𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐎𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

~Chapter 2~

A Million Kruge
Soliel

Thunder outside rumbled, but the noise inside the Crow Club was nearly enough to mask it.

I was walking around the club, when a man called out "darling, please. Drinks here. Drinks all around here, please."

"Hey, you take Zemeni coin, yes?" the man asked the dealer, as I poured everyone another drink.

The man threw the dealer a bag of coins, and the dealer caught it with ease. I poured Jesper, a bouncer at the club, a drink, before setting the bottle down on the table and just standing there, next to him.

"Let me see that," Jesper said, as the dealer took out a coin.

He threw the coin to Jesper, who caught it immediately. He inspected the coin carefully, turning it over in his hands multiple times.

"The Lucky Nine casino up the block has had trouble with counterfeit coin lately. Heavy, but brittle."

"Oh, come on now," the man sighed. "I've been here for hours. My money is good, no?"

"Zemeni coin can take a bullet. But the knockoff...."

Jesper threw the coin in the air, and before anyone could blink, shot a hole straight through the coin. It fell onto the table, smoke airing off it.

"Busted," Jesper smiled coly, twirling his gun on his finger.

"What does that prove?" the man spat. But two security men were already dragging him away. "Hey! Wait! What are you doing? Get off me!"

Jesper looked at me, smiling brightly, before reaching for the money. But something landed on top of the money, and he immediately fell back in his seat. I looked up to see my boss, Kaz, standing there.

He shook his head. "No loud noises at the table, Jesper. You'll scare off the pigeons."

Jesper nodded. "Wouldn't want that, boss."

"Shouldn't you be at the door?" Kaz asked.

"Yeah, right away, boss."

Kaz gave Jesper a stern look, before taking his cane off the table and walking away.

"Soleil," Kaz said, motioning for me to follow him. "You're done for the night."

I quickly followed after him, but I wasn't alone. "Early for action, innit, Kaz?"

"What do you want, Rotty?" Kaz demanded.

"Someone stole a DeKappel from a merch's private residence last night," Rotty said, following us to the bar.

"Is that so?"

"It's a painting. A landscape of Ravka. The Fold. Oil on parchment."

"I know who DeKeppel is," I snapped.

"Well, he don't do nudes, so I never heard of him."

I srunched my nose. "Saints, Rotty."

Kaz whirled around and sighed. "Get to it, Rotty."

Rotty reached into an inside pocket of his coat, and pulled out what I assumed was a miniature replica of the painting he was talking about.

"Worth something like ten thousand kruge. The thief had to get past four roving guards, high fences, padlocked doors, and a security system designed by one of them Grisha witches."

"Fabrikator," Kaz corrected him.

"Whatever. The point is, either it was a group effort or a ghost."

Kaz looked back at him. "Why does this concern me?"