CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
vol ii — home turf

DINARA WALKED BACK into the tomb, only to notice Matthias giving up Nina's chocolate biscuits, the girl sending a furious glare his way. She didn't like having to share food and the fact that he is giving them to the whining pregnant chick, who looked younger than her, was really starting to piss her off. Dinara could do nothing but roll her eyes, not wanting to get involved in the situation, knowing better than to get in between Nina and her sweets. She took a seat at one of the chairs, wincing at the creaking sound it made when she sat down, praying that it wouldn't end up collapsing on top of her. Jesper had taken to trying to get information about Wylan from Alys out, but he wasn't getting anything juicy out of the girl, only things that they already knew.

Matthias had taken to being the mother hen of the group, trying to comfort Alys, taking to rubbing her feet. Nina had stuck her feet out towards the Fjerdan, signaling that she was next in line, only to receive a glare that was full of love. Dinara let out a chuckle at their actions, knowing that despite the facade they put on, there was no way that they would be able to stay apart for long, both of them being drawn to each other like magnets. But hey, opposites attract. On the down side, Matthias asked what Alys liked to do, leading to her saying she liked to sing, meaning that the Crows had to deal with the horrendous singing of the girl. God bless the child she would be singing lullabies to, she may end up causing an eardrum to rupture.

Alys hadn't shut up since Matthias told her to sing, the group throwing glares that would be able to kill him because of the pain he was putting them through. Kaz had taken to rubbing his temples, having enough of the singing, "Maybe this was Van Eck's plan all along."

"To drive us crazy? It's working."
"Diabolical."
"I may strangle her."

Kaz pulled out his pocket watch, looking at the time before shoving it back in. "Nina and Matthias should get going, anyway. If you get into position early, you can catch a few hours of sleep. You'll find the masks and capes at the furrier. Look for the golden badger on the sign. Get as close as you can to the Lid as possible before you start handling them out and then head south. I don't want you drawing attention by staring in one place too long, especially from the bosses. Everyone needs to be in their final position before noon."

"No mourners."
"No funerals."

Dinara followed Kaz and Wylan out of the tomb, her part of the plan being to help Kaz with trying his hardest not to kill the man ( well, before she killed him ). Dinara let out a snort when she saw Van Eck, clearly someone had broken the man's nose and she was dying to know who it was, purely to shake their hand to say thank you. He had managed to try and make it appear that he was calm, but the sweat that was lining his forehead gave him away, the feeling of being completely in control made the man feel powerful, but he shouldn't have been feeling this when dealing with Kaz Brekker. Kaz was dangerous when it came to getting revenge, meaning that he was meticulous when it came to every little detail, wanting to make sure he inflicted the right amount of pain.

Kaz had been taking note of every detail of the man, storing it in his brain to use it for this exact moment — the best moment — beating him. Kaz, Dinara, and Alys started to walk across the bridge, the two Crows having a hand on each of her shoulders, wanting to make sure that she didn't get the wrong idea and tried to run off. Dinara had to use every single muscle in her body to make sure that she wouldn't break into a dead sprint to Inej and just wrap her in her arms, holding her best friend close. She noticed that Inej's gait was off and her hands were bound to her back, making sure that she would be unable to go anywhere. Which was smart given the reputation that the Wraith had gained and all that.

"Do you think he's handsome?"
"What?"
"Nope."
"Something has happened to Jan's nose."
"I suspect he caught a bad case of the Wraith."

Alys wrinkled her nose as she stared at her husband, hands coming to rest over her stomach. "I think Jan would be handsome, if he were not quite so old."

"Luckily, we live in a world where being rich can make up for being old," Dinara snarked, sending a quick wink at Kaz. "Thankfully, my eyes are on someone young and powerful. The best combination in my opinion."

"Why stop at being young and powerful. He could be young, rich, royal, and powerful. Why settle for someone so low when you could end up going for someone with a title?" Kaz asked, his eyebrows scrunched as he stared at Dinara with slight confusion. He didn't understand why she would settle for someone as low as him when she could end up with someone with title and money.

"See, the fun is having someone who has nothing. Doesn't matter what, it always comes down to how they make you feel and the way they are able to make you happy. Nothing else matters," Dinara stated matter-of-factly, not understanding why Kaz just couldn't accept the fact that she wanted him and not some rich royal.

"It's the money that's important."
"Alys, I'm shocked to find we agree."
"You said you were bringing me to Jan."
"And here you are. Now he still."
"Jan! It's me!"

"I know, my dear," Van Eck said, slightly worry lacing his voice, worrying that they had tried to hurt the heir she was carrying, rather than his wife. "This isn't over, Brekker. I want Kuwei Yul-Bo."

"Are we here to repeat ourselves? You want the secret to jurda parem, and I want my money. A deal is a deal," Kaz said, narrowing his eyes at the man, wanting to get this deal over with.

"I don't have 30 million kruge to part with."
"Isn't that a shame? Someone else does."
"And have you had any luck with a new buyer?"

"Don't trouble yourself on my account, merch. The market will provide. Do you want your wife back or did I drag poor Alys here for nothing?"

"Just a moment. Alys, what are we naming the child?" Van Eck shouted, wanting confirmation that this was actually his wife and not some scheme.

"The baby? Jan, if it's a boy. Plumje for a girl."
"We agreed on Plumje for your new bird."
"I never agreed."

Dinara took sympathy on the woman ( mostly because she didn't want her to start crying again ) and leaned down to console her. "I think Plumje is a lovely name for a girl. Satisfied?"

Van Eck had ordered for Inej to be brought forward, letting her walk towards her partners in crime as Alys went waddling across the bridge, making her way over to her husband. The guards brought her away, possibly to see a doctor to make sure the baby was still in good health, but mostly to get her away from all the trouble that was most likely about to start. Dinara wrapped the girl in a hug, not caring that her hands were tied around her back, slipping her knife down to cut the rope. Inej rubbed her wrists, thankful that she was out of those godly restraints, the bright right skin being soothed with each passing moment.

"Your knives?"
"Packed in my coat."
"Let's get out of here."

"Mister Brekker!" Van Eck shouted, causing the three of them to freeze, worried about what would be leaving his mouth. "You gave me your word, Kaz Brekker! You swore you would return my wife and son to me! Where are you keeping Wylan?" Fucking Van Eck had ordered guards to come to the meetup, planning on trapping Kaz and his group, getting the money for the bounty on their heads. "Shall we play for real now, Mister Brekker? The might of my city against your band of thugs?"

"Oh, I'm going to fucking murder this man once I get close enough. I'm done with his tricks," Dinara said, shoving Inej behind her and getting ready to protect her at all costs.

baby inej is safe!!