Shadows: A Six of Crows Fan fic

Chapter Fourteen: Inej

"What?" Kaz asked as Inej watched Jesper's face shut down and him turn around to sit by Wylan. "Do you have more complaints to lodge before I can finally think of a way to get this out of here?"

Inej's nostrils flared, and she stood up to her full height. She was done with this. "No, Kaz. I think you've made just about enough plans for one day. Right now, what we're going to do is get up and get Wylan to the medic on The Wraith. We don't have time to hope that one of your plans lucks out and works. I'm sorry, but this is the hand we've been dealt and now I'm going to get us out of this with the deal I made. We can't always miraculously escape every situation. Sometimes, we just have to face the consequences of our actions." She looked Kaz dead in the eyes as she spoke, hoping against hope that it would finally crack through his thick skull how much he messed up. How much she blamed him.

How much she wanted to forgive him if he just apologized.

When he stayed silent, she nodded, mostly to herself, and resigned to the fact that that would always be his answer to her. Taking a deep breath, she plowed forward; they didn't have time for heartfelt talks anyways. "Pim, Anika. Help Jesper carry Wylan. Kaz, you'll watch our back in case these guys try anything. We should be able to just walk out of here, but I still don't want to give them a chance to jump us. Ready?" Inej looked each of them in the eye, waiting for one of them to question her orders as none of them moved from their spots. Their eyes shifting from Kaz to her, Kaz's own eyes never leaving her face.

Then Anika smirked at her, and she stood to her feet in front of Inej. Bringing two fingers to her brow in salute she said, "Aye, Aye, Captain."

Inej smiled back and nodded her thanks as the others began to follow Anika's lead in taking her orders. Even Kaz. "Alright then," Inej said, new confidence falling on her shoulders. "Follow me."

The three Dregs lifted Wylan as gently as they could off the ground with a cacophony of moans and grunts, their leader falling in behind them. Once they had Wylan adjusted somewhat comfortably between them, Inej opened the door and walked out, her head held high. These people might have taken her freedom away again, but just like at the Menagerie; she wasn't about to let them take her dignity along with it. The hallway outside their cabin was empty but once they exited the staircase leading up to the main deck, the assassins in their black suits could be seen in every corner of the ship. A few were dangling from ropes or sitting on the rigging, others were lounged out along the edges of the ship, and still more were stalking along the deck as if hungry cats prowling for their next meal. All of them staring at her motley crew from where they perched.

As she walked across the planks of the wooden Schooner, channeling all of her abilities as a graceful tight-rope walker, she tried not to let the attention of all the eyes unnerve her. But, despite her best efforts, one set of eyes trailed her like a hawk and burned a hole so deep in the side of her head that she could no longer help but turn to look who it was. When she turned her head, her gaze was met with the eyes of the woman she had first met on the ship. The one that had threatened her life. In her eyes, every ounce of the threat she'd posed earlier was still burning there. Apparently, Inej selling her freedom wasn't enough for her, she wanted Inej dead.

Inej breathed deeply, lifted her head a little higher as she looked straight into her eyes, turned away, and walked down the plank without looking back again. As she and the others made their way back towards The Wraith, she could feel the eyes continue to watch and stare, but the farther they got away the less their weight pressed on her and the more the weight of those walking beside her did. One dark gaze, in particular, she could feel watching her every step making her stomach twist into a knot.