Ace of Spades- 𝕾𝖎𝖝 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖘

3] Sink or Swim?

In Dienas office, some of the Sea Snakes were avoiding Ravkan First Army Soldiers who were enjoying themselves in the halls. Anneke, Nora, Ivan, Eva, Dara, Nico and Kit to be precise. 

In other words when first army are around, move the Grisha members into the back just in case.

Diena wasn't a Grisha, but she would stay with her people, she'd keep them safe. So that's what she did, she sat in her chair, shuffling her cards, moving them around her hands in ways that made anyone watch. 

None of them were trained, one wrong emotion, one wrong move of their hands and everything could go wrong. Kit wasn't Grisha, but he would stick with his sister until everything was okay.

Diena opened one of her drawers and took out a red bandanna that was in it, wrapping it tightly around her right wrist, "You alright, boss?" Ivan asked when he noticed

Diena opened, "Yeah." Lie. Her wrists were aching and felt like they were on fire, a fun little issue she's had all her life. And only things that were fabricator enhanced could help.

"Snake!" Diena looked up when she heard the angered voice, to her knowledge she hadn't done anything wrong but she really couldn't tell.

She glanced over to her six snakes. Kit just shrugged, he had no idea what was going one either.

Kaz then burst into the room, his hair a mess, a bruise forming on the side of his face and he was leaning on his cane more than usual. With the murderous look that the Bastard was giving the Snake all Sea Snakes slowly rose from their seats.

Brekker didn't know it but he was in the room with six Grisha who could kill him with the flick of their wrists. A Squaller, an Inferni, an Alkemi, a Heartrender, a Tidemaker and a Durast

"Snake!"

Diena looked to her people, not even giving a thought to Kaz, "It's okay. Go downstairs, I think Vesemir and Rhaenys are back in town today."

Nora, Eva, Ivan, Anneke obeyed immediately walking out of the room, looking at Kaz as they did. Kit stayed in-between Kaz and Nico at all times as they walked out, only leaving Dara, "Dara it's fine."

Dara didn't like a fight, but when he sensed danger he wouldn't want to leave until he knew everyone he loved was safe, "I don't like this, boss."

Diena looked Kaz up and down, she knew he wouldn't hurt her. Not yet anyway, "It's okay, promise."

Dara didn't like the idea but he reluctantly nodded and walked out of the office shutting the door behind him, "They hurt you bad?" Diena asked

Kaz shook his head, "What did you tell him? What did you tell Pekka Rollins?! The only reason this happened was because Rollins turned up to warn me off the job! Did he know about the job through you." Kaz was seething and Diena could tell

"Do you think I get to play favourites, Kaz? I don't, I wish I did. You wouldn't have to work for anything then. In my job I get paid, I run my mouth. And then it is up to you to play the hand your dealt."

Kaz narrowed his eyes, somewhere deep down, he understood, "Who else knows about this job?"

"More people going after one thing, the more they come to me for help. The more information and money I get. It's a cycle that you understand. I told you first, that's the best I could do." Kaz let out a breath as he rolled his eyes, "You want to sit down, before you fall?" Diena asked, Kaz just shook his head, "What else do you want?"

"I want you on this job. With me, Inej and Jesper."

Diena laughed, "Into East Ravka? I am of no use to you there, I know nothing on no one."

Kaz gave her a look, "That's not the skill I'm after. How do I get across the Fold and will you tell me how without telling other people?"

Diena nodded, "I put information in the game, but I can also take it out. But it's gonna cost you, you're not just playing with your life here. It's mine, Jesper and Inej's. You've already given me your information you've got over the last weeks. You've played all your cards...me however, I still have all of mine." 

Kaz looked at the card Diena was moving around her around, he saw the glow, he knew her power. And that was precisely what he needed for the job. He knew exactly who she was. 

But Kaz had one more card to play, "I'll tell you how I came to be in the Barrel."

Diena looked at him, "You must be truly desperate to come to me with that. You're a Barrel Rat, you just appeared...unless you're not. Who are you Mr Rietveld?"

Kaz seemed to stiffen at that name, "I need this information, Snake. And I need it out of other people's ears. So if we have a deal, you can hold it over me."

Diena stood up from her chair. She had had the vast majority of her compassion stripped from her, but it wasn't all gone, "I know all that I need to know. I know who you came with, what happened. I don't need to know where you came from. I'm from Novyi Zem, no one cares about that. They only care about who I am now." 

She walked around the table picking up a piece of paper as she did holding it out to Kaz, "Arken Visser. He transports people across the Fold and he's in Ketterdam. If you say Diena Fahey sent you, he owes me favours, this is me calling one in. He'll get us across the Fold and back. Give him this." 

"Us?" Kaz asked as he took a card from her, when he looked at it he was that it was the ace of spades. Diena's calling card, you'd see a card in the air before you saw her and then you knew something was going to happen, someone was going to get hurt. 

Diena nodded, "If you think I'm letting Jesper out of my sight again, you're very wrong. If he doesn't agree tell him I can and will have a Sea Snake on him at any given moment. I'd move quickly, Tante Heleen knows about him, not through me. Klara told me that Inej might have been sent to kill him."

"Why? Why don't you want anything in return?" Kaz asked, he had never known Diena to do anything for nothing

"Because you need this job. Because you're building a reputation, if you fail you're going to sink. But if it all goes right, you'll earn your place with the Sea Snakes and the Dime Lions. So...sink or swim, Mr Rietveld? How will you play your hand?" 

Kaz took the letter from the hand, in the space of five minutes. He had gotten the Snake on the job, free information from her and the possible lead of going through the fold.

He had made the right decision, "Never make decisions out of fear, Kaz. Only out of spite."

Kaz wasn't one hundred per cent sure on what had happened to the Zemeni woman when she first arrived in the Barrel but according to Jesper she was completely different to the woman he was standing in front of now.

"Get your affairs in order, we need to leave fast." Kaz ordered as he turned and walked out of the room

Diena raised an eyebrow and scoffed, she wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that Kaz Brekker could now order her around.

But she would soon find out

Thank you for reading

In the next chapter we meet the Old Couple of the gang, Vesemir and Rhaenys!!

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