» CHAPTER ONE
❛ ketterdam the city of gamblers and thieves ❜
( episode one, season one )

    𝗜𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚
and the streets of Ketterdam were filled with dark figures, who quickly made their way through the rain. A couple of creepy looking shadows huddled in the narrow streets of the dark City. Ketterdam was and always had been a bit mystical and muddled, but when night fell, the city came to life.

No one would advice an honest businessman, who probably didn't even existed in this forsaken city, to hang around in the streets by night.

A young woman, wrapped in a black silk cloak, the hood pulled over her head and a veil over her face, made her way down the street. The rain pelted down on her without any mercy as she stayed in the shadows of the street.

Only the dim light from the lanterns and the bright light from the clubs  threw small beams on the hooded figure, which was now approaching the loud laughters'. The scratchy men's laughter she could hear came from a club the woman was all too familiar with.

A few people past her with black umbrellas in their hands as she came closer to the club. Above her head on the balcony of the rundown buildings, people were standing, letting out croaking laughes.

There was loud chattering as the woman passed the club and made her way into the little courtyard that laid behind it. She immediately took off and jumped against the building, grabbing onto the dirty looking metal pipe that was attached to the wall.

She could hear a thunder in the distance as she started to climb up carefully. The pipe was wet and slippery.

She looked up to the window that was opened before she grabbed onto the frame and elegantly pulled herself up into the building. The woman landed on her feet without any noises.

The young man, who stood by the sink had his back turned towards her while he took off his gloves silently.

"Hello, Estelle."

The young woman sighed annoyed as she immediately pulled the hood and the veil off of her head.

"What Information do you have for me tonight?" He continued to wash his hands without looking up.

"Inej lead on a job. A big one. Enough money to change our lives", the black haired girl told him, not moving from where she stood.

"It doesn't take much to change someone's life in the Barrel." He still didn't turned around to her as he grabbed his gloves that he had placed besides the sink.

"A million Kruge?"

He stopped in his movements and looked up from the sink into the mirror. "What's the name?"

"Inej said his name is Dreesen. He is a wealthy merchant."

"Dreesen", he repeated slowly. "I've heard of him. He could afford it. The question is, what's worth a million kruge to him?"

"He's looking for a crew, who's willing to cross the Fold to East Ravka and bring back something", she explained to him waiting for his reaction.

It was dangerous going into the Fold, she knew that. Everyone knew that and everyone, who had a clear mind wouldn't even come close to it. But Estelle desperately needed money to buy herself out of Heleen's menagerie. 

He finally turned towards her, "The Fold?" The man finished to put his gloves on as he gave her a sceptical look. "Well, of course, certain death pays a million."

They looked at each other for a moment before he turned around again, "He didn't say what he wants nicked?"

"No", she eyed his back. "But he's taking meetings tonight, starting at midnight."

He immediately spun around and looked at her again, "Please tell me you followed him."

A smirk made it's way onto her face as she answered him, "Inej and I followed him to the docks. He brought someone from a ship. Took a way back to his house in the Garden District to avoid attention. We would have followed him inside but Dreesen hired some private security. I would have had to kill him and you know Inej doesn't like that."

A thunder rumbled in the distance. "Private security", her friend repeated in thoughts.

"A Zemeni man, I think his name is Tendo. You know him?", she questioned him curiously.

"Yeah. He gambles at one of Pekka's clubs. So I won't have leverage on him. But Pekka will."

He had an annoyed expression on his face as he walked over to his desk. Estelle sighed and quickly followed after him.

"Kaz, Inej got this lead from one of the girl's at the menagerie. They tell us things all the time, in the hope you would buy them out like you did with us", she explained to him.

"I didn't buy you. I'm paying of your indenture", he corrected her immediately as he gave her a look, sorting his papers that laid on the desk.

She broke the eye contact, looking down at the desk "You know what I mean."

There was a silence before she spoke up again, "There's this girl at the menagerie. Her name is Kash, she has skills, like Inej and me."

Kaz quickly interrupted her, "I only invest in the one of a kind. Inej was a exception because you insisted."

Estelle went to say something but he wasn't finished, "They aren't like you. No one is!"

Estelle's mouth opened a gap as he said those words. A warm feeling spread through her whole body as the two held eye contact.

Kaz looked down at his desk as her gaze fell onto the floor. "So what are we gonna do?", she asked him while she took a step forward.

"You and Inej are the ones who believe in a higher power. If we're going to survive a round trip through the Fold we need a miracle or two", he told her as he looked at the painting they had recently stolen.

"You know just because I aggred with Inej one time on that theme doesn't mean I actually believe in them", she rolled with her eyes.

Kaz gave her a look as he started to walk out of the salon, Estelle following after him silently.

As they reached the door Kaz opened it for her. She took a step towards the door and he spoke up.

"Oh and Estelle?"

The woman stopped and looked up at him, "Yes?"

"Don't ever sneak up on me again", he told her as he looked down at the black haired girl, which made Estelle smirk widely.

The truth was she'd tried to sneak up on him plenty of times since they had met. But she never managed it.

It was as if once Kaz had seen her, he managed to keep seeing her. It was confusing. No one had ever heard her approach before.

Estelle stept out of the room followed by Kaz, who closed the door behind him. They slowly walked down the stairs. Estelle let her gaze wander over the crowd until she spotted Jesper standing at the door with Inej.

She quickly jumped over the railing of the stairs and elegantly landed on her feet. She pushed her long black hair behind her ear as she approached Jesper from behind.

The woman snatched his had from his head and placed it onto her's as she pointed fingerguns at him.

"Let's go. We got a job to prepare", she smiled at him while she stepped out onto the street followed by him and Inej, who both chuckled. She pulled the had off of her black hair and threw it at her friend, who cought it.

Meanwhile Kaz had joined the three and they continued to walk down the street together. The rain poured from the roofs and splashed down onto the streets while they made their way through the market of Ketterdam.

The fog rose into the air and the chattering of the people got steamed as they stepped into a big building on the side of the street.

Within seconds they were lead into a smaller backroom where a wealthy looking woman awaited them. Jesper stopped by the door while Inej sat down on the chair in front her. 

Estelle came to a stand next to Kaz, who looked at the asian looking woman. "Tell us how to safely cross the Fold."

"The Fold? If I knew safe passage through that, I'd be wealthier than the whole Merchant Council", the woman answered them as she shook the ashes off of her small cigar.

Estelle and Kaz exchanged a look as Inej leaned forward with a dark look on her face. "You told me you brought in girls from Os Alta. The other side."

"Yeah. The hard way. Lost a few to those damn volcra, too", the woman told her with a bored expression on her face.

"Kaz, let's go. She'll be no help", El told him quitly as she joined Jesper by the door. Kaz turned around and silently left the room. Followed by Inej, who stood up and left the room as well, together with Jesper and Estelle, who looked one last time at the asian woman before she rounded the corner.

On their way through the dark street Jesper suddenly had an Idea. He knew a guy, who liked to hang around in a certain side street of Ketterdam and Jesper was convinced that he could definitely know something

"Nah, there's no trick to it except how it makes people disappear from time to time", the older man answered them as he mixed up his cards on the ground.

"I heard you bragging of a way to make a path", Jesper said as he sat on the ground on the opposite of the man the others leaning against the wall looking down at the two.

"I was taking kruge from a tourist. A little lie. The Fold keeps those Ravkan bastards and their Grisha attack dogs in check", the man replied to him gesturing with his hands. Estelle rolled with her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest which didn't remained unoticed by Kaz, who gave her a sceptical look.

"Can you imagine how dangerous it would be if it wasn't there?", the man asked them. Jesper looked annoyed to the side as Inej clapped him onto the shoulder to signal him that they should move on.

"So any other ideas?", Jesper asked the group as they stepped out onto the main ally. Inej and Estelle shook there heads' before they all looked at Kaz, an expecting expression on their faces.

"I might know a guy", the man at last answered them as he leaned with both hands onto his cane. "Follow me."

They followed him through a couple of streets as they arrived by a gigantic building. You could hear the cheering and the shouting onto the street. Estelle eyed the dark building for a second as Jesper pushed her lightly towards the door.

Many men were gathered in the room the hallway ended in. They raised their fist into the air as someone was dragged away from the middle of the room.

Estelle eyed the people and the room until she finally understood what this was. It was an illegal Fightclub. But on the other hand what wasn't illegal in Ketterdam?

"It streches all the way north to the Fjerdan border", Kaz said as he sat on a barrel, both of his hands places on his cane.

"Ja. So go to Fjerda. March through the permafrost", the boxer explained to him as he wrapped his bandaged around his hands.

"How long would that take?", Kaz asked him as the other exchanged a look.

"From here? Four months. Maybe five."

Kaz watched the man who stood up, "We don't have that kind of time", he answered him annoyed.

The man punched into the air a few times before he turned towards Kaz again, "Either you take your time or you take your chances."

The boxing bell rung and the people started cheering again as Kaz stood up and the four left the building.

A little later that night the four sat in a corner of the crow Club in silence. Estelle played with one of her knifes as Jasper suddenly spoke up, "Here's what I don't get."

"We're gonna be here all night", Inej joked as she spun her knife around looking at him.

"Rude."

He sat up, "Why haven't they tried going under it? Just dig a tunnel?"

Kaz looked at him as he had his hands placed on his cane again, "Tried that. More than a century ago. Something heard them digging."

Jesper furrowed his eyebrows as he narrowed his eyes, "It was made hundrets of years ago by that crazy Grisha—"

"The black Heretic", Estelle immediately corrected him from next to Inej.

"Yeah. The one that controls shadow. They've got one in their army now. Don't they? General Kirigan?", he asked them curious.

Inej furrowed her eyebrows still playing with her knife, "Your point?"

"If one of his kind made it, can't he unmake it?"

"Have you ever put out fire by adding more fire?", Estelle asked him as she leaned on the table and raised an eyebrow at the man.

"Then what's the opposite?", the man asked her. "A sun summoner", Inej immediately shot back at him convinced.

"Right, then, one of those", Jesper agreed with her simply as he leaned back.

"Doesn't exist", Kaz interrupted their conversation looking seriously like he always did.

"Doesn't exist yet!", Inej argued with him calmly as she looked at Kaz who now stared at her. "Dreesen comes into town, dosen't waste a minut. Sends out for a crew to steal something but dosen't specify what. What, is it heavy, large, worth more than a million on the black market?", he looked at the group, who all looked at the table. "Maybe he doesn't know."

"We can let this one go, Kaz", Estelle assured him even if she knew what that meant for her.

"Sounds like a trap anyway", Jesper told them as he took a sip from his drink.

Kaz gaze wandered from Estelle to Jasper, "A trap would sound easy."

"This is something else", he looked at Inej.

Estelle could hear heavy footsteps approaching them and as she turned her head to look who it was she already heard a man shout, "Boss, Boss!"

The old man stood now infront of Kaz, "We intercept a note from Dreesen."

Kaz sat up straight and looked at the old man, "Did you, now?"

"It's for the owner of the Orchid. Says they require the service of a Heartrender. Tonight."

The group exchanged a look before Kaz looked back at the old man, "A Heartrender? Why?"

The man rocked back and forth for a second, "Dosen't say. Just they need it before midnight."

Kaz remained silent for a second as he looked at Estelle, "You don't bring in a Heartrender unless you need an answer out of someone who isn't willing to talk."

Jesper gave him a confused look as Kaz stood up, still looking at Estelle, "That's how we get this job before anyone else. Bring Dreesen a Heartrender."

He started to walk away as the old man addressed him one more time, "Boss, just one problem. Pekka Rollins knows."

Kaz looked back ahead as he repeated the name with hate in his voice, "Pekka Rollins."

The crew had gathered their things and quickly made their way to the Orchid where Kaz said they would find a Heartrender. And they did.

Jesper, Inej and Estelle had waited for him outside until he came out with a blond haired woman.

From there on the group of five quickly continued their way north to Dreesen's mansion as the blond woman spoke up.

"I really appreciate knew business, but you've only paid for an hour of my time, and I have to be back at the Orchid", the Heartrender spoke as she caught up to Kaz, who walked at the front.

"The Orchid isn't safe tonight. You're life is in danger with this job. Makes yourself scarce for a few days afterwards", he answered her as they reached the fence.

"Mr. Brekker, are you threatening me? Really? Even if I'm nice, my boss will call the standwatch on you", the blond woman told him as Estelle walked besides Inej and rolled with her eyes.

Suddenly Kaz stopped walking and turned around to her, "It's not me you're in danger with. It's Pekka Rollins."

"My Boss would calm the standwatch on him as well", she reasoned with him as she made a arrogant face.

"Which is why you're boss is already dead", Kaz answered her before he walked further towards the fence.

"Who are you lot?", the guard asked them loudly as Kaz approched them.

"We're here to see Dreesen", Kaz shouted back at him as the guard approached the fence.

"You're not with Pekka's crew."

Kaz reached into his coat, "And your not in Pekka's pocket anymore if you don't own him." He threw a little bag at him through the fence and the man cought it.

He opened the little bag and afterwards quickly let them in. The group walked towards the mansion as Jesper quickly caught up to Kaz. "Hey, where did you get that coin?"

Kaz smiled as the man behind them suddenly started shouting, "Hey, this one has a hole in it!"

They all quickly looked at the man surprised as the door behind them  opened.

"Saints", Jesper smirked at his Boss, who looked at the women. "Inside. Inside", he repeated as they all quickly walked through the door.

On of Dreesen's man lead them into the backroom where his Boss sat behind a desk, smoke roseing from his desk. 

The man had short grey hair and a moustache. All in all he looked very wealthy and had a big ring on one of his fingers. He leaned forward and eyed them for a split second. "One look and I can tell. Criminals."

He made a pause before he continued. "I'm not meeting 'til midnight"

"We heard you need a Heartrender", Kaz spoke up as the Heartrender waved at the man seductive.

The man immediately stood up as he spoke up, "Hmm. All right, she stays, the rest of you, out."

The Heartrender wanted to approche Dreesen but Kaz stopped her with his cane as his gaze didn't left Dreesen. "She stays. And we have an exclusive on this job."

The man looked at his desk as he sighed, "Mr. Brekker. No businessman worth his salt hires his first applicant."

The man walked around his desk and leaned against it as Kaz spoke up again, "No. No. I understand. Of course, I will have to report you to the guild for kidnapping and harboring a prisoner without chain of title."

The guard behind Dreesen slowly grabbed for his gun which made Jesper reveal his gun.

"You wouldn't", the man stated as he eyed Kaz carefully. "No businessman worth his salt bargains for what he can take", Kaz said with a blank expression on his face.

Dreesen slowly walked towards him, his hands behind his back. He stopped infront of Kaz, who didn't even blinked as the older man inhaled deeply.

They continued to stare at each other as the man hummed to himself. The Heartrender slowly lifted her hand into the air. "I have to be back in an hour."

"All right. Come on", Dreesen at last gave in and walked out of the room leaving the others to follow after him.

He lead them into his wine cellar where Estelle immediately spotted a person sitting on a chair with a bag over his head.

Dreesen walked towards him and leaned on the back of the chair. "Who is this?", Kaz asked him curious while they all came to a stand.

"So you don't know everything after all. This—", Dreesen yanked the bag from the man's head. "Is Alexei Stepanov."

Estelle looked at the boy in shock, he looked pretty beated up. The blond man had bruised and cuts all over his face.

"Two weeks ago, young Alexei here crossed through the Fold. On foot. Alone."

"How?", the Heartrender questioned him immediately as Dreesen walked away from him and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Well, they're keeping it quiet but allegedly he was one of a few witnesses to an event."

"Water!", the blond man begged them, his voice husky. Estelle immediately poured him a glass of water and helped him drink as she looked at Dreesen disgusted.

"What kind of Event?", Kaz asked Dreesen as he watched Estelle.

Dreesen took a sip from his wine before he answered him, "I know an expedition was swarmed by volcra. Should've been a total loss, but something happened."

"Some device detonated. Obliterated the volcra, lit up the dark like a forest fire. I know it wasn't fire or else no one would have survived. This was one invention no one had seen before."

Dreesen pointed at Alexei, "He knows. But he doesn't seem to be able to articulate his account of events. Some form of traumatic laps."

"So—", he looked at the Heartrender who now stepped forward. She slowly approprached the blond man and sank down onto her knees infront of him.

"You're safe know", she softly crease his hand as she looked at him friendly. "Now you can just speak and I will just listen."

Alexei looked down at the blonde woman and nodded his head at her. "All right."

"Tell me what happened in the Fold. What saved you?", she asked him with a soft voice.

He looked at her in trance, "You won't believe me, but— it was a Sun Summoner."

They all looked at each other surprised as Inej gasped and began smiling dreamingly. Estelle, who now stood besides Jesper eyed the man closely.

Dreesen sat down infront of him as well, "Who was it?"

Alexei looked at the man breathing heavily, "If I tell you, you'll set me free?"

The man nodded at him as he smirked to himself, "You have my word. I'll set you free. You're in Ketterdam now, Alexei. You can go anywhere in the world from here."

"Just imagine. Come on—"

Alexei shallowd deeply as he looked straight into the man's face, "Her name is— Alina Starkov."

"Alina Starkov?", Dreesen repeated the name as Alexei nodded at him sadly.

"Good boy", the man told him as he stood up and walked away.

"Show me the manifest", he grabbed a pice of paper and looked at it. "Ha. perfect", he shut the map and laid it back onto the table.

"You set me free now?", the blond man asked him desperately. "Thank you, of course", Dreesen answered him smirking as he grabbed his gun and shot him into the head.

The Heartrender screamed out as Estelle flinched and stared at the now dead Alexei, who laid on the ground. Only now Estelle realized that she had grabbed for her knife and let go of it again as she breathed out deeply.

Dreesen walked towards the dead man and looked at him, "We're now the only people west of the Fold with this information. My ship sails for West Ravka at dawn. If you can prove that you have a way through the Fold and back. I'll put you on that ship with an advance. If you don't, I'm giving the job to Pekka Rollins."

He walked out of the room as Kaz spun around, "Give me a day. I'll have a plan!"

The man stopped and looked at him, "You have until sunrise, then your ship will have sailed, Mr. Brekker. The prize is one million kruge. Now bringe me— Alina Starkov." He turned around and walked up the stairs.

Estelle looked back at the dead body as hunderts of thoughts' ran through her head.

She had no idea how they would find a way through the Fold. None of them did, but they had to, if they wanted the one million Kruge.