His upbringing afforded him certain understandings. Things that he doubted any skaa thief, no matter how competent, knew. Skaa intrigue made a brutal kind of sense; it was a matter of naked life and death. You betrayed your allies for money, for power, or to protect yourself.
In the noble courts, intrigue was more abstract. Betrayals wouldn’t often end with either party dead, but the ramifications could span generations. It was a game—so much of one, in fact, that the young Breeze had found the open brutality of the skaa underground to be refreshing.
He sipped his warm mug of mulled wine, eyeing the note in his fingers. He’d come to believe that he wouldn’t have to worry about intracrew conspiracies anymore: Kelsier’s crew was an almost sickeningly tight group, and Breeze did everything within his Allomantic powers to keep it that way. He’d seen what infighting could do to a family.
That was why he was so surprised to receive this letter. Despite its mock innocence, he could easily pick out the signs. The hurried pace of the writing, smudged in places but not rewritten. Phrases like “No need to tell others of this” and “do not wish to cause alarm.” The extra drops of sealing wax, spread gratuitously on the lip of the letter, as if to give extra protection against prying eyes.
There was no mistaking the tone of the missive. Breeze had been invited to a conspiratorial conference. But, why in the Lord Ruler’s name would Sazed, of all people, want to meet in secret?
Breeze sighed, pulling out his dueling cane and using it to steady himself. He grew light-headed sometimes when he stood; it was a minor malady he’d always had, though it seemed to have grown worse during the last few years. He glanced over his shoulder as his vision cleared, toward where Allrianne slept in his bed.
I should probably feel more guilty about her, he thought, smiling despite himself and reaching to put his vest and jacket on over his trousers and shirt. But…well, we’re all going to be dead in a few days anyway. An afternoon spent speaking with Clubs could certainly put one’s life in perspective.
Breeze wandered out into the hallway, making his way though the gloomy, inadequately lit Venture passageways. Honestly, he thought, I understand the value in saving lamp oil, but things are depressing enough right now without the dark corridors.
The meeting place was only a few short twists away. Breeze located it easily because of the two soldiers standing watch outside the door. Demoux’s men—soldiers who reported to the captain religiously, as well as vocationally.
Interesting, Breeze thought, remaining hidden in the side hallway. He quested out with his Allomantic powers and Soothed the men, taking away their relaxation and certainty, leaving behind anxiety and nervousness. The guards began to grow restless, shuffling. Finally, one turned and opened the door, checking on the room inside. The motion gave Breeze a full view of the room’s contents. Only one man sat within. Sazed.
Breeze stood quietly, trying to decide his next course of action. There was nothing incriminating in the letter; this couldn’t all simply be a trap on Elend’s part, could it? An obscure attempt at finding out which crewmembers would betray him and which wouldn’t? Seemed like too distrustful a move for the good-natured boy. Besides, if that were the case, Sazed would have to try and get Breeze to do more than simply meet in a clandestine location.
The door swung closed, the soldier returning to his place. I can trust Sazed, can’t I? Breeze thought. But, if that was the case, why the quiet meeting? Was Breeze overreacting?
No, the guards proved that Sazed worried about this meeting being discovered. It was suspicious. If it were anyone else, Breeze would have gone straight to Elend. But Sazed…
Breeze sighed, then wandered into the hallway, dueling cane clicking against the floor. Might as well see what he has to say. Besides, if he is planning something devious, it’d almost be worth the danger to see it. Despite the letter, despite the strange circumstances, Breeze had trouble imagining a Terrisman being involved in something that wasn’t completely honest.
Perhaps the Lord Ruler had had the same problem.
Breeze nodded to the soldiers, Soothing away their anxiety and restoring them to a more temperate humor. There was another reason why he was willing to chance the meeting. Breeze was only just beginning to realize how dangerous his predicament was. Luthadel would soon fall. Every instinct he’d nurtured during thirty years in the underground was telling him to run.
That feeling made him more likely to take risks. The Breeze of a few years earlier would already have abandoned the city. Damn you, Kelsier, he thought as he pushed open the door.
Sazed looked up with surprise from his table. The room was sparse, with several chairs and only two lamps. “You’re early, Lord Breeze,” Sazed said, standing quickly.
“Of course I am,” Breeze snapped. “I had to make certain this wasn’t a trap of some sort.” He paused. “This isn’t a trap of some sort, right?”
“Trap?” Sazed asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, don’t sound so shocked,” Breeze said. “This is no simple meeting.”
Sazed wilted slightly. “It’s…that obvious, is it?”
Breeze sat, laying his cane across his lap, and eyed Sazed tellingly, Soothing the man to make him feel a little more self-conscious. “You may have helped us overthrow the Lord Ruler, my dear man—but you have a lot to learn about being sneaky.”
“I apologize,” Sazed said, sitting. “I simply wanted to meet quickly, to discuss certain…sensitive issues.”
“Well, I’d recommend getting rid of those guards,” Breeze said. “They make the room stand out. Then, light a few more lamps and get us something to eat or drink. If Elend walks in—I assume it’s Elend we’re hiding from?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if he comes and sees us sitting here in the dark, eyeing each other insidiously, he’ll know something is up. The less natural the occasion, the more natural you want to appear.”
“Ah, I see,” Sazed said. “Thank you.”
The door opened and Clubs hobbled in. He eyed Breeze, then Sazed, then wandered over toward a chair. Breeze glanced at Sazed—no surprise there. Clubs was obviously invited as well.
“Lose those guards,” Clubs snapped.
“Immediately, Lord Cladent,” Sazed said, standing and shuffling over to the door. He spoke briefly with the guards, then returned. As Sazed was sitting, Ham poked his head into the room, looking suspicious.
“Wait a minute,” Breeze said. “How many people are coming to this secret meeting?”
Sazed gestured for Ham to sit. “All of the more…experienced members of the crew.”
“You mean everyone but Elend and Vin,” Breeze said.
“I did not invite Lord Lestibournes either,” Sazed said.
Yes, but Spook isn’t the one we’re hiding from.
Ham sat down hesitantly, shooting a questioning glance at Breeze. “So…why exactly are we meeting behind the backs of our Mistborn and our king?”
“King no longer,” a voice noted from the door. Dockson walked in. “In fact, it could be argued that Elend isn’t leader of this crew anymore. He fell into that position by happenstance—just like he fell into the throne.”
Ham flushed. “I know you don’t like him, Dox, but I’m not here to talk treason.”
“There’s no treason if there’s no throne to betray,” Dockson said, sitting. “What are we going to do—stay here and be servants in his house? Elend doesn’t need us. Perhaps it’s time to transfer our services to Lord Penrod.”
“Penrod is a nobleman, too,” Ham said. “You can’t tell me you like him any better than you do Elend.”
Dockson thumped the table quietly with his fist. “It’s not about who I like, Ham. It’s about seeing that this damn kingdom Kelsier threw at us remains standing! We’ve spent a year and a half cleaning up his mess. Do you want to see that work wasted?”
“Please, gentlemen,” Sazed said, trying—without success—to break into the conversation.
&nb
sp; “Work, Dox?” Ham said, flushed. “What work have you done? I haven’t seen you do much of anything besides sit and complain every time someone offers a plan.”
“Complain?” Dockson snapped. “Do you have any idea how much administrative work it has taken to keep this city from falling upon itself? What have you done, Ham? You refused to take command of the army. All you do is drink and spar with your friends!”
That’s enough of that, Breeze thought, Soothing the men. At this rate, we’ll strangle each other before Straff can have us executed.
Dockson settled back in his chair, waving a dismissive hand at Ham, who still sat red-faced. Sazed waited, obviously chagrined by the outbreak. Breeze Soothed away his insecurity. You’re in charge here, Sazed. Tell us what is going on.
“Please,” Sazed said. “I did not bring us together so that we could argue. I understand that you are all tense—that is understandable, considering the circumstances.”
“Penrod is going to give our city to Straff,” Ham said.
“That’s better than letting him slaughter us,” Dockson countered.
“Actually,” Breeze said, “I don’t think we have to worry about Straff slaughtering us.”
“No?” Dockson asked, frowning. “Do you have some information you haven’t been sharing with us, Breeze?”
“Oh, get over yourself, Dox,” Ham snapped. “You’ve never been happy that you didn’t end up in charge when Kell died. That’s the real reason you never liked Elend, isn’t it?”
Dockson flushed, and Breeze sighed, slapping both of them with a powerful blanket Soothing. They both jumped slightly, as if they’d been stung—though the sensation would be quite the opposite. Their emotions, once volatile, would suddenly have become numb and unresponsive.
Both looked at Breeze.
“Yes,” he said, “of course I’m Soothing you. Honestly, I know Hammond is a bit immature—but you, Dockson?”
Dockson sat back, rubbing his forehead. “You can let go, Breeze,” he said after a moment. “I’ll keep my tongue.”
Ham just grumbled, settling one hand on the table. Sazed watched the exchange with a little bit of shock.
This is what cornered men are like, my dear Terrisman, Breeze thought. This is what happens when they lose hope. They might be able to keep up appearances in front of the soldiers, but put them alone with their friends…
Sazed was a Terrisman; his entire life had been one of oppression and loss. But these men, Breeze himself included, were accustomed to success. Even against overwhelming odds, they were confident. They were the type of men who could go up against a god, and expect to win. They wouldn’t deal well with losing. Of course, when losing meant death, who would?
“Straff’s armies are getting ready to break camp,” Clubs finally said. “He’s doing it subtly, but the signs are there.”
“So, he’s coming for the city,” Dockson said. “My men in Penrod’s palace say the Assembly has been sending missive after missive to Straff, all but begging him to come take up occupation of Luthadel.”
“He’s not going to take the city,” Clubs said. “At least, not if he’s smart.”
“Vin is still a threat,” Breeze said. “And it doesn’t look like Straff has a Mistborn to protect him. If he came into Luthadel, I doubt there is a single thing he could do to keep her from slitting his throat. So, he’ll do something else.”
Dockson frowned, and glanced at Ham, who shrugged.
“It’s really quite simple,” Breeze said, tapping the table with his dueling cane. “Why, even I figured it out.” Clubs snorted at this. “If Straff makes it look like he’s withdrawing, the koloss will probably attack Luthadel for him. They’re too literal to understand the threat of a hidden army.”
“If Straff withdraws,” Clubs said, “Jastes won’t be able to keep them from the city.”
Dockson blinked. “But they’d…”
“Slaughter?” Clubs asked. “Yes. They’d pillage the richest sectors of the town—probably end up killing most of the noblemen in the city.”
“Eliminating the men that Straff has been forced—against his will, knowing that man’s pride—to work with,” Breeze added. “In fact, there’s a good chance the creatures will kill Vin. Can you imagine her not joining the fight if koloss broke in?”
The room fell silent.
“But, that doesn’t really help Straff get the city,” Dockson said. “He’ll still have to fight the koloss.”
“Yes,” Clubs said, scowling. “But, they’ll probably take down some of the city gates, not to mention level a lot of the homes. That will leave Straff with a clear field to attack a weakened foe. Plus, koloss don’t strategize—for them, city walls won’t be much help. Straff couldn’t ask for a better setup.”
“He’d be seen as a liberator,” Breeze said quietly. “If he returns at the right time—after the koloss have broken into the city and fought the soldiers, but before they’ve done serious damage to the skaa quarter—he could free the people and establish himself as their protector, not their conqueror. Knowing how the people feel, I think they’d welcome him. Right now, a strong leader would mean more to them than coins in their pockets and rights in the Assembly.”
As the group thought on this, Breeze eyed Sazed, who still sat quietly. He’d said so little; what was his game? Why gather the crew? Was he subtle enough to know that they’d simply needed to have an honest discussion like this, without Elend’s morals to clutter things up?
“We could just let Straff have it,” Dockson finally said. “The city, I mean. We could promise to call Vin off. If that is where this is heading anyway…”
“Dox,” Ham said quietly, “what would Kell think, to hear you talk like that?”
“We could give the city to Jastes Lekal,” Breeze said. “Perhaps he can be persuaded to treat the skaa with dignity.”
“And let twenty thousand koloss into the city?” Ham asked. “Breeze, have you ever seen what those things can do?”
Dockson pounded the table. “I’m just giving options, Ham. What else are we going to do?”
“Fight,” Clubs said. “And die.”
The room fell silent again.
“You sure know how to kill a conversation, my friend,” Breeze finally said.
“It needed to be said,” Clubs muttered. “No use fooling yourselves anymore. We can’t win a fight, and a fight is where this was always going. The city is going to get attacked. We’re going to defend it. And we’ll lose.
“You wonder if we should just give up. Well, we’re not going to do that. Kell wouldn’t let us, and so we won’t let ourselves. We’ll fight, and we’ll die with dignity. Then, the city will burn—but we’ll have said something. The Lord Ruler pushed us around for a thousand years, but now we skaa have pride. We fight. We resist. And we die.”
“What was this all worth, then?” Ham said with frustration. “Why overthrow the Final Empire? Why kill the Lord Ruler? Why do anything, if it was just going to end like this? Tyrants ruling every dominance, Luthadel smashed to rubble, our crew dead?”
“Because,” Sazed said softly, “someone had to begin it. While the Lord Ruler ruled, society could not progress. He kept a stabilizing hand on the empire, but it was an oppressive hand as well. Fashion stayed remarkably unchanged for a thousand years, the noblemen always trying to fit the Lord Ruler’s ideals. Architecture and science did not progress, for the Lord Ruler frowned on change and invention.
“And the skaa could not be free, for he would not let them. However, killing him did not free our peoples, my friends. Only time will do that. It will take centuries, perhaps—centuries of fighting, learning, and growth. At the beginning, unfortunately and unavoidably, things will be very difficult. Worse even than they were beneath the Lord Ruler.”
“And we die for nothing,” Ham said with a scowl.
“No,” Sazed said. “Not nothing, Lord Hammond. We will die to show that there are skaa who will not be bullied, who will not back down. Thi
s is a very important precedent, I think. In the histories and legends, this is the kind of event that inspires. If the skaa are ever to take rule of themselves, there will need to be sacrifices they can look to for motivation. Sacrifices like that of the Survivor himself.”
The men sat in silence.
“Breeze,” Ham said, “I could use a little more confidence right now.”
“Of course,” Breeze said, carefully Soothing away the man’s anxiety and fear. His face lost some of its pallor, and he sat up a little straighter. Just for good measure, Breeze gave the rest of the crew a little of the same treatment.
“How long have you known?” Dockson asked Sazed.
“For some time now, Lord Dockson,” Sazed said.
“But, you couldn’t have known that Straff would pull back and give us to the koloss. Only Clubs figured that out.”
“My knowledge was general, Lord Breeze,” Sazed said in his even voice. “It did not relate to the koloss specifically. I have thought for some time that this city would fall. In all honesty, I am deeply impressed with your efforts. This people should long since have been defeated, I think. You have done something grand—something that will be remembered for centuries.”
“Assuming anyone survives to tell the story,” Clubs noted.
Sazed nodded. “That, actually, is why I called this gathering. There is little chance of those of us who remain in the city surviving—we will be needed to help with defenses, and if we do survive the koloss attack, Straff will try to execute us. However, it is not necessary for us all to remain in Luthadel for its fall—someone, perhaps, should be sent out to organize further resistance against the warlords.”
“I won’t leave my men,” Clubs grumbled.
“Nor I,” Ham said. “Though I did send my family to ground yesterday.” The simple phrase meant that he’d had them leave, perhaps to hide in the city’s underground, perhaps to escape through one of the passwalls. Ham wouldn’t know—and that way he couldn’t betray their location. Old habits died hard.
“If this city falls,” Dockson said, “I’ll be here with it. That’s what Kell would expect. I’m not leaving.”
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