A Coin Has Two Sides (Season One) || Kaz Brekker x OC

8. Time For A Heist

East Ravka.

The name itself made Winnie feel faint.

She had risked everything to escape its clutches, and yet, here she stood.

She wasn't forced, she came willingly.

Why? She wasn't yet sure.

Did she miss home deep down? Did she miss her father? Did she miss the comfort of the Little Palace in comparison to the Barrel? Did she come for herself, to get answers to questions she had been asking herself for the past year? Did she come for the sun summoner? If so, why? To kidnap her, or to save her?

Or did she come for ... him?

Because he asked her to. No. He begged her to.

Winnie bought the memory of Kaz Brekker kneeling in front of her into the front of her mind, bringing with it a small laugh and a satisfied smile.

"What are you laughing at?" Jesper asked from the seat next to her up at the bar.

They had taken sanctuary in a pub which was notoriously known for being swamped with tourists. Perfect for keeping Winnie's identity hidden.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about Brekker on his knees", she replied playfully.

Jesper gawked at her comment with wide eyes, whilst Inej dropped the knife she had been playing with onto the floor.

Kaz choked on the sip of beer he was taking.

"It's happening. She's finally going crazy", Jesper whispered to Inej.

"It must have been what happened in the Fold", Inej replied.

"Funny. I haven't gone crazy", Winnie said and turned to her right to face Kaz. "Yet."

Kaz swallowed down the drink he had choked on.

"There's a good chance we can crack on", he ended up saying.

Winnie rolled her eyes. He was never any fun. Even after the absolute hell he had just put them all through perhaps he could consider cracking one of his small smirks.

"Now that we're three days' travel from the capital, the next play is finding a way into the Little Palace", he continued before tilting his gaze down to Winnie.

"Right. My turn to spill secrets that only I know in an unnecessarily mysterious way", she mocked.

Kaz took in a breath before Winnie reached over and took his beer glass from the table, downing the contents and wiping the froth off her mouth.

"The Kribirsk archives house the Little Palace blueprints. They're kept under lock and key. Far from the prying eyes of the masses", she said as a smile crawled onto her face as she turned around to face Jesper and Inej.

Jesper banged a fist onto the bar.

"Yes", he exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Arken asked.

"Time for a heist", Jesper responded as he patted Arkens arm with excitement.

Inej smiled as she ate the food Kaz had ordered for them. Winnie hadn't been able to touch a piece. Was it loss of appetite or simply because the feeling in her stomach from being back in Ravka made her worried anything she tried to get down would simply come straight back up?

"I'm assuming the two of you have a plan?" Arken gestured between Winnie and Kaz.

The two shard a mischievous glance.

They worked at their best when they planned jobs together. Whatever their two interconnected minds came up with was always flawless and genius.

"This should be good", Jesper said, still beaming with eagerness.