• Serpent Among Crows • Kaz Brekker

1

They were walking through the familiar cold, filthy streets of Ketterdam. In their absence nothing appeared to have changed. They walked through the narrowed streets, cutting through the typical bustling night life of the city. Men and women eager to return home from work, to drink themselves silly at the nearest bar, to gamble themselves dry until their pockets emptied and their greed was fulfilled.

Kaz was ahead of them by a single step; Zhen was shoulder to shoulder with Inej and Jesper behind him, each of them scanning their surroundings as though expecting someone to jump from a shadowy alcove and affront them. But as they weaved through the bustling streets and the crowds thinned out to just the odd milling of a couple of people, the more at home they all felt.

Jesper's idle commentary eased Zhen's nerves along with the cold wind rushing in from the harbour, shifting her long hair over her shoulders.

"Home sweet home. Straight off the boat from Ravka and no one was waiting to kill us as soon as we arrived." He turned to walk backwards, facing them with a splay of hands and a grin.

Zhen exchanged a subtle glance with Inej, muttering, "don't jinx it."

"I'm just saying, it's a good sign." He returned to his usual pace beside the girls. "I think I might celebrate with a little dice and debauchery."

"No debauchery." Both Kaz and Zhen cut in swiftly, like parents scolding a child.

They exchanged a brief, strange glance after realising they had spoken at the same time, brushing that thought off.

"You two spend too much time together, seriously," Jesper told them. "Dice, then."

Kaz shook his head. "No dice. We have stops to make."

"Do we?" Zhen asked under her breath, bemused, wondering what his plan was and only slightly annoyed that he refused to fill them in; much less herself.

She shouldn't have been surprised, but sometimes she liked to think he let her in on his plans when he was having a good day.

"What first?" Inej questioned. "Tante Heleen?"

"We get to the Crow Club."

They all moved on with purpose, Jesper and Inej staring at the back of Kaz's head as though waiting for him to divulge further information but as it went, he didn't.

Zhen was unsurprised and shook her head to herself, eyes falling to the damp pavement below. It must have rained not long ago. She could feel the mist still rolling in from the Harbour the closer they got to the club, the sprinkles of water cooling her naturally too warm skin and chilling the air.

They continued down the narrow, winding streets and cobbles, each road becoming more and more familiar before stopping just outside the alcove that dipped down to the entrance of the Club.

Zhen was still focussed on the ground and nearly bumped straight into Kaz as he had stilled so abruptly. She lifted her gaze quickly, an apology burning the tip of her tongue, but when she saw what he was looking up at she found the words rotted like flowers in winter.

Their sign, the crow depicted on it, the red background - it was gone.

Her eyes rapidly scanned the new emerald one, the golden crown depicted hanging above the alcove slightly shifting in the breeze - mocking, waving at them, it's image burning into their skulls.

"Where's our sign?" She barely registered Jespers wary voice beside her.

She felt the breath leave her lungs, her chest constricting as the realisation struck her like a knife to the heart.