Crows of a Feather

Prize of kruge

Erine

The crows had been all over Ketterdam that night, desperately looking for a way through the fold before midnight. Every person gave them the same answer, Take your time or take your chances. Erine was tired, very tired. She wanted to lay down and take a short cat nap- normally Kaz would've sent her back to Slat by this hour but with A million Kruge on the line, he needed the Panther. She wasn't complaining much either, this was her chance to leave Ketterdam for the first time in years.

The four now sat at a private table at a pub to gather their information. Kaz had let Erine order some cookies and was happily munching on them while Inej skillfully braided the young girl's hair, careful to not move the earplugs. Inej had been braiding Erine's hair since her second month working for Kaz, it helped the two bond as Inej would tell her stories of her times in the caravan. One time Kaz had caught them giggling about something and when he asked what was so funny, he got no response. That was one of her favorite memories.

" Here's what I don't get." "We're going to be here all night" Inej sighed as she finished Erine's braid and started to fidget with a knife. " Rude. why haven't they tried going under it? Just dig a tunnel?" Jesper asked. Erine put down her cookie "They tried that more than a century ago" "Something heard them digging" Kaz finished for her. Erine gave Kaz a pout wanting to be the one to tell the story. " it was made hundreds of years ago by that crazy Grisha..." " The black Heretic" " Yeah, the one who controls shadow. They've got one in their army now. Don't they? General Kirigan? If one of his kind made it, can't he unmake it?" The Zemeni boy made a decent point, but Erine knew better. Inej had told her all about the saints and Grisha, and Kaz had read her a book about the fold to get her to sleep. " have you ever put out a fire by adding more fire?" Inej questioned. " Then what's the opposite?" " Sun Summoner!" Erine answered like a kid who had just earned candy. The sugar from the cookie was clearly waking her up

Erine couldn't be bothered with Kaz and Inej bickering about her faith and the saints. Kaz refused to believe in any other power but money and himself. Inej believed in fate. To opposite sides of a coin called destiny. Erine wasn't sure what to believe, she didn't care. Her whole life has been focused on surviving to see the next day, even now with the crows she still worried that she would go to sleep and never wake up. So to Erine, saints were hard to believe in. Why have that power and still make so many suffer? She didn't get it.

" sounds like a trap anyway," Jesper said nonchalantly. Erine didn't think so, she had seen plenty of traps while watching Kaz climb the ranks of the Dregs. This job was real. " A trap would sound easy. This is something else." The Crow's attention was then drawn to a Dregs member " Boss! We intercepted a note from Dreesen." " Did you now?" "it's for the owner of the orchid. It says they require the services of a heartrender. Tonight" the man continued " A Heartrinder? Why?" " Doesn't say. Just that they need it before Midnight" Erine looked at Kaz as she saw the all too familiar face, the face he wore when he was scheming "You don't need a heartrender unless you need an answer out of someone who isn't willing to talk. That's how we get this job before anyone else. Bring Dreesen a Heartrender" Kaz said as he started to leave the table. Erine quickly followed his tail. " Boss, just one problem. Pekka Rollins knows." Erine didn't think Kaz's face could get any angrier, but it always seemed to whenever Rollins was involved.

Kaz

Pekka Rollins was the bane of Kaz's existence. 'Brick by brick' he swore to destroy the wealthy merchant. One brick was getting this job. Even now as he walked down the moonlit street, Erine by his side, the heartrender on the other, and the rest of his crows flocking behind. Kaz only saw red. " I really appreciate the business, but you've only paid for an hour of my time, and I have to be back at the Orchid." The Grisha explained if Kaz could he would stab himself to end her intolerable rambling. " The Orchid isn't safe tonight. Your life's in danger with this Job. Make yourself scarce for a few days afterward" He told her. " Mr. Brekker, are you threatening me? Really?" Kaz wanted to laugh if that was what she considered a threat. ' I could do so much worse' he thought "Even if I'm nice, my boss will call the standwatch on you" she reminded.