Chapter Text
Inej Ghafa needed a reason. Too many damn reasons. She was always asking Kaz, why he did this or that, lecturing and moralizing.
When they got waffles after the Third Harbour job, it was quite clear that Inej was annoyed at him. “Was there a rationale,” she said, after the waiter had set down their plates, “For you to leave me in the dark?! Because I can’t possibly imagine what it could be! We could’ve died tonight, for no good reason.”
Kaz tried to ignore the stab of guilt for risking Inej’s life. She would’ve been fine, really. If the situation had been truly dire, she could’ve just left and let Kaz walk into the “ambush” without her back-up. She was right, though. There was little cause for him to conceal information from her. He trusted her- he didn’t doubt her loyalty. No, loyalty wasn’t the right word. He didn’t doubt her principles.
But Inej didn’t need to know the justification for his every action, and the more he told her now, the more she would expect from him in the future. So he didn’t tell her that he sensed something suspicious with Big Bollinger or why he needed to snatch what he could from the Dime Lions and Rollins. Instead, Kaz replied, “Actually, I think you left those guards in the dark.”
Inej sighed weightily. They had these sorts of exchanges often enough that she knew the discussion was over. “Well I’m impressed by your highly refined technique of shining light in Eamon’s eyes and stealing while he was blinded. I haven’t seen other pickpockets use that one before.”
“You think your Sankta Alina would be proud?” Kaz had heard about Alina’s mirrored gloves from an old Ravkan customer at the Crow Club. The man wasn’t Grisha, but he had worked in the Little Palace when Alina lived there. The concept was almost too perfect. Kaz paid a Fabrikator, the same one who made his cane and Inej’s climbing shoes, a neat sum to create the gloves and swear secrecy about it. The leather gloves were flexible enough for lockpicking, and he could control when the mirrors slid out. And, he didn’t have to experience skin-to-skin contact.
Inej gave him a weary look. “You know my answer to that.”
Kaz thought for a second, then made a decision. He lifted Eamon’s bag onto the table, and spread out the papers in it. “Let’s have a look at these together.”
Maybe that would be enough to satisfy Inej, for now.
—
Kaz had thought about the names they’d found in the shipping papers and the ones Inej had recalled hearing at Third Harbour. A disproportionate amount of the guards and shipments could be traced back to Van Eck. There was something strange going on, it just wasn’t clear what quite yet. It was Kaz’s business to know the happenings of Ketterdam. His initial purpose for obtaining the shipping information was so the Dregs could intercept shipments, but now, he was preoccupied with following the mercher’s trail and seeing where it led.
The fact was this: Jan Van Eck, a prominent member of the Merchant Council, had recently purchased a DeKappel oil painting. He had hosted a dinner with a number of other top merchers and other wealthy businessmen, where he displayed the painting and detailed the security measures. One guest at the dinner party, a certain Van Aakster, was a frequent visitor of Nina’s at the House of the White Rose. With little prompting, he had recounted Van Eck’s boasting to Nina, who had passed this information onto Kaz. He hadn’t possessed sufficient motivation to use the intelligence until now. It would be a challenge to steal from such a security-conscious man as Van Eck, but it would be worth it to case his mansion while they were there. Plus, the DeKappel was worth nearly a hundred thousand kruge- Kaz wasn’t going to pass up that opportunity.
A number of Dregs members were involved in the job, but ultimately only Kaz and Inej would be on the inside and do the actual lifting of the painting. She was clearly still disgruntled about Third Harbour, but he knew that wouldn’t prevent her from participating in the job at his side. Her particular skill set would be highly useful.
Kaz wondered if Inej had talked to Nina about her latest frustration with him. He didn’t know why he cared whether they discussed him. A more interesting question was if Nina knew about Inej’s shadow summoning. They were good friends; Inej had actually been the one to convince Nina to join the Dregs. But, Kaz knew Inej to be less forthcoming than her proverbs and moral ruminations would suggest. Plus, Nina would have strong opinions on Inej being such a powerful Grisha and not training at the Little Palace, with which Kaz was certain Inej would disagree. Even Jesper concealed his power from her, perhaps to spare himself the patriotic lecture about Ravka. It was funny- the four of them were Grisha, but never spoke of the matter between themselves.
Shadow and sun summoning was quite different from any other Grisha ability, though. Neither Kaz nor Inej had studied Grisha philosophy formally, but he knew their abilities were exceedingly rare and there were plenty of sentiments attached to them. Kaz had grown up practically a world away from the Ravkan Civil War, but he certainly had no interest in being labelled a saint.
Kaz had discovered his power before anyone had even heard Alina’s name, but he hadn’t known what it was then. He would’ve drowned that night in Reaper’s Barge, as he was forced under the layer of bloated bodies. Despite the shallow height of the water, it was dark, and he was tired and disoriented. He had sunk further and further into the depths, uncertain of which way was up. Kaz thought about giving up, giving in to the dark tides. But there was a reason to live- vengeance. It was like a path had been illuminated before him. The waters had brightened, and Kaz could navigate in the correct direction. He followed the light upward and surfaced, then latched onto Jordie’s floating body. That was how he had survived the night.
He didn’t summon light again, even unconsciously, for some time. It simply became a possibility Kaz was aware of, the same as lockpicking or pickpocketing. Just as he had watched the magician and his coin trick, Kaz learned from the Etheralnik street performers. They summoned water, wind, and fire, but the technique wasn’t so different. Kaz had read, too, books at the university. Scientists had copious theories about light. It was a wave, not unlike the water that the Tidemakers controlled. Recent books had started comparing light to a particle; it was composed of little packets of energy, that the scientists called photons. This made less intuitive sense to Kaz; he had tried picturing it when watching Jesper manipulate tiny bits of metal, but that hadn’t helped much. Maybe Jesper could explain it, either from his experience as a Fabrikator or classes at university, but he didn’t know about Kaz’s power. It didn’t really matter. Kaz didn’t need Grisha philosophy, and he didn’t need scientists’ theories. His ability to summon light was a tool, the same as his gun or cane or wits. He hadn’t learned how to use those skills in a classroom or with books. He had figured it out on his own.
Kaz had once asked Inej what the Suli thought about Grisha. Different nations had varied ways of understanding Grisha abilities, so it would track that they would have a unique outlook on it, too. Inej had looked down at her hands and let a shadow coil through her fingers absently as she spoke. “I knew several Grisha. They had the same roles and jobs as the rest of us. Their- our- powers are a gift. But our fates are no different or more important than another’s. If anything, we have a greater responsibility to one another, because we have greater ability to do good or evil.”
“There were Grisha living with you? I thought the Examiners took any Grisha in Ravka to Os Alta?” Kaz had asked, curious.
Inej had furrowed her dark brows. “They didn’t come to West Ravka that often. I know many parents hide their children if they think they might be Grisha. Most Suli prefer to not have their children swept up in the Ravkan war effort. I heard that now, Grisha children have a choice whether to join the Second Army, but I’m not sure how many Suli parents trust their children to the word of the Ravkan government.”
Based on her cool tone then, Kaz would guess Inej had not told Nina about her power. Kaz himself had found out the first time they had met. He was waiting in the parlor of the Menagerie, when a figure had suddenly appeared before him, as if melting out from the shadows. Upon seeing the richly colored silks and spots painted on the girl’s brown skin, Kaz couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed her approach. “I can help you,” she had whispered. Then, she dissolved back into darkness. Impossible, he had thought. Before he fully processed what he had experienced, Kaz had already made the decision to buy her indenture.
The next day, as they walked away from the Menagerie, Kaz said, “Your shadow summoning didn’t quiet the bells on your ankles.” The knowledge needed to be out in the open.
Inej had been clearly taken aback. “I- how did you know?”
“Just an instinct,” he replied. “Don’t sneak up on me again.”
And after that, Inej was never able to do so. He always felt her presence, whether she soundlessly walked on a rooftop above or cloaked herself in shadows. He wasn’t sure why, until the day he revealed his power to Inej.
It wasn’t long after they met. Inej had confronted him in the aftermath of a messy job. He was sitting in his office, when she slipped through his window. “The safe door was cut clean off its hinges.”
He didn’t acknowledge her, so she continued. “No knife could do that. You used the Cut. You’re a summoner.”
“What do you know about the Cut? You’ve never used it, have you?” he said, but with little acerbity.
“I know that only shadow and sun summoners can really use the Cut like that. And I don’t think you’re a shadow summoner, because then you wouldn’t need me.”
In response, Kaz had let a wisp of light curl atop his gloved fingertips. Inej stared, transfixed, probably thinking of her Sankta Alina.
At first she said, “You could’ve told me.” Then, “I should’ve known. I heard an old Ravkan Inferni say it once: like calls to like.” That phrase sounded right- that was the pull he had felt, why he would always find her.
After that, they didn’t discuss it very often, but the shared knowledge of their powers made planning jobs easier. Kaz had mused on the idea of training together, but had never asked Inej about it. They watched and learned from each other. That was enough.
—
Kaz laid out the plans for the Van Eck mansion on the table. “How’d you get these?” Jesper asked, leaning forward in his chair.
“The architect keeps all his schematics, to show future customers. I nabbed them a while back, and Inej and Nina filled in some details.”
“You already cased the place?” Jesper asked.
“Nah,” Nina responded. “It’s just from what I was told by Van Aakster and what Inej overheard.” The inner workings of the Van Eck mansion, unfortunately, were still very much a mystery. That was the primary reason for this job, after all.
“And what I saw through the windows,” Inej supplied helpfully. “We haven’t been able to get inside yet, though. There are some serious locks on the windows, I couldn’t pick them.”
Specifically, the windows were sealed. It was impossible to enter that way, but Inej was leaving open the possibility instead of telling the full truth; they would have to go through the front door. It was truly a task for someone who could manipulate light- or two someones.
“We’ll need to get the guards away from the drawing room. Jesper, you’ll need to raise an alarm elsewhere in the house.
“Doesn’t Van Eck have a kid? I’m sure the guards would come running if anything happened to him…” he chuckled darkly.
Inej gave Jesper a withering look. He raised his eyebrows. “Like if he found a huge spider or something. Saints, I’m not going to shoot him.”
“Anyways….” Kaz paused weightily. “Nina is our lookout. Inej and I will be inside lifting the painting. We’ll pass it off to Anika, who’ll be wearing the gardener’s uniform, and all meet back at the safe house. Straightforward.”
“Your jobs have the same chance of being straightforward as Per Haskell crossing a tightrope.” Nina said.
“He looks like he wouldn’t have good form. Bad posture.” Inej interjected.
“Regardless of Per Haskell’s acrobatic talent,” Kaz said, “I want this to go smoothly. Let’s get these details down before tomorrow morning.”
---
It was unusual for a job to take place when the sun was shining. Most thieves needed darkness to work. But, when Inej had found all the windows sealed shut, Kaz had realized they could only enter through a door. And, during the day, when servants bustled in and out of the mansion and visitors passed through, there wasn’t even a need to waste time picking a lock in such a visible location. They could disguise themselves as guards or servants, but the variables associated with that were unnecessary when you could conceal yourself from human eyes. Well, that was the theory. Becoming invisible was more difficult than expected. Inej commonly used shadows to pass through unseen, but in the well lit mansion that would be less reliable. So now, Kaz and Inej practiced controlling the light and shadows together in his office.
Inej sat perched on his desk. “I heard Sankta Alina was able to hide an entire ship with her powers. You could probably do it yourself.”
“What, are you backing out on me?”
“No,” Inej said. “I just mean if it’s easier for us to split up, or if it becomes necessary during the job, you might be able to handle it on your own.”
Kaz snorted. “Alina was a trained Grisha soldier. Call me humble, but I’d say I’m not on par with her.”
“Well, I’m glad you can admit you’re no Saint. To be fair, though, as far as I’m aware, what we’re attempting hasn’t been tried before.”
“It’s not like there have been a surplus of shadow summoners and sun summoners to try it,” Kaz responded. “C’mon. Let’s try something small first.”
Inej grabbed a mug from his desk, and Kaz approached close enough that they could both work on it. Inky darkness pooled in her palms, and she coated the mug in shadows. Kaz took in the mug’s surroundings and bent light around it, so that it blended into the background. The reason for this technique was to make the object uniform with the darkness, so that it would be easier to match it to its environment. Rather than disguise an unimaginably complex array of colors and shapes, Kaz would just have to modify darkness with light.
“Nice. Should we try a moving object next? I can throw the mug,” Inej said with a smile.
“No throwing my mug. We can try, uh, your hand?” Kaz didn’t know why this suggestion felt strangely intimate
“Okay.” Inej slowly traced the whorls of the wood with her fingers. Her hand turned to shadow. The darkness slipped slightly at first as she moved, then steadied. Kaz focused on her gentle movements, his own fingers moving slightly as he bent the light to cloak her hand. The illusion faltered with each movement, a fingertip becoming visible then fading. He concentrated, but it was quite difficult to adjust the light continuously.
“You’re thinking too much,” Inej said softly. “It has to be instinctive, or it’ll be overwhelming to modify all the details.”
Kaz breathed in. If Inej could do her part, he could do his. Rather than taking in all the minute parts of the scene, Kaz imagined the hand as a whole, disappearing. He breathed out, twisting the light to fit his vision. Her hand was invisible. They held the illusion for a few moments, then let it disperse.
“So I suppose we should try ourselves now?” Kaz said.
Inej nodded. He wasn’t sure how this was supposed to work- should they face each other or sit side by side? They’d need to be close; neither of them were good enough to use their powers at a long range.
Kaz pushed himself up on the desk to sit next to Inej. She turned her gaze to face him. Their heads were rather close.
“This will be difficult I think,” Inej said, “Because we can’t see ourselves. I’ve cloaked us in darkness enough times, but it’s never been very precise.” She paused. “I’ll get the mirror from your dresser, that might help.”
Inej slid off the desk. She came back a moment later with the mirror from his room, propped it against the wall, then returned to her post on the desktop. She sat close enough that Kaz could feel the heat of her body, though they didn’t touch.
She waved a hand, and shadows circled their bodies. Inej stared intently in the mirror, defining the edges of the shadows to closely enclose their forms. Kaz’s vision faltered as his eyes were covered, and his chest felt heavy with the claustrophobic embrace of the darkness and the knowledge of a body so close to his own. He flicked a small band of light in front of his eyes, restoring his sight and breath to his lungs. In the mirror, he saw their absence, an eerie lack of substance. Kaz started to weave the light, then realized he was concentrating on modifying their reflection, rather than their actual bodies. The mirror was more useful for observing their surroundings. It took a minute until Kaz felt he had satisfactorily hidden them.
They sat in shared silence and invisibility for a moment, the sound of their breathing the only evidence they existed. Then, Kaz stood up. “Okay, let’s try with one of us moving.”
—
Having spent so much time practicing, Kaz and Inej had spent less time discussing the remaining aspects of the plan with others than he would’ve liked. After figuring out how to hide both of them in motion, Inej had insisted on working outside, since the light in the office was different than it would be for the job. It had taken hours until Kaz and Inej were both happy and felt prepared. They had never “trained” together before, and Kaz found the similarities he observed in the function of their powers intriguing.
It was the morning of the job, and Kaz actually felt satisfied with a plan for once. True, it wasn’t ideal that the others were ignorant of their actual means of entry, but when did Kaz ever reveal every detail to everyone involved?
Jesper had passed through the courtyard an hour earlier, dressed as stadwatch. He was to report a suspicious presence seen at the edge of the Van Eck property to one of their private guards, so the majority of the guards would be drawn away to deal with the threat. The suspicious presence in question was Pim, who would heckle them as necessary.
From their angle, Kaz couldn’t quite see the status of this process, but Nina was positioned to see through the windows to the drawing room, where the painting hung. A flash of light from her mirror signalled they were ready to go. Inej and Kaz were waiting by the entrance closest to the room, invisible. They were inches from the door, left ajar by the last harried guard, when it flung open. Inej pulled Kaz back as the door narrowly avoided a collision with his face. He smoothed back the edges of their cover that had been disrupted, when his breath caught. Jan Van Eck himself stood in the doorway.
“What in Ghezen’s name is all this fuss about?!” he muttered, watching his own guards hurry off. Kaz’s eyes met Inej’s. This was their chance. They slid through the entrance, the door held open by Van Eck, none the wiser. Their illusion held. Kaz almost laughed.
Now they needed to maintain their cover. Having seen the mansion’s plans a dozen times, the pair shuffled purposefully toward the drawing room. They stuck close to the wall of the hallway, as discussed. Kaz had thought it would be easier to conceal themselves that way, but the walls were covered in an intricate wallpaper. The task was made more challenging by the flickering light of the oil lamps every few feet. He saw Inej’s hands shifting with every step, her fingers fluttering as if playing an instrument as she wove darkness around them. He was clenching his own hands unconsciously, pulling the illusion tightly over their bodies. Kaz wondered whether hand movements were actually necessary to control their summoning. Nina definitely used hers, but Kaz couldn’t remember Jesper doing so in the rare times he watched the Fabrikator work. Nina and Jesper weren’t Etheralnik, though, so perhaps it would be different anyway. Regardless, it was peculiar to watch Inej’s movements as she worked, so different from his own. It was almost comforting to know that this shared effort was hidden to everyone but each other.
Finally, they reached the drawing room. It couldn’t have taken more than a minute, but Kaz felt tired from the prolonged use of power. The room was free of guards and guests. The interior was a dark shade of blue, and there was a shiny lacquered table in front of the fireplace. A sparkling chandelier hung overhead, which was probably more valuable than three DeKappels. Kaz mused for a second on stealing a chandelier, the image of sneaking the enormous thing through the mansion and passing it to Anika. Well, it would certainly be a challenge to conceal the light reflecting off the crystals.
Inej stood watch as Kaz started examining the painting. He felt even more exposed than when Van Eck was in front of them. They couldn’t concentrate on staying invisible while working on other tasks, so for now, Inej’s shadows would have to suffice. The house was fairly quiet and empty, especially with the guards occupied. Kaz slid his fingers between the back of the frame and wall. As expected from Nina’s information, the frame was constructed to lock onto the wall. They had no intention to take the ornate and heavy wooden frame, but it still presented an obstacle. It would not be possible to take the painting out of the frame from the back. Luckily, there was no glass in front. Perhaps a better summoner with training could have Cut the glass, but neither Kaz nor Inej had that type of precision. If they had trained at the Little Palace, they probably would not be stealing paintings from merchers. Instead, Kaz took out a sharp razor blade and sliced cleanly through an edge of the canvas. This would probably decrease the value of the painting, but Kaz knew a few buyers who wouldn’t mind. He swiftly cut all four sides and rolled the painting neatly.
He joined Inej in the other corner of the room and handed her the painting. She looked down at the painting and quirked an eyebrow, as if to say this is it? He shrugged. DeKappels weren’t his taste either. She tucked it into the bag they had brought for the purpose. They restored their guise of invisibility, including the painting. Inej was holding onto it because she was faster and far better at hiding on her own; that’s why she was the Wraith, after all. It was better off with her if something went wrong.
They were on the way to the unguarded back exit, which led to the garden where Anika would be waiting, when Inej suddenly stopped. She flattened herself against the well, and Kaz did the same, though he did not initially see her reason for doing so. Then, a few guards came down the hallway, grumbling. He stayed pressed to the wall, hoping no one would come close enough to bump into them. The group passed Kaz and Inej without incident, but unfortunately, he couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. The door to the garden was in sight, but now it was blocked by Van Eck’s guards. Kaz cursed himself. Van Eck must have redistributed security after the disruption Kaz himself had orchestrated. The sound of more staff heading their way confirmed Kaz’s fear; they were cornered.
From his memory of the mansion’s floor plan, there was another exit nearby, but it would surely be guarded, too. It was the one closest to the quarters of Van Eck’s son, so it would probably have even more security than others. Maybe they would have to use Jesper’s idea and create a distraction involving the son. Some sort of invisible ghost? Would a sheltered rich kid fall for that? Kaz shook away the ridiculous plan starting to automatically formulate in his mind. He would save any schemes involving ghosts for a truly desperate situation. This was certainly a unique case; usually the challenge of a robbery was getting into the joint, not getting out. Regardless, this wasn’t the stickiest situation Kaz had ended up in yet.
Besides, Kaz had planned for all contingencies. Inej’s eyes met his. She knew what to do in the event of issues making an exit. They soundlessly retraced their steps until they could make a left turn, stopping every few seconds as guards or other employees passed through the narrow corridor. This area of the mansion was quiet, sandwiched between the library and the guest rooms. The pair could move faster now that the hallways were clear of other people, with Inej leading the way. Finally, they came to the bathroom. Since the humidity from baths could ruin the intricate wallpaper and cause mold growth, Kaz had bet that the bathroom windows would not be sealed like the other ones in the house. So, they had planned to head for a ground floor bathroom if the back door presented a challenge.
It was a fairly small space, so Kaz entered first so he could examine the window. He found that it could be opened, as he had predicted, but only partially, sufficient to allow ventilation but not intruders. There was some mechanism preventing it from opening all the way. He just needed a few minutes to figure out how to remove it. Inej watched at the door, while he focused on fiddling with the window. Neither of them used their powers now, exhausted from prolonged use and reassured by the empty corridors.
Finally, he found the chain restricting the window’s movement. Unable to reach the bolt cutters in his bag while using one arm to hold the window open, Kaz let light pool in his free hand, then sharpened it to cleanly Cut the chain. The window fell shut as something landed on the ground outside with a heavy thud- some sort of counterweight, perhaps?
“Hello?” came a voice, then hurried footsteps. Shit. It had been loud enough to alert someone.
“Is, uh, someone in my bathroom?” The voice was right outside now. Inej shot Kaz a panicked look as the stranger’s face came into view through the doorway. A boy, about their own age, looked perplexed as he stared directly into the room, but he turned around and left.
Kaz exhaled as he released the strain of holding the illusion. But Inej’s expression was one of delight as Kaz propped the window open and beckoned her to go through. He followed her, though landed much less smoothly on the ground below. They wordlessly restored and modified their cover to adapt to the outdoor lighting, then headed for the garden.
“I knew you could do it on your own,” she said smugly.
“Well, I don’t think I can cloak a whole ship, like you say Alina did.”
“Good to have confirmation you’re not a saint, then.” Inej smiled, then added, “And who knows what you would steal if you could make a ship invisible?!”
Kaz huffed a dry laugh. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Once they handed over the painting to Anika, Kaz and Inej joined the others waiting in a canal boat. Kaz listened to his Dregs recall the close calls and sly escapes during the job. Later, he might discuss his observations of the mansion and Van Eck with Inej over waffles. There was something strange going on, he was certain. Why was Van Eck’s son living in the guest quarters instead of his designated rooms near his family’s? Why did Van Eck have triple the amount of security Kaz knew to be under his command, more than even the wealthiest mercher’s in the city? And why was Van Eck’s name on all those damn shipping manifests?
But that all could wait. For now, Kaz sat on the boat, silently wondering why he had instinctually protected Inej, using a power he did not know he possessed without a thought, just as he had so many years ago in Reaper’s Barge.