He sighed, shaking his head. “Regardless, I believe that Master Breeze was very influential in helping calm that riot. Once one group started listening to Master Elend, the others did too, and from there…well, it is a good thing that a nobleman ended up as king, I think. Master Elend brings some legitimacy to our bid for control, and I think that we will see more support from the nobility and the merchants with him at our head.”
Vin smiled. “Kell would be angry with us, you know. He did all this work, and we just turned around and put a nobleman on the throne.”
Sazed shook his head. “Ah, but there is something more important to consider, I think. We didn’t just put a nobleman on the throne—we put a good man on the throne.”
“A good man…” Vin said. “Yes. I’ve known a few of those, now.”
Vin knelt in the mists atop Keep Venture. Her splinted leg made it harder to move around at night, but most of the effort she used was Allomantic. She just had to make certain that her landings were particularly soft.
Night had come, and the mists surrounded her. Protecting her, hiding her, giving her power…
Elend Venture sat at a desk below, beneath a skylight that still hadn’t been patched from the time Vin had thrown a body through it. He didn’t notice her crouching above. Who would? Who saw a Mistborn in her element? She was, in a way, like one of the shadow images created by the Eleventh Metal. Incorporeal. Really just something that could have been.
Could have been…
The events of the last day were difficult enough to sort through; Vin hadn’t even tried to make sense of her emotions, which were a far bigger mess. She hadn’t gone to Elend yet. She hadn’t been able to.
She looked down at him, sitting in the lanternlight, reading at his desk and making scribbled notes in his little book. His meetings earlier had apparently gone well—everyone seemed willing to accept him as king. Marsh whispered that there were politics behind the support, however. The nobility saw Elend as a puppet they could control, and factions were already appearing amongst the skaa leadership.
Still, Elend finally had an opportunity to draft the law code he’d been dreaming of. He could try to create the perfect nation, try to apply the philosophies he had studied for so long. There would be bumps, and Vin suspected that he would ultimately have to settle for something far more realistic than his idealistic dream. That didn’t really matter. He would make a good king.
Of course, compared with the Lord Ruler, a pile of soot would make a good king….
She wanted to go to Elend, to drop down into the warm room, but…something kept her back. She’d been through too many recent twists in her fortune, too many emotional strains—both Allomantic and non-Allomantic. She wasn’t certain what she wanted anymore; she wasn’t certain if she were Vin or Valette, or even which of them she wished that she were.
She felt cold in the mists, in the quiet darkness. The mist empowered, protected, and hid…even when she didn’t really want it to do any of the three.
I can’t do this. That person who would be with him, that’s not me. That was an illusion, a dream. I am that child who grew up in the shadows, the girl who should be alone. I don’t deserve this.
I don’t deserve him.
It was over. As she had anticipated, everything was changing. In truth, she’d never really made a very good noblewoman. It was time for her to go back to being what she was good at. A thing of shadows, not of parties and balls.
It was time to go.
She turned to leave, ignoring her tears, frustrated with herself. She left him, her shoulders slumped as she hobbled across the metallic roof and disappeared into the mist.
But then…
He died promising us that you had starved to death years ago.
With all the chaos, she’d nearly forgotten the Inquisitor’s words about Reen. Now, however, the memory made her pause. Mists passed her, curling, coaxing.
Reen hadn’t abandoned her. He’d been captured by the Inquisitors who had been looking for Vin, the unlawful child of their enemy. They’d tortured him.
And he had died protecting her.
Reen didn’t betray me. He always promised that he would, but in the end, he didn’t. He had been far from a perfect brother, but he had loved her nonetheless.
A whispered voice came from the back of her mind, speaking in Reen’s voice. Go back.
Before she could convince herself otherwise, she dashed limpingly back to the broken skylight and dropped a coin to the floor below.
Elend turned curiously, looking at the coin, cocking his head. Vin dropped down a second later, Pushing herself up to slow the fall, landing only on her good leg.
“Elend Venture,” she said, standing up. “There is something I’ve been meaning to tell you for some time.” She paused, blinking away her tears. “You read too much. Especially in the presence of ladies.”
He smiled, throwing back his chair and grabbing her in a firm embrace. Vin closed her eyes, simply feeling the warmth of being held.
And realized that was all she had ever really wanted.
ARS ARCANUM
Find extensive author’s annotations of every chapter of this book, along with deleted scenes and expanded world information, at www.brandonsanderson.com.
ALLOMANCY ALPHABETICAL REFERENCE
BRASS (EXTERNAL MENTAL PUSHING METAL) A person burning brass can Riot another person’s emotions, enflaming them and making particular emotions more powerful. It does not let one read minds or even emotions. A Misting who burns brass is known as a Rioter.
BRONZE (INTERNAL MENTAL PUSHING METAL) A person burning bronze can sense when people nearby are using Allomancy. Allomancers burning metals nearby will give off “Allomantic pulses”—something like drumbeats that are audible only to a person burning bronze. A Misting who can burn bronze is known as a Seeker.
COINSHOT A Misting who can burn steel.
COPPER (INTERNAL MENTAL PULLING METAL) A person burning copper gives off an invisible cloud that protects anyone inside of it from the senses of a Seeker. While within one of these “copperclouds,” an Allomancer can burn any metal they wish, and not worry that someone will sense their Allomantic pulses by burning bronze. As a side effect, the person burning copper is themselves immune to any form of emotional Allomancy (Soothing or Rioting). A Misting who can burn copper is known as a Smoker.
LURCHER A Misting who can burn iron.
PEWTER (INTERNAL PHYSICAL PUSHING METAL) A person burning pewter enhances the physical attributes of their body. They become stronger, more durable, and more dexterous. Pewter also enhances the body’s sense of balance and ability to recover from wounds. Mistings who can burn pewter are known as both Pewterarms and Thugs.
PEWTERARM A Misting who can burn pewter.
IRON (EXTERNAL PHYSICAL PULLING METAL) A person burning iron can see translucent blue lines pointing to nearby sources of metal. The size and brightness of the line depends on the size and proximity of the metal source. All types of metal are shown, not just sources of iron. The Allomancer can then mentally yank on one of these lines to Pull that source of metal toward them. A Misting who can burn iron is known as a Lurcher.
RIOTER A Misting who can burn brass.
SEEKER A Misting who can burn bronze.
SMOKER A Misting who can burn copper.
SOOTHER A Misting who can burn zinc.
STEEL (EXTERNAL PHYSICAL PUSHING METAL) A person burning iron can see translucent blue lines pointing to nearby sources of metal. The size and brightness of the line depends on the size and proximity of the metal source. All types of metal are shown, not just sources of steel. The Allomancer can then mentally Push on one of these lines to send that source of metal away from them. A Misting who can burn steel is known as a Coinshot.
TIN (INTERNAL PHYSICAL PULLING METAL) A person burning tin gains enhanced senses. They can see farther and smell better, and their sense of touch becomes far more acute. This has the side effect of letting them pierce the mists, all
owing them to see much farther at night than even their enhanced senses should have let them. A Misting who can burn tin is known as a Tineye.
TINEYE A Misting who can burn tin.
THUG A Misting who can burn pewter.
ZINC (EXTERNAL MENTAL PULLING METAL) A person burning brass can Soothe another person’s emotions, dampening them and making particular emotions less powerful. A careful Allomancer can Soothe away all emotions but a single one, essentially making a person feel exactly as they wish. Zinc, however, does not let that Allomancer read minds or even emotions. A Misting who burns zinc is known as a Soother.
TOR BOOKS BY BRANDON SANDERSON
Elantris
Mistborn
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.
MISTBORN: THE FINAL EMPIRE
Copyright © 2006 by Brandon Sanderson
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Edited by Moshe Feder
Maps by Isaac Stewart
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sanderson, Brandon.
Mistborn: the final empire / Brandon Sanderson.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN: 978-0-765-31178-8
I. Title.
PS3619.A533M57 2006
813'.6—dc22
2005034496
Praise for The Well of Ascension
“Sanderson’s hallmark is to take traditional high-fantasy tropes and turn them upside down, and he doesn’t disappoint here. Vin’s a beautifully realized protagonist whose struggles are wonderfully written and, as always, the world-building is unusual and compelling.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“This entertaining read will especially please those who always wanted to know what happened after the good guys won.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Vin’s struggles with love and power inject the human element into Sanderson’s engaging epic.”
—Booklist
Praise for Mistborn
“Mistborn utilizes a well thought-out system of magic. It also has a great cast of believable characters, a plausible world, an intriguing political system, and a very satisfying ending. Highly recommended to anyone hungry for a good read.”
—Robin Hobb
“Brandon Sanderson made a sensational debut with Elantris as another in the recent crop of fantasy writers who use familiar epic forms to produce far-from-generic results…. Mistborn examines the makings of hero and villain, legend and myth, as seemingly different stages of what may be the same process…. [It’s an]enjoyable, adventurous read…[and] along the way to the grand finale, anyone who cares to can learn a great deal about the underside of power.”
—Faren Miller, Locus
Praise for Brandon Sanderson
“Brandon Sanderson is the real thing—an exciting storyteller with a unique and powerful vision.”
—David Farland
“It’s rare for a fiction writer to have much understanding of how leadership works, how communities form, and how love really takes root in the human heart. Sanderson is astonishingly wise.”
—Orson Scott Card
For Phyllis Call,
Who may never understand my fantasy books,
yet who taught me more about life
—and therefore writing—
than she can probably ever know
(Thanks, Grandma!)
Contents
Maps
Part One: Heir of the Survivor
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Part Two: Ghosts in the Mist
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Part Three: King
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Part Four: Knives
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Part Five: Snow and Ash
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Part Six: Words in Steel
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Epilogue
Ars Arcanum
1. Metals Quick-Reference Chart
2. Names and Terms
3. Summary of Book One
Part One
Heir of the Survivor
1
I write these words in steel, for anything not set in metal cannot be trusted.
The army crept like a dark stain across the horizon.
King Elend Venture stood motionless upon the Luthadel city wall, looking out at the enemy troops. Around him, ash fell from the sky in fat, lazy flakes. It wasn’t the burnt white ash that one saw in dead coals; this was a deeper, harsher black ash. The Ashmounts had been particularly active lately.
Elend felt the ash dust his face and clothing, but he ignored it. In the distance, the bloody red sun was close to setting. It backlit the army that had come to take Elend’s kingdom from him.
“How many?” Elend asked quietly.
“Fifty thousand, we think,” Ham said, leaning against the parapet, beefy arms folded on the stone. Like everything in the city, the wall had been stained black by countless years of ashfalls.
“Fifty thousand soldiers…” Elend said, trailing off. Despite heavy recruitment, Elend barely had twenty thousand men under his command—and they were peasants with less than a year of training. Maintaining even that small number was straining his resources. If they’d been able to find the Lord Ruler’s atium, perhaps things would be different. As it was, Elend’s rule was in serious danger of economic disaster.
“What do you think?” Elend asked.
The Mistborn Trilogy Page 70
