𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐒 | 𝐤.𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐫

THREE

The warmth and noise of the Crow Club wasn't quite so comforting as it usually was. Each stop had left them empty handed, no closer to finding a way across the Fold than they were at the beginning of the night.

Valya sat by Inej, her head rested on Inej's shoulder, and she had a knife between her fingers, her hands in her lap. She was exhausted. Inej was well aware of how little Valya slept. They shared their room, and whenever Valya stayed overnight instead of going home to her sister, she often whiled away her time reading through a book from Kaz, or she'd leave partway through the night and try to clear her head above the smog and dangerous streets.

Kaz had a grip on the crow's head atop his cane, his scheming face clear to see. Saints, Valya loved his scheming face. When his eyebrows furrowed and the scowl settled on his features. It was an oddly attractive sight, and it always meant he was planning something, which always excited her.

"Here's what I don't get," Jesper interrupted the silence of the table.

"We're going to be here all night," Inej commented, raising an eyebrow. Valya chuckled a little.

"Rude," Jesper retaliated with a slight glare sent in the girls' direction. "Why haven't they tried going under it? Just dig a tunnel."

"Tried that. More than a century ago. Something... heard them digging."

"So it was made hundreds of years ago by that crazy Grisha -"

"The Black Heretic," Inej said.

"Yeah, the one that controls shadows. They've got one in their army now."

"General Kirigan," Valya added. "What's your point, Jesper?"

"If one of his kind made it, can't he unmake it?"

"Have you ever put out fire by adding more fire?" Inej offered.

"Or perhaps if I stabbed you, then felt bad so I stabbed you again to undo it, would it help the situation? I'd still have to find you a medik if I was feeling so nice."

"Inej, take away her knives please," Jesper said.

"What they need is a Sun Summoner."

"Right, then one of those." Jesper leaned back again.

"Doesn't exist," Kaz said.

"Doesn't exist yet," Inej corrected as she twisted her knife on the table and Valya looked up at Kaz.

Valya had been raised on the idea of the Sun Summoner. Ravka had been torn apart by the Fold centuries ago, and there'd been war with Fjerda and Shu Han for centuries too. Had she and Milena not left Ravka, Valya would have been in military service soon enough, if not already. Most people were drafted into the army to help. Ravka, though a large nation and a powerful one due to Grisha trained in the Little Palace, was weak when divided. Against a unified Ravka, Fjerda and Shu Han wouldn't have a chance. Supposedly.

"Dreesen comes into town, doesn't waste a minute. Sends out for a crew to steal something but doesn't specify what. Is it heavy, large, worth more than a million on the black market? Maybe he doesn't know."

"We can let this go, Kaz," Valya told him. Even if it is a million kruge.

"Sounds like a trap, anyway," Jesper commented, taking a sip of his drink.

"A trap would sound easy," Kaz answered. "This is something else."

One of the bouncers came walking up to the table. "Boss, boss. We intercepted a note from Dreesen."