Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, there was a vast land boarded by high mountains to the east and south and the True Sea to the west. This land had fertile soil as well as hostile wasteland, deep forests, blue lakes, and impassable rocks. The only inhabitants were the Suli, dark-skinned nomads with customs that were almost as colourful as their clothes. Their homes were their families, the people who stood by their side day after day, people with the same past and future, singing the same songs and telling the same stories.

However, one day, their land ceased to be theirs alone, even though they had never claimed it. They welcomed new people with paler skin they had never seen before, and they wanted to live in peace with their new neighbours, but the Ravkans, as they called themselves, did not understand the life of the Suli, they despised the things the Suli believed in, their constant traveling, even the way they spoke. The Ravkans considered them thieves because they did not grow or breed anything, they only took what was around them, while the Ravkans built their fields, houses and cities and worked hard day after day.

Conflict was inevitable and war was almost certain when a wise man, who was considered a Fortune-Teller among the Suli, came and warned both the Suli and the Ravkans that if they did not stop, their land would be destroyed and all their sons and daughters would die. No one listened to him and war began. It lasted for years and years and many died, fields were burned to the ground, as well as houses, cities... Nothing was left. Or almost nothing, because there were people who decided to make peace and start building something new where they could all live together. They found the wise man and asked him to become their emperor. At first, he hesitated, but when he saw how desperately they wanted his help, he agreed. His Suli became empress and their descendants ruled the empire as best they could. However, peace could not last forever, because nothing ever lasts.

These days, sunny and with the air filled with the wonderful scent of flowers and fruit, Inej preferred to spend most of her time outside in the large gardens of the royal palace in Os Alta. The gardens stretched around the entire palace as if they had no end. They were full of trees, flowers, and there was a lake with cold water that was very tempting on hot summer days. For anyone else, that might have been enough, because there were so many things to do here, even horse riding, but not for Inej. She had done it all too many times and there was nothing she didn’t already know about this place. She knew every corner of the maze made of hedges too intimately, like every flower, every tree she could climb, the swing she used for acrobatics, or the high wire between the two tallest trees. Nothing could entertain her anymore, because every day was the same.

Getting up at the same time, breakfast in her private chambers with only Nina, studying, because as the future empress she needed to be fluent in all languages (which Nina already was), know culture and politics, history and much more. Lunch on the terrace or in the winter garden and then a free afternoon if she didn’t have to attend her father’s meetings.

“Don’t look so bored. You can have anything you want,” said her companion Nina, who was sitting under a parasol, sipping fresh orange juice.

“I don’t,” Inej objected.

She didn’t have freedom. It hadn’t always been like this. When she was younger, she could accompany her father on his travels around their empire, she could go to the local market with her nanny, or later with a governess and a few guards, she could... There were many things she could do, but not now. Now she could only stare at the closed gates and high walls around the palace and its endless gardens. She was a prisoner for her own safety, as her father, the emperor, would say if she asked. But she never asked, not anymore.

Nina was her only friend. A Ravkan girl of noble birth. According to custom, every Suli prince or princess should have a Ravkan companion, regardless of whether it was the future emperor or empress or just a younger sibling. Inej was an only child, so there was only Nina, who had been taken from her family as a very young child to live in the palace and keep the princess company. Inej found it cruel, since Nina could not return to her family, but Nina never complained. She took everything that life brought her and found benefits in it.

“I don’t even remember living with my parents,” she just shrugged when Inej asked her if she missed it.

Sometimes Inej wished she had Nina’s personality, sometimes, like today, she didn’t.

“How about we have a race on the lake?” Nina suggested. “There is a new guard who seems very strong, and it would be a shame not to try to test his skills by rowing.”

Inej knew who Nina was talking about. The new guard was probably only a little older than them, tall and blond, definitely Nina’s type. Inej didn’t really have a type, or at least she had never thought about it. Maybe when she was younger, but back then... She didn’t want to think about “back then”, not when the day was so beautiful and she just wanted to do something she’d never done before.

“Inej? Are you even listening to me?”

Inej looked up at Nina. Her friend was still sitting in her armchair with her feet on a footstool, cooling herself with a fan. Inej, on the other hand, was sitting on the grass, which was so thick it resembled the softest carpet in the palace. When she rubbed her fingers against the blades, it was almost as soft as the Suli silk she was wearing.

“What did you say?” Inej asked, not really paying attention to Nina, thinking about the whole world hidden behind those high walls.

“Where are you wandering with your thoughts? Is it someone I know?” Nina asked mischievously and Inej rolled her eyes. “The Prince of Fjerda is coming in a few days, and I can’t wait for you two to meet.”

“I don’t.”

“Come on, Inej, at least be a little excited. He’s going to be your future husband! Aren’t you curious about what he’ll be like?”

“Not at all.”

Inej had been listening to stories about this prince for weeks and months and never wanted to hear another word about him. Only a few people had ever met him in person, but everyone seemed to know everything about him. What he liked, what he didn’t like, how rich his kingdom was, and how strong their army was. None of this bothered Inej at all. He could have been made of gold and she wouldn’t have been interested in him anyway. Why? Because she didn’t want to get married yet. She was only eighteen, and that might have seemed like enough to make her someone’s wife, but Inej didn’t feel that way. She had lost several precious years of her life and knew she would never get them back, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be tied down in a marriage she hadn’t chosen, even though it would have saved her country from war.

“It won’t be that bad, you’ll see,” Nina said encouragingly.

Inej frowned and looked at the walls again. They were high, but not insurmountable. With her abilities, it wouldn’t be that hard, and once she was behind them, she could breathe freely, if only for a moment, even if she were soon caught and taken back to the palace, to her parents, whom she would greatly disappoint.

Inej sighed. Her parents didn’t deserve her ingratitude, after all, they had done everything they could to protect her and secure her future, while she was not cooperating at all. If there was any other way than marriage...

“Come,” Nina stood up from the armchair and offered Inej her hand.

“Where?” Inej asked suspiciously.

“You’ll see.”

Nina grabbed Inej’s hand and pulled her to her feet. Hand in hand, they ran into the palace and sneaked into the kitchen, where they tasted everything that was being cooked, baked, and roasted for tonight’s dinner.

If only everything could be as pleasant as the time spent with Nina, but the dinner was nowhere near as pleasant, not with all the guests present. It was not unusual for the most important men in the land to gather for dinner with the emperor, the empress, and unfortunately, the princess. Usually, Inej didn’t mind, because important matters could be discussed that she should know, but this time she was in no mood for such boring talk. The general, a burly man in his forties with a well-groomed moustache who always thought more about himself than the welfare of the country, was a particularly dull man who could only talk about the army and weapons, enthusiastic about the well-trained Fjerdan army, as if he were planning to start a war. Inej could see that her father disagreed, but the general didn’t seem to notice. He was silenced only by the emperor’s advisor, whose favourite topics of conversation were business and politics.

“According to the latest reports, the Fjerdan prince should be here sooner than we expected, Your Majesty,” Jan Van Eck said.

Inej disliked him even more because he brought it up during the meal and made her lose her appetite. It seemed Inej’s father didn’t like him much either, but when Inej had asked why this Kerch had been given such an important position once, her father had given her a very rational explanation.

“Our ancestors weren’t very good at keeping money, Inej. We needed someone to help us not spend too much and teach us how to produce money instead of wasting it.”

It all made sense, but it still didn’t convince Inej to trust this man completely. No, his rare smiles were fake, his Kerch faith was dubious, and his demeanour was cold and calculating. He had helped their country a lot, but Inej didn’t agree with some of his solutions, such as increasing taxes and new decrees burdening the craftsmen and peasants with more obligations. However, with the money they earned, they were able to repair roads, clean wells, and much more.

Inej looked up at Van Eck and his receding hairline. Her marriage to the Fjerdan prince had been his idea, and his arguments had made so much sense that the emperor and empress could not possibly object. Inej had tried, but to no avail.

“You know what your duty is, Inej,” her father had told her.

“You’ll see he won’t be so bad, meja ,” her mother had said. “Just give him a chance. We wouldn’t want you to spend your life with someone who isn’t worthy of you. And this boy is, we’ve made sure of that.”

Inej pushed her plate away, and Nina gave her a disapproving look, to which Inej answered with a grimace that empress Arati would certainly not have liked, fortunately she was too busy with the conversation.

“That’s great news,” the emperor Irfan said. “We must hurry up with the preparations so that everything is ready in time.”

“Everything for the ball is almost ready,” Arati nodded contentedly. “The date cannot be changed because we have already sent out invitations to all the noble families in the country, but we have a lot more to do, so that will not be a problem. What about the army parade, General?”

“Ready and waiting for your order, Your Majesty,” the general said, his voice proud.

A ball, a parade, and other entertainment would normally be enough to make Inej look forward to it, but since it was all planned to celebrate her engagement, it had a very sour taste. Even at this moment, the palace seamstresses were working on her ball gown, and other dresses of Suli silk were already waiting for her to try on, each more stunning than the last. Nina had squealed with delight when she saw the first ones, and Inej would have done the same if the circumstances had been different. After all, she herself had never seen anything more beautiful.

Maybe the prince won’t be so bad.

How many times had she said those exact words to herself? It never helped. She didn’t know him at all, and she was only going to marry him for the wrong reasons. Not love, but politics.

Van Eck spoke again, and Inej’s father replied, her mother said something, but Inej wasn’t listening at all, her gaze turned to the window from which she could see the city below her, the lights in the darkness, and she could imagine what it was like there now. Were the streets still bustling, singing, dancing, talking? She wished she had wings so she could fly out the window and circle the city and watch it all from above. Life was there, not here in the palace, not with still the same conversation, with expectations that she had to fulfil, with decorum she had to maintain no matter what. Smiling when she wanted to cry. Talking when she wanted to be silent. Entertaining others when she wanted to hide in her bed so no one would see her. Was she even a princess and future empress, or a trained monkey?

Nina sent worried glances in her direction, surely noticing something was wrong, and Inej convinced herself to hold out a little longer, answering when asked, pretending to be obedient and happy that she would soon marry a complete stranger.

After the last course, the empress accompanied her daughter to her chambers, even though it used to be Nina’s job, and Inej feared she had noticed her behaviour at dinner.

“Are you feeling okay, meja ? I know it takes some getting used to, but believe me when I tell you that me and Papa did everything we could to find you a suitable husband.”

Inej swallowed the sharp remark. It wasn’t right to say it to her mother, who had been through a lot when Inej was missing and had never stopped looking for her, believing she would be found.

“Why can’t I choose my own husband myself?” Inej asked in a choked voice. She knew the answer, but she couldn’t resist asking again.

“You know how it works,” Arati said, gently placing a hand on Inej’s shoulder. “You’re a princess, so you have a responsibility to guarantee our country a good emperor, even if you’re going to be an empress, the important one. That person must be sophisticated enough to be prepared for such an important role. No ordinary person could be suitable, you know that.”

Inej nodded slightly, knowing that there was truth in her mother’s words, but it still wasn’t right. Why couldn’t a princess choose someone close to her heart and the poorest girl in the land could? It wasn’t fair at all. She wasn’t just an item to be sold in the market, she was a living being with her own desires and longings. She wanted to find someone who would make her heart skip a beat, someone who would see who she was inside, not just her gold jewellery or the princess crown. Was there such a person in the whole world who wouldn’t care about money and status and would love her just for who she was inside?

“Sleep well, meja , the following days will be very important for your future.”

Arati leaned closer and kissed Inej on the forehead.

“I love you, Mama .”

“I love you too, meja . Good night.”

The empress gave her daughter one last reassuring smile and then left her alone in her chambers. Or not quite alone, but with a group of maids waiting to help Inej bathe and get ready for bed.

The night was full of stars, countless in the dark sky. They looked as if someone had spilled a sack full of precious stones, more than Inej had ever seen. In fact, they were more beautiful than any diamond could be, for they were unobtainable and truly rare. The air was not as warm as it had been during the day, so Inej pulled her scarf closer to her body. The garden was empty, or so it seemed, but she knew that guards patrolled the palace gates and walls, almost invisible in their dark clothes, ready to deal with any intruder who dared to come near. Inej knew each of them, their strengths and weaknesses, their habits during the night shifts. She knew that the back wall would be unguarded for a very short time before another guard appeared. This was her chance. Once she climbed the wall, she would never look back.

You only get one chance.

Despite the fact that the footsteps on the thick grass made no sound, Inej noticed someone coming before they got close. She ducked and hid behind a bush full of delicate flowers.

“I know you’re here, Inej, don’t try to hide from me.”

It was Nina, still wearing her dinner dress, complete only with a scarf around her shoulders, much thicker than Inej’s. How did she know Inej was here? She couldn’t have followed her the whole time; Inej was very careful to slip out unnoticed.

Inej silently left her hiding place, and Nina jumped a little.

“Saints, I thought you were behind that other bush,” Nina put her hand over her heart to calm herself. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I just wanted to take a walk.”

“Don’t lie to me, Inej. I know you’re not here to walk under the starlight.”

Inej bit her lower lip and turned back to look at the wall again, at her escape route. She still had time, but she had to be ready. She had changed from her nightgown into a tunic and baggy trousers and the scarf for covering her face and hair.

“I can’t marry him, Nina,” Inej admitted. “I don’t want my life to be dictated by a man again.”

Nina sighed and nodded slowly. “I know, but… we all want to protect you. Keep you safe.”

“Being safe is not the answer, Nina. It can never be. If I don’t risk anything, I get nothing. I’m not afraid, I just want to live.”

Nina was silent for a moment, still watching Inej.

“Do you even know what awaits you outside?” she finally asked.

Inej shrugged. “I want to find out.”

Nina stepped closer and took both of Inej’s hands in hers. “Please be careful.”

“I have my knife with me.”

“Okay. Do you have any money?”

Inej shook her head. She thought about how to protect herself, but nothing more. She was too used to always having everything she asked for, and even things she never wanted, to imagine that it didn’t work that way in the world beyond the palace walls.

Nina rolled her eyes. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

As she disappeared back into the palace, Inej tilted her head back to see the lights in the palace’s several windows. Would anyone notice her if they looked outside? Probably not. She was no more than a shadow in the darkness of the garden, lit only by the silver light of the stars. Inej’s body trembled with anticipation. She was so close and yet so far away. The decision was only the first step, the hardest and most important part of her plan was yet to come.

Fortunately, Nina soon returned, alone, with no guards accompanying her. Inej knew that her friend would never betray her trust.

“Be careful,” Nina reminded her again, pressing the coin pouch into Inej’s hand. “Will you come back?”

“I don’t know,” Inej admitted.

She wasn’t sure if she would enjoy her freedom and see what the world was like and then return, or if she would cling to her new life so much that returning would seem impossible.

“But this isn’t the last time we’ll see each other. We’ll always find a way.”

“We will,” Inej nodded, pressing a quick kiss to Nina’s cheek and turning her back on her before she could change her mind, not wanting to leave Nina behind.

She had to do it and she had to do it now.

No looking back.

Inej took one slow step and then another and another, each one faster than the last. Suddenly she was running, her feet making no sound and avoiding any places where the guards might see her. When she looked back over her shoulder, she could still see Nina standing in front of the palace.

We’ll meet again.

Climbing up the wall wasn’t difficult at all. She used the protrusion between the stones and soon reached the top and swung her legs over the edge. Looking back at the palace once more, she jumped down and landed silently on a strip of grass. All around her were cobblestone streets with the most beautiful and largest houses in the city, each with its own gardens, much smaller than the palace’s. Inej immediately hid in the shadow of a nearby tree so that she wouldn’t be seen by the guards patrolling the outside walls. Here she wrapped her head in a scarf and pulled it lower on her forehead so that her face couldn’t be seen. She waited a moment longer to be sure, then quickly set off for the nearest street that would take her away from the palace and away from anyone who might catch her and take her back. The first street she passed was quiet and mostly empty, after all it was the middle of the night and most people were asleep in their beds. However, as she continued further into the maze of city buildings, she found men and women still outside, talking, dancing, and singing. The aroma from the street food stalls was amazing, and Inej’s stomach grumbled as she found her lost appetite after a dinner she hadn’t eaten much. When she looked closer at the food on offer, she didn’t recognise anything at all, so she finally decided to try something and was grateful to Nina for the coins she had given her. The food, whatever it was, tasted even better than it smelled, better than anything Inej had ever eaten. It tasted like freedom.

Inej continued walking as she ate, watching everything around her with wide eyes. Was this the real life she had dreamed of? It seemed like another world, so different from the one Inej had known so far. She should have taken Nina with her, she would have enjoyed it too, or even more. Nina would have joined in the joy around her, not just watching from under her scarf like Inej.

Inej continued on and on, not feeling tired at all, not even thinking about where she was going or what she would do next. For the first time in her life, she was living in the moment, and it was intoxicating. The nightlife of the streets grabbed her and wouldn’t let go until night turned to morning and Inej got as far away from the palace as possible, into alleys that didn’t resemble the wide and beautiful streets around the palace. These were small, dirty, and stank of something Inej couldn’t identify. The people here didn’t smile, their expressions were more serious, tired, their clothes old and patched. For the first time in her life, Inej saw beggars, old and young, children, women and men. In one very dark alley, she saw a man and a woman, or rather a girl of Inej’s age, or even younger, doing things that should be left for the privacy of the home, and when the man was done, he gave the girl a few coins and was gone.

“What are you staring at?!” the girl shouted at Inej. “Go your own way! I’m trying to work here.”

The joy Inej had felt a short while ago was suddenly gone, and Inej realised that she knew nothing about the real world, nothing about how it worked. She didn’t know what ordinary people’s lives were like, only what people around her had told her, but it didn’t seem close to the truth.

“Hey lovely, where are you going?” a man, much older than Inej, called after her. “Where are you going? We can have some fun together.”

Inej didn’t listen at all, fumbling for the knife she had on her belt, hidden under her tunic, and hurrying to get as far as possible. Suddenly she found herself in an open space between two-story high narrow buildings that looked old and dilapidated. The square wasn’t big, but it still held many stalls with various products. After several hours of wandering around the city, Inej felt hungry again, so she stopped at the nearest fruit and vegetable stand. Maybe an apple or something like that would settle her uneasy stomach. Then she noticed a little girl who might have been about seven years old. She was wearing patched clothes, her hair looked unkempt, and she was so skinny that she looked sick.

“Are you hungry?” Inej asked.

The girl nodded slowly, as if afraid to say anything.

“Come here, take it.”

Inej took an apple from the stall and handed it to the girl, whose eyes lit up, and before Inej could do or say anything else, the girl was gone. Suddenly, someone roughly grabbed Inej by the shoulder and pulled her closer.

“Thief!” the owner of the fruit stall began to shout.

“I’m not a thief,” Inej defended herself. “I can pay you for it.”

She reached under her tunic to find that her coin pouch was gone.

Chapter Text

As the night slowly was about to turn to day, most people slept safely in their beds, unaware of the world of the night, the world of Dirtyhands, who moved in the shadows and could come at any moment and take everything they had. Every person in Os Alta, every child, knew stories about him and feared him. He was a demon hidden under the bed or the darkness that came for them in sleepless times. But few would recognise him even if they were to face him, or probably none at all. There were many stories about him, some mentioning his crooked nose, some his blood-stained pointed teeth, evil eyes that could bewitch anyone who looked into them, his clawed hands that could tear anyone apart. No one knew that they passed him on the street every day because he did not look like the monster they believed him to be.

Kaz took his usual route across the rooftops, jumping from one to the next, where the gap was too big for him to simply cross. His clothes were dark, nothing special, and would need some repairs when he had time. But not now, not when he was on a mission and the day was still too young. He had wandered the city all night, doing his little errands here and there. It was a never-ending job, these little things that had to be put together to make the big picture. There couldn’t be a big heist every night, no, preparation was key, as he had tried to explain many times to his occasional associates. They never quite understood, and Kaz often preferred to work alone. Not that they were useless, not at all, some things just couldn’t be done by one person, but he liked to rely on himself and not trust anyone completely enough to stop watching his back.

When he decided to descend to the ground and move to the street, the black hood over his head hid his completely human face and his dark eyes, which searched the surroundings without a moment’s rest, noting the people moving around, the stalls being prepared for the market, the animals, the sounds. There was nothing that could escape his attention. He noticed a man selling pottery in place of his wife, who normally did it, but she had recently given birth to their fifth child. The woman with the bread had lost her husband three months ago and had traces of salt around her eyes that no one else could see. But Kaz did. Her daughter had moved out of town to join her husband, so the woman was now alone in her little house. An easy target for anyone, but Kaz knew they would find nothing of value here. Just cobwebs and empty pots. The bread she sold was baked by her brother from the village, who brought it to the city every day and then came back to work in his small bakery. Once the woman packed up for the evening, she would find a gold coin under one of the baskets. The one in the back, which was not so easy to reach from the street.

Kaz walked through the market, made mental notes, and decided to come back later. Right now, there were more important things to do than satisfy his empty stomach.

You have been through worse.

For a moment, Kaz imagined the rocking of the ship, the crying of children, the darkness, and hunger, far worse than he had ever felt before or since, but he pushed the thought away. His steps led him into a very dirty alley where there was supposed to be a man who knew something Kaz needed. He found him quite easily. It was a beggar in clothes that looked more like a dirty and smelly potato sack, his hair, or what was left of it, was very likely full of lice. The years had affected him in the worst way, so it was hard to say what he had looked like before. His own mother probably wouldn’t have recognised him. As Kaz stopped in front of him and the man lifted his head, Kaz caught the smell of cheap alcohol.

I really hope he’s not too drunk to give me any answers.

“I have something you want if you give me something I want.”

Kaz pulled out a pouch full of coins for the beggar to see and put it back in his pocket.

“What do you want?” the man asked suspiciously.

“Nothing difficult, just answers.”

The man studied him for a moment longer with his red, puffy eyes before nodding slightly.

“You worked for a Kaelish man.”

The beggar’s eyes revealed concern, maybe even fear, but Kaz wasn’t here to play games.

“What can you tell me about him?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The man tried to get up from the dirty cobblestones, but Kaz stepped on his fingers, and when the man tried to resist, he shifted all his weight onto it. The man began to whine like a wounded dog.

“Tell me what I want to know,” Kaz hissed.

“I don’t know anything about him.”

Something snapped in the man’s fingers and he began to sob.

“I don’t know… I don’t know.”

“You know,” Kaz said sharply. “And you tell me, or I’ll break every single bone in your body.”

With that, Kaz used his other foot to kick the beggar in the stomach.

“Tell me.”

“Please don’t kill me.”

“Tell me.”

The man was shaking all over. Not from pain, but from fear of what might happen to him if he talked too much.

“I know you worked for a man who called himself Jakob Hertzoon. You were there to watch over the children, to haunt them down if they tried to run away, right?”

“Let me go, please,” the man pleaded. “I’m not doing this anymore. I’m not hurting anyone.”

“But you did before. Your Saints or God wouldn’t have the mercy on you that I have. Where is your master now?”

“He’s not my master anymore. Please.”

“Tell me his real name.”

“I don’t know.”

Kaz twisted his feet and the sound told him he had broken another bone in the man’s fingers.

“You know.”

The blade of the knife, perfectly clean and sharp, flashed as Kaz pulled it from his sleeve and held it to the man’s throat.

“I’ll let you bleed out slowly in this filth if you don’t tell me the name.”

The beggar swallowed hard, his shaking never stopping.

“Give me the name and I’ll let you go with every bone in your body and the money to help you drown your guilt in booze. Just tell me.”

“Pekka Rollins.”

Kaz backed away, and the man collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily between sobs, clutching his injured arm to his chest. A moment later, a pouch of coins fell to the ground in front of him, and when he looked up carefully, he saw nothing at all, just an empty alley.

Kaz smoothly made his way through the thickening crowd that was streaming through the streets. The city was always bustling with activity, noise, commotion, business, and just life from early morning. Kaz pushed his hood back from his forehead and ran his fingers through his dark hair. With each step, he felt a sense of satisfaction. He had gotten the name he had been searching for for years, and he was closer to his revenge than ever before.

Pekka Rollins.

Kaz knew the name. Of course he did, and so did everyone in this city. If Dirtyhands was a bogeyman for everyone in the city, from the rich ones to the poor, Pekka Rollins was the opposite, a man who was supposed to be the best example of decency and hard work. People said he had worked his way up to the top and was just a short step to claiming his title of nobility. Kaz had never believed it, and he had always wanted to find out what was hidden behind the man’s alleged charity. Now he would have a chance. If the beggar hadn’t lied to him and Rollins was really Hertzoon, he should start watching his back, because Dirthyhands was coming for him.

I’m close, Jordie.

Kaz arrived at the market, now filled with everything from groceries to clothing, pottery, baskets, and more. It wasn’t a fancy market like the one closer to the palace. No, here, in this poor neighbourhood near the edge of Os Alta, there was no place for exotic fruits, soft fabrics, and fine shoes, only what the locals could make, and not the best quality, more like leftovers that the wealthier people didn’t want. Nevertheless, in this small square and its small, dirty alleys Kaz felt at home. The people here didn’t bother to hide behind a mask of kindness and false manners, because there was no one who would appreciate it. They just lived as best they could, just like Kaz.

When he paused for a moment to look around, the rustle of wings told him that his friend was close.

My friend.

He was the only one Kaz called his friend in the years after Jordie’s death, the only one Kaz trusted.

“Where have you been all this time?” Kaz asked as a crow landed on his shoulder.

He (because Kaz simply knew it was him) cawed, and Kaz chuckled.

“I had work to do... Oh, don’t look at me so reproachfully. You know sometimes there’s no other way.”

Crow, as Kaz called him, cawed discontentedly and pecked Kaz’s ear.

“Hey, calm down. I’ll get you something to eat, okay? Yes, I know I stink, but it’s time for that.”

As they passed a fruit stall whose owner was a sturdy man with a moustache and a bald head, Kaz noticed a little girl in patched clothes who usually stayed near the south bridge. Her name was Ira, and she was very shy and afraid of crowds. But this time, hunger had probably brought her here. Kaz slowed down, sensing trouble coming. The stall owner didn’t like beggars wandering around his fruit and often yelled at them to stay away. He had already spotted Ira and was on his way to shoo her away when another girl stepped in his way and handed Ira an apple. Ira didn’t wait for anything, grabbed the fruit and was gone, disappearing into the crowds, as smart as any child growing up on the streets.

We know when it’s time to leave.

“Thief!” the man shouted.

“I’m not a thief,” the girl replied, offended.

Her face and hair were hidden under a scarf wrapped around her head and shoulders, with only the end of a dark braid peeking out from under it. She was wearing purple baggy trousers and a tunic of the same colour, the scarf was beige.

“You stole my apple! Guards! Guards!”

“I can pay you for that,” the girl said, looking around in panic.

The guards who used to come here to keep order and take bribes here and there were far away. The strange girl should have run away now if she didn’t want to get into trouble, but she didn’t move at all. The crow pecked Kaz’s ear again, more painfully this time.

“I know, I know,” Kaz muttered, shooing Crow away with an impatient wave of his hand.

The bird rose into the air, but stayed close. Kaz quickly moved over to the girl, grabbed her wrist, and dragged her away. She tried to protest and free herself, but he wouldn’t let her go.

“Hurry up,” he hissed at her, while the stall owner began to shout loudly.

Kaz pushed their way through the crowd until they reached the end of the square, then turned into a side alley where no one was. Only there did he let the resisting girl.

“What are you doing?” she snapped at him.

“I’m trying to save you from the guards!”

“I don’t need your help.”

“That’s perfectly fine with me. Next time, stay away from me with your naivety and charity,”

Kaz turned his back on her, then heard shouting and stomping coming from the square. The guards were close, and he wasn’t willing to risk his neck for someone so ungrateful.

“Where are you going?” the girl asked.

“It’s none of your business.”

Kaz used an empty crate that someone had carelessly thrown here, jumped on it, grabbed the edge of the balcony, and pulled himself up. The railing helped him move higher until he reached the roof and continued in the opposite direction from the market. Soon, however, he felt someone following him, and when he glanced back, he realised it was the girl from the market. How had she gotten to the roof? It had awakened Kaz’s curiosity, but after their first exchange, he was in no mood to continue any time soon. He picked up speed, jumping from one roof to another, sometimes using clotheslines to slide from one side to the other. No one could follow him all the way, not when he was the only one who knew the rooftops of this city so well after years and years of choosing this path over the streets. Still, that strange feeling at the back of his neck wouldn’t go away. Was she still behind him? That was impossible.

Kaz stopped and turned back to see the girl jumping over the gap between two buildings and landing softly on the roof without making a sound. She looked almost like a cat, but not a street cat, more like something noble, maybe a tiger or a leopard. Who was she? Some strange kind of shadow that wouldn’t leave him alone because he had taken a pity on her?

“What do you think you’re doing?” he snarled at her.

He wanted no shadow or companion except his friend Crow, who hovered above Kaz’s head, looking down at the strange scene.

“Running away from the guards,” she answered simply.

“Can you stay away from me?”

“You own those rooftops? No? I thought so.”

“You’re impossible.”

Kaz turned to his right, deciding to end this stupid game. He was tired after a long night and ready to rest before his duties called him back. After all, he had the name now. The name he had almost forgotten about because of this stupid and stubborn girl. However, if he had hoped to shake her off, he had miscalculated, because she was right behind him the whole time, and when he stopped at the very edge of the city, she stopped too, both of them breathing heavily and staring at each other.

The scarf had fallen from her head, revealing a surprisingly pretty face with a small chin, a straight nose, prominent dark eyebrows, and very dark brown eyes. As she studied him, a small wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. She was probably his age, maybe younger, and Kaz was sure he had never met a girl like her in his life.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Who are you ?” she retorted.

At that moment, Crow decided to fly down. First, he circled around Inej, then landed on her outstretched arm.

Traitor.

Kaz had never seen Crow get close to anyone other than him. The bird had always been very cautious, shy, and never trusted anyone, just like Kaz. So why this girl? Why her?

“Who are you?” she asked the bird, this time her voice not sharp like when she had spoken to Kaz, but friendlier.

“Crow,” Kaz answered simply, feeling angry for some strange reason.

“I see that.”

“No, that’s his name. I call him Crow.”

“Very inventive,” she snorted.

Kaz rolled his eyes, but he felt his lips betray him, curling into a hint of a smirk. He hated his lips at that moment.

I’ll deal with you later.

“At least I’m not stupid enough to get arrested.”

“But I wanted to pay,” she objected. “I’m not a thief, but I lost my coin pouch.”

Kaz chuckled and the girl frowned even more. He found it oddly satisfying.

“What?” she snapped.

“You didn’t lose it, someone stole it from you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t believe you.”

“That’s your problem. Just look at yourself. You’re a walking target. It didn’t even require a good thief, just an average one.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Oh, and you’re a good thief?”

“The best.”

Kaz reached into his pockets to reveal an apple, a small loaf of bread, and a bracelet, nothing fancy, but still something that could be sold for a good price. If he hadn’t bothered with this girl, he would have had a lot more.

“Where did you get that?” the girl asked, looking at the things with wide eyes.

“I stole it from the market on the way.”

“But we were running and you could only use one hand,” she protested.

“I don’t need more.”

Kaz broke the bread in half and Crow flew over to him and let Kaz feed him the crumbs. He was probably already hungry, and Kaz was too, since it had been a whole day and night since he’d last eaten, but he wouldn’t let himself take more than a bite and put everything back in his pocket. He wasn’t in his hiding place yet after all.

“So you’re a thief?” the girl asked.

“I am. Nothing more, nothing less. Who are you?”

A traveller.”

“So you should be on your way by now.”

Kaz turned his back on her again, hoping to get rid of her this time, ignoring Crow’s demands. What had gotten into the bird today?

“Where are you going?”

“Somewhere you’re not,” Kaz snapped.

“I just…”

Kaz heard the doubt in her voice for the first time.

“I can give you something if you take me with you and teach me.”

“Teach you what?”

“Survive on the street.”

“Oh, really?”

When he turned to her, she was handing him some very shiny jewellery that looked much more valuable than the trinket he had stolen.

“You can sell it and get a lot of money.”

Kaz hesitantly took it and turned it over in his fingers. If it was a fake, it was a very good one. It looked like real gold and the stones shone brighter than the sun. Where had she gotten it? She didn’t look like a thief, not at all, she didn’t even talk like one, more like someone who didn’t have to lift a finger to get what she wanted. But the way she moved on the roof, the elegance and ease of her movements... Kaz would find a way to use that to his own benefit.

“Take this,” she said, “and show me a place where I can stay.”

Kaz pocketed the jewellery and tossed her a bracelet that was nothing more than a piece of wire with fake purple stones. The girl’s eyes widened as if he had given her something with real diamonds in it.

“Come, I don’t have all day for you,” he motioned to her, and she followed him.

It wasn’t far, just a few rooftops, and he was ready to take a nap, not only to give his body the rest it needed, but to give him a chance to think about what he was going to do with Pekka Rollins. And with this girl. If he was going to let her stay and take care of her training, he needed a plan, a good one. She could be useful not only because of her skills, but also because of her origin. As a runaway from a good and probably very wealthy family, she might know Rollins or the way to get to him.

It looks like you’re having a very successful day.

He hadn’t had one in a long time, and suddenly he felt hope, something he didn’t usually have, and he usually forbade himself to feel this way. Hope was dangerous, hope had led Jordie into a trap that had ruined his life and his younger brother’s as well. Kaz had just wanted to have a home, a place to stay with his brother, a place to feel safe after their parents’ death, but what he had gotten instead? No family, no brother, no one to care for him or care about him. No, he had to work hard for Jakob Hertzoon in the fields or in the factory for nothing more than a piece of bread and a leaky roof over his head, where he had slept alone on the straw, with his back pressed against the wall of an old barn. While the other children huddled together to keep themselves warm during the cold nights, Kaz’s teeth had been chattering, but he hadn’t moved, just stayed away from everyone, alone since the day Jordie had died, before he even had a chance to see the new land that was to become their new home.

I’m close, Jordie. I’ll finish it soon.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t much, just an old and dusty attic with a hammock hanging from the ceiling. There were a few books on the floor, but Inej wasn’t sure if they had been there already or if they belonged to her strange companion. She still didn’t know what to make of the thief. He was young, probably her age, and very lean, as she would imagine someone who starved often, but he didn’t look unkempt like many of the people she had seen on the streets. When had the streets become so dirty and full of rubbish and beggars? Had it been the same before and she just hadn’t seen it (or maybe they’d never taken her to these places), or had something gone wrong in the four years?

The boy took out the stolen bread and tossed her a smaller piece, while he sank his teeth into the bigger one, leaving some crumbs for the crow that had followed them here as if it were a perfectly normal thing. The boy, whose name Inej still didn’t know, shook off his hooded coat and then without hesitation took off his shirt, revealing the muscles on his chest along with some scars, probably old ones. While the boy paid no attention to her presence, Inej looked away, unsure what to think about it. Only then did she notice an old basin with water, probably a rain one. From the sounds she heard, the boy used it to wash himself.

Don’t think about it, he’s just a boy.

Maybe it was common among thieves to undress in front of someone else. What could she know?

“What kind of place is this?” she asked, trying to change her thoughts.

“Just an abandoned attic.”

His rough voice still surprised her. He sounded like an old man, not a young boy.

“You live here?”

“It’s not a palace, but it’s enough.”

A palace…

Inej moved closer to the old and dirty window, opened it, and leaned out. She didn’t even realise they were high enough to get a good view of the surrounding buildings, and she could even see the palace in the distance, a huge building surrounded by gardens full of trees, the only large enough green space in the entire maze of streets and buildings that could be seen from here. The floor cracked, and when Inej looked back, she saw the boy climbing into a hammock, dressed in a new but wrinkled shirt, while a crow ate the crumbs on the floor.

“What’s your name?” Inej asked.

“What’s yours?”

“Inej.”

She didn’t know why she used her real name, but it wasn’t usual after all. There must be a lot of girls with the same name in this city. For a moment, she thought she wouldn’t get an answer. The boy stared at her, his dark eyes searching her with a strange intensity that made her think he could see right through her and see the truth about who she was.

“Kaz,” he said finally, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. “If you want to stay, stay, but don’t think you can sneak up on me.”

Inej hadn’t planned on it at all. Why would she do that? She didn’t want to rob him in his sleep or anything else. After all, she had given him her own necklace, which she had kept around her neck under her clothes, which was probably the right thing to do, or she would have lost it like her coins.

Inej watched the crow eat the crumbs for a while, and when the bird came to rest on the floor by Kaz’s hammock, Inej sat down and leaned her back against the wall so she could get a good look at the boy. She didn’t feel tired at all, even though she hadn’t slept at all that night. Everything was new and unfamiliar to her, this place, this boy... She couldn’t know if he wanted to hurt her, and was just pretending to be asleep. Maybe he would wait for the right moment and then... Inej gripped the knife in her palm tighter. No one would ever hurt her again.

Kaz’s breathing seemed even and slow, but every time Inej moved, even the slightest and without making a sound, Kaz’s breathing hitched. He probably wasn’t in a deep sleep, and Inej felt uneasy again. Why had she followed him here and given him the necklace? Wouldn’t it be better to find her own way? But he had saved her from the guards and the man who had considered her a thief.

Why would he help you if he was bad?

Was there such a thing as a good thief? She had been taught that thieves were bad and needed to be punished. Her eyes scanned Kaz again, or at least what was visible right now. Despite his reflexes, he looked relaxed. His skin was pale, contrasting with his dark hair, which had been wet after his washing but was now dry again, almost completely hiding his closed eyes with long black eyelashes. He had a very interesting face, with a sharp chin and high cheekbones that could cut her if she touched them.

Eventually, Inej fell asleep, too exhausted to keep her eyes open, only to be awakened by something landing on the floor right next to her.

“If you want to survive, you need to wear something less suspicious,” said Kaz, who was standing just a few steps away from her, completely ignoring her wincing.

“What is this?” Inej asked, looking at the strange package.

“Just put it on.”

Without waiting for anything else, Kaz climbed down the ladder hidden under the trapdoor, the only way to the attic, and disappeared from her sight. Inej waited a moment longer to make sure he wouldn’t be back anytime soon before reaching for the package. There were black leggings, along with a black tunic and a black scarf. When she touched them, they weren’t the same as her clothes. The fabric was much rougher, but she shook off her previous clothes without hesitation. The leggings and tunic fitted her perfectly, but there was no mirror to look in how she looked. Once she had wrapped the scarf around her head in the same way as before, Kaz returned and looked her over from head to toe.

“That could work. Come on.”

“Where?”

“There are things you need to learn.”

They left the attic together, first down the ladder and then down the rickety stairs. The building had probably been abandoned for years, and it was hard to imagine that people had ever lived there, with the dust, the plaster peeling, and the bricks crumbling from the edges of the walls.

“Why is it empty?” she asked Kaz, who was a few steps ahead of her.

Not that she couldn’t catch up with him, but she wanted to have some distance to react if he tried to attack her. After all, she didn’t know anything about him yet.

“Probably poverty,” Kaz shrugged. “When I came to town, it was empty.”

“When was that?”

“A few years ago. Stop fidgeting, you look good.”

Despite her best efforts, Inej could feel herself blushing.

“Where did you get those clothes?” she asked, trying to stop thinking about how strange the clothes felt on her body.

“I stole them.”

Even though she couldn’t see his face, she could tell he was grinning.

“How did you know it would fit?”

“A lucky guess.”

They went downstairs and out into the street. The sun was high in the sky, so there was still a long way to go before sunset. That meant Inej hadn’t slept as long as she thought.

“Leave the scarf down for now,” Kaz ordered. “We’re just observing.”

He led her down the busy street. Children were running around, playing games Inej didn’t know, and everyone had to be careful not to trip over any of them. Women were chatting, some hanging laundry to dry on clotheslines that ran from one building to another above their heads. A man sat at the edge of the street making wicker baskets. A small group of young girls were comparing their clothes and watching the young boys who passed them. There was so much activity and noise around that Inej wasn’t sure where to look first.

“What colour was the blonde wearing?” Kaz asked suddenly.

Inej looked back, but they had already turned into another alley and had to jump to the side to avoid a collision with a man on horseback in a guard uniform. Inej lowered her head, expecting him to grab her and take her away at any moment, but he didn’t even look at her, and soon he was gone.

“How many baskets were on the ground?” Kaz asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You have to pay attention.”

“How could that help me?” she asked him angrily.

“If you walk the streets blind, you’ll get robbed, raped, or killed,” Kaz said.

“I’d like to see how you would pass this test.”

“Try me.”

They walked down three streets, and Inej looked everywhere for the most difficult questions to ask Kaz, but he could answer them all. He knew how many skirts were hanging on a clothesline in one very crooked street, even their colours, he could tell her the exact number of marbles the boys were playing with, and more, although he couldn’t know what she would ask him.

“That’s impossible,” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“It’s just practice,” Kaz said with satisfaction in his voice.

He was too proud of himself, but from that day on, he taught Inej how to pay attention to detail, how to find the best escape routes that would help her escape from anyone, and even showed her the basic rules of stealing something. At first, she didn’t want to try it, but in the end, she couldn’t resist the challenge. It wasn’t anything big, not even jewellery in the richer streets or coin pouches like Kaz, but here and there she managed to take some fruit, bread, or a piece of cheese. To this purpose, Kaz helped her sew hidden pockets on the inside of her “new” coat, which was of course black and stolen. In addition to her previous knife, she now had another one hidden in her clothes, but still within reach.

Every now and then, Kaz took her to the receiver Per Haskell, who gave them money for the things Kaz brought him, mostly jewellery. He was a grey-haired man with a grizzled beard who always smelled of alcohol and made rude remarks to Inej. She didn’t like him at all, but she soon realised that he was just talking and would do nothing to her due to his laziness. Kaz visited him frequently, but only for business reasons, otherwise he didn’t seem to like Haskell at all. However, there was one thing Inej kept thinking about. Kaz hadn’t sold the necklace she had given him. Or maybe he had done it the first day they met, while she was asleep.

At first, Inej didn’t understand what Kaz was doing with the money, because he never bought anything for himself, but one day she noticed him slipping a gold coin to an old beggar who missed a leg, and then two coins to a boy of about five. None of the people noticed anything at all.

“Why are you doing this?” Inej asked when Kaz did the same to a girl who was probably even younger than them, and who, Inej already knew, was selling her body for the pleasure of any man who was willing to pay.

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you giving money to these people? Why don’t you use it for yourself?”

Kaz frowned. “You’ve got me confused with a charity.”

“Absolutely not. I saw what you did.”

“You were just imagining things.”

Inej didn’t argue, but she knew she was right, after all, she had worked hard on her observation skills. Kaz’s motives still remained unknown to her.

“Don’t take him too seriously,” Anika whispered to her once.

She was a blonde thief who operated near a shoe factory on the east edge of the city.

“I heard that,” Kaz mumbled.

He was talking to Pim, a large boy with shaggy hair. Pim and Anika weren’t Kaz’s friends, as Inej had thought when they first met, and Kaz was quick to explain that they were mostly his associates when it suited him. Still, they met regularly to exchange news. Kaz never seemed to have enough information, whether it was small happenings in the slums or among the nobility. The books Inej had first noticed in the attic were his after all. She had gone through them once when Kaz had been away on an errand he hadn’t wanted her with him, which was unusual, since he usually took her with him everywhere so she could learn. His books covered a wide range of subjects, from politics to economics to history, and Inej didn’t know why Kaz had them, but she was sure he had stolen them, like everything else he had.

“What about the Fjerdan prince?” Kaz asked suddenly, and Inej turned her head in his direction.

“I saw him yesterday at the army parade,” Pim said. “Me and Anika gained a real treasure here. So many stupid pigeons to rob, you know. I was sure you’d be there too. You missed a great opportunity.”

“I had work to do,” Kaz said evasively.

Inej knew what the “work” was about. Kaz had taught her how to defend herself, not for the first time, and although she had thought she knew what to do, having had her own teacher in the palace who had shown her the basics of self-defence, once she stood face to face with Kaz, she realised that the refined ways she had been taught before were useless on the streets, where everyone was playing dirty. But when it came to knives, even Kaz looked a little impressed, which was a victory for her, since his expression usually gave nothing away that could help her learn anything more about him.

“What did I miss? Did Anika fall in love with a prince and decide to stop being a thief and become a princess?” Kaz asked, and Anika kicked him in the calf.

Kaz surprisingly didn’t seem to mind, just smirked mischievously.

“He’s not my type,” Anika said. “Just a big body with smooth blond hair. Too clean for my taste.”

“Maybe Pim should try washing himself sometime.”

“I do it on Saturday,” Pim said.

“But you skipped that last one,” Anika rolled her eyes.

“Back to the business,” Kaz reminded them. “What do we know about this Fjerdan?”

“He’s the younger son, so no heir to the throne,” Anika said. “That’s why they wanted him to marry the heir so he could get the throne anyway.”

“Having two sons as rulers is quite useful, don’t you think, Inej?”

Not only Kaz but Pim and Anika turned to her, and Inej wasn’t sure if this was some kind of test, or if they might know something.

“He wouldn’t rule as an emperor,” Inej said, looking straight into Kaz’s dark eyes.

“Maybe not,” Kaz shrugged. “But he would have enormous influence. Once he gets his empress wife pregnant, he could take over for a while.”

Inej gritted her teeth. They might be talking hypothetically, but they were talking about her life, or the life she should have lived, being married to a man she had never seen before, having his children, warming his bed at night. She cringed at the thought. She should be the empress, not a concubine.

“The princess wasn’t there, just her companion,” Pim continued.

“How so?” Kaz frowned.

“They say she’s sick, but no one really knows what it is,” Anika said. “I’m sure the Fjerdans are a bit impatient. They thought it would be easy, just come, get the princess, and a lifelong friendship with Suli and Ravkans.”

“They want money, because the Fjerdan Kingdom has lost a lot trying to maintain the lustre and glory of their house, and he knows the emperor has found a way to make money,” Kaz said.

“But what does the emperor want? Why is he willing to give his own daughter to the Fjerdans?” asked Anika.

Inej couldn’t take her eyes off Kaz. How could a common thief from the poorest street in the capital city know so much about what went on behind closed doors of the palace?

“Army. Shu Han has been supplying their soldiers with weapons lately, and they want to expand. They have never fully recognised the Suli Emperor as their equal. The empire’s army is a joke. Just shiny swords and fancy uniforms, good for parades, but that’s not enough against Shu.”

Everything Kaz said was true. But how? How could he know? Inej didn’t get an answer to that, but she had been thinking about it ever since.

Even though it had only been a few days (and she had lost count of how many there had been), Inej felt like she had lived more than she had in the previous four years, and maybe even more than before. She had learned to sleep less, and only during the lazy afternoons, and she lived more at night, when the streets were full of previously unknown opportunities. Life here wasn’t easy, and she had lost a lot of the naive ideas she had (or maybe all of them), but she still wouldn’t change it for anything. Kaz could be grumpy and taciturn, but then he did something that made her laugh and realise that he was just a boy, despite everything that had happened to him, the things that had left him living on the streets alone, relying only on himself and his ability to steal what he needed to survive. She had never asked him where his parents were or what had made him a thief, just as he had never asked her about her previous life.

“This is not the best time to daydream, Inej.”

Kaz grinned at her from under his hood. She could see only his teeth, flashing white in the darkness of the night. He was dressed all in black, the colour to blend with the shadows, and even Inej had grown accustomed to her new outfit as if it were her second skin.

“If you want to live among thieves, you have to act like one,” Kaz had said in those early days that now seemed like a distant past.

“But I’m not a thief,” she had objected.

“If you pretend long enough, you won’t know the difference.”

How long had Kaz been alone to learn these things? He always knew what to do, where to find what he needed. His fingers and hands moved so quickly that Inej couldn’t understand how he did it. They had just passed through the square, and at the far end he had pockets, all carefully hidden inside his coat, filled with everything from food to coin pouches, women’s jewellery, once even a gold tooth that Inej had refused to touch, and Kaz had made fun of her for it.

“Come on,” Kaz urged her, and she followed him across the rooftops she had come to know, as if she had been moving here for years, not just days.

As soon as she jumped the first gap, she felt a rush of adrenaline so strong that she screamed with excitement. She knew Kaz would berate her later, but she couldn’t help it. To her surprise, Kaz imitated her, so they just ran and jumped and screamed like crazy.

“You know we’re supposed to be quiet? That’s why we’re up here, so no one can see us,” Kaz said when they stopped.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t like it,” Inej nudged him, and he nudged her back. “You’re too serious.”

“I only care about my life.”

He kept moving, and Inej had to catch up with him. She thought she might have crossed a line, but Kaz didn’t say a word, just waited for her before guiding them down the street.

“You’re the worst thief ever, Inej,” he whispered to her as he leaned closer.

“That’s because I’m not a thief.”

“You’re the only one who believes that.”

He grinned at her challengingly, leading her through the maze of narrow alleys until they emerged onto a wide, clean street lined with larger houses. Lost in thought, she didn’t even realise they were approaching the palace until it was too late.

“Why are we here?” she asked suspiciously.

What if Kaz realised who she was and was going to hand her over to the palace guards for a hefty reward? Would he be able to do that? She wanted to believe him, because she had already come to think of him as her friend, but now…

“Come on, Inej, you have to see it.”

“See what?”

Before she could gather herself and figure out what to do, Kaz took her hand and led her toward the source of the commotion. They appeared right in front of the palace, where a crowd of people had gathered, mostly the wealthier in luxurious clothes, but she saw many who belonged to the same streets as Kaz, even though the guards tried their best to keep them aside.

“Kaz, we can’t go there,” she objected, but Kaz didn’t listen to her, almost dragging her with him just like the first day they had met.

“You have to see this,” he said, excitement evident in his voice.

Inej didn’t feel comfortable in the crowd. There were too many people pressing in on her and there was no way out. Suddenly Kaz stopped, and Inej saw his eager gaze turn to something in front of them. It was a magician, a middle-aged man who was performing one magic trick after another for the crowd. Was this what Kaz wanted to show her? The man was great at entertaining people, but Inej spent most of her time watching Kaz and his reactions, and it wasn’t until a long time later that she realised that they had been holding hands the whole time.

“What is this about?” she asked, trying to stop herself from blushing just from the warmth of his palm and the pleasant feel of his fingers gently holding her.

“It’s a show for better people,” Kaz said, his voice a little sour, but he shook it off very quickly. “This is a part of the celebration.”

“What celebration?”

“The engagement. Were you even listening?”

Oh no. I shouldn’t be here.

“We have to go.”

“Why? There should be a man who can swallow fire,” Kaz objected, adding in a whisper, “do you see all those people around? They’re paying attention only to the show. I bet I can steal at least twice more than Pim and Anika.”

He reached into his pocket and showed her several coin pouches, two necklaces, and a ring. How had he done it so quickly?

“These are easy targets, Inej. We can find out what you’ve learned so far,” Kaz winked at her. “Let’s go.”

He led her to the thickest crowd, and Inej bit her tongue, unsure of what to do. Should she run away and leave Kaz here, or tell him they shouldn’t be here? Tell him that if this was a test, she hadn’t passed it, but she needed to go back to the attic, where she felt safe, to sleep in a hammock that smelled like Kaz, knowing that when she woke up, he would be here, curled up in the newer hammock he’d bought for himself, his hands under his cheek like a pillow, his coat draped over his body like a blanket. She wanted to see him like this every morning, waking up in broad daylight after a long night on the streets and rooftops, sharing food, sharing observations, joking and teasing each other. She wanted to...

Suddenly someone grabbed her free arm and pulled her closer. She slipped out of Kaz’s grip because his touch was gentle, guiding her, not forcing her, while this tall man who had taken advantage of her passing him was anything but gentle. She felt his hand moving over her body, but she could do nothing at all, fear froze her in place. She had her knives within reach, but her arms did not obey her at all, as if they belonged to someone else. That fear, the way the stranger touched her, made Inej feel like she was not in front of the palace, but in a dark and cold cellar, and the man was tearing her clothes from her, taking away her innocence with it, piece by piece, until he left her dirty and sinful.

“Do not dare to touch her.”

The man let go of her and Inej almost lost her balance before someone took her hand again, gently, almost hesitantly.

“I’ll take you back home,” Kaz said, and Inej nodded as she saw the blade disappearing into his sleeve.

She wasn’t sure if he had just threatened the man or if he had actually hurt him, but at that moment she didn’t care. She wanted to be back home , as Kaz had said, back in the attic, back in the hammock with Crow circling the low ceiling, with the dirty window overlooking the streets below as a silent observer, with Kaz...

They didn’t get far, only to the edge of the crowd, where a group of guards were waiting for them, probably alerted by the commotion. There were too many of them, and Inej and Kaz were the only two, trapped in a crowd that didn’t allow them to choose another way out.

“Left,” Kaz said, releasing her hand.

He disappeared to the right, and after a moment’s hesitation, Inej headed left. Her thoughts were racing, and she felt a little dizzy after what had just happened, but she kept going, trusting Kaz to know what he was doing. The guards seemed to be trying to follow them both, but with so many people around, it wasn’t easy. Inej walked back to where they had come from, still squeezed in between the other people, even though it made her feel sick.

It’s not far.

But what if Kaz didn’t make it? What would she do? Go back to the attic and wait for him? She looked back and spotted the black hood on the other side. The guards were waiting for him, and he was heading straight for them.

Kaz, what are you doing?

Inej looked around, not knowing what to do. She couldn’t let Kaz get caught, not after he’d saved her twice. This time Inej made a quick decision and pushed back, ignoring the people who protested or scowled at her. She didn’t have time for that. Kaz was almost at the guards, and she was still far away. Suddenly Kaz was gone. He was there, and the next moment it seemed as if he had vanished into thin air. Where had he gone? The guards looked as surprised as Inej, and they argued for a moment and then split up. A crow that had just missed her made Inej move again. If this had been Kaz’s plan, she might have ruined it. She finally got out of the crowd, but before she could take another step, two guards had surrounded her on either side, preventing her from escaping.

“We’ve got you, thief. You’re either going to come with us now, or we’ll drag you by your legs,” one of them said sharply.

“She’s not a thief,” a voice called from behind them, and something hit one of the men hard on the head.

When it hit the ground, Inej recognised a coin purse.

“Run!”

She didn’t need to be told twice. She slipped between two confused guards and ran forward, not really knowing where she was going.

“Here!”

Kaz had only been running a few steps ahead, and now he turned into a side alley, and Inej followed. If they had a chance to climb onto the roof, it would be their territory, and no one could follow them. But the guards were right behind them, and now there were more than two of them, she realised when she turned her head back for a moment.

What have you done?

This wasn’t the time to panic, so Inej pushed away all bad thoughts and ran as fast as she could, catching up with Kaz.

“We have to shake them off.”

“How?”

“We’ll split up. See you at home.”

At the end of the alley, Kaz turned left this time, and Inej took the right side, looking around for an easier way up. She needed time to get high enough so that the guards couldn’t reach her ankles from below, but all the alleys looked the same, no balcony low enough for Inej to hold onto, nothing to pull herself up.

Pay attention to the details.

Inej remembered that they had passed a lot of food stalls on the way to the show. She could take advantage of the crowd or climb up the stalls and get to the roof. One alley, another, and when she was almost there, more guards appeared in front of her, blocking her way. Inej stopped and looked around for a way out. There had to be one. Her plan was good, but she hadn’t counted on how many guards would be on the streets tonight. Maybe they were looking for her. Her parents certainly hadn’t given up hope of finding her. At that moment, Inej realised that they might think she had been kidnapped again, and they were worried. How could she have done this to them? Why hadn’t she left a note for them to know that it was her own decision?

You were ashamed to abandon them and your duties.

Inej pulled back the scarf that had hidden her face until now.

“I am Princess Inej and you will take me to the palace,” she demanded. “Release the guards, the chase is over.”

If she couldn’t say goodbye to Kaz, she could at least help him get rid of the guards.

Chapter Text

The prison cell where Kaz had been dragged and thrown onto the hard ground was nothing more than a small, dark, cold room with old stone walls and a dirty stone floor, hidden underground. There was only a tiny window near the ceiling, covered by iron bars, so Kaz could see nothing at all, and the only sound was his rapid breathing from running and fighting the guards. His head still ached from the blow they had inflicted on him that had sent him unconscious until he woke up here.

“Do you know what the punishment is for kidnapping a princess?” one of the guards shouted at him before slamming the barred door. “Hanging.”

The princess.

Kaz wasn’t stupid for not realising who Inej was. It wasn’t that hard after all, when he had spent most of his days with her, studying the way she acted and spoke. She had the manners of someone of high birth, but he hadn’t thought so highly at first, because why would he? She could throw knives, run and jump like an acrobat, not like a princess. It wasn’t until Kaz had learned of Princess Inej’s strange illness that everything fell into place. There was no illness, because they were only trying to cover up the fact that the princess was gone. She hadn’t been kidnapped, not at all, she had run away. But why? Why would she want to leave the wealth and comfort of the palace and the chance to change lives once she became ruler?

You may be smart, but she still tricked you. She convinced you to teach her, and you did it like a fool, thinking you could use her, but in reality, she used you.

Kaz smirked to himself. He had known there was more to her, but she had surpassed even that.

You should go, brother, this is not a good place for you.

Jordie’s voice in his head was right. He shouldn’t waste his time here thinking about the girl who was now far away from him, unreachable. The next time he might see her would be during the parade on her wedding day, and only from a distance, separated by a crowd that wanted to see the princess in her wedding dress.

She will marry the Fjerdan prince and you will have your revenge.

His revenge... In the past few days, Kaz hadn’t thought much about his revenge, about Pekka Rollins and the things he would do to him when he got his hands on him. It was strange because it was always on his mind, constantly, awake or asleep, he never forgot. How could he? Even now, in the dark cell, he felt as if the floor was swaying with him, and he could hear the waves lapping.

“It will be fine, Kaz, don’t worry.”

“I don’t want to go, Jordie, I’m scared. I want to go home.”

“This will be our new home. They say everyone can find a good job here. I’ll find one and send you to school. You’ll be a scholar or a lawyer or whatever you want.”

“I just want to go home.”

“The farm isn’t our home anymore, Kaz. We’ll find a new place. Better one. I promise.”

Jordie had never kept his promise. They had pushed them below decks the moment Kaz and Jordie had boarded, after paying everything they had for the trip. They weren’t the only children on the ship. There were many more, some lured by the same hope as Jordie and Kaz, to find a better place in the world, some kidnapped from their families, some sold, but the result was the same for all. They were trapped on a ship that hadn’t headed to Novyi Zem as it was supposed to be, but to Ravka, where they were to work in the fields and in a factory for a man who called himself Jakob Hertzoon. Not all of the children had made it to shore, though. Kaz didn’t know which child had brought the disease onto the ship, but it didn’t matter. Not long after the ship had left Kerch, one child after another fell ill. None of the sailors had cared because they hadn’t come to check on them. They had just left them in the dark with no food, only a little water they had been afraid to use, lest it ran out soon. One child after another had died, as the disease had taken them, just like Jordie. Kaz could only remember waking up from his own fever, clutching the body of his dead brother. When the sailors finally arrived, they had taken the bodies and threw them into the sea, and Kaz had been too weak to protect his brother’s body.

Kaz rose from the cold floor. He wasn’t going to dwell on the past. There was no time for that. Hertzoon, Rollins, or whatever the man wanted to be called, should pay for what he had done. For the children who had not survived the journey to him, or for those who had died working for him.

I’m going to get you.

The guards had searched Kaz when they had brought him to the station, but probably only sloppily. He didn’t remember (which was actually a good thing) because he was still unconscious. They had to find the necklace, the one Inej had given him as payment, and take it as further proof that he had kidnapped the princess. Why hadn’t he just sold it when he had the chance? Kaz wasn’t sure. Maybe he wanted to make a big deal and needed more time to do it, because if he showed it to Haskell, the man would try to double-cross him, maybe Kaz had other plans for it, but that didn’t matter now. What mattered was that the guards, content with the jewellery they had found, had paid no attention to anything else, and so completely missed the lockpicks sewn into his sleeve.

Amateurs.

The biggest fool here, though, was Kaz, because it was his own fault that had brought him here. If he had followed his own rules, he would be back in the attic, swaying in his hammock, listening to Inej’s laugh when he said something she thought was funny, or when Crow did something stupid to get Inej’s attention. Never look back. That was the rule. And he had broken it when he had returned to make sure Inej had escaped from the guards, a mistake that had cost him his freedom and the necklace. Maybe he could look for it when he got out.

Kaz knelt by the bars and began working on the lock. The darkness made it no harder. Sight wasn’t the most important thing here, but touch, the feel of the lock clicking. Kaz slowly opened the door and peered out. There was a narrow corridor with many cells similar to his own, the ends of which were hidden somewhere in the darkness. Which way to go? He stepped quietly, sneaking around the cells. There might be other prisoners there, and he didn’t need them to make noise so the guards would come and catch him again. No, Kaz needed to get out of here as soon as possible, because the longer he stayed, the more he would think about the ship and the cries of the lost children.

Finally, Kaz found the door, cracked it open, and listened. He couldn’t have been unconscious for very long, so it was still night. If the festivities were over, there might not be many people at the station. Hearing nothing at all, he slipped through the crack and continued close to the wall. It was dark everywhere, except for the dim light of an oil lamp illuminating the figure of a sleeping guard who should be on duty. It was too easy to walk around him, and disappear into the darkness of the night street. Still, something was pulling Kaz back toward the palace, back to the place where it had all begun. For a moment, he let himself be led there, not thinking too much about his reasons. There were still people around, and great fires with flames that almost touched the sky. Dancers moved around them to the beat of the drums, and people danced too, hypnotized by the music. Not Kaz. All he did was one look towards the palace and then he returned back into the streets that belonged to him.

The night should have been a huge success, and Kaz should be richer now, but he could add nothing to his secret stash of money. Even though Inej stayed with him for days, she never found out where he hid the money he had stolen. He never used much of it, or not for himself, and after years it was quite a lot, but still not enough. After all, he would need to use everything if he was going to punish Jakob Hertzoon, or Pekka Rollins, as he now called himself.

The attic seemed more deserted than before, with two hammocks, even though Kaz only needed one. He didn’t even glance at the other one, climbed into his own and fell into a restless sleep from which he woke up, not rested at all. It wasn’t the best state, but he’d been through worse.

Kaz washed himself and changed his shirt, because he hadn’t been in the mood for that before. He’d have to do some laundry when he got back. There were more important things to do for now. There was no way to get to any other roof from the Slat, because it was higher than the surrounding buildings, so he went down the stairs to the ground floor and only then climbed to the nearest roof. The air up here always seemed fresher and his own, while down on the street he had to share it with the other people. It was always better for Kaz to be alone and free.

You’re all alone again.

For a moment, Kaz remembered Inej’s laughter and screams in excitement when she’d jumped over the roof, and his own annoyance at this behaviour, but it still brought a slight smile to his lips. Where was Inej now? Enjoying all the comforts of the palace, people who looked after her so she didn’t have to lift a finger? It was so unlike Inej, but what did he know? She had played a game just like him. There was no reason to take any of it seriously.

Crow appeared not long after Kaz had left his attic. He followed Kaz for a moment before landing on the edge of the roof, where Kaz was about to jump to another.

“What is it?” Kaz asked.

The bird seemed to have something on his mind, but he didn’t move at all for a moment, as if considering it. Then he rose again and circled above Kaz’s head.

“What are you doing? Should I follow you?”

The crow cawed and continued to the left. Kaz hesitated only briefly before heading in that direction. What was so important that Crow wanted to show him? Somewhere deep inside him, there was a strange hope that Inej might be waiting for him, but he quickly pushed it even deeper than before. The crow began to descend, and Kaz climbed down to the street. Crow led him into a narrow, blind alley that looked empty. It was just a vacant space between houses with no windows leading anywhere. Kaz looked around. There was nothing interesting here.

“Crow?” he turned to the bird, but he was already gone.

What’s going on?

Suddenly a man appeared, as if he had been there all along. Kaz reached for the knife in his sleeve, waiting for an attack that never came. The man just stood there, watching, waiting. He was dressed in dark clothes, and the brim of his hat shaded his face, so all that was visible was his chin.

“Mr Brekker, I suppose,” the man said.

“That’s my name. Don’t wear it out.”

“You have quite a reputation, and I’m looking for someone with your... skills.”

Kaz straightened his back and fumbled carefully for the other knife. He didn’t know who the man was, but he didn’t like it at all. Something was going on, and he wasn’t about to end up dead, not when he had other things to do. After he took care of Rollins... that was another story.

“What do you want from me?” Kaz asked.

“A service. In your words, Mr Brekker, I have a job for you.”

“What kind of job?”

“Like I said, it’s something that requires your skills. I need you to get me something valuable.”

“What’s in it for me?”

“Big money.”

Money. Kaz would know how to use money. After all, he needed a lot of it.

“What kind of job? I’m not signing up for something I know nothing about.”

The man was very careful not to show his face. With each tiny step Kaz took, he stepped back, his hat still pulled low over his forehead. Who was he? Definitely someone who needed to remain unknown. From the way he spoke with a barely audible accent, Kaz could tell he wasn’t from here, but he had lived here long enough to get used to the language. Ravkan, in this case.

“I need you to find and steal a treasure for me.”

“A treasure?” Kaz repeated, this time in Suli, to test man’s language skills.

“An ancient lamp, to be precise,” the man replied in perfect Suli, but again there was a hint of a different accent.

“A lamp?”

The man’s clothes were meant to be inconspicuous, but Kaz could still tell a lot from them. The fabric was fine, every seam perfectly sewn. It must have been very expensive, especially if it had been custom-made. This man must have been sitting in some high place, so why would he stoop to go to this part of the city to deal with a thief?

“It’s an artifact. It’s not worth much on the street, but among those who know art and history, it’s priceless.”

“Why don’t you go get it or assign one of your servants?” Kaz asked suspiciously.

“It’s not a task for servants, it’s for thieves. The lamp is hidden in a cave that’s hard to find, and it’s protected.”

“Protected how?”

The man shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s your job to find out.”

Interesting.

If the man wasn’t willing to do it himself, it had to be dangerous in some way, but what did Kaz know about how the old caves were secured? He could have gotten into any house in this city, broken through every possible security system, and this man probably knew. How?

“How much money are we talking about?” he asked, trying to sound neutral.

Don’t show interest. It’s a negotiation. You don’t want to lower the price too much.

“One million.”

“I suppose this job is dangerous.”

“Two million.”

“I suppose I could lose my life, and I like my life quite a bit.”

“Three million.”

Even though Kaz couldn’t see the man’s face, he knew they had reached a price he was willing to pay, but that didn’t mean Kaz should be happy about it.

“I have important things to do here instead of wandering around in the wasteland. I’d lose my opportunities because of your lamp.”

The man snorted. “Four, but no more.”

“Five.”

“That’s theft!”

“What else would you expect from a thief?”

There was a moment of silence as the man considered Kaz’s demand. Kaz waited. There was nothing left to do but wait, looking determined enough. If this job was successful, Kaz would have everything he needed to bring Rollins to his knees. After all, the only valuable thing that could give someone what he wanted was money.

“Five million,” the man finally nodded.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. It slipped from his open hand as if it was carried by the wind and landed right at Kaz’s feet.

“When you have my lamp, I will find you. Don’t try to trick me, boy. You have no idea who you are dealing with.”

With that, the man took a step back and was gone, as if he had merged with the wall. At that moment, Crow appeared and landed on Kaz’s shoulder.

“What do you think of this?”

The bird looked at him questioningly with his black eyes that resembled small beads.

“You’re quite a secretive, aren’t you? As you wish, keep your opinion to yourself.”

Kaz bent down to pick up the paper. It was a very old map.

The sun was high in the sky when Kaz left the city. He had a backpack with a blanket and some food he had stolen earlier and a full bottle of water. He couldn’t know how long this job would take, and he still wasn’t entirely convinced it was a good idea to take it, but five million wasn’t something he could easily turn down, not when it could bring Kaz closer to Rollins and destroy him. Crow was at his side, hovering over his head whenever Kaz looked up. How long had it been since he had arrived in the city and hadn’t left ever since? Several years. There had been no reason to leave yet.

There was nothing of interest around Os Alta. Just wasteland that could give room for an army if necessary to protect the city. It wasn’t until an hour’s walk that the first fields and farm houses appeared. The people he met greeted him politely, and Kaz responded in the same way. It reminded him of his old life, the one he didn’t want to think about. In the city, people usually didn’t pay attention to anyone else unless they wanted to rob them.

The map led him north into a deep forest, mostly coniferous, with only the occasional broadleaf trees that seemed to be the lone guardian of the forest’s silence. Crow descended lower so as not to lose Kaz. As they got deeper, where it was dark because the trees grew closer together, they found a moss-covered rock. It was taller than Kaz, and as they continued, they passed another.

“We’re getting closer,” Kaz said to Crow and himself.

The map led them into the deepest part of the forest, where not even the birdsong could be heard. Here they found a large rock with a gap just at ground level. Some of the trees grew straight out of the rock, and it was almost unbelievable that they could survive on such a steep surface. Kaz crawled in without hesitation. The ground sloped down and Kaz had to climb down over the rocks. The farther he got from the entrance, the less light there was, so he took off his pack to find a bonelight. He gave it a shake and a green light lit up the area around him. It made him see a flickering dark shadow. The crow followed him inside.

“You should stay outside,” Kaz said, but the bird seemed very determined to follow him on this journey into the unknown. “Fine, just be careful.”

This part of the cave was wide, but as they went deeper and deeper, it became narrower and narrower, until there was just enough room for one person to move forward. Despite the bonelight Kaz held in his hand, it was still dark where the green light didn’t reach. It was as if he could feel all the rocks above him, the whole mass pressing down on him, trying to suffocate him. Kaz staggered, the ground swaying for him.

You just imagine it. You can do it. Just don’t you dare to stop. Only forward. Never back.

He kept moving, even though he had to crawl on all fours with his head down to avoid hitting himself. He must have been deep in the rock, but he might just be moving in circles. He couldn’t tell if it was leading him down or up, right or left, he could only see rocks so close to him that if they moved even a little, he would be trapped underground and no one would be looking for him. Not even Anika and Pim. They would think he had been killed or had decided to leave the city without saying goodbye. After all, they weren’t friends, were they? Kaz had never tried to get close to them, never talked about personal matters, only business. He knew Anika and Pim’s strengths and weaknesses, but he didn’t know what they liked or disliked.

Kaz put down his backpack to get a drink of water and eat something to give him the strength to continue. He offered Crow a few crumbs and poured some water into his palm for him to drink. They were in this together. Because it was getting colder, Kaz wrapped himself tighter in his coat. He still had his blanket, but it would get in the way, so he left it in his bag for now.

Just think about the money you’ll get for this job. Think of all the possible ways you could make Rollins pay for what he did.

Instead, he thought about Inej, what she was doing now, if she would be introduced to the prince, her future husband, and how soon she would be his wife.

When he first noticed the light ahead, he had thought it was just an illusion, something his brain wanted to see in the darkness, but it was getting closer and closer, and suddenly Kaz reached the end of the tunnel and found himself in a cave large enough to swallow a church. It wasn’t empty or dark, but full of golden light from the treasures around it. Piles of gold coins Kaz had never seen before. Gold chests of jewels and gems. Gold goblets inlaid with gleaming diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and pearls. He even saw large gold statues of people who looked as if they belonged in another world. His eyes hurt from the golden glow. If he could get it all out, he would be the richest man in the world.

“Do you see the lamp?” Kaz asked the crow.

The bird rose into the air to look around the room as Kaz walked through the treasure, stepping over coins and avoiding chests. How was he supposed to find the lamp here when he didn’t even know what it looked like? When he reached the end of the room, he found a passage and climbed through it. Once again, he was back in the dark, his eyes needed a moment to get used to it again. Then he raised the bonelight to get a better look. This room seemed empty at first and much smaller, but when he searched it, he found a stone pedestal and a lamp on top that looked rusty and dirty.

“Is that what he wanted?”

Crow landed on the edge of the stone pedestal and examined the lamp, not getting too close. It seemed too ordinary compared to all the treasures in the previous room. Kaz reached for it, turning it from side to side in his hands. Was this really what he had come here for? Nothing else came close, so it had to be. He tucked it under his coat and turned. He had a long way back, and it would probably be many hours before he could reach the surface again. He couldn’t wait for the fresh air and the wind on his face.

“Let’s go.”

They returned to the golden room and continued toward the exit. However, Kaz turned back for a moment. There were so many things here that no one knew about. He couldn’t take much with him, but he could carry some necklaces around his neck, bracelets on his wrists, rings on his fingers, and coins in his pockets. After all, he couldn’t be sure the man wouldn’t try to trick him, and this might be his only reward. Kaz stopped and bent down to pick up the gold coins around his feet. Crow cawed loudly and tried to stop Kaz, but it was too late. As Kaz’s gloved fingers touched the first coin, the ground began to shake and debris began to fall from the ceiling.

“We have to get out of there now!” Kaz shouted.

However, the only exit was immediately buried under large chunks of rock that fell down with a loud crash that shook the ground.

“Back!”

Kaz ran back into the smaller room, Crow following close behind. He had to raise his hands to protect his head from the falling rocks. Several scratched his face and he felt hot blood running down his cheek. The crow flew through the opening first and Kaz followed just in time for the ceiling to collapse. However, it wasn’t over, and Kaz was now certain that there was no way out. The crow was jumping on the ground in panic, not knowing what to do. Kaz grabbed him and ran across the room, but there was no other way out. When the ceiling threatened to collapse, he crouched down and hid the crow in his arms.

When Kaz woke up, he was sure he had heard a voice speaking to him. It was a boy’s voice, telling him that he would have been punished for his greed, but he had redeemed himself by trying to protect the bird with his own body. However, when Kaz opened his eyes with difficulty, there was no one around, only Crow, his feathers matted with dust that looked grey in the green light of the bonelight that had surprisingly survived. Kaz tried to move, but there was no room to move. There were rocks all around him, no way out.

“Are you okay?” he asked the crow, and for a moment he was sure the bird was going to speak to him, but he just cawed.

Such a foolish thought.

His head hurt, probably from the blow, but everything else seemed fine. He could feel his legs and arms, they weren’t buried under rocks, which was a good thing. But would that be enough to get him out of here? He was so deep underground that no one would find him here, no one would even look for him, and for what? An old, rusty lamp. Kaz fumbled under his coat and found it here. There was not a scratch on the surface or none that Kaz could see. Was it worth dying? He would laugh at himself if he had the strength to do so.

“We can at least examine what we sacrificed our lives for, don’t you think?”

Crow didn’t answer, just crouched closer to Kaz. He must be frightened and Kaz was the reason he was here. If the bird hadn’t followed him, he might have been out there, flying free in the air.

“I’m sorry. Cherish it, because I don’t tend to apologise to people, let alone animals.”

This time Crow cawed weakly.

“Let’s see.”

Kaz wiped the surface of the lamp with the hem of his sleeve. There were some ornaments on it that Kaz hadn’t noticed before, but he didn’t have time to look at them properly because the lamp shook in his hands and he almost dropped it. Blue smoke began to come out of its spout, and then something formed from the smoke, something blue and large, and it rolled away large stones so Kaz could sit. The shadow became a man or something close to it, but it had no legs, just arms with gold bracelets around the wrists.

“Oh, finally,” the thing, person, or creature said, stretching its back in delight, then looking around. “What’s this place? You live here?”

Kaz blinked and carefully scrambled to his feet. He was able to stand, which was a good sign, but he was a little dizzy and his vision was still blurry at the edges. Without realising it, he was holding Crow close to his body, as if to protect him.

“Do you know how to speak?” the blue man with a bare blue chest asked again, then repeated the same question in Kerch, Fjerdan, Suli, probably Zemeni and Shu, but Kaz didn’t know much about those languages, as he only spoke Suli, Ravkan and Kerch.

“Of course I can,” he snapped.

The blue face brightened. “Perfect. Then we can talk. I’m a genie. At your service.”

Genie bowed, but it looked ridiculous, since he only had a body and no legs, just something Kaz couldn’t name.

“Why are you grimacing at me?” Genie asked suspiciously.

“I’m just trying to find out what you are.”

“What?! I am not what, I am who, a genie, as I said. For all the Saints and their unholy desires, what have I gotten myself into this time? It was still better to serve that old drunk who didn’t know the difference between good alcohol and mud.”

“Serve?”

“Serve, yes, we’re finally getting to the point. Serve. I am here to serve you. You have exactly three wishes, which I am obedient to grant. It may be whatever you want, but I’m not going to kill anyone, bring anyone back from the dead, or make anyone love anyone. And I can’t give you any more wishes.”

Kaz was sure he was still asleep. How could it be possible? Yes, that was it. He had taken another blow to the head and was probably unconscious, so he was just dreaming.

“You don’t believe me,” Genie said.

“Of course I don’t,” Kaz snapped. “You’re just my imagination, it can’t be possible.”

“Oh, let me show you what this imagination can do.”

Genie spread his arms and they burst into blue flames. Kaz stepped back just in time as the flame transformed into a dragon that tried to grab Kaz, then the dragon was gone and blue flowers rained down from the low ceiling in its place. In a split second, Kaz was no longer wearing his dusty, holey clothes, but some old military uniform that had transformed into clothes that looked like they were made of gold and silver.

“Very nice, but they’re just tricks for stupid people,” Kaz said in a cold voice. “I’m sure you can’t do anything more than show off.”

Genie’s chest puffed up. “Just tricks you said? I’m not a street magician.”

“Prove it. I’m sure you can’t even get us out of this stupid cave.”

Genie clapped his hands, and instead of a cave, they were standing at the edge of the forest. It was the middle of the night and the sky was full of stars. In the distance, Kaz could see the dark shadows of the city.

“See? No tricks,” Genie grinned contentedly.

“Good to know I still have my three wishes,” Kaz sneered.

“What?!” Genie stared at him, frowning, and then sighed. “Smart one. Fine. I’ll be careful next time.”

Kaz smirked. “We’ll see. How can I get you back?”

“Back where?”

“To the lamp. I’m not going to be wandering around the city with a giant blue balloon at my side.”

“Balloon? Did you really say that word?”

“Yes, I did. Or are you some kind of fish with that tail of yours?”

“That’s not a tail! Saints forgive me my sins, this one will surely be the death of me.”

Kaz picked up the lamp and patted it. “Come, I don’t have all night for you.”

The look on Genie’s face changed. “Do I have to? It’s a little tight in here, you know? I’ve been inside for decades, if not hundreds of years, and it feels so good to be outside.”

“Inside,” Kaz demanded.

Genie snorted. “Fine, tyrant. But I won’t try hard enough once you have your wish.”

With a soft puff, the genie disappeared back into the lamp, but Kaz could hear him muttering inside. Crow, who still looked shaken, perched on Kaz’s shoulder. He was light, so Kaz had no trouble carrying him back to the city.

“I think I have an idea for my first wish.”

But that would have to wait until he got back to the city and have some rest. He wasn’t stupid to ask Genie to take him to the attic. He wouldn’t waste his wishes on something he could do himself.

Chapter Text

Being back in the palace felt strange. Her own room didn’t feel like her own, her bed was too soft, her daily routine, the same for years, didn’t feel right. Life here was slow, much slower than on the street, when she was always on the move, following Kaz, learning, observing. She could observe in the palace too, and she knew that what she had learned would be of benefit to her, but every time it helped her notice something she would have missed before, she thought of Kaz and how she would enjoy sharing it with him and asking his opinion. As a princess, she might be surrounded by tutors, the best of the best, but none seemed as smart as a common thief. What did that say about their empire? What did it say about her?

“You’re different,” Nina said, cocking her head to get a better look at Inej.

They were sitting at the table in Inej’s private chambers, breakfast spread out around them. There was too much food for just two people, too many things to choose from, and Inej didn’t know what to choose. It didn’t feel right having so much when the people on the street had so little. She suspected it was her parents’ idea to welcome her back home like this, and Inej was once again reminded of how bad she felt. Her mother had spent the whole night in Inej’s room, sleeping on the sofa so she could be close to her daughter, and her father had only left them when the two most important women in his life were asleep. It wasn’t right. They shouldn’t be so nice to her, they should be angry and yell at her for being selfish, for all those days when they had to worry about her life. She hadn’t been kidnapped after all, not this time. No, it was her own decision, she was the one who wanted to try a different life. But they wouldn’t listen, they didn’t want to know the truth.

“How different?” Inej asked, putting a grape in her mouth. It was too sweet for her taste, but she swallowed it anyway.

“I don’t know yet,” Nina said.

She didn’t seem to mind the sweetness of the grapes or the sharpness of the oranges. Everything was too much and not enough for Inej. What was Kaz doing now? It was late in the morning, so he was probably on his way to his morning errand before moving to the attic to eat something and rest.

“So… when are you meeting him?” Nina asked.

Inej blinked in surprise. Who was she talking about? She couldn’t know what she was thinking, could she?

“Who?”

“The prince?” Nina smiled amusedly.

“Oh, yes, the prince… According to the program, we are supposed to meet in the ceremonial room this afternoon.”

“You don’t look very happy about it.”

Inej sighed. “You know my opinion on this, Nina, and it hasn’t changed. I don’t know anything about him. How can I be his wife?”

“He’s not that bad, you know,” Nina said, fiddling with the bunch of grapes. “I spent a lot of time with him while you were… gone.”

“You did?” Inej asked, this time it was her turn to be amused.

Nina grabbed the pillow she had been leaning against and threw it at Inej.

“Not like that!”

“So how?” Inej asked teasingly. “Let me guess. He’s tall and blond.”

Nina rolled her eyes. “Of course he’s tall and blond. He’s Fjerdan, for Saints’ sake. They needed someone to keep him company and entertain him enough so he wouldn’t ask where you were.”

Nina was definitely blushing, Inej was sure of that, and she suddenly became very curious to meet this prince, even though she was the one who should be marrying him.

“What’s he like?”

Nina thought about it for a moment before answering, fiddling with the grapes again. If she didn’t stop, they would have grape juice instead of fresh fruit.

“He’s actually nice. Very loyal to his family, but he’s not stupid. I don’t think he really believed that story about you being sick.”

“So I don’t have to worry about the afternoon?”

“Not at all,” Nina shook her head. “Now tell me what you’ve been doing all this time. Your parents didn’t leave you for a moment until now, so I didn’t have a chance to be with you.”

“There’s not much to say,” Inej said evasively, stopping herself in time before she reached for another bunch of grapes, which Nina had left untouched, at least for now.

“I don’t believe it. You’ve been gone for days, and yet you seem to be in one piece and maybe even... content? Glowing? Which certainly doesn’t help the story of your strange illness. Besides, I had to cover for you, you know? So I deserve some details.”

“Didn’t you say the prince wasn’t that bad? So it wasn’t that big of a sacrifice.”

Nina threw another pillow at her. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

“So?”

“So?”

“Where were you? What were you doing? Were there any boys?”

Inej felt her cheeks get warm, even though there was no reason for it, and Nina noticed it, unfortunately. There wasn’t much Nina could miss, after all, they had known each other since they were little.

“So there was a boy!” Nina cried out excitedly.

Inej put her index finger to her mouth. “Not so loud, Nina! You’re going to get me in trouble.”

Nina moved closer to Inej. “Don’t make me beg, tell me about him.”

“There’s not much...”

What should she say about Kaz so Nina wouldn’t get the wrong idea? There was no reason to think of Kaz now. He was just a temporary companion, nothing more. Her teacher of street life and manners. Finally, she told Nina about how she’d met Kaz at the market and how he’d helped her, about her days with him and the time she’d had to surrender to the guards.

“What happened to him?” Nina asked when she finished.

“I don’t know,” Inej shrugged. “I guess he returned to his business.”

Nina snorted. “Then he wasn’t worthy.”

“It’s a street rule,” Inej defended Kaz. “Besides, he couldn’t have known I’d been caught.”

“But he could have come back when he realised you’re gone.”

“Come back where? He doesn’t know who I am. And why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. You spent whole days and nights together and…”

Nina was interrupted by a pillow landing on the top of her head. They wrestled for a while until they lay on their backs on the floor, laughing so hard that they couldn’t move for a while. Besides her parents, this was what Inej had missed the most.

The day was passing too quickly for Inej’s liking. She would have liked to spend more time with Nina, and even though Nina accompanied her to the dress fitting, it wasn’t enough, because they were constantly surrounded by other people, even more than usual, as if Inej’s parents wanted more people to keep an eye on Inej. In the end, Inej insisted that Nina would be by her side when she was officially introduced to the prince. After all, Nina had been keeping him company until now, so there was no reason to hide her when Inej was back.

The first meeting was to be held in the ceremonial room with Inej’s parents, advisor Van Eck, and the Fjerdan delegation. Nothing private, just another official thing that had filled Inej’s life since she was born. This time Inej was glad, because she wasn’t ready to be alone with her future fiancé, whom she couldn’t imagine as her husband. But to refuse him would be like declaring war on Fjerda without any backup for a possible attack from Shu Han.

Inej was wearing one of her new dresses, an emerald long skirt and a top of the same colour with lace sleeves. At first glance it might have looked simple, but on closer inspection it could be seen how tiny and intricate the lace was. Although she had never cared much for fashion, unlike Nina, she could see how beautiful it was and how much effort it must have taken to make.

Inej stood by her mother, while her parents sat. Van Eck, as usual, took his place by the emperor’s side. Inej glanced at him briefly, then turned her head forward so as not to miss the arrival of the Fjerdans. There were quite a few of them, and there were still many more occupying the host wing of the palace, as maids and servants. Only the important ones had come here for this official act, the advisors, the politicians, the entourage. Inej immediately recognised the advisor who was acting on the Fjerdan side, Jarl Brum. He and Van Eck had basically arranged the whole thing. In the middle of the group, but still towering over them, was a blond young man with ice-blue eyes. Matthias Helvar, Prince of Fjerda. At first glance, Inej knew that she hadn’t been far from the truth. He was indeed more Nina’s type than hers.

Oh, you suddenly have a type?

For a moment, Inej thought about the dark colour of Kaz’s eyes, which reminded her of the strong tea she used to drink every morning, his dark hair he constantly pushed back from his forehead, but still a few strands had found their way to his eyes after all the running and jumping over rooftops.

Focus.

She kept a slight smile on her lips. Polite enough, but not too familiar. She had been trained in many smiles and their meanings. This was just one of those occasions where acting was more important than anything else. But Inej was also observing. She could tell that the man on the left wasn’t very happy with the situation. Had he not agreed to the marriage, or was he offended by the long wait? Inej was sure that many of them must have felt that this was an act on the Emperor’s part to complicate matters. Jarl Brum looked confident, almost too confident, for he probably thought too much of himself and of the things he had done for his king. Only after Inej had taken the time to examine all the members of the prince’s escort did she glance in Matthias’ direction. According to Fjerdan customs, she should be shy and reserved, but she could give her future husband a brief glance, couldn’t she?

Matthias wasn’t looking at her, but somewhere in the distance as if the whole formal introduction with all the talking didn’t concern him at all. His straight-backed posture was a bit forced, and he didn’t seem comfortable in his dark blue clothes. Inej would have chosen a lighter shade for him, to match his eyes. Everything about him was very strict, from the cut of his trousers to the stern-looking frock coat and white shirt. Would it kill him if he smiled a little? For a moment, her thoughts brought her to Kaz’s smirks, but she pushed the thought away. There was no time to think about nonsense, not when she had to follow protocol to avoid an international conflict.

After the introduction, Inej and Matthias were allowed to take a walk in the gardens accompanied by a whole group of people. Not the most important ones, of course, because they were too important for wandering around. No, Inej’s parents and both advisors remained behind closed doors to take care of all the formalities. It was just a formality after all, because the wedding had been agreed upon in advance by everyone involved. Everyone involved except the most important ones, Inej and Matthias. Looking at him now, he didn’t seem too thrilled about it, nor did she, but she could be wrong, because his expression was completely unreadable the entire time. He was polite and behaved as befitting his position, Inej couldn’t complain about that, yet something was missing. Some kind of passion or interest. Had he been the same with Nina when nothing was expected of him?

“I heard you like animals,” Inej remembered what Nina had told her.

If she was about to marry him, she needed to break through his reserved demeanour and seize the chance to get to know him.

“I do,” Matthias nodded.

His hands were behind his back, so there was no chance of their hands accidentally brushing against each other, which wouldn’t happen anyway with the distance between them. Inej was much shorter than Matthias, and walking beside him like that made her head lift so high it was unnatural.

Couldn’t they have sent someone even taller?

“Do you have one?”

“Animal? I actually do,” Matthias admitted. “Isenulf. As the younger son, I was able to go through drüskelle training.”

This was nothing new to Inej, as she had already been informed that Prince Matthias had completed his training with common soldiers who would go on to become protectors of the faith, the royal family, and the entire Fjerda.

“Was it hard?”

“They wanted to make it easy for me, but I didn’t want to be different. Why should I have exceptions that others don’t have, just because I’m a prince?”

“I can understand that.”

Matthias looked at her questioningly.

“I can throw knives, and I can use them for defence. Most of my advisors and my tutors said it wasn’t appropriate for a princess to do such things. Or climb trees.”

“Women don’t usually do such things. At least not in Fjerda.”

“Why should women have exceptions that others don’t, just because they’re women?”

Matthias narrowed his eyes, but then he smiled for the first time. “I think you got me, princess.”

“I think we’re not so different after all,” Inej smiled at him.

He may have been raised with prejudices that Inej didn’t share, but Nina was right in the end. Matthias Helvar wasn’t bad at all. They could have been really good friends, not husband and wife, if they had the choice.

The sun was slowly getting closer to the horizon, and the sky was painted in many shades of orange and pink. Inej fidgeted a little. She had been sitting in front of the mirror for too long and was starting to get impatient.

“Why are we doing this?” Inej asked.

A whole bunch of maids had been helping her with her gown, jewellery, hair, and makeup all afternoon, and Inej was tired of it. If she could just get dressed with a little help from Nina, she would be ready long ago and could use her free time for something more useful.

“It’s just a ball, Inej, not a council meeting,” Nina replied, going through the cases of mostly gold bracelets, necklaces, and earrings that were spread out everywhere.

“A council meeting would be much better.”

“Even with Van Eck?”

Inej grimaced and Nina laughed. The ball was one of the formalities before the official engagement. Inej’s mother had spent a lot of time planning everything down to the last detail, and Inej had seen her running around the palace since morning, checking the flower arrangements, the food being prepared in the kitchen, the silverware being polished just like glasses of various sizes and shapes. Everything had to be perfect, because not only all the nobles had arrived that day, but even representatives from Novyi Zem and Kerch and the King and Queen of Fjerdan. Inej had only met them once, for an official introduction. They seemed too cold to her, not like her own parents, who behaved much heartier and naturally, without having to control their every move.

“It’ll be fun, you’ll see,” Nina encouraged her. “Many customs are stupid, but this one is really good.”

“Why so?”

Inej didn’t see anything good in it. She would have to spend most of the night dancing with people she didn’t know, making conversation here and there, and being polite to everyone without exception.

“It’s supposed to be the last chance for a prince or princess to have fun before the wedding,” Nina explained. “It’s the only time you can do whatever you want, dance with whoever you want, eat whatever you want. If you decide to sulk all night on the balcony, no one would object. That’s the best part.”

“Everyone expects me to spend the night dancing with Matthias.”

Nina, dressed in a burgundy gown with a ruched skirt, put a red mask with gold decoration over her face. With red and gold feathers attached to the top of the mask, it looked amazing.

“No one will know it’s you,” Nina smiled. “That’s the point. You can dance with whoever you want. But I’m afraid your thief won’t be there.”

Inej frowned at Nina. She didn’t like to talk about such things in front of the maids, and besides, there was no “her” thief. However, Nina was right. Once she had the mask on, no one would know who was behind it. Except for her parents, of course, who knew what she was wearing, but she could still sneak out right after the start and spent the night somewhere private. Let Nina enjoy herself. After all, it was more her thing.

“What about this necklace? It might go quite well together,” Nina suggested, taking the necklace from the case to show Inej.

Inej’s stomach turned and she shook her head quickly so Nina wouldn’t notice her reaction. There was no way she could be wearing this necklace. She had given it to Kaz as payment and hadn’t seen it since. How had it gotten here? There was one explanation, one that made her sick. What if Kaz had betrayed her? Maybe he had led her to the palace to take her back, not because of the magicians or people who could swallow fire. How much had they paid him to bring the princess back to the palace? Inej was sure her parents would have given anything to have her back. Kaz was a thief, after all. He wouldn’t have resisted such a tempting opportunity.

You should have known you couldn’t fool him.

The whole conversation with Anika and Pim about the princess, the wedding, the Fjerdans, it had been just a test, and when he was sure who Inej was, he had sold her as if she were a thing, not a person, as if there was nothing close to friendship between them.

“Inej? Are you alright?”

Inej blinked and looked at Nina, who was watching her carefully.

“Of course I am. Shall we?”

“Just a few final touches,” Nina waved her hand to dismiss the maids, and made sure to secure the jewellery in its proper place. “Promise me you’ll have fun.”

“I promise.”

She wasn’t in the mood for fun after seeing the necklace, but for Nina’s sake she was willing to pretend. Maybe if she gave it a chance, it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

When the door opened, Inej’s mother peeked in.

“Are you ready, meja ?”

“I am, Mama.”

Arati stepped closer to her. “Look at you! You’re so beautiful, Inej.”

Arati gave Inej a brief kiss on the cheek. Inej felt guilty again. Her parents had always been kind to her, and she had repaid them by running away.

“Why didn’t you choose this necklace? It would look perfect,” Arati pointed to the same necklace Nina had offered her a moment ago.

“This one shouldn’t be here at all,” Inej objected weakly.

“Why? I’m so glad we got it back,” Arati gently stroked Inej’s hair. “There’s nothing to worry about, meja . He won’t hurt you again.”

Inej turned sharply to her mother. “What are you talking about?”

“About that terrible person who took you from us. He’ll get what he deserves.”

Inej’s throat went dry. When she was fourteen and she was really kidnapped, her father had come up with a new law to protect her. Anyone who tried to hurt her or took her by force would be hanged.

No, no, no. That’s not possible. They couldn’t catch Kaz. He’s too smart for that.

What had Nina said about Kaz? If he wasn’t willing to come back for you, he wasn’t worthy. How could she have thought a moment ago that he had sold her when the truth was so much worse?

Inej threw open the door, ignoring her mother and Nina’s calling. She grabbed the fabric of her skirt and lifted it up a little to make it easier for her to run. Where could her father be? He was certainly dressed for the ball, trying to complete some minor duties in the short time he had left. His work never ended. On the way, Inej zigzagged between servants and maids who didn’t even have time to react, but Inej didn’t have time to apologize. If they were going to hang Kaz, she had to stop it before it was too late.

If he died, it would be your fault.

The thought of Kaz dying made her sick. She finally made it to her father’s private chambers and burst in. Her father wasn’t there, not even in his study, where he usually spent a lot of time.

No, no, please don’t let that be true.

Inej turned quickly and ran back into the corridor. Maybe her father would be in his official office. This time she was right, and when she arrived there, almost out of breath and sweating, she found the emperor in conversation with his advisor Van Eck. Her father looked at her in surprise, Van Eck with not-so-well-concealed disapproval, but Inej didn’t care at that moment.

“Is he alive?”

Irfan blinked, looking from Inej to Van Eck and back again.

“Inej, what’s going on? Are you alright?”

“Did you hang him? Please tell me you didn’t.”

“Inej, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No one kidnapped me, Papa. I told you. I ran away on my own. Please don’t hurt him, he was just trying to help me. He wouldn’t hurt me in any way.”

Inej’s father finally realised what she was talking about, but she didn’t like the regret that settled in his expression. Her insides clenched painfully. Was it too late? Was Kaz already dead? Irfan turned to his advisor.

“The execution was supposed to happen this morning.”

“No!” Inej cried. “You can’t… You…”

She needed to support herself against her father’s desk because she felt dizzy. Kaz had died because of her, and there was nothing she could do to make it right. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to lock herself in her bedroom and never leave it again.

“If I may,” Van Eck cleared his throat. “If you’re talking about the thief, he escaped very soon after he was captured. I’ve already taken the necessary steps to punish any guards who didn’t do their jobs properly.”

Kaz is alive.

Inej felt a sudden sense of relief. At that moment, she completely forgot all her reservations about Van Eck.

“Why am I only hearing about this now?” Ifran asked.

“Your Highness has been very busy lately with the Fjerdan delegation and all the preparations for the engagement and wedding,” Van Eck said apologetically.

“I see. Have you tried to find the thief?” Irfan asked.

“We’re looking everywhere for him.”

“You can stop now, Van Eck. Thank you,” Irfan said, turning back to Inej. “You can get back to your preparations. The ball is about to start. You know how important this is.”

“I know,” Inej nodded and returned to the corridor.

When the door closed behind her, she leaned her back against the wall and took a deep breath. Kaz was alive and free.

The rooms were full of guests streaming from one side to the other, some standing in small groups and chatting, others examining tables laden with food. There was everything Inej could think of, even the most exotic fruits that had been transported from the Southern Colonies via Kerch. There were flowers everywhere, making it feel like she was in a garden. Inej and Nina, arm in arm, walked from one room to the next, taking a good look at everything that had been prepared for the ball. Inej knew that her cousins, who had travelled from the south of the country, should be there somewhere, but she didn’t feel like looking for them. Tomorrow they should spend some time together in privacy, away from so many prying eyes.

“The dancing is about to start,” Nina remarked.

“I don’t want to dance,” Inej admitted.

“You don’t have to dance with Matthias. You can choose who you want. Nobody expects you to find the prince among all those people.”

Inej giggled. “Oh, sure, I can see him there. How many people are that tall here?”

Nina laughed. “You’re right, it’s definitely him. But you can still pretend you didn’t notice him.”

“Nobody would believe me that I didn’t see the tower."

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“How can that be fun?” Inej objected. “Having to stand and wait for someone to ask me to dance isn’t fun at all, and it’s not fair. Why do the men always go first and the ladies’ choice comes later?”

“It’s actually a good thing, you know? During the first dance, you can really look around the dancers and decide who you want to dance with. Once you choose a dance partner, when it’s the women’s turn, you can stay with the same person all night, so yes, it’s in the women’s best interest, not the men’s, Inej.”

Nina was right, but Inej still wasn’t thrilled about having to dance with whoever came for her. She knew she could refuse, but it wouldn’t be very polite. Eventually Nina persuaded her, and she and Nina moved into the room where the dancing was to take place. Many of the women were already waiting on the left side of the room, looking towards the men on the other side.

“It’s more like a fox hunt,” Inej whispered to Nina. “All the men are waiting to take the best prey.”

“It sounds terrible when you put it that way,” Nina said. “I feel more like a goddess for whom men are willing to go to war, and I have the honour of rejecting them all.”

“You’re quite enjoying yourself, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely. Try it my way. It’s better than sulking.”

Inej didn’t have a chance to answer, as the fanfare sounded and the dance officially began. Nina whispered good luck to her before a man in a red uniform came up to her, bowed, and offered her an arm. Nina responded with a curt nod and a smile, and she and her dancer joined the couples who were promenading around the room. For a moment, Inej panicked. She had been so worried about dancing with some horrible man that she hadn’t considered the possibility of being left here, unchosen. Could anything be more embarrassing?

Suddenly, someone stopped right in front of her and bowed curtly to her. He was wearing black trousers and a matching tuxedo coat. His waistcoat was trimmed with silver threads that gleamed brightly, just like his silver tie, and his shirt was pure white. The mask that hid most of his face was also black, with silver ornaments around the eyes. The only thing clearly visible were his lips, which were neither thin nor thick, neither turned up nor down. Inej accepted his arm without thinking. Not that she was so desperate to dance with someone, but something about this young man (she was somehow sure he was young) intrigued her. They joined the rest of the couples on the promenade and Inej kept glancing at him, but the mask hid his expression too well. He was lean with strong arms, she could feel it through the soft fabric of his coat.

The first dance was slower, so that the dancers wouldn’t get exhausted right away. Her partner could dance very well, he led her confidently, but his touches were gentle, not commanding, not forcing. The closeness of his body, his scent, all of it caused a tingling sensation somewhere in Inej’s stomach. She had never felt like this before, and it was far from her first dance. Halfway through the song, she dared to look into his eyes. They were dark and bright like a night sky full of stars, and the shiver inside her grew stronger. When the music ended, all too soon, he walked her back to the left side of the room, bowed, and disappeared somewhere among the people around. Inej tried to catch a glimpse of him, but failed. A moment later, Nina joined her, her cheeks pink from dancing.

“Zemeni ambassador,” she announced. “He’s not a bad dancer at all. How was yours?”

“He was…,” Inej shook her head to collect herself. “I think it was Kaz.”

“Kaz?” Nina asked in surprise, looking around. “I’m sure thieves have worse haircuts than this.”

His hair looked smoother than Kaz’s, that was for sure, but his eyes... Inej needed to find him and take another good look at them, needed to hear his voice, because that was the only way she would be sure. There was no one in the whole world with the same voice. But what would Kaz be doing here? Was this part of a heist? But where would he get such expensive clothes and manners, not to mention dancing skills that he would definitely not find on the street.

“Inej? The ladies’ choice begins,” Nina gently nudged her arm to get her moving.

Inej looked around. There were so many men of different heights, weights, hair colours, clothes, and masks. The whole mess of colours and shapes made her a little dizzy. Where was her dancer? Maybe she was just imagining it, after all, Kaz would never have made it to the palace if he hadn’t been on the guest list.

You should look for someone else to dance with, or get as far away as possible.

Before she could decide, all the women moved, Nina took her hand, and she had no choice but to go with her and choose a partner for the next dance.

Chapter Text

For many people, the royal ball was the best opportunity to show off their wealth and style, a very dubious one in Kaz’s opinion. He had never seen so much bad taste in his life, and he had certainly never seen so much food in one place. He didn’t know more than half of the courses, but he was sure it would have fed the entire city. However, he didn’t have time to taste anything, even though his stomach grumbled every time he passed the banquet table.

You’re not here to have fun. You have to find Rollins.

The masks on everyone’s faces were an obstacle, but not an insurmountable one. He was Kaz Brekker, Dirthyhands, after all, and his abilities would help him get what he wanted. If only he hadn’t wasted his time like he had before. It had been such a stupid decision. He was here for his revenge, not to dance or anything else.

“Where do you think you’re going?” said a small voice near his right ear.

Kaz shook the fly off his shoulder, but it relocated and landed on his left. It was blue in the right light.

“Get away from me,” Kaz hissed angrily.

“It’s time for the ladies’ choice!” Genie objected. “You’re going to miss your chance.”

“What chance?”

“With that girl.”

“I’m not here for any girl.”

The genie laughed heartily. “Of course you’re not. Your heart almost stopped when you saw her. And then you rushed over to her so no one would steal your first dance with her. Who is she?”

There’s no way he could know, right?

Kaz fought the urge to place a hand on his chest to check his heartbeat.

“Nobody.”

“I’m sure she’s a very pretty nobody.”

“Get out of here, or someone will think I’m crazy for talking to myself like that.”

The genie made an irritated noise, but eventually flew away. Kaz was sure he would stick around and make his life more difficult. If he’d known from the start that using the lamp would have such consequences, he would have buried it with his own hands. It certainly wasn’t worth three wishes.

His first wish had brought him here, and Kaz needed to take this opportunity to find Rollins and introduce himself. After all, he wasn’t just a street thief or a demon of the night anymore. He was now the heir to a considerable fortune, the son of a merchant family from Kerch who had decided to buy a mansion in Os Alta and move here for a while. He had a clean name, a good reputation, and plenty of property, all thanks to the genie. Now he needed to make a connection that would lead him to Rollins if he couldn’t reach him directly.

This is your chance, you can’t lose it for a girl, even if she’s a princess.

It hadn’t been hard to spot Inej among the others. She seemed to glow in her dark violet gown. Her sleeveless top was decorated with intricate gold embroidery, and the same was used on the wide skirt, but not on the top, as one would expect, but on the inside, so that when she turned and the skirt swung around, the embroidery showed above her ankles, and it was such a clever way to draw attention without being cheap or predictable. Her hair was down and here and there he could see her ears with many earrings, peeked out of it. She had one very high in her earlobe and a tiny gold chain led from it to another earring below, and for a moment Kaz had felt the urge to run his fingers over it.

What’s wrong with you?

Her purple mask was inlaid with gold and amethysts that matched her necklace, and on her right side was what looked like an intricate flower. Every time she moved her hand, the gold bracelets glinted as if they were made of the sun.

“I’m sure you’re thinking about her again.”

The fly was back, perched comfortably on Kaz’s right shoulder.

“I’ll smack you flat if you don’t stop,” Kaz warned him angrily. “You’re ruining my plans.”

Can he see into my head?

“No, you’re ruining your own plans because you can’t concentrate. You’re not thinking with your head right now.”

“What do you mean?” Kaz hissed.

The genie moved to his chest and rested there for a moment before returning to his shoulder, where Kaz heard his soft, buzzing voice again.

“Your heart is beating faster than it should. Don’t you wish for something to help you? You might die of a heart attack.”

“I’m fine, just let me work.”

If it was possible for a fly to roll its eyes, it definitely happened right now. Kaz knew what Genie was doing. He was trying to make his life miserable, to get back at him for the little trick that had gotten them out of the cave. Kaz was sure it would pass, but the genie was more stubborn than he had expected.

“She’s dancing again, you know? She picked some poor guy in very cheap clothes,” Genie continued the conversation. “Whoever dressed him had no taste. Did you see his shoes? Terrible. Anyway, you know you could wear a little more colour?”

Kaz snorted. He remembered all the genie’s designs very well, all the ones he had to try on because he had no other choice. The genie simply snapped his fingers and the clothes Kaz was wearing changed. Some of the creations should never see the light of day, and Kaz was sure he would never forget them in the future. He had even felt like even Crow was laughing at him, and he was a bird with black feathers, what could he know about fashion?

“I’m supposed to be a Kerch merchant, so these colours are very appropriate,” Kaz said. “Don’t you have anything else to do? Like polishing the inside of your lamp?”

“And miss all the fun? Hell no.”

The blue fly flew away, and Kaz was pretty sure he saw it sitting on a watermelon, scaring a few people who were about to take a piece. Kaz looked around again. If it weren’t for the stupid masks, he would have found Rollins long ago (or if he could concentrate). He must be here somewhere. Suddenly his eyes fell on Inej, who was dancing with a tall brunet. Kaz’s stomach clenched and he forced himself to look away. He’d made that mistake once and he wouldn’t make it again. What had gotten into him? He didn’t need anyone to know who he really was, so getting close to Inej was almost suicide, let alone dancing with her to satisfy some strange feeling inside him that was still eating him alive.

She didn’t recognise you, how could she?

She would, though, if he didn’t keep his distance. Suddenly Kaz spotted someone. It wasn’t Rollins, but someone else entirely. Kaz couldn’t see his face, but he didn’t know what the man should look like under his mask anyway. Still, he recognised the posture, and then the voice. Why hadn’t he considered the possibility that the stranger who had wanted the lamp might be here? Kaz was glad he had the mask on now to hide his identity. If he found out who Kaz was, he would want the lamp back to use it to his own benefit.

No, the lamp is mine now.

With the crowds everywhere, Kaz had no choice but to walk around the man. He tried to act as naturally as possible and remained unseen. The man turned his head toward him for a moment, and when his eyes found Kaz, his posture changed, and Kaz was sure he recognised him somehow. He might not have been able to read the man’s expression, but he could still feel the change in the air.

Time to get out of here.

Kaz slowly and surely pushed his way through the crowd. Running would draw too much attention to him, and it wouldn’t help him at all. For a moment he caught a glimpse of Inej, who wasn’t dancing now, but standing off to the side, talking to someone. Kaz should have been more careful about other things, saving information for later, especially when he was surrounded by the most important people the country could offer, but the only one he could see was Inej, whose dark hair flowed like an endless river that he wanted to run his fingers through.

The genie ruined you completely.

Perhaps his next wish should be for a mute genie. He didn’t need his voice to fulfil wishes anyway.

Despite all the obstacles, the night at the ball, though shorter than Kaz had planned, seemed a success. It wasn’t even noon yet, and Kaz had already received many invitations to visit the wealthiest families in Os Alta. Most of them were from those with young daughters suitable for marriage, and a wealthy Kerch merchant from what could be considered a noble Kerch-type family was a very good choice. Kaz wouldn’t accept any of the invitations to make himself unavailable, and instead began looking for a business partner. It wouldn’t be long before Rollins would get caught up in Kaz’s schemes, and then Kaz could end this whole thing.

Kaz was sitting in a comfortable armchair on the balcony overlooking the palace with too much food on the table for one person, not eating, just thinking and planning, when a servant came to announce the visitor.

“A visitor?” Kaz asked.

Could it be that fast? No, it couldn’t be Rollins, not so soon.

“What should I tell them?” the servant asked.

“Tell them to wait, because I’m busy,” Kaz said, putting his feet on the table in a clear gesture.

The servant left without objection. The crow hopped around the table, pecking at something here and there. The genie was still in the lamp, because he was too talkative for this time of day, and Kaz needed some peace and quiet. He had two more wishes, and if he chose wisely, he would get more from them. The first wish really paid off. He had a house, money, a name, manners, and knowledge of things he would have had if only he had grown up in a rich family.

“I’m sure you’ll make time for me,” a voice said from behind him, and Kaz almost knocked over a fruit bowl in shock.

Before he could do anything, Inej stood before him, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy like she had at the ball, and her eyes weren’t framed in black like they were at night, but she looked more like herself in her lapis harem trousers and a tunic in a lighter shade of blue. Crow had lost interest in the food and instead perched on Inej’s shoulder. To Kaz, it was as if the bird had chosen a side in an argument.

“What’s all this about?” Inej waved her hand around.

Kaz, still with his feet on the table, leaned back comfortably against the chair again.

“What do you think?”

“I really don’t know what to make of it. They said you were the son of some wealthy Kerch merchant.”

“Maybe I am.”

Inej frowned. “You can’t be.”

“Then tell me who I am, Inej, if you know me so well.”

Inej didn’t answer, but her brows furrowed even more, a line forming between them.

“Is this part of a heist? Or what are you planning?”

“Maybe this is who I was the whole time, but you didn’t see it.”

“I doubt it. Tell me the truth, Kaz,” Inej demanded.

“Just like you told me the truth about being a princess?”

Kaz picked up a grape and lazily popped it into his mouth. He hadn’t been the one lying all along, and Inej at least had the decency to blush.

“Who are you, Kaz?” she asked, her voice lower, sending chills down his spine. “Are you Kaz Brekker, the thief I met on the street who pretends not to care about anyone else, yet helps the people around him so subtly that they wouldn’t even notice? Or are you the rich and indifferent boy who was just bored and decided to play games with the princess? Who cares about no one?”

“I’m Kaz Rietveld, nothing more, nothing less.”

Rietveld was the name he had chosen for this new identity, and he was sure Rollins wouldn’t recognise it. All the children who had passed through his hands were nameless to him, just another cheap labour, but to Kaz it was like resurrecting something long gone but that could serve him well.

“If that’s what you want,” Inej said, turning to leave.

If she had expected him to say something, he didn’t, just sat in his armchair, letting the sun warm his cheeks. It was a very nice day, but Kaz still felt cold somewhere inside, so he soon left the balcony and locked himself inside.

Everyone around him was still talking about Princess Inej’s engagement, which had taken place two days after the ball in the presence of the King and Queen of Fjerdan. Soon after, they had returned to Fjerda and left behind their son, who had to get used to the local customs and his new role. Kaz’s servants and maids soon discovered that their new master could be very irritable if he caught them gossiping, so they did their best to be neither seen nor heard, which suited Kaz best.

“Where are we going tonight?” the genie asked, flying directly under the ceiling in smooth loops.

Kaz soon discovered that once he let him out of the lamp, the genie was unstoppable, always moving, always talking, always too loud and just too much. Was it because he had been in the lamp for so long, or was it just who he was?

“Duke Radimov’s house. He seems to have a close relationship with Rollins, so it’s time to look around,” Kaz said.

Lately, Kaz had changed his strategy because things had been moving too slowly for him. It wasn’t as cautious as before, but it was getting results. First, he had started accepting invitations to noble families for tea or dinner, pretending to be the most charming companion. He always took the opportunity to talk business (which was better than his hosts wanting to talk about the upcoming royal wedding) and looked around. At night, he sneaked in again, this time through a window, to go through important documents and search the safes containing the most valuable possessions. Thanks to this, he now knew who was working with Rollins, who had connections to him, and who could be used to get Kaz to him. So far, he had not been able to find out who the man who had hired him to find the lamp was, because he had no solid lead.

“Don’t you want to be somewhere else?” Genie asked. “There will be fireworks at the palace tonight, and people are invited to watch it from the palace gardens.”

“Noble people,” Kaz corrected him.

“You’re one of them now. You can go and meet your girl.”

“Nope.”

“Come on, Kaz, where’s the fun?”

“In the lamp. You can go and see.”

The genie replied with a very rude gesture. “I can help you with other things, not just your revenge.”

The genie took another sharp turn, almost knocking over Crow, who had just flown through the window, so the bird decided to land on the desk, which seemed the safest place to be.

“I don’t need anything but my revenge,” Kaz said coldly.

“Is that so?” Genie raised an eyebrow but kept moving.

Kaz couldn’t decide whether it was more annoying that the genie kept reminding him of Inej, as if he felt obligated to make his life difficult, or that he was constantly moving and talking.

“The engagement can be called off, you know that?” Genie continued, completely ignoring Kaz’s sour expression. “It’s not impossible.”

“How can you know that?”

“Wylan told me.”

“Wylan?” Kaz asked, furrowing his brows. “Who the hell is Wylan?”

Genie began to do what looked like very strange aerial choreography, and it made Kaz dizzy, so he stubbornly stared down.

“Wylan,” Genie said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing. “You call him Crow.”

“Wylan?” Kaz repeated, looking at the bird on his desk. “Your name is Wylan?”

The crow cawed in agreement.

“What kind of fool names a bird Wylan?”

“What kind of fool names a bird Crow?” Genie objected.

“How can you talk to him?” Kaz wondered.

He still suspected the genie was making fun of him. It was quite expected of him.

“Of course I can. Unlimited power, have you forgotten?”

“Oh, sure.”

Kaz shook his head in disbelief. Not only had his genie decided that Kaz had feelings for the princess (which was nonsense, of course), but now he was conspiring with a crow behind Kaz’s back.

Unbelievable .

He should get back to his scheming. Once he had all the information he could about Rollins, he could destroy his life step by step. The man didn’t deserve a simple death, because then it would be too easy. No, death wasn’t enough, Kaz wanted him to suffer, just like every person who used to work for Hertzoon and was involved in kidnapping children and selling them into slavery had, and Kaz was the one who made sure of that.

“What if I have a second wish?”

The genie stopped suddenly and looked at Kaz excitedly.

“You do?”

“I’m just thinking about it. Could you give me magic?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like giving me the ability to do magic. The real one like you have, not the street magician tricks I already knew.”

The genie hung motionless in midair for a long time, just staring at Kaz with a blank expression. He looked as if time had stopped for him, but then he moved again as if nothing had happened.

“Don’t ask me that,” the genie shook his head.

“Why not? You want to get rid of me, you’ll get it. When I can do magic myself, I won’t need you anymore.”

Kaz was sure that the genie’s hesitation was not for any sentimental reasons, convinced that it would be better for both of them to separate. They were too different to coexist peacefully, and peace was the last thing the genie wanted.

“It’s not that easy,” Genie said.

“You claimed to have unlimited power. How could anything not be easy for you?” Kaz objected.

He had thought about it many times before. With this ability, he could do much more than just with a limit of three wishes. He could have more power, more ways to punish Rollins and defend himself against the mysterious man in black who could appear at any time once he found out who Kaz was.

“Such power comes with a price,” Genie said warningly. “You can’t have anything without consequences, and those can be very hard. There’s always another way, something less permanent.”

“Are you worried about me?” Kaz asked mockingly.

“I am,” Genie said, sounding so convincing that Kaz almost believed it.

“Sure.”

“Is that so hard to believe, Kaz? You look annoyed most of the time, but I know you enjoy our dynamic as much as I do. And don’t try to lie to me. Unlimited power, don’t you remember?”

“You can’t read my mind.

“That’s true, but I can see right through you. You’re not as mysterious as you think you are.”

Kaz grumbled under his breath. Would it be that hard to give him powers without a lecture like that? He would get revenge on Rollins and then…

What are you going to do after that? Oh, I forgot, you didn’t have a plan after your revenge, because you never really believed there would be anything after that.

Kaz pushed the thoughts away. The voice in his head, sometimes it was Jordie, sometimes it was himself, sometimes it could have been their Da, but Kaz wasn’t even sure what his voice had sounded like anymore.

Besides more wishes, there were only three things the genie couldn’t give him. Rollins’ death. His family’s resurrection and… love.

I don’t need any of that.

There was a knock on the door. Kaz turned to the genie and he disappeared into the lamp, but before he did, he frowned in displeasure. Crow flew to the lamp and stayed beside it.

“Come in.”

“Sir,” the servant bowed his head. “You have a letter from the palace.”

“From the palace?” Kaz wondered.

“Yes, sir.”

The servant placed the letter on the desk and left without another word, knowing full well that his master did not like unnecessary conversation. As the door closed, the genie flew out of the lamp and did a somersault in the air in excitement.

“That’s her, isn’t it? Hurry, open it! What does it say?”

Kaz pushed the letter away. “We have more important things to do.”

The genie pursed his lips. “Just business.”

“Business always comes first.”

Yet, Kaz kept glancing at the letter, trying to convince himself that he didn’t need to know what was inside. Finally, the genie couldn’t take it anymore, picked up the letter, and flew up to the ceiling.

“Give it back!” Kaz snarled.

“No.”

“Give it back now!”

“Is that your second wish?”

“No!”

“Fine, then the letter is mine!”

“You’re unbelievable!” Kaz was angry.

“You said you didn’t need the letter.”

“I didn’t say that.”

The crow took the letter in its beak when the genie wasn’t expecting it, and put it on the desk right in front of Kaz.

“Wylan, that was very mean,” the genie said, his arms crossed over his chest.

Crow cawed apologetically.

“I know it’s his letter... Yes, but it was just for fun, you know? ... Come on, I’ve been stuck in the lamp for so long and Kaz likes to play.”

“I don’t, and stop talking behind my back.”

“You’re facing us,” Genie reminded him.

“But I can’t understand you.”

Kaz sat down at his desk and used his knife to open the letter without breaking the royal seal. He tried not to look too impatient, but he couldn’t wait to find out what was inside. For weeks, he hadn’t seen her or heard anything more than rumours he tried not to hear. Why would he want to know what her wedding dress would look like or about her carriage ride through the city with her fiancé. He didn’t need any of that, and in fact, he shouldn’t need a letter at all.

I need to talk to you. Come to the fireworks tonight. We’ll meet in the back garden by the Rusalye fountain.

Inej

Kaz folded the letter and put it in his pocket. His heart was beating faster and stronger than it should, and he needed a moment to recover. It didn’t help that the genie was examining him like he was some kind of endangered species.

“What?” Kaz snapped.

“Nothing, just… you’re … blushing, you know that?”

“Of course I’m not.”

He never blushed, he was sure of that. Yet his cheeks were strangely warmer.

“So… we’re going tonight?” Genie asked excitedly.

“Where?”

“To the fountain.”

“Saints, can you read through paper?”

The genie shrugged and smiled mischievously, but the smile soon disappeared as Kaz grabbed the lamp and tapped it.

“You’re not going with me.”

“Why? I’ll be good, I promise. I can tell you what to say so you don’t make a fool of yourself. You know, I’ve had a lot of experience with girls… and boys,” he winked at Crow, who cawed and hopped a little further away from the genie.

“Absolutely not. It’s not a date and I don’t need you. I just need access to the palace, that’s all.”

The genie rolled his eyes, but then obediently returned to the lamp.

The sun had long since set as Kaz headed for the palace, the lamp hidden in his coat pocket. He was wearing one of those fancy clothes from the genie that helped him blend in with the crowd of wealthy people who wanted to enjoy the fireworks in the gardens. Kaz nodded in greeting, or exchanged a few words here and there. In fact, he had visited many of those people and tried to make some deals with them, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. The front gate was open to guests, and guards were checking off each name on a very long list. For that reason, the queue slowed down, and Kaz shifted his weight impatiently. It wouldn’t be long before he met Inej again. A strange feeling of anticipation was making him nervous somewhere in the pit of his stomach.

Maybe she just wants to introduce you to her fiancé.

Shut up.

Kaz clenched his jaw. He didn’t know what Inej had in mind when she had invited him, but he decided to take advantage of the unique opportunity to snoop around the palace before the fireworks started. He needed to get some information and was especially curious about the office of Advisor Jan Van Eck. He had never seen this man before, but he knew very well that he was the one who pulled the strings here.

It wasn’t that hard to get in, since the guards were concentrated in the gardens and around the entrances. Kaz only needed one open window and that was it. He didn’t make a sound, just slipped in as if it were the most ordinary thing. From his previous visit during the ball, he had a pretty good idea of ​​ the layout of the palace, so it didn’t take him long to get his bearings. Unfortunately, he had to get through a lot of representative rooms to the office wing. Since he expected the emperor’s to be at the end of the corridor, he chose the door on the right first. It was locked, which wasn’t a serious obstacle for Kaz, but it took a while. However, his first attempt was not successful and it was only on his second attempt, the door on the left, that he found what he was looking for.

It was dark inside, but Kaz used the bonelight to look around. He first went through all the papers on the desk, then searched the drawers and the bookcase. There was a lot of information about taxes, violations of the law, and a draft of a new law, but there had to be more somewhere. Finally, Kaz paid closer attention to the paintings on the wall and finally found the safe behind one. It was a very sturdy thing with a good locking mechanism, but it was nothing Kaz couldn’t handle. Suddenly, he heard the sound of fireworks and realised that he had to hurry or he would miss his meeting with Inej.

The lock finally opened and Kaz flipped through the documents. Then something caught his eye. It looked like death certificates. The first belonged to a woman named Marya Van Eck, Hendriks before she was married. It was almost ten years old, but the second was only a few years old.

Another loud bang made Kaz flinch. It was high time to get out of here before the fireworks ended and people started returning to the palace.

Kaz used the same way as before, even sneaking through the same window. The sky flashed with colours and Kaz paused for a moment to look at it, mesmerized by the beauty of the different shapes and the perfect harmony of the light patterns. He could have stared at it for much longer, but he needed to be somewhere else now.

He avoided the people in the courtyard outside the palace and continued around the walls to the back, where there should be a fountain that Inej had mentioned in her letter. His mind should be on more important things now, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t focus.

Finally, he spotted a fountain with something that looked like a dragon and a water serpent at the same time, and he stepped into the light from the fireworks high in the sky. He still couldn’t see Inej, but he knew how well she was able to hide, so he probably wouldn’t spot her until the last moment. He hadn’t gone more than a few steps when someone grabbed him from behind. Two sets of strong hands immobilize his arms, so no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t free himself. The men were much stronger and taller than he was, and when they decided to drag him to the fountain, he had no choice. Suddenly a shadow appeared, but it wasn’t Inej, but someone taller and wider than her.

“I heard someone is snooping around my business.”

Although he couldn’t see the face hidden in the shadow of the fountain, he recognised the voice immediately. This was the man Kaz had been looking for for so long. The man who had ruined his life upside down.

“Rollins,” Kaz hissed.

“That’s me. Bring him closer.”

The men pushed him to the fountain and forced him to his knees, still holding him so tightly that his wrists would undoubtedly be bruised tomorrow. If he could only reach for the lamp, just a light touch would be enough and the genie would help him out of this mess. Not that Kaz wanted to waste his wish, but he suspected that this meeting with Rollins would not end well for him. Where was Inej? Probably somewhere on the balcony of her palace, enjoying the fireworks with her fiancé, unaware that someone had used her name to get Kaz here and she would never know.

“Bring me that thing, I’m sure he has it with him,” Rollins ordered.

A third man, whom Kaz had not noticed before, stepped closer. Kaz struggled, but it was no use. The men wouldn’t let him move at all and trod on his legs, so the third man easily found the lamp and brought it to Rollins, who took it in his hands and turned it from side to side.

“Such an ugly thing. But if the sorcerer wants it, let it be his. I’ll be the one to profit from it. Take care of him.”

Rollins turned his back on Kaz and disappeared into the trees and bushes. Kaz wanted to call him back and spit in his face, but before he could make a sound, the men threw his body over the edge of the fountain and submerged his head in the water. His legs kicked in the air, but it was no use. He had no lamp, nothing to help him, and he was drowning. There would be no one to give Rollins what he deserved. There would be no one to stop the sorcerer from using the genie for something terrible. There would be no one to tell Inej…

The water got into Kaz’s lungs, and he knew it was over. There was no point in fighting back, because he had lost. He was too cocky, too confident in his cleverness, to realise that he had walked right into a trap.

Inej.

Kaz found the last of his strength to fight for his life and managed to get his head above the water for a breath of fresh air, but no more, because he was back in the water. So many things would remain unsaid and Inej would never know… She would never know how much light she had brought to his life, how much he…

The world around him plunged into darkness and cold and eternal silence.

Chapter Text

Inej knew she was in trouble the moment she returned to the palace from her unplanned visit to Kaz. Unplanned, because when she had woken up the morning after the ball, she had no idea of ​​ the rumours that had begun to spread through the palace and the residences of the noble families in the city. So at first, Inej had stayed in bed, thinking about her mysterious dancer, who had disappeared somewhere before the ball ended. She had caught a glimpse of him once, but he was gone before she could follow him. However, when Nina rushed into Inej’s chambers for breakfast, she had brought the news that everyone was talking about. A merchant’s son from Kerch, apparently very wealthy, had moved to Os Alta and had attended the ball the previous night. Inej didn’t need to know any more to realise that it was all about Kaz.

“His Majesty the Emperor awaits you, Princess,” one of the servants told her as she entered the palace.

Inej sighed. She knew her decision would have consequences, and it was time to face whatever came. She followed the servant without any objections to her father’s office, and then she was left alone in the emperor’s company. Irfan sat behind his desk, his arms folded across his chest, and Inej felt like a little girl who had done something she shouldn’t have. Which was, in fact, true.

“Where have you been?”

“I just needed to see someone,” Inej replied evasively.

She couldn’t tell him that the same thief who had almost been hanged for her kidnapping now had his residence right across the street, with a full view of the palace, and had even been present at the royal ball the night before.

“Someone?” Irfan raised an eyebrow.

Inej nodded silently.

“Inej,” her father said slowly. “You know what’s at stake here.”

“I know,” she said, fighting the urge to lower her eyes to the ground.

“If anyone saw you enter someone else’s house, we’d be in big trouble. The Fjerdans... If they found out, we’d face an international scandal and it would jeopardise the whole wedding.”

The wedding, everything was still about the wedding, and Inej was already sick of it, but she knew they needed the wedding and the alliance with Fjerda.

“No one saw me, I was careful,” Inej said, pointing to the hood that had been covering her head the entire time she was out on the street. She had only taken it off when she stepped onto the balcony where Kaz had been sitting.

Irfan narrowed his eyes. “Do you really think that’s enough? Did you think of the guard you yelled at and forced to let you leave the palace?”

Inej swallowed and shook her head.

“He’s already been punished. Because of you. And he wasn’t the only one who saw you leave the palace. There are many people around with eyes and ears, Inej. You have to be more careful.”

“I will.”

After all, she had no reason to leave the palace now. No, she didn’t need Kaz in her life, not after the way he had behaved. He didn’t deserve her taking risks and jeopardising more important things for him.

“Tomorrow you will be engaged to Prince Matthias,” Irfan announced. “Do you agree?”

Inej blinked in surprise. Did she have a choice?

“Can I disagree?”

Irfan dropped his hands from his chest and for the first time looked uncertain, not stern as before. He looked more like a father than an emperor.

“I can see that you are not very happy about this marriage, but I am sure that Matthias is a good man. We wouldn’t let anyone who is not worthy come near you, you know that? He will be kind to you and won’t cross the line if you don’t want to.”

This time Inej lowered her eyes to the tips of her shoes. She had never told anyone except Nina what had happened to her when she was kidnapped. She had been ashamed then, even though it wasn’t her fault at all. No one asked to be raped, after all. But she had been too young and hadn’t understood it as much as she did now, years later, having to live with the memory and the shame of not being as pure as she should have been before her wedding, and not by her own choice. Could her parents know? Or did they suspect she was hiding something from them?

“I couldn’t protect you before,” Irfan said. “And I don’t want to do it again. I’m sure Matthias will be able to protect you.”

“I can protect myself,” Inej argued.

“I’m sure of that. You’ve become stronger and I’m proud of you for it, but there are things you can’t defend yourself against. War. When an army comes to the city, they show no mercy, and a princess can only become an object for…” Irfan paused and took a deep breath. “We can’t let our country be destroyed and you be harmed.”

“I don’t love Matthias and I never will.”

“But can you be friends with him?”

Inej thought about it. “I guess so.”

“If there was any other way, I’d do everything in my power to give you a choice so you could decide who you want by your side.”

“There is no one else I’d want to marry,” Inej said, thinking about the coldness she had felt from Kaz.

He didn’t care about her at all, so why should she care about him?

“I agree to the engagement, Papa.”

A large crowd had gathered in the courtyard outside the palace, watching coloured sparks in the dark sky. It was noisy, but wonderful at the same time. Inej wouldn’t have taken her eyes off it, but she searched the people below for one person in particular. She couldn’t know if he would be there, but she still hoped to catch a glimpse of him at least once. She had been angry with him for weeks, trying her best to forget him, and she had been convinced it was working, but once she had stepped onto the balcony, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She missed him, which was pathetic, considering she didn’t really know who he was. The thief, or the merchant’s son? Was there something about what they had experienced together, true or not? If she knew, maybe she could push all thoughts of him out of her mind. For now, she wasn’t able to do that yet.

During the day, when Inej had been attending official events with Matthias by her side, she hadn’t thought about Kaz, not once, but here, above the other people with the whole city in front of her, as if it were within her reach, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she had felt during her dance with Kaz, how he had saved her and helped her even though he didn’t have to, and she kept thinking about their days together. If he really was from Kerch and new to the city, how could he move around the streets and over the rooftops as if he had lived there for years? It could all be one big scheme, but for what? If he wanted to get to her, why would he push her away? Maybe if she could track down Anika and Pim, she could ask them what they knew about Kaz. However, her parents were still angry with her for leaving the palace after the ball, and they kept an eye on her, and if they couldn’t, they had other people to do it for them.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Nina leaned closer to her and squeezed her hand.

Matthias stood on the other side of Nina, further away from Inej, which suited her quite well. In the previous weeks, Inej and Matthias had found some things they shared, like faith, even if it was different for each of them. They both disliked being the centre of attention, and were loyal to their families.

“Inej?” Nina turned to see that Inej wasn’t looking at the sky at all, but somewhere down on the balcony where it was just the three of them.

“Hmm.”

Since Inej and Matthias were already engaged and the wedding would be in a few weeks, their retinue didn’t think it necessary to accompany them most of the time. They had Nina to make sure they didn’t act inappropriately after all. If only they knew that it was Inej who had caught Nina and Matthias in a compromising situation just before the fireworks started.

“Are you mad at me?” Nina asked in a whisper so that Matthias wouldn’t hear her.

It was quite unnecessary, since the fireworks were making a lot of noise.

“Why?”

“You know… it wasn’t… I just… We were talking about something and I hugged him. I think he was surprised.”

“Nina,” Inej turned to her best friend. “You know I don’t look at Matthias like that.”

“But he’s going to be your husband…”

Inej glanced at Matthias, who was still watching the sky. They probably should have had a serious conversation earlier, so they both knew where they stood and could agree on what their marriage would look like.

Nina felt bad now, although even if Inej caught them kissing, she wouldn’t have minded at all. In fact, she felt a little jealous. Not that she wanted to hug Matthias, not at all. No, she just realised that there was something missing in her life, or more likely, someone who would completely understand her and accept her for who she was and love her for who she was.

“If I could, I would leave him to you.”

Despite the darkness of the night, Inej couldn’t miss that Nina was blushing. It was quite unusual for her. Matthias finally realised that the fireworks weren’t the most important thing for either girl right now, but before he could say or do anything, something small and dark appeared in the sky, and only as it got closer did Inej recognise Crow. She had never seen him in the palace before, only in Kaz’s company, and for a moment her heart started beating faster. Maybe Kaz was closer than she had thought. The crow, however, did not land on her shoulder as usual, but flew around her frantically, probably cawing loudly, but Inej could not hear anything at all because of the noise made by the fireworks.

“What’s wrong?”

“What is that?” Nina asked, looking from the bird to Inej and back.

“I don’t know, but I think something is wrong with Kaz.”

“Kaz?” Nina’s eyes widened.

“Can you take me to him?” Inej asked the bird.

Crow cawed in response, flew a little further, and then turned to Inej in a clear gesture. Inej did not hesitate and threw her leg over the edge of the balcony.

“Inej!” Nina cried out. “You can’t be serious.”

“There’s a creeper on the wall. It’s quite strong, so I can use it to climb,” Inej explained quickly.

“This is madness,” Matthias said in horror.

“Kaz is in danger. I have to help him.”

Inej swung her other leg over the edge, holding on to the wall until her feet found support before she began to climb. She could see Nina and Matthias’ shocked expressions above her. It didn’t take long for her to feel solid ground beneath her feet, and when she looked around, she saw Crow hovering just a short distance away. The bird seemed stressed at first glance, and fear gripped Inej’s heart.

“Lead me.”

The crow didn’t hesitate and flew around the palace wall, and Inej ran right after him, not thinking about the guards or anyone else. It just occurred to her that they were moving away from the guests in the courtyard, and she could only hear the sounds of fireworks behind them, and occasionally the sky would flash a different colour. Soon it would be over and everyone would return to their homes.

Once they were at the back of the palace, the crow flew off into the gardens, and Inej’s heart nearly stopped when she saw the fountain in front of her. She passed the crow, and with each quick step she took, she became more and more certain that it was a human body hanging over the edge of the fountain. She couldn’t tell who the person was from a distance, but she knew it somehow.

“Kaz!”

Half of his body was on the ground, the other half in the water, face down. Inej pulled him out onto the grass and turned him onto his back. His eyes were closed, and his face was pale beneath the wet strands of dark hair.

“Kaz, please open your eyes!”

The crow was flying above them in panic, and Inej didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t be dead, could he?

“Kaz, please come back to me, you can’t leave me like this.”

Suddenly she heard noises and stomping, and when she looked up, she saw Matthias and Nina rushing towards her. Nina fell to her knees beside her, not caring at all about her dress.

“Let me.”

Matthias turned Kaz on his side and opened his mouth. A little water came out. Then he laid him on his back again and leaned closer to his mouth.

“He’s not breathing. We need to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Tilt his head back a little, pinch his nostrils shut and give him a breath.”

Matthias started pressing Kaz’s chest at regular intervals, and Inej did everything as he said. Her hands were shaking, but she didn’t care. Her mouth covered Kaz’s, and she tried her best to do it right.

“One more time,” Matthias instructed.

Please, don’t be dead, please Kaz.

At that moment, she didn’t care who he really was or whether he was lying to her or not. She just wanted him to open his dark brown eyes again, so she could see life in them, not the paleness and stillness of the body beneath her. She didn’t want him to turn into a cold corpse under her lips.

They repeated it a few more times. Nina took over the pressing of Kaz’s chest, and just as Inej began to think they were late, Kaz’s chest moved on its own, he opened his eyes, and he began to cough. Matthias quickly turned him onto his side, and more and more water came out of Kaz, until he was just breathing heavily.

“We need to warm him up,” Nina said. “Matthias, can you take him inside?”

Matthias needed no more. He took Kaz under his arms, and Inej ran ahead of them, leading him through the side entrance to the palace and then to her chambers, because at that moment she couldn’t think of anything else. They were lucky that the fireworks were just ending, so everyone was still outside, even the servants and maids who couldn’t miss the show.

Matthias and Nina stripped Kaz of his clothes while Inej ran to get another blanket they could use, knowing that just one wouldn’t be enough. When she returned, Kaz was already wrapped in one blanket, and with Nina’s help, they put another on him. Kaz didn’t seem to be fully aware of what was happening to him at the moment, but he was breathing regularly, lying on his side, his hair still wet, and shivering.

“What was that?” Nina asked breathlessly as she landed heavily on the edge of Inej’s bed.

“I don’t know,” Inej admitted.

The crow that had followed them inside landed on the bed, where it could see Kaz’s face, and stood there motionless.

“It looked like attempted murder to me,” Matthias said. “I suspect you know him.”

“I do,” Inej nodded, then paused, unsure of what she wanted or could say about Kaz.

“So that’s your thief?” Nina asked, eyeing the boy curiously from afar.

“A thief?” Matthias repeated.

“Oh, don’t be so judgmental, Matthias.”

“I’m not! I just…”

“What?”

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to Inej,” Matthias admitted.

They both looked at Inej, who had been watching their exchange without getting involved. In fact, she was touched that both Nina and Matthias were thinking of her well-being, especially Matthias, who hadn’t known her for long.

“I think we should talk,” Inej said. “Later.”

Matthias nodded understandingly. Now was not the time, because once Inej’s parents got back from the fireworks, they would be wondering where their daughter was, and she didn’t need any of them here right now.

Oh, Mama, Papa, that’s the thief you almost hanged a few weeks ago.

That would go really well.

“Nina, could you tell my parents that I was tired and went to bed?” Inej asked.

“I’ll tell them that you don’t want anyone to disturb you in the morning because... you’re sick?” Nina suggested.

“That could work,” Inej nodded. “No maids, no one, just you.”

Only then did Matthias seem to realise that he had entered the girl’s chambers, and he looked very ashamed. It was quite funny considering that they would soon be married.

When Nina and Matthias had left, Inej moved to her bed, which was occupied by Kaz. His hair was still wet, but his skin didn’t look as pale in the lamplight as it had before. He was still shivering a little, but he managed to push himself up into a sitting position.

“How are you feeling?” Inej asked softly, too softly for her liking, but she couldn’t help it.

Not long ago, she had thought she had lost him, and the tight feeling inside her hadn’t gone away. She didn’t want to think about a world without him.

“Wet.”

He released his hand from the covers, and Crow hopped on it without hesitation.

“He saved your life,” Inej said. “Without him, I wouldn’t know where to find her.”

Kaz looked at the crow as if trying to solve some mystery, but then he looked back at Inej.

“I should go.”

“Where?” Inej asked, pushing him back into bed when he tried to get up. “You’re not going anywhere. Someone just tried to kill you.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know.”

“Don’t be so mean. I’m just trying to help you. Can’t you be at least a little grateful? I just pulled you half dead out of that damn fountain!”

And gave you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Only then did Inej realise that her lips were touching his as if they were kissing. She might have been ashamed if Kaz hadn’t been such a stubborn idiot.

“Just say thank you and go back to bed, because you’re not going anywhere until you tell me what happened.”

Kaz clenched his jaw and glared at Inej.

“This is none of your business,” Kaz hissed.

“Oh, really? You’re in my bed now, of course it’s my business.”

“No, it’s not.”

Inej threw up her hands in frustration. How could she miss him when he was so mean to her? She hadn’t done anything to deserve this, had she? Dealing with such an idiot. This was their second encounter since she’d been back at the palace, and Kaz had acted like this both times. Not that he’d been perfect before, but back on the street, in his attic, he was just different in some way.

“Are you still mad at me for lying to you about who I am?” she asked.

“Why should I? I figured it out myself.”

“They wanted to hang you because of me.”

“Maybe it would be better than drowning,” Kaz said.

Inej didn’t know what had gotten into her, but her hand was faster than her brain, and she hit Kaz’s face hard, leaving a red spot on his pale skin. Kaz opened his mouth in pure shock, but no words came out.

“You’ll stay here overnight and leave in the morning. I’m done with you.”

With that, Inej rearranged the cushions on the sofa, pulled the top cover off the bed, and lay down to sleep. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to let her mind rest in the world of dreams.

When she woke up before sunrise, Kaz was gone, and for some strange reason Inej felt even angrier than before. The crow, however, stayed, watching her every move, as if he felt the same frustration as she did.

“He’s impossible, isn’t he?” she asked, letting the bird perch on her shoulder.

That calmed her down a little.

“We don’t want him killed, do we?”

The crow cawed, sounding like he agreed with her.

“If we don’t stop him, he’ll definitely lose his life this time,” Inej muttered.

Then something occurred to her. She hurried to her desk in the other room, pulled a piece of paper from a drawer, and a pen and wrote a short message.

“Do you think you can deliver this to Anika and Pim? I know you’re not a pigeon. You’re too smart, but I have no way of contacting them.”

Crow hopped over to the desk and let her tie a note to his leg. Inej watched him from the window until he was completely out of sight. It was still too early for this part of the city to come to life, but the palace was already bustling with maids and servants. Could it be time to discuss some matters with Matthias? She knew where his chambers were, but she wouldn’t be able to get there through his retinue, so it would have to wait. But what should she do until then? How long might it take for Crow to find Anika and Pim? Would they come as she had asked? She couldn’t be sure, but she really needed to talk to them, because they were the only ones who could answer some of her questions about Kaz.

Fortunately, Nina hadn’t slept well just like Inej, and she joined her in watching the sun rise in the morning sky.

“I guess your thief disappeared just like he did at the ball, didn’t he?” Nina asked, looking at Inej suspiciously.

“I hope he’s not dead by now,” Inej muttered.

She was still angry with Kaz, but she was also worried about him. She knew she had to be missing something, something that would help her make sense of things. Kaz had to have a reason for his strange behaviour.

“Do you have any idea who wanted to kill him?”

Inej shook her head. It was all so complicated even without the attempted murder.

“Did you notice he left his jacket here?”

“What?” Inej turned to where Nina was pointing.

Indeed, Kaz’s jacket was still draped over the chair where they had left it yesterday. Nina didn’t wait for anything and started rummaging through the pockets.

“Matthias would be horrified, but fortunately he’s so shy that he won’t even show himself in the corridor,” Nina said with a grin.

“Do you have anything?” Inej asked impatiently.

If Kaz had forgotten something here, it was his fault and permission for them to do whatever they wanted with it. Nina pulled a folded sheet of paper from the inside pocket. It looked like it had had a hard time as well and must have been very wet, so it was clear that if they tried to unfold it, it would probably fall apart, and the ink was obviously completely smudged anyway. However, one thing had survived. Inej’s seal on the letter.

The sun was a little higher in the sky when Inej climbed over the palace wall. Nina flirted with the guards in the gardens to buy her time, and Inej was sure that she would give her as much as she needed, because flirting was Nina’s superpower. No one was better at it than her. Inej sat at the top of the wall for a while, looking around. The street below was not yet busy at all, because all the rich families preferred to take a long sleep after the night’s fireworks, only here and there a servant or maid appeared on their morning errands.

Inej carefully climbed down and hurried to Anika and Pim, who were standing behind a tree full of blossoms. They were looking around mistrustfully and both started when Inej joined them.

“Oh Saints, don’t you ever dare do that again,” Anika warned her, pressing her hand to her chest. “I almost had a heart attack.”

“What kind of clothes are these?” Pim looked at Inej suspiciously.

Anika rolled her eyes. “You really didn’t get it yet?”

“Get what?”

“Inej is a princess, you idiot.”

Inej shrugged and gave a small bow that made Anika laugh. Inej was glad she hadn’t stopped trusting her completely, even though she knew her position.

“Your message said it was about Kaz,” Anika went straight to business. “We haven’t seen him in weeks and we’re starting to worry.”

“Has this happened before?” Inej asked.

“Sometimes he’s just too busy with his own schemes to think about us, but this is just too long. I don’t think he’s ever left the city since we’ve known each other,” Anika said.

“And how long has it been?”

Anika and Pim exchanged glances, as if considering.

“A few years, I think,” Pim replied. “We were still skinny children then.”

“You’re still pretty skinny,” Inej pointed out.

“As a princess, you should be fat, that’s my opinion,” Anika grinned.

“So you don’t know anything about what Kaz might be doing?”

This time Anika’s face became serious.

“Actually, I was starting to worry a little bit that he did something stupid to get his...,” she stopped and bit her tongue.

“His...?” Inej prompted.

“Why do you want to know about him?” Pim asked.

Inej knew there wasn’t much she could give them to trust her, so she decided to tell the truth.

“Kaz has been living here on this street for a few weeks and claims to be the son of a rich merchant from Ketterdam.”

Anika and Pim’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious. How would he get the house and the money?”

“I was wondering if you could think of anything,” Inej admitted.

Anika and Pim shook their heads.

“Kaz is from Kerch, just like us, but he came from a poor family, that’s for sure,” Anika said.

Inej should be satisfied that she knew that the Kaz on the street was the real one, not the arrogant rich boy he played, but it still didn’t give her what she needed. The reason.

“I just want to help him,” she said. “He got into trouble. Someone tried to kill him last night, and Kaz is just... He doesn’t want anyone to help him, and I’m sure it’s going to turn against him soon.”

A silent conversation was going on between Anika and Pim, and they seemed to have reached an agreement.

“There’s something Kaz would do anything for,” Anika finally said.

“What is it?”

“His revenge.”

“We don’t know who the target is,” Pim admitted. “But Kaz has been working for years to find this man. He must have hurt him a lot since Kaz would do everything to get to him.”

Inej bit her lip, thinking about it. If anything bad happened in Kaz’s past, it had to have been before he met Anika and Pim, when he was just a child. Was it worth losing his own life?

“Can you keep your eyes and ears open?” she asked them. “If you hear or see anything that might be related to Kaz, let me know.”

“How can we contact you?” Anika asked matter-of-factly.

Inej thought about it for a moment. There really wasn’t a good way to reach her in the usual way.

“The crow,” Inej realised. “I’m sure he shows up once in a while, and he’s the only one who can get into the palace unnoticed.”

When Anika and Pim left, Inej’s gaze drifted to the house that was supposed to be Kaz’s. She could go and check if he was there, but there was no time. The guards who patrolled the palace from the outside could show up at any moment, and Nina had been keeping the others busy inside for far too long.

Time to go back.

When Inej and Nina returned to the palace, Inej was still lost in thought, trying to figure out who the person Kaz had gone against was, and if it was the same person who had tried to kill him yesterday. But that would mean that person had access to the palace. But why had they used the fountain in the garden to get rid of Kaz? Was it some kind of message that Inej didn’t understand?

“Something’s wrong,” Nina stopped abruptly.

“What?” Inej looked around, not understanding what Nina meant.

There was nothing around to indicate that anything was wrong, but Nina was right. While they were outside, something had changed, and when the servant hurried to Inej to tell her that the emperor was waiting for her, Inej’s throat tightened with foreboding.

“Should I come with you?” Nina asked.

The servant shook his head. “Only the princess.”

He bowed to Nina and escorted Inej down the corridor. Inej took one last look at Nina. Her friend stood in the same place, completely still, but then she moved quickly, hurrying somewhere. Inej suspected she might know where.

The servant opened the door for her, then closed it again once Inej was inside. Her father stood by the window, looking out, as if lost in thought.

“Papa?” Inej addressed him, when he didn’t react to her presence in any way.

The emperor didn’t turn to her. “We need to make some changes.”

“Changes?” Inej repeated, frowning.

What changes?

“The Fjerdans haven’t accepted all our new demands.”

What new demands?

It had seemed that everything had been settled, all the formalities for the wedding and only some preparations for the wedding were in progress. After all, most of the discussion with the Fjerdans had been realised before Matthias had even arrived here.

“What are you talking about?” Inej asked breathlessly.

Her father was acting strangely. He didn’t give her a single look, as if she wasn’t important. He had never been like that, not even when she and Nina had been up to mischief as children. Maybe he had found out about Kaz and was punishing her like that. But why hadn’t he said something? It was unlike him.

“I sent them away.”

“You did what?”

“I sent the Fjerdans away. We don’t need them.”

“But the army... Shu Han,” Inej protested weakly.

It made no sense at all. She didn’t like the prospect of her wedding at all, but it had its reasons, and very important ones. Hadn’t she been told all along that cancelling the wedding would lead to an incident and war with Fjerda?

Irfan waved his hand dismissively. “Your future husband will take care of that.”

“My future husband?”

“Yes. It will be all sorted out by the end of the week.”

Chapter Text

Kaz was sitting in his chair, his face in his hands, trying to pretend his whole world wasn’t falling apart. How could he have made such a stupid mistake and almost gotten himself killed? And why? Because of a girl who could never be his? He should have known the letter wasn’t from Inej. He should have known, and yet he had put not only himself in danger, but Inej as well. Someone wanted him dead, and knew that using Inej’s name would help. That meant Inej might be in danger now, too. Because of him.

Do you think pushing her away will help?

He had tried this strategy, and it had clearly worked, hadn’t it? Once she was married and no longer associated with Kaz, it should keep her safe. She was a princess, after all, safely guarded behind the palace walls. Yet someone had tried to murder Kaz right in the royal gardens. It was no accident. It was a well-thought-out plan, and it could only mean that the person behind it was very powerful and probably trying to gain even more power. Plus, that person knew something they shouldn’t have. Rollins must be working with someone else or for someone who had helped him rise so high in the social ladder. The question was whether Rollins was stupid enough to give the lamp to this person or not. Maybe he didn’t know what it was or how it could be used. Still, there were too many places the lamp could be, and too many possibilities for what it could cause.

Kaz opened a drawer of his desk to find one particular piece of paper to go over his notes again. But he found something else. Every single piece of paper he had stored, his notes, his schemes, his rough sketches of building plans, was filled with someone else’s handwriting that was very difficult to decipher. It was even worse than Kaz’s one, and that was really something. After all, Kaz’s education had been very irregular and brief. When he was still living on the farm with his family, he had only gone to school when there was no work in the fields, and after his father died when Kaz was only nine, it had stopped altogether. Or for a very long time, until Kaz had broken into the house of a rich man who had the largest library Kaz had ever seen. He was so amazed that he couldn’t move for a long time, his eyes wandering from one title on the spine to the next. That night he had stolen his first books and couldn’t stop from then on. Books on history, economics, politics, biology, just about anything he could get his hands on, it was as if he was never full of information. When he read his first book, he found that everything he had ever read had been stored in his head, word for word.

All the strange notes on the papers were placed on the sides, above or below, using every empty space. At first Kaz wasn’t sure what they were, but he soon realised.

This plan is absolute nonsense, you should listen to me more.

Do you really want this in your life?

This wasn’t the best idea either. Try something better.

Can you really count all those numbers in your head? How come I can’t? Unlimited power sucks.

There were more, a lot more. Almost every piece of paper was decorated with Genie’s nonsense, some even had pictures, very amateurish sketches of Genie, Kaz, and Crow, and then there were the initials JF randomly scattered around. Finally, Kaz found what looked like a letter at the very bottom of the drawer.

Dear Master (I laugh at this.)

If you’re reading this, it means you had your last wish and I’m gone, back in the lamp. I know full well that you don’t need any of those notes since you remember it all. Anyway, I really hope you didn’t wish for unlimited power. It may seem great at first, but trust me, it’s not. You gain power, but you lose everything else.

You bet too much on your revenge and you can lose more than you know. I gambled too much, you know, and I lost. And then I lost again. And again. I pawned my father’s farm to get more money, and I lost it all. Finally, someone offered me so much that I couldn’t resist. If I won, it could save me, the farm, everything, but I had nothing to offer but my life. So I did it, I bet my own life. It seemed so easy at first. I won the first game, but then I kept losing. I didn’t know the man was a wizard, and when it was over, I ended up in a lamp for decades and decades. My father is dead, and so is everyone else I knew. No one even remembers me. Do you want to be forgotten like me?

I really hope you’re as smart as you look.

JF

Kaz’s stomach dropped. Genie was gone now. Crow was gone and probably never coming back. Inej didn’t want to see him again. He couldn’t go back to the streets and live the same life he had before, but he couldn’t forget his revenge either. He still had his mansion, his money, his servants, because losing the genie didn’t mean losing what had brought him his first wish. But he still felt like he had lost already.

You still have your revenge.

But how to get to Rollins when he already knew about him?

He doesn’t know you’re alive.

Kaz could use that to his advantage and attack while Rollins was lulled into a false sense of security. He could... But there was no body found in the fountain, so maybe they knew, or at least suspected, that something had gone wrong with their plan.

Kaz’s thoughts were interrupted when two things happened at once. A crow flew in through the open window, then there was a knock on the door, and the servant peered cautiously inside, knowing full well that his master was not in the best of moods.

“Sir, you have a visitor.”

Kaz thought for a stupid moment that it might be Inej, just like the day after the ball, but he knew full well that it wouldn’t be her. After all, she had slapped him and told him she was done with him, which was a good decision. Staying around Kaz would only put her in more danger, and that was something Kaz couldn’t allow. His revenge was his alone and should not endanger anyone else, especially not Inej.

Kaz wanted to tell the servant that he would not be receiving any visitors, but his long silence was probably interpreted as approval, because the servant turned to leave and returned a moment later with a tall, strong-looking young man. His blond hair was long and wavy at the ends, and his clothes looked expensive at first glance, even though he had probably wanted them to look like ordinary clothes for casual use.

“We’ve met before,” the visitor said without any introduction, once they were alone.

“I know.”

Kaz’s memories of the moments after waking from almost certain death were a little blurry, but he would never forget this face. After all, this young man would soon become Inej’s husband. He would lie in her bed, and she would carry his children.

“What could a prince want from a common thief?” Kaz asked, a sour taste in his mouth.

His tone was not as sharp as usual, he was tired. Just tired of everything.

“Inej cares for you in some way,” Prince Matthias said matter-of-factly.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Matthias narrowed his eyes, but made no comment.

“Something happened at the palace.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Kaz snapped. “It’ll be your palace soon.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Matthias retorted.

For the first time since Matthias had arrived, something caught Kaz’s attention. Not that he immediately considered the possibility of Inej backing out of the marriage. Not at all.

“This morning the emperor cancelled the wedding, saying that we had broken some promises and were unwilling to cooperate,” Matthias continued. “Which is a lie.”

It sounded like he was reciting from a book, not talking about his own life and his own ruined marriage.

“Why would he do that?” Kaz asked. “He needs Fjerdans to defend his country.”

Matthias frowned, studying Kaz more closely. “How do you know?”

Kaz shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious.”

His mind raced, his expression betraying nothing at all. Such a move would have been incredibly stupid if the emperor had no other solution to his problem. What could it be? Ravka didn’t lack money, because they, or rather the advisor Van Eck, had found ways to save and secure a stable income, but they still lacked weapons, people and proper training. To achieve that, they would have to dismiss the general and all the other men in high military positions and find more capable ones. But such a complete transformation of the army would require much more time and much more money, which they had invested in other things. Like roads. New water wells.

“Why would he do that?” Kaz mused aloud.

“I don’t really know,” Matthias admitted. “Last night everything seemed normal, but suddenly the entire Fjerdan delegation was sent back to Fjerda in the morning.”

“And it was the emperor’s decision?”

Matthias nodded.

“Why are you telling me this?” Kaz asked suspiciously.

He didn’t even know how Matthias had found out where he lived if Inej hadn’t told him. Or maybe the crow had led him here? Kaz glanced at the bird, which had been silent the whole time, just sitting on the desk next to the letter from Genie.

“Nina sent me.”

“Inej’s companion.”

“Yes.”

A slight blush spread across Matthias’ cheeks, which told Kaz more than words could. He had seen Inej and Nina together at the royal ball. Nina seemed very loud and eccentric to him. And of course, he had seen her in Inej’s chambers recently.

“That’s still not the answer,” Kaz objected.

“Nina thinks something is wrong, but she’s not sure what it is. She thinks you won’t let Inej down. I should be on my way to the ship home by now. How can I leave when Inej and Nina could be in danger?”

“What danger?”

If the danger wasn’t the angry Fjerdans or Shu, at least for now, it had to come from inside. As far as Kaz knew, the whole marriage had been an idea of Van Eck, an advisor who had gained a lot of power since he’d arrived here. The emperor was far too dependent on him, and the advisor was probably already misusing it. That wouldn’t be strange, after all. People tended to want more and more with every bit they got, especially when it came to money, power, or both.

“Inej is locked in her chambers. No one is allowed in, not even Nina,” Matthias said.

Kaz needed to think. None of what Matthias said made sense. Ravka needed the Fjerdans. Cancelling the wedding and sending the entire Fjerdan delegation was almost as good as declaring war. It was suicide. Unless…

“They have someone else.”

Matthias frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“They have someone better to marry Inej than a younger Fjerdan prince who won’t inherit the throne. Someone who can give them what they need.”

“Inej’s father wouldn’t do this to his daughter.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. Inej loves her father and thinks the best of him. He treats her very well. He wouldn’t use her as a thing to sell to a better offer.”

“He’s done it once before,” Kaz noted, and Matthias’ face hardened.

Kaz didn’t know the emperor and couldn’t tell if Matthias was telling him the truth or not. However, he wasn’t naive enough to think that the emperor was the one who ruled without guidance. There had been better rulers before him, and even they had made mistakes.

“Who’s the one who makes the decisions?” Kaz asked.

“The emperor,” Matthias replied, looking confused.

“No emperor is omniscient and infallible. He needs someone else.”

“An advisor.”

“What do you know about Van Eck?” Kaz continued, looking at Crow instead of the prince.

“He’s the one who arranged Inej and my engagement. He helped Ravka quite a bit.”

“But? I know there’s a but.”

For a moment, Matthias seemed to consider if he could speak or not. But it was he who was seeking help, not Kaz. Kaz didn’t need the Fjerdan prince, but through some strange twist of fate, the Fjerdan prince needed Kaz.

“Van Eck hasn’t seemed very happy lately. I don’t know much, but I think the emperor wasn’t happy with him. Maybe Van Eck has crossed a line.”

There were only two types of advisors. Those who weren’t doing their jobs properly because they were lazy and had no ambition, and then those who wanted more power and tried their best to make decisions for the ruler. Van Eck didn’t seem lazy at all.

“You’ve been keeping Van Eck informed all along, haven’t you?” Kaz addressed the Crow. “That’s why you started following me in the first place.”

The crow lowered his head as if ashamed, and that was the answer Kaz needed.

“What are you talking about?” Matthias asked, confused.

“Meet Wylan Van Eck, the advisor’s supposedly dead son,” Kaz nodded toward the crow.

From the moment he found the documents in Van Eck’s office, he had known it would be too much of a coincidence if this Wylan wasn’t the same person as Van Eck’s son.

“Are you crazy?” Matthias’ eyes widened, and he looked from Kaz to the crow and back again.

“I wish I was. This bird has been with me for over a year, and it never occurred to me that it wasn’t a bird, that he was reporting information about me to someone else.”

Kaz stared at the crow as if he could see the thoughts swirling in its small head. Finally, an idea came to him.

“Crow… Sorry, Wylan. I’m going to ask you questions and you answer them. Honestly, if you know what that means. One nod is yes, two nods are no. Okay?”

The crow nodded once.

“Is your name Wylan Van Eck?”

A nod.

“Your father is Jan Van Eck, your mother was Marya, whose maiden name was Hendriks.”

A nod.

“That’s just a coincidence,” Matthias said. “You can’t think a bird can answer you. We have to help Nina. And Inej. We don’t have time for this nonsense.”

“You’re wrong. That’s what could help us. How big of a coincidence is it that a bird nods twice?”

Kaz took a step closer to the crow. The bird looked at him worriedly, but didn’t move at all.

“Was it the emperor’s idea to call off the wedding?” Kaz asked.

The crow nodded twice.

“So it was Van Eck?”

A nod.

So Jan Van Eck must have changed his mind after all those months of working on this marriage, the long negotiations with the Fjerdans, and haggling over the best deal possible for Ravka. Why would he do that if he wanted to stay in power instead of leaving the country with his head bowed in shame.

“He has, doesn’t he?”

A nod.

He has the lamp.

Kaz had suspected that it was Van Eck who had sent Rollins against him. The same man who had tasked Kaz with getting the lamp, and who had apparently been one step ahead of him all along.

“Was he the one who turned you into a crow?”

A nod.

If Van Eck had already had some power to turn his son into a bird and now he had the lamp, it was even worse than Kaz had imagined. Even if the lamp ended up in Rollin’s possession, it wouldn’t be so bad.

“Does he have a deal with Shu?” Kaz asked, even though he knew the answer.

Two nods.

“Does he…,” Kaz trailed off, disgusted by the thought that now stuck in his mind. “Does he want to marry Inej himself?”

The crow hesitated, then nodded.

“He can’t do that!” Matthias cried out. “He’s an advisor, and he’s much older than Inej.”

“Age has never been a problem for kings. Much older men have married much younger girls in the past. And there is no rule that prevents a princess or prince from marrying someone of lower status. After all, Queen Arati was an acrobat before the king chose her to be his wife.”

In fact, that was the beginning of the whole problem. The new queen had brought no dowry, and Shu Han, who had offered their own princess to marry Irfan, had been deeply offended ever since. Relations between the two countries had never been fixed, only worsened.

“We have to stop this,” Matthias said firmly.

“How do you want to do this?”

Kaz kept watching Crow or Wylan, it was hard to get used to the idea that the bird that had been Kaz’s friend for months was actually a real person in a crow’s body. Kaz didn’t even understand why a father would do such a thing to his son. But there was another problem. Could he trust Wylan? Wouldn’t it be better to catch him and put him in a cage so he couldn’t warn his father what was coming?

“First we need to get to the palace,” Kaz said. “Find out what’s going on here. It would be best to talk to Nina or Inej first.”

“We can’t even get in. How do you want to talk to them?”

“Wylan will help us. Will you?”

The crow nodded very quickly, but Kaz wasn’t at all convinced.

“How do I know you won’t betray us?” Kaz asked.

The crow took off and began circling low under the ceiling. His movements seemed very random at first, but then Kaz realised he was performing some kind of aerial acrobatics that closely resembled the ones Genie had been doing.

“Do you want Genie back?” Kaz asked as the crow landed back on the desk, and the bird nodded in agreement.

Kaz wanted the same thing. It was very dangerous to leave something as powerful as a magic lamp in the wrong hands, but most of all he felt bad for leaving Genie in the lurch. He might not have been the best master, but he was definitely better than Van Eck.

“That bird saved your life,” said Matthias. “Without it… him? We would never have known you were in danger. He didn’t have to do it.”

Matthias was right about that. If Van Eck had planned to get rid of Kaz and get the lamp, he wouldn’t have sent his son to stop it. No, that had to be Wylan’s own decision. If Van Eck knew what he had done, Wylan couldn’t come back.

“I’ll climb up to Inej’s window,” Kaz said as a plan began to form in his head. “Matthias, you need to take care of the guards.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Matthias frowned.

“Make a fuss. As loud as you can. Demand to be taken to the princess and resist as much as possible. They’ll have to deal with you, and they’ll probably take you straight to Van Eck.”

“Oh, the perfect plan,” Matthias sneered. “Why didn’t I think of getting caught? How can that help us?”

“We need to get something Van Eck has. It could be the solution to all this.”

“What is it?” Matthias asked.

Kaz hesitated for only a brief moment. Matthias’ part was necessary for it to work.

“A lamp,” Kaz said. “Very old one. It gives Van Eck power you can’t imagine. Let’s talk it over and then we can get started.”

It might have been the stupidest plan Kaz had come up with yet, but it might have been the best, since they didn’t have many options.

Despite Matthias’ protests that Kaz wouldn’t be able to climb the wall to Inej’s chambers, it wasn’t that hard. After all, he had left this way very early in the morning and was still in one piece. Wylan would fly around and warn Kaz if necessary while Matthias stayed on the ground, distracting the guards. If all went according to plan, they would meet inside and Kaz, with Inej’s help, would get Matthias out of whatever trouble he was getting himself into.

The climb up wasn’t as fast as the descent, though the ledges between the stones provided plenty of room for his feet. Kaz felt exhausted after not sleeping at all that night, instead listening to Inej’s soft breathing as she slept, thinking that this would be the last time he would be this close to her, or maybe even the last time he would see her. Still, there was no time to rest. If Inej was supposed to marry Van Eck, they had to stop it as soon as possible.

Finally, Kaz reached the right windowsill and opened the window with his lockpicks. He just stood there for a moment, listening to the sounds around him. The chambers seemed quiet, so Kaz slipped inside, leaving the window open for the crow. He really hoped that Van Eck had not yet been informed of Kaz’s plan. Suddenly, a low growl sounded, and Kaz froze. A tiger was slowly approaching him, as if waiting for any signal to jump on the intruder and bite through his neck.

Kaz reached for the knife hidden in his sleeve, ready to defend himself. The tiger hesitated a moment when it noticed the flash of the blade in Kaz’s hand, but then it moved again. They circled the room, never taking their eyes off each other, waiting to see who would attack first. Kaz’s mind raced. Where was Inej, and why was there such a beast in her chambers? What if it had hurt her?

The tiger jumped, but Kaz dodged at the last moment, rolled to the side, and immediately sprang to his feet again. He was now closer to Inej’s bedroom, and through the open door he noticed someone sitting on the bed inside. He moved back, holding the tiger at a safe distance with his knife until his back hit the open door.

“Inej,”  Kaz glanced at her briefly, not daring to stop watching the tiger. “Inej!”

She didn’t respond at all, still sitting on the bed, not once looking up at him. If she wasn’t so strangely still, he would have thought she was angry with him for the way he had behaved, and she had every right to be, but this was different. She didn’t seem to hear anything at all. Her eyes were strangely empty, her expression blank.

“What has he done to you?”

Kaz quickly entered the room, grabbed Inej by the shoulders, and shook her, but it didn’t help at all. The tiger growled. The crow flew through the door, landed on Inej’s shoulder, and pecked at her face with his beak, but she didn’t react in any way.

“It must be some kind of spell,” Kaz thought aloud.

He couldn’t think Inej would act like this on her own. But how could he get her out of this? He could slap her like she had slapped him, maybe that would help, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it when she was helpless.

Maybe you could kiss her.

That seemed like an even worse option. When Inej came out of her trance, she would have preferred to know he had slapped her than kissed her.

“We have to wake her up,” Kaz turned to Wylan, pushing a heavy armchair in front of him to use as a shield if the tiger decided to kill him.

The crow hopped onto the mattress and pecked at Kaz’s hand, the one holding the knife. Kaz glared at the bird.

“I won’t hurt her.”

The crow pecked at his hand again, then returned to Inej and did the same to her arm. Did he really want Kaz to cut Inej’s arm?

“Do you think the pain will be enough?” he asked hesitantly.

He would do anything to get Inej back from this state of vulnerability, unable to defend herself against anything Van Eck wanted to do to her. Right now he could be anywhere near or dealing with Matthias, and although he didn’t like the Fjerdan prince at all, Kaz knew he was obligated to him and needed him to have any chance of getting the lamp back. Finally, he rolled up the sleeve of Inej’s tunic. The tiger snarled angrily and crouched, ready to jump. At that moment, the crow took off and headed for the tiger. The animal hesitated, not knowing what to do, but the bird had already begun to attack with his sharp beak and wings. Kaz didn’t wait for anything, turned Inej’s arm palm up and cut the soft skin of her forearm with his knife. Beads of crimson blood appeared one after another, merging into a red river that ran down and dripped onto the bedspread and carpet.

“Forgive me, Inej.”

Chapter Text

Her world had changed somehow. She could feel, hear, and see, but everything seemed distant and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t reach it, as if her feet were stuck in quicksand. Her fingers, her hands, touched things, but there was no feeling. When she said something, it wasn’t her words. She couldn’t do anything at all. The world around her just flowed by, slowly fading. Inej fought it with all her might, but the moment she thought Kaz was here, she realised she had to lose. There was no way he would come back, because she was the one who had told him not to.

Would you want him to come back?

She wanted to, and at the same time she didn’t want to. It didn’t make sense. He didn’t seem to care about her at all, so why should she care about him?

Suddenly, a searing pain seized her that Inej couldn’t locate at first. Her vision was blurry, but as she blinked a few times, the world around her returned to its original form.

What is happening?

“Inej?”

The sound of her own name, spoken in a rough, stone-like voice, finally snapped her back to reality, and she looked around in confusion. She was in her room, sitting on her bed, not even knowing how she had gotten here. Kaz, who was standing just a step away, held a knife in his hand. He wasn’t looking at her, but at the furious tiger. When Inej lowered her eyes, she found the source of the pain. A short but deep gash on her forearm that was bleeding continuously.

“Nina, stop it,” Inej said.

The tiger turned to her, its teeth bared in its large mouth, then looked back at Kaz and growled. A crow was flying overhead, clearly frightened.

“Nina, I know you’re there somewhere,” Inej tried again, reaching out to the tiger. “Fight it. I know you can do it.”

Kaz looked at Inej and then back at the tiger, who was still considering attacking him.

“Nina.”

The tiger took a step forward and Kaz took a step back, but then the tiger changed direction and stopped just short of the bed and nudged Inej with its snout.

“He’s not going to hurt you or me, I promise,” Inej gently ran her fingers through the fur on the tiger’s head.

With that, she turned to Kaz, and he put the knife back in his sleeve, keeping an eye on the tiger. The tiger wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, but Inej was, because she still couldn’t believe Kaz was really here.

“You brought me back.”

“It was a kiss or a cut, so... the cut was Crow’s idea,” Kaz replied, eyeing the tiger suspiciously. “You said... that’s Nina?”

Inej nodded. “She tried to defend me, but Van Eck changed her into a tiger. She was supposed to guard me, so no one could get near me.”

“I see. He has some experience with that,” Kaz noted, glancing at the crow. “We need to take care of your arm. Do you have anything I could use?”

“There are some towels in the next room, but... Did you say kiss?”

Kaz was already on his way out of the room, still very careful not to get too close to the tiger, so he hadn’t heard her, or at least pretended not to. When he returned, he cut several strips of towel with a knife from his sleeve. He dipped the first in a sink of fresh water and cleaned Inej’s wound, then he used the rest to bandage her arm. He was strangely careful, his touches gentle, his face completely focused on the task.

“Does it hurt?” Kaz asked as he secured the towel and stepped back.

Your behaviour yesterday hurt much more.

She bit her lip and didn’t say it out loud, unsure if it was really yesterday or if more time had passed since she had been in that terrible dream. It scared her. What if there were things she didn’t remember? What if her body was used in a way she would never have allowed when she could do something about it?

“Did he hurt you?” Kaz asked again.

“I… I don’t know.”

“You look unharmed,” Kaz looked her over.

He couldn’t know what she was most worried about. It wasn’t the visible scars, but the others that no one else could see.

“How long have I been in this state?”

“Not long,” Kaz said. “It’s still morning. The Fjerdans have only recently left the palace.”

It calmed her a little, but not completely.

“What happened?”

Inej took a deep breath, trying to stop thinking about things that weren’t important right now.

“I remember not wanting to cooperate. I demanded things because I didn’t know what he was capable of. My parents… They’re both not themselves. I think he’s somehow controlling them, just as he was controlling me.”

“So he managed to call off the wedding like this?”

Inej nodded. “Yes. My father would never give me to Van Eck.”

“How can you be so sure? He’s already given you to a Fjerdan.”

The crow landed hesitantly on the bed next to Inej, not taking his eyes off the tiger, which was staring at the bird with what could be considered a hungry look. They should give Nina something to eat before she decided she needed an immediate snack.

“My father only wanted what was best for me and the country,” Inej defended the emperor.

“Did he?” Kaz furrowed his brows. “By marriage? Did you choose the prince yourself?”

“I didn’t, but that’s…”

“I see what it is,” Kaz snapped. “We don’t have time for this. There are more important things…”

“No,” Inej interrupted. “We have to save my parents and the whole country. The Saints know what Van Eck is up to.”

“If we get the lamp, the problem will be solved.”

“What lamp?”

Kaz explained as quickly as he could that there was some powerful artifact that could grant anyone’s wish, no matter what it was, with a few exceptions.

“That’s how Van Eck takes control of my parents... and me?”

“I suppose so,” Kaz nodded. “If he could have done it sooner, he would have, so it must be the result of a wish. We need to get the lamp back before it’s too late.”

Inej’s mind raced with all the things she had learned and the possibilities of how this could all go wrong.

“If he has that much power, how do we get to him?” Inej wondered. It seemed impossible.

“We have to be smarter. Either he keeps the lamp with him at all times, too cocky to think anyone could steal it, or he’s careful and has hidden it somewhere. Even without it, he’s still a sorcerer, which means he’s dangerous. If he’s gotten the genie to multiply his powers, we’re facing an even worse opponent. But what doesn’t he know is that there are consequences when someone gathers too much power.”

“You know quite a bit about the lamp,” Inej said suspiciously.

Before Kaz could look down, an emotion flashed across his face.

“It was mine, and I failed to keep it safe.”

Inej gasped. Kaz had the magic lamp in his possession? When was it? Had he exhausted all his wishes, and for what?

“Your position, your residence, your money,” she realised. “That’s the work of a genie?”

Kaz nodded. “I still have two more wishes if I get the lamp back.”

“Why would I want you to have it?” Inej said, standing up and pulling the sleeve of her tunic over the bandages. “What else would you want? Something to help you get revenge? I’m sure it wouldn’t be anything that would help anyone.”

“Inej…”

Inej raised her uninjured arm. “Stop it. Don’t try to trick me again. I’ll go back to Van Eck to see if he has the lamp, and you can look elsewhere for it.”

“Crow will help me,” Kaz said, and the bird obediently landed on Kaz’s shoulder, clearly relieved that they were leaving and the tiger wasn’t coming with them. “There’s one thing you need to know.”

“Oh, other magical items?”

Kaz shook his head. “No, just one big Fjerdan who might be in trouble.”

The throne room looked different. There were no other seats except for one large, austere golden throne. There were no shiny stones, no decorations, just clean lines, but it was still made of gold to show that whoever sat on it had all the power. Van Eck was dressed as usual, a dark suit of excellent quality, but without colour. However, something had changed in his appearance. His posture was more upright, the confidence and satisfaction never leaving his face. It made Inej angry. He thought he had already won and no one could take it from him.

We will see.

“Oh, my future wife is here,” he said in a falsely sweet tone that made Inej’s stomach turn.

She walked slowly towards him, the tiger at her side, guarding her so that no one could get close to her, just as Van Eck had wished. She didn’t look at Matthias, who was kneeling before the former advisor, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed that he was being held by two guards. He was looking in her direction, probably wanting to read from her expression that she could do something. Still, she couldn’t tell him. For now, she had to act as if she were still under Van Eck’s control, which meant being obedient. Her body protested, but her mind was stronger now. She could do it. Whatever was needed, she was willing to do.

“I’m here, my lord,” she said quietly, the words leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

Inej’s parents weren’t there, and she had to fight the panic at the thought that something might happen to them. What would Van Eck do with them if he decided he didn’t need them anymore?

They must be somewhere nearby for now.

Van Eck gestured toward the steps leading to his throne, and Inej sat down at his feet. She would play this game for as long as necessary to give Kaz time to find the lamp. Still, she glanced up at Van Eck to see if she could spot the lamp, but it was nowhere to be seen. After all, he wouldn’t wear it in plain sight for others.

“This boy demanded to be allowed back into the palace,” Van Eck said, his words seemingly directed at Inej, but he didn’t expect any response from her. “I think he has feelings for you after all. Or maybe for someone else.”

The tiger lay down next to Inej, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed their surroundings. Inej didn’t know what was going on in Nina’s mind, if she was still strong enough to fight Van Eck’s magic.

The doors to the throne room opened and a man in an emerald suit walked in, accompanied by uniformed guards. Inej knew she had seen him before, and it didn’t take long for her to remember the name. Pekka Rollins. They claimed he was a benefactor, some wealthy noble originally from the Wandering Isle who had moved to Os Alta. He had never seemed like a likeable man to her before, with his fake smiles, and she had never really trusted his intentions. Maybe not even his origins.

“Emperor,” Rollins addressed Van Eck, bowing slightly as he paused and looked at the kneeling Matthias.

“General,” Van Eck spoke. “What’s going on?”

“We still haven’t found the body.”

“How’s that possible? It can’t just walk away.”

Inej gritted her teeth. She hadn’t liked the previous general, but putting such a man in this position was ridiculous. What angered her even more was what they were talking about so casually. She didn’t need any more proof to be sure who was behind the attempt to murder Kaz.

“Are you sure you did your job right?” Van Eck asked sharply.

“He was dead, I’m sure of that.”

Van Eck shook his head in disapproval. “You can get rid of Fjerdan now. What do you think, my dear? Does he deserve to stay alive?”

“No, he doesn’t, my lord,” Inej said, the words sticking in her throat.

She saw the hurt look on Matthias’ face, while Van Eck nodded contentedly. Could they really hurt him? What about Fjerda? Their king and queen wouldn’t let this go unpunished. Van Eck would only bring war to their land and destroy everything Inej’s ancestors had worked for. She couldn’t let that happen, yet there was no way to save Matthias now. Not until she or Kaz had the lamp.

The guards forced Matthias to his feet, and only then did Inej notice that his hands were tied behind his back. Her heart ached to see him like this, yet she kept the cold expression. Before they could leave, however, the tiger leapt and knocked one of the guards to the ground, its teeth unerringly finding the man’s throat. He tried to fight back, but he had no chance. The other guard stepped aside, his gaze darting from the tiger to the new emperor, unsure whether he was allowed to run for his life or stay.

“Stop,” said the emperor, and the tiger obediently left the dead guard be.

As it turned to Van Eck, blood dripped down its chin.

“I think we need a nice rug for our new bedroom, what do you think, dear?”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Please don’t hurt her.

“I think I’ll give the beast another chance. After all, it’s a good guard for my future wife. Come back here and do what you’re supposed to do.”

The tiger lazily returned to its previous position.

“General, get rid of the body and find what we need. Otherwise, we’ll have to assume the thief is still alive.”

“There’s no way he’d survive,” Rollins said, but if he wanted to say anything else, Van Eck’s gaze prevented him.

Rollins nodded to his companion, and two guards lifted the dead body and dragged it away. The survivor hesitantly pushed Matthias’ shoulder, trying to force him to move. The Fjerdan prince was resisting quite successfully, as he was the only man standing against him.

“Do something,” Rollins hissed at the other guards.

Even without using his arms, Matthias still looked dangerous. Inej would like to give him a sign about what she and Kaz had agreed to, but she couldn’t, not with Van Eck watching with his inquisitive eyes.

Suddenly the door opened again, and a bird flew in first. Inej recognised Crow immediately. The crow continued to the end of the room, hovering over Van Eck.

“So you’re back?” the former advisor said in a cold voice. “Do you really think I’ll welcome you?”

Inej didn’t understand what that meant. All her thoughts were gone, however, when she saw two more guards dragging Kaz inside. He struggled, trying to free himself. The expression on Van Eck’s face changed completely. He even stood up from his throne, where he had been sitting comfortably until now.

“Where did you find him?” he asked angrily.

Matthias stopped fighting as he watched Kaz with growing panic. Even the new general was completely taken aback, and Inej felt a little satisfied. Had they really thought they could get rid of him that easily?

“He was snooping around, Emperor,” the guard said. “We wouldn’t have found him without that bird.”

Inej fought back the urge to look up at the crow. She had always known the bird was smart, but she never thought he could betray Kaz like that.

“Have you finally decided to be useful?” Van Eck addressed the bird before turning to Rollins. “Can’t you do anything right?”

“He was dead,” Rollins growled. “You know what they say about him. He’s a demon.”

“All I see is a common thief. I must admit he’s clever, but like you he’s mortal,” Van Eck said. “I never believed the stories about him. Are you as superstitious as the stupid people of this city?”

Rollins gritted his teeth. “I’m telling you he’s dangerous.”

“I didn’t say he wasn’t, but he’s here anyway, and this time I’ll deal with him alone. Then you can decorate the walls of this palace with his body so the people can see that only I, their new emperor, was able to rid the city of the dreaded Dirtyhands.”

Inej’s eyes darted to Kaz, but he wasn’t looking at her at all, instead staring at Rollins with pure hatred. After what she had witnessed, she was certain that it was Rollins who had tried to kill him, and the order had come from Van Eck. That was how he had come to possess the lamp. But what did Rollins have to do with all this?

Dirtyhands.

Inej had heard the stories that the servants and maids used to tell each other. She didn’t need to walk the streets of the city to know about the bogeyman who was blamed for all the evil that had happened. Until now, she hadn’t thought that a demon existed, and yet she had lived in the same room with him, sharing his food, his experiences, and his knowledge with her. How could she have been so stupid not to realise it? Yet her mind refused to believe it. So many unthinkable crimes that Dirtyhands was supposed to commit. Was Kaz really that bad? Rotten to the core?

He saved me twice. He didn’t have to.

But what if this time he just wanted the lamp?

“Take him here,” Van Eck ordered, and the guards dragged Kaz directly in front of the throne, where they knocked him to his knees.

Kaz immediately stood up, his chin proudly raised. He was not about to be humiliated.

“General, take a good look so you know how to get rid of such rats,” Van Eck said coldly.

He snapped his fingers, and in that moment Kaz found himself trapped in a glass box, just big enough to fit inside, unable to move more than raise his hands and pound the glass with his fists. Nothing happened. A hint of panic flashed across Kaz’s expression, but it quickly disappeared. That wasn’t all Van Eck had intended to do, though. Water began to rise from the bottom of the box, as if coming from nowhere.

“You can’t do that!” Matthias shouted, trying again to free himself.

“Why do you care about such scum? Do you want to share the same fate? Just say it and it will happen.”

The tiger stood up and growled. The water in the box was rising so fast that Kaz was already waist-deep in water. If Inej didn’t do anything, this time he would witness him drowning for real. He was still just a boy, no matter what he had done or not done. Inej knew she needed him, not just to finish what they had started, to save her parents and dethrone this false emperor.

“You’re so clever, my lord,” Inej said in the sweetest tone she could muster.

She stood up and took a step closer to Van Eck. The crow was flying around the box frantically, pecking at the glass with the beak as if he thought he could break it. Inside, Kaz was also fighting for his life.

“I knew you were worthless,” Van Eck spat at the bird.

A thought flashed through Inej’s mind at that moment. Something she hadn’t thought about before, but now it seemed perfectly logical. What if Crow was also human? What if he was trapped in this form and forced to serve Van Eck in the same way that Nina had?

“What do you think, my queen?” Van Eck turned to Inej. “We must cleanse this country of all the sins that your stupid father was blind to.”

Inej would have slapped him for speaking like that, but time was running out. In a moment, Kaz would be dead. The water was up to his shoulders, and he had completely lost his composure. The only thing that mattered to him now was his own life.

“You’re right, my lord,” Inej said in a hollow voice.

She took a deep breath, closing the small distance that remained between her and Van Eck. He looked at her triumphantly.

“My lord deserves to be rewarded,” she said quietly.

She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his, fighting the nausea that nearly overcame her. It had all taken a heartbeat, but when she pulled back, she saw that Kaz had stopped fighting, instead looking at her as if he had never seen her before. Had she noticed the pain in his look, or was she just imagining it? His chin was now underwater, then his lips, nose, and eyes.

Chapter Text

He was drowning again, and this time it was worse, because he couldn’t move at all, trapped in a box that reminded him too much of the hold of a ship full of sick and dying children. Their cries and sobs filled his ears, but still he saw what Inej had done, and at that moment his body simply stopped fighting. Was there any reason to continue? He saw none, no future ahead of him, only cold and darkness. He had bet too much and lost everything, just as the genie had said. Water filled his mouth, his lungs. The end was near.

I’m coming, Jordie.

Suddenly the box was gone, and all the water with it. Kaz hit the floor hard and coughed. He was soaked through, while everything around him was dry. Before he could collect himself and figure out what had just happened, he heard a scream and then something banged on the ground. When Kaz lifted his head, wet strands of his dark hair falling into his eyes, he saw Inej hit the floor and slide a few more steps.

“You will pay for this!” Van Eck shouted, but before he could do anything, Crow attacked him with his beak.

“The lamp!” Inej cried out, pointing to the left.

Kaz turned his head and saw the lamp lying in the corner of the room, the genie hovering over it as if guarding it, but Kaz knew full well that if someone wanted to take it, there was nothing the genie could do to stop it. Kaz scrambled to his feet and, despite his lungs still burning, he ran toward the lamp. The flash of light missed him by an inch.

“What are you doing?! He’s not your master anymore!” Van Eck shouted.

“He’s not, but the princess said save him , so that’s what I’m doing. She didn’t mention how many times after all,” Genie replied in a calm voice.

Kaz was almost at the lamp when someone else picked it up. It was Pekka Rollins. Kaz stopped short. The man who had ruined his life was standing right in front of him, holding the lamp that was supposed to help Kaz get his revenge.

All the children working for Jakob Hertzoon stayed locked in the barn at night. There were no beds, no blankets, no comforts for them. Just hay, so they slept pressed together to keep each other warm during the cold nights. Not Kaz. He couldn’t stay with them when his nightmares woke him up in the middle of the night, because then he wouldn’t be able to bear another body that reminded him of Jordie’s cooling body. When a child got sick, no one cared. If someone died of a cold or an illness, they buried them behind the barn just like children who tried to escape. Rollins’ men tracked them down and killed them.

However, one morning was different. The weeks before had been different, Kaz could feel it but couldn’t name it. That morning Kaz climbed down from the hayloft where he had slept hidden among the hay to find the barn completely silent. All the children were there, but their bodies were cold, their throats slit. Kaz was the only one who had survived, because no one knew he had slept anywhere else. No one had bothered to count the children, or even know how many there should be.

When Kaz crept cautiously out of the barn, terrified that someone might be waiting for him, he found the farm completely empty. Hertzoon was gone, as were his men. Suddenly Kaz was free, but he didn’t know what to do with his freedom. First, he went back to the barn and set it on fire, then he just sat on the small hill above the farm and watched everything turn to ashes. At that moment, he swore that Jakob Hertzoon would pay for this, and so would anyone who had helped him. It was only years later that he discovered that someone had been looking for Hertzoon and had gotten too close to his businesses that he decided to cut his losses and try something new.

Kaz didn’t have his knife, the guards had taken it from him, but he still had his hands. If nothing else, he would have strangled Rollins and enjoyed his last breath. But before he could move, the tiger threw its great body at the man.

“He is mine!” Kaz roared.

He wouldn’t let anyone else take revenge from him. Kaz was missed by another flash of light, and he heard Genie’s giggle and Van Eck’s displeased growl.

“Nina, the lamp!” Inej shouted from somewhere behind him.

To him, her voice was like the sun, making all the sunflowers turn their heads toward her, so he could see her fighting two guards at once. Matthias used his body to knock one of them down, but more guards came through the door, summoned by the noise.

“I am the princess!” Inej shouted. “You must listen to me, not this impostor!”

Some of the men hesitated, others rushed to Matthias to pacify him. They were clearly afraid of disobeying the sorcerer who had just managed to push Crow away. The bird fell hard on the floor, and for a moment Kaz feared his neck had been broken, but then the crow began to move again, slowly, clearly in pain, but Kaz still breathed a sigh of relief.

The tiger managed to steal the lamp from Rollins and clamp it between its teeth. Rollins was badly scratched on his face and chest, but he was still alive, and Kaz knew he would survive such minor injuries. He couldn’t let him get out of this. Before Rollins could scramble to his feet and earn his new title of general, Kaz knelt on his chest and tightly gripped his neck. Rollins fought back, using his hands to push Kaz’s hands away in an attempt to free himself, but Kaz wasn’t going to be shaken off so easily.

“Do you know who I am?” Kaz growled.

Rollins’ ruddy face was even redder from the lack of oxygen.

“Do you know who I am, Mr Hertzoon?”

The man’s eyes widened in horror as he probably began to realise that Kaz was someone from his past, seeking revenge for all the crimes Rollins had committed. There was no turning back from this point, even though Kaz had originally had very different plans for this man. He wanted to let him suffer, and death seemed too easy. Now, after nearly drowning a second time, his patience was running out. This wouldn’t be the first body Kaz would leave behind. He had killed the Hertzoon’s men he found, the ones who lived their lives undisturbed, as if nothing had happened. He had spared those whose lives were suffering with no chance of change. Rollins would not live to see mercy from Kaz.

“Kaz, don’t do this!”

It was Inej’s voice, making his grip loosen a little, and that was enough for Rollins to gain the upper hand. He managed to use all his remaining strength to throw Kaz aside. Kaz fell on the floor, hitting his head, and the world around him began to spin. In the mix of colours and sounds, he recognised the scream, Van Eck’s authoritative voice, and the growl of a tiger.

Inej needs you.

Rollins is close, you can’t stop now.

Inej needs your help.

You can finish it. Just kill him.

Kaz closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he was finally able to focus his vision. Matthias fought heroically with the guards, even with his arms still tied. The tiger backed away with the lamp between its teeth. Van Eck seemed ready to use some magic to get the lamp back, but Inej threw herself on his back, causing the light emanating from Van Eck’s hands to miss its target, turning one guard to dust instead.

Kaz looked around. The crow was flying again, but his movements were slow and lacking the usual elegance. His wing might be injured. Rollins was standing behind the group of guards, shouting orders. Kaz could still get to him, but Van Eck managed to shake Inej off, and the knife she was holding, probably meant to slit Van Eck’s throat with, clattered to the floor, too far for her to reach. Kaz knew he couldn’t do two things at once, so he had to make a decision now. Rollins, or Inej?

Kaz ran, using his wet shoes to slide across the polished floor. He reached the tiger before Van Eck could send another flash of light, and snatched the lamp from the tiger’s grasp. Two wishes remained. One could be used to end Rollins’ miserable existence.

“Genie! Make right everything Van Eck’s magic did wrong. You know what I mean? Everything.”

Genie’s blue lips spread into a wide smile. “I guess that could be considered one wish after all.”

He raised his hands and clapped. At that moment, several things happened at once. The tiger, ready to attack the guards, transformed into a girl with brown wavy hair. A few guards stopped in mid-motion, looking around in confusion. The crow that had been flying above their heads until now was no longer a bird, but a very young-looking boy with pale skin and ruddy gold curls. He moved his arms a few times before the weight of his newfound body pulled him down. The genie caught him just before he hit the floor.

All of this gave Inej time to crawl for her knife, and now she was looking at Van Eck with a gaze that Kaz knew all too well. She was a predator seeking revenge.

“Genie!” Kaz shouted. “My last wish.”

The genie carefully put Wylan’s trembling body on the ground and looked at Kaz with both worries and hope.

“What’s your name?” Kaz asked.

“Jesper,” the genie said, completely taken aback. “Jesper Fahey. You’re the first person to ever ask.”

“So, Jesper, my last wish. Give Van Eck unlimited power.”

“No!” Inej shouted, stopping suddenly and turning to Kaz.

“Are you crazy? You can’t do this!”

This time it was Matthias’ voice. Kaz saw him out of the corner of his eye. The Fjerdan prince was helping Nina to her feet. She was shaking a little, but she still looked much better than Van Eck’s son, who was now sitting there, clutching his injured arm.

“Is that what you want?” Genie looked at Kaz and Kaz knew he understood.

“Yes.”

“As you wish. Master. ”

The clapping of his hands was almost deafening. The floor trembled beneath their feet, and Van Eck’s body was lifted into the air just as Jesper’s. They both spun very rapidly, and then there was a loud bang and a blue light that nearly blinded Kaz. When he opened his eyes again, a dark-skinned boy with long limbs and kind grey eyes stood directly in front of him, a wide smile on his face.

“Jesper Fahey at your service,” he bowed only slightly, and Kaz couldn’t help but smile too.

“What have you done!” a loud voice shook the walls of the throne room.

Van Eck hovered just below the ceiling, his blue face twisted with anger.

“I gave you what you wanted,” Kaz said calmly. “Unlimited power. Did you know there were consequences?”

“How dare you!”

Van Eck moved his hands as if to kill Kaz with his magic, but nothing happened. His power was unlimited, but it was bound to wish and to his master or mistress. His free will was lost forever. Kaz moved to the throne where Inej stood, her eyes wide as she stared at Van Eck. Kaz handed her the lamp, the same one that had been Jesper’s prison for so many years. Now it was Van Eck’s prison.

“It’s yours now, Princess.”

Inej looked down at the lamp in her hands and then back at Kaz.

“What should I do with it?”

“Whatever you want.”

Inej shook her head at something that crossed her mind, but then her expression changed.

“Guards! Arrest Pekka Rollins. He will be judged for all his sins.”

The guards immediately grabbed the resisting Rollins and dragged him away from the throne room.

“Will you be willing to testify?” Inej looked at Kaz.

Kaz thought about it for a moment. He had never really believed in human justice, but if Inej were here to ensure that Rollins was not released, he might be willing to make an exception.

“I will.”

Inej nodded, then looked around at the strange company around her. A thief, a prince with tied hands, a girl who had recently been a tiger, a boy whose father had changed him into a bird and forced him to help him with everything he needed, and a former genie who was human again. Even though he had lived so long, he still looked so young, probably Kaz’s age.

“My parents?” Inej asked in a low voice.

“As part of Kaz’s second wish, they are back to who they were,” Jesper told him. “Van Eck imprisoned them in their rooms.”

Inej breathed a sigh of relief.

“What about me?” Matthias asked. “No one has thought to untie me yet?”

Inej handed Nina her knife, but Kaz pushed the girl aside.

“It’d take you forever. Let a professional do it.”

In a moment, the ropes that had been binding Matthias’ wrists were loose on the floor.

“I think someone needs to explain what just happened,” Nina said.

She stood at Matthias’ side, and when he offered her his hand, Nina took it without hesitation. Kaz turned to see Jesper helping Wylan to his feet and saying something Kaz couldn’t hear, and the boy, the previous crow, blushed deeply. Van Eck, the new genie, watched all of this with an unreadable expression. Kaz was sure he was trying to come up with a solution that would get him out of this, but there was none.

“I have a wish,” Inej said suddenly, her eyes piercing Van Eck. “Go back into the lamp and bury yourself in the middle of the earth where no one will be able to find you!”

Van Eck screamed, but the lamp pulled him in like a giant vortex, and disappeared with a bang.

“I really hope that he wouldn’t destroy my apartment,” Jesper said, looking at where the lamp had disappeared.

“You can’t be serious,” Wylan said hoarsely.

It was so strange to hear him speak like a human.

“Maybe,” Jesper shrugged. “Anyway, is there going to be a party? I’m starving.”

Matthias shot him a disapproving look, while Nina’s expression brightened at the mention of food.

“Oh, come on,” Jesper said. “When I last ate, your Fjerdan royal great-grandparents still didn’t know how to produce an heir.”

“Each of you deserves a party,” Inej said. “Just a small one. But with a lot of food.”

She smiled at Kaz, and he couldn’t help but smile back. He might be naive, but for the first time in years, he felt hopeful.

EPILOGUE

INEJ

It was a beautiful morning, the sun peeking shyly through fluffy white clouds, lazily rolling across the blue sky. Inej tilted her head back to enjoy the peace of the new day, as each one was a new challenge, a new step on the long journey to the future she imagined. The ship ahead of her was preparing to leave the harbour for the long voyage to Shu Han. Inej would have liked to go too, but her time to travel would come later. For now, she was needed elsewhere.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to send the two of them together?” Matthias asked.

He had been standing by her side in his fancy new uniform since they got there.

“Are you worried about Nina or for her?” Inej asked, amused.

Matthias frowned at her, and Inej had to fight back a giggle lest she upset him even more. After all, he wasn’t exactly happy to be separated from Nina, and Inej understood that. Having someone dear to him close by was always better than worrying about them.

“Why do you have a better cabin?” Nina’s voice came from the deck, and Nina soon returned to shore to say goodbye before the departure.

“Because I’m the brain here,” Kaz replied.

He was wearing a casual jacket with a perfectly ironed shirt underneath. His hair was a little shorter than before, but he still kept his signature style, with longer hair on top and shorter on the sides. However, he didn’t look like the street thief he used to be, and Inej was once again amazed at how quickly he had adapted to his new role.

“Does that mean I’m the beauty of this expedition?” Nina asked with a smug smile.

Kaz rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant, Nina dear.”

“No, I think I got it right.”

Nina ignored Kaz’s muttering and moved straight to Matthias for a hug. She acted so naturally that Inej couldn’t take her eyes off the embracing couple. When Matthias leaned in for a kiss, Inej turned to Kaz, who was clearly watching her.

“So you have a better cabin?” Inej asked, trying not to feel too embarrassed about being caught watching the couple in love.

“Mine is definitely not the best one,” Kaz said. “Nina is exaggerating.”

“It’s better than mine,” Nina remarked, never leaving Matthias’ lips with such confidence that Inej realised she was jealous, and then was relieved when they stopped.

That didn’t mean she didn’t wish them the best. She always liked seeing them together, but this time it was different.

“No, it’s not,” Kaz objected.

“See?” Matthias turned to Inej. “I told you it wasn’t the best idea. They will throw each other into the sea.”

Nina put her arm around Kaz’s shoulders and playfully nudged him with her hips.

“We’re best friends, aren’t we?” she winked at him.

“Oh, sure,” Kaz muttered, shaking Nina’s arm off, but he smirked at Inej, and maybe that was what made the decision for her.

Inej stepped closer to Kaz, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him softly on the cheek. Kaz opened his mouth and closed it again, his expression very similar to the one he had on when Inej slapped him. This time his cheek didn’t turn red, but the tips of his ears did, which looked very adorable.

“Come back in one piece,” Inej whispered, stepping back, very aware of the amused looks from Matthias and Nina.

“Oh, stop it, you two,” Kaz said to Matthias and Nina. “Your tongue was in his mouth a moment ago, Nina.”

Matthias wanted to protest, but the captain called the sailors to prepare to depart, a clear signal for Nina and Kaz to board. Nina gave Matthias a final kiss and turned to leave. Kaz’s hand brushed lightly against Inej’s. He gave her one last look, and she knew what it meant. He would come back to her.

As the ship disappeared over the horizon, Matthias and Inej looked at each other. There were only the two of them now, but it wouldn’t last forever. Jesper and Wylan were travelling the world, since they finally got a chance to explore. One day they would return, as they had promised.

“Back to Os Alta, General?” Inej turned to Matthias.

“As you command, Princess.”

Their carriage waited nearby. But another one had parked right behind them, and as they approached, the door opened and a hand with a large signet ring waved at Inej.

“I guess you have to travel alone,” Inej told Matthias apologetically. “Duties call.”

“Have a safe journey,” Matthias replied.

The carriage began to move as Inej climbed inside and sat down. Her father, the emperor, sat directly across from her, a relaxed smile she hadn’t seen him wear in a long time.

“You didn’t have to make such a long journey,” Inej said, thinking about how long her father had been here and what he had seen.

“Nonsense,” Irfan waved his hand dismissively. “I wanted to make sure both our new advisor and ambassador sailed safely.”

“I’m sure they’ll come to an agreement with Shu.”

“I agree. Kaz is a very good negotiator, and his business proposal will be very interesting to Shu.”

Inej tried to hide her proud smile, but it wasn’t quite possible. Kaz had done a great job of finding a strategy to dissuade Shu Han from declaring war on Ravka. After all, he had already proven himself when he had successfully negotiated with Fjerda. Thanks to this, Matthias could stay in Ravka and become the new general. With his experience from drüskelle training and the education he had received as a prince, he would be the key to rebuilding the Ravkan army. As soon as they had announced that they were accepting new soldiers for training, both Pim and Anika had signed up.

“I almost forgot.”

Irfan fished in his jacket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Inej.

“It came after you left, and I was sure you would want it as soon as possible.”

Inej turned the envelope over in her hands. It was a letter from Jesper and Wylan, and she couldn’t wait to read it, but there was something else she needed to discuss with her father once she got the courage to start.

“What about the Rollins trial?” she asked instead, hoping that the subject would lead her where she needed to get.

“The decision has been made.”

“It has?”

“Yes. He was sentenced to hard labour until the day he dies. He’ll be guarded, so don’t worry about him escaping. I actually used Kaz’s idea of work for prisoners who committed less serious crimes. They’ll be used for some kind of work, mostly repairing roads or on our land that we’ll turn into fields. Anything we grow there will be used as a reserve. In case of a crop failure, it will be distributed to the people who need it most.”

Inej nodded, remembering one of her conversations with Kaz. She wanted to help the poor people by giving them free food, clothes, and such, but Kaz had another idea.

“Give them a chance to work,” he had said. “A lot of them will take it and be able to take care of themselves. If you only supply them with free things, they won’t have any reason to lift a finger.”

“I think Kaz would be a great partner for the empress in the future,” Irfan remarked, and Inej felt her cheeks get warmer.

How could her father know what she had been secretly carrying in her heart in the last weeks and months since they had gotten rid of Van Eck? So many late-night conversations with Kaz, when he had sneaked into her chambers or she into his, discussing politics and plans for the future. Plans for Ravka, never for just the two of them, but Inej hadn’t missed the looks Kaz gave her, the innocent touches when their hands brushed against each other. The kiss she had given him not long ago.

“You think?” she asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Irfan’s smile widened. “I’m sure. But are you sure he’s the right one for you?”

Inej nodded without hesitation. Kaz was the only one who could fully understand her. The only one after Nina, whom Inej had told about what had happened to her, about the day her governess Heleen Van Houden had helped a group of men kidnap Inej from her carriage during a ride outside of Os Alta. They had taken her to an old lodge in the country and locked her in the cellar. They were waiting for the hefty ransom they were supposed to receive for the princess’s return home. However, one night they had gotten drunk and one of them, the one who made the decisions, descended into the cellar and deprived Inej of her innocence. It wasn’t easy to tell the whole story (“One day we will find them and make sure they get what they deserve,” Kaz had promised her.), but she knew she had to do it if they were to have any chance of being more than just a princess and an advisor.

It had taken Kaz a while longer before he told Inej about his parents’ deaths and his journey to Ravka during which he had lost his brother. By then, she had already known the story of Rollins’ crimes, because Kaz had testified against him.

Inej looked out the window. They had left Os Kervo behind and headed for Os Alta. Inej was far from becoming the empress, but she was very grateful to her father for allowing her to have a say in the decision-making process. With her friends nearby, she was sure she wouldn’t be alone in this all one day.

A partner of the empress.

Would Kaz be willing to take on the role? Inej was sure he had no ambitions to become an emperor, after all, he still seemed very shocked to be an advisor, even though he had been appointed some time ago, when Inej’s father realised how valuable and clever this boy was.

“Inej, do you know who I am, how can I stand by the emperor’s side and advise him?” Kaz had asked her when he learned of Irfan’s intention.

“You’re Kaz Rietveld, the son of a merchant from Ketterdam, have you forgotten?” Inej had replied sweetly.

“That’s not funny.”

“Why not? As you said yourself, no one really knows what Dirtyhands looks like. He’s more of a myth than a real person.”

Every city needed its bogeyman, and as Inej had already discovered, it didn’t take much for rumours to spread and become something new, something bigger. She knew that Kaz’s previous life hadn’t been innocent in the least, but she was also certain that not all the crimes he was supposed to have committed were his, and some were greatly exaggerated. She didn’t judge him for any of that. After all, she had been ready to kill Jan Van Eck when she thought there was no other way.

Kaz will be back soon, and then you will travel together, as you promised each other.

Inej smiled to herself and opened the letter from Jesper and Wylan. The journey to the palace was long, and she was willing to spend it dreaming of travel and the future.