Dirtyhands

fourteen

Kaz can hardly breathe. He feels light-headed and numb. The world is spinning around him until it goes black.

*Jespers POV*

"Are you sure that this is going to work and not literally blow up in our faces?" Jesper asks and looks at the bomb in Wylan's hands.

"Just stay thirty feet back and it should all be fine... for us at least. Even though there is a small chance that the entire fort will collapse with us inside because of the blast." Wylan explains.

"That's comforting," Jesper whispers sarcastically.

Inej appears out of the shadows. "We should do this now she whispers and pulls two daggers out of her cloak.

"Wait five minutes. Then set the first charge and light it up." She says and runs towards the wall. She digs her knives into the wall and uses them to pull her up the vertical surface.

"Ahh. You heard her. Let's do this. I'll cover you." Jesper says and starts to load spare clips.

*Inej's POV*

She pulls herself over the side of the wall with ease and silently makes her way down the stairs to the lower level. She can see what seems to be a courtyard. Bodies are piled up in there. "Kaz." Inej breaths softly.

She follows the trail of blood that has been left by the bodies. It goes down into what seems to be a courtroom. Then she sees droplets of blood going towards the stairs. Whoever left had been carried or had walked at the time. So odds are that they were alive.

She steps down another set of stairs and hears muffled voices in a closed-off room. She tucks herself into a dark corner and waits. It should happen soon. Five, ten, twenty seconds pass, and then she hears it. The bomb has gone off. The entire fortress shakes and the door flies open. Pekka Rollins and a large lad run out and dash up the stairs.

Inej slips in and is horrified by the sight in front of her. Kaz is bloody and beaten, but he is awake.

"Hello, Wraith." He says as a grin creeps across his lips.

"What did they do to you, Kaz?" Inej whispers and races over to him. She starts to cut his bonds.

"Nothing that hasn't happened before." Kaz rasps. "My gloves. They are in the corner."

Inej walks over and grabs the gloves. She gives them to Kaz and watches him struggle to put them on. His hands are shaking. 'It could be from the loss of blood.' She tries to convince herself.

Once Kaz has the gloves on, Inej hands him his cane. "Ready?" She asks and loops an arm around Kaz to help support him.

Kaz grips her upper arm to hold himself up and tries to put more pressure on the cane. He half limps, half drags his way out. Inej tries to pull him up the stairs but can't support all of his weight.

"Only a few steps, Kaz." She says softly as they make their way up the stairs and to the courtyard. Jesper is there and it seems that he and Wylan have a cart set up with two draft horses to pull it.

"Let's go," Jesper says anxiously and plays with the reins in his hands. Wylan races over to help Inej pulls Kaz into the cart.

"Oof." He grunts as he lands heavily on his back.

Inej eyes a filled sack. It looks like it could contain a body. The cart lurches forward.

The horses gallop down the road and Inej tries to make Kaz more comfortable in the back. She can feel his eyes on her as she moves.

*Kaz's POV*

He watches quietly. He can't believe that she is here. His heart is racing and it nearly skips a beat when she brushes the hair out of her face. He missed her so much.

"Thank you." He whispers.

Inej looks taken aback for a second. "For what?" She whispers back.

"For coming back," Kaz replies softly and meets her eyes. He feels the cart rock under them as they travel down the old roads.

He lets his hand slide down the wood until it reaches hers. His fingers intertwine with hers and she squeezes softly.

*Jespers POV*

Wylan takes his place next to Jesper. The horses are galloping ahead. He can hear them breathing and their hooves clashing against the stone. "Should we tell them?" He asks softly.

"Let them have this. We'll tell them once Kaz is patched up." Jesper replies and looks back at the two of them. Inej is sitting next to Kaz, who is laying down. They are holding hands and sitting in comfortable silence.

"Okay," Wylan says and looks forward at the rising sun. "It's beautiful."

Jesper looks over at Wylan. The sun is reflecting on his face. He smiles softly and looks at the sunset as well.

They are approaching Van Eck's manor. They break through the treeline and Jesper pulls the horses to a halt. "Quick. Get him inside." He says and helps Inej get Kaz out of the back of the cart. Kaz nods at him before he is handed over to Wylan, who then helps Kaz into the house.

Jesper waits for them to make it safely into the door before pulls the heavy sack out of the cart and dragging it to the root cellar. Then he opens it and pulls a limp body out. It's Pekka Rollins. He is unconscious. Jesper ties a rope around him before exiting the cellar and locking the door behind him.

It takes every ounce of his self-control for him to not break Pekka's neck but he knows that Kaz has earned that right and he can't take that from him.

*Inej's POV*

Inej and Wylan struggle to get him up the stairs and half drag him into a bedroom, where they put him on the bed. "I'll send for a doctor," Wylan says and runs out. Inej takes a seat next to Kaz and looks at him.

"I've made it out of worse. Don't worry." He says gently.

"I know," Inej responds and gives him a sad smile.

*Wylan's POV*

Wylan runs down the stairs and almost runs face-first into a tall lady. "Wha... Nina?" He says and looks up.

"What happened to you? You look horrible." Nina says and looks over Wylan like a concerned older sister.

"A lot." Wylan answers. "Kaz needs a doctor. He is upstairs."

"I'll see what I can do to hold him off," Nina says and heads up the stairs.

Wylan lets out a sigh and then returns to the task at hand.