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“You don’t look like a monster.” “I’ll tell you a secret, Hanna. The really bad monsters never look like monsters.”
“Why won’t he just say he wants her back?” “You’ve met Kaz, right?”
“Why is he looking at me this way?” “Kaz is wondering if he should keep you alive,” said Jesper. “Terrible for the nerves. I recommend deep breathing. Maybe a tonic.”
“Jesper!” his father said. “Don’t worry, Da. People point guns at each other all the time in Ketterdam. It’s basically a handshake.”
“Madeleine Michaud?” “You said we’d have breakfast!” “I had to go to Fjerda.” “Fjerda?” Jesper headed up the stairs after Wylan, then poked his head back into the reading room. “If I live, I’ll buy you waffles.” “You don’t have enough money to buy her waffles,” Wylan grumbled. “Be quiet. We’re in a library.”
“Best not to mention Inej,” Jesper said as Wylan dusted himself off. “You know, if you feel like continuing to live.”
He’d started to think of Jesper as fearless, but maybe being brave didn’t mean being unafraid.
“Wylan Van Eck, you lied to Kaz Brekker.” Jesper clutched a hand to his chest. “And you got away with it! Do you give lessons?” Wylan felt ridiculously pleased—until he thought about Kaz finding out.
“You’re hungry?” said Inej. They all goggled at Nina. She curtsied. “Yes, yes, Nina Zenik is hungry. Now will someone feed me before I’m forced to cook one of you?” “Don’t be ridiculous,” said Jesper. “You don’t know how to cook.”
“Pick up the pace,” Kaz said, eyeing his watch. “If I spill a single drop of this, it will burn straight through the floor onto my father’s dinner guests.” “Take your time.”
If you couldn’t beat the odds, you changed the game.
In the end, he was not Nina or Matthias or Kaz or Inej or Jesper. He was just Wylan Van Eck. He told them everything.
Matthias was dreaming again. Dreaming of her. The storm raged around him, drowning out Nina’s voice. And yet his heart was easy. Somehow he knew that she would be safe, she would find shelter from the cold. He was on the ice once more, and somewhere he could hear the wolves howling. But this time, he knew they were welcoming him home.
“No, I don’t mean in the big ways.” Nina’s eyes took them all in. “I mean the little rescues. Laughing at my jokes. Forgiving me when I was foolish. Never trying to make me feel small. It doesn’t matter if it’s next month, or next year, or ten years from now, those will be the things I remember when I see you again.”
“We won’t forget this, Kaz Brekker. One day you’ll regret your insolence.” “Tell you what,” said Kaz. “When that day comes, mark it on your calendars. I can think of a lot of people who’ll want to throw a party.”
“Tell Jesper he’s missed. Around the Slat.” Inej raised a brow. “Around the Slat.” From Kaz that was as good as a bouquet of flowers and a heartfelt hug—and it would mean the world to Jesper.
“Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who are kind to them. And the people who wrong them too.”
“Is my tie straight?” Inej laughed, her hood falling back from her hair. “That’s the laugh,” he murmured, but she was already setting off down the quay, her feet barely touching the ground.
