Six of Crows, #2
Crooked Kingdom
by Leigh Bardugo
Contents
2. Wylan
Overview
Wylan helps Kaz execute a risky operation that uses Jesper’s gambling weakness, Nina’s charm, and Smeet’s habits to create an opening for a burglary. The chapter deepens Wylan’s discomfort with Kaz’s methods while showing how far the crew will go to find leverage against Van Eck and save Inej.
The search of Smeet’s records uncovers a troubling lead tied to Wylan’s supposedly dead mother and the Church of Saint Hilde. The operation appears clean until Kaz and Wylan unexpectedly run into Smeet outside his own home, putting the plan in immediate danger.
Summary
Wylan, still disguised with Kuwei Yul-Bo’s Shu features, works as a fake waiter at Club Cumulus while Kaz’s plan unfolds. Wylan feels anxious and out of place, but follows Kaz’s instructions: serve the private gambling room and keep watch on Cornelis Smeet, Jan Van Eck’s attorney and property manager.
At the card table, Jesper deliberately loses under Kaz’s rigged dealing while Nina distracts Smeet by playing the role of an affectionate pleasure-house girl. The goal is not to win money but to keep Smeet in the gambling den until midnight so Kaz and Wylan can search Smeet’s home. Nina also manages to steal Smeet’s dog whistle, hiding it beneath oyster shells so Wylan can carry it out.
When Kaz’s dealer shift ends, Smeet nearly leaves, threatening the plan. Jesper keeps Smeet at the table by staking his beloved pearl-handled revolvers for gambling credit, despite Wylan’s alarm. Kaz then pulls Wylan away, revealing that Jesper’s losses were intentional because Smeet’s confidence and interest in the guns would keep Smeet playing long enough.
Kaz and Wylan meet Matthias near Smeet’s house, then break in through the front door. Kaz uses the stolen whistle and commands obtained earlier from one of Smeet’s clerks to subdue Smeet’s dangerous hounds. Wylan remembers with horror how Kaz killed that clerk after the man revealed he was extorting a Zemeni girl at the Menagerie, reinforcing Wylan’s fear of Kaz’s ruthlessness.
Inside Smeet’s office, Kaz searches property records connected to Van Eck, Alys, Wylan, and Wylan’s mother. The search reveals that Van Eck owns mocking or worthless properties in Wylan’s name, including a printing press and Eil Komedie, but Kaz also finds that Van Eck has been making donations to the Church of Saint Hilde for eight years. Kaz suggests this may be where Wylan can begin looking for his mother’s resting place, though the discovery unsettles Wylan.
As Kaz and Wylan leave, Smeet’s young daughter Hanna sees them. Kaz frightens her into silence by pretending to be a monster and threatening her family and dogs if she speaks. Wylan is appalled, but Kaz insists it was better than killing her. After resetting the dogs and locking the house, Kaz and Wylan flee, only to round a corner and collide directly with Cornelis Smeet.
Who Appears
- Wylannervous viewpoint character; disguised as Kuwei and disturbed by Kaz’s tactics.
- Kaz Brekkermasterminds the gambling diversion, burglary, dog-whistle trick, and threats to ensure silence.
- Jesperloses at cards as planned and stakes his prized revolvers to keep Smeet playing.
- Nina Zenikdistracts Smeet with flirtation and steals the whistle needed to control his hounds.
- Cornelis SmeetVan Eck’s attorney; targeted at the gambling table so his records can be searched.
- Matthiaskeeps watch near Smeet’s house and worries about Nina during the operation.
- Spechttakes over dealing at Club Cumulus to maintain the game after Kaz leaves.
- Hanna SmeetSmeet’s young daughter; discovers Kaz and Wylan and is terrified into silence.
- Jan Van Eckabsent antagonist whose hidden assets and ties to Wylan’s mother are investigated.
- Smeet’s clerkappears in Wylan’s memory as Kaz’s murdered source for the hound commands.