Six of Crows: Cloaked in Shadow

Interlude - Better Than Silence

Inej,

Please, don't rip this letter up. Or burn it. Or throw it in the sea. Or however you get rid of your problems out there. I promise you won't regret it. I promise. I'm begging you.

I know you don't want to talk to me. Your silence was rather eloquent on that matter. I understand, really, I do, but I need to know you're safe. All I'm asking for is one letter. You don't even have to write anything. You're a valuable investment, and like all investments, I need to take care of you.

I'm sitting at my desk in the Slat right now. The window looks empty without you sitting in it, lecturing me with one of your proverbs or laughing at something I've said. The crows are nearly all gone. I tried to feed them after you'd left, but it wasn't the same without you. Only one or two are left now.

I don't know when was the last time that I slept.

Ghezen, this sounds incoherent even to me.

I'm probably never even going to send this to you. Even if I did, you'd probably never read it. Or maybe you do read these. Hell, I don't know. I'm rambling now, and all these crossings-out are making an ugly mess of scribbles on the paper. It's for the best that you never read this. You'd be appalled. I'm appalled.

Jes and Wy don't visit as much these days. Jesper's been playing more and more at the Crow Club (though I suspect he's been playing at the Silver Sun too) but don't worry, I've taught him how to win. The good news is that he's channelling more and more of his recklessness and impulsiveness into his cards and has started to take care of himself more. Wylan, however... The other merchers seem determined to boycott him and it's getting under his skin. We're all trying to help but I don't think it's working. Ghezen, I'm nearly prepared to make those bastards trade with him!

No news from the Tides. I think they're waiting for something. Does that sound crazy?

There's a new gang boss. I know I've told you about him before, but he's really getting serious. He calls himself 'the Mask' and wears this stupid bone thing over his face wherever he goes. It looks ridiculous, to be honest with you. Twiggy prongs sticking out of it everywhere. Makes him look like one of Sinterklaas' reindeer.

(I'm guessing that to you that would be Sankt Nikolai's reindeer? The fellow with the furry red robes and the white beard that gives presents to children? You Suli do have Sinterklaas, don't you? How would you survive winter without presents? Maybe you're not into the whole 'gift' side of things because receiving gifts will make you 'greedy' or something. But honestly, no presents is an abomination.)

I'm so tired.

This 'Mask' has made this big gang called the 'Lost'. Yes, like that little gang of vagabonds that traipse around Pieter Paan in the story. (So many references to stories. Way too many coincidences. I'm starting to think they're not coincidences.)

He's scraped up the remnants of the Razorgulls and the Dime Lions, along with a handful of freelance thugs and mercenaries from the bottom of the Barrel and stuck them all together to create something pretty big. It doesn't help that people are leeching off from the Black Tips and Harley's Pointers and the Dregs to join him. He's got himself a decent spider too. Not a patch on you, of course. She calls herself Raven. Got a real flair for the dramatic, that one. Leaves a feather behind at each crime scene. I've noticed that she hasn't actually killed anyone, though. Strange, for someone who calls herself an assassin.

(The Dregs still don't have a spider.)

I'd have thought we'd be done with dangerous drugs, but the Mask's got his hands on something pretty nasty. It's called 'Thorn' and forces whoever takes it to speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The effects don't seem to wear off. I've taken to pouring my own drinks. If I was drugged with Thorn, I wouldn't be able to play my... ah... games anymore. It probably wouldn't affect you.