The Hero of Ages m-3

by Brandon Sanderson

  He rose, shaking his canine head, continuing on his way. He'd stowed the bag with Kelsier's bones outside, not wanting to look odd carrying a pack on his back.

  What had been the purpose of burning the city, then restoring its canals? He would likely have to wait to find the answer. He'd seen no army camped outside; if Vin had been here, she'd already moved on to another location. His goal now was to find what passed for leadership in the remains of the city, then continue on his way, hunting down the Hero of Ages.

  As he walked, he heard the people talking-speaking of how they'd managed to survive the fires that had claimed much of the city. They actually seemed cheerful. There was despair, too, but there seemed an inordinate amount of happiness. This was not a city whose people had been conquered.

  They feel they defeated the fire, TenSoon thought, making his way along a more crowded street. They don't see losing a third of the city as a disaster-they see saving two-thirds of it as a miracle.

  He followed the flow of traffic toward the center of town, where he finally found the soldiers he'd expected. They were definitely Elend's, bearing the spear and the scroll on the arms of their uniforms. However, they defended an unlikely location: a Ministry building.

  TenSoon sat back on his haunches, cocking his head. The building was obviously a center of operations. People bustled about under the eyes of the watchful soldiers, moving in and out. If he wanted answers, he'd need to get inside. He briefly considered going to fetch Kelsier's bones from outside the city. However, he discarded that thought. He wasn't certain if he wanted to deal with the ramifications of making the Survivor appear again. There was another way to get in-equally shocking, perhaps, but far less theologically disturbing.

  He padded over to the front of the building and walked up the steps, drawing a few startled looks. As he approached the front doors, one of the guards shouted at him, waving the butt of a spear his direction.

  "Here now!" the man said. "This is no place for dogs. Whose hound is this?"

  TenSoon sat back on his haunches. "I belong to no man," he said.

  The guard jumped back in shock, and TenSoon got a twisted sense of pleasure. He immediately chided himself. The world was ending, and he went about startling random soldiers. Still, it was an advantage of wearing a dog's body that he'd never considered. .

  "Wha. ." the soldier said, looking around to see if he were the victim of some joke.

  "I said," TenSoon repeated, "that I belong to no man. I am my own master."

  It was a strange concept-the weight of which, undoubtedly, the guard could never grasp. TenSoon, a kandra, was outside of the Homeland without a Contract. As far as he knew, he was the first of his people to do such a thing in seven hundred years. It felt oddly. . satisfying.

  Several people were staring at him now. Other guards had approached, looking to their comrade for an explanation.

  TenSoon gambled. "I've come from Emperor Venture," he said. "I bear a message for your leaders here."

  To TenSoon's satisfaction, several of the other guards jumped. The first one, however-now an old hand when it came to talking dogs-raised a hesitant finger, pointing into the building. "In there."

  "Thank you," TenSoon said, rising and walking through a now-quiet crowd as he made his way into the Ministry offices. He heard comments about "trick" and "well-trained" behind him, and noticed several guards running past him, faces urgent. He wound his way through groups and lines of people, all ignorant of the odd occurrence at the entrance to the building. At the end of the lines, TenSoon found. .

  Breeze. The Soother sat in a throne-like chair, holding a cup of wine, looking very pleased with himself as he made proclamations and settled disputes. He looked much as he had when TenSoon had served as Vin's servant. One of the guards stood whispering to Breeze. Both eyed TenSoon as he padded up to the front of the line. The guard paled slightly, but Breeze just leaned forward, smiling.

  "So," he said, tapping his cane lightly against the marble floor. "Were you always a kandra, or did you eat the bones of Vin's hound recently?"

  TenSoon sat. "I was always a kandra."

  Breeze nodded. "I knew there was something odd about you-far too well behaved for a wolfhound." He smiled, sipping his wine. "Lord Renoux, I presume? It's been a while."

  "I'm not him, actually," TenSoon said. "I'm a different kandra. It's. . complicated."

  That gave Breeze pause. He eyed TenSoon, and TenSoon felt just a moment of panic. Breeze was a Soother-and, like all Soothers, he held the power to take control of TenSoon's body. The Secret.

  No, TenSoon told himself forcefully. Allomancers are weaker now than they once were. Only with duralumin could they take control of a kandra, and Breeze is only a Misting-he can't burn duralumin.

  "Drinking on the job, Breeze?" TenSoon asked, raising a canine eyebrow.

  "Of course," Breeze said, raising the cup. "What good is being in charge if you can't set your own working conditions?"

  TenSoon snorted. He hadn't ever really liked Breeze-though perhaps that came from his bias against Soothers. Or, perhaps, his bias against all humans. Regardless, he wasn't inclined toward small talk. "Where is Vin?" he asked.

  Breeze frowned. "I thought you brought a message from her?"

  "I lied to the guards," TenSoon said. "I've actually come searching for her. I bring news she needs to hear-news regarding the mists and ash."

  "Well, then, my dear man. . um. . I suppose I mean my dear doggie. Anyway, let us retire; you can talk to Sazed. He's far more useful than I am regarding these sorts of things."

  ". . and, with Spook barely having survived the ordeal," said the Terrisman, "I thought it best to let Lord Breeze take command. We set up shop in a different Ministry building-it seemed equipped to be a bureaucratic center-and had Breeze start listening to petitions. He is better at dealing with people than I am, I think, and seems to enjoy taking care of the day-to-day concerns of the citizenry."

  The Terrisman sat in his chair, a portfolio open on the desk before him, a pile of notes beside it. Sazed looked different to TenSoon for some reason that he couldn't pin down. The Keeper wore the same robes, and had the same Feruchemical bracers on his arms. There was something missing, however.

  That, however, was the least of TenSoon's problems.

  "Fadrex City?" TenSoon asked, sitting on his own chair. They were in one of the smaller rooms at the Ministry building-one that had once been an obligator's sleeping quarters. Now, it simply held a desk and chairs, the walls and floor as austere as one might expect for Ministry furnishings.

  Sazed nodded. "She and the emperor hoped to find another of these storage caverns there."

  TenSoon slumped. Fadrex was halfway across the empire. Even with the Blessing of Potency, it would take weeks for him to get there. He had a very, very long run ahead of him.

  "Might I ask what business you have with Lady Vin, kandra?" Sazed asked.

  TenSoon paused. It felt very odd, in a way, to speak so openly with Breeze, and now Sazed. These were men that TenSoon had watched for months while he acted like a dog. They'd never known him, yet he felt as if he knew them.

  He knew, for instance, that Sazed was dangerous. The Terrisman was a Keeper-a group that TenSoon and his brethren had been trained to avoid. Keepers were always prying for rumors, legends, and tales. The kandra had many secrets; if the Keepers were ever to discover the riches of kandra culture, it could be disastrous. They'd want to study, ask questions, and record what they found.

  TenSoon opened his mouth to say "Nothing." However, he stopped. Didn't he want someone to help with kandra culture? Someone who focused on religions, and who-perhaps-knew much of theology? Someone who knew about the legends of the Hero of Ages? Of all the members of the crew other than Vin, TenSoon had held Sazed in the highest regard.

  "It has to do with the Hero of Ages," TenSoon said carefully. "And the advent of the world's end."

  "Ah," Sazed said, rising. "Very well then. I shall give you whatever provision
s you need. Will you be starting out immediately? Or, will you be staying here to rest for a time?"

  What? TenSoon thought. Sazed hadn't even twitched at the mention of religious matters. It didn't seem like him at all.

  Yet, Sazed continued speaking, as if TenSoon hadn't just hinted at one of the greatest religious secrets of their age.

  I'll never understand humans, he thought, shaking his head.

  The prison Preservation created for Ruin was not created out of Preservation's power, though it was of Preservation. Rather, Preservation sacrificed his consciousness-one could say his mind-to fabricate that prison. He left a shadow of himself, but Ruin, once escaped, began to suffocate and isolate this small remnant vestige of his rival. I wonder if Ruin ever thought it strange that Preservation had cut himself off from his own power, relinquishing it and leaving it in the world, to be gathered and used by men.

  In Preservation's gambit, I see nobility, cleverness, and desperation. He knew that he could not defeat Ruin. He had given too much of himself and, beyond that, he was the embodiment of stasis and stability. He could not destroy, not even to protect. It was against his nature. Hence the prison.

  Mankind, however, had been created by both Ruin and Preservation-with a hint of Preservation's own soul to give them sentience and honor. In order for the world to survive, Preservation knew he had to depend upon his creations. To give them his trust.

  I wonder what he thought when those creations repeatedly failed him.

  60

  The best way to fool someone, in Vin's estimation, was to give them what they wanted. Or, at the very least, what they expected. As long as they assumed that they were one step ahead, they wouldn't look back to see if there were any steps that they'd completely missed.

  Yomen had designed her prison well. Any metal used in the construction of her cot or facilities was Allomantically useless. Silver, while expensive, seemed the metal of choice-and there was very little even of that. Just a few screws in the cot that Vin managed to work free with her fingernails.

  Her meals-a greasy, flavorless gruel-were served in wooden bowls, with wooden spoons. The guards were hazekillers: men who carried staves and wore no metal on their bodies, and who had been trained to fight Allomancers. Her room was a simple stone construction with a solid wooden door, its hinges and bolts made of silver.

  She knew from her guards' behavior that they expected something from her. Yomen had prepared them well, and so when they slid her food through the slit, she could see the tension in their bodies and the speed of their retreat. It was like they were feeding a viper.

  So, the next time they came to take her to Yomen, she attacked.

  She moved as soon as the door opened, wielding a wooden leg she'd pulled off her cot. She dropped the first guard with a club to the arm, then a second hit on the back of his head. Her blows felt weak without pewter, but it was the best she could manage. She scrambled past the second guard in line, then slammed her shoulder into the stomach of the third. She didn't weigh much, but it was enough to get him to drop his staff-which she immediately grabbed.

  Ham had spent a long time training her with the staff, and he'd often made her fight without Allomancy. Even with all of their preparation, the guards were obviously surprised to see a metalless Allomancer make so much trouble, and she dropped two more of them as she scurried to escape.

  Unfortunately, Yomen was not a fool. He had sent so many guards to bring her that even dropping four of them made little difference. There had to be at least twenty men in the hallway outside her cell, clogging her exit, if nothing else.

  Her goal was to give them what they expected, not get herself killed. So, as soon as she confirmed that her "escape attempt" really was doomed, she let one of the soldiers hit her on the shoulder and she dropped her staff with a grunt. Disarmed, she raised her hands and backed away. The soldiers, of course, swept her feet out from beneath her and piled on top of her, holding her down while one manacled her arms.

  Vin suffered the treatment, shoulder pulsing with pain. How long would she have to go without metal before she'd stop instinctively trying to burn pewter? She hoped she'd never actually find out.

  Eventually, the soldiers pulled her to her feet and pushed her down the hallway. The three she'd knocked down-not to mention the one that she'd disarmed-grumbled a bit, rubbing their wounds. All twenty men regarded her even more warily, if that was possible.

  She didn't give them any trouble until they got her into Yomen's audience chamber. When they moved to chain her manacles to the bench, she squirmed a bit, earning herself a knee in the stomach. She gasped, then slumped to the floor beside the bench. There, groaning, she rubbed her hands and wrists with the gruel grease that she'd soaked into her undershirt. It was smelly and grimy, but it was very slick-and the guards, distracted by her escape attempt, had completely forgotten to search her.

  "Surely you didn't think to escape without any metals to burn," Yomen asked.

  Vin lifted her head. He stood with his back to her again, though this time he was looking out a dark window. Vin found it very odd to see the mists curling up against the window glass. Most skaa couldn't afford glass, and most noblemen chose the colored kind. The darkness outside of Yomen's window seemed a waiting beast, the mists its fur brushing against the glass as it shifted.

  "I would think that you'd be flattered," Yomen continued. "I didn't know if you were really as dangerous as reported, but I decided to assume that you were. You see, I-"

  Vin didn't give him any more time. There were only two ways she could escape from the city: the first would be to find some metals, the second would be to take Yomen captive. She planned to try both.

  She yanked her greased hands free from the manacles, which had been fastened to her arms when they were squirming and flexed. She ignored the pain and the blood as the manacles scraped her hands, then she leaped to her feet, reaching into a fold in her shirt and pulling out the silver screws that she'd taken from her cot. These, she threw at the soldiers.

  The men, of course, yelled in surprise and threw themselves to the ground, ducking her presumed Steelpush. Their own preparation and worry worked against them-for Vin had no steel. The screws bounced against the wall ineffectively, and the guards lay confused by her feint. She was halfway to Yomen before the first one thought to scramble back to his feet.

  Yomen turned. As always, he wore the little drop of atium at his forehead. Vin lunged for it.

  Yomen stepped casually out of the way. Vin lunged again, this time feinting, then trying to elbow him in the stomach. Her attack didn't land, however, as Yomen-hands still clasped behind his back-sidestepped her again.

  She knew that look on his face-that look of complete control, of power. Yomen obviously had very little battle training, but he dodged her anyway.

  He was burning atium.

  Vin stumbled to a halt. No wonder he wears that bit on his forehead, she thought. It's for emergencies. She could see in his smile that he really had anticipated her. He'd known that she would try something, and he'd baited her, letting her get close. But, he'd never really been in danger.

  The guards finally caught up with her, but Yomen raised a hand, waving them back. Then he gestured toward the bench. Quietly, Vin returned and sat down. She had to think, and she certainly wasn't going to get anywhere with Yomen burning atium.

  As she sat, Ruin appeared next to her-materializing as if from dark smoke, wearing Reen's body. None of the others reacted; they obviously couldn't see him.

  "Too bad," Ruin said. "In a way, you almost had him. But. . then, in a way, you were never really close, either."

  She ignored Ruin, looking up at Yomen. "You're Mistborn."

  "No," he said, shaking his head. He didn't turn back toward his window, however. He stood facing her, wary. He'd probably turned off his atium-it was far too valuable to leave burning-but he'd have it in reserve, careful to watch her for signs of another attack.

  "No?" Vin said, raising a skeptic
al eyebrow. "You were burning atium, Yomen. I saw that much."

  "Believe as you wish," Yomen said. "But know this, woman: I do not lie. I've never needed lies, and I find that is particularly true now, when the entire world is in chaos. People need truth from those they follow."

  Vin frowned.

  "Regardless, it is time," Yomen said.

  "Time?" Vin asked.

  Yomen nodded. "Yes. I apologize for leaving you for so long in your cell. I have been. . distracted."

  Elend, Vin thought. What has he been doing? I feel so blind!

  She glanced at Ruin, who stood on the other side of the bench, shaking his head as if he understood far more than he was telling her. She turned back to Yomen. "I still don't understand," she said. "Time for what?"

  Yomen met her eyes. "Time for me to make a decision about your execution, Lady Venture."

  Oh, she thought. Right. Between her dealings with Ruin and her plans to escape, she'd nearly forgotten Yomen's declaration that he intended to let her "defend" herself before he executed her.

  Ruin walked across the room, circling Yomen in a leisurely stroll. The obligator king stood, still meeting Vin's eyes. If he could see Ruin, he didn't show it. Instead, he waved to a guard, who opened a side door, leading in several obligators in gray robes. They seated themselves on a bench across the room from Vin.

  "Tell me, Lady Venture," Yomen said, turning back to her, "why did you come to Fadrex City?"

  Vin cocked her head. "I thought this wasn't to be a trial. You said that you didn't need that sort of thing."

  "I would think," Yomen replied, "that you would be pleased with any delay in the process."

  A delay meant more time to think-more time to possibly escape. "Why did we come?" Vin asked. "We knew you had one of the Lord Ruler's supply caches beneath your city."

  Yomen raised an eyebrow. "How did you know about it?"

  "We found another one," Vin said. "It had directions to Fadrex."

  Yomen nodded to himself. She could tell that he believed her, but there was something. . else. He seemed to be making connections that she didn't understand, and probably didn't have the information to understand. "And the danger my kingdom posed to yours?" Yomen asked. "That didn't have anything at all to do with your invasion of my lands?"