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"Then I vote for Lord Penrod," Habren said

"As do I," said Lord Hue, the other who had voted for Cett

Elend closed his eyes

"Are there any other alterations?" Lord Penrod asked

No one spoke

"Then," Penrod said, "I see seventeen votes for myself, seven votes for Lord Venture I officially close the voting and hu I shall serve as best I can in this capacity"

Elend stood, then slowly re it on the mantle "You'll need this"

He nodded to Ha back at the men who had discarded him

PART FOUR

KNIVES

I know your argus foretold, of proreatest prophets of old Of course the Hero of Ages will fit the prophecies He will fit them perfectly That's the idea

39

STRAFF VENTURE RODE QUIETLY IN the e, he felt it ie for the troops Zane, not surprisingly, chose to walk He sauntered along beside Straff's horse, the two of theroup of fifty soldiers

Even with the troops, Straff felt exposed It wasn't just the mists, and it wasn't just the darkness He could still remember her touch on his emotions

"You've failed me, Zane," Straff said

The Mistborn looked up, and--burning tin--Straff could see a frown on his face "Failed?"

"Venture and Cett still live Beyond that, you sent a batch of my best Allomancers to their deaths"

"I warned you that they ht die," Zane said

"For a purpose, Zane," Straff said sternly "Why did you need a group of secret Allo to send the? You may assume our resources to be unlimited, but let me assure you--those six men cannot be replaced"

It had taken Straff decades of ith his ather so many hidden Allomancers It had been pleasurable work, but work all the saood third of Straff's Allomancer children

My children dead, our hand exposed, and thatcreature of Elend's still lives!

"I'ht that the chaos and crowded quarters would keep the girl isolated, and force her not to use coins I really thought this would work"

Straff frowned He well knew that Zane thought himself more competent than his father; what Mistborn wouldn't think such a thing? Only a delicate mixture of bribery, threats, and manipulation kept Zane under control

Yet, no ht, Straff was no fool He knew, at thatWhy send those ht He must have intended theirl

"No," Zane said softly, talking to himself as he sometimes did "He's my father" He trailed off, then shook his head sharply "No Not the down at the ottenmore unpredictable Had he sent those men to die out of jealousy, out of lust for violence, or had he simply been bored? Straff didn't think that Zane had turned on him, but it was difficult to tell Either way, Straff didn't like having to rely on Zane for his plans to work He didn't really like having to rely on Zane for anything

Zane looked up at Straff, and stopped talking He did a good job of hiding his insanity, ot about it Yet, it still lurked there, beneath the surface Zane was as dangerous a tool as Straff had ever used The protection provided by a Mistborn outweighed the danger of Zane's insanity

Barely

"You needn't worry, Father," Zane said "The city will still be yours"

"It will never beas that woman lives," Straff said He shivered Perhaps that's what this was all about Zane's attack was so obvious that everyone in the city knoas behind it, and when that Mistborn demon wakes, she will come after oal, then why not just kill me himself? Zane didn't make sense He didn't have to That was, perhaps, one of the advantages of being insane

Zane shook his head "I think you will be surprised, Father One way or another, you will soon have nothing to fear from Vin"

"She thinks I tried to have her beloved king assassinated"

Zane smiled "No, I don't think that she does She's far too clever for that"

Too clever to see the truth? Straff thought However, his tin-enhanced ears heard shuffling in thehis procession In the distance, he could just barely pick out the flickering blobs of wall-top torches They were close to the city--uncomfortably close

Straff's procession waited quietly Then, from the mists before them, a man on horseback appeared, accompanied by fifty soldiers of his own Ferson Penrod

"Straff," Penrod said, nodding

"Ferson"

"Your lad your son didn't have to die He's a good lad A bad king, but an earnest man"

A lot of ht The fact that Elend still lives isn't fortunate--it's irony

"You are ready to deliver the city?" Straff asked