Crows of a Feather

Zemeni Coin

Erine

The rainy streets of Ketterdam were unforgiving. The cruel rain drenched whatever it touched. Including the Crow Club. Inside the hustle and bustle of the bar, there were barkers and dealers looking for some new blood to taint. One of the Gambling tables hosts several middle-aged or older men, except for two. A Zemeni boy sat to the right of the dealer, laid back and with an arm over a little 11-year-old girl. The girl was Erine, who had now been with Kaz for three years, and in those three years, she had changed. She was no longer covered in bruises aside from the occasional stumble or two, her hair had lightened to a bronze color, and her eyes had shifted into a honey brown. Being with Kaz had also made her smarter and more conniving than before, of course, it would. Now when Kaz had jobs for her it would always disguise it as a game, like this one, they called it " Shadow the Sharpshooter". The Sharpshooter was Jesper Fahey. He joined the dregs a little over a year ago, not too long after Inej, and quickly became a member of Kaz's trusted crows, his inner circle.

" Hey, you take the Zemeni coin, yes?" one man asked the dealer, hearing the unusual click of the metal Erine twitched under Jesper's arm. She tapped the boy's arm to gain his attention " Yes little E?" he whispered so none of the men would notice. Erine gestured to the coin. " smart ears" Jesper grinned, already knowing it was fake. " Let me see that" Erine watched as he examined the fake coin. " The Lucky Nine Casino up the block has had trouble with counterfeit coins lately. Heavy, but brittle." The Sharpshooter stated as he leaned forward. " Oh, come on, now. I've been here for hours. My money is good. No?" the man argued, " Zemeni coin can take a bullet. But the knockoff..." Erine didn't have time to prepare herself for the piercing sound of the gunshot. She bit her tongue as she covered her ears and curled into an even smaller ball. She kept her eyes closed thinking that it would help soothe the ringing that continued to echo in her ears. She missed the man being dragged off by the bouncer, or Jesper reaching for the abandoned pile of money. " No loud noises at the table, Jesper. You'll scare the pigeons." said the rough rugged voice of Kaz Brekker. After hearing his voice only then did Erine look up from her lap, she saw Dirtyhands walk over to her "Wouldn't want that boss" Jesper said before Kaz sent him to guard the door. " Erine, come" he called, and the little girl fell into step with the Bastard.

" A little early for action, innit, Kaz?" asked Rotty, a fellow Dregs member. " What do you want, Rotty?" Kaz asked, annoyed. Erine felt the soft tap of the cane against her ankle and looked back to Kaz ' Upstairs, go' he signed with his one free hand. Erine nodded all too eager to escape the loudness and let her ears rest.

The office of the Crow Club was Erine's second favorite place, the first being the Slat. he was painted with forest green walls and decorated with numerous paintings like the Dekapple she and Inej had just stolen. Erine all but ran into the room quickly jumping on the makeshift bed in the adjoint suit. She was going to go grab one of her star charts to look at when she heard the ever-so-faint shuffle of feet. Inej. " Inej!" she said cheerfully. Over the past year, Inej had become a sister to Erine, of sorts. Erine wasn't familiar with having such strong bonds with people she didn't know how to describe them. But she knew Inej had always treated her like she believed a mother would treat her child. Teaching her about the world as they sat on the windowsill in the office and fed the crows, something Kaz hated. Or when Inej would read to Erine before she fell asleep, something Kaz never prevented no matter the hour. In time, Erine had started to speak more, only to Kaz and Inej, and maybe a word to Jesper. In other words, only the people she trusted. She also taught them her sign as well, now it was a way the crows could communicate with only each other

'Stay there, I want you to scare Kaz' Erine quickly signed in the Suli-girl's general position. The wraith laughed knowing it wasn't going to work, she could never hide from Dirtyhands or the Panther. But to see Erine so hopeful of pulling a prank on Kaz was enough encouragement for her to stay in her place, after all, who was she to deny the Panther of what she wanted?

Kaz

Kaz walked into his office, admiring the painting just stolen one night ago. Kaz Brekker didn't particularly want the painting but it was Erine's idea as yet another gift for him. Kaz walked into the adjoining room of the office, his limp as prominent as ever, he looked over at Erine who lay on the bed studying one of her many star charts. He looked at her ears with focus, seeing the redness from their harsh treatment. He sighed and went to the basin to wash his hand. " Erine" he called softly, he didn't look up from where he was trying to focus on carefully removing his gloves. " Where are your earplugs?" " I left here," she said, concentrating on the charts " I left them here" he corrected "You need to wear them when you go to the club, you know that" he stated harshly. Kaz couldn't have her showing any weakness in public, he wanted the crows to seem untouchable. Whether or not it was true.

Wetting his Hands Kaz looked at the opened window, Inej had come for a visit. " Hello Inej, what information do you have for me tonight?" he asked, not caring about the pouting look on Erine's face because he was not scared. The wraith stepped out from the shadow " a lead on a job. A big one. Enough money to change lives." Kaz would have laughed, in a place like the barrel, anything could change lives. "It doesn't take much to change someone's life in the barrel." " Million Kruge?''The kerch boy heard Erine drop her chart on the bed. Immediately his focus shifted to business, putting back on his gloves Dirtyhands got to work. "what's the name?" " Dreesen. A wealthy merchant" Kaz nodded, his mind racking through the hundreds of records of people in the barrel " Dreeson, I've heard of him. He could afford it. The question is what's worth a million Kruge to him?" The wraith answered, she always answered him "He's looking for a crew willing to cross the fold into East Ravka and bring back something" By now Kaz had turned to face Inej, at the mention of the Fold he could see Erine shrink on the bed.

The fold was created long before Kaz's time. It was made of shadow and darkness, with evil creatures called Volcra lurking within. He remembered one time reading to Erine about its creation as a last result to get her to sleep during a storm. He remembered how she shied away from the words and refused to use them in their game. But every so often, he would catch her staring at a picture or a map of it. With the same curious grin, she wore it on the streets. Nothing beats the curiosity of a child. " The fold?" Erine asked, drawing the attention of the two teens, but Kaz still stared at Inej. " Of course, certain death pays a million" he stated. " he didn't say what he wanted nicked?" " No, but he's taking meetings tonight, starting at midnight." " tell me you followed him"

The Suli girl smirked, "He brought someone in from a ship. Took a way back to his house in the Garden District to avoid attention. I would have followed him inside, but Dreesen hired some private security. I would have had to use my knives to get closer." Kaz thought while staring at Inej. Erine sat on the edge of the bed listening intently for the plan. Like he had taught her. " Anyone, we know?" " A Zemeni man. I think his name is Tendo. You know him?" Kaz did know him. " Yeah. he gambles at one of Pekka's clubs. So I won't have leverage on him. But Pekka will '' he said as he walked into his office to continue this conversation.

"Kaz, I got this lead from one of the girls at the menagerie. They tell me things in case you'd buy them out as you did with me. Like Erine" Kaz shook his head " I didn't buy you. I'm paying off your indenture. And it isn't that with Erine either." he hated that she saw herself as something that could be bought. To him, she was invaluable, Erine too. No price was ever high enough to equal their worth, but He would pay it if it meant they were free. If it meant she was free. " You know what I mean. This one girl, Kesh, she has skill. She's like me-"" I only invest in the one-of-a-kind. She isn't like you. She isn't like Erine. No one is." Kaz looked into her eyes, longer than he knew he should have. He could tell she didn't know how to feel about his statement, he was lucky Erine had stayed in the other room so he wouldn't have to look at her either. Kaz Brekker wasn't a man for sentiment, he was a man of Business. " so what's our move now?" Kaz stood straighter and then sent his eyes looking to Erine and then back to Inej. " you're the one of us who believes in a higher power if we're going to survive a round trip through the fold, we'll need a miracle, or two"