CHAPTER SIXTEEN
vol i — bloody fjerdan!

DINARA SNICKERED, GLAD THAT THEY
were back to their normal selves. Kaz narrowed his eyes at the girl, continuing with his story. "I'm not some character out of a children's story who plays harmless pranks and steals from the rich to give to the poor. There was money to be made and information to be had. Specht knows the navy's routes like the back of his hand."

"Never something for nothing, Kaz," she said, her gaze steady. "I know. still, if the Ferolind is intercepted, we'll have no way out of Djerholm."

"I'll get us out. You know that."
"I know that. I trust you with my life. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or bad thing."
"I'll let you know if I figure that out."
"I hear Pekka Rollins was the one gunning for us in the harbor."
"So?"
"Don't think I haven't noticed the way you go after him, Kaz."
"He's just another boss, one more Barrel thug."

"No, he isn't. When you go after the other gangs, it's business. But with Pekka Rollins, it's personal. Don't lie to me, I know when you do."

Dinara wasn't expecting what came out of his mouth next, but it shocked her to the core, making her realize they had more in common. "Pekka Rollins killed my brother."

"You had a brother?"
"I had a lot of things."
"I had a sister."
"Really?"
"Yep, she died in a house fire. I was out getting us food, and the building we were staying at caught on fire."
"Is that why you don't like fire?"

"Yep. Scares me shitless. I end up freezing up and almost getting myself killed." Kaz turned his head as Dinara let him digest all of the information she gave him. It was a lot to take in, but she hoped he understood it. His blue eyes were staring into hers, the blue waves crashing with the pitch black irises, making her lose thought of everything else.

"I don't want you dead."
"What do you want, then?"

Dinara hoped her name would come out of his mouth, but when he shrugged and turned away, she knew that she wasn't going to be happy with the answer. "To die buried under the weight of my own gold."

"How classy."
"I know. What do you want Dinara?"
"Right now? Waffles. You owe me some."
"So you've said. I'll get you them when we get back to Ketterdam."

Dinara chuckled, glad that he was willing to do that for her. The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying the sea breeze whipping through their hair. The cool air nipping at their skin, giving them them the feeling of frostbite, wiping their nose to rid the sensation. Kaz had enough of the silence, bidding a small goodbye to the daydreaming girl. She sat in the same position, accepting the blanket Jesper had brought over after a while, her mind in a far away place. She was dreaming of fields of flowers, running through them without a care in the world.

It was a nice dream, one she hoped she could accomplish the in upcoming years. Dinara wanted out of Ketterdam, not that she would ever say it, but the darkness of the streets was no place for what she had in store for her life. Dinara hadn't shared her dreams with anyone, wanting to keep those blissful moments to herself, not wanting to cause anything that could ruin it. Plus, she was scared, not wanting to ruin all the friends she had made in the city, wanting to keep all of the happy moments together. So, she kept dreaming, it was the best she could do for herself.

( ...⛓... )

BY THE TIME THEY BID THEIR GOODBYES  to the ships crew, the sky had turned from pink to gold. "See you in Djerholm harbor," Specht called.

"No mourners."
"No funerals."

Dinara had been slightly let into the plan, but for the most part Kaz had left her in the dark. She didn't mind it, she knew what she needed to and that was enough to keep herself alive. Dinara could make shit up along the way if it came to it. they began their march from the rocky shore up the cliff side. Spring was coming, but the ice was still thick on the ground, and it was a tough climb. When they reached the top of the cliff, they stopped to catch their breath. The Ferolind was still visible on the horizon, its sails full of the wind that whipped at their cheeks.

"Saints. We're actually doing this."
"We really are."

"I've spent every minute of every miserable day wishing to leave that ship," said Jesper. "So why do I suddenly miss it?"

Wylan stumped his boots. "Maybe because it already feels like our feet are going to freeze off."

"When we get our money, you can burn kruge to keep you warm," said Kaz. "Let's go." He had left his crow's head aboard the Ferolind and substituted a less conspicuous walking stick. Dinara found that he looked bare without his usual style, and it irked every nerve in her body. Everyone had left behind their favorite items, Dinara having to leave her daggers with ruby's lining the handle. She almost cried leaving them, Kesper beside her, also trying to keep his tears in over his revolvers.

Jesper consulted his compass, and they turned south, seeking a path that would lead them to the main trading road. "I'm going to pay someone to burn my kruge for me."

Kaz fell into step beside him. "Why don't you pay someone else to pay someone to burn your kruge for you? That's what the big players do?"

"You know why those big bosses do? They pay someone to pay someone to pay someone to burn their kruge."

"Is that so?" Dinara asked. The boys hummed in agreement. "We'll then I'll burn it for you. Pay up, I want to go shopping."

"Doesn't Kaz buy you enough pretty things for a lifetime?" Jesper asked. "I don't get anything and I'm doing dirty work."

"She leaves what she wants on a note on my desk for me to find," Kaz informed Jesper. "It's why she gets things."

"You just like seeing her boobs on display," Jesper snickered. "Don't lie. We all see you staring."

Dinara burst out laughing at the bright red sneaking up Kaz's skin. "Jesper, do shut up before you end up having to climb up a cliff." Jesper saluted Kaz, walking ahead of the two of them. "Dinara, I don't want a word coming from your mouth."

"Aye, aye, captain." They trekked through the morning, their muscles aching. Dinara thought she knew the cold, but the white north had a way of forcing strangers to reevaluate their terms. Dinara was the only one who wasn't stumbling and staggering, everyone was awkward in their new boots, yet Dinara was walking as if she had worn them her whole life.

"Put your..." Matthias trailed off, obviously struggling. "Keep your eyes covered, or you could damage them permanently."

"Once we're out of the cells," Kaz continued. "Matthias and Jesper will secure food from the stables while Wylan and I get Nina, Dinara, and Inej out of the women's holding area. The basement is our meet. That's where the incinerator is, and no one should be in the laundry after the prison shuts down for the night. While Inej makes the climb, Wylan and I scour the laundry for anything he can use for demo. And just in case the fjerdans decide to stash Bo Yul-Bayur in the prison and make life easy on us, Nina, Matthias, and Jesper will search the top level cells."

"Nina and Matthias?" Jesper asked. "Far be it from me to doubt anyone's professionalism, but is that really the ideal pairing."

"Matthias knows prison procedure, and Nina can handle any guards without a noisy fight. Your job is to keep them from killing each other."

"Because I'm the diplomat of the group?"

"There is no diplomat of the group. Now listen," Kaz said. "The rest of the prison isn't like the holding area. Patrols in the cell lock rotate every two hours, and we don't want to risk anyone sound in an alarm, so be smart. We coordinate everything go the chiming of the elderclock. We're out of the cells right after six bells, we're up the incinerator and on the roof by eight bells. No exceptions."

"And then what?" Wylan asked.

"We cross to the embassy sector roof and get access to the glass bridge through there."

"We'll be in the other side of the checkpoints," said Matthias. "The guards on the bridge will assume we passed through the embassy gate and had our papers scrutinized there."

"In prison uniforms?"
"Phase two. The fake."

"That's right," Kaz said. "Inej, Nina, Matthias, and I will borrow a change of clothes from one of the delegations — and a little something extra for our friend Bo Yul-Bayur and get him back to the embassy. Nina, if there's time, you'll tailor him as much as possible, but as long as we don't trigger any alarms, no one is going to notice one more Shu among the guests. Now, Dinara, she gets a special plan that I'm not gonna reveal."

"So what I'm getting from this," said Jesper, "Is that I'm stuck with Wylan."

"Unless you've suddenly acquired an encyclopedia knowledge of the white island, the ability to pick locksmith scale unscalable walls, or flirt confidential information out of high level officials, yes. Besides, I want two sets of hands making bombs."

"Such potential wasted."
"Oh good, no gun shows going on today."
"Let's say this works. How do we get out?"

"We walk," Kaz said. "That's the beauty of this plan. Remember what I said about guiding the marks attention? At the embassy gate, all eyes will be focused on guests coming into the Ice Court. People aren't leaving a security risk."

"Then why the bombs?" asked Wylan.

"Precautions. There are seven miles of road between the Ice Court and the harbor. If someone notices Bo Yul-Bayur is missing, we're going to have to cover that territory fast." He drew a line in the snow with his walking stick. "The main road crosses a gorge. We blow the bridge, no one can follow." Matthias put his head in his hands, Dinara knew he was contemplating everything that could go wrong and get him killed. "It's one prisoner, Helvar."

"And a bridge."
"Everyone shut up."
"Fjerdans."
"I don't like any of this."

Kaz raised a brow. "Well, at least you and Helvar found something to agree on." Dinara snorted at that.