𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
#: 𝐈𝐗
𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Kaz x fem!reader
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Ketterdam’s streets have turned treacherous. The crew faces mounting threats, shifting alliances, and betrayals that force them into desperate choices. Each step draws them deeper into the city’s ruthless underworld, where danger and opportunity go hand in hand.
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭:3564
𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Blood, gore, mentions of injury & mentions of death.
𝐀/𝐍: Thank you for taking the time to read this fic I’ve been working hard on! :)
Key:
Y/A - your age
Y/H - your height
H/C - your hair color
~Y/N~
The trip back to Ketterdam was short, since all of us were not anticipating the arrival back. With Pekka Rollins and Dreesen enemies to us now, we would have to come up with something to counter them quick.
Inej had tended to my abdomen wound a bit after we boarded, and it was in the process of healing nicely. Yet, although it only took a day for the ship to arrive back in Kerch, it felt like forever. I ensured my eyes stayed a different color like I did during the Winter Fete, in case anyone looked at me too long to notice my natural color.
After the ship had docked, we needed to get off immediately. As we hit the familiar cobblestone streets, Jesper says, “Home sweet home. Straight off the boat from Ravka and no one was waiting to kill us as soon as we arrived. Yay. That’s a good sign. I think I might celebrate with a little dice and debauchery.”
We keep walking, and I look around our surroundings to ensure we weren’t in immediate danger. “No debauchery,” Kaz says.
“Dice then.” “No dice. We have stops to make.” Inej asks, “What’s first? Tante Heleen?” “We get to the Crow Club.” Kaz responds. We made our walk short quick, and as soon as we approached the entrance, I could tell something felt wrong.
There was a green sign instead of what was supposed to be there. It had a symbol with a crown on the first. I couldn’t read the language. “Where’s our sign?” Jesper asks. “It’s been replaced.”
Inej reads out the sign name. “‘The Kaelish Prince?’” “What type of name is that?” I ask. “Dime Lions.” Kaz whispers. “Pekka Rollins owns the Crow Club?”
“Where does that leave us? Are you saying we have no home?” I sensed something was off with Kaz, and I looked at him. I felt my anger boil. Out of all people, Pekka Rollins. I knew Kaz felt angered, too.
Jesper adds, “My suits. All my hats.” “Split up. It’s not safe.” We all hear a whistle blow and try to run, but we immediately get a gun pointed at us, multiple firearms. “Halt! You four. Hands up!”
Kaz and I nervously put our hands up, and the Constable calls out our names: “Kaz Brekker. Jesper Fahey. Inej Ghafa. And…” I can tell he doesn’t recognize me. That’s good. It means I wasn’t discovered yet.
“And another one of his crew. Only a matter of time before you turned up.”
Kaz asks, “Is there a problem?” “For you? Yeah. You’re wanted for murder.” Jesper sighs. “What? We just got back in town. Unless it’s a crime to kill Volcra.”
I can admit I was scared, if someone in the Kerch government found out about me, it would only be a matter of minutes they find a way to exploit me. I figured the news would travel fast about what happened in the Fold.
As long as I kept my eyes deceived a different color, there wouldn’t be an issue.
“Very funny, gunslinger. Now, slowly, hand over those shooters. And you. Give up the cane. And you search the girl to see if she has any weapons on her. And you, spy-” Inej had slipped away so they would not notice anything.
“Oi! Where’d she go?” They quickly searched my pockets and shook their heads. “Yeah. She does that.”
“Three’s enough for now. Come on. Off to Hellgate to await trial.” I protest. “You don’t even know my name! How can I be sent off to Hellgate?” I still get handcuffed and roll my eyes. The Constable says, “You’re still associated with these criminals. I doubt anything else.”
I hope Inej is finding out what’s happened or finding a way to stop our ticket to Hellgate. We were put into the cart, which was cramped and full of people. Most of the people in here were men, and they kept looking at me.
I rolled my eyes and looked at Kaz, sitting across from me. It would be a stupid move for me to use my powers, and if someone figured out, I would be sent off to my death, or Kirigan would find me again, but it might be the last resort.
“'Let’s all go back to Ketterdam. It’ll be fun,’ they said. Now I’m off to Hellgate. Hellgate.” Kaz was not feeling good about this and how close the other people were to him. Jesper adds, “Pekka’s got his grotty fingers in every part of that pie. We end up there, we’re as good as dead.”
Kaz’s breathing starts to get heavier and faster, and it looks like trauma. “Kaz?” I ask. “Kaz?” Jesper asks.
I kick against the metal with my shoe and yell, “Hey, stop this wagon! Now!” I felt the fear in my eyes, along with my rage. Jesper looks at me in shock, and we hear the wagon stop. I felt my eyes glow due to my emotions.
The Constable opens the doors and points at the three of us. “You three. Out.” He says. Jesper grins and says, “Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure. Come on.” We are then brought to an office, and the guards, along with the Constable.
They shove our shoulders down onto the chairs brought out, and I grunt. “Do not touch me again,” I say. “Watch the coat. What’s all this, then?”
“Somebody paid good kruge to spend some time alone with you three.” We hear the door open and see that it is Dreesen. “Criminals.” “Dreesen.” Along with him, three of his escorts walk into the room.
“Ten minutes, alone. Out you go.” Dreesen hands kruge to the Constable, and he and his personnel walk out the door and shut it. “So, are you going to tell me what happened?”
“We’ve been framed for murder?” Jesper says. Dreesen replies, “I’m not asking about that. Where is Alina Starkov?” “We don’t have her.”
“Obviously. I see that the freak was clearly not of good use.” I look at him and scoff. “I hate that name,” I whisper.
He continues, “You left with an advance on my million kruge with passage on my ship. And you dare to return empty-handed. The deal was meant to include one Sun Summoner in exchange for the advance. And you step off the ship with no such person in your possession. Clearly you must have something of value to me or else you would not have dared-”
Kaz speaks up, hopefully with something to get us out of this mess. “It wasn’t your money, Dreesen. You were brought in as an intermediary. Someone to hire the likes of us. But this operation wasn’t yours. It was his.” Kaz looks at the personnel with blonde hair and an emerald as a cuff link.
“Wasn’t it?” Kaz finishes. “Outrageous-” “Yes, yes. Totally convincing. Thank you, Dreesen, but I’ll take it from here. That was me politely telling you to get out. So go on.” Dreesen scoffs and leaves the room with his other personnel.
He finally removes his hat and says, “Well, this is much easier. I didn’t appreciate Dreesen’s disrespect for the beautiful lady, either. Tell me, what gave it away?” I furrow my brows in confusion.
Did I just get called beautiful?
Kaz answers, “You dress too well for a bodyguard. And you were hanging on every word like it was your money on the table. You wanted to hear our story, but we don’t know you. We know him. So you kept up the charade until now. My question is, who are you?”
He shrugs. “What? You don’t know me? Maybe in profile.” He poses at an angle, and I look at Kaz and Jesper, more confused. “What? No? Very well. The name’s Sturmhond.” Jesper figures it out.
“I’ve heard of you.” “Yeah, I should hope so.” “He’s a very rich pirate.” Jesper says. “A privateer, actually. It’s an important distinction.”
“The question remains why is the Sun Summoner so important to a privateer?” Sturmhond says, “Well you may not be aware, but half the world is looking for her. Or even just confirmation of her death. And the reward’s gone up. Twenty million to hand her over to Fjerda. Turns out they weren’t particularly pleased with Kirigan and the Sun Summoner’s plan to weaponize the Fold.”
That doesn’t make sense. I was Kirigan’s weapon. Why am I not on the bounty? “Alina never had such… You were saying.” Kaz looks at me, and I glare at Sturmhond. He gives me a questioning look and says, “I’m quite curious. Who is the girl accompanying you both?”
“Y/N. Don’t be so harsh.” “She’s feisty too.” Sturmhond grabs my hand in the handcuffs and kisses it. I felt Kaz move slightly, his hands shifted. “I’m assuming you were the mysterious one who accompanied the Darkling and the Sun Summoner at the last minute? You’re also on the bounty, at least in a supporting role.”
He gives me the paper, and I see a drawing of me in that damned gown they made for me. It wasn’t as detailed as Alina and Kirigan, and only a vague description of me was given.
If you looked at it long enough, the more it did not look like me.
I feel frozen and don’t say another word. I fold the paper and hold it in my hands. “And those eyes. Dreesen mentioned you were one of a kind, something a Grisha or Otkazat'sya wouldn’t have. Reminds me of the deep ocean.”
“Keep talking like that, and I’ll show you what more I can do. It won’t be so pleasant either.” I feel my eyes glow and an aura around both of my hands. I silently release the handcuffs while Sturmhond paces around the room.
“But you’re on first-name terms with the Sun Summoner. Where is she now?” Jesper groans. “We don’t know where Alina is. She’s gone.” “Escaped?”
He then looks up and down at both Kaz and I. “I know you and Y/N have both gotten out of those cuffs. If I had time, I’d insist you tell me how.” Kaz and I throw our cuffs to the ground and keep our cool.
Sturmhond says, “Thanks. My intel informs me the Sun Summoner was wearing this when she entered the Fold. It’s part of the Queen’s collection. A well-known piece, the fabled garnets of Ivets. So, either she used this to pay you off to keep quiet about where she was going, or you found her bloody corpse and stole it off her neck like vultures.”
Jesper makes a disgusted face and says, “How dare you? How even- We are not vultures, we are crows. And that makes more sense with context. But my point is, we’re not grave robbers.”
“Which means it was a payoff. So you know where she went. Now if you tell me, I’ll give you 20 seconds alone here before the Stadwatch comes back in. Or, if you don’t… I’ll take Y/N here instead.”
I raise my hands before Jesper tries to pull me down with his cuffs on. I sit in the chair again and look at Kaz. “You can’t bribe us, let alone take Y/N.” he says. “Leave the necklace. Give us 20 seconds, and I’ll tell you.” The two of us look at him in shock.
“Kaz?” I ask. “The bribe she paid you to keep quiet about her next move, in exchange for her next move. I like it. Still, there is the mess to having to fence Royal jewels.” Sturmhond says.
He pulls a stack of kruge out of his pocket to offer to Kaz. “Kaz,” Jesper warns. Sturmhond continues, “You both stepped off the Edam tonight. Was she with you then? Is she in town somewhere?”
I look at Jesper in worry, and he shakes his head. “She stayed on the ship to Noyvi Zem.” Sturmhond then walks towards the door and salutes us off. “Good luck. Gentlemen. And my lady.”
He leaves the stack of kruge by our other belongings and exits hastily. Kaz quickly runs to his stuff, and I ensure the door behind us was locked. Jesper holds up his cuffs. “Any help with these?”
I start to motion my hands, but Kaz beats me to the punch. He tosses Jesper a metal coin of sorts. He looks confused at first, and then it hits him. “You knew.”
“About you being a Durast? Your gun misfired during our encounter with the Darkling. You fixed it without moving. You repaired my cane with no tools. And when you shoot, you never miss. Of course I knew.”
Jesper stands up, holds the coin, and turns it into a key. “Let’s leave it at that. Yeah?” “I’ve no interest in letting others in on your secret.”
Kaz hands Jesper his belongings back. He says, “But it’s so easy to spill the beans on Alina.” “He already deduced it. He knew the name of the ship that we were coming in on, and he was going to take Y/N with him if I didn’t comply. The best we could do is get our money back and save Y/N.”
“And Alina? She’s half a day ahead and he’s a pirate. We should warn her.” I add, “I have a feeling he’s more than just a pirate, privateer, or whatever. There’s already a lot happening right now.” Kaz puts a chair in front of the door as a precaution, and I sigh before looking at Jesper.
The doorknob rattles and I sigh. Kaz says, “Speaking of, shouldn’t you be concentrating?” The Stadwatch was waiting for us, but since the Privateer was generous, we only had one chance to escape.
Jesper unlocks his cuffs while Kaz and I make it out the window, and I hear Jesper follow. We all make our way to the part of Ketterdam where the Stadwatch won’t go or follow.
Now, I am walking to the right of Kaz, and Jesper is walking by his left side. After slowing our pace, Jesper says, “We are in the literal bottom of the Barrel.”
“Stadwatch don’t patrol down here. We’re safer. Inej, what did you find?” Literally, out of nowhere, she appears next to Jesper, and he freaks out. “We’re accused of murdering Tante Heleen.” Inej answers.
“Wait, what? We didn’t do that, though. Wait, did either of you do that?” He looks back and forth between Inej and I, with a concerned gaze. “I wish I could take the credit,” I add.
“It was Pekka Rollins, wasn’t it? He framed us for murder.” I look at Kaz and feel the same anger right now. “He wanted to punish us for taking the job after he warned you off.” “But why take it out on Tante Heleen?”
Kaz says, “She held the deed to the Crow Club. We cut a deal so Inej could help us with the Sun Summoner, so Rollins killed her.”
The realization hits Jesper and me, knowing fate is not on our side. I feel a warm aura in my eyes and realize my hatred and anger are fueling and connecting my powers. My emotions are out of control, so my powers are acting up, too.
“He owns the club. Everyone who works there now works for Pekka Rollins. There’s more.” Inej shows her cursed tattoo from that place. “The Menagerie,” I whisper. “He owns that now, too. Along with everything else that Menagerie owns.”
I clench my fists into a ball and feel my aura around my hands. I pace back and forth to control my emotions; this is bad. “So, Stadwatch are everywhere and Pekka’s untouchable. Never thought I’d miss the Fold.”
“The Fold is the last place I would be right now,” I add. Kaz pulls kruge out of his coat and the bounty and gives it to Inej. “What’s this for?” she asks. “We aren’t the only ones under a false accusation. Your Saint has a new bounty on her head. This time for Fjerda.”
Jesper adds, “Yeah. They think she’s in cahoots with the Darkling.” I walk more towards Inej. “They think I am a part of it too. I have my own bounty since they think this vague power of mine is a threat.”
“This is your ticket to go and protect her. Go to Third Harbor. Find a stevedore named Jari. He’ll put you on a cargo ship out of here.” says Kaz. Inej asks, “You’re sending me away?” “I promised you freedom.”
I look at the two of them and shake my head. Kaz is making the wrong decision. “This isn’t freedom, Kaz. My indentured contract is owned by Pekka-” “-I will take care of it.” Everyone looks at me.
“I do not care how it will go down, but Inej-” “-This isn’t your fight, Y/N. It’s mine.” Kaz walks away, and I feel my anger rise again. “I’m not leaving you.” Inej adds. Kaz stops, which gives the three of us time to catch up with him.
She says, “Not now. What happens to Saints is fate. What happens here is up to us.” Inej gives back the kruge, and then Inej notices my hands. “Fine, but stay in the shadows. The three of you. We reconvene in two bells at the end of Rozenstraat. Look for a workshop around the back.”
She puts an arm around me and I feel a wave of calmness over me. My auras at my hands go away, and I smile at her kindness. I ask, “Where are you going?” “I need a Heartrender for what comes next. One who isn’t already owned by Pekka. Ears open for one.”
With that, Kaz is off into the shadows. I shrug and look at Jesper. “'Heartrender? For what comes next?’” I notice Inej slip away, and I see him pondering.
“Wait, what comes next?”
I salute off to Jesper and say, “I’m off to find information about my bounty, see you in two bells.” He nods, and my mission is in motion. If Sturmhond had already known about it, how fast did it spread to other countries?
My travels to the information stands and posts were quick but haste. Alina and the Darkling were at the very front with their bounty, then mine off to the side. I grabbed the paper and looked more thoroughly at it.
They wanted to make money quickly and made a less-than-half-baked description of me. 'Aged at Y/A, with Y/H, and H/C hair.’ In the drawing, my physique was wrong, and my facial structure was more of a blur.
I see some Stadwatch patrol, and I slip away from their view. I visit a few more posts to see if anything is different. My time is up, and I see the warehouse Kaz was speaking of. I open the door and see how open it is; it’s unique.
I go near the lower floor to see Kaz, Jesper, and a younger boy all waiting. “You’re here.” Kaz says. I nod and look at a beautiful girl our age, and Inej comes in shortly after.
“I found a new Heartrender.” Inej informs. “Nina Zenik. At your service.” “Nina Zenik?” Inej and Jesper say in unison. “Well, that’s a reaction. Is there a famous Nina Zenik that I don’t know of?”
“Can I get anyone some tea?” The boy asks. Kaz rolls his eyes and focuses on Nina. “You worked with Arken.” “It was more of a limited partnership.” Nina responds.
Kaz asks, “Did you trust him?” “That turncoat? Not on your life. He was shadier than an oak at three bells.” “What’s your price?”
She says, “I’ve expended the legal avenues on my problem. Every clerk in the city says the same thing. 'The judge will see you in six months.’” “And so you’re looking for the not-so-legal route on what, exactly?”
“I’m told you could free someone from Hellgate. Someone, I say as if he’s anyone, and in truth, he’s the love of my life.” An eerie silence falls into the room. I look at Inej with worry, and she smirks.
He says, “I can’t get you a release from Hellgate. But I can get you a visit. In exchange for your services.” Nina asks, “What do you need me for?”
“The aftermath. Follow me.” Kaz exits up the stairs, and I roll my eyes. Everyone but Inej, Nina, and I follow. “He does this.” I assure Nina. “Does he?” We follow onto the roof of the warehouse and reach the edge of the railing.
The order is as follows. Inej is on the far-right end, and Nina, myself, Kaz, Jesper, and Wylan are on my far left. “Brick by brick.” Kaz mutters. Almost on cue, an explosion erupts from the city. “What was that?” Jesper asks. “The Crow Club.” Inej says.
“I had some really nice hats in there. Was that yours?” Wylan doesn’t like how his work is being used for this chaos. “I take it we’re now in the aftermath?” Nina asks. “I don’t think this will help clear our name, Kaz. We are waging war against Pekka Rollins, the King of the Barrel.”
Kaz answers, “The Barrel doesn’t belong to kings.” He walks back in anger.
“It belongs to Bastards.”
