Six of Crows: Cloaked in Shadow

Part One - A Knife in the Dark

"Is this a dagger which I see before me?" - Macbeth, II, i, 33

A/N
For those of you who haven't read Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom or the Grisha Trilogy (and if you haven't, I recommend them!) here's a quick summary of the characters used in this book.

Kaz Brekker
A thief and a lockpick. His leg was broken during a job, and he now uses a cane to walk - and as a weapon. His brother, Jordie, died of the Queen's Lady Plague when Kaz was nine years old after the boys had been conned out of all their money by Pekka Rollins. Kaz wears gloves and has an aversion to skin-on-skin contact. He is exceptionally good at card games, sleight of hand and picking locks. He is known as Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel and demjin or demon. Very pale, dark eyes, dark hair.

Inej Ghafa
A Suli acrobat kidnapped from her parents by slavers and sold into a brothel. Kaz Brekker bought her from the brothel and made her become his blade and assassin, using her skills at tightrope walking and climbing to help him in heists. Known on the streets as the Wraith. Dark eyes, black hair, caramel skin. Very small.

Jesper Fahey
A Grisha Fabrikator and sharpshooter. Has two pearl-handled revolvers which he refers to as his 'babies'. He is a flirt and bisexual. Dark skinned, grey eyed, black hair. Very tall.

Wylan Van Eck
The son of a prosperous mercher, Jan Van Eck. Seriously dyslexic and good with sums and chemistry. Skills as a demolitionist. Gay. Ginger and blue-eyed.

Nina Zenik
A Grisha Heartrender who took a drug called jurda parem to save her friends. She overcame the drug addiction but her power was changed into the ability to control the dead. She used to be in love with Matthias Helvar. Brown hair and green eyes. Tall.

Nikolai Lantsov
The king of Ravka and a privateer known as Sturmhond. As Nikolai, he is blonde and brown-eyed, and as Sturmhond, he has red hair and green eyes. He is charismatic and charming. During the Ravkan Civil War he was turned into a shadow monster by the Darkling using merzost, but turned back when the Darkling died. He has the scars from where he changed still on his skin, and hides them.

Dunyasha Lazyareva
A skilled Ravkan assassin killed by Inej during Crooked Kingdom. Tall and red-haired.

Jesper and Wylan are in a relationship.

Nina was in a relationship with a drüskelle (someone who kills Grisha) named Matthias. He is now dead.

Kaz and Inej have feelings for each other but don't voice them. Their relationship is complicated due to Kaz's fear of skin-on-skin contact.

Grisha are people with magic. A Grisha cannot create or give life. If a Grisha does that, it is merzost, an abomination. It is unnatural.