Six of Crows, #2
Crooked Kingdom
by Leigh Bardugo
Contents
4. Inej
Overview
Inej attempts to escape Van Eck’s captivity by stealing a shard of broken crockery, cutting her bonds, and crawling through a vent, but she emerges into a theater where Van Eck is waiting. Van Eck reveals that the growing international hunt for Kuwei has made time critical, then escalates from manipulation to torture threats to force Inej to disclose Kaz’s safe houses.
The chapter deepens Inej’s conflict between faith, survival, loyalty, and doubt in Kaz, especially when she saves herself by arguing that Kaz will not trade for her if she is broken. Van Eck’s cruelty hardens Inej’s hatred and raises the stakes of the rescue: Inej may not survive intact if Kaz’s plan fails or comes too late.
Summary
Inej wakes after the fight on Vellgeluk bound, blindfolded, and imprisoned in a windowless room. The confinement recalls her abduction by slavers, but Inej steadies herself with prayer, her father’s lesson about meeting fear, and the decision that she must escape rather than wait to be saved.
During meals, Inej studies the room whenever Bajan, Van Eck’s Suli indentured music teacher, lifts her blindfold. Bajan is polite and charming, but he repeatedly tries to draw information from Inej about Kaz and the Dregs. Inej eats only enough to stay alive because she has found a vent and needs to fit through it; when Bajan brings food, Inej pretends weakness, knocks over the tray, and secretly hides a shard of broken bowl in her ankle bindings.
Bajan changes tactics by invoking Inej’s family, her Suli childhood, and the possibility that Van Eck could free her from her indenture and send her home. Inej is tempted by the memory of home but recognizes the offer as leverage and refuses to betray her friends or abandon the purpose she has found in Ketterdam. After Bajan leaves, Inej uses the shard to cut herself free and crawls through the tight, dark vent, hoping to escape before morning.
The vent leads into a decrepit theater, but the escape proves to be a trap or at least anticipated. Van Eck appears with guards and reveals that the Shu have brought warships into Ketterdam, increasing the urgency of finding Kuwei Yul-Bo before other powers do. Inej tries to flee through the theater and into the rafters, but Van Eck’s men cut her down and force her onto a table set with real surgical tools.
Van Eck demands Kaz’s safe house locations, but Inej insists she cannot lead him to Kuwei. When ordinary threats fail, Van Eck identifies Inej’s deepest vulnerability and orders a guard to shatter her legs. Inej breaks and screams that Kaz will never trade for her if Van Eck destroys her usefulness; Van Eck accepts the argument, spares her for the night, and sends her back to her cell. Inej denounces Bajan as forsaken for standing by, then lies in the dark shaken by the realization that part of her believes Kaz may value her only if she remains useful.
Who Appears
- Inej GhafaCaptive of Van Eck; attempts escape, resists interrogation, and confronts doubts about Kaz.
- Jan Van EckMerchant captor who manipulates and terrorizes Inej to locate Kuwei and Kaz’s safe houses.
- BajanSuli indentured music teacher who questions Inej and enables Van Eck despite claiming kindness.
- Kaz BrekkerAbsent but central to Inej’s fears, loyalty, and Van Eck’s pressure campaign.
- Kuwei Yul-BoAbsent Shu hostage whose location Van Eck urgently seeks amid international pressure.
- Blade-nosed guardVan Eck’s enforcer who prepares to torture Inej and nearly smashes her leg.