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Kaz soon reached the Prancing Pony, and took in the scene before him. There was a comedy act on stage, and the dining hall in front of it was near full. He scanned the premises, his eyes landing on an askew, purple top hat – Jesper. He barrelled his way to the table, ignoring the pain in his leg and the irritated looks he got from the other guests. Wylan jumped and released a small yelp of surprise as Kaz slid down onto the booth opposite them. They both looked at him with stunned faces, his unexpected appearance and bedraggled, drenched state leaving them bewildered.

"What the hell, Kaz? You look like you took a bath in the canal! Why on earth would you be out in this weather? And why come here? We are a bit preoccupied as you can see," Jesper said, annoyance evident in both his voice and face, miffed by the fact that Kaz had disturbed their evening out.

Kaz ran a hand through his hair, settling it back in place and pushing some of the water out of it. He stretched his other hand toward Jesper, offering up the letter.

Jesper looked at it for a second. "I know you are a man of few words, but answering with a letter, that's a new one," Jesper commented, slightly amused by the weird setting. He picked the letter out of Kaz's hand, and started to read the contents aloud so that Wylan could follow along. Once he got to the second paragraph he stopped reading aloud, his expression morphing into fear and agitation as he read on. Once he was finished, he looked up at Kaz. "Is this true?" he asked shakily.

"I'm not sure, but I'm not waiting to find out," Kaz responded.

"What is true?" Wylan asked, having missed the end of the letter.

"Some lunatic has kidnapped Inej, and demands for Kaz to meet him alone, or he kills her," Jesper related hurriedly. Wylan drew in a shocked gasp and stared at Kaz, understanding his state of alarm and appearance. Kaz only thoughts were of Inej, caring nothing for his own state or safety.

Kaz nodded towards the exit, and started walking. Jesper and Wylan picked up their jackets and followed close behind, their previous evening plans forgotten. Once outside, Kaz hurried onwards in the drenching rain. Even though he was limping badly, Wylan had to struggle to keep up. Jespers long legs made it easier for him to keep pace.

Kaz explained as they walked.

He hadn't had time to confirm if the note was accurate or not, so he would be going in blind. His plan was to go to the church of Sankta Valerian alone, but for Jesper and Wylan to keep watch from a nearby vantage point. He would make sure to stand in front of the church's large side windows so that he could signal them once he had a more knowledge of the situation. If he lifted his cane of the floor, hand positioned on the middle, they were to cause high hell – Jesper with his guns, and Wylan with whatever bombs or concoctions he could come up with. If he remained calm, they were to remain calm. They were not to intervene until he had given them the signal, no matter what. He was not risking aggression before he knew Inej was safe. He informed them that he didn't want the rest of the Dregs involved at this point as the risk of one of them slipping up was too high with Inej's life at stake.

Jesper and Wylan were quickly onboard with the plan. Without a complaint or question, Jesper and Wylan soon dispersed towards the vantage point, both focused on the coming events. Kaz carried on to the church alone. He paused at the square before the church, searching for any kind of hint to what would be waiting inside, but nothing looked amiss. He gripped the crows head on his cane tight as he set off on his final steps, five minutes before the clock struck ten.