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Marsh handed hi the pack and following the Inquisitor across the rocky ground Walking next to Marsh was odd, for Sazed wasn't accusto around people ere as tall as he was Terrismen were tall by nature, and Sazed evenfor his body, abeen castrated as a very young boy Though the Lord Ruler was dead, Terris culture would long feel the effects of his stewardship and breeding programs--the methods by which he had tried to breed Feruchemical powers out of the Terris people

The Conventical of Seran loo even more ominous now that Sazed stood within the crater Marsh strode right up to the front doors, and Sazed followed behind He wasn't afraid, not really Fear had never been a strong motivator in Sazed's life However, he did worry There were so few Keepers left; if he died, that was one fewer person who could travel, restoring lost truths and teaching the people

Not that I'arded the ainst one, obviously burning pewter to enhance his strength Sazed joined hiretting the expenditure of power, Sazed reached into his pewterth He used far , and his muscles immediately increased in size Unlike Allomancy, Feruchemy often had direct effects on a person's body Beneath his robes, Sazed gained the bulk and build of a lifeti as he had been a moment earlier With their coed to push the door open

It did not creak It slid slowly, but evenly, inward, exposing a long, dark hallway

Sazed released his pewter to his nor up the h the open doorway

"Marsh?" Sazed asked

The Inquisitor turned

"I won't be able to see inside there"

"Your Feruchemy"

Sazed shook his head "It can let ht to begin with In addition, tapping that ht would drain my tinmind in a matter of minutes I'll need a lantern"

Marsh paused, then nodded He turned into the darkness, quickly disappearing froht, Inquisitors don't need light to see It was to be expected: the spikes filled Marsh's entire sockets, coe power allowed Inquisitors to see, it apparently worked just as well in pure darkness as it did in daylight

Marsh returned a fewa lae, Sazed suspected that the Inquisitors had kept a sizable group of slaves and servants to attend their needs If that was the case, where had the people gone? Had they fled?

Sazed lit the laht illu hallway He stepped into the Conventical, holding the laer, the process transfore rooms," he whispered, "without adornment" He didn't really need to say the words, but he'd found that speaking helped him form distinct memories He could then place them into the coppermind

"The Inquisitors, obviously, had a fondness for steel," he continued "This is not surprising, considering that their religion was often referred to as the Steel Ministry The walls are hung with massive steel plates, which bear no rust, unlike the ones outside Many of those here are not co patterns etchedalmost buffedinto their surfaces"

Marsh frowned, turning toward hiht hand, showing the copper ring "I must make an account of this visit I will need to repeat this experience back to other Keepers when the opportunity presents itself There is much to be learned from this place, I think"

Marsh turned away "You should not care about the Inquisitors They are not worthy of your record"

"It isn't aup his laions is valuable I arded the pillar for a e of it inside his head, which he then added to the coppermind Visual memories, however, were less useful than spoken words Visualizations faded very quickly once taken out of a copper from the mind's distortion Plus, they could not be passed to other Keepers

Marsh didn't respond to Sazed's coion; he just turned and walked deeper into the building Sazed followed at a slower pace, speaking to hi the words in his copper experience As soon as he spoke, he felt the thoughts sucked fro behind a blank hollowness He had difficulty re However, once he was done filling his coppermind, he would be able to tap those memories later and know them with crisp clarity

"The room is tall," he said "There are a few pillars, and they are also wrapped in steel They are blocky and square, rather than round I get a sense that this place was created by a people who cared little for subtlety They ignored seometries

"As we move beyond the main entryway, this architectural thes on the walls, nor are there wooden adorn, broad hallith their harsh lines and reflective surfaces The floor is constructed of steel squares, each a few feet across They arecold to the touch

"It is strange not to see the tapestries, stained-glass s, and sculpted stones that are so common in Luthadel's architecture There are no spires or vaultings here Just squares and rectangles Linesso s, no s It is a place for people who see the world differently froht down this massive hallway, as if oblivious to its decor I will follow him, then co so I cannot sense Perhaps it is"

Sazed trailed off as he stepped around a bend and saw Marsh standing in the doorway of a large chaht flickered unevenly as Sazed's arm quivered