"...all ended with her eyes, hell, purgatory, paradise."
Book one: She's no angel, he's no saint.
Book two: Half my soul.
Book three: Dark paradise.
Book four: Tattered wings.
Aeolian's bad hand was wrapped around a white bandage, the healer had reversed the damage but it'll take sometime to fully heal her bones. When Tolya found out that Raske was the one who broke her hand, he'd thrown a furious punch on the khergud's face but the soldier didn't even flinch.
The Shu princess had brought him back from his insanity, now at least he had a conscious of his own. His life in Ravka and Ketterdam felt like a lifetime ago. He wasn't the same person anymore.
When Raske fled from Ravka and settled in Ketterdam, he didn't want to be a part of the barrel thugs but he learned it the hard way; he needed a gang to survive the barrel. Because he was good at demo, Per Haskell took him in as their demolition expert. But he soon learned that Haskell was just the leader of the Dregs by name. Kaz Brekker was the one who runs the gang.
After Kaz returned from Ravka, Inej had left the Dregs and a new spider took her place. Raske wasn't present at the Slat when Kaz had introduced the gang their new spider but that night there were murmurs about the Shu girl, everyone had the same thing to say about her—that she had the most beautiful eyes.
Drake had said something about her bosom, that Raske couldn't quite recall but then Kaz Brekker was before them and he had smashed Drake's face on the concrete table as blood splattered.
"I won't tolerate any disrespect towards my spider," Kaz had said. "Spread the word."
None of the Dregs nor the other Barrel gangs had tried to cosy upto Aeolian, everyone feared what Dirtyhands would do to them and in sometime they had all learned that the Shu girl was to be much feared as well. She only looked gentle and delicate but in fact she was deadlier than Brekker.
Aeolian's and Raske's friendship bloomed unexpectedly. They both had lost both their parents and they were both in a city, that doesn't have pity on anyone or anything. The Shu girl had more funds than Raske as she worked for a councilman, and so every weekend she'd treat him vanilla flavoured ice cream. One weekend, she decided they should go bar hopping together.
After a long night of drinking and merrymaking. She'd passed out and he had to carry her home. She was the only one among the Dregs who had a proper apartment to live in. But as he entered—Kaz Brekker was at the table counting stacks of kruge.
"What happened?" He was on his feet as soon as he saw them.
"She passed out," Raske responded.
Kaz narrowed his eyes as he took Aeolian in his arms, "did you touch her?"
"No." He swallowed hard.
Raske thought of Drake's bloodied face but Kaz turned away without saying another word. And as he made his way upstairs carrying Aeolian in his arms, Raske saw that he'd left his cane behind, that was the first time he saw Dirtyhands without his cane. The ruthless, amoral, impossible thug. Who wouldn't commit any sin for the right price; has sentiments for the Shu girl but Raske had never said it out loud because deep in his bones, he knew that Brekker didn't deserve someone like her and Aeolian didn't belong to the barrel.
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