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“Who’s Milo?”
Inej looked up at Wylan’s voice, attention momentarily drawn from the map she was studying to pay closer attention to Jesper’s reply. The mercher’s son had been quieter than most of them during their voyage across the True Sea—all but Matthias, in truth—so the fact it was Jesper’s grossly exaggerated retelling of their trip across the Fold that drew his attention was quite interesting. Judging by the red tint to Wylan’s cheeks, she wasn’t the only one not expecting his sudden outburst.
“Milo? Who’s Milo, he asks, as if there are enough words in the world to describe my lost love.” Jesper sighed dramatically, leaning back against the ship’s edge as he pressed a hand to his chest. “If it weren’t for him, we would never have survived that crossing. He would have died in my arms.”
“What a tragedy that would have been, I’m sure.”
Ignoring Wylan’s sardonic remark, Jesper continued, voice crescendoing as he told their story again. “We owe him our lives, truly. He gave me the strength to go on, to fight, to shoot down the Volcra and get us safely across.” With another sigh, he shook his head. “But I had to leave him, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss his adorable face.”
Inej was trying to stifle a laugh, Wylan’s face growing redder and redder with every word. She was torn between joining the conversation and seeing if perhaps Jesper would notice his impact on the boy.
“That’s enough tall tales for one day, Jesper.”
Kaz appeared from below deck swift enough that even Inej barely saw him coming, which was an impressive feat. His cane rapped against the deck as he made his way towards the rest of them, eyes fixed on Jesper as he walked.
“Just making sure the merchling knows what kind of job he’s infor,” Jesper said with a grin. “All a bit of fun, boss, and hopefully nobody gets left behind this time, right?”
“You’re still upset about Milo,” Kaz said, an observation more than a question. “He wouldn’t have made it into the Little Palace with us, Jesper.”
“I wonder if he misses me,” Jesper continued, as if he’d barely heard Kaz at all. “We could have had such a life together.”
Turning to where Nina was trying to pry words from Matthias’ determinedly closed mouth, Kaz cleared his throat to get her attention. “How long has he been carrying on like this?”
“How long have you been below deck?” Nina shot back, not sparing him a glance. “It’s been tales of the Fold and the Little Palace nonstop since you disappeared, Brekker.”
“Hmm.” Kaz turned back to Jesper, cutting off his laments by placing the end of his cane on the railing he was leaning on. “I’ll get you another one, Jesper.”
Shaking his head, Jesper gently pushed the cane further from his elbow’s perch. “I don’t want another one, boss. I want Milo.”
“You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”
“I would so!” He tilted his chin up defiantly, closing his eyes against the wind’s onslaught. “Milo is irreplaceable.”
Kaz drew his cane back to him, shrugging. “Best wait until you see what I replace him with first.”
Wylan spluttered from where he stood, half-hidden behind Nina. “You can’t just— I mean, what, you’re talking about buying Jesper a person?”
Inej couldn’t hold her laughter this time, watching Kaz continue back towards the lower deck, barely giving Wylan any hint that he’d heard him. He threw an almost imperceptible wink to Inej as he called back over his shoulder, “Who said anything about buying?”
Nina cackled. “We all know Brekker doesn’t pay for anything if he can steal it,” she said once Kaz made it below deck and she’d finally stopped laughing.
“You can’t steal a person,” Wylan groaned as Inej lost it in a fit of giggles.
Inej deftly made her way down the drainpipe of the Fjerdan inn and slipped through the window moments before Matthias went to pull it closed.
“ Fellenjuret !” he gasped, catching sight of her as he reached out.
Behind him Nina laughed, before quickly smoothing out her amused expression at the stern glare thrown her way.
Ignoring their unspoken conversation, dealt only in loaded facial expressions, Inej crossed the room. She perched on the arm of a chair, securing a clear view of both the door and the window. It had been a while since Tante Heleen called her to The Menagerie, but she still felt more comfortable when she could see all exits of any room containing a bed.
The telltale noise of Kaz’s cane caught her attention from the stairwell and she stilled, hearing the difference from when they’d parted ways earlier. He was heavily favouring his good side, the time between steps rhythmless and painful to her ears. There was also a shuffling noise she couldn’t quite place — like he was carrying a bag, yet that never caused him this much grief before. Had the seafare truly worn him out that much? How could she not have noticed sooner?
“Milo!” Jesper shouted from where he’d been pacing in front of the bed, running towards the door with a grin. “Oh, you’re my favourite person in the world right now.”
Behind him, Wylan pressed his face into his hands and sighed before falling back onto the bed. “I thought we’d finally ended that conversation,” Inej could barely make out his words, voice muffled between his fingers.
There was a moment of confusion before the pieces slotted into place, and Inej couldn’t help but laugh. She tried to hide it behind her hand, then as it threatened to take over she tried to turn it into a cough. Watching Kaz round the corner into the room with a goat under his arm was her breaking point; Inej began to shake so hard with laughter that she slid from the armrest down into the seat of the chair, letting out an undignified snort.
Kaz said nothing, simply handing the goat over to an ecstatic Jesper before walking over to lean against the arm of the chair Inej was doubled over in. “Did you all get everything we need?”
“I can’t believe you found Milo for me!”
Sighing, Kaz tapped the base of his cane to the ground sharply once before fixing Jesper with a stern glare that was completely wasted on him. “Jesper. Did you get the supplies, or do I have to deliver Milo to the chefs downstairs?”
“Wait. Milo was a goat this whole time?” Wylan was sitting up again, directing an incredulous stare at Kaz before cowering slightly as the murderous look moved from Jesper to him. “Um, yeah, we got the things you asked for, Kaz.”
“He’s still got the bullet I left with him, oh, look,” Jesper crooned as he pulled the goat even closer to his body. “I don’t know how you do it, Kaz, but am I ever glad you know how to get things done.”
Matthias cleared his throat, gruff voice matching the disbelief plain across his face. “The demjin is playing tricks. You know that cannot really be the same goat from Ravka?”
“It is!” Jesper moved a hand to cover one of the goat’s ears, whispering in the other, “It’s okay, Milo, I know it’s you. They’re all just jealous they’ll never have a love like ours.”
“Hush, Jesper, take your furry boyfriend to the bed and settle down before he freaks out, please.” Nina was laughing, swatting Matthias beside her as he grumbled and shaking her head. “He’s probably right, but far be it from me to deny you your goat lover.”
“I’m sorry, are we all just skipping over the goat part?” Wylan said, the pitch of his voice raising with each syllable. Almost an undertone, he added, “Also, Matthias is right, there’s no way that’s actually your stupid Milo.”
Jesper was unaffected by their mockery, petting Milo where he sat beside him on the bed. “Shhhh, baby, it’s alright. I remember you.” Looking up, he grinned at Wylan’s pinched eyebrows and blew a kiss. “It’s okay, merchling, plenty of goats in the sea. Or in Fjerda, as it would be. We’ll find you one yet.”
“ I don’t want a–”
Kaz cleared his throat, silencing them all in an instant. “We’re going over the plans for the Ice Court now, or we’ll end up four million kruge poorer, and likely dead.”
“When we’re dead, you’re all going to regret spending our last moments together doubting Milo.”
“If you die, Kaz will probably find a way to bring you back so he can kill you himself for this, Jesper.” Nina paused for a moment, before shrugging. “Unless I do it first.”
He stuck his tongue out at Nina’s back, then beamed across the room at Kaz. “Alright boss, let’s go over the plans again.”
Inej pulled her legs up into her chest, composing herself as she wiped away the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks with her laughter. She listened as Matthias confirmed their way in and out, as Kaz quizzed Wylan on the materials he’d gathered, as Jesper fidgeted less than she’d seen in months while he petted the goat beside him.
“Kaz,” she murmured, seeing his jaw tilt slightly towards her by means of acknowledgement. “It’s not really the same goat, right?”
He met her eyes for the briefest of moments, and a soft smile that graced his features. It was gone so quickly she would have thought she imagined it, were it not for the slight upward pull that stayed at one corner of his mouth as he turned back to the discussion before them.
She had no idea how Kaz managed it, but now she knew Jesper was right: it was Milo.
Sighing to herself with a fond smile, she shook her head. Oh, Kaz Brekker. You’ll be the undoing of us all.