Six of Crows, #1
Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
Contents
Chapter 23: Jesper
Overview
Jesper executes the crew’s escape from the holding cell by releasing chloro gas and secretly using Fabrikator powers to create lockpicks from the bars. The reveal that Jesper is Grisha adds new personal stakes, as he fears exposure and refuses the identities others might impose on him.
Once free, the crew’s plan immediately encounters trouble when the incinerator route proves dangerously hot and unusable for explosives. The discovery of Inej’s slippers restores a narrow possibility of escape, but Kaz and Nina’s separate search of the upper cells creates new uncertainty.
Summary
Jesper waits anxiously in the holding cell beside an equally nervous Wylan, reflecting on his restless nature, his father, and the path that led him from Novyi Zem to the Barrel. Wylan panics over their lack of tools, and their argument turns into wary banter about why each of them chose criminal life, with Wylan hinting that his father once took him abroad before something changed.
At six bells, a guard makes the head count and delivers fresh water. Jesper deliberately soaks himself and Wylan, then cuts open stitches in his ankle to remove a hidden pellet. After warning the crew to cover their mouths, Jesper drops the pellet into the waste bucket, where it reacts with urine and releases chloro gas that incapacitates the surrounding prisoners.
With the prisoners unconscious, Kaz orders Jesper to work quickly. Jesper reveals that he is a barely trained Fabrikator by pulling iron particles from the cell bars and shaping them into two crude lockpicks. Matthias and Wylan realize Jesper is Grisha, and Jesper insists Wylan keep the secret because Jesper fears slavery, execution, or recruitment into Ravka’s Second Army more than he values using those powers openly.
Kaz uses the picks to unlock the cell, then locks it again behind the escaping crew. Kaz explains that the failed attempt to smuggle in lockpicks was a deliberate distraction so the guards would believe they had neutralized the threat. The team splits: Kaz and Wylan are supposed to free Nina and Inej, while Jesper and Matthias go to gather rope and meet the others in the basement.
Jesper and Matthias retrieve rope from the stables, where Jesper briefly feels comforted by the horses and memories of farm life. They reach the basement and find Wylan and Inej in the refuse room, but the plan has gone wrong: the incinerator shaft is still violently hot because the Fjerdans ran it later than expected. Explosives cannot be taken through it, and Inej is uncertain whether she can make the climb until Wylan discovers their discarded clothes, including Inej’s slippers, giving her a real chance to attempt it.
Who Appears
- Jesper FaheyNervous sharpshooter who reveals secret Fabrikator powers and creates lockpicks from prison bars.
- Wylan Van EckAnxious demolitionist who banters with Jesper and discovers Inej’s slippers in discarded clothing.
- Kaz BrekkerCrew leader who uses Jesper’s makeshift picks, explains the decoy plan, and searches upper cells.
- Matthias HelvarFjerdan guide who helps Jesper collect rope and worries about Kaz leaving with Nina.
- Inej GhafaAcrobat and spy whose recovered slippers may allow her to climb the incinerator shaft.
- Nina ZenikHeartrender whose hidden pellet is implied; she accompanies Kaz to search the upper cells.