I ran up to Kaz's office to find him already shuffling through papers. He looked up at me as I entered, furrowing his brows.
"You'll have to get her," he said before I could speak a word. I groaned.
"Saints," I muttered, "why do I have to do it?"
"Because she doesn't know any of us." I sighed, tracing a finger over a messy engraving on the corner of the desk.
"Might be better than if I go still." I shook my head and looked up at him. "She hates me, you know that." He shook his head and looked up at me.
"Yes, but she loves money almost as much as she hates you," he countered. "Convince her to up those numbers and help us." He sighed. "If anyone can do it, you can." I sighed and nodded.
"I'll need a way in." He smirked and nodded.
"I've got an idea about that."
🝯
"Remind me next time you say you're going to help me with something not to trust you." Turns out Kaz's plan to get me inside the Orchid involved me crawling through air vents barely wide enough for me to fit. "You know I don't do small spaces." He nodded and glanced at me.
"You'll be fine," he said quietly. "It'll be in and out, nowhere near as long as that." I sighed and nodded, glancing back at him once before dropping into the narrow vents. I took one look at the two-and-a-half foot space and gulped, feeling my hands begin to tremble. My fingers subconsciously moved to fiddle with the ring on my finger, calming me slightly. I took a deep breath and began army crawling through the vent system until I reached the room that Kaz had said was Milana's.
I lifted the grate silently and dropped into the room, knees bending to catch me, and looked around. The room was empty but gaudy. The vanity mirror at the side of the room was covered with all kinds of crystals, flowers, and gemstones. I scowled at the absurd amounts of jewelry and jumped when I heard footsteps. I ducked behind the changing screen, drawing a few shadows to darken the room only slightly. I peered through the panels of the screen to see the familiar blonde walking in and closing the door. She sat at the vanity, and I smirked, moving to the other side of the screen and stepping out behind her.
"Hello, Milana," I said calmly. She spun around, moving her hands to the attack position every Heartrender was taught when they began training. I held my hands up to show her I meant no harm, not that I was unarmed because that was very clearly not true.
"What do you want?" she hissed. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to see you again." I smiled sarcastically.
"You should know by now I take threats as friendly requests," I told her. "I don't often listen to them." I sighed and moved to the sofa along the wall. She watched me closely as I walked and sat down. "We need your help on a job." She furrowed her brows.
"And who is 'we?'" I smirked.
"Kaz Brekker." I widened my eyes dramatically. "Dirtyhands." Her frown deepened.
"Didn't think you were the type to get mixed up in all that." I scoffed.
"And what would I have done instead?" I gestured around. "This? Get myself thrown in at the White Rose or the Menagerie?" I shook my head. "I'd rather be a criminal than a slave, Milana." She rolled her eyes and looked back at the mirror, adjusting her hair as I watched.
"And what kind of job would this be?" I shook my head.
"Doesn't matter. Just know that we need a Heartrender, and we would pay you for your time." She smiled a bit at that, and I smirked. I had her attention now.
"How much are you meaning exactly?" I shrugged.
"Shall we say fifty kruge?" I asked her. "That's more than most people pay here." She grinned and extended a hand, and I sighed before shaking it. "The deal is the deal." I stood and brushed off my shirt. "Meet me in front of the building. I'll make my own way out." She looked skeptical but nodded, and I looked up at the vent. I looked around the room and grabbed her chair from the vanity.
"What are you doing?" she asked. I sighed and stepped up on it.
"Do you mind?" I asked rhetorically. I looked down at her and waved her out of the room. "Go on. I'll meet you outside, but if I'm seen and you're not there, I'll get shot at, and if that happens, you can forget about getting your money." Her face turned red and she huffed before rushing from the room. I rolled my eyes and jumped, pulling myself into the vent and crawling back to the room. I ran over to the edge and looked down at the street, smirking when I saw the blonde wandering aimlessly.
I swung my legs over the edge of the building and began scaling the wall, dropping to the ground behind a few crates. I smirked as Milana walked by, and I walked out, quickly passing her and making her jump in fright.
"Come on, Princess," I told her. "We don't have all night."
okay just a few things to specify
1) when Kaz says crawling through the vents won't be nearly as long as "that" he's referring to the time Karlin spent cramped below deck on the skiff she crossed the Fold on, which gave her mild claustrophobia due to the time and panic of the situation
and 2) a brief rundown of how Karlin and Milana know each other
so the basic idea is that they met when Karlin first came to Ketterdam and Milana was helping her get on her feet since she had an idea of who she was, but Karlin knew a bit more than Milana realized and ran when she saw a group of Dime Lions, leaving Milana to get herself out of the situation so now.... Milana doesn't like her so much :]
YOU ARE READING
Midnight Thoughts ~ Shadow & Bone
Fanfiction"Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return." Karlin Kaye ran. She ran from her home to a place completely unknown. But as a result she found the ones she knew would make sure she never had to run again. No m...
