The Hero of Ages Read online

Page 13

  "Im bigger than some," Human said. "Smaller than some—but not very many. That means Im old. "

  Another sign of intelligence, she thought, raising an eyebrow. From what Vin had seen of other koloss, Humans logic was impressive.

  "I hate you," Human said after a short time spent walking. "I want to kill you. But I cant kill you. "

  "No," Vin said. "I wont let you. "

  "Youre big inside. Very big. "

  "Yes," Vin said. "Human, where are the girl koloss?"

  The creature walked several moments. "Girl?"

  "Like me," Vin said.

  "Were not like you," he said. "Were big on the outside only. "

  "No," Vin said. "Not my size. My . . . " How did one describe gender? Short of stripping, she couldnt think of any methods. So, she decided to try a different tactic. "Are there baby koloss?"

  "Baby?"

  "Small ones," Vin said.

  The koloss pointed toward the marching koloss army. "Small ones," he said, referring to some of the five-foot-tall koloss.

  "Smaller," Vin said.

  "None smaller. "

  Koloss reproduction was a mystery that, to her knowledge, nobody had ever cracked. Even after a year spent fighting with the beasts, shed never found out where new ones came from. Whenever Elends koloss armies grew too small, she and he stole new ones from the Inquisitors.

  Yet, it was ridiculous to assume that the koloss didnt reproduce. Shed seen koloss camps that werent controlled by an Allomancer, and the creatures killed each other with fearful regularity. At that rate, they would have killed themselves off after a few years. Yet, they had lasted for ten centuries.

  That implied a very quic1k rise from child to adult, or so Sazed and Elend seemed to think. They hadnt been able to confirm their theories, and she knew their ignorance frustrated Elend greatly—especially since his duties as emperor left him little time for the studies hed once enjoyed so much.

  "If there are none smaller," Vin asked, "then where do new koloss come from?"

  "New koloss come from us," Human finally said.

  "From you?" Vin asked, frowning as she walked. "That doesnt tell me much. "

  Human didnt say anything further. His talkative mood had apparently passed.

  From us, Vin thought. They bud off of each other, perhaps? Shed heard of some creatures that, if you cut them the right way, each half would grow into a new animal. But, that couldnt be the case with koloss—shed seen battlefields filled with their dead, and no pieces rose to form new koloss. But shed also never seen a female koloss. Though most of the beasts wore crude loincloths, they were—as far as she knew—all male.

  Further speculation was cut off as she noticed the line ahead bunching up; the crowd was slowing. Curious, she dropped a coin and left Human behind, shooting herself over the people. The mists had retreated hours ago, and though night was again approaching, for the moment it was both light and mistless.

  Therefore, as she shot through the falling ash, she easily picked out the canal up ahead. It cut unnaturally through the ground, far straighter than any river. Elend speculated that the constant ashfall would soon put an end to most of the canal systems. Without skaa laborers to dredge them on a regular basis, they would fill up with ashen sediment, eventually clogging to uselessness.

  Vin soared through the air, completing her arc, heading toward a large mass of tents stationed beside the canal. Thousands of fires spit smoke into the afternoon air, and men milled about, training, working, or preparing. Nearly fifty thousand soldiers bivouacked here, using the canal route as a supply line back to Luthadel.

  Vin dropped another coin, bounding through the air again. She quickly caught up to the small group of horses that had broken off from Elends line of tired, marching skaa. She landed—dropping a coin and Pushing against it slightly to slow her descent, throwing up a spray of ash as she hit.

  Elend reined in his horse, smiling as he surveyed the camp. The expression was rare enough on his lips these days that Vin found herself smiling as well. Ahead, a group of men waited for them—their scouts would have long since noticed the townspeoples approach.

  "Lord Elend!" said a man sitting at the head of the army contingent. "Youre ahead of schedule!"

  "I assume youre ready anyway, General," Elend said, dismounting.

  "Well, you know me," Demoux said, smiling as he approached. The general wore well-used armor of leather and steel, his face bearing a scar on one cheek, the left side of his scalp missing a large patch of hair where a koloss blade had nearly taken his head. Ever formal, the grizzled man bowed to Elend, who just slapped him on the shoulder affectionately.

  Vins smile lingered. I remember when that man was little more than a fresh recruit standing frightened in a tunnel. Demoux wasnt actually that much older than she was, even though his tanned face and callused hands gave that impression.

  "Weve held position, my lord," Demoux said as 1Fatren and his brother dismounted and joined the group. "Not that there was much to hold it against. Still, it was good for my men to practice fortifying a camp. "

  Indeed, the armys camp beside the canal was surrounded by heaped earth and spikes—a considerable feat, considering the armys size.

  "You did well, Demoux," Elend said, turning back to look over the townspeople. "Our mission was a success. "

  "I can see that, my lord," Demoux said, smiling. "Thats a fair pack of koloss you picked up. I hope the Inquisitor leading them wasnt too sad to see them go. "

  "Couldnt have bothered him too much," Elend said. "Since he was dead at the time. We found the storage cavern as well. "

  "Praise the Survivor!" Demoux said.

  Vin frowned. At his neck, hanging outside his clothing, Demoux wore a necklace that bore a small silver spear: the increasingly popular symbol of the Church of the Survivor. It seemed odd to her that the weapon that had killed Kelsier would become the symbol of his followers.

  Of course, she didnt like to think about the other possibility—that the spear might not represent the one that had killed Kelsier. It might very well represent the one that she herself had used to kill the Lord Ruler. Shed never asked Demoux which it was. Despite three years of growing Church power, Vin had never become comfortable with her own part in its doctrine.

  "Praise the Survivor indeed," Elend said, looking over the armys supply barges. "How did your project go?"

  "Dredging the southern bend?" Demoux asked. "It went well—there was blessed little else to do while we waited. You should be able to get barges through there now. "

  "Good," Elend said. "Form two task forces of five hundred men. Send one with barges back to Vetitan for the supplies we had to leave down in that cavern. They will transfer the supplies to the barges and send them up to Luthadel. "

  "Yes, my lord," Demoux said.

  "Send the second group of soldiers north to Luthadel with these refugees," Elend said, nodding to Fatren. "This is Lord Fatren. Hes in command of the townspeople. Have your men respect his wishes, as long as they are reasonable, and introduce him to Lord Penrod. "

  Once—not long ago—Fatren would probably have complained about being handed off. However, his time with Elend had transformed him surprisingly quickly. The dirty leader nodded gratefully at the escort. "You . . . arent coming with us then, my lord?"

  Elend shook his head. "I have other work to do, and your people need to get to Luthadel, where they can begin farming. Though, if any of your men wish to join my army, they are welcome. Im always in need of good troops, and against the odds, you succeeded in training a useful force. "

  "My lord . . . why not just compel them? Pardon me, but thats what youve done so far. "

  "I compelled your people to safety, Fatren," Elend said. "Sometimes even a drowning man will fight the one who tries to save him and must be compelled. My army is a different matter. Men who dont want to fight ar
e men you cant depend on in battle, and I wont have any of those in my army. You yourself need to go to Luthadel—your people need you—but please let your soldiers know that I will gladly welcome any of them into our ranks. "

  Fatren nodded. "All right. And . . . thank yo1u, my lord. "

  "You are welcome. Now, General Demoux, are Sazed and Breeze back yet?"

  "They should arrive sometime this evening, my lord," Demoux said. "One of their men rode ahead to let us know. "

  "Good," Elend said. "I assume my tent is ready?"

  "Yes, my lord," Demoux said.

  Elend nodded, suddenly looking very tired to Vin.

  "My lord?" Demoux asked eagerly. "Did you find the . . . other item? The location of the final cache?"

  Elend nodded. "Its in Fadrex. "

  "Cetts city?" Demoux asked, laughing. "Well, hell be happy to hear that. Hes been complaining for over a year that we havent ever gotten around to conquering it back for him. "

  Elend smiled wanly. "Ive been half convinced that if we did, Cett would decide that he—and his soldiers—didnt need us anymore. "

  "Hell stay, my lord," Demoux said. "After the scare Lady Vin gave him last year . . . "

  Demoux glanced at Vin, trying to smile, but she saw it in his eyes. Respect, far too much of it. He didnt joke with her the way he did with Elend. She still couldnt believe that Elend had joined that silly religion of theirs. Elends intentions had been political—by joining the skaa faith, Elend had forged a link between himself and the common people. Even so, the move made her uncomfortable.

  A year of marriage had taught her, however, that there were some things one just had to ignore. She could love Elend for his desire to do the right thing, even when she thought hed done the opposite.

  "Call a meeting this evening, Demoux," Elend said. "We have much to discuss—and let me know when Sazed arrives. "

  "Should I inform Lord Hammond and the others of the meetings agenda, my lord?"

  Elend paused, glancing toward the ashen sky. "Conquering the world, Demoux," he finally said. "Or, at least, whats left of it. "

  Allomancy was, indeed, born with the mists. Or, at least, Allomancy began at the same time as the mists first appearances. When Rashek took the power at the Well of Ascension, he became aware of certain things. Some were whispered to him by Ruin; others were granted to him as an instinctive part of the power.

  One of these was an understanding of the Three Metallic Arts. He knew, for instance, that the nuggets of metal in the Chamber of Ascension would make those who ingested them into Mistborn. These were, after all, fractions of the very power in the Well itself.

  9

  TENSOON HAD VISITED the Trustwarren before; he was of the Third Generation. He had been born seven centuries ago, when the kandra were still new—though by that time, the First Generation had already given over the raising of new kandra to the Second Generation.

  The Seconds hadnt done very well with TenSoons generation—or, at least, that was how the Seconds felt. Theyd wanted to form a society of individuals who followed strict rules of respect and seniority. A "perfect" people who lived to serve their Contracts—and, of course, the members of the Second Generation.