Flower of the North [Kaz Brekker; Six of Crows]

chapter 11

Italics - Shu Language

Cecilia kept her comforting hand on Wylan's shoulder as a few of the others threw him dirty looks upon the reveal that he was a Van Eck.

Jesper laughed, "Of course you're a Councilman's kid. That explains everything."

Wylan, however, was utterly mortified as he turned to Kaz, "You knew?"

Kaz leaned back in his seat, "Why do you think i've been keeping you around?"

"I'm good at demo," Wylan offered.

"You're passable at demo. You're excellent at hostage."

Wylan turned his miserable gaze to Cecilia, "Did you know?"

Cecilia shook her head, "No. But it doesn't change anything."

The fact that Kaz had been keeping Wylan around purely for the sake of having a possible hostage on hand did seem quite cruel, but Cecilia knew it was better it be Kaz than anyone else. It could've been far worse. While Kaz often played as a monster, he still had morals about him. Cecilia knew that better than anyone. And while she didn't like Wylan being treated as such, it was a better case scenario.

"It doesn't matter. We should still take Raske and leave this baby merch on lockdown in Ketterdam," Jesper said with a shrug.

"I don't trust Raske," Kaz responded.

"And you trust Wylan Van Eck?" Jesper asked incredulously.

"Wylan doesn't know enough people to cause us real trouble."

Valan snorted, "I don't know, Lia's pretty good at causing trouble when she wants to."

Cecilia hit him again with the handle of her katana, "Please, you're one to talk. How many more roofs are you gonna fall off of before you learn your lesson, big brother?"

Wylan shrugged Cecilia's hand off him in his frustration, "Don't I have some say in this? I'm sitting right here."

Kaz rose a brow at him, "Ever had your pocket picked, Wylan?"

"I...not that I know of."

"Been mugged in an alley?"

"No."

"Hung over the side of a bridge with your head in that canal?"

"No, but-

"Ever been beaten until you can't walk?"

"No."

"Why do you think that is?" Kaz asked.

"I-"

Kaz interrupted him again, "It's been three months since you left your daddy's mansion on the Geldstraat. Why do you suppose your sojourn in the Barrel has been so blessed?"

"Lucky, I guess?" Wylan shrugged.

Jesper snorted, "Kaz is your luck, merchling. He's had you under Dregs protection-though you're so useless, up until this minute none of us could figure out why."

"It was perplexing," Nina added.

"Kaz always has his reasons," Inej pointed out, though she didn't bother to mention that technically Cecilia had been under Dregs protection all this time too.

"Why did you move out of your father's house?" Jesper asked.

Wylan tensed, "It was time."

"Idealist? Romantic? Revolutionary?"

"Idiot?" Nina offered, "No one chooses to live in the Barrel if he has another option."

Cecilia cut in, "Regardless of the reason, which isn't our business, Wylan is here. Whether it's for demolition or-I hate to say it-as a hostage, he is incredibly useful to us. Inej, Jesper, Nina, I understand your reservations. We've heard them multiple times. But, think of it this way, it's as Kaz says, Raske isn't to be trusted. Wylan may not be quite trusted, but he's the better option for this case. Kaz is smart enough to know what he's doing and who he needs to get it done. The situation isn't going to change no matter how much you bitch about it. Now move on and quiet down unless you've got more intelligent input than what you would prefer.."