Chaos Magic • General Kirigan-Kaz Brekker

|40| chemicals

~•~

"This house is traditional. It has a specific layout. We enter through the front courtyard, antechamber, middle courtyard, main chamber." Tolya drew a map of the house and pointed to the locations as he spoke.

"We sweep the entirety." Said Kaz. Sultan stepped up to the door with his big backpack on his back, his hands clasped onto the straps. "How king will it take you to set up?" Kaz asked him.

"I have have the door open in about five minutes." He concluded. "And if Ohval trips in, we have two minutes before the firecrackers go off to get out. If not, Eva, could you protect us with your," he spread his hands out. "Red wiggly worm things?"

Evangeline laughed at his cuter. "Of course."

"Even if she returns prematurely we cannot leave without the blade." Inej stated the obvious. They need the blade.

"Yes, the future of Ravka and my payment depend on it." Kaz said with finality. "I'm aware."

"It's more than the future of Tabka at stake." Tolya told him calmly. "If we fail, Shu Han, Fjerda, Ketterdam, and beyond will feel the weight of the Darkling bare down on them."

"Way to up the stakes." Replied Jesper with sarcasm. With the group taking so long, Kaz decided to just pick the lock. Once they got in, Jesper and Wylan had a little talk in the corner.

"Jesper." Kaz called out. "We're going in. Close the doors behind you. Hurry up Eva we don't have all day."

"You mean night? Get it? It's night time-"

"I get it. Shut up." Kaz opened the door for her and followed suit. Tolya, Inej, and Jesper quickly went inside after them. As soon as they got in, Kaz spoke. "Spread out."

The five did so, and Tolya spoke. "I sense a heartbeat."

"I thought the compound was empty?" Eva asked aloud, not really directed to anybody.

"It's faint." He told her. "Further in the house." He tooo a step but he happened to land his foot in a trap. The door behind the group of five closed. Inej and Jesper tried to pry it open before it completely shut but were unsuccessful.

Inej tried her blade, Eva tried to use her chaos magic to make a joke but that didn't worth either, Tolya just kicked it in an attempt to open it as well. Kaz tapped the doors. "The frames are made of metal."

"They're Durast made." Jesper noticed. A hourglass in the wall turned over, starting a timer. "That doesn't sound good."

"There something in the air!" Tolya warned. Suddenly, they all started coughing. Tolya covered his mouth in hopes of the chemical not reaching his lungs. Inej did so too.

"This is how we die." Jesper cried out.

Tolya slowly sat down and started to control his breathing. Eva just stood there. Jasper coughed and then passed out. Inej eventually fell to the ground too. Kaz held onto one of the frames in the door.

Kaz fell. Eva went over to catch him but she too fell. She went into a coughing fit. "Tolya..." she reached her hand out for him but fell into the similar hallucinations and dreams the others were going through.