She studied the group of eight men, in their suits that seemed-somehow-even more fine than those of the noblemen. They all seemed to be waiting on the whims of a single man. What was Philen planning?
One of the merchants moved as if to stand, but Philen shot him a harsh glance. The merchant did not rise. Philen sat quietly, a nobleman's dueling cane across his lap. Finally, when most of the room had noticed the merchant's focus on him, he slowly rose to his feet.
"I have a nomination of my own," he said.
There was a snort from the skaa section. "Now who's being melodramatic. Philen?" one of the Assemblymen there said. "Just go ahead and do it-nominate yourself."
Philen raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I'm not going to nominate myself."
Vin frowned,- and she saw confusion in Elend's eyes.
"Though I appreciate the sentiment," Philen continued, "I am but a simple merchant. No, I think that the title of king should go to someone whose skilrteen lands.
32
VIN SAT QUIETLY. TENSELY, SCANNING the crowd. Cett wouldn 7 have come alone, she thought.
And then she saw them, now that she knew what she was looking for. Soldiers in the crowd, dressed likcskaa, forming a small protective buffer around Cett's seat. The king did not rise, though a young man at his side did.
Maybe thirty guards, Vin thought. He may not be foolish enough to come alone .... but entering the very city you're besieging? It was a bold move-one that bordered on stupidity. Of course, many had said the same about Elend's visit to Straffs army.
But Cett wasn't in the same position as Elend. He wasn't desperate, wasn't in danger of losing everything. Except ... he had a smaller army than Straff, and the koloss were coming. And if Straff did secure the supposed atium supply, Cett's days as leader in the West would certainly be numbered. Coming into Luthadel might not have been an act of desperation, but it also wasn't the act of a man who held the upper hand. Cett wasls are a little more specialized. Tell me. Lord Venture, must our nominations be for people on the Assembly?"
"No," Elend said. "The king doesn't have to be an Assemblyman-I accepted this position after the fact. The king's primary duty is that of creating, then enforcing, the law. The Assembly is only an advisory council with some measure of counterbalancing power. The king himself can be anyone-actually, the title was intended to be hereditary. I didn't expect... certain clauses to be invoked quite so quickly."
"Ah. yes," Philen said. "Well, then. I think the title should go to someone who has a little practice with it. Someone who has shown skill with leadership. Therefore. I nominate Lord Ashweather Cell to be our king!"
What? Vin thought with shock as Philen turned, gesturing toward the audience. A man sitting there removed his skaa cloak, pulling down the hood, revealing a suit and a face with a bristling beard.
"Oh dear..." Breeze said.
"It's actually him?" Vin asked incredulously as the whispers began in the audience.
Breeze nodded. "Oh, that's him. Lord Cett himself." He paused, then eyed her. "I think we might be in trouble."
I had never received much attention from my brethren; they thought that tny work and my interests were unsuitable to a Worldbringer. The couldn't see how my work, studying nature instead of religion, benefited the people of the fou gambling.
And he seemed to"be enjoying it.
Cett smiled as the room waited in silence. Assemblymen and audience alike too shocked to speak. Finally, Cett waved to a few of his disguised soldiers, and the men picked up Cett's chair and carried it to the stage. Assemblymen whispered and commented, turning to aides or companions, seeking confirmation of Cett's identity. Most of the noblemen sat quietly-which should have been enough of a confirmation, in Vin's mind.
"He's not what I expected," Vin whispered to Breeze as the soldiers climbed up on the dais.
"Nobody told you he was crippled?" Breeze asked.
"Not just that," Vin said. "He's not wearing a suit." He had on a pair of trousers and a shirt, but instead of a nobleman's suit coat, he was wearing a worn black jacket. "Plus, that beard. He couldn't have grown a beast like that in one year-he must have had it before the Collapse."
"You only knew noblemen in Luthadel, Vin," Ham said. "The Final Empire was a big place, with a lot of different societies. Not everybody dresses like they do here."
Breeze nodded. "Cett was the most powerful nobleman in his area, so he needn't worry about tradition and propriety. He did what he wished, and the local nobility pandered. There were a hundred different courts with a hundred different little 'Lord Rulers' in the empire, each region having its own political dynamic."
Vin turned back to the stage front. Cett sat in his chair, having yet to speak. Finally, Lord Penrod stood. "This is most unexpected, Lord Cett."
"Good!" Cett said. "That was, after all, the point!" "Do you wish to address the Assembly?" "I thought I already was."
Penrod cleared his throat, and Vin's tin-enhanced ears heard a disparaging mutter from the noblemen's section regarding "Western noblemen."
"You have ten minutes. Lord Cett," Penrod said, sitting.
"Good," Cett said. "Because-unlike the boy over there-I intend to tell you exactly why you should make me king."
"And that is?" one of the merchant Assemblymen asked.
"Because I've got an army on your damn doorstep!" Cett said with a laugh.
The Assembly looked taken aback.
"A threat, Cett?" Elend asked calmly.
"No, Venture," Cett replied. "Just honesty-something you Central noblemen seem to avoid at all cost. A threat is only a promise turned around. What was it you told these people? That your mistress had her knife at Straff's throat? So, were you implying that if you weren't elected, you'd have your Mistbom withdraw, and let the city be destroyed?"
Elend flushed. "Of course not."
"Of course not." Cett repeated. He had a loud voice- unapologetic, forceful. "Well. I don't pretend, and I don't hide. My army is here, and my intention is to take this city. However, I'd much rather that you just give it to me."
"You, sir, are a tyrant," Penrod said flatly.
"So?" Cett asked. "I'm a tyrant with forty thousand soldiers. That's twice what you've got.guarding these walls."
"What's to stop us from simply taking you hostage?" asked one of the other noblemen. "You seem to have delivered yourself to us quite neatly."
Cett bellowed a laugh. "If I don't return to my camp this evening, my army has orders to attack and raze the city immediately-no matter what! They'll probably get destroyed by Venture afterward-but it won't matter to me, or to you, at that point! We'll all be dead."
The room fell silent.
"See, Venture?" Cett asked. 'Threats work wonderfully." "You honestly expect us to make you our king?" Elend asked.
"Actually, I do," Cett said. "Look, with your twenty thousand added to my forty, we could easily hold these walls against Straff-we could even stop that army of koloss."
Whispers began immediately, and Cett raised a bushy eyebrow, turning to Elend. "You didn't tell them about the koloss. did you?"
Elend didn't respond.
"Well, they'll know soon enough." Cett said. "Regardless, I don't see that you have any other option but to elect me."
"You're not an honorable man," Eleiid said simply. "The people expect more from their leaders."
"I'm not an honorable man?" Cett asked with amusement. "And you are'? Let me ask you a direct question. Venture. During the proceedings of this meeting, have any of your Allomancers over there been Soothing members of (he Assembly?"
Elend paused. His eyes glanced to the side, finding Breeze. Vin closed her eyes. No, Elend,'don't-
"Yes, they have," Elend admitted.
Vin heard Tindwyl groan quietly.
"And," Cett continued, "can you honestly say that you've never doubted yourself? Never wondered if you were a good king?"
"I think every leader wonders these things," Elend said.
"Well. I haven't,
" Cett said. "I've always known I was meant to be in charge-and I've always done the best job of making certain that I stayed in power. I know how to make myself strong, and that means I know how to make those who associate with me strong as well.
"Here's the deal. You give me the crown, and I'll take charge here. You all get to keep your titles-and those of the Assembly who don't have titles will get them. In addition, you'll get to keep your heads-which is a far better deal than Straff would offer, I assure you.
"The people get to keep working, and I'll make certain
that .they're fed this winter. Everything goes back to normal, the way it was before this insanity began a year back. The skaa work, the nobility administrates."
"You think they'd go back to that?" Elend asked. "After all we fought for, you think I will simply let you force the people back into slavery?"
Cett smiled beneath his large beard. "I wasn't under the impression that the decision was yours, Elend Venture."
Elend fell silent.
"I want to meet with each of you," Cett said to the Assemblymen. "If you'll allow, I wish to move into Luthadel with some of my men. Say, a force of five thousand- enough to make me feel safe, but not to be of any real danger to you. I'll take up residence in one of the abandoned keeps, and wait until your decision next week. During that time, I'll meet with each of you in turn and explain the. .. benefits that would come from choosing me as your king."
"Bribes," Elend spat.
"Of course," Cett said. "Bribes for all of the people of this city-the foremost bribe being that of peace! You're so fond of name-calling, Venture. 'Slaves,' 'threats,' 'honorable.' 'Bribe' is just a word. Looked at another way, a bribe is just a promise, turned on its head." Cett smiled.
The group of Assemblymen was silent. "Shall we vote, then, on whether to let him enter the city?" Penrod asked.
"Five thousand'is way too many," one of die skaa Assemblymen said.
."Agreed," Elend said. "There's no way we can let that many foreign troops into Luthadel."
"I don't like it at all," another said.
"What?" said Philen. "A monarch inside our city will be less dangerous than one outside, wouldn't you say? And besides, Cett has promised us all tides."
This gave the group something to think about.
"Why not just give me die crown now?" Cett said. "Open your gates to my army."
"You can't," Elend said immediately. "Not until there is a king-or unless you can get a unanimous vote right now."
Vin smiled. Unanimous wouldn't happen in that case as long as Elend was on the Assembly.
"Bah," Cett said, but he obviously was smooth enough not to insult the legislative body further. "Let me take up residence in the city, then."
Penrod nodded. "All in favor of allowing Lord Cett to take up residence inside with ... say ... a thousand troops?"
A full nineteen of the Assemblymen raised their hands. Elend was not one of them.
"It is done, then," Penrod salen a lesser one. But.. . one of the very tyrants who is threatening the city? How could they? How could they even consider his suggestion?
Elend stood, catching Penrod's arm as he turned to walk off the dais. "Ferson." Elend said quietly, "this is insanity."
"We have to consider the option, Elend."
"Consider selling out the people of this city to a tyrant?"
Penrod's face gid. "We adjourn for two weeks."
This can't be happening, Elend thought. I thought maybe Penrod would provide a challenge, Phirew cold, and he shook Elend's arm free. "Listen, lad." he said quietly. "You are a good man, but you've always been an idealist. You've spent time in books and philosophy-I've spent my life fighting politics with the members of the court. You know theories; I know people."
Heturned, nodding to the audience. "Look at them, lad. They're terrified. What good do your dreams do them when they're starving? You talk of freedom and justice when two armies are preparing to slaughter their families."
Penrod turned back to Elend, staring him in the eyes. 'The Lord Ruler's system wasn't perfect, but it kept these people safe. We don't even have that anymore. Your ideals can't face down armies. Cett might be a tyrant, but given the choice between him and Straff, I'd have to choose Cett. We'd probably have given him the city weeks ago, if you hadn't stopped us."
Penrod nodded to Elend, then turned and joined a few of the noblemen who were leaving. Elend stood quietly for a moment.
We have seen a curious phenomenon associated with rebel groups that break off of the Final Empire and attempt to seek autonomy, he thought, recalling a passage from Ytves's book Studies in Revolution. In almost all cases, the Lord Ruler didn't need to send his armies to reconquer the rebels. By the time his agents arrived, the groups had overthrown themselves.
It seems that the rebels found the chaos of transition more difficult to accept than the tyranny they had known before. They joyfully welcomed back authority-even oppressive authority-for it was less painful for them than uncertainty.
Vin and the others joined him on the stage, and he put his arm around her shoulders, standing quietly as he watched people trail from the building. Cett sat surrounded by a small group of Assemblymen, arranging meetings with them.
"Well," Vin said quietly. "We know he's Mistbom."
Elend turned toward her. "You sensed Allomancy from him?"
Vin shook her head. "No."
"Then, how do you know?" Elend asked.
"Well, look at him," Vin said with a wave of her hand. "He acts like he can't walk-that has to be covering up something. What would be more innocent than a cripple? Can you think of a better way to hide the fact that you're a Mistbom?"
••Vin, my dear," Breeze said, "Cett has been crippled since childhood, when a disease rendered his legs useless. He's not Mistbom."
Vin raised an eyebrow. "That has to be one of the best cover stories I've ever heard."
Breeze rolled his eyes, but Elend just smiled.
"What now, Elend?" Ham asked. "We obviously can't deal with things the same way now that Cett has entered the city."
Elend nodded. "We have to plan. Let's ..." He trailed off as a young man left Cett's group, walking toward Elend. It was the same man who had been sitting next to Cett.
"Cett's son," Breeze whispered. "Gneorndin."
"Lord Venture," Gneorndin said, bowing slightly. He was, perhaps, about Spook's age. "My father wishes to know when you would like to meet with him."
Elend raised an eyebrow. "I have no intention of joining the line of Assemblymen waiting upon Cett's bribes, lad. Tell your father that he and I have nothing to discuss." •
"You don't?" Gneomdin asked. "And what about my sister? The one you kidnapped?"
Elend frowned. "You know that isn't true."
"My father would still like to discuss the event," Gneomdin said, shooting a hostile glance at Breeze. "Besides, he thinks that a conversation between you two might be in the city's best interests. You met with Straff in his camp- don't tell me that you aren't willing to do the same for Cett inside your own city?"
Elend paused. Forget your biases, he told himself. You need to talk to this man, if only for the information the meeting might provide.
"All right," Elend said. "I'll meet with him."
"Dinner, in one week?" Gneomdin asked.
Elend nodded curtly.
As the one who found Alendi, however, I became someone important. Foremost amonretty much described every skaa in the Final Empire. He was supposed to have hidden royal bloodlines, but that made every half-breed in the city a candidate. In fact, she'd be willing to bet that most skaa had one or another hidden nobleman progenitor.
She sighed, shaking her head.
"Mistress?" OreSeur asked, turning. He stood on a chair, his forepaws up against the window as he looked out at the city.
"Prophecies, legends, foretellings," Vin said, slapping her hand down on her sheet of notes. "What's the point? Why did the Terris even believe in these things
? Shouldn't a religion teach something practical?"
OreSeur settled down on his haunches upon the chair. "What would be more practical than gaining knowledge of the future?"
"If these actually said something useful, I'd agree. But even the logbook acknowledges that the Terris prophecies could be understood many different ways. What good are promises that could be interpreted so liberally?"
"Do not dismiss someone's beliefs because you do notg the Worldbringers.
33
VIN LAY ON HER STOMACH, arms folded, head resting on them as she studied a sheet of paper on the floor in front of her. Considering the last few days of chaos, it was surprising to her that she found returning to her studies to be a relief.
A small one, however, for her studies held their own problems. The Deepness has returned, she thought. Even if the mists only kill infrequently, they've begun to turn hostile again. That means the Hero of Ages needs to come again too, doesn't it?
Did she honestly think that might be her? It sounded ridiculous, when she considered it. Yet, she heard the thumping in her head, saw the spirit in the mists
And what of that night, over a year gone, when she'd confronted the Lord Ruler? That night when somehow, she'd drawn the mists into herself, burning them as if they were metal?
That's not enough, she told herself. One freak event-one I've never been able to replicate-doesn't mean I'm some mythological savior. She didn't even really know most of the prophecies about the Hero. The logbook mentioned that he was supposed to come from humble origins-but that p understand them, Mistress."
Vin snorted. "You sound like Sazed. A part of me is tempted to think that all these prophecies and legends were devised by priests who wanted to make a living."
"Only a part of you?" OreSeur asked, sounding amused.
Vin paused, then nodded. 'The part that grew up on the streets, the part that always expects a scam." That part didn't want to acknowledge the other things she felt.
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