•• ••●•• ••

, she would tell them about the vaguely shaped silhouette hiding in the rooted shadows of Thomas Ford's mansion. She would describe how on one of many meaningless evenings in Ketterdam, out of the corner of her eye and only for a split second, Lianna saw someone sitting on the windowsill. The ghost was gone as quickly as it appeared, leaving behind but an unsettling feeling of being watched by a faceless observer.

But Lianna knew better than to believe the figure was just a spectre, a creation of her tired mind. She had been breathing the choking air of Ketterdam for long enough to have learned the most important thing, the key to survival – to never doubt herself. In world's scummiest capital of all trade and business, where around every corner someone could be awaiting to put a knife to your throat, you could trust no one if not yourself. So, even if the spectator disappeared before she could take a closer look, she knew she was being spied on. She knew what she saw.

And she was right. Three days after the Wraith came the bastard king of the Barrel.

That night she walked into her bedroom, hoping the darkness would prove to be merciful and let her sleep. But there he was. Leaning against the very same window from which Inej Ghafa vanished few days earlier. With one of his legs outstreched and a cane in his gloved hand, despite the relaxed posture and slouched shoulders, Kaz Brekker still looked like an animal ready to attack whenever he saw fit.

"You could have at least shown some manners and closed the window after breaking in. It's gotten cold in here," she said quietly. Her face remained blank, although the boy's sudden presence startled her. She closed the door with composure and leaned back against it.

If worse comes to worst, Kaz Brekker could be pinned to the ground in a matter of moments. Just one simple movement of her hands, but only as a last resort. Lianna Andersen was not frightened by Kaz Brekker. She was not frightened by anyone, for that matter.

Or so she desperately needed to believe.

"Lianna." He was bathed in moonlight coming through the window, suspended in the star-like glow, the boy usually nothing but shade and ebony now illuminated by those silver rays. The smile which grew on his face barely reached his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. "Long time no see."

An understatement. They had only met a few times before, all around a year ago, when he was trying to recruit her into the Dregs so she would spy on Thomas Ford, the very man she served. After she refused, again and again, he left her alone.

"I have a job for you." His voice cold as steel, thoroughgoing and raspy like glasspaper against hardwood floor, piercing through the heavy tension of the room and sending a shiver down the girl's spine.

Her brows furrowed as she took a step forward.

"Too bad I don't work for you, Brekker." Her throat was raw. It could have all been rumours, but the darkest alleys of Ketterdam were flooded with gruesome tales about, now former, daredevils who refused to obey Dirtyhands' orders.

"Inej told me you saw her," he retorted, ignoring her words.

Lianna huffed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Of course the Wraith, ever so amenable, told her master about everything.

"Saw is a big word. I barely catched a glimpse."

His eyes once again remained cold and calculating despite his smile. She was not afraid of Kaz Brekker.

But she wasn't foolish enough to let her guard down or feel safe in his presence, either.

"I have a job for you," he repeated simply. It was as though none of her words reached him. His hand leaned against the cane when Kaz looked her in the eyes, any trace of amusement gone from his face. "And a feeling you will accept it."

"Always so sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"Myself and myself only, Lianna."

You can trust no one if not yourself.

"What is the offer?" She tried to seem effortlessly still, in reality aching to come up to him and push Kaz Brekker through the window. "Or rather, what's the reward?"

Why me?, was the question she wanted to ask the most.

Lianna was all for helping those in need. But if Kaz Brekker had a job for her, something urgent enough to send his Wraith first and arrive himself in the middle of the night second, that offer was anything but picking flowers on a sunny day. He wanted her to do something hardly legal, and she would prefer to at least benefit from it. There was no room left for charity somewhere as merciless as Ketterdam.

"Four million kruge."

Her eyes widened in utter surprise, his grey ones lighting up as he noticed.

"Don't lie to me, Brekker."

"I'm not lying," he said, as if a liar would confess. "Four milion kruge. If you help break into the Ice Court in Fjerda."

"What for? You want to become a drüskelle?" It must have been a joke all along.

"We need to get into the Ice Court, escape with their most heavily guarded prisoner and come back alive." A pause. "I'll tell you the details once you agree."

He could have told her he was insane first things first, save them both the trouble. Breaking into the Ice Court? Maybe they'd raid Hell after that? The devil would probably welcome Kaz Brekker with open arms.

She no longer felt even remotely intimidated by the boy. Presently, she was only exasperated. He was wasting her time.

"What? No. That's stupid. Borderline crazy."

"Four million kruge."

"You can't spend money buried six feet under."

"Tell me, how long have you been dying to get out of here?"

"That's a suicide mission, Brekker. Nobody ever broke into the Ice Court. If so, nobody ever reurned."

Especially not a Grisha.

Kaz shrugged nonchalantly.

"Let us be first, then. Don't worry about how, I will handle the plan. You'll get the money and then you can escape Kerch for good. Whatever contract is keeping you next to Ford, it can be solved with four million kruge."

Her heartbeat skipped at that. Escape, freedom, homeland. How beautiful those words were still, after so long has passed. Her soul yearned after Ravka, yearned after not having to hide her true nature, yearned after living amongst people alike her instead of those who feared what she was.

Ketterdam was never once ideal, she never once hoped it would be. But Thomas Ford has been kind to her, as kind as a master could be to his servants. She was never mistreated, always paid on time, and generously so. And she was not alone in the mansion. Milana, Anton and Andrei have all become a family to her. Cassian especially, he was their guardian, an older brother. They looked out for each other. They all were bound by contracts, perhaps more lenient than some others, but contracts nonetheless.

And... four million kruge might be just enough for them all to escape.

Her face stayed stern, lips in a thin line and chin raised defiantly. She lowered her gaze, the daydream of returning home partially consuming her for a few precious seconds, until the vibrant question hit her again. The same one she has been asking for years, if not centuries.

"Why me?"

"Because I know who you are, Andersen," he answered. And so it came, the very affirmation she dreaded. "I could use a Squaller in Fjerda."

Lia froze absolutely, like a statue sculpted from marble or ice, as if it would change anything, make him forget, make it seem it's not true. As if quiescence could erase it all.

Cold overtook her hands, her head became dizzy. No longer would she be able to walk the streets safely, no longer would she be human, for many a weapon instead, for even more a ticket to a better life, since a Grisha like her was worth more than a fortune.

"Don't worry." Kaz spoke up again. "Your secret is safe with me."

Trust no one. Maybe he would not wander around telling everybody, but not for a second would she believe it'd be out of the goodness of his heart. He wanted to use her darkest parts against her, to his own advantage, if not immedietly, then sometime in the future, probably sooner than later.

She looked at him, purest fury in her eyes. What stood before her was not Kaz Brekker, she realized, no. It was one of Ketterdam's most brutal monsters in all his glory, an ace up his sleeve at all times, endless series of ambushes and tricks, and he will use them all against her if he must.

"How did you find out?" The sentence was gritted through her teeth, barely audible.

He should be terrified. He should be trembling on the floor below her. He was eye to eye with an etherealki, unarmed, and instead of quivering in fear he was looking down on her, a little taller than she was even as he leaned against the window. It made her want to rip his guts out.

"It was quite simple, really." He outstreched his arm and began counting on his fingers. "First of all, my Wraith often saw you walking alone, like it's a colorful meadow next to a friendly village and not Ketterdam. Second, you don't look very strong. Apperance can be misleading, of course, but I began wondering, maybe she doesn't have to rely on her strength to defend herself? Unlikely, but not impossible. Third, I knew that Thomas Ford took you in as soon as you came to this town, so I've done some digging." He looked her up and down, composed as ever. "Turned out you escaped Ravka shortly before the civil war began for goood. I asked myself, how would a businessman benefit from you? Why would he take homeless kids into his house? There's no place for charity in Ketterdam, so, piece by piece, it all came together. He hires grisha children and keeps their powers to himself, partially for safety reasons, partially because of greed, that's what I concluded. Your reaction just now was the final confirmation, though. I must thank you for that."

She blinked slowly. Kaz Brekker was unbelievable, but she still did not owe him anything.

"Oh, so you're a detective now. Fantastic," she remarked, desperately keeping her voice from breaking halfway through the sentence. "That still doesn't explain why you need me."

"We have to get to Fjerda somehow." He was talking to her like one would to a child.

"A Tidemaker can help you with that."

"A Tidemaker becomes useless when there is no water to make tides out of," he argued. "Someone who controls air can do it whenever, be it inside of a Fjerdan fortress or on a picnic. And, believe it or not, Squallers are quite a rarity in Ketterdam."

The way he said Squallers, as if they were nothing but objects, only possesions waiting to be used. It made her blood boil.

"Would you say we are more of a rarity than people with morals living in the Barrel?" She challenged, walking up to him rapidly. She didn't care about the people from the Barrel or their morals, not at all. Lianna wasn't a saint, either. All she wanted was a reaction from him.

Kaz only looked at her, unimpressed.

"Relax, Andersen." A warning. She had no use for those. "All I want is an agreement between us. You help us, I help you and all of the people you consider family here."

Us, he said. Of course he wasn't going alone.

"Who else?"

"Who else besides me and you, that is?" Kaz smirked and adjusted his jacket. "Don't bother yourself with that question already, Lianna dear. You will meet the crew soon enough. I have a feeling we will all become best friends." His tone was cocky, dripping with sarcasm. He was certain she was convinced.

Kaz stood up and walked past her, his cane knocking against the floor rhytmically.

"Wait," she stopped him. "How can I be sure you'll give me the money? You aren't exactly known to be a man of his word."

He stopped next to the door. Despite limping, he can move quite quickly, she noticed.

"I'll give you a contract to sign tomorrow. Written in ravkan, kerch, both or whatever you prefer." He put on his hat. "Mr. Ford will be gone for the next few weeks, is that right?"

She nodded. He left for a delegation to Novyi Zem the same day Lianna saw Inej watching her through the window. Maybe that's why she was there – not to spy on the girl, but to make sure the old man would be upsent when Kaz came.

"Good," he said. "I will prepare a fake letter signed by Thomas Ford. Tell all of the other people you live with that, by his commands, you have to go to the other side of the country and take care of minor issues considering his latest shipment of jurda."

Again, all she did was nod. Lying has never been difficult. If she told the truth, Cassian would probably lock her in a room, do anything to keep her from going.

And that would be the smartest thing to do, she thought. Trusting Kaz Brekker? You're going to die out there.

She didn't listen to that voice.

"One last thing," she said. The request she was about to make would be risky, but so was this entire agreement. "Four million kruge for me. But other than that, Per Haskell pays for mine and four others' contracts. You buy us over from Thomas Ford and then let us go."

She was hoping that would surprise him. Maybe he would refuse, maybe he would agree, it didn't matter. All she wanted was to leave him speechless, even if only for a moment.

But he wasn't caught off guard, she realized. With a raised eyebrow he turned his back to her, already grabbing the door handle.

"I thought you might call for something of this sorts," he declared blankly, looking at her from above his shoulder, eyes sharp as daggers. It felt as if foreseeing what people will do was addicting to him. Like it was his jurda. "It's a deal, then. I won't tell Per Haskell, but I'll take the money needed to free you from his part of the gain." His gaze seemed to soften for a split second. "I hope your siblings take your temporary departure well. See you tomorrow, Andersen." And with that, he was gone.

Kaz Brekker knew her secret.

And offered her freedom in exchange for it.

The thought of travelling to a far away country, where just existing would guarantee her death penalty, should tie a stone to her heart. It should fill her with fear of what's to come. But, despite the danger, she has long since felt so light. The weight of living in the shadows was soon to be lifted off her shoulders.

•• ••●•• ••

i'm really hyperfixating so bad right now, it's insane. i started rereading six of crows five days ago and i already managed to create this beautiful mess of a story, write the first chapter and outline lia's entire character arc lol. i just love these troubled criminals so much it's unreal, i had to.

i literally created this account just to post grishaverse fanfiction. i'm not kidding. i joined wattpad six hours ago (12:45 pm, april 6th 2020), made a quick layout for this book and just hit that publish button with no hesitation. and there's a nikolai lantsov fanfiction coming soon, too. who am i.

for as popular of a series as those book are, there surprisingly isn't much content for it. i have read most (if not all) works on ao3, so if there are any soc stories on wattpad, i will probably read all of them as well.