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am not requesting justifications or explanations, Lord Waxillium. I merely thought I’d do what I could to help.” He grumbled, but took the book, flipping through it by lamplight as they walked across the grounds. At the back of the book were descriptions of the various people likely to be at the party. He’d memorized s... |
be invited to donate to one of many causes reflecting outer cities interests. Wax passed the doorkeeper, who cleared his throat and pointed toward an alcove in the side of the entryway. There, servants were taking hats, coats, and shawls. “We’ve nothing to check,” Wax said, “thank you.” The man took Wax’s arm gently as... |
the front, which was set with stained-glass windows and banners, after the classical cantonesque style of architecture. Marasi wanted to come here before the graveyards. Something about the bank records leading them to the right location. “All right, see,” Wayne said, “I’ve got it figured out. I’m gonna be a rich fello... |
asked, proffering a paper. “I suppose I can check…” the banker said. He sighed and walked farther into the building to where a clerk sat going over ledgers. He slid through a door behind the desk, and Wayne could hear him muttering to himself in the room beyond. “Now I’ve gotta say,” Wayne said, pulling off the top hat... |
of paper. “What’s that?” Marasi asked as the woman left. “Telegram,” Wayne guessed, relaxing. “Checkin’ up on us, are you?” The banker hesitated, then turned the paper around. It contained a description of Wayne and Marasi, followed by the words, They are indeed constables under my command. Please afford them every cou... |
Eriola,” Marasi continued, taking the letter opener and sliding it toward the banker. “You’ve been very helpful.” The banker looked at the letter opener with a start, then checked his desk drawer. “Hey, that’s mine,” he said, reaching into the desk and pulling out something that looked like a piece of cord. “Is this … ... |
far wall, and was serviced by at least two dozen bartenders, so as to make absolutely certain none of the very important guests had to wait. He ordered wine for Steris and a simple gin and tonic for himself, which got him a raised eyebrow. Apparently that wasn’t fancy enough. Should have ordered straight-up whiskey. He... |
standing beside a tall, thin table near the corner. There weren’t any chairs in the ballroom. No dancing either, though there was a dance floor raised an inch or two in the center of the chamber. Wax set the coin on the table and slid it to Steris. “What’s this?” she asked. “The coin that the beggar threw at me. Those ... |
her withdraw. Steris held out an arm to him. He took it, and together they crossed the room toward Lord Gave and the small crowd he had drawn. Wax had worried about how to break into the conversation, but as soon as he neared, the people talking to Gave stepped back and made room for him. His reputation and status prec... |
auction house, snatching up anything he—” “I like history,” Gave interjected. “Artwork from times past inspires me. But you, dear, are making me sound too much like one of those gentlemen adventurers.” He sneered at the term. “I’m sure you saw the type up in the Roughs, Lord Waxillium. Men who’d spent their lives in so... |
in her place. He and Steris sipped drinks as the music started. Though it was slow enough to encourage dancing with a partner, there was a pep to it Wax hadn’t expected. He found he quite liked it. It seemed to be able to beat out his frustration, turn it to something more excited instead. “Why don’t you go there next?... |
Waxillium,” she replied. “If you would kindly answer my questions, I will let you be.” He turned with her to the music. They danced more quickly than he was accustomed to, though the steps were familiar. The constant intrusion of those brass instruments drove the song, made his steps seem to spring. Why had he mentione... |
drifted away. Wax stepped up to the table. “Not interested in dancing?” “What would be the point?” she said. “Well, I’m going out and dancing, so maybe you could too.” “You are lord of your house,” Steris said absently, still reading. “You have political and economic obligations. Anyone who would want to do the same wi... |
As you’ve always done.” “Perhaps you’re right.” “Thank you. Besides, who knows? Maybe he’ll pull a knife on you, and you’ll get an excuse to punch him anyway.” “Don’t get my hopes up,” he said, then gave her a nod, and walked across the room. * * * The gates to the Seran New District Cemetery were topped with a crouchi... |
won’t be like with the banker,” Marasi said. “Who was reluctant, but ultimately helpful.” “Really?” Wayne said. “Because I thought he was kind of a tit.…” “Focus, Wayne. We’ll have to use the full weight of the law here, to push this man. I suspect we’ll have to offer clemency to get him to help us.” “Wait, wait,” Wayn... |
her chest. “Wayne!” she said. “Don’t be so stiff. You want this done right, right?” She sighed. “Don’t get too frisky.” “Sooner get frisky with a lion, Mara. That I would.” He cut the opaque lace window out of her bodice, leaving her with a plunging neckline. Her sleeves went next, shortened by a good foot to above the... |
with his cane-stick, yet not moving. “But afore I go, I would like to make you aware of a special business proposition regardin’ you and me.” Wayne had exaggerated his accent to the point that Marasi had to pay strict attention to make out what he was saying. Beyond that, there was a more staccato sense to it. More str... |
found?” “There was a right tragic incident in town a few weeks back,” Wayne said. “Explosives. People dead. I hear they brought the pieces to you.” “Bilmy runs the day shift,” Dechamp said. “He brought ’em in. The ones what weren’t claimed, the city put in a nice little grave. They was mostly beggars and whores.” “And ... |
rusts, every second tombstone looked like a figure stumbling toward her in the night. Eventually the gravekeeper led them to a freshly filled grave tucked away behind a few larger mausoleums. It was unmarked save for the sign of the spear, carved in stone and set into the dirt. Nearby, a few other new graves—these open... |
created for us. So perfect, so lush. Nobody leaves.” “I did.” “To the Roughs,” Devlin said, dismissive. “What’s beyond them, Waxillium? Beyond the deserts? Across the seas? Nobody cares.” “I’ve heard it asked before.” “And has anyone put up the money to find the answers?” Wax shook his head. “People can ask questions,”... |
said. None that you know of, Wax thought. Where did Hemalurgy fit into all of this? Devlin stood and nodded to Wax, extending a hand as if in farewell. “That’s it?” Wax asked. “Yes.” “Steep price for so little,” Wax said, taking the hand. Devlin leaned in, speaking softly, “Then let me give you a bit more. What you’re ... |
interrupted. “I insulted him by accident earlier. I wish to make amends.” “Gave?” Kelesina said. “Don’t mind him, Waxillium. He’s hardly worth the bother.” “Still,” Wax said. “I feel like I’m wearing blocks of concrete on my feet and trying to dance! Every step I take, I smash somebody’s toes. Rusts, I’d hoped that peo... |
the curt way she motioned … yes, she sure was agitated. “I told her what I’d discovered.” “You what?” “I tipped her off that I was on to them,” Wax said, “though I tried to act stupid. I don’t know if she bought that part. Wayne’s far better than I am at it. He’s a natural, you see.” “You’ve ruined it then?” “Maybe,” W... |
staring at him, he held it toward her, wagging it to see if she wanted a bite. Feeling sick, she turned away from him and sought out more grave inscriptions. This was obviously the poorer section of the yard; plots were close together, and the markers were small and simple. The mist wove between them, curling around he... |
the hole four feet deep. “Wanna share that with a fellow?” Wayne asked Dechamp, standing. Dechamp shook his head, screwing the lid back on his flask. “My gramps always said, never share your booze with a man who ain’t shared his with you.” “But that way, nobody’d share their booze with anybody!” “No,” Dechamp said. “It... |
Beyond that, Wayne’s bendalloy burned extremely quickly. He’d have to drop the bubble before too long. “Plan?” Marasi asked. “Not dyin’.” “Anything more detailed than that?” “Not dyin’ … today?” She gave him a pointed look. Another pair of bullets zipped overhead while, outside the speed bubble, Dechamp’s body hit the ... |
air, the wick spraying sparks and smoke that mixed with the mists. She yelped, scrambling back. It was almost to the speed bubble. “Across we go,” Wayne said, taking off his top hat and tossing it out of their grave toward the next one. He scrambled after it. Marasi joined him, staying low and hoping that the attackers... |
man with a high-pitched tone—was announcing the reception’s speaker. Wax could hear easily; the introducer was assisted by electric amplifiers. It seemed the Tarcsel girl’s devices had spread even to New Seran. The assistant steward took an unconscious step back toward the ballroom. “Feel free to go,” Wax told her. “We... |
a deep breath. “You should wait here,” Wax said. “This could be dangerous.” “Have you forgotten what I said last night?” she asked. “The safest place to be is most certainly not near me, Steris,” Wax said. “Regardless, you may need to escape quickly. There won’t be time to come back for me. And if you’re spotted, someo... |
confronts you. That will warn me, and I’ll sneak back.” “Very well,” Steris said. He dug in his pocket for a few coins, feeling old-fashioned as he burned steel and prepared to jump. “Do you want something more substantial?” Steris asked. He glanced at her, then down at her purse. “They searched your purse.” “That they... |
suspect that Suit was too careful for this to be traced. And there’s no sign of the runner boy.” Wayne grunted, stomping on the floor in one section, then taking a few steps and stomping again. “The police brought an Allomancer,” Marasi continued. “And there’s no metal in that grave, so if the spike was ever there, it ... |
in death. Perfection. Only … the suckling boar. Had it been moved to the side? The housekeeper had better not have decided to dust his collection again. He stepped up, twisting the glass jar that held the boar. Behind him, fire crackled in his hearth, though it wasn’t particularly cold outside. He even had the window o... |
to his knees. He forced himself to glance back toward Dechamp. Would that body rise? Would it come for him? “You have something of mine, Templeton,” Death whispered. “A spike.” He raised his arms, letting the cloak shift back and expose white skin. A spike was stuck through one arm. The other arm was bare, save for a b... |
you’ll be imitating Death?” Wayne shrugged. “This is the fourth so far. So you never can tell.” He took the last swig of Dechamp’s brandy, then slung his cloak over his shoulder and started through the mists back toward the road. “Dulsing,” Marasi said. “You know it?” “It’s a little farming settlement,” Marasi said. “M... |
much. A half word here and there. But it was Edwarn. Another voice spoke, and that was almost certainly Kelesina. The gap under the door was dark. Wax put his hand to his pocket and the handgun secreted there, then turned the door’s knob and eased it open. Beyond was some kind of study, completely dark but for the thin... |
checked at the party,” Kelesina said. “We snuck a spy among the hotel staff, and she will search for it in his rooms. I’m telling you, Irich—” “Irich was punished,” Suit said. Why did his voice sound so much smaller than Kelesina’s? “That is all you need know. Recover it for me, and other mistakes might be forgiven. It... |
eyes wide. And Uncle Edwarn … Uncle Edwarn wasn’t in the room. The only thing there was a boxy device on the table in front of Kelesina. 16 “Why, Waxillium!” the box said, projecting his uncle’s voice. “So good to hear your dulcet tones. I presume your entrance was properly dramatic?” “It’s a telegraph for voices,” Wax... |
the maid he’d seen earlier standing there, hands to her face. “Lord Ladrian killed our lady!” The woman ran away screaming the words over and over, although she’d obviously had a clear view of the room. “You bastard!” Wax shouted toward the box. “Now, now,” the box said. “That’s patently false, Waxillium. You have a ve... |
face bleeding from where the slammed door had broken her nose, growled and grabbed him around the neck. He Pushed a coin up at her, but it didn’t have time to gain momentum. It hit her in the chest, then stayed there as he Pushed on it, trying to push her off. He strained, his vision growing dark, until a fist punched ... |
up her forearm, which she slid back over the blade. Blood dribbled from where she’d broken the skin. “See? Good as new.” Wax snorted, tucking the stolen aluminum gun into his waistband. “You can get out on your own?” She nodded. “Want me to recover the guns you checked?” “Can you?” “Probably.” “That would be wonderful.... |
heading somewhere important. He called it the second site? And he said something about what I think is that little cube Marasi found.” He pulled her tight again, then sent them in a Push upward through the mists in the direction of their hotel. She held to him tightly, but watched the lights of the city beneath with aw... |
metal. A protectiveness for this woman in his arms, so full of logic and yet so full of wonder at the same time. And a powerful affection. So he let himself kiss her. She was surprised by it, but melted into the embrace. They started to drift sideways and arc downward as he lost his balance on his anchors, but he held ... |
certain.” Marasi groaned. “You let him do this,” she accused Steris. Steris blushed. Wayne always found that expression odd from her, seeing as how she had the emotions of a rock and all. What followed was an energetic bout of motion as Wax and Marasi both ran to pack things. Wayne sidled up to Steris and popped a pean... |
Elendel, I figure,” MeLaan said. “He’s trying to set it up so that you’ll have no choice, so far as you see it.” “We’re in a bad spot, MeLaan,” Wax said. “The emissary that Aradel sends to a political rally ends up murdering the host? If the outer cities weren’t tense before, they will be now. At the very best, it will... |
They’d narrowly escaped New Seran. Galloping their carriage, they’d managed to descend the ramps before the police, but only after Wax had been forced to bring down a gondola line. The police hadn’t given chase after that, as if realizing they didn’t have the resources to hunt someone like Waxillium Dawnshot, at least ... |
eyeing her. “You should get some sleep.” “I’ll rest when we stop.” “Stop?” Marasi hesitated. They’d been going for half a day already, avoiding the main roads to evade potential pursuers from New Seran. They’d crossed several fields, and spent a full hour rattling along a stone ridge to bypass some farms below in a way... |
with nobody to care about it. It was six years before someone gave me credentials and made it official.” The stagecoach cabin swayed on its straps. Up above, Marasi could hear Wayne and MeLaan chatting. So long as they weren’t making out again while trying to drive. “When VenDell told us about this, I didn’t want the B... |
behalf of the Set, had tried to kill ReLuur, and had assumed success. When Suit had demanded proof, she’d ordered the spike dug up and sent to him in Dulsing. But where would it be kept there? Someplace secure, presumably. How in the world was she going to find it? She held up the little cube. Suit had asked after this... |
little switch. “You have to slip something small in to move it,” she said. “But it works now.” He looked at it, baffled, then showed it to Steris, who squinted. “What kind of eldritch device,” Steris said, “has an on switch?” “Makes sense, I guess,” Waxillium said. “You don’t want your eldritch devices turning on accid... |
and soared through the air toward Marasi, deflected somewhat but still moving in the right direction. It engaged just before reaching her, and she became a blur, zipping over to pick up the cube, then zipping back. It took a count of ten before the cube stopped working, dropping her into ordinary time. “Did you see tha... |
I can use it.” “Like VenDell said,” Wax said, taking the bracelet from Wayne’s fingers. “A metalmind with no Identity. Rusts. I have to flare my metal to even get the faintest line pointing to it. This thing must be stuffed full of power.” More than any metalmind he’d ever sensed, in fact. He could usually push on thos... |
for men by a God who wanted to compensate the world for a millennium of ashes and ruin. It seemed that even in paradise, men would find reasons to squabble and fight. Wax raised the spyglass. “What am I looking for?” “Check the road about a mile up,” MeLaan said. “By that creek with the bridge over it.” He spotted a co... |
skirt. She’d packed one full enough that she could tuck it beneath her and ride bareback without exposing too much. She took to it without complaint, as she’d done with practically everything else on this trip. The few farmsteads or hunter’s camps they passed on their ride were empty. Wax felt a mounting disquiet. Yes,... |
the darkness, walking her horse between the towering hardwoods. Wax fell in with Steris at the tail of the group, and lagged a little to be able to speak with her privately. “Steris,” he whispered, “I’ve been considering how to proceed once we decide how to infiltrate. I’ve thought about bringing you in with us, and I ... |
“It’s cannibalism.” “Technically it’s not, as we’re different species. Honestly, if you look at our physiology, I share less in common with humans than you do with a cow—and nobody gasps when you eat one of those. You didn’t have trouble with it back in the mansion with Innate’s bodyguard.” “She was already dead,” Wax ... |
said. “Apparently it makes a mess sometimes when he lands.” * * * To rust with that Wax, Wayne thought as he plummeted toward the ground, his hat blowing off. Tossin’ a gun to a fellow without even warnin’ him. Why, that’s just— He hit. Now, there was a trick to falling to your death. Bodies hitting the ground were lou... |
this time, fortunately—and looked around. One nudged the stone accidentally, and it fell off the peak where Wayne had placed it, rolling down the side of the small pile and clattering against the other rocks. The men looked at it, then nodded, doing a quick sweep but heading back to their post and returning the light t... |
away and found a nice quiet nook between two stacks of sandbags as the guards shouted and argued, and the poor man was chewed out. Some people came in to fix the cords, though Wayne had tossed them to the side, so it took some time searching in the dark to find the ends and get them connected. The lights came back on. ... |
dirt, the damage to the hull. They were transporting this thing through here, and it rolled free and cracked. So the Set constructed this building to cut it off from the view of anyone outside while they repair it.” “Engineers,” Wayne said, pointing at some people who were obviously smart types, walking along the outsi... |
of the long sides of the rectangular building. Here, rooms had been built into the structure, and they were more finished than the rest, complete with doors and the occasional window. “Living quarters?” Marasi whispered, pointing. “Maybe,” MeLaan replied, crouching beside her. “So how are we going to find the spike?” “... |
it, though? You’re gonna have to climb up like a regular person. No Steelpushes.” He didn’t have any metal inside of him—too easy to use reflexively. His vials sat unused on his belt. “I’ll be fine,” Wax said dryly. He waited until nearby guards and workers had passed, then led the way in a low run along the shadows of... |
Wayne looked upward toward the person leaning out over the railing of the upper catwalk, staring down at them. An engineer, by the looks of it, in a white coat over vest and cravat. He frowned at them, then seemed to recognize Wax, his eyes widening. “Rust,” Wax swore, raising his hands as Wayne moved immediately, jump... |
his muscles grew too weak or refused to function. Step, cane, shuffle, breathe. Step, cane, shuffle, breathe. “What marvelous woodwork!” Stanoux said, adjusting his spectacles. “Aunt, do you recognize what kind of wood this is?” Stansi stepped up beside him, waving over the guard with the lantern so she could admire th... |
decipher the books found on this ship. Lady Stansi, you and Professor Javie will lead our engineers. Imagine the power we would have with a fleet of such ships. We would dominate the Basin!” The scientists shared looks. “I don’t know that I want any group having access to such power, Professor,” Lady Stansi said. Ah, r... |
be allowed to move to the second site, perhaps join the expedition. Excited, he sent a soldier to watch the scientists, then hobbled out of the ship, glad that something was finally going right for him. * * * Marasi cracked a closet door within the strange ship, then looked after the man called Irich, who limped throug... |
chooses underlings with some power and repute and lets them handle things. Miles, the Marksman. My uncle loathes being bothered.” “So…” “That man with the limp,” Wax said, “probably has a similar role here. He’s an Allomancer, and I heard him referenced in Lady Kelesina’s mansion; he’s an important underling, though pe... |
the hole in the ship’s hull, she watched the wall of the warehouse where the rooms were. Irich soon hobbled out of one, then shuffled off and called toward some guards. “What was that he said?” Marasi asked. “He told them to ‘Send to Mister Suit,’” MeLaan said. “You think he really stashed that device in the same place... |
crack. She nodded, standing up straight. “Your … what?” Marasi asked. “You said my head might hold the key,” MeLaan said, striding into the chamber beyond—a small, surprisingly well-furnished room. “It’s actually my thigh, right now. A kandra stores its cognitive system through its entire body, but my memories right no... |
find anything important. Harmony send that Irich goes back to the scientists after this, Marasi thought, instead of returning here to catch up on paperwork. “The world back then,” MeLaan said suddenly, “wasn’t all that different from the one now.” Marasi hesitated. MeLaan still knelt with her eyes closed, her strange b... |
the other room, where she’d set her rifle. The thing lurched and slammed against the bars. Marasi gasped, jumping away, her back crashing against the stack of nearby boxes. Inside the cage, dim light reflected from a too-flat face of red and black. Dark pits of eyes. The pictures. Marasi had forgotten the pictures that... |
things looked downright stupid. He stepped up to the guard. “The lattice supports of the apricity are completely liminal!” The man blinked at him. “Don’t just stand there!” Wayne said, waving toward the walls of the warehouse. “Can’t you see that the forebode malefactors are starting to bow? We could have a full-blown ... |
Marasi said. The masked one turned toward MeLaan, and the new angle lit the holes in its mask, illuminating human eyes with brown irises. Marasi stepped forward. “Who are you?” The person turned back to her and said something completely unintelligible. Then it paused, and said, “Please?” That was a man’s voice. “We’ve ... |
room over. “By the Father and the First Contract,” MeLaan whispered. The floor was stained red. Operating tables of sleek metal crowded one wall, gleaming garishly compared to the macabre floor. On the wall hung a dozen wooden masks like the one the man wore. He had fallen to his knees before them, looking up. Dried bl... |
did you leave, Waxillium? You didn’t come when I sent to you, when I was engaged to Maurin, when our parents died—” “There isn’t time,” Wax said, seizing her by the shoulder. She looked up at him, dazed. “You were always the quiet one. The thoughtful one. How did you get here? I … Your face, Waxillium. You’re old.” The... |
to just below his knees, under which he wore tight white socks. His shirt was loose and white, and over it he wore a snug red vest—matching his mask in coloring—with a double row of buttons up the front. She’d never seen clothing like it before, but it was hardly savage. The man yanked up one sleeve, exposing his arm, ... |
shook his head. Soldiers had started to pour into both ends of the large structure. “Not nice. There will be kill squads mixed among those soldiers, Wayne. Aluminum bullets. We need to get Marasi and MeLaan and go. Fast.” Wayne nodded. Wax took another draught of steel flakes, in case he lost his gunbelt, then nodded. ... |
launch myself to the roof, then come back down through the open part and grab her.” “Sounds good,” Wayne said, “’cept for one thing.” Wax handed back the canteen. “Here.” “Ha!” Wayne said, taking it. “But I was talkin’ about that.” He pointed toward the ship. A figure was climbing down one of the rope ladders that hung... |
Pushing to both sides, shoving sprays of bullets in either direction and creating a ballooning hub of open space. Several bullets continued to fly, though he noticed them only because one clipped him on the shoulder. Wax spun and yanked Vindication from her holster. A second volley came, and—his mind instantly matching... |
The bullets froze in the air. Wax blinked, and then noticed something that had fallen to the ground near the enemy Allomancer: a small metal cube. Marasi crouched inside the doorway where she’d been hiding, MeLaan standing over her and drawing fire—absorbing bullets with her flesh like it was no big deal. Wax grinned, ... |
retreat back?” “Please,” the masked man said, gesturing toward the ship. He pointed frantically. “Please!” Marasi ignored him, scrambling across the ground—entering the warehouse proper—and grabbing the device. It had indeed stopped buzzing. Waxillium landed nearby, sweeping a round of shots away from her, and Marasi c... |
sudden change of direction. He collided with the rifleman in midair, and Wax turned, Pushing the other rifleman away. The poor man screamed as he fell. Farther down the catwalk, two more men had set up with crossbows and wooden shields. Lovely. Wax increased his weight. The entire catwalk shattered as he crashed downwa... |
hit him? He roared, launching himself upward in a leap over the fallen men he’d Pushed. Many were climbing to their feet. He was one man, not an army. He needed to run. “Back!” he shouted at Wayne, who already had a crossbow bolt sticking from his thigh. The shorter man joined him, running toward cover inside the wreck... |
Wayne said. “I don’t think we have time to plan!” Gunfire sounded outside again, and bullets started snapping against the hull. Wayne scrambled away from the opening. Marasi thought she could hear Irich out there, shouting for the soldiers not to damage the ship, but the firing continued. It seemed someone had overrule... |
shiver, then slapped this one on instead. “How’s that?” he asked, looking back at them. Marasi blinked in shock. He’d said it in her language—strangely accented, true, but intelligible. “No?” the man asked. “You’re looking at me confused, still. These things never work right. She swore that—” “No, it works!” Marasi sai... |
feet on the floor. “Ready,” he said. “A moment,” the masked man said, reaching for a lever. He yanked it hard, and the entire room shook, then slid sideways. Out of the hull, like a drawer in a dresser being opened. Marasi could see out of the front end now, which proved to have a large glass window that had been block... |
pressed it against Wax’s arm until—as he was still burning steel to keep them afloat—it started buzzing. The little man turned and snapped the cube into place under the shelf at the front of the ship. The machine shook, and then something started thumping underneath them. A fan? Yes, a very large one, blowing downward,... |
the waist. “Turns out we’ve found something better.” He pulled out one of his older guns, then dropped it—he’d need a large chunk of metal to get them high enough—and Pushed, launching them from the forest and into the sky. He’d worried about maneuvering—doing so up high wasn’t easy without skyscrapers to Push against.... |
months of captivity. “We have dinner together most nights when he is here, but he grows angry if I ask about his work. He wanted me for one of his … his projects, originally, but my age makes that impossible. Now I am just a pawn. To use against you, I believe.” “No longer,” Wax said, squeezing her hand. “No more, Tels... |
care though, so Marasi didn’t make a fuss. Besides, that was far less disconcerting than what MeLaan was doing to her. The kandra woman knelt over Marasi, hand on her side, the flesh having liquefied and run down into the wound. It was discomfortingly like what had happened when she’d picked the lock, as if Marasi were... |
now she kept one hand at her waist, preventing her trousers from falling off. He offered her his mistcoat and, after a moment’s hesitation, she put it on. “Thanks,” she said, noting that underneath the coat he had been wearing a bandage of his own, upper left arm, right below the shoulder. Had he also been shot during ... |
the strength of all metals. Like the Lord Ruler come again.” “My uncle said he was going to the second site,” Waxillium said, studying the map. “It’s possible that his expedition hasn’t gotten to the temple yet, though. They know where it is, from their interrogations, but they were still planning their expedition. Wit... |
at least as far as legal cases were concerned, she suspected it was a powerful motivator for overcoming barriers. “You think they’re here,” Allik said, pointing at the map. “You think the men who captured them, the evil men, brought my crewmates to find the Sovereign’s temple.” “It sounds like something Suit would do,”... |
the other medallion he’d worn, the one he’d taken out of the safe back in the warehouse. He put it on, swapping it for the language one, and sighed in contentment. Marasi watched him, then raised her hand as if to touch his, and he nodded, allowing it. His skin grew warmer even as she sat there. “Heat,” she said, glanc... |
metalmind.” “You know much about this, Mysterious One,” Allik said. “You are wise and—” “I learn quickly,” Waxillium said, glancing at Marasi. She nodded for him to continue. This was fascinating … but the Metallic Arts was not one of her areas of expertise. Waxillium had a passion for it though. “What’s this other rin... |
a danger of our ships—so light, so easily troubled by storms. We would have landed Brunstell, but we were in the mountains, searching. We were so close to the temple, but then … yah. Blown out of the mountains over your lands. Smashed into that poor village. The barbarians there were nice at first. Then the others came... |
She settled into the seat beside Allik and chatted with him. She felt guilty, as that required him to wear the medallion that let him translate, but he seemed as eager to talk as she was. She could not say whether that was because he was starved for interaction following his incarceration, or if he wanted to be distrac... |
were always one,” Allik said. “And always apart. Very odd, very complex. But anyway, we were talking about the Fallen, yah? They work doing anything they can to relieve their burden of failure. A compliment means a lot to them, but you have to be careful, because if you tell them they did well, they might take your com... |
reached out and lifted his mask. He didn’t stop her, and the motion revealed eyes staring sightlessly, a tear trickling down each cheek. “I’m never going to see them again,” he said softly. “Brunstell is crashed; I’ll never serve on him again. Hell, I’m never going to see home again, am I?” “Of course you will,” Marasi... |
no defenses against attack from above.” “All the more important to have allies among your people.” “Maybe,” he said, pulling his mask back down. “I appreciate your genuine nature. You have no mask to hide your emotions. So odd, but welcome in this case. Still, I have to wonder if this will be more complicated than you ... |
dipped due to her restored weight. She let out a squeal of alarm and immediately donned the weight/Connection one instead, then blushed—making herself light again—as Waxillium whipped his gun out and leaped to his feet. So he hadn’t been sleeping, but eavesdropping. He looked around to see what had caused the lurch. No... |
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