Six of Crows: Cloaked in Shadow

Chapter 10 - Unknown

The masked man lounged on his chair, looking for all the world like a king on his throne. A casual observer would have thought he was talking to himself; only a very perceptive person would have noticed the shadowy figure of the girl standing in the corner of the room.

"They say I speak in metaphors, that even the most mundane and humble sentence that leaves my lips is filled with double meanings and hidden catches," he said, one hand lazily gesturing. "My friends call it a silver tongue; my enemies call it forked." The man looked straight at the girl for the first time, his smoky grey eyes staring intently at her hooded face. "What do you call it, Raven?"

She uncoiled herself from her folded position against the wall, her lithe body soundless. "A gift," she replied.

The masked man laughed, a harsh sound that tore through the darkness, bitter and mirthless. "I once was gifted. Now they have brought me to nothing." He cocked his head. "You do not know what that's like; having everything you are torn away from you. Betrayal."

"I know loss. I know revenge. I know the anger you feel."

"And it is that anger that drives the both of us, Raven. You must nurture your hatred. You see, souls are like blades – they must be tested in the fires of the forge before they are ready for battle. Your soul is hardened, now, tempered by pain and grief. A perfect weapon."

"I am not a blade for you to wield. I have my own purpose. I will not be just a tool."

"And nor will you be." The man drew a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to her. She crossed the room and took it from him, pale grey eyes scanning the words, then wordlessly handed it back.

"These are your grudges, not mine. I kill for a cause - my cause."

"The only reason you are here is because of your sister-"

"Do not bless the foul air of this city with her name."

"You are of no use to me if you will not kill."

"Then I will be of no use to you. I am not a killer. I will not be painted as a villain to anyone other than her."

He sighed. "If you kill Brekker, it will hurt her."

"I know."

"Then why not?"

"It is not the time. Not yet."

Soon she will have no choice,  he thought, but his face remained impassive, thoughts hidden by his mask of bone. Soon, I will make her.

"There; this one. His death would be useful for both your cause and mine." It will be the last compromise I make for her little grudge.

She peered at the name scrawled in black ink on the paper. "I will not kill him."

"I'm not giving you a choice."

"Listen-"

"No. You listen. You came to me because you wanted your revenge, and I'm helping you get it. In return you're going to do exactly as I tell you. I don't care what you want. You back out now and I'll make your life hell. I'll kill you slowly."

"And if I kill you first?"

The Mask stood slowly, grey eyes trained on her face, and somewhere deep in the shadows, something uncoiled.

Raven paled visibly. "What is that?"

"Raven, darling, you really think I'd have this talk with you without some sort of backup?"

She stepped backwards, eyes flicking from side to side.

"Don't worry. It won't hurt you unless I tell it to."

Her eyes closed briefly and she swallowed hard, then seemed to compose herself. "Okay. Fine. Fine." She nodded, as if she was reassuring herself. "Who is he to her?"

"One of her crew mates. One of her friends."

"And to you?" the girl asked, lifting her head so he could see the face under the hood, her grey eyes meeting his quartz.

"A traitor."

She smiled, teeth glistening white in the dim light. "It's the knife in the back that hurts the most, no?"

"True."

"You'd better watch your step next time you walk these streets. You may be a monster - you may have monsters of your own - but there are others out there who have surprise on their side. There are others out there who, when they bite, don't let go."

He opened his mouth to reply, but found the cold steel of a knife pressed against his throat, the blade gleaming faintly. "A threat?" The shadow-thing in the corner of the room growled, and the room seem to vibrate with the sound.

"No," she replied, sheathing her knife in one swift motion, then turning to go. "A reminder."

He watched her as she left, silent as a shadow. When this business is done, he thought, and my debts are paid, I will have to kill her; for what is the use of a blade that refuses its master?