Part 42 (1/2)
Ruin's escape deserves some explanation. This is a thing that even I had a problem understanding.
Ruin could not have used the power at the Well of Ascension. It was of Preservation, Ruin's fundamental opposite. Indeed, a direct confrontation of these two forces would have caused the destruction of both.
Ruin's prison, however, was fabricated of that power. Therefore, it was attuned to the power of Preservation-the very power of the Well. When that power was released and dispersed, rather than utilized, it acted as a key. The subsequent ”unlocking” is what finally freed Ruin.
46.
”ALL RIGHT,” BREEZE SAID, ”so does somebody want to speculate on how our team's spy ended up becoming a pseudo-religious vigilante freedom fighter?” ”so does somebody want to speculate on how our team's spy ended up becoming a pseudo-religious vigilante freedom fighter?”
Sazed shook his head. They sat in their cavern lair beneath the Canton of Inquisition. Breeze, declaring that he was tired of travel rations, had ordered several of the soldiers to break open some of the cavern's supplies to prepare a more suitable meal. Sazed might have complained, but the truth was that the cavern was so well stocked that even a determinedly eating Breeze wouldn't be able to make a dent in it.
They had waited all day for Spook to return to the lair. Tensions in the city were high, and most of their contacts had gone to ground, weathering the Citizen's paranoia regarding a rebellion. Soldiers walked the streets, and a sizable contingent had set up camp just outside the Ministry building. Sazed was worried that the Citizen had a.s.sociated Breeze and Sazed with Spook's appearance at the executions. It appeared that their days of moving about freely in the city were at an end.
”Why hasn't he come back?” Allrianne asked. She and Breeze sat at a fine table, pilfered from an empty n.o.bleman's mansion. They had, of course, changed back to their fine clothing-a suit on Breeze, a peach dress on Allrianne. They always changed as soon as possible, as if eager to reaffirm to themselves who they really were.
Sazed did not dine with them; he didn't have much of an appet.i.te. Captain Goradel leaned against a bookcase a short distance away, determined to keep a close eye on his charges. Though the good-natured man wore his usual smile, Sazed could tell from the orders he'd given to his soldiers that he was worried about the possibility of an a.s.sault. He made very certain that Breeze, Allrianne, and Sazed stayed within the protective confines of the cavern. Better to be trapped than dead.
”I'm sure the boy is fine, my dear,” Breeze said, finally answering Allrianne's question. ”It's likely he hasn't come back because he fears implicating us in what he did today.”
”Either that,” Sazed said, ”or he can't get past the soldiers watching outside.”
”He snuck into a burning building while we were watching, my dear man,” Breeze said, ”I doubt he'd have trouble with a bunch of toughs, especially now that it's dark out.”
Allrianne shook her head. ”It would have been better if he'd managed to sneak out out of that building as well, rather than jumping off the roof in front of everyone.” of that building as well, rather than jumping off the roof in front of everyone.”
”Perhaps,” Breeze said. ”But, part of being a vigilante rebel is letting your enemies know what you are about. The psychological effect produced by leaping from a burning building carrying a child is quite sound. And, to do that right in front of the tyrant who tried to execute said child? I wasn't aware that dear little Spook had such a flair for drama!”
”He's not so little anymore, I think,” Sazed said quietly. ”We have a habit of ignoring Spook too much.”
”Habits come from reinforcement, my dear man,” Breeze said, wagging a fork at Sazed. ”We paid little attention to the lad because he rarely had an important role to play. It isn't his fault-he was simply young.”
”Vin was young as well,” Sazed noted.
”Vin, you must admit, is something of a special case.”
Sazed couldn't argue with that.
”Either way,” Breeze said, ”when we look at the facts, what happened isn't really all that surprising. Spook has had months to become known to Urteau's underground population, and he is of the Survivor's own crew. It is logical that they would begin to look to him to save them, much as Kelsier saved Luthadel.”
”We're forgetting one thing, Lord Breeze,” Sazed said. ”He jumped from a rooftop ledge two stories up and landed on a cobbled street. Men do not survive falls like that without broken bones.”
Breeze paused. ”Staged, you think? Perhaps he worked out some kind of landing platform to soften the fall?”
Sazed shook his head. ”I believe it a stretch to a.s.sume that Spook could plan, and execute, a staged rescue like that. He would have needed the aid of the underground, which would have ruined the effect. If they knew that his survival was a trick, then we wouldn't have heard the rumors we did about him.”
”What, then?” Breeze asked, shooting a glance at Allrianne. ”You're not truly suggesting that Spook has been Mistborn Mistborn all this time, are you?” all this time, are you?”
”I do not know,” Sazed said softly.
Breeze shook his head, chuckling. ”I doubt he could have hidden that from us, my dear man. Why, he would have had to go through that entire mess of overthrowing the Lord Ruler, then the fall of Luthadel, without ever revealing that he was anything more than a Tineye! I refuse to accept that.”
Or, Sazed thought, Sazed thought, you refuse to accept that you wouldn't have detected the truth. you refuse to accept that you wouldn't have detected the truth. Still, Breeze had a point. Sazed had known Spook as a youth. The boy had been awkward and shy, but he hadn't been deceitful. It was truly a stretch to imagine him to have been a Mistborn from the beginning. Still, Breeze had a point. Sazed had known Spook as a youth. The boy had been awkward and shy, but he hadn't been deceitful. It was truly a stretch to imagine him to have been a Mistborn from the beginning.
Yet, Sazed had seen that fall. He had seen the grace of the jump, the distinctive poise and natural dexterity of one burning pewter. Sazed found himself wis.h.i.+ng for his copperminds so that he could search for references about people spontaneously manifesting Allomantic powers. Could a man be a Misting early in life, then transform to a full Mistborn later?
It was a simple thing, related to his duties as an amba.s.sador. Perhaps he could spend just a little time looking through his stored memories, seeking examples. . . .
He paused. Don't be silly, Don't be silly, he thought. he thought. You're just looking for excuses. You You're just looking for excuses. You know know that it's impossible for an Allomancer to gain new powers. You won't find any examples because there aren't any. that it's impossible for an Allomancer to gain new powers. You won't find any examples because there aren't any.
He didn't need to look through his metalminds. He had set those aside for a very good reason-he could not be a Keeper, could not share the knowledge he'd collected, until he could sort the truth from the lies.
I've let myself get distracted lately, he thought with determination, rising from his place and leaving the others behind. He walked over to his ”room” in the cache, with the sheets hung there cutting off his view of the others. Sitting on the table was his portfolio. In the corner, next to a shelf full of cans, sat his sack full of metalminds. he thought with determination, rising from his place and leaving the others behind. He walked over to his ”room” in the cache, with the sheets hung there cutting off his view of the others. Sitting on the table was his portfolio. In the corner, next to a shelf full of cans, sat his sack full of metalminds.
No, Sazed thought. I made a promise to myself. I will keep it. I will not allow myself to become a hypocrite simply because some new religion appears and waves at me. I will be strong. I made a promise to myself. I will keep it. I will not allow myself to become a hypocrite simply because some new religion appears and waves at me. I will be strong.
He sat down at the table, opening his portfolio, taking out the next sheet in the line. It listed the tenets of the Nelazan people, who had wors.h.i.+pped the G.o.d Trell. Sazed had always been partial to this religion because of its focus on learning and study of mathematics and the heavens. He'd saved it for near the end, but had done so more out of worry than anything else. He'd wanted to put off what he'd known would happen.
Sure enough, as he read about the religion, he saw the holes in its doctrines. True, the Nelazan had known a great deal about astronomy, but their teachings on the afterlife were sketchy-almost whimsical. Their doctrine was purposefully vague, they'd taught, allowing all men to discover truth for themselves. Reading this, however, left Sazed frustrated. What good was a religion without answers? Why believe in something if the response to half of his questions was ”Ask Trell, and he will answer”?
He didn't dismiss the religion immediately. He forced himself to put it aside, acknowledging to himself that he wasn't in the right mood for studying. He didn't feel like he was in the mood for much, actually.
What if Spook really has become Mistborn? he wondered, mind getting drawn back to the previous conversation. It seemed impossible. Yet, a lot of things they thought they'd known about Allomancy-such as the existence of only ten metals-had turned out to be falsehoods taught by the Lord Ruler to hide some powerful secrets. he wondered, mind getting drawn back to the previous conversation. It seemed impossible. Yet, a lot of things they thought they'd known about Allomancy-such as the existence of only ten metals-had turned out to be falsehoods taught by the Lord Ruler to hide some powerful secrets.
Perhaps it was was possible for an Allomancer to spontaneously manifest new powers. Or, perhaps there was a more mundane reason Spook had managed such a long fall. It could be related to the thing that made Spook's eyes so sensitive. Drugs, perhaps? possible for an Allomancer to spontaneously manifest new powers. Or, perhaps there was a more mundane reason Spook had managed such a long fall. It could be related to the thing that made Spook's eyes so sensitive. Drugs, perhaps?
Either way, Sazed's worry about what was happening kept him from being able to focus on studying the Nelazan religion as he should. He kept getting the feeling that something very important was occurring. And Spook was at the center of it.
Where was that boy?
”I know why you're so sad,” Spook said.
Beldre turned, shock showing on her face. She didn't see him at first. He must have been too deep in the misty shadows. It was growing hard for him to tell.
He stepped forward, moving across the plot of land that had once been a garden outside the Citizen's home. ”I figured it out,” Spook said. ”At first, I thought that sadness had to do with this garden. It must have been beautiful, once. You would have seen it in its fullness, before your brother ordered all gardens plowed under. You were related to n.o.bility, and probably lived in their society.”
She looked surprised at this.
”Yes, I know,” Spook said. ”Your brother is an Allomancer. He's a Coinshot; I felt his Pushes. That day at Marketpit.”
She remained silent-more beautiful herself than the garden could ever have been-though she did take a step backward as her eyes finally found him in the mists.
”Eventually,” Spook continued, ”I decided that I must be wrong. n.o.body mourns so much for a simple garden, no matter how lovely. After that, I thought the sadness in your eyes must come from being forbidden to take part in your brother's councils. He always sends you out, into the garden, when he meets with his most important officials. I know what it's like to feel useless and excluded among important people.”
He took another step forward. The rough earth lay torn beneath his feet, covered by an inch of ash, the dreary remnants of what had once been fertile ground. To his right stood the lone shrub that Beldre often came to gaze at. He didn't look toward it; he kept his eyes on her.
”I was wrong,” he said. ”Being forbidden your brother's conferences would lead to frustration, but not such pain. Not such regret. I know that sorrow now. I killed for the first time this afternoon. I helped overthrow empires, then helped build them anew. And I'd never killed a man. Not until today.”