The Fox and The Crow [Kaz Brekker]

chapter 39

Daemon felt happier than she had in a long time, sitting in that room with all of her loved ones around her. Her crows back together again.

Inej sitting atop a side table, a knife flipping in her hand. Jesper sitting the wrong way on a chair, arms propped on the back and his hat tipping towards the side as he cleaned his guns with a cloth. Daemon standing behind Kaz's chair, leaning down with her arm dangling off his shoulder. Kaz sat with his cane in hand, straight as a pin and just as sharp. Wylan awkwardly shuffling around near Jesper, looking quite confused and upset with the situation at hand. And Nina, pale and restless, standing in the corner with her arms crossed.

The smile on Daemon's lips couldn't get any bigger.

"I think that's everything," Inej said after having explained the entirety of the situation.

"Everyone in the Barrel is going to be gunning for this job if they hear about it," Jesper commented.

"So don't tell them. This stays between us. In this room."

"We'll need someone who knows the Ice Court," Nina mentioned, averting her eyes from everyone in the room.

"You mean Matthias?" Daemon questioned.

Nina had only mentioned her Fjerdan lover a few times to Daemon when they hung out. She was still tenderly heartbroken from the fiasco at Hellgate. Pekka had climbed the ladder quickly and taken over. From one kingdom to another.

"But he's in Hellgate," Wylan pointed out.

"Yes, he is," Nina said, hinting at something.

"You want us to break him out," Kaz stated.

"What?! It's bad enough you want us to break into the Ice Court, now we have to go into that place too?"

Daemon shrugged, "I think it'll be fun."

Wylan practically deflated at her excitement, knowing if she had already agreed to it, then Kaz would definitely follow.

Nina tilted her head, "That was already your plan, wasn't it?"

Kaz raised his brow in her direction, "Yes."

Nina scoffed, "You're a bastard, you know that? I begged and begged you to help me break him out of there and you said no. Not worth your time, but now that you want something it is."

"Did you really expect anything else from me? I'm not running a charity here. I don't do things for nothing. There's always a price."

"But you'd do it for Dae," Nina grumbled.

"Yes," his answer was blunt, "Helvar's freedom is worth something to me now. I can afford the effort I'd have to give to get him out."

"He's never agree to help you."

Jesper shrugged, "I don't know. Stick Daemon in a cell with him for a while and I think he'd do it. She's got a way of wrapping people around her finger. Kaz, Inej, the King of Ravka, the Sun Summoner, you. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

"It's a matter of having leverage."

"You don't know him at all."

Kaz shrugged, "Don't I? He's a person like any other, driven by greed and pride and pain."

Nina crossed her arms tighter, "Matthias is driven by honor and only honor. You can't bribe or bully that."

"For the right price, anyone will break."

Nina couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You've done some ridiculous things, Brekker, but this...all of this, it might top it."

Kaz glanced back at Daemon, a smirk forming on his lips, "I think we can manage."