CHAPTER 3

Pastries

     Brynn much preferred the Exchange to the Barrel. Even though both were crowded and very loud, at least the Exchange was watched carefully by the stadwatch. It helped her feel some sort of safety, but the Wraith closeby helped a fair amount, too.

Inej was a shadow. That was the best way Brynn could think of to describe the girl. Even though the sun hadn't gone down yet, there were plenty of dark corners for Inej to hide in while Brynn bought the two lumps of paraffin and enough snow goggles for the entire crew. To say the least, the purchase confused even Inej, but Kaz wouldn't tell them what it was for. Typical.

She wanted to explain to Vanya and Jared that she would be taking a trip to the Wandering Isle—to visit her parents, since they weren't allowed to tell anyone that they were even on a job—before leaving, so Brynn parted ways with Inej. Though not before the Suli girl warned her not to be late.

"I'm not going to be late," promised Brynn. "I'll be in and out, very quickly."

"Kaz won't like it if you do arrive late," Inej said. "Make it quick."

Brynn rolled her eyes. "Relax, Inej. I will be quick."

She had not been quick about it.

Vanya kept on insisting that she'd bring enough pastries for her journey and for her family. Jared wanted to know everything about her journey. Their dog wanted to slobber all over Brynn's lap and wouldn't move his head from her foot. Long story short, Brynn was running late. Kaz was probably going to kill her. If he tried it, she'd just burn his face off.

She winced. Is this what Ketterdam has done to me? wondered Brynn to herself. What Kaz Brekker has done to me?

The sun had already set by the time Brynn practically ran to their door to get away from their questions. The streets were dark on her way down to Fifth Harbor, full of people with judgemental eyes watching her every move.

Ghezen, when did I become so paranoid?

Probably when you ran away from home and became a fugitive, a second voice answered her rhetorical question.

Brynn pushed her thoughts away as she neared the Ketterdam harbors. Here, the music and lights of the Barrel were no more. There were no more costumes, no more loud crowds, just silence. Just how Brynn liked it.

Off standing in the pier was Kaz and his crew. They all were wearing similar clothes that sailors wore—thick wool coats and hats, boots to keep their feet away from the cold, roughspun trousers that couldn't have been comfortable. Brynn almost snorted at the sight of Kaz, his neat hair combed back and trimmed on the sides, but a bulky wool coat worn on his shoulders instead of his usual tailored suit. His disapproving gaze scanned the thin crowds in the layer of light mist rising from the water. When he found her, his frown deepened.

Brynn broke out into a jog. She did a brief count of the crew standing next to the small schooner named Ferolind written in bold script on the side. Kaz, Nina, Jesper, Wylan, and the drüskelle, Matthias Helvar. Inej was nowhere to be seen, and neither were the four other Dregs members that were added to the crew because of their knowledge of sailing, since they used to be sailors.

When Brynn reached the docks, Kaz gave her a glare. "Where have you been?"

She shrugged. "I got held up. But I'm here now, aren't I? Where's Inej?"

"I don't know," he replied. There was obvious discomfort when he was forced to admit he didn't know something. How does your own medicine feel, Kaz?

"Do you have the stuff I asked for?"

Brynn nodded, tying her hair back. "Yep." She handed him the bag that she'd slung over her shoulder. "There's also a few pastries and cakes in there, too. I just couldn't say no to Vanya."

Nina perked up at that. "Really? Can I have one?"

"They're for the journey." Nina stuck out her bottom lip, widening her eyes. Brynn groaned. "Well, when you do that, I have to give you one."

She grinned as she stuck her hand in the bag, reaching around for a sweet. "Why? Because I'm so irresistible?"

"No, because that face is absolutely horrific."

~~~

Kaz watched as Brynn and Nina chatted away to themselves, sharing pastries that Brynn had claimed were for the journey. Part of him wanted to reach into the bag and grab one of the cakes for himself, but then he pushed the thought away immediately. Dirtyhands did not eat cakes.

Brynn looked like she hadn't eaten in days. He noticed that when he first met her, and she'd never looked any different. She was thin and barely had any meat on her bones, the many freckles scattered across her cheeks and nose. The deep circles under her eyes always seemed to get darker. Her clothes hung on her loosely and Kaz had sometimes even seen some of her bones through her skin. He shivered just thinking about it.

Maybe it was cruel, blackmailing her with the knowledge of her Inferni abilities. But that's how it went. Kaz needed her for this job, there was no way Brynn would willing go with them. Especially not with him.

The first time he'd seen her was on the side of the street in the Barrel. She was only about fourteen, and so was he. He'd been limping back to the Slat after the heist on the bank where he'd recklessly jumped off the roof when he noticed a girl leaning over her own bare leg, frail fingers waving over a large wound in her calf.

Kaz watched in amazement as the cut disappeared, her sniffling ceasing. He'd almost been tempted to get her to heal his leg, too, but he'd never put himself in that kind of position. He knew nothing about this girl, she could probably easily break his other leg and run away with his wallet.

So he kept on walking. But he never forgot what he saw. The next week, he brought Pim to her after a job gone wrong. Kaz followed her to find out she'd been staying in the extra bed over top of a bakery in the Exchange, so he knew where to find her.

Brynn had been reluctant at first, as he had expected. But Kaz didn't miss the way her hands fidgeted while she looked at Pim's wounds, desperately wanting to heal him. Then he offered her a deal. Safety for her allegiance to the Dregs. Brynn would heal all the Dregs that Kaz brought her, and everyone knew that if they messed with her, they messed with the Dregs.

Kaz didn't see Brynn smile often. She rarely talked about her past or her family, either. Something tragic obviously happened to them, but then again, tragedy happened to everyone in the Dregs. It was pretty common.

Something had obviously hurt her in the past. And for some reason, that made Kaz angry. She didn't think about herself as much as she thought about others, too. Once, she'd offered to heal his leg for him. He had been tempted, yet again, to let her heal it, but his stubbornness came rolling back. And besides, Kaz liked his cane.

Now, as Brynn laughed with Nina, she looked like a normal teenage girl. Not a girl who'd been riddled with pain, scorned and scorched by her past, a shell of the girl she used to be. Kaz might have been imagining it, but she looked a lot healthier than before. Maybe she'd finally eaten. Hopefully she'd finally eaten something.

Only because she needs to be at her best, huffed Kaz in his mind, turning to look back down the street. Where is Inej? She should be here by now.

A voice shouted out in the near-silence of the harbor. "Kaz!"

Just as Kaz heard his name being called out, the schooner exploded, knocking the crew off their feet, and engulfing the docks in flames.

a/n—We love simping Kaz, don't we? Anyways, let me know what you think!