Six of Crows: Chapter 45: Kaz Summary & Analysis

Kaz realizes that Van Eck isn’t working for the Merchant Council—he tricked Kaz, just like Jakob Hertzoon had years ago. Van Eck explains that jurda parem can’t be kept a secret. Markets will collapse, but when they do, he’ll be ready to profit off the many jurda fields he now owns. It doesn’t matter, he insists, if Grisha will be enslaved worldwide; someone has to suffer. Then, he says that he hired “scum from the Barrel” to work for him because nobody will miss them. His Tidemakers smash Rotty’s longboat and send a wave toward the Ferolind. Kaz shouts that Wylan is on the schooner, and he saw Van Eck’s letters to Wylan and knows he wants his son home.

Laughing bitterly, Van Eck says that Wylan was supposed to inherit one of the biggest shipping businesses in the world, but Wylan can’t read. He can do math and play the flute, but he’s a “disgrace” and a “moron.” Jesper angrily says the letters, which said things like, “If you’re reading this, you know how much I wish to have you home,” were intended to mock Wylan. Van Eck says it’ll all be fine: his new wife is pregnant, and her baby will inherit the business. With another whistle, the Tidemakers destroy the Ferolind. Jesper is beside himself, but Kaz insists he doesn’t care: Van Eck doesn’t have Kuwei. The Shu boy holds out his hand to Kaz and tells him to pay up in perfect Kerch.

The boy who looks like Kuwei is actually Wylan; Nina tailored Wylan to look like Kuwei before her jurda parem high waned, after Wylan told Kaz about his “affliction.” Kaz didn’t care that Wylan can’t read—Wylan has other highly useful skills. Wylan walks to Kaz’s side as Kaz notes that the real Kuwei might’ve been on the Ferolind. He agrees to tell Van Eck where Kuwei is if he lets the crew off the island with their money. Van Eck tells his guards to kill everyone but Kaz, and Kaz makes a huge mistake: he looks at Inej, and Van Eck notices. Van Eck sends his Grisha after Inej and the money. Inej kills three of Van Eck’s Grisha, but the final Squaller whisks her up and away, knocking her out. Kaz can’t shoot the Squaller, or Inej will fall.

Van Eck’s Grisha sweep him and the money off the island and onto the boat, and Van Eck shouts back that he wants Kuwei by the end of the week or Inej will die—and every government and gang will be after the Dregs to get Kuwei themselves. Jesper offers to shoot Van Eck, but Kaz says to let them go. Kaz feels helpless, though at least Nina and Kuwei are safe: they’re in the underground cages at Hellgate, not on the destroyed Ferolind. Jesper turns on Wylan and asks why he’d do this, and then he realizes that everyone but him knew what the plan was. Angrily, Kaz says that’s because Jesper sold them out to Pekka Rollins by telling a Dime Lion that he was leaving the country for “big money.” Jesper, he says, is still a “dumb farm boy.”

Kaz and Jesper are about to fight each other when Matthias steps between them, and Wylan says they have to focus on what to do now. Moreover, Jesper didn’t purposefully betray anyone. Kaz walks off, knowing he can never trust Jesper again. Specht will come for them in a few hours. He remembers letting Nina disguise his crow-and-cup tattoo before the heist, but he didn’t let her cover the R on his arm—and unwittingly, he’d grown back into Kaz Rietveld during the heist. Now, he’s paying for it. But he has an idea. He can’t become the better, gentler person Inej wants him to be, but Dirtyhands can get Inej her freedom.