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"Your Majesty," Sazed said calmly, "I realize that you commanded me to ask no questions, so I will instead make observations. You appear to have placed yourself in a very poor position. I know not how you control these koloss, but I cannot help but think that your grip is tenuous. You are in danger, and you appear intent on sharing that danger with others. "
Jastes flushed. "Your observations are flawed, Terrisman. I am in control of this army. They obey me completely. How many other noblemen have you seen gather koloss armies? None—only I have been successful. "
"They do not seem very much under control, Your Majesty. "
"Oh?" Jastes asked. "And did they tear you apart when they found you? Pummel you to death for sport? Ram a stick through you and roast you over one of their fires? No. They dont do these things because I commanded them otherwise. It may not seem like much, Terrisman, but trust me—this is a sign of great restraint and obedience for koloss. "
"Civilization is no great achievement, Your Majesty. "
"Do not try me, Terrisman!" Jastes snapped, running a hand through the remnants of his hair. "These are koloss we speak of—we cant expect much from them. "
"And you bring them to Luthadel?" Sazed asked. "Even the Lord Ruler feared these creatures, Your Majesty. He kept them away from cities. You bring them to the most populated area in all of the Final Empire!"
"You dont understand," Jastes said. "I tried overtures of peace, but nobody listens unless you have money or an army. Well, I have one, and Ill soon have the other. I know Elends sitting on that stash of atium—and Im just come to. . . to make an alliance with him. "
"An alliance where you take over control of the city?"
"Bah!" Jastes said with a wave of his hand. "Elend doesnt control Luthadel—hes just a placeholder waiting for someone more powerful to come along. Hes a good man, but hes an innocent idealist. Hes going to lose his throne to one army or another, and Ill give him a better deal than Cett or Straff will, thats certain. "
Cett? Straff? What kind of trouble has young Venture gotten himself into? Sazed shook his head. "Somehow I doubt that a better deal involves the use of koloss, Your Majesty. "
Jastes frowned. "You certainly are smart-mouthed, Terrisman. Youre a sign—your entire people are a sign—of what has gone wrong with the world. I used to respect the Terris people. Theres no shame in being a good servant. "
"Theres often little pride in it either," Sazed said. "But, I apologize for my attitude, Your Majesty. It is not a manifestation of Terris independence. I have always been too free with my comments, I think. I never made the best of stewards. " Or the best of Keepers, he added to himself.
"Bah," Jastes said again, resuming his pacing.
"Your Majesty," Sazed said. "I must continue to Luthadel. There are. . . events I need to deal with. Think what you will of my people, but you must know that we are honest. The work I do is beyond politics and wars, thrones and armies. It is important for all men. "
"Scholars always say things like that," Jastes said. He paused. "Elend always said things like that. "
"Regardless," Sazed continued, "I must be allowed to leave. In exchange for my freedom, I will deliver a message from you to His Majesty King Elend, if you wish. "
"I could send a messenger of my own at any time!"
"And leave yourself with one less man to protect you from the koloss?" Sazed said.
Jastes paused just briefly.
Ah, so he does fear them. Good. At least hes not insane.
"I will be leaving, Your Majesty," Sazed said. "I do not mean to be arrogant, but I can see that you dont have the resources to keep prisoners. You can let me go, or you can give me to the koloss. I would be wary, however, of letting them get into a habit of killing humans. "
Jastes eyed him. "Fine," he said. "Deliver this message, then. Tell Elend that I dont care if he knows Im coming—I dont even care if you give our numbers. Be sure youre accurate, though! I have over twenty thousand koloss in this army. He cant fight me. He cant fight the others, either. But, if I had those city walls. . . well, I could hold off both other armies for him. Tell him to be logical. If he gives over the atium, Ill even let him keep Luthadel. We can be neighbors. Allies. "
One bankrupt of coin, the other bankrupt of common sense, Sazed thought. "Very well, Your Majesty. I will speak with Elend. I will need the return of my possessions, however. "
The king waved a hand in annoyance, and Sazed withdrew, waiting quietly as the lead guard entered the kings chambers again and received his orders. As he waited for the soldiers to prepare—his pack thankfully returned to him—Sazed thought about what Jastes had said. Cett or Straff. Just how many forces were working on Elend to take his city?
If Sazed had wanted a quiet place to study, hed apparently chosen the wrong direction to run.
It wasnt until a few years later that I began to notice the signs. I knew the prophecies—I am a Terris Worldbringer, after all. And yet, not all of us are religious men; some, such as myself, are more interested in other topics. However, during my time with Alendi, I could not help but become more interested in the Anticipation. He seemed to fit the signs so well.
20
"THIS IS GOING TO BE dangerous, Your Majesty," Dockson said.
"Its our only option," Elend said. He stood behind his table; it was, as usual, stacked with books. He was backlit by the studys window, and its colors fell upon the back of his white uniform, dyeing it a brilliant maroon.
He certainly does look more commanding in that outfit, Vin thought, sitting in Elends plush reading chair, OreSeur resting patiently on the floor beside her. She still wasnt sure what to think of the changes in Elend. She knew the alterations were mostly visual—new clothing, new haircut—but other things about him seemed to be changing as well. He stood up straighter when he spoke, and was more authoritative. He was even training in the sword and the cane.
Vin glanced at Tindwyl. The matronly Terriswoman sat in a stiff chair at the back of the room, watching the proceedings. She had perfect posture, and was ladylike in her colorful skirt and blouse. She didnt sit with her legs folded beneath her, as Vin currently did, and shed never wear trousers.
What is it about her? Vin thought. Ive spent a year trying to get Elend to practice his swordsmanship. Tindwyls been here less than a month, and she already has him sparring.
Why did Vin feel bitter? Elend wouldnt change that much, would he? She tried to quiet the little piece of her that worried about this new confident, well-dressed warrior of a king—worried that he would turn out to be different from the man she loved.
What if he stopped needing her?
She pulled down into the chair just a little bit farther as Elend continued to speak with Ham, Dox, Clubs, and Breeze.
"El," Ham said, "you realize that if you go into the enemy camp, we wont be able to protect you. "
"Im not sure you can protect me here, Ham," Elend said. "Not with two armies camped practically against the walls. "
"True," Dockson said, "but Im worried that if you enter that camp, youll never come out. "
"Only if I fail," Elend said. "If I follow the plan—convince my father that were his allies—hell let me return. I didnt spend a lot of time politicking in the court when I was younger. However, one thing I did learn to do was manipulate my father. I know Straff Venture—and I know that I can beat him. Besides, he doesnt want me dead. "
"Can we be sure of that?" Ham asked, rubbing his chin.
"Yes," Elend said. "After all, Straff hasnt sent assassins after me, while Cett has. It makes sense. What better person for Straff to leave in control of Luthadel than his own son? He thinks he can control me—hell assume that he can make me give him Luthadel. If I play into that, I should be able to get him to attack Cett. "
"He does have a point. . . " Ham said.
"Yes," Dockson said, "but what is to keep Straff f
rom just taking you hostage and forcing his way into Luthadel?"
"Hell still have Cett at his back," Elend said. "If he fights us, hell lose men—a lot of men—and expose himself to attack from behind. "
"But hell have you, my dear man," Breeze said. "He wouldnt have to attack Luthadel—he could force us to give in. "
"Youll have orders to let me die first" Elend said. "Thats why I set up the Assembly. It has the power to choose a new king. "
"But why?" Ham asked. "Why take this risk, El? Lets wait a bit longer and see if we can get Straff to meet with you in a more neutral location. "
Elend sighed. "You have to listen to me, Ham. Siege or no siege, we cant just sit here. If we do, either well get starved out, or one of those armies will decide to break the siege and attack us, hoping to take our walls, then turn and immediately defend against its enemies. They wont do that easily, but it could happen. It will happen, if we dont begin to play the kings against one another. "
The room fell silent. The others slowly turned toward Clubs, who nodded. He agreed.
Good job, Elend, Vin thought.
"Someone has to meet with my father," Elend said. "And, I need to be that person. Straff thinks I am a fool, so I can convince him that Im no threat. Then, Ill go and persuade Cett that Im on his side. When they finally attack each other—each one thinking were on their side—well withdraw instead and force them to fight it out. The winner wont have enough strength left to take the city from us!"
Ham and Breeze nodded their heads. Dockson, however, shook his. "The plan is good in theory, but going into the enemy camp unguarded? That seems foolish. "
"Now, see," Elend said. "I think this is to our advantage. My father believes strongly in control and domination. If I walk into his camp, Ill essentially be telling him that I agree he has authority over me. Ill seem weak, and hell assume that he can take me whenever he wants. Its a risk, but if I dont do this, we die. "
The men eyed each other.
Elend stood up a little straighter and pulled his hands into fists at his sides. He always did that when he was nervous.
"Im afraid that this isnt a discussion," Elend said. "Ive made my decision. "
Theyre not going to accept a declaration like that, Vin thought. The crew were an independent lot.
Yet, surprisingly, none of them objected.
Dockson finally nodded his head. "All right, Your Majesty," he said. "Youre going to need to walk a dangerous line—make Straff believe that he can count on our support, but also convince him that he can betray us at his leisure. You have to make him want our strength of arms while at the same time dismissing our strength of will. "
"And," Breeze added, "you need to do so without him figuring out that youre playing both sides. "
"Can you do it?" Ham asked. "Honestly, Elend?"
Elend nodded. "I can do it, Ham. Ive gotten much better at politics this last year. " He said the words with confidence, though Vin noticed that he still had his fists clenched. Hell have to learn not to do that.
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