CHAPTER 4

Foolishness

     The sound of the door creaking open woke Brynn. She didn't know what day it was, she'd lost track of how many meals she'd barely eaten. Fatigue was getting to her. That night, she'd dreamt that she was a fairy in the fairy caves at Istamere, and that Van Eck was a giant who'd come to kill them all. The last thing she saw before she was awakened was a little fairy Kaz calling to her amidst the chaos that Van Eck had caused, his little black wings faltering, before eventually giving out and was crushed underneath the mercher's large foot.

Brynn shook her head free from the memory. She'd be appalled if Kaz even knew she dreamt of him, it would be best to keep the picture of a little fairy Kaz out of her mind forever.

Someone ripped off her blindfold much rougher than Bajan ever had. She blinked, trying to see whoever was in front of her, a lantern held in their hand. It was one of the guards that often came in with Bajan, the one with a large nose and thin eyes.

He reached down and pulled Brynn quickly to her feet, rustling the blankets pulled around her to help her sleep on the hard ground. He didn't bother with untying Brynn's binds from behind her back to in front of her, so she knew she wasn't going to eat. So what was happening?

The guard pushed her into the chair, setting the lantern down on the table next to her. Brynn eyed him, but her attention was soon averted to the door again.

Van Eck strutted in, his cold eyes soon adjusting to the dark and finding Brynn. He seemed smug, as if he knew something that she didn't. Bajan entered after him, and then two more guards afterwards. The door closed shut behind them.

"Has Brekker been keeping you busy that you couldn't be bothered to visit?" mocked Brynn. "Good. I don't like seeing your face anyway."

Van Eck rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Miss Adala, I do not have time for this."

"So why are you here? Has your music teacher been slacking on gathering information from me?"

"No, I don't have time for your mockery," he said. "I gave Mister Brekker seven days to broker a trade for your safety, but my time is running out. I must get Kuwei Yul-Bo out of the city as soon as possible. And I can't do that if I don't know where he is. So I am going to give you one chance to answer me, and I want you to think long and hard before you do: Where is Kaz Brekker keeping the boy?"

"How should I know that?"

"You are the one person who Mister Brekker seems to trust with information. You are the one person who Mister Brekker seems to rely on."

"You seem to know him so well, you should know that he wouldn't keep Kuwei in a place where I could lead you to him."

"Is that so?"

"I don't know, is it?"

Van Eck pursed his lips. "You are a tricky little creature, Miss Adala."

"I don't know how you have a wife, Van Eck, when your best compliment for a girl is 'tricky little creature'," said Brynn, leaning back in her chair despite her arms being bound behind her back. "I'm afraid it's not very flattering."

His ears turned red. "No need to make it personal."

"You made it personal the moment you were born, Van Eck," she spat. "Now you're bothering me and I'm bored. Why did you wake me up from my beauty sleep?"

"Your beauty sleep hasn't done much to help," Van Eck said.

"No, these eye bags are a sign of my immense beauty." Brynn blinked. "You're not even that blurry."

Van Eck picked off a piece of lint from his coat, sighing. "If you would eat a little more than a few bites every meal, maybe you wouldn't be as fatigued."

"Caring for my health? Doesn't seem like you, Van Eck."

"Oh, it's not." Van Eck made his way over until he was standing right in front of her. "But you might need to be at full strength if you're going to survive."

Brynn narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "Survive what? Boredom?"

He held out his hand to one of the guards. The guard stepped forward and handed Van Eck a small pouch, its edges stained. Brynn paled, going ridgid. She watched as Van Eck studied the pouch, then her.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, Miss Adala. Where is Kuwei Yul-Bo?"

The redhead stayed silent and shook her head. She truly didn't know where they might have been hiding. Even if she did, she wouldn't tell any mercher with such information, much less Jan Van Eck.

Van Eck smiled pitifully. "I am almost sorry to do this." He nodded to the guards and all three were at her side in a moment, two of them keeping her body still and one forcing her mouth open.

Brynn struggled against the bigger men, but it was no use. She was going to be forced to do things she didn't want to do. She'd succumb to the craving for parem. She would eventually die. She didn't even know if Nina had survived her own dose of the drug.

Forgive me, Ma, thought Brynn as the pouch in Van Eck's hand neared her mouth. Forgive me, Da. For all my sins. Now they will be repaid.

Brynn could smell the parem when Van Eck stopped. She'd only gotten a sniff of it and she felt a little stronger, as if she'd be able to take on all of these men and run back to her friends unscathed. It was wishful thinking.

She didn't realize Van Eck had pulled away until the smell was gone. Brynn forced herself to focus on the conversation taking place.

"I—Mister Van Eck," panted a boy in the Van Eck livery of gold and red.

"What is it?" demanded Van Eck.

The boy swallowed. "Sir, the lake house. They approached from the water."

Van Eck paled, eyes widening. "Alys—"

"They took her an hour ago."

Alys. Brynn could barely place the name, but when she did, it all made sense. Why they hadn't come for her, why she was still in this dreadful place bound and in an empty room. Alys was Van Eck's young pregnant wife. He'd boasted about his heir that had yet to come on Vellgeluk. Kaz used it to his advantage.

"They killed one of the guards and left the rest tied up in the pantry," the boy continued breathlessly. "There was a note on the table."

"Bring it here," Van Eck commanded. The boy strode into the room and Van Eck snatched the note from his hand.

Bajan stepped forward tentatively. "What does it... what does it say?"

Van Eck backhanded him. "If I find out you knew anything about this—"

"I didn't!" Bajan cried. "I knew nothing. I followed your order to the letter!"

Van Eck crumpled the note in his fist, but not before Brynn made out the words in Kaz's jagged, unmistakable handwriting: Noon tomorrow. Goedmedbridge. With her rings.

"The note was weighted down with this." The boy reached into his pocket and drew out a tie pin, a fat ruby surrounded by golden laurel leaves. Brynn didn't know it's importance, but it seemed to anger Van Eck even more.

"Brekker," he snarled, voice taut with rage.

Brynn couldn't help it. She laughed, her frail body jolting in the clutches of Van Eck's men. They dug their fingers into her skin, but she didn't care.

Van Eck nodded to the one holding her mouth and he slapped her. "Brekker thinks we're still playing a game, does he? She is my wife. She carries my heir."

Brynn continued to laugh, despite the stinging on the side of her face. "And you were foolish enough to tell Kaz all of that on Vellgeluk."

"Foolishness is laughing at me." Quickly, Van Eck held the pouch in his hand threateningly. "We'll see who's laughing after you come begging to me for more parem."

Maybe it was hope. Or maybe it was foolishness. But Brynn did not fear Van Eck. She didn't even fear parem. Why should she? She'd been inches from death so many times, it was as if she didn't fear death any longer. She didn't even think she feared pain. So what did she fear?

"I will never grovel at your feet, Van Eck," Brynn told him calmly. "I will never beg. And I will especially not beg you."

Van Eck only laughed as he strode out of the room. "We will see, Miss Adala. We will see."

a/n— We're not going to talk about fairy Kaz. It was a bit late and made me laugh, so I decided to keep it in when I looked over it. Soooo, who likes it? Who doesn't? What does everyone think so far?