a grishaverse fic

best viewed in dark mode

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
                         In tarot, SEVEN OF KNIVES often represents betrayal, cunning strategy, theft, and dishonesty. Upright, the card can represent a victory obtained by deception and trickery. The reversal can mean something more extreme.

   synopsis!
  
   
     
     

                         NIKHITA ZHAO understood from a very young age that the world was inhabited by very, very bad people. Somewhere along the way, she had decided that most of those people did not deserve to live.

One of her first memories was being bitten by a snake. She can still remember the agonizing pain tearing through her body, the rapid beating of her heart, the metallic taste in her mouth, and the feeling of death approaching as its venom made its way into her veins. The worst part was that she was left to die, abandoned by her parents who hadn't wanted a child anyways. But, before she took her final breath, Nikhita was rescued. She didn't know by whom, but she soon understood why. There was one brief sliver of hope she felt before it was taken away and she was sold to Tante Heleen.

Her time at the Menagerie left Nikhita with plenty scars, from cruel Tante Heleen and her cruel clients, but one of the deepest scars was from Inej Ghafa.

Nikhita couldn't, for the life of her, forget about Inej Ghafa. How they were both so young and scared. How they would stitch each other up and cry together, clutching one another tightly. How Inej's eyes crinkled at the corners as Nikhita outlined them with black kohl, and how her gentle hands would touch the beaded red scales that Nikhita was forced to wear, as though to soothe both their nerves. How Inej worshipped the Saints, but she herself was the only Saint that Nikhita believed in. How Inej suddenly left for the Dregs, leaving Nikhita on her own, abandoned once more.

From then on, Nikhita became something else. She escaped the Menagerie with blood on her hands, and decided to never washed it away. The world was hellbent on making her a snake, inside and out, so that's what she became. Nikhita stumbled at first, bruised and bleeding, but she refused to let that stop her. She wanted to hunt down anyone who had left scars on her body, who thought the world was their playground and young girls their playthings because they had money and power. And then, as she discarded her scales and cut away her peacock tattoo, Nikhita had an idea. The snake venom that had once threatened to take her life could become her tool of revenge. It was hard to come by and even harder to steal, but once she had enough, Nikhita was set. It was as deadly as it was versatile; infused in knives or bullets, injected through a needle, and her favorite, mixed in with blood red lipstick - one kiss and the kill was done. Nikhita was lucky that she was now immune.

Nikhita made a name for herself as a killer, and the streets of Ketterdam gave her one too, after her first victim was found with a bullet to his head and lipstick stain infused with snake venom on his cheek.

Nikhita Zhao, the Viper.

But, it wasn't enough for Nikhita; she couldn't stop in Ketterdam, because the world was a much bigger place and there were many more people doing terrible, cruel things. Nikhita needed more than a thirst for vengance to succeed on her mission; she needed money. Thankfully, there was no shortage of someone wanting another person dead, but not wanting the blood on their own hands.

Unfortunately, Nikhita still loathed Inej Ghafa as much as she had once loved her - which might very well get her killed. Because when she's sent to sabotage Kaz Brekker's mission and kill his precious Wraith, Nikhita hesitates. And suddenly she's roped into a life or death heist with a group of deadly individuals who, to put it lightly, weren't overly fond of her. Needless to say, she wasn't overly fond of them either.

Seven dangerous outcasts, and one impossible heist. If Nikhita believed in the Saints, she would pray that they didn't kill each other — at least before she gets her reward.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 

PART ONE: TO KILL A GHOST

PART TWO: OLD WOUNDS, DEADLY ALLIANCE

PART THREE: THE ICE DOES NOT FORGIVE

PART FOUR: TWISTS OF FATE

PART FIVE: THE TRICK TO FALLING

PART SIX: 'TIL DEATH DO US PART

PART SEVEN: SINNERS AND SAINTS

timeline: six of crows - crooked kingdom            

dedications !

murphscare, sskellingtonn, sukibenders , inejghafasgf , _naomiwrites

STARTED: june 23rd, 2021

PUBLISHED: july 7th, 2021

ENDED: n/a

author's note!

i am very excited for this fic because 1) i love the six of crows duology 2) my darling inej is the treasure of my heart and her and nikhita have a complicated but underneath it all heartfelt relationship 3) nikhita is the definition of sin-namon roll and her dynamic with each of the crows will be veryyyy interesting. nikhita's character is influenced by kissing kate barlow from holes and jennifer's body !! so she's got that femme fatale energy and i love that for her. warning that this fic might be kinda dark and intense. it also follows the books rather than the shadow and bone tv show.

anyways thanks for reading <3 !!