Crooked Kingdom Reread
Chapter 6: Nina
Nina couldnāt stop staring at Colm Faheyā¦
Nina describes Colm as having āsalt-white skinā
Just how pale is this man??
Also I forgot heās covered in freckles, but duh?? Heās a pale red head of course he has freckles
Side note: You know who else probably gets freckles? A certain pasty bastard of the Barrelā
ā¦though his eyes were the same clear gray as Jesperās, they had a seriousness to them, a kind of sure warmth that differed from Jesperās crackling energy.
It wasnāt only the pleasure of trying to find Jesper in his fatherās features that kept Ninaās attention focused on the farmer. There was just something so strange about seeing a person that wholesome standing in the stone hull of an empty mausoleum surrounded by Ketterdamās worstāherself among them.
Colm Fahey too pure for this world Ketterdam
Also Nina is using a horse blanket to stay warm?? Kinda odd
Come on Kaz steal better blankets- I know you can
Reading about Ninaās battle with jurda parem withdrawals is just really heart wrenching
It messes with her mind. She has thoughts sheād never have. Does things she wouldnāt normally do
She knows Matthias either has the parem or got rid of it and the thought literally makes her violently ill and then she āwept in jags of unsteady tearsā
āYouāre all a bunch of useless skivs,ā sheād said to the silent graves. They didnāt seem to care. And yet somehow the stillness of Black Veil comforted her, quieted her. She couldnāt explain why. The places of the dead had never held solace for her before.
Ohh?? Foreshadowing to her powers changing!!
This is whatās fun about rereads
You notice those details you didnāt the first time
It was the first time sheād tried to use her power since her recovery. Sheād broken into a sweat from the effort, and as soon as the bruised color faded, the hunger for parem hit, a swift, hard kick to her chest. Sheād bent double, clutching the sink, her mind filled with breakneck thoughts of how she could get away, who might have a supply, what she could trade. Sheād forced herself to think of the shame on the boat, the future she might be able to make with Matthias, but the thought that had brought her back to sanity was Inej. She owed Inej her life, and there was no way she was leaving her stranded with Van Eck.
Thereās something so beautiful about how every single crow cares for Inej so deeply
Theyād all do anything for her
Inej is definitely the glue of their crew and I know she cares for them all equally in return
After the Smeet job Nina searches Matthias for the paremā¦
I remember my heart squeezing when I read this my first time
Fatigue came on suddenly, a yoke at her neck, the exhaustion at least tempering her frantic need. She rested her forehead against Matthias chest. āI hate this,ā she said. āI hate you a little, drüskelle.ā
āIām used to it. Come here.ā Heād wrapped his arms around her and gotten her talking about Ravka, about Inej. Heād distracted her with stories, named the winds that blew across Fjerda, told her of his first meal in the drüskelle hallā¦
I love how Matthias is there for her though
Heās not abandoning her in this struggle even when she gets ugly with him
He knows itās not really her and heās going to fight this with her
Back to the present though and that means Colm Fahey
Kaz simply leaned on his cane and said, āWere you followed?ā
āNo,ā Jesper replied with a decisive shake of his head.
āWylan?ā
Colm bristled. āYou doubt my sonās word?ā
Colm is still standing up for Jesper even after everything thatās happened š„¹
Like heās still mad at Jesper and rightly so
But the theme of this chapter seems to be not abandoning those you love and I love that
He turned to his son. āI wrote to you, Jes.ā His voice was confused, not accusing.
āI ⦠I havenāt been able to collect mail.ā After Jesper had stopped attending university, had he still managed to receive letters there?
Nina wondered how heād maintained this ruse for so long. It would have been made easier by the fact that Colm was an ocean awayāand by his desire to believe in his son. An easy mark, Nina thought sadly. No matter his reasons, Jesper had been conning his own father.
Iām right there with Nina on this one
It is sadā¦
Colm threw down the lump of felt that had been his hat. āI donāt understand any of this. Why would you bring me to this horrible place? Why were we shot at? What has become of your studies? What has become of you?ā
Jesper opened his mouth, closed it. āDa, I ⦠Iāā
āIt was my fault,ā Wylan blurted. Every eye turned to him. āHe uh ⦠he was concerned about the bank loan, so he put his studies on hold to work with aā¦ā
āLocal gunsmith,ā Nina offered.
āNina,ā Matthias rumbled warningly.
āHe needs our help,ā she whispered.
āTo lie to his father?ā
āItās a fib. Totally different.ā
Wylan and Nina are so quick to jump in and try to help Jesper
Boy are they struggling though
But this is what gets me every time:
āThey were swindled,ā Kaz said. His voice was as cold and steady as ever, but he held himself stiffly, as if walking over uncertain ground. āThey were offered a business opportunity that seemed too good to be true.ā
Colm slumped into a chair. āIf it seems that way, thenāā
āIt probably is,ā said Kaz. Nina had the strangest sense that for once he was being sincere.
Heās talking about Jordie right here
Him and Jordie
He is being completely sincere
This is his genuine story and heās laying it out for all to see for Jesper
He doesnāt actually say a lot and no one knows that heās speaking from real experience butā¦
From Kaz this feels so... raw-
This shows me his love for Jesper, his closest friend⦠his brotherā
āYou barely look old enough to graduate.ā
āKetterdam was my education. And I can tell you this: Jesper never would have turned to me for help if heād had anywhere else to go.ā
āYou canāt be so bad, boy,ā said Colm gruffly. āYou havenāt been alive long enough to rack up your share of sin.ā
āIām a quick study.ā
Oh poor Mr. Fahey he has no idea
āCan I trust you?ā
āNo.ā
Colm took up his crumpled hat again. āCan I trust you to help Jesper through this?ā
āYes.ā
Kaz cares Kaz cares Kaz cares Kaz caā
Colm sighed. He looked around at all of them. Nina found herself standing up straighter. āYou lot make me feel very old.ā
āSpend a little more time in Ketterdam,ā said Kaz. āYouāll feel ancient.ā Then he tilted his head to one side and Nina saw that distant, considering look cross his features. āYou have an honest face, Mister Fahey.ā
Colm shot Jesper a puzzled glance. āWell. I should hope so, and thank you for marking it.ā
āItās not a compliment,ā said Jesper. āAnd I know that look, Kaz. Donāt you dare start those wheels spinning.ā
Kazās only response was a slow blink. Whatever scheme had been set in motion in his diabolical brain, it was too late to stop it now.
Scheming Faceā¢ļø
A dangerous thing to be on the wrong end of š¤£
The urge to comment on every single lineā
But then these posts would be a mile long!
āMister Fahey,ā Kaz said quietly. āYou know what they say about walking in a cow pasture?ā
Jesperās brows shot up, and Nina had to stifle a nervous laugh. What did the bastard of the Barrel know about cow pastures?
Oh a whole lot more than you would think
Nina felt a sudden lump in her throat. Matthias had lost his family to war. Nina had been taken from her family to train when she was just a little girl. Wylan had been as good as evicted from his fatherās house. Kuwei had lost his father and his country. And Kaz? She didnāt want to know what dark alley Kaz had crawled out of. But Jesper had somewhere to go, someone to take care of him, somebody to say, Itās going to be all rightā¦
ā¦She wished Jesperās father could take them all with him. Sheād never been to Novyi Zem, but the longing for those golden fields felt just like homesickness. Silly, she told herself, childish. Kaz was rightāif they wanted justice, they would have to take it for themselves.
These poor kidsā¦
He reached inside one of the niches in the wall.
āMy revolvers!ā Jesper exclaimed, clutching them to his chest. āOh, hello, you gorgeous things.ā His grin was dazzling. āYou got them back!ā
āThe safe at the Cumulus is an easy crack.ā
āThank you, Kaz. Thank you.ā
Any hint of the warmth Kaz had shown Jesperās father was gone, as fleeting as the dream of those golden fields. āWhat good is a shooter without his guns?ā Kaz asked, seemingly oblivious to the way Jesperās smile collapsed. āYouāve been in the red too long. We all have. This is the night we start paying our debts.ā
Ouch ouch ouch
ā¦
She couldnāt make a mistake, not when Inejās life depended on it. Nina knew that if sheād been on Vellgeluk, the battle would have gone differently. Inej never would have been taken if Nina had been strong enough to face Van Eckās henchmen.
And if sheād had parem? No one could have stood against her.
Nina that was not your fault-
You saved everyone in the first book!
Okay okay she does acknowledge that if sheād taken more parem sheād be practically dead
That other sense inside her, the gift that had been there for as long as she could remember, the heart of the power that had been her constant companion since she was a child, had simply ceased to beat.
I imagine this would feel like suddenly losing a limb
Nina felt a strange crawling sensation all over her body, but the need for parem wasnāt screaming through her any longer. I didnāt mean to kill him. It didnāt matter. It couldnāt right now. The guards were down and the plan was in motion.
āCome on,ā she said. āLetās go get our girl.ā
Our first glimpse at Nina using her new abilities!
Iām trying to remember my original thoughts on this⦠but I canāt
Maybe my theory was just that parem made you a different order of grisha?
But now I know thatās not whatās going on here
Also- Nina calles Inej āour girlā š„¹
She loves her so much!
All the crows love her so much š
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