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CHAPTER SEVEN ▪▫▪▫▪
IT WAS DEFINITELY THE SEA. It was the ship that they were on that rocked in the waves that stirred something inside of him, a fear bigger than the one of touch and skin, one that clawed in his insides, nearly overshadowing the ghost in his ear. Perhaps that was what allowed him that moment of vulnerability with Kira. Yes. That was it. The sea had muddled his mind and Kaz could not focus properly.
Which was why he was grateful they were back on land, in Ravkan soil. Away from slithering ghosts brought upon by the scent of the sea. Away from the flashes he saw as he closed his eyes. Hammering against him as the boat rocked. Ghosts. Cold, lifeless. Dead. All around him, suffocating him. He made his best to push them down, but it was useless. The only true moment of peace he had was on that second day of the trip and then not even Kira's smile and flushed face were able to drive his fears away completely.
After their moment though, Kaz had made the smart decision to ignore her for the rest of the trip. She had been avoiding him as well, even though he could feel her stare when he walked onto the deck of the ship.
Just as she was now, looking at him with narrowed eyes and a frown hinting on her lips, as she put out a hand for him. He rolled his eyes and passed her an envelope full of Ravkan money. "Thank you."
She started walking down the street, before stopping and glancing back at him. "Come along, Brekker, I need you for my ruse."
Kaz's jaw clenched but he nodded. He didn't have another choice, considering Jesper was with Inej and the Conductor getting some supplies for their trip. He began limping her way.
They walked in silence to the streets of Os Kervo. Kaz had never seen Ravka, only in the DeKappel that hung in his office; so to say he was enthralled by the sight of a city that wasn't filled with smog and blood was an understatement.
West Ravka, Os Kervo, was a sunny city even in the cold. There were trees on the streets and it was on rare the occasion when he saw a kid begging for scraps or men and women searching frantically for their wallets. There were Grisha parading around in keftas and aside from some dirty looks they didn't seem to care about other people. Kaz had even seen a statue in the middle of a little square; a statue of the lost princess of Ravka. There were no statues in Ketterdam—not complete ones, anyway.
Unlike Kaz though, who had been relieved as his feet touched steady land after the torturous see trip, Kira's face, as she had set foot in Ravka, was daring. It was a face he had seen on her face some times before. Try me, it said. And she was talking to the whole country.
She had said Kaz would figure out what she was hiding as soon as they got to Ravka. He had not. Yet. He knew it was something important, something that she was afraid would even change the way he looked at her.
