"I'm tell you what I know" I hear Matthias say in a rough voice the next morning as I go to sit with the guys. "Your conscience is interfering with your memory. Remember the terms of our deal, Helvar" Kaz threatens, I sit beside him and stretch out my legs, stiff from last nights sleep. It took me longer then usual to face my friends after the dream I had last night. Was it real or something I just made up to make sense of everything that has happened to me?

"Alright" Matthias says his anger rising "you want my expertise? Your plan won't work" Kaz and I share a look, "you don't even know our plan yet" I point out leaning back and sunning myself in the warmth. "In through the prison, out through the embassy?" He guess and Kaz confirms it, "it can't be done" the Druskellë continues "the prison sector is completely isolated from the rest of the Ice Court. It isn't connected to the embassy. There's no way to reach it from there" I roll my eyes and sit up straight again, the lack of faith in this man in concerning.

"It has a roof doesn't I?" I ask shortly and he replies "you can't get on the room" I snort and shake my head, "the Druskellë spend three months working with Grisha prisoners and guards as part of our training. I've been in the prison, and there's no access to the roof for exactly that reason - if someone manages to get out of his cell, we don't want him running around the Ice Court. The prison is totally sealed off from the other two sectors in the outer circle. Once you're in, you're in". A clever design by the Fjerdan's but I know Kaz has already thought about this being a possibility and he says "there is always a way out" he pulls out the prison plan "five floors right? Processing area, and four levels of cells. So what's here? On the basement?" He asks.

Matthias leans over the plan reading it for a second "nothing, a laundry and the incinerator" Kaz hums in throughout "the incinerator?" He asks. Matthias sits back, his entire body screaming power a stark contrast to Kaz. "Yes, where they burn thr convicts' clothes when they arrive. It's a plague precaution but-" he stops when he realises why Kaz asks and curses "sweet Djel, you want us to climb six storeys up an incinerator shaft?"

It's a pretty incredible idea, it's probably never been done before therefore no precautions against it. An easy way out. "When does the incinerator run?" I ask one step ahead of the boy with the cane, "if I remember right, early morning, but even without the heat we-" Nina emerges from below deck and cuts him off "he doesn't mean for us to climb it" Kaz sits up straight suddenly aware of her presence and asks "who's watching Inej?" Slight panic edging his voice.

Nina looks tired, she has spent most of her time and gift trying to keep Inej alive as well as healing her wounds. "Rotty" she answers sitting beside me and offering me a toffee which I take placing it in my mouth, "I'll go back in a minute. I just needed some air. Don't feign concern for Inej when you're planning to send her climbing up a six storey chimney with only a rope and a prayer" a flash of hurt crosses his face, a look only I know how to recognise before it's gone.

"The Wraith can manage it" he gives in reply, so sure she will go through with it, even after being injured. This doesn't impress Nina and she tells him as much "the Wraith is a 16 year old girl currently lying unconscious on a table. She may no survive the night" I don't like that not one bit. If Inej dies because of Kaz's secrets I will personally see to his death myself. "She will" I insist not wanting to think of the alternative Jesper comes over, cleaning his guns "why are we talking about scaling chimneys when we have bigger problems?" He asks and Kaz frowns "what's that?" He asks back.

"We have no business going after Bo Yul-Bayur if Pekka Rollins is involved" Jesper explains and I don't blame him for being scared although that should never be a reason to back out of something. "Who is Pekka Rollins?" Matthias asks and I remember he is newly out of prison and knows basically no one we do. "Only the biggest baddest operator in all of Ketterdam. He has money we don't have, connections we don't have and probably a head start" but we have something they don't. Two powerful Grisha.

Jesper nods and adds "for once Wylan is making sense. If by some miracle we do manage to spring Bo Yul-Bayur before Rollins does, once he finds out we are the ones who beat him to it, we are all dead men" "Pekka Rollins is a Barrel boss" Kaz says leaning forward on his cane "no more, no less. Stop making him out to be some kind of immortal" plus we have faced an immortal before and won. This should be a piece of cake.

Jesper leans back on some crates behind him and asks "you think Per Haskell is going to back you when he finds out you crossed Pekka Rollins? You think the old man wants a war?" Ah the 'real' leader of the Crows, an old man good for nothing but drinking and pretending he is the boss, everyone knows Kaz and I run the gang and Haskell takes all the credit. Lazy old man that one.

"Pekka Rollins didn't come into this world dressed in velvet and rolling in Kruge. You're still thinking small. The way Per Haskell does, the way men like Rollins wants you to. We pull of this job and divvy up the hall we'll be the legends of the Barrel. We'll be the crew that beat Pekka Rollins" Kaz gives us all a pep talk and Nina hands me another toffee.

"Maybe we should forget approaching from the north" Wylan suggests "if Pekka's crew has a head start, we should head straight for Djerholm". "The harbour will be crawling with security" I dismiss miserably "not to mention all the usual customs agents and law men"

"The south? Through Ravka?" He asks my heart almost leaps from my chest. There is no way I'm going back to my home country like that, "the border is locked down tight" Nina explains noticing my shift, "it's a big border" Matthias muses. "There is no way to know where it is vulnerable" I answer strongly "unless you have some magical knowledge about which watchtowers and outposts are active. Besides, if we enter from Ravka we have to contend with Ravkans and Fjerdans" not so pleasant imagines appear in my mind of my time at the Little Palace and the multiple threats to my life.

"We enter from the north as planned" Kaz orders, Jesper knows his head on the wood behind him and looks upward to the clear blue sky "fine but if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so I can annoy the hell out of your ghost" this makes me laugh, the change of mood nice and comforting in a way. A ghost of a smile appears in Kaz's lip as he replies "I'll just hire Matthias ghost to kick your ghosts ass" he rolls his eyes and looks out to see "my ghost won't associate with your ghost"