No Mourners, No Funerals

35.✓

Inej sighed remembering her friend who maybe is somewhere far in snow and cold. Suddenly memories of both good and bad came. She smiled before saying, 

"No one can replace her. Though she is cute. She reminds me of myself that's why I was determined to take her but now... Any way you want to meet the others or want to rest for while?"

"I don't need nor want to rest," Kaz grumbled, his eyes stalking over the group of people. "Why do you want me to meet all of them, anyway?" He asked, lowering his voice.

"You don't want but you surely do need. I bet rough roof doesn't come under one the comfortable places to sleep on."

Kaz's eyes narrowed. "I'm fine." He stated. Sleeping wasn't something high on his to-do list. Not when he could still do something to help, to get Jesper back.

Shaking her head at his stubbornness, Inej thought about what to say. She understood his doubts and worry about Jesper's well being but there practically isn't anything they can do at the moment and neither can she knock him out and drag him to the room. 

"So what? You are going to stand here? At least sit down somewhere. You need the energy at the right time." With that that she turned in the direction of her cabin and started walking.

Kaz rolled his eyes, muttered that standing did not take energy, and limped after Inej. He still needed to tell her about the assassins, it was the least he could do. 

Despite what the sisters had said, it almost felt too close together to be a coincidence. And if they were working for Donahue, then Inej especially needed to know.

As they entered her cabin, Inej waited for Kaz to enter before locking the door. Her cabin was just a small room with a couch in one corner, a working table, chair. An old lamp and few big brown trunks stacked one over another. 

It wasn't familiar or comforting like one of the rooms in the Slat, but it was enough for a few days' stay. She didn't know what to say or ask so she stood there waiting for him to say anything.

Kaz settled himself in the corner of the couch, there wasn't any place to prop up his bad leg, but the ache had started to dull again. 

"I apprehended two girls, they were 'crow watching'" Kaz says with a tone of bitterness before casting his gaze to Inej. "My spider heard them planning to assassinate you. Just how many people did you cross in those six months?"

Inej thought about what Kaz said, two girls. She couldn't remember coming across any girls. There were mainly merchants and bands of thugs working for something to line their pockets. "I came across three ships in past six months." 

She thought more before saying, "While the last one didn't include killing, the first two got bloody. I lost a few of my men too but the number of lost lives was higher on their side"

Kaz ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "My guess is it's a revenge story. One sister gathered information, the other did the killing. Had a calling card and everything, Jinx. She's dead now, the other is still locked up, though I doubt she'll stay that way." Kaz turned his attention to his gloves, pulling at the edges of the dark leather on his fingers.

"Dead?" Even after years of fighting and struggling she still finds it difficult to adjust to the fact.

 "I can't say revenge for what, maybe for one of the family members or close friends." She thought harder trying to remember about but they could be anyone, anywhere. She looked at Kaz and said, "Every time you face trouble because of me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Wraith, I do have my own enemies." he said, with a cheeky grin, but it quickly disappeared from his face as he became contemplative. "Besides, any enemy of yours is an enemy of mine. Nothings changed that." He keeps his voice low, and he flexed his hand holding onto his cane, his eyes remaining locked onto Inej.