CHAPTER 15

Wicked Grisha

     The entrance to the White Island was both beautiful and scary. The glass bridge made everyone look like they were walking on nothing at all, except for when it reflected off the blue flames of the lanterns held up proudly on its spires. Brynn stayed close to Nina the entire way.

"What was that?"

Brynn swiveled her head to stare at Nina. "What?"

"'Do you want to see me when I'm hot?'" she repeated. "Where did you learn to flirt?"

"I... haven't?" It was more of a question than an answer.

Nina frowned. "You've never flirted before?"

"I've never needed to."

The girl meant to look like a Kaelish wove through the crowds, pulling Brynn along with her. Her gown looked absolutely ridiculous, but it didn't seem to bother Nina very much as her eyes darted around before pulling Brynn closer.

"Alright, I'm going to give you a quick lesson on flirting," she said. "Now, everything you say and do while you flirt all depends on the kind of man you're flirting with."

"There are more than one kind of man?"

"Yes. It might not seem like it, but they're not all idiots and not all of them are in love with their money," Nina whispered with a small grin. "But for right now, let's just assume that all the men at the party are alpha males."

Brynn nodded. "Naturally."

"Alpha males are both the easiest and hardest to flirt with for two reasons," continued Nina. "One: they like power. And two: they already think they know what they want."

"Think?" asked Brynn.

"That's where we come in. We have to show them that what they think they want is actually not what they want. But remember: our mission isn't to get into bed with these men. It's to find out where they're keeping Bo Yul-Bayur."

"So find someone who has enough power that knows where they're keeping Yul-Bayur, who is also tipsy enough to tell us without thinking twice." She let out a breath. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

Nina laughed. "It's not that hard. Just act like an innocent girl looking for a little fun." She winked at Brynn. "That always gets them."

"Hopefully it doesn't get them too much," muttered Brynn.

Nina put her hand on the girl's shoulder, keeping up with the buzzing crowd. "Don't worry. Besides, I'm sure you won't have to do much work. I'll find the information we need before you even get the chance to trip over your feet."

Brynn rolled her eyes, but gave Nina a small hug before parting ways. "Be careful," she whispered in her ear. "I can't lose anyone else."

"You won't," promised Nina. Then, with a swish of her atrocious gown fabrics and the flip of her hair, she was gone, whisked away by the crowd. Brynn took a shaky breath, then had to remind herself to keep moving. She couldn't afford to screw up any more plans.

Brynn marveled at the vast ballroom that she was swept into. It was beautiful and glittering, a pack of wolf ice sculptures above the dancing and laughing people, occasionally dripping down from their muzzles and bared teeth onto the crowd below. There had to be at least thirty of them. She looked up at the chime of the Elderclock. Ten bells. They were running out of time.

Catching sight of a familiar mermaid-looking gown that looked too-tight, Brynn decided to go the other way. But not before she saw Matthias and Kaz in a shadowy alcove near Nina, each in matching drüskelle uniforms.

Brynn's eyes met Kaz's for a brief moment. His expression was unreadable, his hands hidden beneath his leather gloves. She didn't risk a nod in his direction, instead turning her back to them and swiftly traipsed in the other direction, her gown glittering and glowing in the silvery lamplight of the ballroom.

Powerful men like to feel powerful, she reminded herself. Let him think you're going to give him something they want, get the information you need, then dispose of him.

Upon noticing a man in military dress speaking to a group of drüskelle and other guests, his hand movements wild as he told them a story, Brynn began to make her way over. A glass of champagne was in his hand, spilling occasionally as he spoke with his hands. But how to get his attention?

Just act like an innocent girl looking for a little fun, Nina's voice said.

As she grabbed her own glass of champagne, Brynn shrugged her fur coat to barely hang over her shoulders. The dress she wore was sleeveless, a few glittery, beaded chains hanging from the nearly see-through dress and onto her shoulders. She was so focused on the man that she didn't even notice the second man walking into her path until they collided.

Brynn cried out, losing her balance. A strong pair of arms reached out and grabbed her before she fell, cradling her body mere inches from the floor. Her glass shattered on the ground, but Brynn was a little distracted by the man who held her.

He was handsome, with a strong chin and charismatic, piercing blue eyes. His blonde hair was tied back, a beard perfectly trimmed. Pink scars over his eyebrow and on his jaw would have made his look scary, but the concern in his face erased all fear from Brynn's mind. Then she saw the drüskelle uniform.

Quickly, Brynn scrambled out of his arms, righting herself again and fixing her dress. She curtsied to the drüskelle. "I apologize," she said in Kerch. "I was not looking where I was going."

He smiled, then frowned. "Do you not know Fjerdan?" he asked in Kerch. Brynn nearly forgot she looked like a Fjerdan.

Brynn forced a smile on her own face. "Only a few words. I grew up in Kerch."

"It is such a shame you never lived in Fjerda, then," he mused, waving over a server with champagne. Grabbing two glasses, he offered one to her. "You are quite the beautiful young lady. I'm sure you would have loved it."

"If I were in your company, I'm sure I would have as well," said Brynn, accepting the champagne. She paused. "I'm afraid I don't know your name."

His eyes twinkled. "Of course. Officer Hannel, but you may call me Remus. And you are?"

"Mira," answered Brynn, remembering the ugly girl back in her village who always pulled on the other girls' hair. "This is a beautiful party. I've never been to one like it before."

Remus grinned proudly, taking a sip of his champagne. "It's the best party of the year, every year. I remember my first Hringkälla, such a memorable night."

"So you are a drüskelle," said Brynn. "It is such an honor to meet someone of your rank and virtue."

"I should say it's an honor to meet someone of your beauty," he laughed. "I've never met someone quite as alluring and elegant as you."

"Aside from the fact I knocked into you and almost fell over," she added, taking a small sip of her own champagne. It was a little too sweet for her taste and was a little too bubbly, but she forced herself to swallow.

"Indeed. I'm glad you are not on the dance floor."

Brynn giggled. "That would be a disaster." She looked at him as he nearly finished his drink. "So, a drüskelle. I've always wanted to see a Grisha up close. I'm sure you've bested many in battle."

"Besting a Grisha is like beating a thousand men with their finest artillery," sniffed Remus. "They are unnatural creatures, with their magic and ruthless ways."

"But are you not ruthless, as well?" wondered Brynn, biting back most of her anger. "You must beat ruthless with even more ruthless, no?"

"The way you say it, you make it sound bad," Remus chuckled. "But if you were being attacked by a bear, wouldn't you do anything to kill it? We feel the same about Grisha. When they attack, we must do anything to keep our lives. Do you understand, Mira?"

She nodded. "I guess. But I was never accustomed to violence. It's not something I like to think about."

Remus thought for a moment, then leaned in closer to her ear. "Would your madam notice if you slipped away?"

"That's what we're here for, isn't it? To slip away?" Brynn nearly wanted to throw up, but this drüskelle was high in rank to know where they kept Bo Yul-Bayur. So she kept her dinner down and slipped her hand through his waiting arm.

Brynn had no idea where he was leading her, just that the further she went, the music and chatter of the ballroom began to fade. There were no people in these corridors, just the occasional servant. Every time Remus made a suggestive movement or comment, Brynn had to hold her tongue and pretend to be the good Menagerie girl he thought she was. The beautiful Fjerdan girl to use for pleasure and nothing more.

After what seemed like hours, Remus stopped in front of a mahogany door, carved animals in the wood. He opened the door for her, giving her a smile. Brynn gave him a similar one, turning it into a grimace when she walked into the room.

It wasn't anything too fancy, but it was much fancier than any room Brynn ever had. A four-poster canopy bed sat on the wall opposite of the door, a chair pulled up to a desk on the right wall. Moonlight streamed in through the window on the opposite wall. Brynn didn't even hear the door close before Remus' hands slid to rest on her hips from behind her.

"That dress looks lovely on you," he whispered huskily. "I can't wait to see what's underneath." Remus began to kiss her neck, but Brynn spun around, pushing away the revolting feeling of bile rising in her throat. He frowned, but Brynn set her hands on his chest and shook her head.

"This is a night for drüskelle," she told him. "I am here to give you the pleasure you deserve. Take a seat." Brynn walked over to the chair and set it in the middle of the room. Remus grinned like an idiot and sat.

Taking her time, Brynn took in her surroundings as she took off her fur coat slowly. There wasn't much to use in the bare room to threaten him. Then she caught sight of a letter opener on the desk.

She let her coat drop to the floor, her back to Remus. Striding past the desk, Brynn quickly grabbed the letter opener, hoping he didn't see it. She came up behind him, setting a single hand on his shoulder then running it down his chest. Having absolutely no idea what she was doing, Brynn flipped her position from behind him to right in front of him, hiding the letter opener behind her hand.

Brynn raised her knee and pushed his chest back against the chair, nearly shivering as his hands reached up to grab her thighs. She leaned in closer, but before she kissed him, she brought her mouth to hover above his ear.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about the Grisha," she whispered.

Remus frowned. "The Grisha? But—"

The letter opener was pressed against his throat in seconds. His face dropped into a scowl and Brynn smirked. "Hands off, please." He complied, resting his hands on the arms of the chair. "The Grisha. Where's Bo Yul-Bayur?"

"What are you, some kind of assassin?"

"Not quite," said Brynn. She pushed the letter opener further into his neck, drawing a drop of blood. "Tell me what you know or I will slit your throat right now and not even bat an eye."

She thought back to all the people she'd murdered in just the last few years, all without even meaning to. The men she'd burned on Fifth Harbor before leaving, the Grisha on parem that she'd pushed right into Jesper's line of fire. Brynn leaned in closer.

"I could burn this place down with the flick of my finger."

He snarled. "Grisha."

"You say we're unnatural," said Brynn. "But killing innocents is much worse."

"You are far from innocent," growled Remus.

Brynn drew more blood. "Bo Yul-Bayur, or your life."

He glared at her. Then, Remus chuckled and leaned back in the chair. "You're not going to kill me. I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid of death. You're afraid of yourself."

"No, I'm not."

Remus lurched forward, grabbing her hand and twisting it. The knife fell out of her hand as she cried out. He pushed her back, her heeled glass slippers tripping on her dress, and Brynn fell on the carpeted floor. Remus rose from the chair quickly, towering above her.

"You might possibly be the stupidest Grisha I have ever encountered," he told her. "You come into the Ice Court, threaten a high-ranking drüskelle, and think you're going to get away with it?"

Brynn's eyes widened as he kicked her in the stomach. Her eyes glanced over to the fire in the lamp above the door. She tried to crawl toward it, but Remus slammed his boot into her gut again and grabbed her hands, clasping them together.

"That's not gonna happen." He hauled her up to her feet, throwing her into the chair. She fell back, the chair breaking underneath her weight and force. Brynn groaned, holding her throbbing head.

When Remus stepped forward again, Brynn caught sight of one of her shoes in front of her. He grabbed her ankle as she closed her hand around the glass slipper. She slammed the shoe into his head, the glass shattering and forcing him to stumble backwards.

The hit didn't affect Remus as much as Brynn had hoped. As she crawled away, he pulled her back again. His large hand held both of her wrists above her head as his other hand closed around her throat.

Her airway was constricted by his muscled hand, the only limbs she had free being her legs, but those weren't going to be any help as he sat with his knee on her stomach.

This is it, she thought. A drüskelle is going to kill me and no one is ever going to know. I'm never going to see my friends again. I'm never going to see Sasha again. I'm never going to see Kaz again.

"I'm going to enjoy this, you wicked little—"

Remus choked suddenly. His eyes widened in shock and he released Brynn. Blood dripped from his mouth, just barely missing her face. Before another gust of blood from his mouth came out, she pushed him off of her and scrambled backwards.

Her eyes turned to the figure standing above her. Kaz held a bloody fork in his gloved hand, his eyes dark with rage.