Only a Game

The Dregs Make Their First Move

Jesper palmed the revolvers at his sides and waited until he and Wylan were out of the group's sight before pressing him up against the nearest wall and kissing him. He let his fingers tangle in his fiancé's familiar soft curls. Wylan let out a soft sigh and Jesper grinned against his lips. They broke apart panting, each of them bearing identical grins.

"Thank the Saints. I've been waiting for that since we found Nina and Inej," Wylan muttered.

Jesper loosed a laugh and entwined their fingers together. "Was last night not enough for you, then?" He delighted at the pink tinge on Wylan's cheeks.

"It's never really enough I suppose. I always want more of you, Jes," Wylan's ears had turned a brighter shade even as he looked up with a more confident expression.

"I love you," was all Jesper could say.

Wylan kissed Jesper again, more softly this time. "I love you too."

"We'd better get going. You know how Kaz is," Jesper said, breaking away with more than a little regret.

Wylan gave a slightly disappointed nod and tied his coat more tightly in preparation for the windy weather outside the House.

Grasping Wylan's hand, Jesper opened the door to the House and walked to where he hoped was a town.

----

Nina peered around the side of a building. "So, where should we start looking?"

Inej looked upwards. "Legend is playing to our strengths, right?" Nina raised a brow. "Well maybe I'll find my knives while utilizing my greatest asset—my feet."

"So they're somewhere only you could reach?"

"If I'm right, then yes. We should start with the rooftops."

"Wait we? Inej, I couldn't climb up there if you offered me all the waffles in the world." Nina stopped to consider. "Well if the waffles were really good..."

Inej smiled. "Waffles could convince you to do anything, Nina. But don't worry, you won't be doing anything extreme.

Inej ran a hand over the stone wall next to her. "Just follow me from the ground." Inej grasped the stones and climbed up to the rood of the building. She peered down at Nina who was observing her with an impressed look.

"You do your thing, Inej. I'll help in any way I can...from down here."

Inej gave Nina a brief nod before continuing on, her feet moving soundlessly over the loose gravel on the roof. She vaulted onto the next roof, pausing only to check that Nina was moving with her. A rope to hold laundry had been tied between the roof she was on to the next one, which was quite far. She tested the rope's strength with a tentative foot and found it secure enough to walk on. Inej took a deep breath as she relished the feeling of the wind pushing against her in the air. She let her eyes shut for a moment, cherishing the familiar sense of being on top of the world, being in control, and being happy.

"Inej?" Nina called up from below.

Inej blinked, her bliss falling away as she realized that she hadn't finished her mission. "I'm fine. I just got distracted," she shouted back.

Inej crossed the rest of the rope and continued to the next rooftop.

----

Kaz leaned on his cane as he inspected the jade key. The smooth surface of it shined like glass in the light. Room 5 it said. Kaz wasn't exactly sure how he could find the room without wasting time since there was no discernable order to the doors. Last night, each room had been numbered and ordered reasonable, but some time between then and now the rooms had...moved, He was really getting tired of the strange magic here. Nothing made sense. Kaz liked things that made sense. He liked reason and motive, but not chaos like this. Well he could deal with chaos if he caused it and it suited him. What he couldn't deal with was randomness that didn't help him at all.

Kaz clenched his jaw. Complaining wasn't going to get them off this island, but looking for room 5 would. He began limping along the red, black, and white walls of the House, peering at the randomly numbered doors. The walls held the strangest paintings he'd ever seen and that was saying something because he'd seen a lot. There was at least one set of eyes in each painting whether they were attached to a creature or not. The eyes moved and blinked as if watching him to see what he'd do next.

Kaz let himself lean against the wall. He couldn't show weakness. He needed to get his gang off this island. Well, he supposed, they weren't his gang anymore.

Pushing himself off the wall and continuing down the hall, Kaz felt a sort of presence lurking behind him—something unnatural and not right. He tried to shake off the dread creeping down his spine, but every fiber of him had become alert, as if ready for a fight.

"Kaz, my brother. Come join me."

Kaz turned faster than humanly possible to see some sort of apparition in front of him. Jordie's ghost stood in the hall, clear as day, with an eerie smile. Not a ghost, you idiot, Kaz thought to himself. But the foggy image of his brother said otherwise.

Kaz brandished his cane in some sort of defense. It was his imagination. Or it was Legend playing tricks. Whatever the explanation, Jordie had not come back from the dead to haunt him now.

Jordie let out what sounded like a hyena's laugh. "Well, Kaz. You'll join me soon enough, whether you want to or not."

Kaz pulled a small knife from his pocket and hurled it straight towards the figure, but the ghost-like creature dissipated and the blade fell to the floor with a tiny clink.

Kaz sank to the floor, breathing heavily. Flashes of water and bodies rose up around him. Jordie's dead and swollen face was clear in his mind. He had his gloves on but all he could feel was the bloated flesh of Jordie's lifeless body. For a minute he wasn't the bastard of the barrel or dirtyhands or even Kaz Brekker. He was only the scared little boy, hell-bent on survival and badly damaged. The water was rising higher, almost choking him. Good. Let it choke me. Let the monster drown in his own sins and fear.

But through the memory and panic, Inej's voice spoke to him. You aren't a monster, Kaz. You aren't beyond help. Rise above this so you can be better. Don't let it consume you.

The water lowered, his head clearing slightly. His mother's voice spoke to him, soft and sweet like when she'd comfort him after he skinned his knee or broke a toy. Keep going, little Kaz. You're broken, maybe, and scarred, but that doesn't mean you're ruined. His brother's voice spoke last. You know what you need to do. This isn't the end for you, yet.

Kaz gasped, his breathing still coming in heaving rasps. The feeling of skin had left, but sweat still covered his body. He ran a hand through his hair. He'd gotten better these few years, healed somewhat. But coming here—it had gotten worse. Being stuck here with Legend's tricks and seeing Jordie like that had triggered something in him, causing an attack worse than most of the ones he'd ever had before.

Kaz got to his feet, almost falling over in the process, and leaned on his cane. As he started back down the hall he secured his gloves so that they covered both his hands and his pain.