Crooked Kingdom (The Six of Crows Duology #2) - Leigh Bardugo Page 0,197

deck to eliminate the storage compartments, making the boat wider and flatter. Colm helped, working side by side with Jesper as they’d done back at the farm. Kuwei drifted between the garden and the boat-house, still weak from his ordeal.

Soon Jesper was sweating, trying to focus on the rhythm of the work, but he couldn’t shake the sadness in his heart. He’d lost friends. He’d been on jobs when things had gone wrong. Why did this feel so different?

When the last of the work was finished, Wylan, Kaz, Rotty, Jesper, and his father stood in the garden. There was nothing left to do. The barge was ready. Rotty was dressed head to toe in black, and they’d fashioned a bodyman’s hood by tearing apart and restitching one of Van Eck’s fine black suits. It was time to go, but none of them moved. All around, Jesper could smell spring, sweet and eager, the scent of lilies and hyacinths, early blooming roses.

“We were all supposed to make it,” said Wylan softly.

Maybe that was naive, the protest of a rich merchant’s son who’d only had a taste of Barrel life. But Jesper realized he’d been thinking the same thing. After all their mad escapes and close calls, he’d started to believe the six of them were somehow charmed, that his guns, Kaz’s brains, Nina’s wit, Inej’s talent, Wylan’s ingenuity, and Matthias’ strength had made them somehow untouchable. They might suffer. They might take their knocks, but Wylan was right, in the end they were all supposed to stay standing.

“No mourners,” said Jesper, surprised by the ache of tears in his throat.

“No funerals,” they all replied softly.

“Go on now,” said Colm. “Say your goodbyes.”

They walked down to the boathouse. But before Wylan entered, he bent and plucked a red tulip from its bed. They all followed suit and silently filed inside. One by one, they knelt by Nina and rested a flower upon Matthias’ chest, then stood, surrounding his body, as if now that it was too late, they might protect him.

Kuwei was the last. There were tears in his golden eyes, and Jesper was glad he’d joined their circle. Matthias was the reason Kuwei and Jesper had survived the ambush on Black Veil; he was one of the reasons Kuwei would have a chance to truly live as a Grisha in Ravka.

Nina turned her face to the water, looking out at the narrow houses that lined the Geldcanal. Jesper saw that the residents had filled their windows with candles, as if these small gestures might somehow push back the dark. “I’m pretending those lights are for him,” she said. She plucked a stray red petal from Matthias’ chest, sighed, and released his hand, rising slowly. “I know it’s time.”

Jesper put his arm around her. “He loved you so much, Nina. Loving you made him better.”

“Did it make a difference in the end?”

“Of course it did,” said Inej. “Matthias and I didn’t pray to the same god, but we knew there was something beyond this life. He went easier to the next world knowing he’d done good in this one.”

“Will you stay in Ravka?” asked Wylan.

“Only long enough to arrange transport to Fjerda. There are Grisha who can help me preserve his body for the journey. But I can’t go home, I can’t rest until he does. I’ll take him north. To the ice. I’ll bury him near the shore.” She turned to them then, as if seeing them for the first time. “What about all of you?”

“We’ll have to figure out a way to spend our money,” said Kaz.

“What money?” said Jesper. “It all got poured into the Shu coffers. Like they needed it.”

“Did it?”

Nina’s eyes narrowed and Jesper saw a bit of her spirit return. “Stop playing around, Brekker, or I’ll send my unholy army of the dead after you.”

Kaz shrugged. “I felt the Shu could manage with forty million.”

“The thirty million Van Eck owed us—” murmured Jesper.

“Four million kruge each. I’m giving Per Haskell’s share to Rotty and Specht. It will be laundered through one of the Dregs’ businesses before it passes back through the Gemensbank, but the funds should be in separate accounts for you by the end of the month.” He paused. “Matthias’ share will go to Nina. I know money doesn’t matter to—”

“It matters,” said Nina. “I’ll find a way to make it matter. What will you do with your shares?”

“Find a ship,” said Inej. “Put together a crew.”

“Help run an empire,” said Jesper.

“Try not to run