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

6. Open The Doors

The performance of the shadow summoner was amazingly flawless.

Each aspect was perfectly polished.

Every combination of hand movements and steps taken were marked out.

Every single molecule of shadow formed in various ways followed Winnie's command.

The result was a dazzled audience sat above her.

An audience Winnie paid no attention to. She didn't enjoy being watched, or the entire process of being made to perform like a doll for their entertainment. All it would do was distract her.

But it was a necessary thing for her to do.

Shu Han had started to distance itself from their alliance with Ravka for no apparent reason. It started after their debt to Kerch was paid off.

Fjerda had been attacking their defences more vigorously, also for no apparent reason.

There was something happening in the world.

Something Winnie wasn't aware of. But something she could tell was bad. And ever since the coronation, she knew people were hiding things from her.

Quite frankly, Winnie knew everyone wanted to keep her out of business for the right reasons. They cared about her and wanted to keep her safe.

But she wanted to be involved.

She knew she could help. And to be honest, she found herself being excruciatingly bored most days as she moped around the castle with nothing to do.

Willem proved to be a helpful distraction for her. Alina, Zoya, and Genya were like sisters to her and would try their level best to see her when they weren't busy.

Nikolai also tried to arrange certain times of the week where the two long-term friends could go back to their roots and play a game of chess or sword fight one another.

But Winnie felt like they were all living their lives, doing important things, and she was stuck behind.

And what made that feeling worse was that she used to be living.

She used to be at the centre of it all. The planning, the danger, the art of the deal.

It was something she loved; it was a large part of the girl she was.

Having that stripped from her had been a challenge.

She missed it.

She missed that past section of her life.

She missed the future there she had started to dream of.

When she had first arrived, Winnie had wanted nothing more to get out of Ketterdam. To do whatever she could to leave that place and the people associated with it.

But now she found herself wanting to return.

Just once.

Just one more night of drinking with Gerik and Demius in her office.

Just one more deal.

Just one more dangerous job.

Just one more gamble with a Zemeni gunslinger.

Just one more secret exchanged with a Suli spy.

Just one more moment with the Bastard of the Barrel.

Winnie took in a deep breath as she sat at her dresser, closing the drawer containing a star necklace which had caused these thoughts to enter her mind.