm surprised you didn't learn one of Ketterdam most interesting skills to date. Surely they taught it at that fancy college."
"What skill would that be?" A light blush was appearing over Jespers cheeks and Kaz found himself baffled and annoyed at the sight of it.
"It's groundbreaking. It's called knocking."
"Ah." Jesper's voice cracked, "Rightio, got you, boss."
The Crow's Club was bustling with pigeon's tonight. Kaz was standing in a corner listening to the pleading of desperate men. Men who had lost their last dime and were now betting everything from their children's homes to their wives wedding rings.
"It's a genuine DeKapple, worth more than this ratty club!"
Now that was interesting. Kaz was almost certain the only DeKapple in Ketterdam was far out of his reach. He turned his head and caught the eyes of Rojakke who was working the card table. Kaz nodded and began to walk forward. Rojakke began to pack up his deck.
"That will be it for me tonight folks, you'll have to plead the case with Kaz here."
"Not sure there's anything to plead. How can we afford to say no to a genuine DeKapple." Kaz pulled out his deck and began to shuffle, moving the cards to his favour.
"That's what I thought, you're a smart man." The pigeon put a rolled-up piece of paper onto the pile of Kruge.
"I'm in." Jesper had pushed his way onto the table and dropped a bag of coins onto the table. "That would look excellent in my room."
"Where on earth did you find that anyway?"
"A respectable merchant was selling it, I've come all the way from Novyi Zem to buy it." The robust man bragged.
"All that way to lose it to another Zemeni, a brilliant choice." Jesper goaded as the cards were placed in front of them.
"Not to interrupt, but if you could cut this." Kaz held the deck out towards Jesper. Jesper barely acknowledged him as he took the cards. Instead, he was still shooting out casual barbs at the pigeons as he cut and returned them.
Kaz handed out the first card to each player, watching as they stared impassively. Some were far better at doing so than others. He dealt the second round of cards and looked down at his own. No naturals. The game continued.
The first two pigeons chose to stand, the third went bust with the third card. The pigeon with the 'genuine' Dekapple, confidently asked to stand.
Jesper grinned, "Hit me."
Kaz flipped his own card around. He stood.
"House not winning tonight by the looks of things." The pigeon chuckled; his eyes were focused on the money.
One more pigeon went bust, the second stood. The main mark stood. Jasper grinned again.
"Hit me." Kaz shot him a sharp look and snapped another card down. Jesper flipped the card down. Twenty-One.
"Fuck!" The mark took a step back from the table and gave his chair a rough kick. The chair skidded across the floor in a move that had Bolliger approaching him. With a firm hand on his shoulder, he was led as quickly as possible out of the club. When people made a fuss it dissuaded other pigeons from gambling.
"Well, that was a shame. The Crows Club would have looked nice with that above the bar." Kaz pushed the winnings towards Jesper and rose his hand up to show the table was ready for another round.
"I might go another round," Jesper was ignoring Kaz's eyes as his own lit with fire.
"You might take your winnings and go," Kaz spoke through tight lips. His mouth barely moving.
Jesper's fingers twitched, Kaz's tightened.
"A drink at the bar for your luck, on the house," Kaz said at a more normal volume. He waved his arm in the direction of the bar and Jesper finally followed it. The sharpshooter nodded and walked away from the table. A tighter jaw was the only sign of his need to keep betting. Using Jesper in gambling plays was always a risk. Kaz knew he had an addiction. Jesper's addiction was what had brought him to the dregs in the first place.
But there was nothing more realistic than an actual gambler addict in a gambling play. People were drawn to Jesper. Pigeons were drawn to his enthusiasm, drawn to his money. So Kaz brought Jesper in for each play. If he managed to get him out of it after, that was an unlikely bonus. Even tonight, as Jesper left the table, Kaz was sure he wouldn't leave the actual club until early in the morning. More than likely, it would be with greater debt than what he had started with.
Kaz ran a few more games for appearances before making his way into his office. Jesper followed behind after a short while and shut the door behind him.
"I don't know why you even wanted this, it's so obviously a fake." Jesper tossed the painting onto Kaz's desk.
"Obvious? It's not a terrible decoy." To the unseen eye, the portrait would have passed. Kaz was surprised that Jesper had noticed. He wouldn't have realized if the damn thing hadn't been haunting his thoughts ever since he saw it in the warehouse. "By the sounds of it, he even got it from Van Eck himself."
"Why on earth would Jan Van Eck be selling dupes of a DeKapple painting?"
"Couple of spare Kruge never hurt anyone."
Jesper snorted, "Right, well if we're done for the night, I've got plans."
Kaz eyed him. These plans involved another betting hall, he was sure of it. But if Jesper wanted to screw himself over. If he was too greedy to stop… It wasn't Kaz's business. He let the man leave and focused on studying the painting.
It was a good likeness. Kaz didn't think that Van Eck was selling multiple dupes, just the one. Just one given to a pigeon who clearly had as big a gambling problem as Jesper. Just one to convince the thieves of Ketterdam who frequented the barrel. To convince them that Jan Van Eck was no longer in possession of a DeKapple. It felt like a flag flying in Kaz's face. A flag that taunted him, 'you can't have me.'
Van Eck had gone to great lengths to protect a valuable but useless painting. Kaz told himself there was no reason to want it so badly, he wouldn't even be able to sell it without getting caught. But it was the fact that Van Eck was trying too hard to keep it, that made Kaz very close to making a rash decision. There was no harm in sending Inej to scout for him. If only to see where it was being kept.
It was as he made this decision that he heard a knock on the door.
"Open," he said. Kaz placed the painting in front of him and stood up as the door opened.
"Mr Van Buskirk." Kaz rose his brows. "Seeing you in the club is a surprise. What will your churchgoers think?"
Van Buskirk clutched his hat between sweaty hands, wringing it as one would a neck. His eyes shifted to the door which he had shut quickly behind him.
"Necessary evils, my friends will understand. I am not here to partake in any of the vices you promote."
"How noble. What business then?" Kaz did not try to keep the sneer off his face. He had as much respect for avid worshipers of Ghenzin as he had for a dog with fleas. Perhaps more for the dog, at least it didn't choose its predicament.
"I… I have recently been placed into an uncomfortable position." His hands twisted harder, threatening to rip the flimsy fabric.
"How could Ghenzin let this happen." Kaz interrupted.
"Don't mock Ghenzin!"
"If it bothers you, then leave."
The frown on Van Buskirk's face made it clear he wasn't going to do that. "It has been brought to my attention, that is I was made known… I am being blackmailed."
"How tragic for you." Kaz rolled his eyes.
"I was told you will do anything for a price, I need you to make them leave me be. I am a good man! I don't deserve to have my life ruined over a simple mistake."
Kaz had learnt very quickly that there were no good men in Ketterdamn. "Just what is this simple mistake, Van Buskirk?"
"I don't see why that's relevant!"
Kaz sat down in his chair, leaning forward slightly and beckoning for Van Buskirk to take the seat across from him. " I trade in secrets Van Buskirk. Give me yours and I can ensure that whoever is blackmailing you, stops."
"I'll lose one blackmailer and gain another!"
"I wouldn't dream of blackmailing you. Consider instead, a favour here and there when the crows need it. Is that worse than whatever is being asked of you now? It's your choice."
Van Buskirk weighed the options, teeth gnawing at his top lip. " I was embezzling funds from the church. My son needs the tuition money! Ghenzin would understand!"
Once again there was no doubt that those who had faith in gods and saints never followed the laws connected to them. Kaz pulled out a piece of paper and jotted a note down, he slid it over to Van Buskirk to sign.
"What is this?" The man asked.
"Sign this and acknowledge that you embezzled funds. The confession will remain in my safe. I will need the name of the man who is blackmailing you as well as 200 kruge for the job."
"How will I know you've stopped him? Are you… are you going to kill him?"
Kaz rolled his eyes a second time. He waited, fingers tapping, as the man signed and handed the paper over. "How long has he given you?"
"A week."
"Well if you don't hear from him in a week, consider the job done."
"He is in a prominent position, like me. Can I trust you to be discreet?"
"Yes Van Buskirk, that's what I'm known for, after all, being discreet and trustworthy. The name?" Sarcasm lilt Kaz's voice. He held out a hand for the Kruge that Van Buskirk dropped onto his palm.
"Willem Holst."
A stadwatch guard, now that was interesting. "Safe travels than, Van Burskirk."
But the holy man had been distracted, his eyes drawn to the DeKapple painting.
"How did you get your hands on that?"
"It was won legally, if that's your concern."
"It is a beautiful painting, one of a kind. Do you plan to sell it?"
"I could be convinced to part with it. I'm not really a fan of art."
"I have 1000 kruge on me right now, that would bring a sense of class to the church."
"Indeed it would, as a show of good faith you can have it for 2000. Half now half collected by my Wraith upon your return home."
Van Buskirk handed over a stack of bills, grabbing the painting greedily.
"Perhaps there is kindness in you yet Brekker."
Kaz simply smirked in response, standing up to show him the door.
Perhaps not. He put the bills in his jacket, face twitching as his hands brushed against his stitches. If he was lucky there would be no pus tomorrow, always a good sign in the barrel. He blocked out the pain and grabbed a pile of papers to continue work in his room at the Slat. He needed to find Inej and send her to collect from Van Buskirk. The Wraith hadn't appeared at the Club tonight and he hadn't sent her on any jobs. That left three places she could be, two were marginally easier to reach, the third involved him going up to the roof.
Jesper was back at the tables as he left. The sharpshooter did not notice Kaz passing him, eyes invested in the game. The idiot still couldn't count cards. Kaz shook his head in annoyance but pushed into the biting air of the Ketterdam night. His hand pushed his hat down onto his head, against the wind that threatened to send it flying. Nights like this he was thankful for his coats, his gloves. Nights like these he was extremely hopeful Inej would not be on the roof.
An unanswered knock on her door and a search of his own room had Kaz cursing as he pushed himself up the ladder and onto the roof. His cane tucked under his arm. Inej was balancing on the roof of the Slat, moving with the wind. Her face was blank from emotion, hands moving with the breeze. She did not start when he shut the opening behind him.
"What business Kaz?"
"Since you're still awake, I have a collection job for you."
"A collection job?" She stayed on the roof, eyes shutting against the wind. He wondered how she kept herself busy on the rooves of Ketterdam. He wondered what she thought of as she danced the night sky above sinners. Kaz didn't think he would ever find out the answers.
"Van Buskirk, the Pastor."
"Kaz."
"It's not as if he's a Pastor of your saints, Wraith. Besides, I said to collect, not threaten. He's aware of the agreement and will be expecting you when he returns home tonight."
Inej stepped off the edge of the roof onto the more even portion he stood on, surveying him. "Do you know what today is Kaz?"
"Friday?"
"As of two bells ago, it's the new year."
Huh, well that explained the surplus of people at the Club.
"Happy new year's, can you go collect my money now?"
Inej scowled at him, he scowled right back. It was freezing out here. If he'd known she would procrastinate he would have waited for her in his office.
"There's a Heartrender in the barrel tonight Kaz, Nina Zenik."
Her again, why was everyone so obsessed with this Grisha? She would be gone back to her precious Ravka by morning.
"Why would I care about a Grisha that will be gone by morning?"
"Because she's not going anywhere, she petitioned the council to let that Fiejerdan slaver out, they've said no but it looks like she's staying until she can convince them otherwise."
"Unless she's the key to you getting my money, I don't care how long she stays on her hopeless quest."
"I only got this information by listening in on the Dime Lions,"
Kaz stilled.
"They came to her this morning, with an offer to work for them at the sweet shop. She's staying at the Emerald Palace tonight."
There was no way Kaz was allowing Pekka Rollins to get his hands on a Heartrender for the new Year. He wanted Nina Zenik now. For the pure reason, that Pekka wanted her. Unlike Pekka, Kaz had someone who might actually sway her favour.
"How old is she?"
"17"
Just like Inej, young and not in their own country. He wasn't going to ponder the moral lines of using Inej like this. It was all part of her job in a way.
"Go to her and convince her to come work for the Dregs. She can work at the White Rose and board there. We'll come to her when we need her for a job."
"What about Per Haskel?"
"Better to ask for forgiveness…" He would not ask for anything, Per Haskel was greedy and he would see Nina as a powerful opportunity. Mainly, secretly, Kaz wanted this to be solely his work. Spiting Pekka Rollins at every turn.
"I'll go now then."
"Inej wait," he interrupted her as she had prepared to leap from the roof, "my money first. Money first. Than Zenik."
Inej rolled her eyes as she leapt. Despite this, she moved in the direction of the church, so Kaz was satisfied.
He wasn't about to lose out on a sure deal for a Heartrender.
Authors Notes
In honour of the amazing casting that is Jack Wolfe as Wylan... an update! And a long update at that! This chapter is making so many links and ties, will you guys notice them all? I hope so! Also, I hope you enjoy the humour, going, to be honest, I cracked myself up writing this.
Also, peep the updated tags ...
*Drum Roll for the next chapter*
THE ONE
THE ONLY
NINA ZENIK IS COMING!
Responding to Comments
Cat K-
You were so right! Nina will be in the next chapter and I'm so excited for you all to read her and Kaz interacting! Honestly, if Kaz worries about his health I feel like all of the Barrel will stop functioning. I honestly love your long reviews, they show me where I am going right! This chapter is definitely more humour based with some Jesper central. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you to everyone who commented! I love reading your comments!
The Spotify link for my Kaz Brekker playlist that I listen to whilst writing is below:
playlist/5n43bLe6zrNi8cDRxy9lnU?si=5cbc1046254d4944
See you all next chapter
~ ThisMayFlower