“Come back,” he whispered, and he could feel the ache in his heart worsening, as though she had already left.
Her world was so much larger than him. She had her ship, she had her crew. She had her son. Kaz had Ketterdam, what it was and what he had made it to be, and the Dregs, but there was no other woman in the city.
“I will always come,” Inej whispered to him, her breath against his lips. “When I leave this city, I leave half of my heart.”
Kaz grabbed her hand tight. Half of her heart. The other half was on a ship somewhere, guarded by women with a fighting spirit born of brutality.
Son of Sea and Steel, written by @franklevesque
My second participation to the @grishaversebigbang ! What a lovely fic, what a lovely crew.
Inej having a crisis of faith because of her course in hunting and killing slavers. Kaz doesn't know how to handle the emotional onslaught.
My 2nd piece for the @grishaversebigbang, for the group Wraith's Whispers! Thank u to @padfootdidit @aragentum @crazyfangirl100 @mybitchywriting @bandmemesanddrarrythemes @clearlynotclaire @kayadraws @mitdemadlerimherzen for being such a smashing group ❤️
a/n: Here it is!! The @grishaversebigbang project I did with the wonderful and talented @wafflesandkruge. This was so much fun to write and I hope you all enjoy it!
Materialki: @chaosvvolf (check out this amazing piece), @throughtheruin (feast your eyes on this beauty), @cinnonym (a 10/10 work of art), @corpsecro (we literally love to see talent), @kayadoodles (her mind is galactic with this one), @saintprivateer (brilliance in a single image)
Summary: Inej is one of the best detectives the city has to offer. As she gets closer to taking down one of the largest crime syndicates in Kerch, a body turns up out of nowhere and it points to Kaz Brekker, one of Ketterdam’s most dangerous hitmen, being the killer. But as Inej investigates the murder, there might be more to it than meets the eye: the murder, the suspects, and Kaz Brekker.
Ao3 Link
Prologue and Chapter 1 under the cut!
Prologue:
It was a dark night in Ketterdam. Not that any light truly ever pierced the dark clouds that seemed to perpetually hang over the city, but under the new moon the stars weren’t strong enough to illuminate the dark cobbled street.
The regular late night revelers seemed more subdued than usual. The air chillier and the wind ripping through any brave soul that stumbled through abandoned alleys.
It was almost funny the things that are able to pass in the dark: guns hidden under coats, hands twitching with an unquenchable craving, and bodies that might never truly wake up.
The pale arm sticking out of a hastily placed tarp would have passed completely, if it wasn’t for one drunken man stumbling away from his latest high. The fall came before the scream, and the sound of it echoed down the alley.
True night could have hidden most evils, but even the shadows can choose to offer some truths-- and on this dark night the truth was this: a girl half-covered with a blue tarp, her eyes set in an endless stare, and a hole punctured in the place where her heart should have been.
Chapter 1:
Ketterdam was like most metropolitan cities: busy streets, short-tempered people, and high murder rates. Inej had only been with the police department for three years, but she honestly thought she’d seen it all. Her police academy years were spent doing her regular beats in the Barrel, the sinister underbelly of the pleasure districts of Ketterdam called the Staves. She thought that coming face to face with the broken, destitute, and neglected, she had finally figured out all the little secrets of this dark city. But Ketterdam had a way of keeping you on your toes, and today was proof of that.
“It’s not pretty, Inej.” Her partner, Matthias, lifted the police tape cordoning the crime scene from the curious eyes of the general public. He handed her a cup of coffee and she took a grateful sip. They were in an alley in one of the more run-down neighborhoods, the area dark despite the morning sun.
“Tell me.” Inej said.
Matthias sighed and led her to where a corpse that was being covered with a blue tarp. Inej inhaled briefly at the sight of the massive hole punctured in the dead girl’s chest, and just as quick she exhaled. Later, she’ll give herself time to think about how young the girl looked, or the way her eyes were open and unable to be put to rest. Later, she’ll say a little prayer for the currently unnamed girl. But for now, she braced herself to take in the details, to take in the scene, to look at everything like puzzle pieces itching to be made whole.
“Victim was found at about 2 in the morning, by a drunk trying to find his way home. He tripped over the arm and let out a scream. Neighbors from up there.” He pointed up to a fifth story apartment complex, “Called about the noise complaint, and we had officers on the scene fairly quick.”
Inej opened her mouth, but Matthias beat her to it. “We already interviewed the man who discovered the body, and he’s not a person of interest. He was barely sober enough to remember where he lived, much less murder someone. We’ll have to wait until Wylan takes a closer look before, but it looks like the girl’s been dead for more than twenty-four hours.”
She nodded in understanding and took a closer look at the pale corpse.
Inej peered under the tarp, and hissed out a breath.
“Shit.” Inej cursed.
Matthias raised an eyebrow, “You know her?”
“She’s one of my informants. A girl I knew from when I was younger. She was helpful in some of my bigger cases, but I hadn’t heard from her in the last six months. I just assumed she finally got out of the city.”
“And you have no idea who she would be working with that could have gotten her killed?”
She shook her head and then started looking at the crime scene itself, “There’s no blood here.” She began to pace the length of the alley. “Not on the ground or on her clothes. So we can rule out robbery gone wrong. We need to find out where she was killed”
Matthias followed closely behind her, she could feel him thinking. People always accused Matthias of being a stoic brick wall, and while Inej might agree, she almost relied on that solid silence. After being her partner for almost two years, she knew that he would only speak up if all the facts aligned and made sense. He wouldn’t waste words on any conspiracy.
“This would have to be multiple assailants.” Matthias said contemplatively. “Or one highly organized individual. We haven’t seen anything like this for a while.”
Inej swept her eyes on the crime scene and she sighed, “And we have no word on any sort of wallet or phone?”
“Hasn’t been seen, but we’re going to try to get some facial recognition off the CCTV to try and identify her.”
Inej nodded and turned over the minimal amount of detail surrounding the crime scene. There was something achingly familiar about the set up. Dead body. Simple covering. Dumping ground. For all intents and purposes, it was minimalistic and clean-- sort of like the case form three years ago-- the one with--.
Inej’s eyes widened as a realization dawned on her.
She scanned the alley more closely taking in the position of the victim, the loosely tied tarp, the time of discovery, and its location. She remembered the details of another case she had spent hours and hours pouring over. She remembered the frustrating all-nighters, and barged in at Wylan’s office at any given moment demanding he review the evidence that was submitted. It was a case that had joined the thick folder in Inej’s desk titled “Cold Case.” And while most detectives had their own grief about their stack of unsolved murders, Inej’s problem wasn’t never finding the killer, her problem was that the son of a bitch was a snake that always slithered just out of her reach.
“Okay, Matthias let’s wrap up and send the body to--”
Inej’s voice cut short as she caught sight of a chillingly familiar object unceremoniously dumped in a heap of garbage three feet away from the corpse.
She took out a rubber glove from her pocket, and approached the pile of trash with careful precision.
“What is it?” Matthias asked.
She didn’t answer. She stepped over some rotten fruit, and reached for the lone black glove that was too clean to have been thrown away, and too nice to be a forgotten clothing item.
Inej held the glove up, “See anything, detective?”
He gave her a skeptical look, but obliged by leaning in and studying the simple black glove.
“It’s been worn a lot, but it’s not dirty. The leather is high quality, and still in good shape.”
“So why would anyone throw this away when winter is coming? Or better yet, why has no one taken it yet?”
Matthias shrugged, while Inej’s gears turned and turned. There was no way he would have been so careless. He’s never made a slip up like this before. But then again, maybe this was a message. Maybe he was finally tired of the shadows, and wanted Inej to find his glove as some sort of taunt-- or challenge.
And he knew she would take him on it.
“Take the body to Wylan, and get the autopsy report as soon as possible. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Inej, what--”
“Also, there’s a marked folder in my desk. Grab it, and we’ll brief when I get back.”
“Where are you going?’
“I need to talk to someone.” She said distractedly.
She grabbed an evidence bag from one of the forensic agents, and stuffed the glove inside. She handed it back to the agent. “Get that tested, immediately.”
“Don’t do anything stupid without backup, Ghafa!” Matthias called after her.
She waved a hand behind her, but she was past being cautious. She folded herself back into the car and started inputting a familiar address into the GPS.
If she was right about the glove, then she wasn’t letting Brekker get away from her. Not this time. She didn’t care if he was one of the deadliest assassins Ketterdam had ever seen. All men had to face justice someday, and it looked like Brekker’s time was drawing near.
Perhaps… it was the mark of a good king, then. To only feel worthy when he let the thoughts and plans and musings flood over him and drown out all else until all that was left was Ravka, Ravka, Ravka.
— from Dirtyhands and the Too-Clever Fox by @december-dragon for @grishaversebigbang (2/2)
GVBB 2020: “When The Mighty Fall” by @comingoutofthecauldron (alternately found on AO3)
my first piece for the @grishaversebigbang!! historically accurate fashion? don’t know her but its a little nina (with my limited background abilities and colour knowledge)
you guys were so much fun to work with, thank you <3
Here’s to Wylan’s marketable skills being put to use!
The second piece for the @grishaversebigbang ! The fic, And We All Fall Down by @enasisdead , is not out just yet but I can’t wait, it’s full of so many awesome ideas ♡
Be sure to check out the art of my wonderful collaborators: @kayadoodles @nantosuelta-art @sysdoesstuff @bakethenerdbird @art-by-me19
