Wraith Wrath - Chapter I

Wraith Wrath - Chapter I

Inej could see the outlines of the city on the horizon. Ketterdam. She was almost home. 

After two years at sea, she missed this place deeply. Soon, the smell of salted air, rotten wood, and rust will be replaced by the one of coal smoke, malt liquor, and sweat. But she will welcome it back into her lungs, relieved to have finally made it here. 

As she approached Fifth Harbor, the clear sky started to disappear into a fog. The light from the watchtowers gave away to the streetlights around the harbor to lead them safely. 

She was eager to get her feet on solid ground, eat a warm dinner, and rest in a somewhat comfortable bed. During these two years hunting slavers, she has been able to make only a few stopovers here and there. But every second passed on that ship has been worth it. Purpose was her compass. Duty was her guide. Faith was her companion. 

As soon as the boat was docked and her crew was instructed to follow Specht’s orders until further notice, her feet were in motion. By the Saints, her entire body was. Roaming the roofs of Ketterdam. A few strands of her hair danced in the harbor breeze. 

From the looks of it, the city didn’t seem changed at all. The harbors and canals were still full of commercial ships of all sizes. The streets were still packed with tourists, migrants, and workers. Yet, she hoped, some things haven’t gotten back to the way they were. One blink and you’ll miss it, she thought. Ketterdam will always be Ketterdam. 

She reached all of her favorite corners of the city, admiring the view each time. Listened, sparsely yet attentively, to snatches of conversations on the street, the taverns, the shops, and the clubs. 

Certain things indeed had changed. The Dregs had taken over most of the Dime Lion's territory. Some were still reluctant to let it slip away but without Pekka Rollins to command the ship and everything that went down after the auction of Kuwei Yul-Bo, those Lions were easy to tame. A few even switched their allegiance toward the Dregs even though they didn’t wear their tattoo and probably never will. But Inej assumed that, for now, those renegades were a means to an end for Kaz Brekker. Of course, they were. How could they not be? He was the King of the Barrel now. And we’re talking about Kaz. Keeping potential assets in his sleeves was perfectly on brand for him. 

She lunged herself on another rooftop. Her body was agile, her eyes focused. She was climbing, jumping, and running at every edge of the town with a metallic taste in her mouth. All this time passed at sea somewhat impacted her stamina. Her legs started to feel stiff and heavy like they were weighed down and her arms tight and tense as if under pressure. She knew that she needed to let her body adjust back to the stability of the land. Beads of sweat began to trickle down her neck. She leaped and leaped again. 

Then, there she was. Right in front of the window. Kaz’s window. At the top floor of the Slat. A powerful attraction led her here. She didn’t even realize it. She wasn’t even sure how she got there. It was almost like all the streets, and alleys were leading to this place. As if it was the heart of the city. 

She hissed herself on the edges of it and waited, sharing the crumbs of the loaf of dark bread that was still in her pocket with a crow. She had been missing for too long, most of them had stopped waiting for her to feed them by now. 

She knew it was only a matter of time. Kaz had surely been warned the moment The Wraith entered the harbor. Yet, at the thought, a part of her suddenly wanted to leave. To jump from roof to roof, and get the furthest away from here. The anguish of seeing him again was overwhelming. She didn’t know if she was ready for it. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to temper her heart that decided to beat at its own hectic pace. She paused and wondered. How many times has she stopped herself from imagining how their reunion would be? But she remembered the excitement that rose inside of her the moment she knew that a halt at Ketterdam was in order. 

Her body was gracefully balancing itself on the windowsill, her head resting on the wall behind her. Only the crease between her eyebrows was a revelation of the battle that was going on inside of her, between her head and her heart. How she struggled between staying and running away. How torn and uncertain she was. 

Time moved slowly, too slowly perhaps. Every minute was tougher than the other. But she stayed. Persuaded that she still belonged there. She had to.  

It was when she heard the footsteps backed with the distinctive sound of a cane from the staircase that her eyes opened wide. You can still leave. A jump and it’s like you were never there. 

She closed her eyes again, fighting that urge inside of her. 

The door creaked open, and the steps on the wooden floor became heavier. 

Her heart began to beat furiously again and her breath was short but she didn’t move. She heard the steps getting closer, a pause, and then they suddenly changed direction, away from her. She allowed herself a look. He was right there. In front of the tiny sink. Removing his gloves while the water runs. 

“Hello, Inej.”

His raspy voice seemed to echo in the room or maybe it was just in her head, like a giant bell that kept ringing. At that moment, she couldn’t hear anything else. She opened the window wider and slipped herself into the room. His acknowledgment of her presence was enough of an invitation. Not that she ever needed one. 

Everything was the same. She could easily walk blindfolded without bumping into anything. Only the office seemed out of place, empty. She knew Kaz had chosen to do business in Per Haskell’s old office on the ground floor. However, the sight of his desk reminded her of so many times spent scheming or just watching him work that she couldn’t stop a little wave of nostalgia from emerging. 

He looked at her through the mirror before him, his eyes almost black. She entered the room skillfully as always. When she walked, her feet were like feathers and didn’t make a single plank of the hardwood floor creak. 

Their gaze met and they could easily understand each other’s trouble and torment. They both anticipated this moment. And here they were. Together again. Like so many times before. Their shoulders started to relax and a smirk painted their faces slightly as if they were mirroring each other perfectly. 

“Hello, Kaz”, she said with a faint voice filled with warmth. She was back.

Wraith Wrath - Chapter II

It took Kaz’s every bit of strength to conceal the rush of emotions that surged within him when Anika told him about the return of The Wraith. His heart was pounding. Too fast for his liking. Way too fast. He hadn’t planned this. Or maybe he did. He couldn’t tell between the moments he dreamed of her coming back and those where he wished for her to stay away from this city and him so he wouldn’t have to deal with the feelings that came along with her company. 

I can help you. Those were the very first words she ever addressed to him. And she did help him. In more ways than one. But he was certain he couldn’t live up to the expectations she had for him. He couldn’t be the boy he was before Jordie. That boy wouldn’t survive in a city like this. And he didn’t want to be that boy again. He had let him sink at the bottom of the sea along his brother’s body for a reason. Kaz Brekker was the only way to survive and thrive. Even if all the broken pieces couldn’t be put back together anymore. Even if he was only half a man. Kaz Brekker had been who he needed to be. 

All those years, working together, side by side, he had done everything to make sure Inej wouldn’t believe he would become something he was not. But she was headstrong. Way more than he was. She made him yield quite a few times. He never quite understood the hold she had on him. But the only thing he was certain of was that they had saved each other. Again and again. 

The sharp pain in his leg warned him of his fastened pace. Patience was not on his side today so he shifted his weight to rely more on his cane. He needed to slow down if he wanted to arrive at the Slat standing. 

Those two last years have been pretty time-consuming. Pekka Rollins vanished into thin air. The Dime Lions left behind became stray cats. Roaming the city to find a place. All the gangs wanted to put their head in Pekka Rollins’s old crown and their feet on his desk, claiming the title of King of the Barrel high and loud. After all the trouble Kaz brought in the Barrel, he wasn’t going to leave any crumbs behind to pick after. He was going to make sure that nobody would become the next Pekka Rollins, the next Jakob Hertzoon. And it took a lot of work. A lot of bruised shoulders, a lot of persuasions, and a lot of transactions. Diplomacy wasn’t his forte. He preferred to leave that to what was left of the Merchant Council. By the end of last year, a lot of the members had been replaced by new ones. Roeder was still helping him keep tabs on all of them. Even if they were barely adult enough to take some serious missions, their youth, their desire to please, and their recklessness could become serious threats. 

But right now, all of this could wait. He turned right in an alley and took the main one leading to the Slat. Kaz flexed his gloved fingers. Saying that he was nervous would be an understatement. He was completely frightened. Like a boy. Suddenly, fighting a Grisha drugged with Jurda parem didn’t seem so terrifying after all. 

He crossed the hall and started climbing the stairs. He knew where she was. He composed himself before opening the door but when he did, the tiny bit of confidence he built after each step suddenly left him. He was right. She was there. He had forgotten how enchanting she could be, sitting on that window ledge, her legs dangling in the air, with strands of her soft hair around her face. Her beautiful dark eyes were closed and her long lashes were caressing her cheeks.

For how long had he stood there looking at her? Turn around. He turned his back to her and went towards the sink. He set aside his cane, took good care at removing his gloves, and put his hands under cold water. This simple routine helped him recover a sense of control. 

“Hello, Inej”. His voice had been deeper than anticipated. 

He could sense her presence getting closer. He finally dared himself to look in the mirror and his eyes met hers. Her gaze on him was so timid yet tender that, once again, he completely lost the ability to command his own body. How absurd it was of him to think that observing her through the mirror would be more reassuring than meeting her eyes directly.

His hands were freezing, still in the faucet. Neither of them were sure what to expect from the other. He could tell. But she will always have her place in Ketterdam. And she will always have her place near him. 

“Hello, Kaz”. Her voice was like honey and he was ready to feed on every drop of it.  

“You and your crew have a place to stay?”, Kaz said in a tone that he sincerely hoped seemed detached. 

“I was hoping you could help with that.” 

“I cleared the two top floors of the tavern that replace the Kaelish Prince across the street from the club. One for your crew, and one for you.” 

“Are you hoping that after two years at sea, my men will fill the coffers of the Crow Club?” Her eyes were playful and so intense that he had to look away for a minute. Coward.

“I don’t need your men to fill the coffers. Plenty of pigeons have already taken that task very seriously. But who am I to refuse honest workers a seat in my establishment? What they do after is up to them. And you, Captain Ghafa.” 

An honest smile captured her face while she looked down at her feet. He missed this. But mostly he missed her. Her presence. They could be talking or staying silent, it was her company that he cherished the most. 

“I don’t need an entire floor, Kaz.” 

“You can sleep in the broom closet if you like, but the top floor is yours”, Kaz said firmly. 

No need to argue this one out. The two top floors have always been vacant. Many of the Dregs were curious about that. Kaz Brekker doesn’t do something for nothing. Especially when it can mean financial gain. The thing is, he didn’t owe any of them an explanation. 

The truth, however, is that Kaz had always hoped Inej would come back to Ketterdam, to him, and he wanted her to have something more than what he was able to offer her before. That something was Sanktum.

i am very tasty and unfortunately the mosquitoes know it

Definitely something Kaz would say…

Wraith Wrath - Table of Contents

After two years at sea, Inej Ghafa returns to Ketterdam. She and Kaz will have to face an adversary they know all too well as they navigate their evolving relationship.

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI