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city. "We have to help!" Allrianne insisted. "No," Cett said quietly, shrugging off the effects of her Raging his emotions. He'd grown used to her manipulations long ago. "Our help wouldn't matter now." "We have to do something!" Allrianne said, pulling his arm. "No," Cett said more forcefully. "But you came back!" she... |
was the largest of the monsters Sazed had seen. Sazed tried to step away, but he stumbled over the body of a recently killed soldier. As he fell, his men finally broke, the last dozen scattering. They'd held well. Too well. Perhaps if he'd let them retreat. . . No, Sazed thought, looking up at his death. I did well, I ... |
Vin twisted expertly in the air, Pulling herself to the side, swinging the gate to the side as if it were tethered to her by a chain. Koloss flew in the air, bones cracking, sprayed like splinters before the enormous weapon. In a single sweep, Vin cleared the entire courtyard. The gate dropped. Vin landed amid a group ... |
outside. It was going on an awful long time. Shouldn't those soldiers be dead? "Breeze?" He couldn't move to see who it was. Sounds like Ham. That's funny. He should be dead, too. "Lord Ruler!" Ham said, coming into Breeze's view. He wore a bloodied sling on one arm. He fell urgently to Breeze's side. "Breeze, can you ... |
tired. No, she'd started the battle tired. She'd pewter-dragged, then used a convoluted personal spikeway to carry herself across an entire dominance. She was exhausted. Only the pewter in her last metal vial was keeping her upright. I should have asked Sazed for one of his empty pewterminds! she thought. Feruchemical ... |
the same one that Dockson had been sending to Steel Gate. He'd lost his horse somewhere, and they'd found him with a group of refugees in the Square of the Survivor. "Lord Terrisman," the messenger said quietly. "I. . .just got back from the command post. Keep Venture has fallen. . .." "Lord Dockson?" The man shook his... |
hauntingly across the snowy streets. "My Tineye claims the creatures have already attacked the people you sent to escape through the northern gate. Now the koloss have turned this way. They're coming for us." As cries began to echo through the distant streets, coming closer, Sazed knew that Penrod's words must be true.... |
the air, throwing down a coin. Her metals were nearly gone. She barely had enough steel to carry her through a few jumps. She ended up slowing near Kredik Shaw, the Hill of a Thousand Spires. She caught one of the spikes at the top of the palace, spinning in the night, looking out over the darkening city. It was burnin... |
She still felt exhausted, but adrenaline helped her somewhat. She had to keep moving. Keep going. To stop was to die. Several of the beasts turned toward her, eager to fight. One swung for her, and Vin let herself slide in the slush—slipping closer to him—before cutting the back of his leg. He howled in pain as her kni... |
to have a weakness, too. TenSoon called the koloss. . .his cousins, she thought. She stood upright, the dark street suddenly quiet save for the whimpering skaa. The koloss waited, and she could feel herself in their minds. As if they were an extension of her own body, the same thing she had felt when she'd taken contro... |
tired," Vin said. "I'm tired of the games. I'm tired of people dying because of arguments between their leaders. I'm tired of good men being taken advantage of." Penrod nodded quietly. "I want you to gather our remaining soldiers," Vin said, turning to look over the city. "How many do you have in there?" "About two hun... |
she turned to walk toward her koloss. "Lady Vin?" Sazed asked, causing her to turn around. "There is still an army out there." "Oh, I know," Vin said, turning to take one of the large, wedge like koloss swords from its owner. It was actually a few inches taller than she was. "I am well aware of Straff's intentions," sh... |
of Sazed's knowledge gave him comfort. He accepted the religions he knew—believed in their value—but that didn't give him what he needed. They didn't assure him that Tindwyl's spirit still lived. Instead, they made him question. If so many people believed so many different things, how could any one of them—or, even, an... |
their fortifications," Straff said, smiling, Black Frayn warming his blood, making him feel like he was burning metals. "And they're coming to us. Let them charge. This should be over quickly." "Yes, my lord," Janarle said, sounding a little less certain. He frowned, then, pointing toward the southern section of the ci... |
the camp—but he had also, of course, expected that she'd get past them eventually. At least I can count on her to be slowed down by getting ready in the morning, he thought with amusement. She wore one of her dresses, immaculately arranged, her hair done. If a building were burning down, Allrianne would still pause to ... |
with Tindwyl's death. He felt. . .hollow. He wished that he could just stop feeling. He wished that he could go back and defend her gate, instead of his own. Why hadn't he gone in search of her when he'd heard of the northern gate's fall? She'd still been alive then. He might have been able to protect her. . . Why did ... |
bloodied, her massive koloss sword held on one shoulder. Some koloss pulled a man forward—a lord in rich clothing and a silvery breastplate. They dropped him before Vin. From behind, Penrod approached with an honor guard, led by a koloss. Nobody spoke. Eventually, the koloss parted again, and this time a suspicious Cet... |
and Breeze. . ." "I will do my best," Sazed said, bowing his head. "What is it you want me to do?" "Secure Luthadel," Vin said. "Make certain the people are sheltered, and send for supplies from Straff's storehouses. Get these armies so that they won't kill each other, the send a squad to fetch Elend. He'll be coming s... |
even without Allomancy, he thought, smiling to himself. He'd lost the throne, true. But, while they could take his crown, they could not take away his accomplishments. He'd proved that an Assembly could work. He'd protected the skaa, given them rights, and a taste of freedom they'd never forget. He'd done more than any... |
own impressions of the Deepness were seated in scholarly tradition. Some writers dismissed the entire thing as a legend—a rumor used by the obligators to enhance their god's aura of divinity. The majority accepted the historical definition of the Deepness—a dark monster that had been slain by the Lord Ruler. And yet, t... |
"Nothing," he said. Spook glanced back the way he had come. "You should come look at this." "The army?" Elend asked, frowning. Spook shook his head. "No. The refugees." "The Keepers are dead, my lord," the old man said, sitting across from Elend. He didn't have a tent, only a blanket stretched between several poles. "E... |
We are few, these days—the Lord Ruler saw to that." "I. . .do not know if Luthadel can help you, friend." "We can serve well," the old man promised. "We were prideful to declare ourselves free, I think. We struggled to survive even before the Inquisitors attacked. Perhaps they did us a favor by casting us out." Elend s... |
us, perhaps to seek refuge in Terris." "I know," Elend said. "We can't gather in Terris, though," Spook said. "Not with the Inquisitors up there." "I know," Elend said again. Spook was silent for a moment. "The whole world is falling apart, El," he finally said. "Terris, Luthadel. . ." "Luthadel has not been destroyed,... |
an indifferent hand. "You may send your scouts, Lord Cett," Sazed said. "But they are to seek information only. They are to engage in no raids, no matter how tempting the opportunity." Cett shook a bearded head. "This is why I never bothered to play political games with the rest of the Final Empire. Nothing gets done b... |
months. Long ago, he had resigned himself to the fact that he would never be loved—in general—and that he certainly would never have her love. Not only did he lack manhood, but he was a rebel and a dissident—a man well outside of the Terris orthodoxy. Surely her love for him had been a miracle. Yet, whom did he thank f... |
her return a week before. Perhaps she'd awake soon, like a Keeper who came out of sleep. Perhaps it would last longer. Her koloss army waited outside the city, controlled—apparently—even though she was unconscious. But for how long? Pewter dragging could kill, if the person had pushed themselves too hard. What would ha... |
his life's work to remember. Forgetting, even in the name of personal peace, was not something that appealed to him. He flipped through the manuscript, smiling fondly in the dark chamber. He'd sent a cleaned-up, rewritten version with Vin and Elend to the north. This, however, was the original. The frantically—almost d... |
book to the complete transcription of Kwaan's iron-plate testimony, searching for the passage. Alendi's height struck me the first time I saw him, it read. Here was a man who was small of stature, but who seemed to tower over others, a man who demanded respect. Sazed frowned. Before, he'd argued that there was no contr... |
upon it once, Sazed," she said. "Do you know that? Did I tell you? When I fought the Lord Ruler. I drew power from the mists. That's how I defeated him." Sazed shivered, not just from the cold. From the tone in her voice, and the air of her words. "Lady Vin. . ." he said, but wasn't sure how to continue. Drew upon the ... |
paused. Vin stood in front of them in the city street. Quiet, dark. In the mists, she almost looked like the spirit Elend had seen earlier. "Vin?" he asked in the eerie air. "Elend," she said, rushing forward, into his arms, and the air of mystery was gone. She shivered as she held him. "I'm sorry. I think I did someth... |
found it easier. Elend glanced back at the others, and she could sense his concern. Up ahead, Kredik Shaw loomed in the night. Spires, like massive spikes, jutted from the ground in an off-balance pattern, reaching accusingly toward the stars above. "Vin," Elend said. "The mists are acting. . .strangely." "I know," she... |
power nearly ripped her apart, but her anchor held, and duralumin-fueled pewter kept her alive. And a section of the wall slid open, stone grinding against stone in the quiet room. Vin gasped, letting go as her metals ran out. "Lord Ruler!" Spook said. Ham was quicker, however, moving with the speed of pewter and peeki... |
over his chair. It wasn't actually a person. It was a shadow—formed, it seemed, from streams of mist. They were very faint, still trailing through the window that Vin had opened, but they made a person. Its head seemed turned toward the table, toward the book. Or. . .perhaps the scrap of paper. Sazed felt like running,... |
Above, those inlays on the walls hid the cracks of the doorway, and the metal in them obscured the opening mechanism from Allomantic eyes. If I hadn't had a hint. . ." "Hint?" Elend asked, turning to her. Vin shook her head, nodding to the steps. The two began down them. Below, she heard Spook's voice ring. "There's fo... |
ground and thrash about. The spirit appeared in front of Sazed, its posture insistent. Sazed looked up, frowning. "You did this?" he whispered. The thing shook its head violently, pointing. Kredik Shaw was just ahead. It was the direction Vin and Elend had gone earlier. Sazed stood. Vin said she thought the Well was st... |
looked up, focusing his sightless spikeheads on Sazed. "I wish I understood why I have to kill you," he said, then lifted a hand. An Allomantic Push slammed into the metal bracers on Sazed's arms, throwing him backward, crashing him into the hard stone wall. "I'm sorry," Marsh whispered. Alendi must not reach the Well ... |
the thought rang true. Ten rings, embedded into his flesh. Touching him. Weight. Speed of body. Sight. Hearing. Touch. Scent. Strength. Speed of mind. Wakefulness. And health. He tapped gold. He didn't have to be wearing the metalmind to use it—he only had to be touching it. His chest stopped burning, and his vision sn... |
entered. A low light came from something on the far side of the chamber, though Elend couldn't distinguish the source. It didn't look like torchlight. It was the wrong color, and it shimmered rather than flickered. Vin wrapped an arm around him, staring toward the back of the chamber, suddenly seeming apprehensive. "Wh... |
violently backward by his own Push. He slammed into the back wall, a cry of surprise escaping his lips. It echoed in the small, domed room. Shadows danced in the room as the candle grew weaker. Sazed tapped sight, enhancing his vision, and released iron as he dashed toward the addled Inquisitor. Marsh, however, recover... |
He dropped the lamp, ducking to the side, moving more quickly than Marsh could track. The lamp was forced backward, but then fell to the ground as Marsh let go of his Push, jumping forward, obviously trying to keep from being trapped against the wall. But Sazed was faster. He spun, raising a hand to try to pull out Mar... |
stood up straighter. She'd never seen the creature outside of the mist. It still wasn't completely. . .whole. Mist puffed from its body, flowing downward, creating its amorphous form. A persistent pattern. Vin hissed quietly, pulling out a dagger. "Wait!" Elend said, standing. She frowned, shooting him a glance. "I don... |
.he was trying to smile. Vin rolled up her coat and put it beneath his head. Then, wearing just her trousers and shirt, she walked up to the pool. She could hear it thumping. As if. . .calling to her. Calling for her to join with it. She stepped onto the pool. It resisted her touch, but her foot began to sink, slowly. ... |
you must do. And she did know. She saw it happen—she saw, as if in a vision, Rashek when he'd taken the power for himself. She saw the disasters he created. It was all or nothing—like Allomancy, in a way. If she took the power, she would have to burn it away in a few moments. Remaking things as she pleased, but only fo... |
in her mind was finally quiet. She sniffled, arms around Elend, holding him as he gasped his final few breaths. She'd screamed for help, calling for Ham and Spook, but had gotten no response. They were too far away. She felt cold. Empty. After holding that much power, then having it ripped from her, she felt like she w... |
lips moved, but he started to choke. I have to get him something to wash it down, she thought. The only thing she had was one of her metal vials. She reached into the empty well, retrieving her earring and her sash. She pulled free a vial, then poured the liquid into his mouth. Elend continued to cough weakly, but the ... |
the one Sazed had written and studied. Alendi must not reach the Well of Ascension, Kwaan's ancient words read, for he must not be allowed to release the thing that is imprisoned there. Sazed sat down quietly. It was all a lie, he thought numbly. The religion of the Terris people. . .the thing the Keepers spent millenn... |
Well of Ascension. Something is making the prophecies change so that they refer to Alendi more perfectly. And whatever this power is, it can change words within a Feruchemist's metalmind. The others call me mad. As I have said, that may be true. But must not even a madman rely on his own mind, his own experience, rathe... |
and his trusted friends are chosen as those guides. Rashek is to try and lead Alendi in the wrong direction, to dissuade him, discourage him, or otherwise foil his quest. Alendi doesn't know that he has been deceived, that we've all been deceived, and he will not listen to me now. If Rashek fails to lead the trek astra... |
the day. . .Elend, what are we going to do?" He looked at her for a moment, then turned back toward the city and its people. "We're going to do what Kelsier taught us, Vin. We're going to survive." 1. Metals Quick-Reference Chart 2. Names and Terms 3. Summary of Book One You can also find extensive annotations of every... |
Seven large ash volcanoes that appeared in the Final Empire during the Ascension. ASHWEATHER: Lord Cett's first name. ATIUM: A strange metal formerly produced in the Pits of Hathsin. It collected inside of small geodes that formed in crystalline pockets in caves beneath the ground. BIRCHBANE: A common poison. BOXING: T... |
FELT: Once one of Straff's spies, the man was (like most of Straff's employees) left behind at the fall of Luthadel. He gave his allegiance to Elend instead. FINAL EMPIRE: The empire established by the Lord Ruler. The name came from the fact that, being immortal, he felt that it would be the last empire the world ever ... |
Final Empire. It was Alendi's homeland. KLISS: A woman whom Vin knew in the court at Luthadel. She eventually turned out to be an informant for hire. KOLOSS: A race of bestial warriors created by the Lord Ruler during his Ascension, then used by him to conquer the world. KREDIK SHAW: The Lord Ruler's palace in Luthadel... |
religious figures, however; they were civil bureaucrats, and even a spy network. A business deal or promise that wasn't witnessed by an obligator was not considered legally or morally binding. ORESEUR: A kandra employed by Kelsier. He once played the part of Lord Renoux, Vin's uncle. Vin now holds his Contract. PENROD,... |
Elend's father, king of the Northern Dominance. He makes his home in Urteau. SURVIVOR OF SATHSIN: A cognomen of Kelsier, referring to the fact that he is the only known prisoner to ever escape the prison camps at the Pits of Hathsin. SYNOD (TERRIS): The elite leaders of the Terris Keeper organization. TAP (FERUCHEMICAL... |
the most famous of gentleman thieves in the Final Empire, Kelsier had been known for his daring schemes. Those eventually ended with his capture, however, and he had been sent to the Lord Ruler's death camp at the Pits of Hathsin, the secret source of atium. It was said that nobody ever escaped the Pits of Hathsin aliv... |
the skaa. After this, he became Contractually bound to Vin, and was charged with watching over her after Kelsier's death. Vin was the one who in fact killed the Lord Ruler. She discovered that he wasn't actually a god, or even immortal—he had simply found a way to extend his life and his power by making use of both All... |
fell to his knees on wind-paved stones. The commander paused. He would not lose another, not so near the end. And yet he feared bending down, lifting the man up. If he paused, he might never move again. Grunting, the other man recovered his feet. The commander nodded once and turned again to the west. A breeze stirred ... |
voices questioning whether the food would last, whether the water was safe to drink, and whether the flood was natural, a catastrophe of distant rains, or an attack by the Khaiem and their andat. He had not known then what the word meant, but the syllables had taken on the stench of the dead bodies, the devastation whe... |
High Watchman laughed, and then, remembering the dead, sobered. Balasar shifted the subject. "How long have you been here? And who did you offend to get yourself sent to this. . .lovely place?" "Eight years. I've been eight years at this post. I didn't much care for the way things got run in Acton. I suppose this was m... |
from the yellow coal-smoke of the great cities. When the news had come—a historian and engineer in Far Galt had divined a map that might lead to the old libraries—he'd known that rest had been a chimera, a thing for other men but never himself. He'd taken the best of his men, the strongest, smartest, most loyal, and co... |
he had recovered, laying them side by side on the desk that looked out over the port. There were four, two bound in thick, peeling leather, another whose covers had been ripped from it, and one encased in metal that appeared to be neither steel nor silver, but something of each. Balasar ran his fingers over the mute vo... |
three-legged dog the ship's crew had taken on as a mascot. Nor were there women on board. Only the rank, common smell of men and the sea. The rigging creaked and groaned, unnerving no one but Balasar. He had never loved traveling by water. Campaigning on land was no more comfortable, but at least when the day ended he ... |
the situation and bring Eustin back from his madness. In the end, his silence was enough. "He deserves better, General," Eustin said. "He's broken. He's a sick, broken thing. He shouldn't have to live like that. There ought to be some dignity at least. If there's nothing else, there should at least be some dignity." Th... |
that moment, and he felt the eyes of the dead upon him. They were in the room, invisibly crowding it as the sailors had. "Can you tell me they died with honor?" Eustin breathed. "I'm not sure what honor is," Balasar said. "We did what we did because it was needed, and we were the men to do it. The price was too high fo... |
say this is needed. You and I are seeing that it never happens," he said, and his words made his own blood hot. He was no longer uncertain or touched by shame. Balasar grinned wide and wolfish. If it was pride, then let him be proud. No man could do what he intended without it. "When I've finished, the god-ghosts of th... |
job. ʫaac Stewart is our art director at Dragonsteel, and was essential in making this all come together. Rachael Lynn Buchanan was our art assistant. Bill Wearne at American Print and Bindery really came through for us to get this thing printed, considering shortages. Many thanks, Bill. And I’d also like to thank all ... |
Kickstarter project. I wasn’t gunning for the number one spot—let alone double that. I just wanted to do something different, something interesting, and something cool. Your support continues to mean so very much to me. Thank you. Brandon Sanderson * items with an asterisk are contained in Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmer... |
duke’s mansion. Though locals called the island the Rock, its name on the maps was Diggen’s Point. No one remembered who Diggen was anymore, but he had obviously been a clever fellow, for he’d left the Rock soon after naming it and never returned. In the evenings, Tress would often sit on her family’s porch and sip sal... |
the reason the locals of Diggen’s Point didn’t terribly mind the salty taste of their water or food. They’d teach their children this ever-so-important rule: salt and silver halt the killer. An acceptable little poem, if you’re the sort of barbarian who enjoys slant rhymes. Regardless, with the spores, the smoke, and t... |
quiet when the other girls were laughing or telling jokes about her. After all, they were having so much fun. It would be impolite to spoil that, and presumptuous of her to request that they stop. Sometimes the more boisterous youths talked of seeking adventure in foreign oceans. Tress found that notion frightening. Ho... |
it had been a horribly long time since anyone in the duke’s family had died from the myriad of dangers a nobleman faced while living on the Rock. (Those included boredom, stubbed toes, and choking on cobbler.) She’d brought the soldiers pies, naturally. As they ate, she considered showing the two men her new cup. It wa... |
practice to eat. So it is fortunate that I am not him.” Charlie took a bite. She watched for the smile. And there it was: the smile of delight. She had spent an entire day in thought, contemplating what she could make with the ingredients that had been on sale in the port market, hoping to earn that particular smile. “... |
maidens,” Tress said, “who always get captured and don’t get to do much besides sit there? Maybe call for help now and then?” “I suppose that does happen,” he said. “Why are they always fair maidens?” she said. “Are there maidens that are unfair? Perhaps they mean ‘fare,’ as in food. I could be that kind of maiden. I’m... |
timid smile. His “please go with me on this, Tress” smile. Because the son of a duke could not openly fraternize with the girl who washed the windows. A nobleman pretending to be a commoner though? Feigning low station to learn of the people of his realm? Why, that was expected. It happened in so many stories, it was p... |
excuse to come and visit him. The thing growing between them felt so good, so wonderful, that Tress was frightened to call it love. From the way the other youths talked, “love” was dangerous. Their love seemed to be about jealousy and insecurity. It was about passionate shouting matches and more passionate reconciliati... |
for the silence to end. For the soldiers to knock, then demand to know why the girl who washed the windows had dared to touch the duke’s son. When nothing like that came, she dared hope that she was reading too much into the duke’s expression. Then she remembered the duke’s singular smile. After that, worries nipped at... |
marry his son? What did she think she could offer someone like Charlie? She was nothing compared to a princess. Think of how many cups they could afford! In the pretend world, marriage was about love. In the real world, it was about politics. A word laden with a large number of meanings, though most of them boiled down... |
didn’t marry one of them.” “Well then, I shan’t,” Charlie said. “I don’t believe you have a choice, Charlie. Your father wants you married. It’s politics.” “Ah, but you see, I have a secret weapon.” He took her hands and leaned in. Behind, his father moved up to the prow of the ship and looked down, scowling. Charlie, ... |
spores nearest the Rock and into the true verdant ocean. Wind caught the ship’s sails and it struck out toward the horizon, leaving a wake of disturbed emerald dust behind it. Tress climbed up to her house, then watched from the cliff until the ship was the size of a cup. Then the size of a speck. Then it vanished. Aft... |
that it must have been interrupted in transit. After all, any number of dangerous things could happen to a ship sailing the spores. Pirates or…you know…spores. But the months stretched long, each more tedious than the one before. Every time a ship arrived at the docks, Tress was there asking for mail. Nothing. She did ... |
painter in the seas couldn’t have made improvements in her portrait. Charlie had at last been able to become part of a story. With effort, Tress was happy for him. The duke appeared next, waving his hand so the people knew to cheer for him. “I present,” he shouted, “my heir!” A young man stepped up onto the deck beside... |
up?” “Straight in ’er lap, Miss Tress.” Flik looked both ways, then waved for her to follow as he carried some luggage off the docks, leading them to a more secluded location. “But his father got wise, Miss Tress. Figured out what the young master was doing. The duke got right mad. Right mad indeed.” He gestured to the... |
for more information. As he liked her pies, he admitted that they’d received a ransom letter from the Sorceress. But the duke, in his wisdom, had judged it to be a trick to lure more ships into the Midnight Sea. The king had declared Charlie officially dead. Days passed. Tress lived them in a daze, realizing nobody car... |
Was it…perhaps…a three-pie predicament? “I think,” he said at last, turning to Ulba, “we are going to have to let her do this.” “It’s lunacy!” Tress’s mother said. “Leave the island? Travel to the Midnight Sea? Steal a prisoner from the Sorceress?” Lem felt at his mustache bristles with his napkin, cleaning out remnant... |
left. Her mother began to make stockings at a table near the dock so she could take notes. They compared their findings each night, with Tress’s father listening and offering his thoughts. Though Tress had always possessed a curiosity about the mechanics of shipping, she now had a motive to learn the details. There wer... |
Moon shone bright as always, stoic and immobile in the sky. Spores poured downward in the distance, like crystalline moonlight. Her father limped over, settled down, then waved for her to show him her plans. He read them carefully, then nodded. “This could work.” “It could,” Tress said, yawning. “But I don’t think it w... |
Instead he took up position near the dartboard. Jule was playing, and offered Lem the next game, which he happily accepted. Lem threw the first dart several feet below the board, hitting the wood there on one of two knots that bore holes from a large number of darts. Jule eyed it approvingly and took his own throw, hit... |
over a week later, a large keg was deposited on the dock for inspection. Gremmy pushed it up alongside five others. The perfect ship had arrived for executing Tress’s plan, a vessel known as the Oot’s Dream. It needed to be a ship with a crew that didn’t often visit Diggen’s Point, and it needed a king’s writ authorizi... |
the docks in the distance. A tiny irate figure who gestured in anger at the fleeing ship. She would be told that the captain had insisted on leaving without inspection. By now, Gret—the dockmaster’s daughter—would have climbed out of the hollow keg and left. There would be no other witnesses left on the Rock except for... |
liquid. The phenomenon is possible on any world, including your own. Fluidization, it’s called. Pump air up underneath a box of sand, and you’ll see something similar to what Tress was watching. Bubbles burst from the spores all around, making the ocean churn and undulate. It slapped the ship’s hull and flowed away, sp... |
thought every woman in the room was thinking about him. Which they were, as each desperately hoped he would head the other direction. He waved for Tress to join him in walking down from the quarterdeck toward the cabins below it. Thankfully, the captain left her without needing to be ordered. The room was small but pri... |
smugglers would undoubtedly murder her and dispose of the body. She decided not to cry. Crying would be utterly impractical. So it was settled. Absolutely no crying. Her eyes vetoed the resolution. “Hey,” the voice said. “Hey, it’s all right. At least you got off the Rock, right?” “You know about the Rock?” Tress asked... |
probably would have been offended if someone had asked her why she could talk. The rat moved to pick up the cork. “There’s a story behind how I can talk, I suppose. It’s not one I’m interested in telling.” “Huh,” Tress said. “What?” “It’s just…I’m not used to people saying things like that.” The rat nibbled a bit on th... |
let her see much of the outside world. Unnervingly, each time the ship crossed a wave, the new hole sank low enough to let spores spill in. She could see those just fine. “I spot one other ship,” the rat said. “Can’t see a flag.” “Pirates?” Tress asked. “Pirates shouldn’t be firing, at least not without demanding surre... |
was a strange device called a splintbox. (A device which—I happen to know by pure coincidence—is exactly the right size to carry a human head.) The sailor held the splintbox up beside the hole in the hull, then carefully poured a few drops of water in the top. A sheet of reddish-pink stone grew out the front of the box... |
one cannon, and they kept them on swiveling platforms. Often a ship’s crew had a cannonmaster in charge of aiming. The Oot’s Dream had a single small cannon on the foredeck. At the moment, the smuggler ship was heeling hard as part of a weaving maneuver, rather than firing. Tress didn’t know sailing mechanics; she simp... |
her collar. “No,” he said, turning to stare up the steps. “No, no, no.” The ship groaned around them, sliding to a halt. Then it fell quiet. Even the footsteps stilled—and it took her a moment to realize what had happened. The seethe—the bubbles that fluidized the spores—had stopped. The ship had essentially run agroun... |
her arm and climbed up her shoulder. She supposed that, with spores all over the floor, she didn’t blame him for getting up high. “The name is…” The rat coughed. “The name is…Huck. That’ll do, as I don’t think my real name will work.” “Something in rat language that a human couldn’t say?” “Basically,” he said as she tu... |
take to set one off? Just keep moving. Step. After. Step. She heard scrunching noises approaching and glanced behind her. One of the smugglers had seen what she was doing, and was running toward the enemy ship. He was kicking up so many spores. She tensed, bracing herself, worried that— Snap. A mess of vines burst from... |
her fingernail, took a deep breath, and flicked it toward the spores a few feet away. A midsized vine “tree” grew from the spores, curling around itself and reaching into the sky. Tress grabbed it, feeling the rough coils beneath her fingers, like rope. Then she climbed. “That’s it!” Huck said, scrambling off her shoul... |
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