worthless things, kaz brekker

iii, plans and chaos

The passageway outside of the cell was chaos. Costumed men and women surged past, screaming and pushing each other, trying to get away from the arena. Some stumbled into the wall and into Sindri's body, only to find themselves kicked back into the crowd. 

Sindri's skin crawled with every touch, every arm accidently brushing against her body. She hated physical contact ever since was a child. She always said, when people could touch you, they could hurt you so you should always keep them at arms length.

Claustrophobia clawed at Sindri's throat once again and she fought the urge to push her way through the crowds, desperately hunting for sunlight and fresh air.

Kaz signaled towards the far right archway, indicating that they should move against the flow of the crowd and into the arena.

Matthias stepped into the throng, but Kaz instantly hooked his cane around the man's collar and dragged him back. 

"Boys like you weren't meant to get ideas, Helvar," said Kaz. "That staircase leads to a bottleneck. You think the guards won't check under that mask before they let you through?"

Sindri stepped out from the shadows, reappearing beside Kaz and Helvar. The latter jumped in surprise when he caught sight of Sindri and his eyes narrowed. 

"Drüsje." He hissed, glaring at Sindri. 

Witch.

Fiery anger built up in Sindri's chest at the sound of the slur. She wanted to snap back at him, had the very words sitting on the tip of her tongue ━ "Jer foretrekker spøkelse." ━ but a familiar hand in her throat forced the words to stick in her throat and not escape her mouth. 

Sindri chose instead to glare fiercely at Matthias, instead of responding to him in his native tongue. 

She had learnt Fjerdan in the Little Palace, after General Kirigan found her trying to read a book she had taken from the library that was transcribed completely in Fjerdan. When she learned she had an ear for languages, she taught herself Kerch and learned the basics of of Shu. 

Sindri dug her fingers into her palms, embedding crescent shaped dents into the soft skin, to try and stop herself from thinking of the Little Palace, of General Kirigan.

General Kirigan was dead and she had left the Little Palace behind years ago. 

"She is a ghost, let's go." Kaz snapped, turning and leading them through the crowd. 

Sindri followed after him, ignoring Helvar's burning gaze. 

If the passage had been chaos, then the arena was a special kind of madness. Hyenas were leaping and bounding over ledges. One was feeding over a body covered by a crimson cape. An elephant charged the wall of the stadium, sending up a cloud of dust and bellowing in frustration. Sindri spotted a white bear crouched in the eaves, teeth bared. 

They plunged across the sands where Matthias had fought for privileges for the last six months, but as they headed towards the tunnel, a desert lizard came pounding towards them, its mouth dripping foaming white poison. 

Silently, Sindri stepped out of the shadows and raised her hands. No one but Kaz seemed to notice her movements.

She could hear the beast's thrumming heartbeat in her ears. It was slower than a person's but that made it all the easier to stop.

Inej vaulted over the lizard's back and dispatched the creature with two bright daggers wedged beneath the armor of its scales just as Sindri cut her hand through the air and slowed the lizard's heart to a stop. 

That was twice today she had felt the need to use her gift. 

Sindri scowled when the thought popped into her head, just as she was slipping back into the shadows.