Brekker's Barrel

11-KAZ

Kaz watched as Inej worked day and night to find the secluded island. It was so small and deserted that it was only recognized on specialty maps. He admired her ability to pick up on these things so quickly, becoming a better captain in months than most would in years. He had also grown to admire the sound of her commands, the way her hair blew with the wind when taken out of its braid.

Kaz shook the thoughts of her from his head. There were much more important things to meditate on.

As the waves rocked him back and forth, Kaz sat in the dark, dreaming of all the ways he could end Rollins. All the ways he could finally take his revenge on the man who killed his brother. The man who killed Kaz Rietveld.

He had prepared endless speeches in his head. One last chance to make the rotten stain of a man remember his brother's name. A chance to watch as he confesses his sins with tears in his eyes. Pekka Rollins' death would be anything but quick and easy. Kaz would make sure of it.

~

He must have drifted off to sleep, because he woke to the rhythmic clanking of the anchor coming unraveled.

As he walked onto the deck, he figured it must have been early morning. No sun yet in the sky. The sea was unusually calm and the moon shone brightly on its waves.

"Kaz!" Inej appeared behind him, throwing him his coat.

"No mourners,"

"No funerals" he finished.

"Let's go kill this bastard."

The island was small, possibly a few miles in diameter. There was nowhere for the enemy to run. There were a few hills and patches of forest, but not much of a place for them to hide either.

Entering a patch of thick trees, Kaz got the feeling they were not alone. His theory was proven when Inej took a hit from an unseen fist, knocking her to one knee. She sprung back up, knives drawn.

Kaz aimed his pistol, ready to shoot at any movement. The enemy was almost invisible in the night.

"Looks like Rollins has a new spider." He said to Inej, who was rubbing her bruising shoulder.

Before he knew it, the attacker was latched to him, bringing him down so that his back hit the ground.

"Where's the kid?" The masked person hissed, slapping Kaz across the cheek.

His mind flashed to Talon. The sweet little girl was probably sleeping after a long day of picking flowers and learning how to play cards with Jesper.

"What kid?" He acted confused.

Then, a fist hit his jaw, making him bite his tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

"Where is she, Brekker?"

Kaz looked to the sky, refusing to answer.

"Where is she?! Spit it out!"

So Kaz did just that.

He ripped the spider's mask off, spitting blood into his attacker's eyes. Inej took the chance to send a blade into his back as he was temporarily blinded. The man fell on top of Kaz, taking his last breaths. Kaz quickly pushed him off and stood up in disgust.

"I see what you did there." Inej chuckled.

"What kind of Barrel rat would I be without banter?" He said, breathing heavily.

Inej lowered her voice. "Why do they want Talon so bad?"

"Grisha? High Profile Parents? Who knows? Doesn't matter. They're not getting her."

They had all become protective of Talon, as though she were a younger sister. Kaz would stop at nothing to protect her. She didn't belong in Ketterdam, that's for sure. That place would corrupt her by age ten.

They continued their hike, looking for any tents or underground passages.

When they stumbled upon a flat stone around fresh dirt, Kaz pried it open with the beak of his cane. He looked at Inej and nodded, peering inside.

The tunnel was rather wide, custom made to fit the plump con man who inhabited it. They heard a deep rumble coming from the inside.

This man is snoring. Kaz thought. So very unaware of what's about to be served to him.

"I'll let you have the kill, just let me slice him up first." Inej waved her knife giddily.

She's been waiting for this moment too.

Inej creeped in first, silent as can be. Kaz watched as she stood over the man, studying her knives as if to choose the best one. She decided on the one sheathed on her hip. A small, precise blade.

She pushed the collar of his shirt back, and Kaz was convinced that she could even cut the man without waking him. Kaz's eyes inspected the healing scar already over his heart. One that came from Inej's blade.

Without warning, she quickly slashed the man's chest, causing him to jolt awake and scream.

"Pietro! Pietro you useless-" Rollins called out for his spider.

"He's dead." Inej said cooly.

"You" he spat, attempting to swat her away like a fly.

Kaz left his hiding spot to aid her, revealing himself to Rollins.

"You!" He screamed louder. "I should have known! You-"

Kaz grabbed his throat with his gloved hands, taking all the joy in choking him. This feeling was like no other. His surroundings blurred. The taste of blood faded from his mouth. He focused only on the strangled noises of his nemesis, his catalyst.

If Kaz was a villain, Pekka Rollins was his origin story.

He was so focused that he missed the knife Rollins was thrusting into his side. He groaned in pain, but adrenaline soon erased all of it. He could barely hear Inej screaming at him to stop moving, to avoid hurting himself.

He shook it all away, feeling a grin come across his mouth, dripping blood onto the floor of the cave. He took the knife from his side, despite the Wraith's protests. He drove it into the man's chest, just below his heart.

"No speech this time?" Rollins struggled to get the words out, but was still teasing Kaz.

He wants a speech.

Everything Kaz had prepared to say to the man left his mind. All that mattered now was that he died a painful death.

"I have nothing to say to you, you worthless fuck." Kaz spat, voice roaring.

He drove the knife upwards, then out, cutting out his heart. Kaz sat there for a moment as blood spread everywhere. His clothes were drenched.

Then he began to laugh. Uncontrollably. Pekka Rollins was no more. This is the day he had been waiting for since he and Jordie were starving on the streets. The moment when all would be right.

But the past came flooding back nonetheless. Kaz felt every second of every moment of he and his brother's suffering. His brother's death. His first crimes. What he had become. Nothing could be reversed.

Rollins couldn't even remember Jordie's name.

Kaz's laughs turned to sobs as he fell on the floor of the tunnel, dirt caking with blood. The taste of blood and the sharp pain in his side returned.

His consciousness left him as he felt the sharp pain of Inej hastily stuffing cloth into his wound while whispering a Suli prayer.