Office of Kaz Brekker – The Crow Club, Ketterdam

The room was dimly lit, the air heavy with the scent of ink, wax, and the faint metallic tang of blood that seemed to cling to every corner of Kaz Brekker's world. Papers lay scattered on the desk, maps marked with schemes only you could decipher. You had spent the last three nights planning, plotting, weaving strands of chaos into opportunities—just another job, just another risk to stay one step ahead of every soul in Ketterdam.

But this time, something felt... wrong.

Your head spun as you reached for the edge of the desk. The world tilted. The pain, sharp and sudden, flared behind your temples, and your cane clattered to the floor. A faint sound, distant like a heartbeat underwater, echoed in your ears. And then—nothing.

---

Hours later, in the Crow Club common room

Jesper tapped his fingers on the bar top, eyes flicking to the hallway leading to your office. "It’s been hours. Has anyone actually seen him today?"

Inej, perched on a windowsill like the ghost she was, shrugged but didn’t look up from sharpening her knives. "Kaz doesn’t owe us his presence."

"Sure, but—" Jesper leaned forward, lowering his voice as if the walls had ears. "He’s been acting… off lately. You noticed? Twitchy. Dark circles. Darker than usual, I mean."

"I notice everything." Inej’s tone was sharp, but her gaze softened. "He’s fine. He has to be."

Wylan, sitting at a nearby table with a ledger, frowned. "Maybe he’s just… tired?"

Matthias scoffed. "Kaz Brekker doesn’t get tired. He’s probably plotting some new scheme to drag us into the harbor at midnight."

Nina leaned against Matthias, arms crossed. "Still, Jes has a point. Kaz has been pushing himself harder lately. And when was the last time he actually ate something?"

The room grew quiet.

It was Inej who finally stood. "I’ll check."

The door to your office creaked open, and Inej slipped inside, silent as a shadow.