CHAPTER 14

Steal From The Thief

     Brynn stared at the peacock tattoo on her forearm, running her fingers over the messily-done drawing from one of Kaz's lockpicks and copper pyrite by Wylan. Even if it didn't look pretty, it would be enough to pass, and hopefully no guards would decide to take a better look at it.

Sasha stepped up to stand next to Brynn on the roof. They'd decided it was better for her to go with Wylan and Jesper to permanently close the main gate. Even if she didn't know Kerch, she had learned Zemeni, so Jesper could translate between Wylan and Sasha. She was also fairly smart, so she might actually be able to help the pair on their mission.

"We're leaving now," she said in Kaelish. Brynn had missed speaking in her native tongue instead of the ever-foreign Kerch language.

Brynn turned and gave her sister a hug, willing herself not to cry. She'd just gotten Sasha back, and now she was leaving her again. Hopefully Jesper was a good enough shot to protect both Wylan and Sasha.

"When we get back to the ship, you are telling me every bit of detail as to how you got in this place," insisted Brynn, giving Sasha one last squeeze before releasing her.

Sasha nodded. "Promise. And you better tell me how you got messed up with a crew like this."

"I will, but it's not a very interesting story."

"And you want me to tell you about the years I've been imprisoned. Brynny, we're both going to be hearing a lot of boring."

She laughed. "You got me there."

Then Jesper spoke from behind them. "No mourners," he said with a grin.

"No funerals," they replied in unison.

"If any of you survive, make sure I have an open casket. The world deserves a few more moments with this face." Jesper hefted two slender coils of rope over his shoulder, gesturing to Sasha and Wylan to follow him across the roof. Brynn gave her sister one last wave, then she was gone.

Brynn turned back to stare at the White Island, only briefly aware of Nina and Matthias going somewhere more private to talk and Inej moving out of earshot as Kaz took Sasha's spot next to her.

"I should punch you right now," Brynn said.

"I deserve a lot worse."

"You never should have said that in front of Inej and Wylan."

Kaz shrugged. "They were probably going to find out anyway."

"I would have preferred it to be on my terms, Kaz," she said, her voice meeker than she intended.

"That's not always how life works."

"Yeah, I think I got that, thanks." Brynn pulled his leather gloves she had gotten from Inej from the sleeve of her prison tunic and handed them to him. "Here."

He stared at them. "How—"

"I got them from Inej," she explained. "I think she used them to make the climb."

Kaz pulled on the gloves slowly, his gaze flickering between his soon-gloves hands and her bare ones. "Why didn't you take them for yourself?"

"Steal from the thief?" Brynn chuckled. "They're yours, not mine. And I think you need them more than I do."

He nodded. "What are you going to do with your money?"

"Why do you want to know?" Kaz shrugged and Brynn let out a breath. "I'm actually not sure. Maybe I'll give it to Sasha. For her to have a better life."

"What about your own life?"

Out of habit, Brynn reached for her rings to twist them, before realizing they were on the Ferolind. "What about it, Kaz? I can't go back home, I'll be dead as soon as I step off the ship. If I stay in Fjerda, I don't know if I'd be able to keep my powers a secret. The Ravkans will probably force me to enlist into the Second Army if I go there. I'm hated everywhere else."

"Not everywhere," murmured Kaz.

Brynn looked at him. He was staring back at her with those dark, mysterious eyes. This was one of those moments when she wanted to know what the infamous Kaz Brekker was thinking. She almost let her hand touch his pale cheek, lit by the moon high above them. But when she glimpsed the figures of Nina and Matthias approaching again, she ripped her hand away and stepped back. A flicker of hurt flashed across Kaz's face before he composed himself and took a step back himself.

Brynn turned to follow Inej and Nina, but glanced behind her at Kaz. His eyes were still on her. "Don't die," she whispered, just loud enough for only him to hear. Then she spun on her heel again, leaving the boys to their own part of the plan.

~~~

Inej was much better at crawling through the ventilation ducts than Brynn and Nina were.

Brynn crawled along in her bland prison uniform, her blonde hair falling into her eyes. She couldn't wait to get back on the ship and change her appearance back. Every time Sasha looked at her, it took a moment before the realization that it was Brynn tailored to look like a Fjerdan flickered in her eyes.

Finally, they stopped, Brynn nearly ramming her head into Nina's back end. She heard one of the guards from the room say something in Fjerdan, and Nina translated. "Five minutes," she told Inej.

"Go," the girl said back.

"I need you to move."

"Why?"

"Because I need a clear line of sight, and right now all I can see is your bum."

Inej shuffled over for Nina to get a better view of the room below, and then Brynn heard five thumps as the Menagerie girls fell to the ground in a slumber caused by Nina. The Suli girl wrenched the grate of the vent loose and disappeared through the opening. Nina went next, a loud thud sounding on the table below the vent.

"Sorry," moaned Nina as Brynn climbed out of the vent last, landing on the table next to Nina, her bare feet aching from everything she'd put them through.

She saw Inej smiling. "You're very graceful in battle, just not when you're plummeting."

Nina dragged herself upright and off the table. "Missed that day in school."

Brynn kneeled down next to the Fjerdan girl, pulling a face at her dress. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." When Inej and Nina only gave her apologetic looks, she sighed. "Well, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to this."

They stripped the Fjerdan, Suli, and Kaelish girls to their underclothes, binding all the girls' wrists and ankles with cords from the curtains and gagging them with torn pieces of their prison clothes. Good riddance, thought Brynn as she ripped her own to stuff into the Fjerdan girl's mouth. She couldn't wait to get back to wearing her familiar baggy clothes with actual color in it.

While Nina colored her hair, Inej and Brynn dragged the other girls into a cabinet on the far wall. Brynn could tell from Inej's face that she felt guilty about the entire thing, but she chose not to say anything. Sometimes it was better that way.

"Sains protect you," Inej whispered to the Suli girl.

Someone rapped on the door, then spoke in Fjerdan. "They need the room for the next girls," translated Brynn.

Finally shoving the Kaelish girl into the closet, they yanked on their costumes quickly. Brynn grabbed the fur coat and put it on before taking a quick glance at herself in the mirror.

Aside from the fact that she barely recognized herself, there was a lot wrong with the dress. If this wasn't the only way, Brynn would have happily opted for her prison uniform instead.

The dress was a nearly see-through silvery material, shimmering gem beading hung from her neck, just barely covering the plunging neckline. The rest of the dress was made from the same sparkling silver jewels, before the bottom parted at her mid-thigh for millions of small silver beadings to hang and reach down to the pair of uncomfortable and see-through glass slippers. It didn't fit quite how Brynn would have liked it to, but at least it wasn't skin-tight.

She turned to Nina, nearly snorting at her own mermaid-looking gown, and Inej, who looked wary of her silks, as they joked about Nina's dress. Brynn wrapped her full-length fur coat tighter around her to try and preserve the dignity she had left.

When Nina caught sight of Brynn's dress, her eyes widened and she moved Brynn's coat out of the way. "You look gorgeous."

"I look and feel ridiculous."

"You look and should feel beautiful," corrected Nina. "Because you are."

Brynn rolled her eyes, but didn't argue with the girl, instead pulling her hood up to conceal her face. "Are you ready?"

The others did the same. "Yes," said Inej. "We'll need a distraction. They're going to notice five girls came in and only three are coming out."

"Leave it to me," replied Nina calmly. "And watch your hem."

Brynn pushed open the door to the hallway. The guards outside waved at them impatiently. As Nina flicked her fingers under her cape, one of the guards' nose began to gush blood in forceful gouts and onto her uniform. The second guard recoiled, but in seconds, she bent over, clutching her stomach.

"Your hem," Nina repeated calmly.

Inej just barely got out of the way before the guard doubled over and vomited all over the tile floor. Nina, Brynn, and Inej blended in perfectly with the squealing and shrieking of the guests as they pushed far away from the mess, adding their own noises of disgust.

"The nosebleed probably would have done the trick," whispered Inej.

Nina shrugged. "Best to be thorough."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you liked making Fjerdans suffer," said Brynn. She had every right to, as well.

Inej steered them to a line in the rotunda full of people, far from the other members of the Menagerie. The guard that was checking papers looked stern and stony-faced, tall and towering high above the guests. When the girls got to him, he glanced between Nina's papers and the actual Nina in front of him.

"This description says you have freckles," he said in Kerch, scrutinizing her.

Nina batted her eyelashes. "I do. They're just not visible right now. Want to see?"

"No," he replied coldly. "You're taller than described here."

"Boots," explained Nina. "I like to be able to look a man in the eye. You have very pretty eyes."

"You're heavier than it says on this paper, I'll wager."

Nina shrugged smoothly, flirty nature out on full display. "I like to eat when I'm in the mood. And I'm always in the mood."

Brynn almost laughed as he told her to move along, a faint blush on the tips of his ears when Nina flirted even more forward with him. Brynn was next.

"This says your hair is to your shoulders," he observed. "Now it's down to your back."

She shrugged. "I decided to grow it out. Makes everything funner." Her attempt at acting like Nina didn't go as well as she hoped it would.

He peered at her. "This says your eyes are blue."

Brynn batted her eyelashes. "They turn grey when I'm cold. Do you want to see me when I'm hot?" She reached up to take off her coat, but the guard stopped her, eyes widened slightly.

"No, that's okay," he said, clearing his throat. "Go ahead." Brynn nodded at him and joined Nina, waiting for Inej.

She almost made it through when she stumbled. The guard stopped her. "Wait. What's wrong with your shoes?"

"Just a bit big," explained Inej. "They stretched more than expected."

"Show me your arms."

"Why?"

"Just do it," the guard told her gruffly.

Inej took her arms out from underneath the cloak and held them out to him, showing the lumpy peacock feather tattoo.

A guard wearing the captain's stripes walked over to them. "What is it?" he asked.

"She's Suli, for sure, and she has the Menagerie tattoo, but it doesn't look quite right."

Inej shrugged. "I got a bad burn as a child."

The captain pointed to a group of annoyed-looking partygoers gathered near the entry and surrounded by guards. "Anyone suspicious goes over there. Put her with them, and we'll take her back to the checkpoint to have her papers reviewed."

"But I'll miss the party," complained Inej.

Ignoring her, the guard grabbed Inej's arm and pulled her back towards the entry. Brynn watched with fright as her friend was taken away from them, Nina grabbing onto her hand to hold. Inej only gave them a nod, telling them to go on.

Brynn tugged on Nina's arm before the guard cast his suspicions on them, as well. They were lost in the hordes of people within minutes, the only thing keeping them from being torn from each other being their tight grips in each others' hands. Nina shucked off her horsehair cloak, but Brynn kept her coat on.

Inej could handle herself. Brynn knew that. So why did she feel like the plan was already coming apart, before it was even set in motion?