فصل 25

25

MATTHIAS

They assembled once again in the suite’s sitting room. At Nina’s request, Colm had ordered another stack of waffles and a bowl of strawberries and cream. A mirror covered most of the suite’s far wall, and Matthias could not stop his gaze from straying to it. It was like looking into another reality.

Jesper had slipped off his boots and was seated on the carpet, knees tucked up to his chest, casting furtive glances at Wylan, who had settled on the couch and seemed to be deliberately ignoring him. Inej perched on the windowsill, her balance so perfect it made her appear weightless, a bird poised to take flight. Kuwei had wedged himself into the crook of the settee, one of his notebooks open beside him, and Kaz sat in a high-backed purple chair, his bad leg propped on the low table, cane leaning against his thigh. He’d somehow seen to the torn sleeve of his shirt.

Nina was curled up next to Matthias on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder, her feet tucked beneath her, fingers stained with strawberry juice. He felt strange sitting this way. In Fjerda, even a husband and his wife showed little affection in public. They held hands and might dance at a public ball. But he liked it, and though he could not quite relax, he couldn’t bear the thought of her moving away from him.

It was Colm’s solid presence that transformed the image in the mirror. He made the people in the reflection seem less dangerous, as if they weren’t the team that had broken into the Ice Court and bested the Fjerdan military with little more than their wits and nerve, only a bunch of children worn out after a particularly brutal birthday party.

“All right,” said Nina, licking strawberry juice from her fingers in a way that thoroughly defeated Matthias’ ability to form a rational thought. “When you say an auction, you don’t actually mean—”

“Kuwei is going to sell himself.”

“Are you mad?”

“I’d probably be happier if I was,” said Kaz. He rested one gloved hand on his cane. “Any Kerch citizen and any free citizen who travels to Kerch has the right to sell his own indenture. It isn’t just the law, it’s trade, and there’s nothing more holy in Kerch. Kuwei Yul-Bo has the sacred right—as sanctioned by Ghezen, god of industry and commerce—to submit his life to the will of the market. He can offer his service at auction.”

“You want him to sell himself to the highest bidder?” Inej said incredulously.

“To our highest bidder. We’re going to fix the outcome so Kuwei gets his fondest wish—a life sipping tea from a samovar in Ravka.”

“My father will never allow it,” said Wylan.

“Van Eck will be powerless to stop it. The auction of an indenture is protected by the highest laws in the city—secular and religious. Once Kuwei declares his contract open, no one can stop the auction until bidding has closed.”

Nina was shaking her head. “If we announce an auction, the Shu will know exactly when and where to find him.”

“This is not Ravka,” said Kaz. “This is Kerch. Trade is sacred, protected by law. The Merchant Council are duty bound to make sure an auction proceeds without interference. The stadwatch will be out in force, and the auction statutes demand that the Council of Tides provide their assistance too. The Merchant Council, the stadwatch, the Tides—all required to protect Kuwei.”

Kuwei set his notebook down. “The Shu may still have parem and Fabrikators.”

“That’s right,” said Jesper. “If that’s true, they can make all the gold they want. There would be no way to outbid them.”

“That’s assuming they have Fabrikators in the city already. Van Eck has done us the courtesy of blockading the harbor.”

“Even so—”

“Let me worry about the Shu,” said Kaz. “I can control the bidding. But we’ll need to make contact with the Ravkans again. They’ll have to know what we’re planning. At least part of it.”

“I can get through to the embassy,” said Inej, “if Nina will write the message.”

“The streets are closed down by barricades,” protested Wylan.

“But not the rooftops,” Inej replied.

“Inej,” said Nina. “Don’t you think you should tell them a bit more about your new friend?”

“Yeah,” said Jesper. “Who’s this new acquaintance who poked a bunch of holes in you?”

Inej glanced through the window. “There’s a new player on the field, a mercenary hired by Pekka Rollins.”

“You were defeated in single combat?” Matthias asked in surprise. He had seen the Wraith fight. It would be no small thing to best her.

“Mercenary is a little bit of an understatement,” said Nina. “She followed Inej onto the high wire and then threw knives at her.”

“Not knives, exactly,” said Inej.

“Pointy death doilies?”

Inej rose from the sill. She reached into her pocket and let a pile of what looked like small silver suns clatter onto the table.

Kaz leaned forward and picked one up. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Dunyasha,” Inej said. “She called herself the White Blade and a variety of other things. She’s very good.”

“How good?” asked Kaz.

“Better than me.”

“I’ve heard of her,” said Matthias. “Her name came up in an intelligence report the drüskelle gathered on Ravka.”

“Ravka?” Inej said. “She said she was trained in Ahmrat Jen.”

“She claims she has Lantsov blood and that she’s a contender for the Ravkan throne.”

Nina released a hoot of laughter. “You can’t be serious.”

“We considered backing her claim to undermine Nikolai Lantsov’s regime.”

“Smart,” said Kaz.

“Evil,” said Nina.

Matthias cleared his throat. “He’s a new king, vulnerable. There are some questions regarding his own lineage. But the report suggested that Dunyasha is erratic, possibly delusional. We determined she was too unpredictable for such a venture.”

“Pekka could have had her follow us from Black Veil last night,” Inej said.

“Do we know how Pekka found the hideout?” Nina asked.

“One of his people must have spotted one of us,” Kaz replied. “That’s all it would take.”

Matthias wondered if it was better that they couldn’t be sure who was responsible. That way no one had to bear the guilt or the blame.

“Dunyasha had the advantage of surprise,” said Inej. “If the hotel is still uncompromised, I can get to the embassy and back unseen.”

“Good,” said Kaz, but the answer didn’t come as quickly as Matthias might have expected. He fears for her, Matthias thought, and he does not like it. For once, he could sympathize with the demjin.

“There’s another problem,” said Nina. “Matthias, cover your ears.”

“No.”

“Fine. I’ll just have to ensure your loyalty later.” She whispered in his ear, “There’s a very large bathtub off the master bedroom.”

“Nina.”

“It was just an observation.” Nina plucked the remnants of a waffle from the tray and said, “Ravka can’t win the auction. We’re broke.”

“Oh,” said Matthias. “I knew that.”

“You did not.”

“You think Fjerda isn’t aware the Ravkan coffers are empty?”

Nina scowled. “You could have at least pretended to be surprised.”

“Ravka’s financial woes are no secret. Its treasury was depleted from years of mismanagement by the Lantsov kings and fighting on both of its borders. The civil war didn’t help, and the new king has borrowed heavily from the Kerch banks. If we go through with the auction, Ravka won’t be able to bid competitively.”

Kaz shifted his bad leg. “That’s why the Kerch Merchant Council is going to bankroll them.”

Jesper burst out laughing. “Fantastic. Any chance they want to buy me a solid-gold bowler hat while they’re at it?”

“That’s unlawful,” said Wylan. “The Council are responsible for running the auction. They can’t interfere with its outcome.”

“Of course not,” said Kaz. “And they know it. Kuwei and his father approached the Merchant Council looking for aid, but they were so afraid of compromising their neutrality, they refused to act. Van Eck saw an opportunity, and he’s been operating behind their backs ever since.” Kaz settled more deeply in his chair. “What has Van Eck been planning all along? He’s been buying up jurda farms so that when the secret of jurda parem is unleashed, he’ll control the jurda supply. He wins no matter who has Kuwei. So think like him—think like a merch. When Kuwei Yul-Bo, son of Bo Yul-Bayur, announces the auction, the Council will know the secret of parem could become public at any time. They’ll finally be free to act and they’ll be looking for opportunities to secure their fortunes and Kerch’s position in the world economy. They can’t involve themselves in the auction, but they can guarantee they make a lot of money whatever the outcome.”

“By buying up jurda,” said Wylan.

“Exactly. We set up a jurda consortium, a chance for willing investors to make a fine dime off the world going to hell. We bring the Council an opportunity and let their greed do the rest.”

Wylan nodded, his face growing eager. “The money never goes to the consortium. We funnel it to Ravka so they can afford to bid on Kuwei.”

“Something like that,” said Kaz. “And we take a little percentage. Just like the banks do.”

“But who’s going to shill?” Jesper said. “Van Eck has seen all our faces except Nina and Specht. Even if one of us somehow got tailored or we brought on another person, the Merchant Council isn’t just going to turn over their money to a newcomer with no real credentials.”

“How about a jurda farmer who’s been holed up in the most expensive suite in Ketterdam?”

Colm Fahey looked up from his coffee. “Me?”

“No way, Kaz,” said Jesper. “Absolutely not.”

“He knows jurda, he speaks Kerch and Zemeni, and he looks the part.”

“He has an honest face,” Jesper said bitterly. “You weren’t keeping him safe stashing him in this hotel, you were setting him up.”

“I was building us an out.”

“A hedge of your own?”

“Yes.”

“You are not bringing my father into this.”

“He’s already in it, Jes. You brought him into it when you had him mortgage his farm to pay for your degree in wasting money.”

“No,” repeated Jesper. “Van Eck is going to make the connection between Colm Fahey and Jesper Fahey. He isn’t an idiot.”

“But there is no Colm Fahey staying at the Geldrenner. Colm Fahey rented rooms at a little university district inn, and according to the harbormaster’s manifests, he left town several nights ago. The man staying here is registered under the name Johannus Rietveld.”

“Who the hell is that?” asked Nina.

“He’s a farmer from a town near Lij. His family’s been there for years. He has holdings in Kerch and in Novyi Zem.”

“But who is he really?” said Jesper.

“That doesn’t matter. Think of him as a figment of the Merchant Council’s imagination, a wonderful dream come to life to help them scrape some profit from the disaster of parem.”

Colm put his cup down. “I’ll do it.”

“Da, you don’t know what you’re agreeing to.”

“I’m already harboring fugitives. If I’m going to aid, I may as well abet.”

“If this goes wrong—”

“What do I have to lose, Jes? My life is you and the farm. This is the only way I can protect both of those things.”

Jesper shoved off from the floor, pacing back and forth in front of the windows. “This is insanity,” he said, scrubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “They’ll never fall for it.”

“We don’t ask for too much from any of them,” said Kaz. “That’s the trick. We set a low floor to enter the fund, say, two million kruge. And then we let them wait. The Shu are here. The Fjerdans. The Ravkans. The Council will start to panic. If I had to bet, I’d say we’ll have five million from each Council member by the time we’re through.”

“There are thirteen Council members,” said Jesper. “That’s sixty-five million kruge.”

“Maybe more.”

Matthias frowned. “Even with all the stadwatch at the auction and the presence of the Council of Tides, can we really guarantee Kuwei’s safety?”

“Unless you have a unicorn for him to ride away on, there is no scenario that guarantees Kuwei’s safety.”

“I wouldn’t count on protection from the Council of Tides either,” said Nina. “Have they ever even appeared in public?”

“Twenty-five years ago,” said Kaz.

“And you think they’re going to show up to protect Kuwei now? We can’t send him into a public auction alone.”

“Kuwei won’t be alone. Matthias and I will be with him.”

“Everyone there knows your faces. Even if you had some kind of disguise—”

“No disguise. The Merchant Council are considered his representatives. But Kuwei has the right to choose his own protection for the auction. We’ll be up there on the stage with him.”

“The stage?”

“Auctions are held at the Church of Barter, right in front of the altar. What could be more holy? It’s perfect—an enclosed space with multiple points of entry and easy access to a canal.”

Nina shook her head. “Kaz, as soon as Matthias steps on that stage, half the Fjerdan delegation will recognize him, and you’re the most wanted man in Ketterdam. If you show up at that auction, you’ll both be arrested.”

“They can’t touch us until after the auction.”

“And then what?” said Inej.

“There’s going to be one hell of a distraction.”

“There has to be another way,” said Jesper. “What if we tried making a deal with Rollins?”

Wylan pleated the edge of his napkin. “We don’t have anything to offer.”

“No more deals,” said Kaz. “I never should have gone to Rollins in the first place.”

Jesper’s brows rose. “Are you actually admitting you made a mistake?”

“We needed capital,” Kaz said. His eyes slid briefly to Inej. “And I’m not sorry for it, but it wasn’t the right move. The trick to beating Rollins is never sit down at the table with him. He’s the house. He has the resources to play until your luck runs out.”

“All the same,” said Jesper. “If we’re going up against the Kerch government, the gangs of the Barrel, and the Shu—”

“And the Fjerdans,” added Matthias. “And the Zemeni, and the Kaelish, and whoever else shows up when the auction is announced. The embassies are full and we don’t know how far the rumors of parem have reached.”

“We’re going to need help,” said Nina.

“I know,” said Kaz, straightening his sleeves. “That’s why I’m going to the Slat.”

Jesper stopped moving. Inej shook her head. They all stared.

“What are you talking about?” said Nina. “There’s a price on your head. Everyone in the Barrel knows it.”

“You saw Per Haskell and the Dregs down there,” said Jesper. “You think you can talk the old man into propping you up when the whole city is about to come down on you like a sack of bricks? You know he doesn’t have the stones for that.”

“I know,” said Kaz. “But we need a bigger crew for this job.”

“Demjin, this is not a risk worth taking,” said Matthias, surprised to find he actually meant it.

“When this is all over, when Van Eck has been put in his place, when Rollins goes running, and the money is paid, these will still be my streets. I can’t live in a city where I can’t hold up my head.”

“If you have a head to hold up,” said Jesper.

“I’ve taken knives, bullets, and too many punches to count, all for a little piece of this town,” said Kaz. “This is the city I bled for. And if Ketterdam has taught me anything, it’s that you can always bleed a little more.”

Nina reached for Matthias’ hand. “The Grisha are still stuck at the embassy, Kaz. I know you don’t give a damn, but we have to get them out of the city. And Jesper’s father. All of us. No matter who wins the auction, Van Eck and Pekka Rollins aren’t going to just pack up and go home. Neither will the Shu.”

Kaz rose, leaning on his crow’s head cane. “But I know the one thing this city is more frightened of than the Shu, the Fjerdans, and all the gangs of the Barrel put together. And Nina, you’re going to give it to them.”