01. chapter one!
what is & what should never be.
trigger warning:
mentions of death.
A sick, almost acidic feeling coated the inside of her stomach, her mouth ran dry and it felt as though the walls of the carriage were slowly closing in on her. "G-G... Ghost?" Her words fell on deaf ears, the only thing she could hear was blood gurgling. She held her gloved hand over her mouth, attempting to stop herself from vomiting at the sight before her; Katarina was used to violence, she washed blood from her hands every night before she 'slept'. It wasn't nothing new.
Aleskander would've scolded her for such a reaction, she had no connection to the Ghost, at least not a real one.
"Such a silly things are emotions," He complained, harshly twist the water out of the cloth before he wiped her face clean. A young Katarina winced at the motion. "Solntse, listen to me,"
She hates that nickname, Katarina wasn't a sun summoner and she knew that disappointed him, it felt cruel to literally call her sun.
"You did the right thing."
"I killed him." She muttered, her eyes wide as the tears that once brimmed it fell on to her cheeks. That was the first time she had said it without stuttering in the thirty minutes since it had happened.
"Hey," He cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. "Some people deserve to die. He was no exception to that, he was going to hurt you."
"He... He was?" He wasn't.
Aleskander pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, humming in agreement before he pressed his forehead to her own. "Trust me, little one. He was a bad man."
Thirteen year olds shouldn't have been praised for killing innocent people, Katarina failed to recognised the manipulation at such an age, understandably so. It didn't matter to her now, she was no longer doing a grown man's dirty work for him, and she wasn't the monster he had wanted her to be but most importantly it wasn't her fault.
The Ghost's death wasn't on her. Was it?
The growing stench of death seemed to pull her back to reality, taking a moment to steady her breathing she listened out. Placing her left hand over her thigh, expecting her blade to be there and sighing when it wasn't, of course she had left the pub without a single weapon. She stopped. It was too quiet outside, too quiet for it to be safe.
There was only one knife in sight. Katarina groaned quietly as she looked over to the body that lay lifeless on the floor, falling from the impact. Rigour mortis had clearly set in as the man's skin seemed to have a pale blue hue rather than the olive complexion he once had.
Exhaling deeply, the dark haired girl leaned forwards and begrudgingly pulled the blade from The Ghost's temple. She involuntarily gagged, the blood was thick and clearly clotted. Livor mortis, she thought to herself. Mustering up all the confidence she had, (which was more than enough), Katarina pushed open the door to the carriage. She was once again rendered speechless, the two men who rode with them, usually up front, were dead as well as the two guards who typically rode on the back of the carriage. It was clear they were taken out first, presumably because of their position.
Stepping out of the carriage, she ignored the leaves that crunched beneath her boots and allowed the cold air to replenish her thoughts. All of them had been taken out the same way; bullets.
If the killer had bullets, why use a knife on The Ghost? Unless, she began to edge closer to the door, whoever threw the knife didn't mean to kill him and they certainly weren't alone.
Why hadn't they heard the bullets? Looking around once more, she received her answer. A silencer gun; descendant of the fabrikator family, typically owned by people who knew their shit when it came to weaponry. Thinking back to the way her acquaintance was killed, Katya deducted that the knife had to come from above them and with speed.
Her eyes went to the trees that surrounded them, from the corner of her eyes she could see a figure no more than five or six feet away. Turning as swiftly as she can, Katarina threw the knife with everything in her at the killer. The blade didn't miss them entirely however, it skimmed their right arm, enough to leave a mark and therefore— enough for her to track them down.
Exhausted and out of breath, Katarina finally reached the city of Ketterdam once more and she could've screamed in excitement when her eyes landed on the sign. The Crow Club. She had walked the entire way back from the forrest to the city just to see that bastard sign.
"Ma'am, are you—" A woman dressed in hand-me-down's began to speak, but when Katarina looked at her, she immediately looked away and apologised for speaking in the first place.
Two or three years ago, she would've had to push the crowds leading up to the club out of the way, but now people cleared a path with the mere sight of her. "Uh, excuse me!" The guard protested as she walked through the doors. His shouting caught the attention of just about everyone, who's laughter and arguments ceased at the sight of her. Another perk of being a stone cold killer when she needed to.
"Now that I've got your attention," She shouted, walking up to a man who willing gave her his seat at the bar, she used it to get on top of the bar itself, kicking whatever glasses that were in her way. "Who can tell me where I might find Kaz Brekker?"
This was reckless, she thought, reckless and stupid and downright suicidal.
Nobody replied for a while, everyone seemed to look to each other for the answer that neither of them had. Until suddenly the sound of a can against wood filled everyone's ears. Katarina smiled to herself as she climbed down from the bar and stood in the middle of the club, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Now, now Miss Markovich," Kaz took off his top hat, handing it to the boy who appeared next to him. "Careful, you're scaring my customers."
"We need to talk."
Kaz raised his brow is amusement at her words. "Well why didn't you just say so?" She furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of what the man's next move would be. "Everybody out!"
Katarina wouldn't openly admit it, but Kaz was quite terrifying when he wanted to be. With a clap of his hands everybody scattered.
"That can't be good for business." The man who held the top hat whistled, catching Katarina's full attention. She wasn't sure why, but if she had a good feeling about anyone it was him.
"Now," Kaz began, clearing his throat as he brought his cane in front of him and used it to support both his hands. "Where to begin?"
Katarina changed her stance almost uncomfortably. "I must admit, Brekker, I thought it would be harder to reach you."
"Try not to sound too disappointed."
"Well, I for one enjoy the chase." She pulled off her jacket and threw it on the nearest chair. "Don't you?"
"May I suggest you reach your point of intrusion, Miss Markovich?"
Katarina snickered at his response, but decided to press his buttons further as she walked over to the table where the other man sat, she sat down facing him with a sigh.
"Do you see this?" She asked, pulling off her gloves.
"Me or him?" The man asked, confusion on his features.
"You. What's your name?"
"Jesper." He replied, a smirk on his peach tinted lips. "And if you're talking about the blood it's kind of hard not to. It's... everywhere."
He signalled to her neck, where the bloodbath seemed to continue without her even realising. The man, Jesper, reached in to his pocket and pulled out a silk handkerchief that he handed to her. "Thank you." She replied, her words sincere as she took it from his hand.
"You looked like you needed it more than me."
The two shared a look, not of concern but of comfort. Katarina didn't take to people very well, but Jesper seemed different to most men she'd meet in Ketterdam. Before she could thank him once more, a loud bang pulled everyones attention back to Kaz, who had slammed his cane against the ground.
"Are you two done flirting?"
"Flirting?" Jesper repeated, his mouth hung open wide with shock.
"May I once again ask you to reach your point, Sabine." Kaz practically seethed.
Sighing, Katarina stood up, about to reach her aforementioned point until her gaze wandered to the woman stood behind Kaz.
"You."
"Me?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Why are you holding your arm?" Katarina walked towards her, and the woman's arm dropped right away. "Oh come on, I just saw you. Was it you?"
"Was what her?" Kaz asked, his question being totally ignored.
"You killed him." Katarina was angry, and she was close enough to secretly injure the woman if she so wished.
"With all due respect, Miss Markovich, Inej over here is hardly a killer."
Katarina turned around to face Kaz, the look of anger on her face causing him to narrow his eyes at her slightly. "Due respect is right. Don't try to bullshit me, Brekker. Your girl killed him."
"She is not my girl." He scoffed. "And I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Ask her." Katarina crossed her arms over her chest once more. "Go on."
Kaz turned to Inej, she looked up at him with regret in her eyes and it was clear his patience was running thin as he bit thr inside of his cheek. "And I suppose you have something to do with this, too, do you?"
So that's where those bullets came from.
"I—"
"Look," Katarina's voice forced the crows to pay attention to her and not each other. "I didn't come here for that, if I did you'd all be dead by now—"
"Uhm—" Jesper piped up.
"I wasn't finished."
"Right. Sorry."
"As I was saying, I'm sure you're more than aware that I've been tracking you for the past three months," Kaz finally smiled, although it was more sinister looking than it was lovingly, then again who doesn't love a good confession. "Now the man you killed was a regular at this club, hence where most of my information came from, and said man told me something very interesting before your friend here murdered him."
Inej's gaze fell to the floor with shame.
"Continue." Kaz snapped.
"You've found yourselves a sun-summoner." Although her words were true, the three crows were shocked at her knowledge. "Alina Starkov."
"Who?"
Katarina didn't bat an eyelid at the man, ignoring his futile attempts to fool her. "Now I want in on whatever your plan is because I assure you, if you're counting on going to the palace, you will need my help."
Jesper frowned.
"And why would we do that?"
"Well it would be rather foolish of you not you, Brekker. I'd take you for many things but a fool isn't one of them."
Kaz didn't reply, instead tearing his eyes away from hers and wetting his bottom lip with his tongue, had Katarina not teared her eyes away she would've thought it to be a seduction technique of some kind.
"What would you get out of it?" Jesper asked, seriously considering it.
"Not that it's any of your business—"
"You made it our business—"
"But!" She cut him off once more, although Jesper found himself smirking at their banter rather than being annoyed. "Alina needs my help."
"You don't trust The Darkling?" Inej finally spoke up, walking forwards until she was beside Kaz.
"Not as far as I can throw him," Katarina sighed, standing up and grabbing her coat. "You need me."
"We barely know you." Kaz sighed.
"Oh don't pretend you don't know who I am, Brekker, you just killed one of my men, so know that I'm pissed at the very least."
He didn't respond, choosing to instead push his hair back, out of his face.
"I know about your plan, Brekker. And I know about your little gang." Katarina reminded him.
"You know what I want you to."
"See, that's not what I said." She stood up straight, walking closer to him than she had before. "I want in, and be warned, Brekker, if you don't let me in; I will find a way in. I always do."
"Was that supposed to be the start of a proposal?" Jesper asked, baffled.
"A threat, I'm afraid." She played in to it, humouring him. "So, what do you say?"
"No." He muttered, attempting to walk past her and but she turned around, facing his back.
"Brekker, look at me."
He did as she asked, although he wasn't sure why. He watched as she moved her hair away from the right side of her face, only managing to have wiped her neck clean before. "See this?" Of course he saw it, blood stained the entirety of it. "This is what'll get me in. The easy way or the hard way, you choose."
"It seems as though I don't have a choice." He could use an inferni's company across the fold, especially such a powerful one.
"There we go! You're finally getting it." She moved to pat him on the back, but was instead met with the brute force of his cane on the back of her hand. "Do that again and I'll break that bastard thing."
"Touch me again and it won't just be the cane." He retorted, watching as her face contorted from an annoyed expression to an amused one.
"We're going to get along just fine, Brekker."
"There is no we." He sighed.
"Well not with that attitude." She remarked, rolling her eyes at his reaction but still smiling to herself as she walked to the door. Her plan was coming together, and unbeknownst to her, as was his.
"Expect us, Markovich."
"Always, Brekker." And with that she left.
authors note.
JESPER & KATARINA BESTIE ERA!!!! also don't worry, kaz isn't just letting her in on everything lmfao my man's trust issues are worse than that rest assured x
edit: i found the little divider on tumblr so credit to whoever made it, it's so cute!!