i. the snake of ketterdam

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CHAPTER ONE  ──  ❛ the snake of ketterdam 


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𝕾tasiaj Yahontov was well aware of the terror that she caused. She wasn't sure if it was the sight of her smirk or the click of her heels, but when she entered the room, it fell silent and everyone rushed to hide their secrets from her prying eyes and ears.

Not that it mattered. Stasiaj would find out in the end. She always did.

It was a talent that the girl had, for secrets loved Stasiaj just as much as she adored the power that they held and because of that, secrets always had a way of reaching her ears. The teenager couldn't help that fact, but she could exploit it for her own gains.

That was her gimmick, her trick of sorts. Some in the Barrel dealt in murder, prostitution or drugs but Stasiaj's trade was far more valuable because secrets held the power to make or break someone's life. When you knew someone's secrets, they became your puppets and you the master and that was what she was.

Stasiaj was simply the puppet master, with all of the Barrel under her control. One slip of her forked tongue and the girl could topple criminal enterprises, break even the strongest mob boss and help others uncover the skeletons that people would rather be left in the closet and she loved that feeling.

She loved the power, the terror, the respect that came with her position. She was the Snake of Ketterdam and no one could even dream to threaten her title lest they wish to wind up on the streets, in a prison cell or in an unmarked grave outside of the city limits. 

The streets would be silent before she gave up her title.

"Miss Stasiaj?" Stasiaj looked into the mirror of her vanity, sliding the drawers closed as she watched the small street urchin come padding into the room. "I've got news."

"Have you, Darling?" The quirk of her painted lips would have sent even the most hardened criminal running, but street children knew better than to fear her sharp eyes and quick mouth. "What news is that?"

"Jan Van Eck was in the Barrel," The little boy murmured, as Stasiaj picked him up into her lap. The little boy, Malkus, was only five and one of the many street children that Stasiaj had around the city. But despite having lots of children running around, collecting secrets for her, Malkus had always been her favourite. "He kidnapped the Crow Man and they were talking about a job."

"What job was that?" Anything to do with the aptly named 'Crow Man' was something that Stasiaj liked to pay attention to.

"A job worth thirty million kruge," That caught the woman's attention as her painted lips twitched into a grin. "Something about an Ice Palace and rescuing someone."

𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 ↦ Kaz BrekkerWhere stories live. Discover now