The Phoenix and the Crow

No Mourners

Kaz gazed out at the White Island, head filter, eyes slightly unfocused.

"Scheming face," Inej murmured.

Y/N nodded. "Definitely."

"Three gates in the ringwall," Kaz said. "The prison gate is already locked up tight because of Yellow Protocol. The embassy gate is a bottle neck crammed with guests—the Fjerdans aren't going to get the troops through there. Jesper, that just leaves the gate in the druskelle sector for you and Wylan to handle. You use it to engage Black Protocol, then wreck it. Break it badly enough that any guards who manage to mobilize can't get out to follow us."

"I'm all for locking the Fjerdans in their own fortress," said Jesper. "Truly. But how do we get out? Once we trigger Black Protocol, you guys will be trapped on that island, and we'll be trapped in the outer circle. We have no weapons and no demo materials."

Kaz's grin was sharp as a razor. "Thank goodness we're proper thieves. We're going to do a little shopping—and it's all going on Fjerda's tab."

~

Y/N looked at her strange crew, barefoot and shivering in their soot-stained prison uniforms, their features limned by the golden light of the dome, softened by the mist that hung in the air.

What bound them together? Greed? Desperation? Was it just the knowledge that if one or all of them disappeared tonight, no one would come looking? Maybe Nikolai would send a few troops to search but that was out of duty. Y/N had no one to shed a tear and mourn her life. She had no family, no parents, no siblings, only people to fight beside. And she knew that was always something to be grateful for, too.

It was Jesper who spoke first. "No mourners," he said with a grin.

"No funerals," they replied in unison. Even Matthias muttered the words softly.

"If any of you survive, make sure I have an open casket," Jesper said as he hefted two slender could of rope over his shoulder and signaled for Wylan to follow him across the roof. "The world deserves a few more moments with this face."

Y/N was only slightly surprised to see the intensity of the look that passed between Matthias and Nina. Something had changed between them after the battle with the Shu, but she couldn't be sure what.

Matthias cleared his throat and gave Nina an awkward little bow. "A word?" he asked.

Nina returned the bow with considerably more panache, and let him lead her away.

Inej gave the Inferni a soft smile and slipped the recognizable pair of black leather gloves into her hands. The Suli nodded towards Kaz and slipped away to wait for Nina.

Y/N turned to face him and walked to his side.

"I have something for you," she said as she held out his gloves.

He stared at them. "How-"

"I got them from the discarded clothes and gave them to Inej before she made the climb."

He pulled the gloves on slowly, and she watched his pale, vulnerable hands disappear beneath the leather. They were trickster hands—long, graceful fingers made for prying open locks, hiding coins, making things vanish.

"When we get back to Ketterdam, I'm heading back to Ravka right away."

He looked away. "You should. You're too good for the Barrel anyway."

She hummed and closed her eyes tightly in frustration. She didn't know what she expected from him but she wanted more.

He reached down to hold her wrist. "Y/N." His gloved thumb moved over her pulse, tracing the top of a burn scar she got when she missed her first flame. "If we don't make it out, I want you to know ... "

She waited. She felt hope rustling its wings inside her, ready to take flight at the right words from Kaz. She willed that hope into stillness. Those words would never come. Hope is dangerous.

She reached up and touched his cheek. She thought he might flinch again, even pull away from her. She let her hand cup his cheek. His skin was cool and damp from the rain. He stayed still, just barely leaning closer to her warm touch.

"If we don't survive this night, I will die unafraid, Kaz. Can you say the same?"

His eyes were nearly black, the pupils dilated. She could see his dazed gaze focus back onto her, still not pulling away. She knew it was the best he could offer at the moment and she nodded softly.

She dropped her hand. He took a deep breath.

Kaz had said he didn't want her prayers and she wouldn't speak them, but she wished his safe and sane nonetheless.

Matthias stood a few feet away from the pair, grabbing the Inferni's attention.

"Let's go, Kaz."