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The new job itself hadn’t set off alarm bells for Wylan, but it left him with a sinking feeling. One that grew the more questions Jesper and Nina asked. The real bomb dropped once Jesper asked for the name of the client.
“From the top of the merchant council, Jan Van Eck himself.” Wylan thought Kaz was staring at him, even though he was answering Jesper’s question. Nina was definitely staring at him, and with concern. Though she turned away for a moment to glare at Kaz.
“I’m not doing any sort of job for you until Matthias is out of Hellgate.” Nina crossed her arms. She leaned in towards Wylan and whispered to him. “Saints, Wylan. Your heartbeat is going so fast I’m afraid it’s about to pop. Have you been eating too much sugar?”
Wylan couldn’t answer her, he could barely hear her over the rapid thudding in his chest.
“You think a Mercher like Van Eck is going to pay up to a bunch of barrel rats?” Jesper chuckled. He sat down on the table next to Wylan. He made no sign of noticing Wylan practically hyperventilating, but he did put an arm around his shoulders.
Kaz addressed Nina first. “I mentioned this job is happening at the Ice Court. It’ll be necessary to have someone intimately familiar with its workings. If only one of us knew a turncoat Fjerdan.”
“You mean…” Nina’s eyes lit up.
“The first phase of the job is to break Matthias out of Hellgate. Since he went ahead and made that pardon invalid.” Kaz said. He turned towards Jesper. He seemed to look at Jesper’s arm around Wylan and smirked. “As for Van Eck, I took care of finding the necessary insurance to deal with him months ago. Your arm’s around him at this very moment.”
Jesper locked eyes with Wylan, and Wylan immediately ducked his head down. This could not be happening. Kaz said months ago. He’d known this whole time? Wylan felt Jesper’s arm slowly retract from his shoulders. He felt the Gunslinger stand up.
“What does that mean, Kaz?” Jesper asked. “Van Eck has a soft spot for bomb makers?”
“It’s not quite so complicated.” Kaz said. “Meet Wylan Van Eck. Son of Jan Van Eck, and our guarantee to thirty million kruge.”
Nina processed through the information first. “Wait, so you mean to tell me if we get back from the Ice Court with this scientist and Van Eck refuses to pay that you’ll…”
“Threaten the life of his son, yes. Everyone has their weakness.”
“What if he calls your bluff?” Nina asked, she was frowning.
“Who says I’m bluffing?” Kaz replied.
“But he’s one of us.” Nina said.
“He’s a Merchling.” Kaz said.
“He’s one of us.” Jesper said. Everyone turned to look at him. “He’s saved my life, multiple times. As well as your own. What do you think Inej would say if she was here?”
“She’s not. Anyway, how do you think I found out who he was?” Kaz pulled a few letters out of his coat, the Van Eck seal broken on them.
“He has his own voice.” Wylan said quietly. He tried to straighten his shoulders and stand taller. He kept his gaze on the letters in Kaz’s hands.
“I know you think you’re being logical Kaz.” Wylan started. “Regardless of how you try to define my purpose to you, I've proved myself useful in other ways. Maybe a few weeks ago I wouldn’t be confident in saying that, but that was before the Darkling and Pekka Rollins.”
Kaz nodded, not letting his surprise show that Wylan of everyone was taking this the calmest.
“If not as a friend, then as an employee—but I do hope it’s still as a friend—I feel I need to inform you of something important about my father.” Wylan said, he almost got choked up on the final word. It had been some time since he’d said it out loud. “If you try to use me as insurance against him, it will not work. He will laugh in your face and grin as he tells you to go ahead and kill me. It wouldn’t be a trick on his end, just unfinished business. I don’t know anyone in this world who wants me dead more than him.”
“Wy…” Jesper was horrified by his boyfriend’s words. But he was more scared at the way Wylan said it, as if stating the weather was going to be a bit chilly that evening.
“Kaz, his heartbeat…” Nina whispered, she put a hand to her lips.
“I know. He believes he’s telling the truth.” Kaz said. “Maybe the two of you left off on bad terms, and maybe that’s why all these letters were still sealed. But based on these, his mind has changed.”
Kaz held the opened letters out to Wylan who flinched away from the paper. Jesper stepped in between them and grabbed them out of Kaz’s hand.
“Can I?” Jesper asked Wylan, who nodded.
Jesper opened the top letter and went to read it out loud. As his eyes traveled over the first line, his brow furrowed. “Is it wishful thinking to hope you’ve read these? If you did you’d know you’d be welcome back home, we have so much to catch up on. Since you’re not, all I can long for is the day you’ll be reunited with your mother in the meadow. You could make me very happy just by writing home, Wylan.”
Wylan’s eye twitched. The letters were a curious choice on his father’s part. To someone like Kaz who didn’t know any better, it would seem almost sweet. But to Wylan, the backhanded message was clear. Too bad it was now just another thing he had to convince—
“Ghezen, what an asshole!” Jesper yelled. Wylan’s eyes widened, he could see it.
“Is etiquette different for the Kerch?” Nina asked, she looked beyond confused at Jesper’s reaction.
“Yes, but not in that way.” Kaz said. His expression couldn’t be called confused, but curious.
Jesper opened his mouth to explain, but then he turned to Wylan. He was asking for permission.
“Seems like everything’s coming out one way or another.” Wylan sighed. So Kaz knew from the moment they met who his father was, but never figured out Wylan’s true secret.
“To hope you’ve read, happy by writing home. I take it that some of the other letters have these kinds of phrases in them too?” Jesper started, though he didn’t wait for an answer. “Van Eck’s apparent love is setting conditions in the letters. Mainly, an expectation that Wylan reads them or writes back to him. The thing is Kaz, Wylan can’t do either.”
For the first time, Kaz startles. He turns to Wylan. “You can’t… read?”
“Because I know you’re wondering, he did know. He tried everything he could to fix it, I have the scars that prove it.” Wylan said. Before another question could be asked he continued. “Even if I had chosen to run away from home, this place isn’t worth it. Not if you have any other choice. Kaz, if I could have gone home, I would have.”
“But why all the letters?” Nina asked. “Could your mother be asking him to send them?”
Wylan’s face fell. “It’s just a way for him to slap me without us being in the same room. Those damned things have shown up at my work and everywhere I’ve set up some semblance of home. I’m sure if we give it enough time, one will be delivered here to the Crow Club. He’s just telling me he knows where I am, the words were likely just in case I got someone to read it for me. But I’ve never bothered to open one until now.”
“But what of your mother?” Jesper asked. That was the one sentence in the letter where he couldn’t find the cruelty.
“The meadow is where he has the family crypt.” Wylan said, “My mother is entombed there. She passed unexpectedly not long before I was sent away.”
Nina's frown grew, Jesper was furious.
“It’s a threat.” Kaz sighed. “Did something happen to make him do all of these... theatrics?”
“Happen?” Wylan asked, had Kaz been listening to a damn word he said?
“Based on what you told us, your father wants you dead.” Nina said.
“They’re wondering why that is,” Jesper explained. “Honestly, me too. His threats have this odd air of vengeance to them.”
Wylan cocked his head to the side, had he missed something? “I’ve already said why he wants me dead. The same reason he tried to kill me before. I can’t read.”
Jesper’s face dropped and Nina turned as white as a sheet.
“Saints, I feel faint.” Nina mumbled, collapsing into one of the chairs.
“That’s it, you’re sure?” Jesper asked.
“Am I…” Wylan scoffed. “I am his greatest shame. It’s why I’m even here. When his new wife got pregnant, he told me I was being sent away to a music school, so he could forget I existed. But even that was a lie. The admission papers were false. My chaperones were ordered to strangle me along the way and dump my body in the harbor. Ketterdam happened to be in the middle of a festival and the fireworks distracted them enough that I could get away. I jumped off the boat and swam all night towards the lights. Then I was on land, I was here.”
No one moved for what felt like an eternity, and then Nina pulled Wylan into an overwhelming hug.
“Wylan.” Jesper said, his voice was slow. “Not being able to read. Is that your shame, or is that your father’s shame?”
“Both?” Wylan said, but that he added. “I’m not sure what you think the difference is.”
“It seems like you get by without it as easily as breathing. Kaz didn’t notice you couldn’t do it. You’re not clever for a guy who can’t read. You’re just clever, brilliant even.” Jesper said. “You don’t need it, I doubt you ever did. Your father getting hung up on that is his damn loss. Only his damn loss.”
“You know your father is a stupid man, right?” Nina muttered. “I’ve never heard of someone made of such ice, and I’ve met many Fjerdans. He’s despicable.”
“Even with all you’ve heard, that's more right than you could imagine.” A new voice said. Everyone turned in sync. Jesper cocked back one of his guns, Nina’s hand went up, and Wylan grabbed for a pouch at his hip. The only one who didn’t move was Kaz. The reason became clear when a familiar face dropped down from the rafters.
“Inej? Shouldn’t you be off pirating?” Jesper asked, putting the safety back on.
“Privateering.” Inej smirked. Though her expression instantly went serious again. “I asked them to drop me off when we sailed past, there was some information I wanted to run by. Something that seems all the more relevant now.”
Inej locked eyes with Wylan, “I heard just about everything. I’m sorry that even being a Merchling didn’t give you a happy childhood. Though I’m glad you found your way to us.”
Wylan glanced away, his cheeks red.
“Inej, why did you come back?” Kaz asked.
“While we’ve been freeing slaver ships, I’ve noticed a pattern. A name I knew you were planning something for. Jan Van Eck has been funding the True Sea slave trade. I don’t know for how long. I was hoping he’d be somewhere high on your list already, and I wanted to help take care of him.”
“This all started with Kaz saying he accepted a job from him, so not entirely sure that’s the same thing.” Nina said with a wrinkled nose. She didn’t need to be given any more reasons to despise Van Eck. But there was one, Wraith delivered.
“Well plans do change.” Kaz said. His eyes had been on Inej since she appeared.
“You mean you plan to kill him?” Wylan’s eyebrows raised. The current state of things were very different from where they started this conversation. He hadn’t even processed what Inej just informed them. If he’d been able to read, would he have been expected to take over a business that included selling people?
“Can’t imagine it’s as simple as that, Wy.” Jesper said. “I reckon Kaz is thinking of the Pekka Rollins treatment.”
“Pekka Rollins is a vile man.” Kaz said. “He destroyed my life, and so we destroyed his life. He’s a vile man, but he loved his son.”
Kaz’s expression shifted over towards Wylan. “Not even those words can be said about Jan Van Eck. From everything that’s been said today, it’s clear he destroyed your life, Wylan.”
Kaz turned back towards Inej, “It’s clear he’s been destroying others. So why don’t we return the favor?”
Kaz moved so that he could look towards everyone, a devious expression forming on his face. “We’re still getting our thirty million kruge, that part of the plan is still in effect. But after? Using a Mercher’s money to fund his own downfall seems fitting to me, don’t you agree?”