Nina inhaled the air of Ketterdam contentedly. The sea air in Fjerda was clean and always only salt and fish and an icy coast. Here, smoke and coal mixed in with the salt, and the shouting of various people added to the din of a busy, chaotic harbour.

It was good to be back. Even if it dredged up memories she'd tried to forget.

She drew her hood up and linked her arm in Inej's. The Suli girl ghosted along beside her, not making a sound, but her presence felt welcome and warm and solid. She'd missed her friends badly.

"He didn't," she said now, staring at Inej's laughing eyes.

"He did. And then he asked me if his tie was straight."

Nina snorted. "I would have paid good money to see that. How did you feel? Meeting your parents again?"

Inej's mouth curled at the corner. "Overjoyed. Relieved. I think there were several tears."

Nina squeezed her arm. Inej deserved it, after everything she'd endured. And Kaz had come through. She still thought the demjin had a long way to go before he deserved Inej, but she was happy for them both.

The Crow Club drew in sight, and Nina nearly skidded to a stop. Saints, Kaz had been busy- it was three times its original size, the huge carved crow dominating the street. As she watched, a group of people spilled out, laughing drunkenly.

"Come on, Zenik, they serve food now."

She made moon eyes at Inej, waiting impatiently. "I'm hoping there's waffles, or I'll sue. And they won't win. Kaz can't last against the soon to be Fjerdan queen."

"Nina."

"Right. Right."

She followed Inej inside. It was packed with people. There were card tables every few feet, all occupied. Through the crowd she could see bruisers along the wall, silent and observing.

"Pim!" Inej waved the young boy over. "Where's Kaz?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Nobody seen him since last night. "

Nina narrowed her eyes. "And he didn't tell anyone where he was going?"

"Nah. He and Anika were out on a job. Anika got back about seven bells, but he never showed."

Nina glanced at Inej. There was a faint trace of surprise on the Wraith's face, but no worry. "Thanks, Pim. See you around. Don't stress, I'll get him back."

Inej turned and strode out. Nina followed her cautiously.

"We'll go check at Wylan's. It's too early for him to be at the Slat."

Nina smiled. On the ship here, she'd begged Inej for every second of their lives, what they were doing, to the point Hanne had shaken his head and said, "Perhaps you should marry your friends, not I."

She couldn't wait for him to see Ketterdam, meet her friends- until a message had made him change course and sail to Fjerda urgently, promising 'next time'.

They wove through tourists and barkers, cart keepers and hawkers, until the crowd thinned and they were in the orderly streets of Geldin District.

Nina hadn't been in these parts of the city often, except on missions. She savored the quiet peace of comfortable lives, hoped the same peace had pervaded her friends' lives.

When the house came into view, Nina had to remind herself to breathe. The door. Red tulips. She struggled to break herself out of the memory, clear as day- the shocked silence of the boathouse, Inej's tearstained face, the vivid red of tulip petals on Mathhias' chest, his blood on her hands.

But memories were sticky things. They drew you in and trapped you, choked you. Nothing could change the fact he was gone. All she could do was honour and remember him- love her Hanne and save his druskelle. Change Fjerda.

She shook herself out of the cobwebs and reached for the door. Knocked. She could hear hurrying feet, and Jesper threw the door open. His hair was cut close to the scalp and his clothes looked of considerably finer make (though she should have a word with him about his terrible style), but he still crackled with restless energy.

His gray eyes traveled from Nina to Inej and with a jolt Nina realised he hadn't recognized her. "Inej!" He exclaimed, enveloping the girl in a hug. "About time. I was going to get a ship myself just to bring you back." He stepped back, surveying Nina. "And you brought a guest."

Nina grinned. "Llewellyn, I expect you to wash my feet immediately. I hope the accommodations here are better than the royal ones Inej dragged me out of."

His eyes widened. "Nina?" And then he was hugging her too, tightly, with all the joy of a meeting long overdue.

He let go and stared. "Saints, what have you done to yourself? Where even were you? It's been too long. Total silence doesn't cut it, Zenik. Inej nearly wept over you."

"You don't want the specifics, Fahey, but suffice it to say I've been causing a ruckus in Fjerda. Managed to cause waves up to the king. And what do you know..." she wiggled her fingers at him.

His jaw dropped. "No way. You're the fishwife?"

She hit him. "Is that what you latch onto?"

"Well, yes, of course. Seems quite important." A shadow crossed his face. "Did you..."

"Yes." She cut him off. "In a clearing by a stream, with the snow falling. He wanted-" she swallowed- " he wanted his peace with the water."

Jesper smiled wanly.

"Jesper." Inej interrupted. "Have you seen Kaz? Is he here?"

At this Jesper's expression changed, and suddenly there was blood rushing to Nina's ears. She knew that expression- too well. Terror. Anxiety. The face of a person who didn't know if their family could survive the night.

"He's here. You'd better see him."

***

They followed him through the house, until Jesper threw open the door of what looked like a guest room. There were blue silk curtains at the windows to keep out the late afternoon light.

Two of the three occupants of the room looked up. The boy with red gold curls immediately leapt up and came toward them. Stopped. Embraced Inej.

"Hello, Wylan," she murmured. "What's happened?" Nina heard the stiffness under the words.

He stepped back, eyes dejected. Gestured to the bed, where a black haired figure was wrapped in blankets. "He showed up last night poisoned. Hasn't regained consciousness since then. Fever broke this morning, but now he's just cold."

Nina's heart sank. Oh, Kaz. She remembered telling him to count on her returning-but she'd imagined a cheerful reunion at the Crow Club, not the worried air of a sickroom.

Wylan's steady blue eyes latched on her. "Who's this?"

She patted his shoulder. "The real question is whether I look just as stunning with a different face, or if you need to change your perceptions on what stunning looks like."

His eyebrows rose. "You- "

"Yes, yes, I know, I didn't keep in touch, I am a terrible person. Jesper gave me the rundown. "

He beamed. "You're back! I thought you forgot about us. Wait, but how-"

"Later," Nina whispered, glancing at Inej. She'd approached the bed slowly, silently, and stood staring at Kaz now, her features perfectly devoid of expression.

Jesper leaned against the door. "It better be quite the story."

"Better than you whiling away your time eating cakes and shooting statues off mantelpieces or whatever the hell you get up to here."

Wylan had flopped into the nearest chair. "I'm rather fond of the mantelpiece."

"As if that's going to stop Llewellyn." She stared at Kaz's prone body. "Do you know how this happened?"

"No, he was unconscious when he reached the doorstep. Kira says he should be awake in a while, but....." Jesper trailed off.

Nina looked up then, diverting her gaze to the redheaded girl in a chair skimming through a newspaper. "Indenture?"

"No," Wylan said, watching Inej cross her arms tightly, " but I'm thinking about employing someone. My- my father didn't have an on call medik, or Healer, but I should, right?"

"Definitely."

There was a temporary silence. Nina thought of the brief time she'd thought Hanne was dead, the absolute grief and rage that'd overwhelmed her. She thought of Matthias' eyes when the life left them, the way she wished she could burn the world. This was a different kind of pain, but just as pervasive. She didn't exactly like Kaz- she'd never shared affection with him like Inej, or Jesper, or even Wylan. Yet there'd been something- a mutual trust, grudging respect. Something. It wouldn't mean nothing if Kaz was gone. She'd lost too many people already.

She walked over to Inej, put her arm around her. Inej leaned her head on Nina's shoulder. Her hood was down, and her dark hair was spilling free of its demure braid.

"It's going to be alright," Nina murmured. "It's Kaz. He always scrapes through."

Inej sighed. "He's never been poisoned before, though."

"Well. There's something to be said for novelty."

Inej snorted halfheartedly.

The Kaelish girl- Kira- folded her newspaper and came over, perching on the edge of the bed and placing her fingers on Kaz's neck. "Steady pulse," she reported.

It was as she was umbutttoning his shirt that a hand shot out of the tent of blankets and grabbed her wrist. She drew her hand back immediately.

Nina looked at Kaz's face, that'd been still and pale until then. As she watched, the cold black eyes snapped open.

Kaz Brekker was awake.