INIQUITY- kaz brekker

Ten

"What should we do with it boss?" Voront spoke as he glared down at the baby with narrowed eyes.

"We'll train her. A weapon, hidden from the eye of Ketterdam's society. She may come in useful in the future," the harsh voice of Pekka Rollins croaked.

He looked down to the flower shaped birthmark on the baby's wrist and picked her up with more gentility than his guards had ever seen before.

"We'll call her Iris"

~~~~

"How many are there?" questioned Inej as the Crows tried to scope their way out of Ravka and back to dirt-ridden Kerch.

"Two. At some point, one of them will have to go tell a superior what they found. We'll go in then"

"Not to be that person, Kaz, but are you sure you can drive that thing?", Jesper spoke.

"You're being that person," Iris whispered and was sent a glare from the two boys.

"Yes. On the way to Kribirsk, while you were busy hugging bait...

"Milo. The goat's name was Milo!" Jesper exclaimed indignantly.

...I was memorizing Arken's timings."

"Not to gang up on you, but Jes has a point. Arken's system was complicated and the ride was chaotic. No one would blame you for missing a count," Inej shrugged.

"Yeah, you do miss a lot Brekker," Iris sighed.

"Jes?"

"It's Suli, for friendship!" Jesper piped up nudging Iris in the shoulder who snorted with laughter.

"No, it's not," Inej exclaimed.

"Iris!" Jesper spoke indignantly. "You lied to me!"

"Yeah, you do lie a lot Zusak," Kaz smirked. "Trust me. Arken and I think alike," he continued.

As if it had heard his words and decided he was unworthy of driving it, the train exploded into a cloud of ash and smoke, their escape route once again foiled.

"It wasn't me this time!" Iris raised her hands in surrender.

"Too soon to appreciate the irony, am I right?" Jesper chuckled.

Iris Inej and Kaz gave the boy a glare.

"Yeah, too soon"

~~~~

"The skiff is still here. Travelers downstairs are complaining. They were due to cross this morning," Inej shrugged off her scarf.

"Orders from the Black General. He plans to cross on it tomorrow," Iris spoke up just before Kaz could say the same thing.

"The general? Is that the same general who tried to... Oh, yeah, kill us all. That one?" Jesper shook his head in exasperation. All this stress wasn't good for his complexion.

"He has the Sun Summoner," Kaz muttered and Iris perked up at the words.

"Was this your plan all along? To have the general get her back so you can take her again?" Inej frowned.

"My plan is to get us across the Fold. We aren't prepared for another fight"

"So you're not going to take another run at Alina? And you're really willing to let a million kruge go?" Inej spoke with a suspicious hint in her words.

Iris tensed at the Suli girls words. She needed that million kruge, her life depended on it. Yet here she was giving up her sliver of freedom, her last slice of life all for a girl she had met just a week ago. It didn't feel wrong exactly but she hoped Inej would name a knife after the girl when Pekka was done with her.