Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
As if she had sensed his sorrow, Nina had opened her eyes, the pale green of a bud about to unfurl, a color that brought him back from the ice. “What was his name?”
“Trassel.”
The corner of her lips tilted. “Troublemaker.”
“No one else wanted him.”
“Was he a runt?”
“No,” Matthias said. “The opposite.”
It had taken more than a week of hard travel to reach the Ring of Stones. Matthias hadn’t enjoyed the trip. He’d been twelve years old, new to the drüskelle, and every day he’d thought about running away. He didn’t mind the training. The hours spent running and sparring helped to keep the longing he felt for his family at bay. He wanted to be an officer. He wanted to fight Grisha. He wanted a chance to bring honor to the memory of his parents and his sister. The drüskelle had given him purpose. But the rest of it? The jokes in the mess hall? The endless boasting and mindless chatter? That he had no use for. He had a family. They were buried beneath the black earth, their souls gone to Djel. The drüskelle were merely a means to an end.
Brum had warned him that he would never become a true drüskelle if he did not learn to see the other boys as his brothers, but Matthias didn’t believe that. He was the biggest, the strongest, the fastest. He didn’t need to be popular to survive.
He’d ridden in the back of the sled for the entirety of the journey, huddled in his furs, speaking to no one, and when they’d finally arrived at the Ring of Stones, he’d hung back, unsure of himself as the other drüskelle bolted into the big barn, yelling and shoving one another, each of them diving for the pile of wriggling white wolf pups with their ice-chip eyes.
The truth was that he wanted a wolf pup desperately, but he knew there might not be enough for all of them. It was up to the breeder which boy was paired with each pup and who went home empty-handed. Many of the boys were already talking to the old woman, attempting to charm her.
“You see? This one likes me.”
“Look! Look! I got her to sit!”
Matthias knew he should try to be personable, make some kind of effort, but instead he found himself drawn to the kennels in the back of the barn. In the corner, in a wire cage, he caught a yellow flash—light reflecting off a pair of wary eyes. He drew closer and saw a wolf, a pup no longer, but not yet full grown. He growled as Matthias drew closer to the cage, hackles raised, head lowered, teeth bared. The young wolf had a long scar across his muzzle. It had cut across his right eye and changed part of the iris from blue to mottled brown.
“Don’t want no business with that one,” said the breeder.
Matthias didn’t know when she’d snuck up behind him. “Can he see?”
“He can, but he don’t like people.”
“Why not?”
“He got out when he was still a pup. Made it across two miles of ice fields. Kid found him and cut him up with a broken bottle. Won’t let no one near him since, and he’s getting too old to train. Probably have to put him down soon.”
“Let me take him.”
“He’d just as soon tear you to bits as let you feed him, boy. We’ll have a pup for you next time.”
As soon as the woman walked away, Matthias opened the cage. And just as fast, the wolf lunged forward and bit him.
Matthias wanted to scream as the wolf’s teeth sank into his forearm. He toppled to the ground, the wolf on top of him, the pain beyond anything he’d ever known. But he did not make a sound. He held the wolf’s gaze as its teeth sank more deeply into the muscle of his arm, a growl rumbling through the animal’s chest.
Matthias suspected that the wolf’s jaws were strong enough to break bone, but he did not struggle, did not cry out, did not drop his gaze. I won’t hurt you, he swore, even if you hurt me.
A long moment passed, and then another. Matthias could feel blood soaking through his sleeve. He thought he might lose consciousness.
Then, slowly, the wolf’s jaws released. The animal sat back, the white fur of his muzzle coated in Matthias’ blood, head tilted to one side. The wolf released a huff of breath.
“Nice to meet you too,” said Matthias.
He sat up cautiously, bandaged his arm with the bottom of his shirt, and then he and his wolf, both covered in blood, walked back to where the others were playing in a pile of wolf pups and gray uniforms.
“This one’s mine,” he said as they all turned to stare, and the old woman shook her head. Then Matthias passed out.
That night, on the ship, Matthias had told Nina about Trassel, his fierce nature, his ragged scar. Eventually, she had dozed and Matthias had let himself shut his eyes. The ice was waiting. The killing wind came with white teeth, the wolves howled in the distance, and Nina cried out, but Matthias could not go to her.
The dream had come every night since. It was hard not to see it as some kind of omen, and when Nina had casually dropped that yellow pill into her pocket, it had been like watching the storm come on: the roar of the wind filling his ears, the cold burrowing into his bones, the certainty that he was going to lose her.
“Parem might not work on you anymore,” he said now. They’d finally reached the deserted canal where they’d moored the gondel.
“What?”
“Your power has changed, hasn’t it?”
Nina’s footsteps faltered. “Yes.”
“Because of the parem?”
Now Nina stopped. “Why are you asking me this?”
He didn’t want to ask her. He wanted to kiss her again. But he said, “If you were captured, the Shu might not be able to use the drug to enslave you.”
“Or it could be just as bad as before.”
“That pill, the poison Tamar gave you—”
Nina laid a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to be captured, Matthias.”
“But if you were—”
“I don’t know what the parem did to me. I have to believe the effects will wear off in time.”
“And if they don’t?”
“They have to,” she said, brow furrowed. “I can’t live like this. It’s like … being only half of myself. Although…”
“Although?” he urged.
“The craving isn’t quite so bad right now,” she said as if realizing it herself. “In fact, I’ve barely thought of parem since the fight at the tavern.”
“Using this new power helped?”
“Maybe,” she said cautiously. “And—” She frowned. Matthias heard a low, curling growl.
“Was that your stomach?”
“It was.” Nina’s face split in a dazzling grin. “Matthias, I’m famished.”
Could she truly be healing at last? Or had what she’d done at the tavern returned her appetite to her? He didn’t care. He was just glad she was smiling that way. He picked her up and spun her in the air.
“You’re going to strain something if you keep doing that,” she said with another radiant smile.
“You’re light as a feather.”
“I do not want to see that bird. Now let’s go get me a stack of waffles twice as tall as you. I—”
She broke off, the color draining from her face. “Oh, Saints.”
Matthias followed her gaze over his shoulder and found himself looking into his own eyes. A poster had been plastered to the wall, emblazoned with a scarily accurate sketch of his face. Above and beside the illustration, written in several different languages, was a single word: WANTED.
Nina snatched the poster from the wall. “You were supposed to be dead.”
“Someone must have asked to see Muzzen’s body before it was burned.” Maybe the Fjerdans. Maybe just someone at the prison. There were more words printed at the bottom in Kerch that Matthias couldn’t read, but he understood his own name and the number well enough. “Fifty thousand kruge. They’re offering a reward for my capture.”
“No,” Nina said. She pointed to the text beneath the large number and translated, “Wanted: Matthias Helvar. Dead or alive. They’ve put a price on your hea
16
JESPER
When Nina and Matthias came charging into the tomb, Jesper wanted to leap up from the table and waltz with them both. He’d spent the last hour trying to explain to Kuwei how they would reach the embassy, and he was starting to get the distinct impression the kid was playing dumb—possibly because he was enjoying the ridiculous gestures Jesper was making.
“Could you repeat the last part?” Kuwei said now, leaning in a little too close.
“Nina,” Jesper said. “Can you help facilitate this exchange?”
“Thank the Saints,” said Inej, leaving off her work at the table with Wylan and Kaz. They were assembling the mass of wires and gear Kaz had stolen from the Cirkus Zirkoa. Wylan had spent the last two hours making modifications to ensure Inej’s safety at the silos, attaching magnetized clamps that would grip their metal sides.
“Why do you keep staring at him?” Kuwei said. “I look just like him. You could look at me.”
“I’m not staring at him,” protested Jesper. “I’m … overseeing their work.” The sooner Kuwei got on that boat, the better. The tomb was starting to feel crowded.
“Did you manage to contact the refugees?” Inej asked, waving Nina over to the table and clearing a place for her to sit.
“Everything went smoothly,” said Nina. “Aside from breaking a few windows and nearly getting shot.”
Kaz looked up from the table, his interest secured.
“Big trouble in Little Ravka?” asked Jesper.
“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Nina said. “Please tell me there’s something to eat.”
“You’re hungry?” said Inej.
They all goggled at Nina. She curtsied. “Yes, yes, Nina Zenik is hungry. Now will someone feed me before I’m forced to cook one of you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Jesper. “You don’t know how to cook.”
Inej was already digging through what remained of their stockpile of food, placing the meager offerings of salt cod, dried meat, and stale crackers before Nina.
“What happened at the tavern?” asked Kaz.
“The refugees are in hiding at the embassy,” said Matthias. “We met—”
“Their leader,” said Nina. “They’ll be waiting for word from us.” She shoved two crackers into her mouth. “These are awful.”
“Slow down,” said Matthias. “You’re going to choke.”
“Worth it,” Nina said, struggling to swallow.
“For crackers?”
“I’m pretending they’re pie. When does the boat leave?”
“We found a shipment of molasses headed for Os Kervo leaving at eleven bells,” said Inej. “Specht is working on the documents now.”
“Good,” said Nina, uncrumpling a piece of paper from her pocket and smoothing it onto the table. A sketch of Matthias looked back at them. “We need to get out of town as soon as possible.”
“Damn it,” Jesper said. “Kaz and Wylan are still in the lead.” He gestured to where they’d pasted up the rest of the wanted posters: Jesper, Kaz, and Inej were all there. Van Eck hadn’t yet dared to plaster Kuwei Yul-Bo’s face over every surface in Ketterdam, but he’d had to maintain the pretense of searching for his son, so there was also a poster offering a reward for Wylan Van Eck’s safe return. It showed his old features, but Jesper didn’t think it was much of a likeness. Only Nina was missing. She’d never met Van Eck, and though she had connections to the Dregs, it was possible he didn’t know of her involvement.
Matthias examined the posters. “One hundred thousand kruge!” He shot a disbelieving glower at Kaz. “You’re hardly worth that.”
The hint of a smile tugged at Kaz’s lips. “As the market wills it.”
“Tell me about it,” said Jesper. “They’re only offering thirty thousand for me.”
“Your lives are at stake,” said Wylan. “How can you act like this is a competition?”
“We’re stuck in a tomb, merchling. You take the action where you find it.”
“Maybe we should all go to Ravka,” said Nina, tapping Inej’s wanted poster. “It isn’t safe for you to remain here.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” said Kaz.
Inej cast him a swift glance. “You’d go to Ravka?”
“Not a chance. I’ll lie low here. I want to see Van Eck’s life come apart when the hammer falls.”
“But you could come,” Nina said to Inej. “Jesper? We could bring Colm too.”
Jesper thought of his father, stuck in some lavish suite at the Geldrenner, probably wearing the carpet down to the floorboards with his pacing. Just two days had passed since he’d watched his father’s broad back disappear between the graves as Rotty shepherded him off Black Veil, but it felt like far longer. Since then, Jesper had nearly been killed by Grisha hunters and had a price placed on his head. But if they could just get this job done tonight, his father wouldn’t have to know any of that.
“No way,” said Jesper. “I want Da to get his money as fast as possible and then get back to Novyi Zem. I’m not going to sleep easy until he’s safe on the farm. We’ll hide out at his hotel until Van Eck has been discredited and the sugar market goes crazy.”
“Inej?” said Nina.
They all looked to the Wraith—except Jesper. He watched Kaz, curious to see how he would react to the prospect of Inej leaving town. But Kaz’s expression was impassive, as if waiting to hear what time dinner might be served.
Inej shook her head. “When I go to Ravka, it will be on my own ship, piloted by my own crew.”
Jesper’s brows shot up. “Since when are you a seafarer? And what sane person would want to spend more time on a boat?”
Inej smiled. “I’ve heard this city drives people mad.”
Kaz drew his watch from his waistcoat. “We’re coming up on eight bells. Van Eck is gathering the Merchant Council at his house for a meeting tonight.”
“Do you think they’ll devote more resources to the search for Wylan?” asked Nina.
“Probably. It’s not our concern anymore. The noise and people coming and going will provide good cover for Wylan and me to get the seal out of the safe. Nina and Inej will hit Sweet Reef at the same time. The guards patrol the silos’ perimeter constantly, and it takes about twelve minutes for them to make it around the fence. They always leave someone to watch the gate, so be smart about the approach.” He placed a tiny stoppered bottle on the table. “This is coffee extract. Kuwei, Nina, Jesper, I want you all wearing plenty of it. If those Shu soldiers really can scent Grisha, this might throw them off.”
“Coffee?” asked Kuwei, popping the cork and taking a tentative sniff.
“Clever,” said Jesper. “We used to pack illegal shipments of jurda and spices in coffee grounds to throw off the stadwatch dogs. Confuses their noses.”
Nina took the bottle and dabbed a generous amount of the extract behind her ears and at her wrists. “Let’s hope the Kherguud work the same way.”
“Your refugees had better be ready,” said Kaz. “How many are there?”
“Fewer than we thought. Fifteen and um … some of the people from the embassy too. A total of seventeen.”
“Plus you, Matthias, Wylan, and Kuwei. Twenty-one. Specht will forge the letter accordingly.”
“I’m not going,” said Wylan.
Jesper clasped his fingers together to make them stay still. “No?”
“I’m not letting my father run me out of this city again.”
“Why is everyone so determined to stay in this miserable town?” Nina grumbled.
Jesper tipped his chair back, studying Kaz. He’d shown no surprise that Wylan wanted to remain in Ketterdam. “You knew,” he said, putting the pieces together. “You knew Wylan’s mother was alive.”
“Wylan’s mother is alive?” said Nina.
“Why do you think I let you two go to Olendaal?” Kaz said.
Wylan blinked. “And you knew I was lying about the quarry.”
Jesper f
“It was necessary.”
Wylan’s fists were clenched. “Why?”
“Because you still didn’t understand what your father really is.”
“You could have told me.”
“You were angry. Angry wears off. I needed you righteous.”
Wylan crossed his arms. “Well, you’ve got me.”
Kaz folded his hands over his cane. “It’s getting late, so everybody put away your Poor Wylan hankies and set your minds to the task at hand. Matthias, Jesper, and Kuwei will leave for the embassy at half past nine bells. You approach from the canal. Jesper, you’re tall, brown, and conspicuous—”
“All synonyms for delightful.”
“And that means you’ll have to be twice as careful.”
“There’s always a price to be paid for greatness.”
“Try to take this seriously,” said Kaz, voice like a rusty blade. Was that actual concern? Jesper tried not to wonder if it was for him or the job. “Move quickly and get everyone to the docks no sooner than ten. I don’t want all of you hanging around attracting attention. We meet at Third Harbor, berth fifteen. The ship is called the Verrhader. It sails the route from Kerch to Ravka several times a year.” He rose. “Stay smart and stay quiet. None of this works if Van Eck gets wise.”
“And stay safe,” added Inej. “I want to celebrate with all of you when that boat leaves the harbor.”
Jesper wanted that too. He wanted to see them all safe on the other side of this night. He raised his hand. “Will there be champagne?”
Nina finished the last of the crackers, licking her fingers. “I’ll be there, and I’m effervescent.”
After that, there was nothing to do but finish packing up their gear. There would be no grand goodbye.
Jesper shuffled over to the table where Wylan was packing his satchel and pretended to search for something he needed in the pile of maps and documents.