Katerina Petrova was on the run and had to hide her past. But among thieves and murderers, did that really matter? All that mattered to Kaz Brekker was whether or not his prized grisha was up for the job. He didn't ask questions and that's what made...
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━━matthias helvar had woken bound and tied to a chair in what looked like some kind of gambling parlour. nina must have brought him out of the stupor she'd placed him in. she was there, along with the bronze girl. jesper, the long-limbed boy from the boat, sat in a corner with his bony knees drawn up, and a boy with ruddy gold curls doodled aimlessly on a scrap of paper atop a round table made for playing cards, occasionally gnawing on his thumb.
nina.
matthias remembered something he heard nina say.
━━"aye, katerina, mind making it less chilly?"
the girl, he could barely see her, laughed before raising her hands in the air.
━━matthias muttered her name. the name everyone who lived in fjerdan had come to fear. no one heard him except the girl standing near his right arm. her. katerina.
she leaned down, "say that name again, and i'll slit your throat. my name is katerina petrova and that is all you know about me, understood?" she spoke urgently and matthias was too confused to answer. suddenly, he felt pressure near his ribs and realized she was threatening him with a knife. he nodded.
katerina nodded and then kaz brekker started talking — about a drug called jurda parem, about an impossibly high reward, and about the absurd idea of attempting a raid on the ice court. matthias wasn't sure what might be fact or fiction, but it hardly mattered. when brekker finally finished, matthias simply said, "no."
"believe me when i say this, helvar: i know getting knocked out and waking up in strange surroundings isn't the friendliest way to start a partnership, but you didn't give us many options, so try to open your mind to the possibilities."
"you could have come to me on your knees, and my answer would be the same."
"you do understand we can have you back at hellgate in a matter of hours? once poor muzzen is in the infirmary, the switch will be easy," katerina spoke, her voice was unlike kaz. she was a demon like him, yes, a far worse type of demon.
while kaz brekker was calculative, always thinking ahead, katerina petrova dove head-straight to danger as though she had nothing to lose—perhaps making her even more terrifying. and while brekker was cold, sending shivers down people's spines, pretrova was like fire. she was the heat that lured people and burned them to their death.
he had heard stories about her, of course he has, but the stories nina told him were different. she talked about a girl wanting to make her mark on the world, she talked about a girl that was just like them. but no, while matthias believed grishas were inhuman, katerina petrova was something else entirely.
yet matthias could not let her know he feared her. feared for his life when he was around her. "do it. i can't wait to tell the warden your ridiculous plans."
"what makes you think you'll be going back with a tongue?" brekker said.
"kaz—" nina protested.
"do what you want," matthias said. he wouldn't betray his country again.
