Echo • Six Of Crows - Kaz Brekker

4

Down at the docks a thick, heavy fog rolled through the chilly air to the point where you couldn't see much further than five feet in front of your face. About a dozen or more boats lined up and every person that Mavka passed on her journey down there were adorned in varying bright colours and intricate masks. Everywhere she looked there were a variety of Mad men, Grey Imps and Scarab Queens, all characters well known in the Komedie Brute troupe in the pleasure district.

Despite the theatrical look, every figure looked dark and shadow-like, and Mavka's paranoia was kicking in - she preferred being able to identify those around her, but this scenario wasn't calling for it.

Through the fog she spotted a hint of a red skirt underneath a blue silk cloak and veil, and made her way down. Her eyes then fell on the figure of Kaz whom she could identify blind if she had to - it was something about how he carried himself, confident but sinister looking. And he did look odd without his cane by his side.

When she got closer to them, both with their back to her, she noticed where his cane myst have been strapped to his back, jutting out like an extra limb at his shoulder under the bright orange cloak around his shoudlers. It reminded her of something from an old fairytale her mother had told her as a child, involving a man who turned into a spider.

Nina doesn't notice when Mavka stops behind her, and she's too awkward to make herself known so just hangs around hoping for one of them to turn.

She gets what she wishes.

"Who else are we wait-" a small yelp from Nina and her hand slapped over her mouth right when she spotted the girl. Her eyes shot into a glare.

The girl gave a small wiggle of her fingers as a wave.

"Saints, you're like a bloody cat." She whispered, looking annoyed that she'd been frightened by the quiet girl again.

Mavka had a natural ability to sneak, even when she didnt mean to, meaning she frightened quite a few people on a day to day basis.

Except Kaz, of course.

"Oh, good, you're here." Kaz noted. Tuckwd under his cloak, his still gloved hand pulled out a deep, bottle green silk wrap and a golden painted mask.

Mavka took them and wrapped herself in the large panel of fabric, pulling it in a hood over her hair and around her shoulders, allowing it to fall just like her old faithful cloak - that she was saddened she couldnt bring for this.

The mask was a gold eye mask that went up to form a crown, dotted with cheap, stick on jewels at each corner of the eye and the crest of the head piece. She placed it on, some of her wild hair spilling out through the gap it formed against the sash.

Her disguise of the night would be the Scarab Queen, Nina would be the Lost Bride and Kaz, the Mad man. Oddly fitting, though she knew if he could read her thoughts she'd receive a sarcastic comment or maybe an insult, depending on how he was feeling. If it were anyone else they'd at least get a slap round the head, which Mavka thought would be well deserved if they had the nerve to make that comment in his presence in the first place.

They both climbed into a sailboat that was manned by Muzzen, who would take them to Terrenjel, one of Kerch's tiny outlying islands closer to Hellgate.

Mavka had taken this route a total of three seperate times to gather varying information for Kaz and Per Haskell.

Beside her, Kaz adjusted his mask and cloak.

Fog lay low over the water, damp and curling. It carried the smell of tar from the shipyards on imperium, and something worse - the acrid stink of burning bodies from Reapers Barge, where Ketterdam disposed of its bodies, a sad destiny for those that couldnt afford to be buried in cemeteries at the edge of the city.