The Final Empire m-1

by Brandon Sanderson

  “That’s a no, I assume?” Elend said. “Good – I thought I should offer, since we’ve established that I’m a gentleman. However, I doubt the couples below would appreciate us trampling their toes.”

  “Agreed. What were you reading?”

  “Dilisteni,” Elend said. “Trials of Monument. Heard of it?”

  Vin shook her head.

  “Ah, well. Not many have.” He leaned over the railing, looking below. “So, what do you think of your first experience at court?”

  “It’s very… overwhelming.”

  Elend chuckled. “Say what you will about House Venture – they know how to throw a party.”

  Vin nodded. “You don’t like House Venture, then?” she said. Perhaps this was one of the rivalries Kelsier was watching for.

  “Not particularly, no,” Elend said. “They’re an ostentatious lot, even for high nobility. They can’t just have a party, they have to throw the best party. Never mind that they run their servants ragged setting it up, then beat the poor things in retribution when the hall isn’t perfectly clean the very next morning.”

  Vin cocked her head. Not words I’d expect to hear from a nobleman.

  Elend paused, looking a little embarrassed. “But, well, never mind that. I think your Terrisman is looking for you.”

  Vin started, glancing over the side of the balcony. Sure enough, Sazed’s tall form stood by her now-empty table, speaking to a serving boy.

  Vin yelped quietly. “I’ve got to go,” she said, turning toward the stairwell.

  “Ah, well then,” Elend said, “back to reading it is.” He gave her a half wave of farewell, but he had his book open before she passed the first step.

  Vin reached the bottom out of breath. Sazed saw her immediately.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, chagrined as she approached.

  “Do not apologize to me, Mistress,” Sazed said quietly. “It is both unseemly and unnecessary. Moving about a bit was a good idea, I think. I would have suggested it, had you not seemed so nervous.”

  Vin nodded. “Is it time for us to go, then?”

  “It is a proper time to withdraw, if you wish,” he said, glancing up at the balcony. “May I ask what you were doing up there, Mistress?”

  “I wanted to get a better look at the windows,” Vin said. “But I ended up talking to someone. He seemed interested in me at first, but now I don’t think he ever intended to pay me much attention. It doesn’t matter – he didn’t seem important enough to bother Kelsier with his name.”

  Sazed paused. “Who was it you were speaking to?”

  “The man in the corner there, on the balcony,” Vin said.

  “One of Lord Venture’s friends?”

  Vin froze. “Is one of them named Elend?”

  Sazed paled visibly. “You were chatting with Lord Elend Venture?”

  “Um… yes?”

  “Did he ask you to dance?”

  Vin nodded. “But I don’t think he meant it.”

  “Oh, dear,” Sazed said. “So much for controlled anonymity.”

  “Venture?” Vin asked, frowning. “Like, Keep Venture?”

  “Heir to the house title,” Sazed said.

  “Hum,” Vin said, realizing that she should probably be a bit more intimidated than she felt. “He was a bit annoying – in a pleasant sort of way.”

  “We shouldn’t be discussing this here,” Sazed said. “You’re far, far below his station. Come, let us retire. I shouldn’t have gone away to the dinner…”

  He trailed off, mumbling to himself as he led Vin to the entryway. She got one more glimpse into the main chamber as she retrieved her shawl, and she burned tin, squinting against the light and seeking the balcony above.

  He held the book, closed, in one hand – and she could have sworn that he was looking down in her direction. She smiled, and let Sazed usher her to their carriage.

  13

  I know that I shouldn’t let a simple packman perturb me. However, he is from Terris, where the prophecies originated. If anyone could spot a fraud, would it not be he?

  Nevertheless, I continue my trek, going where the scribbled auguries proclaim that I will meet my destiny – walking, feeling Rashek’s eyes on my back. Jealous. Mocking. Hating.

  VIN SAT WITH HER LEGS crossed beneath her on one of Lord Renoux’s fine easy chairs. It felt good to be rid of the bulky dress, instead getting back to a more familiar shirt and trousers.

  However, Sazed’s calm displeasure made her want to squirm. He stood on the other side of the room, and Vin got the distinct impression that she was in trouble. Sazed had questioned her in depth, seeking out every detail of her conversation with Lord Elend. Sazed’s inquiries had been respectful, of course, but they had also been forceful.

  The Terrisman seemed, in Vin’s opinion, unduly worried about her exchange with the young nobleman. They hadn’t really talked about anything important, and Elend himself was decidedly unspectacular for a Great House lord.

  But, there had been something odd about him – something Vin hadn’t admitted to Sazed. She’d felt… comfortable with Elend. Looking back on the experience, she realized that for those few moments, she hadn’t really been Lady Valette. Nor had she been Vin, for that part of her – the timid crewmember – was almost as fake as Valette was.

  No, she’d simply been… whoever she was. It was a strange experience. She had occasionally felt the same way during her time with Kelsier and the others, but in a more limited manner. How had Elend been able to evoke her true self so quickly and so thoroughly?

  Maybe he used Allomancy on me! she thought with a start. Elend was a high nobleman; perhaps he was a Soother. Maybe there was more to the conversation than she had thought.

  Vin sat back in her chair, frowning to herself. She’d had copper on, and that meant he couldn’t have used emotional Allomancy on her. Somehow, he had simply gotten her to let her guard down. Vin thought back to the experience, thinking about how oddly comfortable she’d felt. In retrospect, it was clear that she hadn’t been careful enough.

  I’ll be more cautious next time. She assumed that they would meet again. They’d better.

  A servant entered and whispered quietly to Sazed. A quick burn of tin let Vin hear the conversation – Kelsier had finally returned.

  “Please send word to Lord Renoux,” Sazed said. The white-clothed servant nodded, leaving the room with a quick step.

  “The rest of you may leave,” Sazed said calmly, and the room’s attendants scampered away. Sazed’s quiet vigil had forced them to stand, waiting in the tense room, not speaking or moving.

  Kelsier and Lord Renoux arrived together, chatting quietly. As always, Renoux wore a rich suit cut in the unfamiliar Western style. The aging man kept his gray mustache trimmed thin and neat, and he walked with a confident air. Even after spending an entire evening among the nobility, Vin was again struck by his aristocratic bearing.

  Kelsier still wore his mistcloak. “Saze?” he said as he entered. “You have news?”

  “I am afraid so, Master Kelsier,” Sazed said. “It appears that Mistress Vin caught the attention of Lord Elend Venture at the ball tonight.”

  “Elend?” Kelsier asked, folding his arms. “Isn’t he the heir?”

  “He is indeed,” Renoux said. “I met the lad perhaps four years ago, when his father visited the West. He struck me as a bit undignified for one of his station.”

  Four years? Vin thought. There’s no way he’s been imitating Lord Renoux for that long. Kelsier only escaped the Pits two years ago! She eyed the impostor, but – as always – was unable to detect a flaw in his bearing.

  “How attentive was the boy?” Kelsier asked.

  “He asked her to dance,” Sazed said. “But Mistress Vin was wise enough to decline. Apparently, their meeting was a matter of idle happenstance – but I fear she may have caught his eye.”

  Kelsier chuckled. “You taught her too well, Saze. In the future, Vin, perhaps you should try to be a little l
ess charming.”

  “Why?” Vin asked, trying to mask her annoyance. “I thought we wanted me to be well liked.”

  “Not by a man as important as Elend Venture, child,” Lord Renoux said. “We sent you to court so you could make alliances – not scandals.”

  Kelsier nodded. “Venture is young, eligible, and heir to a powerful house. Your having a relationship with him could make serious problems for us. The women of the court would be jealous of you, and the older men would disapprove of the rank difference. You’d alienate yourself from large sections of the court. To get the information we need, we need the aristocracy to see you as uncertain, unimportant, and – most importantly – unthreatening.”

  “Besides, child,” Lord Renoux said. “It is unlikely that Elend Venture has any real interest in you. He is known to be a court eccentric – he is probably just trying to heighten his reputation by doing the unexpected.”

  Vin felt her face flush. He’s probably right, she told herself sternly. Still, she couldn’t help feeling annoyed at the three of them – especially Kelsier, with his flippant, unconcerned attitude.

  “Yes,” Kelsier said, “it’s probably best that you avoid Venture completely. Try to offend him or something. Give him a couple of those glares you do.”

  Vin regarded Kelsier with a flat look.

  “That’s the one!” Kelsier said with a laugh.

  Vin clinched her teeth, then forced herself to relax. “I saw my father at the ball tonight,” she said, hoping to distract Kelsier and the others away from Lord Venture.

  “Really?” Kelsier asked with interest.

  Vin nodded. “I recognized him from a time my brother pointed him out to me.”

  “What is this?” Renoux asked.

  “Vin’s father is an obligator,” Kelsier said. “And, apparently an important one if he has enough pull to go to a ball like this. Do you know what his name is?”

  Vin shook her head.

  “Description?” Kelsier asked.

  “Uh… bald, eye tattoos…”

  Kelsier chuckled. “Just point him out to me sometime, all right?”

  Vin nodded, and Kelsier turned to Sazed. “Now, did you bring me the names of which noblemen asked Vin to dance?”

  Sazed nodded. “She gave me a list, Master Kelsier. I also have several interesting tidbits to share from the stewards’ meal.”

  “Good,” Kelsier said, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner. “You’ll have to save them for tomorrow morning, though. I’ve got to be going.”

  “Going?” Vin asked, perking up. “But you just got in!”

  “That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only thing you can really do is leave again. Get some sleep – you’re looking a bit ragged.”

  Kelsier waved a farewell to the group, then ducked out of the room, whistling amiably to himself.

  Too nonchalant, Vin thought. And too secretive. He usually tells us which families he plans to hit.

  “I think I will retire,” Vin said, yawning.

  Sazed eyed her suspiciously, but let her go as Renoux began speaking quietly to him. Vin scrambled up the stairs to her room, threw on her mistcloak, and pushed open her balcony doors.

  Mist poured into the room. She flared iron, and was rewarded with the sight of a fading blue metal line, pointing into the distance.

  Let’s see where you’re going, Master Kelsier.

  Vin burned steel, Pushing herself into the cold, humid autumn night. Tin enhanced her eyes, making the wet air tickle her throat as she breathed. She Pushed hard behind her, then Pulled slightly on the gates below. The maneuver swung her in a soaring arc over the steel gates, which she then Pushed against to throw herself farther into the air.

  She kept an eye on the trail of blue that pointed toward Kelsier, following him at enough of a distance to remain unseen. She wasn’t carrying any metal – not even coins – and she kept her copper burning to hide her use of Allomancy. Theoretically, only sound could alert Kelsier of her presence, and so she moved as quietly as possible.

  Surprisingly, Kelsier didn’t head into town. After passing the mansion’s gates, he turned north out of the city. Vin followed, landing and running quietly on the rough ground.

  Where is he going? she thought with confusion. Is he circling Fellise? Heading for one of the peripheral mansions?

  Kelsier continued northward for a short time, then his metal line suddenly began to grow dim. Vin paused, stopping beside a group of stumpy trees. The line faded at a rapid rate: Kelsier had suddenly sped up. She cursed to herself, breaking into a dash.

  Ahead, Kelsier’s line vanished into the night. Vin sighed, slowing. She flared her iron, but it was barely enough to catch a glimpse of him disappearing again in the distance. She’d never keep up.

  Her flared iron, however, showed her something else. She frowned, continuing forward until she reached a stationary source of metal – two small bronze bars stuck into the ground a couple feet from each other. She flipped one up into her hand, then looked into the swirling mists to the north.

  He’s jumping, she thought. But why? Jumping was faster than walking, but there didn’t seem much point to it in the empty wilderness.

  Unless…

  She walked forward, and she soon found two more bronze bars embedded in the earth. Vin glanced backward. It was hard to tell in the night, but it seemed that the four bars made a line that pointed directly toward Luthadel.

  So that’s how he does it, she thought. Kelsier had an uncanny ability to move between Luthadel and Fellise with remarkable speed. She’d assumed that he was using horses, but it appeared that there was a better way. He – or perhaps someone before him – had laid down an Allomantic road between the two cities.

  She gripped the first bar in her palm – she’d need it to soften her landing if she was wrong – then stepped up in front of the second pair of bars and launched herself into the air.

  She Pushed hard, flaring her steel, throwing herself as far up into the sky as she could. As she flew, she flared her iron, searching for other sources of metal. They soon appeared – two directly north, and two more in the distance to either side of her.

  The ones on the sides are for course corrections, she realized. She’d have to keep moving directly north if she wanted to stay on the bronze highway. She nudged herself slightly to the left – moving so that she passed directly between the two adjacent bars of the main path – then hurled herself forward again in an arcing leap.

  She got the hang of it quickly, hopping from point to point, never dropping even close to the ground. In just a few minutes, she had the rhythm down so well that she barely had to do any corrections from the sides.

  Her progress across the scraggly landscape was incredibly swift. The mists blew by, her mistcloak whipping and flapping behind her. Still, she forced herself to speed up. She’d spent too long studying the bronze bars. She had to catch up to Kelsier; otherwise she’d arrive in Luthadel, but not know where to go from there.

  She began to throw herself from point to point at an almost reckless speed, watching desperately for some sign of Allomantic motion. After about ten minutes of leaping, a line of blue finally appeared ahead of her – one pointing up, rather than down toward bars in the ground. She breathed in relief.

  Then a second line appeared, and a third.

  Vin frowned, letting herself drop to the ground with a muted thump. She flared tin, and a massive shadow appeared in the night before her, its top sparkling with balls of light.

  The city wall, she thought with amazement. So soon? I made the trip twice as fast as a man on horseback!

  However, that meant she’d lost Kelsier. Frowning to herself, she used the bar she’d been carrying to throw herself up onto the battlements. Once she landed on the damp stone, she reached behind and Pulled the bar up into her hand. Then she approached the other side of the wall, hopping up and crouching on the stone railing as she sca
nned the city.

  What now? she thought with annoyance. Head back to Fellise? Stop by Clubs’s shop and see if he went there?

  She sat uncertainly for a moment, then threw herself off the wall and began making her way across the rooftops. She wandered randomly, pushing off of window clasps and bits of metal, using the bronze bar – then pulling it back into her hand – when long jumps were necessary. It wasn’t until she arrived that she realized she’d unconsciously gone to a specific destination.

  Keep Venture rose before her in the night. The limelights had been extinguished, and only a few phantom torches burned near guard posts.

  Vin crouched on the lip on a rooftop, trying to decide what had led her back to the massive keep. The cool wind ruffled her hair and cloak, and she thought she felt a few tiny raindrops on her cheek. She sat for a long moment, her toes growing cold.

  Then she noticed motion to her right. She crouched immediately, flaring her tin.

  Kelsier sat on a rooftop not three houses away, just barely lit by ambient light. He didn’t seem to have noticed her. He was watching the keep, his face too distant for her to read his expression.

  Vin watched him with suspicious eyes. He’d dismissed her meeting with Elend, but perhaps it worried him more than he’d admitted. A sudden spike of fear made her tense.

  Could he be here to kill Elend? The assassination of a high noble heir would certainly create tension amongst the nobility.

  Vin waited apprehensively. Eventually, however, Kelsier stood and walked away, Pushing himself off the rooftop and into the air.

  Vin dropped her bronze bar – it would give her away – and dashed after him. Her iron showed blue lines moving in the distance, and she hurriedly jumped out over the street and Pushed herself off a sewer grate below, determined not to lose him again.

  He moved toward the center of the city. Vin frowned, trying to guess his destination. Keep Erikeller was in that direction, and it was a major supplier of armaments. Perhaps Kelsier planned to do something to interrupt its supplies, making House Renoux more vital to the local nobility.