"So..." We were gathered around the table the next day. A decent night's sleep had done well for most of us. The only sign we had just come out of a near-death situation was Jesper's hair, which was flying in directions I didn't even think were possible. "That went well." I turned slowly to glare up at the tall Zemini boy, and he smiled nervously and nodded.
"The Little Palace winter fete," Arken muttered, looking at a post that had been by the door of the inn. He shook his head. "There's just no way he can find a way to the Sun Summoner without Nina. Especially during this ridiculous party. The place will be crawling with Second Army." Kaz limped over to the table, sitting down beside me quickly.
"We're in luck," he revealed. I furrowed my brows and looked up at him.
"Sorry," I said. "Our frequency to be able to read each other's thoughts must have been messed up during the crossing. Would you like to mention just exactly how this situation is lucky?" He sighed and looked down at me.
"There's a good chance we can crack on," he said. He looked around the group. "Now that we're three days' travel from the capital, the next play is finding a way inside the Little Palace." He smirked a bit. "It turns out the Kribirsk archives house the Little Palace blueprints. But..." He looked at Jesper. "They're kept under lock and key. Far from the prying eyes of the masses." The sharpshooter grinned.
"Yes!" he cheered quietly. Arken frowned and looked between the four of us.
"What does that mean?" he asked, confused. I sighed, remembering now why we never brought amateurs on important jobs. Jesper laughed and patted the man's shoulder.
"Time for a heist." Kaz nodded and looked at each of us individually.
"Arken," he said, "I have a different job for you to take care of while the rest of us get to the blueprints." Arken frowned.
"I'm not going with you?" I rolled my eyes.
"When was the last time you broke into a maximum security place and got out without causing an alarm, getting yourself killed, or both?" He stammered for a moment, and I nodded. "My point exactly." I smirked and leaned back. "We'll take care of this." He sighed and nodded, and Jesper stood from his chair, walking away. Inej also got up to wander, and Kaz grabbed my sleeve gently, pulling me up and away from the Conductor.
"So what's the plan?" I asked him quietly. He glanced around the room before looking down at me.
"I'll go in and mark the path for Inej," he told me. "You'll use me as a distraction to get in and find the lighting valves for Jesper. You'll have to be quick and invisible, but it will be dark in the back hallways. If you have to, use your powers. But only if there's no other option." I nodded quickly, and he looked around again before pulling me into a more secluded hallway.
"What is it?" I whispered. He sighed.
"I don't like having to waltz around Ravka with you completely undisguised," he admitted. "We should have had Trynne tailor you before we left so we wouldn't have had to trust someone else with it. This never would've been an issue then." I sighed and shook my head.
"Kaz, she's never had any formal training," I reminded. "I did the best I could, but I'm not a heartrender. She might have been able to do it, but maybe not. I'll be fine." He sighed and nodded, reaching up shakily to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Kaz..." He shook his head.
"No, it's okay," he said, but his voice shook. "I can best this." He gulped and nodded. "I can best this for you." I shook my head quickly.
"Kaz, you can't..." I sighed. "You can't overcome your fear for me. You can't overcome your fear or your trauma for anyone but yourself. That's not how it works. If you try, you will only be able to go so far." I smiled a bit and brushed a piece of his hair that had fallen back, carefully not to touch his skin directly. "Do it for you. Try to do it, but do it for you. And that will be enough."
He smiled a bit and nodded, lifting a hand and facing his palm towards me. I glanced at it, then back up at him. He nodded surely, and I slowly lifted my own hand to press the tips of my fingers and my palm to his. He took a shuddering breath but didn't pull away, and I smiled.
I had meant what I said.
He was trying. And that was enough for me.
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...
