CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
vol i — bloody fjerdans!

DINARA AND INEJ HAD STOOF UP, MAKING their way over to the rest of the crew — Dinara instinctively standing next to Kaz, a lot closer than normal. Specht dropped the anchor, Dinara, Kaz, Rotty, and Jesper hopped into the longboat, heading to the shore. Dinara allowed herself to glance over Kaz's appearance; he had his normal sleek gray-and-black suit, his tie resting perfectly on his toned chest. If someone could read her thoughts, they would be disturbed. She watched the chaos Ketterdam unfold from where she was sitting in the longboat. Nothing had changed — cargo ships unloading onto the docks, tourists and soldiers on leave laughing and trying not to stumble over their feet. Their happiness was infectious, a small smile creeping its way onto her face at their carefree nature. The cool wind from the harbor had her wrapping her trench-coat tighter around her body, shivering at the chill that ran down her spine. Kaz had disappeared a half-hour ago, returning with a message confirming the representatives from the Merchant Council would meet them.

It was a tricky thing, dealing with merchants. They always thought about themselves, not caring about anyone else, always wishing on that extra dime to make its way into their pockets. They were seagulls, calling their way into deals, sometimes emptying their pockets for a bigger exchange. Dinara hoped that this wouldn't go south, leaving them down a member, and a hole in their hearts. She was nervous about the whole interaction, her gut telling her that something was wrong, but she shook it off, trusting the play at hand instead. A rookie mistake. They talked about Nina, the plan, and everything in between, trying to pass the time until Van Eck was going to be meeting them. Vellgeluk came into view, so flat it was barely visible once they started rowing. The island was small, barren, filled with rocks and distinguished only by the wrecked foundation of an old tower used by the Council of Tides.

The smugglers named the island, claiming it had good luck because of the paintings still visible on the would have been obelisk tower. She glanced at the shoreline, noticing a moored ship, it's sails hanging like a dead body — limp and useless. "All right," spoke Kaz. "Let's go get rich." The gravel crunched underneath Dinara's boots, sticking into the ground, impossible to walk on. She struggled to walk, being a clumsy person wasn't helping the situation.

"No mourners."
"No funerals."

Those four words set the mood for the night — dim and unsettling. They were all walking into a situation unknown, not knowing if someone was going to be walking out or not. The fuzzy outline of a person grew clearer with each trudge against the gravel and sand mixed together. The marcher's suit stuck out in the dim light, the figure of a Shu man standing beside him, the purple coats of the standwatch stood out, standing at attention beside the two. The batons and repeating rifles rested at ease on the standwatch's shoulders, not being used at the moment — hopefully it would stay that way.

The heavy trunk that was being drug caught Kaz's attention. If he was a dog his ears would have perked up at the noise, standing at full attention. "So that's what thirty million kruge looks like. Just you, Van Eck? The rest of the council couldn't be bothered?"

The resemblance between Jan Van Eck and Wylan was disturbing, knowing that their personalities were polar opposite. She hated the man for what he put Wylan through, wanting to snap his neck and hang him on the streets. Van Eck had this aroma around him — powerful, demanding, and cocky. If she could have drowned in it, she would have, clawing to the surface, trying to get a breath of fresh air. Van Eck straightened his back, trying to make himself seem larger — more sophisticated. "The Council felt I was best suited to fit the task, as we've had dealings before."

Kaz's eyes wandered over his appearance, stopping on the ruby stuck to Van Eck's immaculate placed tie. "Nice pin. Not as nice as the other one, though."

Van Eck pursed his lips, trying not to let the comment faze him. Clearly it was, but he was determined not to show it. "The other was an heirloom."

Van Eck turned to the Shu man beside him, hoping he would get a positive ID on Kuwei. If only he knew. Dinara knew this plan would work — she knew it would, it was a Kaz plan, and those never failed. When the man confirmed it was Kuwei, he turned back to Kaz. "I will confess I am surprised, Mister Brekker. Surprised but delighted."

"You didn't think we'd succeed."
"Let's say I thought you were a long shot."
"Is that why you hedged your bets?"
"Ah, so you've spoken to Pekka Rollins."

"He can be quite the talker when you get him in the right state of mind," Kaz said. His mind was in a different place, traveling back to his conversation with Pekka in his cell. The blood that coated his uniform, the torture of spending every passing minute in the small cell with him. "Why would you care if a bunch of canal rags blow each other to bits in pursuit of a prize?"

"We knew the odds of either team succeeding were small. As a gambler, I hope you can understand." Dinara watched as Van Eck seemingly lost interest in the conversation at hand. His eyes scanned over their surroundings, trying to find something to entertain himself with.

"Thirty million kruge will soothe my hurt feelings."
"Mine too. I want a new dress."
"Dinara, darling, shut up."
"Aye, Aye, Captain."

Van Eck gestured to the guards behind him, motioning them to bring forward the chest. They let out a grunt at the weight of it, lifting it up and bringing it in front of Kaz. Kaz passed off his cane to Dinara, who leaned on it to lift the weight off her feet. She regretted wearing her new shoes on this meetup, already feeling the blisters growing on her heels. Kaz crouched in front of the chest, opening the lid, seemingly mesmerized with the amount of kruge in front of him. Even in the darkness, Dinara could see the Kerch purple, three flying fish emblazoned on it, row after row of them, bound in a paper band sealed with wax. Kaz pulled out one of the stacks of the purple money, running his gloved hand over it, digging deeper into the layers, wanting to make sure that they weren't being screwed over by Van Eck. "It's all here." He looked over his shoulder, giving a single nod to Kuwei. The boy walked over, receiving a pat on the back from his 'father'. "Well, Van Eck. I'd like to say it's been a pleasure, but I'm not that good of a liar. We'll take our leave."

Van Eck stepped in front of Kuwei. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, Mister Brekker." Dinara didn't like the tone of voice he used, signaling that he had another plan in mind — one that didn't involve them leaving with their money. "I count several problems in front of me. And there is no way any of you are getting off this island." He pulled a whistle from his pocket, blowing into it, a shrill noise coming out and almost shattering Dinara's ear drums. When the sound stopped, his servants drew their weapons and a wind came out of nowhere — howling an unnatural hale, whirling around the little island as the sea began to rise. The sailors by the longboat lifted their arms, waves gathering behind them. Tidemakers. Two more figures appeared from out of nowhere, launching themselves from the deck of the brigantine. Squallers. They were surrounded.