The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Page 73
"Which," Breeze added, "hell be happy to tell you about. At length. "
Sazed smiled. "I do think that—"
He was cut off, however, as Captain Goradel arrived, looking a fair bit more solemn than usual.
"Lord Spook," Goradel said. "Someone is waiting for you above. "
"Who?" Spook asked. "Durn?"
"No, my lord. She says shes the Citizens sister. "
"Im not here to join with you," the woman—Beldre—said.
They sat in an austere audience chamber in the Inquisition building above their cavern. The rooms chairs lacked any sort of cushioning, and steel plates hung on the wooden walls as decoration—to Sazed, they were uncomfortable reminders of what he had seen when he had visited the Conventical of Seran.
Beldre was a young woman with auburn hair. She wore a simple, Citizen-approved dress, dyed red. She sat with hands in lap, and while she met the eyes of those in the room, there was a nervous apprehension to her that weakened her position considerably.
"Why are you here then, my dear?" Breeze asked carefully. He sat in a chair across from Beldre. Allrianne sat at his side, watching the girl with an air of disapproval. Spook paced in the background, occasionally shooting glances at the window.
He thinks this is a feint, Sazed realized. That the girl is a distraction to throw us off before we get attacked. The boy wore his dueling canes, strapped to his waist like swords. How well did Spook even know how to fight?
"Im here . . . " Beldre said, looking down. "Im here because youre going to kill my brother. "
"Now, where did you get an idea like that!" Breeze said. "Were in the city to forge a treaty with your brother, not assassinate him! Do we look like the types who would be very good at that sort of thing?"
Beldre shot a glance at Spook.
"Him excluded," Breeze said. "Spook is harmless. Really, you shouldnt—"
"Breeze," Spook interrupted, glancing over with his strange, bandaged eyes, spectacles hidden underneath and bulging out from the face just slightly under the cloth. "Thats enough. Youre making us both seem like idiots. Beldre knows why were here—everyone in the city knows why were here. "
The room fell silent. He . . . looks a little bit like an Inquisitor, wearing those spectacles beneath the bandages, Sazed thought, shivering.
"Beldre," Spook said. "You honestly expect us to think that you came here simply to plead for your brothers life?"
She glanced at Spook, defiantly meeting his eyes—or, rather, his lack thereof. "You can try to sound harsh, but I know you wont hurt me. Youre of the Survivors crew. "
Spook folded his arms.
"Please," Beldre said. "Quellion is a good man, like you. You have to give him more time. Dont kill him. "
"What makes you think wed kill him, child?" Sazed asked. "You just said that you thought we would never harm you. Why is your brother different?"
Beldre glanced down. "Youre the ones who killed the Lord Ruler. You overthrew the entire empire. My brother doesnt believe it—he thinks that you rode the Survivors popularity, claiming to be his friends after hed sacrificed himself. "
Spook snorted. "I wonder where your brother got an idea like that. Perhaps he knows someone else whos claimed to have the Survivors blessing, killing people in his name . . . "
Beldre blushed.
"Your brother doesnt trust us," Sazed said. "Why do you?"
Beldre shrugged. "I dont know," she said quietly. "I guess . . . men who lie dont save children from burning buildings. "
Sazed glanced at Spook, but couldnt read anything in the young mans hard expression. Finally, Spook spoke. "Breeze, Sazed, Allrianne, outside with me. Goradel, watch the woman. "
Spook pushed his way out into the hallway, and Sazed followed with the others. Once the door was closed, Spook turned to regard the rest of them. "Well?"
"I dont like her," Allrianne said, folding her arms.
"Of course you dont, dear," Breeze said. "You never like competition. "
"Competition?" Allrianne huffed. "From a timid little thing like that? Honestly. "
"What do you think, Breeze?" Spook asked.
"About the girl, or about you insulting me in there?"
"The first," Spook said. "Your pride isnt important right now. "
"My dear fellow," Breeze said, "my pride is always important. As for the girl, Ill tell you this—shes terrified. Despite what she says, shes very, very frightened—which means that she hasnt done this sort of thing very often. My guess is that shes noble. "
Allrianne nodded. "Definitely. Just look at her hands—when theyre not shaking from fright, you can see that theyre clean and soft. She grew up being pampered. "
"Shes obviously a bit naive," Sazed said. "Otherwise she wouldnt have come here, expecting that wed just listen to her, then let her go. "
Spook nodded. He cocked his head, as if listening to something. Then he walked forward, pushing open the door to the room.
"Well?" Beldre asked, maintaining her false air of forcefulness. "Have you decided to listen to me?"
"In a way," Spook said. "Im going to1 give you more time to explain your point. Plenty of time, actually. "
"I . . . dont have long," Beldre said. "I need to get back to my brother. I didnt tell him I was leaving, and . . . " She trailed off, apparently seeing something in Spooks expression. "Youre going to take me captive, arent you?"
"Breeze," Spook said, turning. "How do you think the people would respond if I started spreading the rumor that the Citizens own sister has turned against him, fleeing to our embassy for protection?"
Breeze smiled. "Well now. Thats clever! Almost makes up for how you treated me. Have I mentioned yet how rude that was?"
"You cant!" Beldre said, standing, facing Spook. "Nobody will believe that Ive deserted!"
"Oh?" Spook asked. "Did you speak to the soldiers outside before you came in here?"
"Of course not," Beldre said. "Theyd have tried to stop me. I ran up the steps before they could. "
"So, they can confirm that you entered the building of your own will," Spook said. "Sneaking around a guard post. "
"Doesnt look good," Breeze agreed.
Beldre wilted slightly, sitting down in her chair. By the Forgotten Gods, Sazed thought. She really is naive. The Citizen must have expended a great deal of effort in sheltering her so.
Of course, from what Sazed had heard, Quellion rarely let the girl out of his sight. She was always with him, being watched over. How will he react? Sazed thought with a chill. What will he do when he learns we have her? Attack?
Perhaps that was the plan. If Spook could force an outright attack on the Citizens part, it would look bad. Especially bad when Quellion was turned back by a few soldiers—he couldnt know how well fortified their position was.
When did Spook get so clever?
Beldre looked up from her seat, a few tears of frustration gleaming in her eyes. "You cant do this. This is deceitful! What would the Survivor say if he knew what you were planning?"
"The Survivor?" Spook asked, chuckling. "I have a feeling hed approve. If he were here, actually, I think hed suggest that we do this very thing . . . "
One can see Ruins craftiness in the meticulousness of his planning. He managed to orchestrate the downfall of the Lord Ruler only a short time before Preservations power returned to the Well of Ascension. And then, within a few years of that event, he had freed himself.
On the time scale of gods and their power, this very tricky timing was as precise as an expert cut performed by the most talented of surgeons.
50
THE DOOR TO THE CAVERN OPENED.
Vin immediately downed her last vial of metals.
She jumped, tossing a coin behind herself, leaping up onto the top of one of the freestanding shelves. The cavern echoed with the sound of stone on stone a
s its door opened. Vin threw herself forward—Pushing off the coin—to shoot toward the front of the room. A crack of light outlined the door, and even this small amount of illumination hurt her eyes.
She gritted her teeth against the light, blinking as she landed. 1 She threw herself up against the wall just to the side of the door, clutching her knives, flaring pewter to help herself deal with the sudden pain of light. Tears crept down her cheeks.
The door stopped moving. A solitary man stepped into the cavern, bearing a raised lantern. He wore a fine black suit and gentlemans hat.
Vin ignored him.
She slipped around the man and ducked through the door, entering the small chamber beyond. A group of startled workers shied back, dropping ropes which were connected to the doors opening mechanisms. Vin ignored these men as well, other than to shove her way through them. Dropping a coin, she Pushed herself upward. The wooden ladders rungs became a blur beside her as she soared up and slammed into the trapdoor in the ceiling.
And bounced off it with a grunt of pain.
She desperately caught rungs of the ladder as she began to fall, ignoring the sudden sting in her shoulder from hitting so hard. She flared pewter and pushed down on a rung with her legs, then slammed her back up against the trapdoor, trying to force it up and open.
She strained. Then, the rung broke beneath her feet, sending her toppling down again. She cursed, Pushing off her coin to slow her fall, and hit the floor in a crouch.
The workers had backed into a huddle—uncertain whether they wanted to venture into the dark cavern, but also uncertain whether they wanted to remain in the small room with a Mistborn. The suited nobleman had turned. He held his lantern high, illuminating Vin. A bit of broken ladder rung fell free and cracked to the stone floor beside her.
"The trapdoor is well secured with a very large rock on top of it, Lady Venture," the nobleman said. Vin vaguely recognized him. He was a bit overweight, but was kempt, with very short hair and a thoughtful face.
"Tell the men up above to remove the stone," Vin said quietly, raising a dagger.
"That is not going to happen, Im afraid. "
"I can make it happen," Vin said, stepping forward. The workers pulled back even further.
The nobleman smiled. "Lady Venture, let me assure you of several things. The first is that you are the only Allomancer among us, and so I have no doubt that you could slaughter us with the barest of efforts. The second is that the stone above is not moving anytime soon, so we might as well sit down and have a pleasant chat, as opposed to brandishing weapons and threatening each other. "
There was something . . . disarming about the man. Vin checked with bronze, but he wasnt burning any metals. Just to be certain, she Pulled a bit on his emotions, making him more trusting and friendly, then tried to Soothe away any sense of guile he might have felt.
"I see that youre at least considering my offer," the nobleman said, waving to one of the workers. The worker hastily opened his pack, pulling out two folding chairs, then arranging them on the ground before the open stone door. The nobleman placed the lantern to the side, then sat down.
"Which," Breeze added, "hell be happy to tell you about. At length. "
Sazed smiled. "I do think that—"
He was cut off, however, as Captain Goradel arrived, looking a fair bit more solemn than usual.
"Lord Spook," Goradel said. "Someone is waiting for you above. "
"Who?" Spook asked. "Durn?"
"No, my lord. She says shes the Citizens sister. "
"Im not here to join with you," the woman—Beldre—said.
They sat in an austere audience chamber in the Inquisition building above their cavern. The rooms chairs lacked any sort of cushioning, and steel plates hung on the wooden walls as decoration—to Sazed, they were uncomfortable reminders of what he had seen when he had visited the Conventical of Seran.
Beldre was a young woman with auburn hair. She wore a simple, Citizen-approved dress, dyed red. She sat with hands in lap, and while she met the eyes of those in the room, there was a nervous apprehension to her that weakened her position considerably.
"Why are you here then, my dear?" Breeze asked carefully. He sat in a chair across from Beldre. Allrianne sat at his side, watching the girl with an air of disapproval. Spook paced in the background, occasionally shooting glances at the window.
He thinks this is a feint, Sazed realized. That the girl is a distraction to throw us off before we get attacked. The boy wore his dueling canes, strapped to his waist like swords. How well did Spook even know how to fight?
"Im here . . . " Beldre said, looking down. "Im here because youre going to kill my brother. "
"Now, where did you get an idea like that!" Breeze said. "Were in the city to forge a treaty with your brother, not assassinate him! Do we look like the types who would be very good at that sort of thing?"
Beldre shot a glance at Spook.
"Him excluded," Breeze said. "Spook is harmless. Really, you shouldnt—"
"Breeze," Spook interrupted, glancing over with his strange, bandaged eyes, spectacles hidden underneath and bulging out from the face just slightly under the cloth. "Thats enough. Youre making us both seem like idiots. Beldre knows why were here—everyone in the city knows why were here. "
The room fell silent. He . . . looks a little bit like an Inquisitor, wearing those spectacles beneath the bandages, Sazed thought, shivering.
"Beldre," Spook said. "You honestly expect us to think that you came here simply to plead for your brothers life?"
She glanced at Spook, defiantly meeting his eyes—or, rather, his lack thereof. "You can try to sound harsh, but I know you wont hurt me. Youre of the Survivors crew. "
Spook folded his arms.
"Please," Beldre said. "Quellion is a good man, like you. You have to give him more time. Dont kill him. "
"What makes you think wed kill him, child?" Sazed asked. "You just said that you thought we would never harm you. Why is your brother different?"
Beldre glanced down. "Youre the ones who killed the Lord Ruler. You overthrew the entire empire. My brother doesnt believe it—he thinks that you rode the Survivors popularity, claiming to be his friends after hed sacrificed himself. "
Spook snorted. "I wonder where your brother got an idea like that. Perhaps he knows someone else whos claimed to have the Survivors blessing, killing people in his name . . . "
Beldre blushed.
"Your brother doesnt trust us," Sazed said. "Why do you?"
Beldre shrugged. "I dont know," she said quietly. "I guess . . . men who lie dont save children from burning buildings. "
Sazed glanced at Spook, but couldnt read anything in the young mans hard expression. Finally, Spook spoke. "Breeze, Sazed, Allrianne, outside with me. Goradel, watch the woman. "
Spook pushed his way out into the hallway, and Sazed followed with the others. Once the door was closed, Spook turned to regard the rest of them. "Well?"
"I dont like her," Allrianne said, folding her arms.
"Of course you dont, dear," Breeze said. "You never like competition. "
"Competition?" Allrianne huffed. "From a timid little thing like that? Honestly. "
"What do you think, Breeze?" Spook asked.
"About the girl, or about you insulting me in there?"
"The first," Spook said. "Your pride isnt important right now. "
"My dear fellow," Breeze said, "my pride is always important. As for the girl, Ill tell you this—shes terrified. Despite what she says, shes very, very frightened—which means that she hasnt done this sort of thing very often. My guess is that shes noble. "
Allrianne nodded. "Definitely. Just look at her hands—when theyre not shaking from fright, you can see that theyre clean and soft. She grew up being pampered. "
"Shes obviously a bit naive," Sazed said. "Otherwise she wouldnt have come here, expecting that wed just listen to her, then let her go. "
Spook nodded. He cocked his head, as if listening to something. Then he walked forward, pushing open the door to the room.
"Well?" Beldre asked, maintaining her false air of forcefulness. "Have you decided to listen to me?"
"In a way," Spook said. "Im going to1 give you more time to explain your point. Plenty of time, actually. "
"I . . . dont have long," Beldre said. "I need to get back to my brother. I didnt tell him I was leaving, and . . . " She trailed off, apparently seeing something in Spooks expression. "Youre going to take me captive, arent you?"
"Breeze," Spook said, turning. "How do you think the people would respond if I started spreading the rumor that the Citizens own sister has turned against him, fleeing to our embassy for protection?"
Breeze smiled. "Well now. Thats clever! Almost makes up for how you treated me. Have I mentioned yet how rude that was?"
"You cant!" Beldre said, standing, facing Spook. "Nobody will believe that Ive deserted!"
"Oh?" Spook asked. "Did you speak to the soldiers outside before you came in here?"
"Of course not," Beldre said. "Theyd have tried to stop me. I ran up the steps before they could. "
"So, they can confirm that you entered the building of your own will," Spook said. "Sneaking around a guard post. "
"Doesnt look good," Breeze agreed.
Beldre wilted slightly, sitting down in her chair. By the Forgotten Gods, Sazed thought. She really is naive. The Citizen must have expended a great deal of effort in sheltering her so.
Of course, from what Sazed had heard, Quellion rarely let the girl out of his sight. She was always with him, being watched over. How will he react? Sazed thought with a chill. What will he do when he learns we have her? Attack?
Perhaps that was the plan. If Spook could force an outright attack on the Citizens part, it would look bad. Especially bad when Quellion was turned back by a few soldiers—he couldnt know how well fortified their position was.
When did Spook get so clever?
Beldre looked up from her seat, a few tears of frustration gleaming in her eyes. "You cant do this. This is deceitful! What would the Survivor say if he knew what you were planning?"
"The Survivor?" Spook asked, chuckling. "I have a feeling hed approve. If he were here, actually, I think hed suggest that we do this very thing . . . "
One can see Ruins craftiness in the meticulousness of his planning. He managed to orchestrate the downfall of the Lord Ruler only a short time before Preservations power returned to the Well of Ascension. And then, within a few years of that event, he had freed himself.
On the time scale of gods and their power, this very tricky timing was as precise as an expert cut performed by the most talented of surgeons.
50
THE DOOR TO THE CAVERN OPENED.
Vin immediately downed her last vial of metals.
She jumped, tossing a coin behind herself, leaping up onto the top of one of the freestanding shelves. The cavern echoed with the sound of stone on stone a
She gritted her teeth against the light, blinking as she landed. 1 She threw herself up against the wall just to the side of the door, clutching her knives, flaring pewter to help herself deal with the sudden pain of light. Tears crept down her cheeks.
The door stopped moving. A solitary man stepped into the cavern, bearing a raised lantern. He wore a fine black suit and gentlemans hat.
Vin ignored him.
She slipped around the man and ducked through the door, entering the small chamber beyond. A group of startled workers shied back, dropping ropes which were connected to the doors opening mechanisms. Vin ignored these men as well, other than to shove her way through them. Dropping a coin, she Pushed herself upward. The wooden ladders rungs became a blur beside her as she soared up and slammed into the trapdoor in the ceiling.
And bounced off it with a grunt of pain.
She desperately caught rungs of the ladder as she began to fall, ignoring the sudden sting in her shoulder from hitting so hard. She flared pewter and pushed down on a rung with her legs, then slammed her back up against the trapdoor, trying to force it up and open.
She strained. Then, the rung broke beneath her feet, sending her toppling down again. She cursed, Pushing off her coin to slow her fall, and hit the floor in a crouch.
The workers had backed into a huddle—uncertain whether they wanted to venture into the dark cavern, but also uncertain whether they wanted to remain in the small room with a Mistborn. The suited nobleman had turned. He held his lantern high, illuminating Vin. A bit of broken ladder rung fell free and cracked to the stone floor beside her.
"The trapdoor is well secured with a very large rock on top of it, Lady Venture," the nobleman said. Vin vaguely recognized him. He was a bit overweight, but was kempt, with very short hair and a thoughtful face.
"Tell the men up above to remove the stone," Vin said quietly, raising a dagger.
"That is not going to happen, Im afraid. "
"I can make it happen," Vin said, stepping forward. The workers pulled back even further.
The nobleman smiled. "Lady Venture, let me assure you of several things. The first is that you are the only Allomancer among us, and so I have no doubt that you could slaughter us with the barest of efforts. The second is that the stone above is not moving anytime soon, so we might as well sit down and have a pleasant chat, as opposed to brandishing weapons and threatening each other. "
There was something . . . disarming about the man. Vin checked with bronze, but he wasnt burning any metals. Just to be certain, she Pulled a bit on his emotions, making him more trusting and friendly, then tried to Soothe away any sense of guile he might have felt.
"I see that youre at least considering my offer," the nobleman said, waving to one of the workers. The worker hastily opened his pack, pulling out two folding chairs, then arranging them on the ground before the open stone door. The nobleman placed the lantern to the side, then sat down.