The Hero of Ages

Vin said. 'As long as you have it, we have reason to conquer you.'

'It?' Yomen asked.

Ruin stepped forward, curious.

'You know what I mean. The atium. The Lord Ruler's supply.'

'That?' Yomen asked, laughing. 'This is all about the atium? Atium is worthless!'

Vin frowned. 'Worthless? It's the single most valuable commodity in the Final Empire!'

'Oh?' Yomen asked. 'And how many people are there around to burn it? How many noble houses remain to play petty politics and vie for power by showing how much atium they can leach from the Lord Ruler? The value of atium was based in the economy of an empire, Lady Venture. Without the trappings of a reserve system and an upper class giving the metal implied worth, atium has no real value.' Yomen shook his head. 'To a starving man, what is more important-a loaf of bread, or an entire jar of atium he can't use, eat, or sell?'

He waved for the guards to take her. They pulled her to her feet, and she struggled, holding Yomen's eyes.

Yomen turned away from her again. 'Those lumps of metal do me no good, save-perhaps-to keep you in check. No, the food was the real resource. The Lord Ruler left me the riches I required to establish his power again. I just need to figure out what he wants me to do next.'

The soldiers finally succeeded in pulling her away.

I don't wonder that we focused far too much on the mists during those days. But from what I now know of sunlight and plant development, I realize that our crops weren't in as much danger from misty days as we feared. We might very well have been able to find plants to eat that did not need as much light to survive.

True, the mists did also cause some deaths in those who went out in them, but the number killed was not a large enough percentage of the population to be a threat to our survival as a species. The ash, that was our real problem. The smoke filling the atmosphere, the black flakes covering up everything beneath, the eruptions of the volcanic ashmounts. . Those were what would kill the world.

61

'Elend!' Ham called, rushing up to him. 'You're back!'

'Surprised?' Elend asked, reading his friend's expression.

'Of course not,' Ham said, a little too quickly. 'The scouts reported your approach.'

My arrival may not surprise you, Elend thought tiredly, but the fact that I'm still alive does. Did you think I'd run off to get myself killed, or did you simply think that I'd wander away and abandon you?

It wasn't a line of reasoning he wanted to pursue. So, he simply smiled, resting a hand on Ham's shoulder and looking toward the camp. It looked strange, bunkered down as it was, ash piled up outside of it. It looked a little like it was dug into the ground several feet. There was so much ash. .

I can't worry about everything at once, Elend thought with determination. I just have to trust. Trust in myself and keep going.

He had pondered the mist spirit the rest of his trip. Had it really told him not to attack Fadrex, or was Elend simply misinterpreting its gestures? What had it wanted him to learn by pointing at his vial of metals?

Beside him, Ham was regarding the mass of new koloss. To the side of the army, his other koloss sat-still under his control. Though he had grown increasingly adept at keeping a hold on the creatures, it was still nice to be back close to them. It made him feel more comfortable.

Ham whistled quietly. 'Twenty-eight thousand?' he asked. 'Or, at least, that's what the scouts say.'

Elend nodded.

'I hadn't realized how large the group was,' Ham said. 'With that many. .'

Thirty-seven thousand total, Elend thought. More than enough to storm Fadrex.

He began to walk down the incline, toward the camp. Though he hadn't needed much pewter to help him through the hike, he was still tired. 'Any news of Vin?' he said hopefully, though he knew that if she'd managed to escape, she would have already found him.

'We sent a messenger into the city while you were gone,' Ham said as they began to walk. 'Yomen said a soldier could come and confirm that Vin was still alive, and so we complied in your name, thinking it best if Yomen thought you were here.'

'You did well,' Elend said.

'It's been a while since then,' Ham said. 'We haven't heard anything of her since.'

'She's still alive,' Elend said.

Ham nodded. 'I believe so too.'

Elend smiled. 'It's not just faith, Ham,' he said, nodding toward the koloss that had remained behind. 'Before she was captured, I gave some of those to her. If she'd died, then they would have gone out of control. As long as she lives-whether or not she has metals-she will remain bonded to them.'

Ham paused. 'That. . would have been something good to tell us earlier, El.'

'I know,' Elend said. 'It's too easy to forget how many I'm controlling-I didn't even think that not all of those are mine. Post scouts, keep an eye on them. I'll take them back if they go wild.'

Ham nodded. 'Could you contact her through them?'

Elend shook his head. How did he explain? Controlling the koloss wasn't a subtle thing-their minds were too dull for much beyond simple commands. He could order them to attack, or to freeze, or to follow and carry things. But he couldn't direct them precisely, couldn't instruct them to speak a message or even how to accomplish a goal. He could only say 'Do this' and watch them go.

'We've had scout reports from the Central Dominance, El,' Ham said, voice troubled.

Elend looked at him.

'Most of our scouts didn't return. Nobody knows what happened to Demoux and the men you sent-we hope they reached Luthadel, but the capital is in bad shape. The scouts who have returned bear some pretty frustrating news. We've lost many of the cities you conquered during this last year. The people are starving, and a lot of villages are empty save for the dead. Those who can flee to Luthadel, leaving trails of corpses on the road, buried in ash.'

Elend closed his eyes. But Ham wasn't done.

'There are tales of cities swallowed by the rumbling earth,' Ham said, voice almost a whisper. 'King Lekal and his city fell to lava from one of the ashmounts. We haven't heard from Janarle in weeks; his entire retinue seems to have vanished, and the Northern Dominance is in chaos. The entire Southern Dominance is said to be burning. . Elend, what do we do?'

Elend continued to stride forward, walking onto an ash-free pathway and then into the camp proper. Soldiers were gathering about, whispering, looking at him. He didn't know how to answer Ham's question. What did he do? What could he do?

'We'll help them, Ham,' he said. 'We won't give up.'

Ham nodded, looking slightly bolstered. 'Though, before you do anything else, what you should probably do is go change your clothing. . '

Elend glanced down, remembering that he was still wearing the black uniform, bloodied from killing koloss, then stained by ash. His appearance caused quite a stir in the men. They've only seen me in the white, pristine outfit. Many of them have never even seen me fight-never seen me bloodied, never seen me dirtied by ash.

He wasn't certain what bothered him about that.

Ahead, Elend could see a bearded figure sitting in a chair beside the pathway, as if he were simply out there for an afternoon repast. Cett eyed him as he passed. 'More koloss?'

Elend nodded.