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Finally

"You knohy I thought you'd save h he so the words "The voice You were the first person I ever met that it didn't tell me to kill The only person"

"Of course I didn't tell you to kill her," God said

Zane felt his life seeping away

"You know the really funny thing, Zane?" God asked "Thepart of this all? You're not insane

"You never were"

Vin watched quietly as Zane sputtered, blood co from his lips She watched cautiously; a knife to the throat should have been enough to kill even a Mistborn, but sos

Zane died She checked his pulse, then retrieved her dagger After that, she stood for anumb, in both mind and body She raised a hand to her wounded shoulder--and in doing so, she brushed her wounded breast She was bleeding too ain

I killed hi herself to keepbeside him

"Mistress," he said "I' at the terrible wound she'd er worked, and his body lay in an unnatural twist "How can I help?"

"Help?" TenSoon said "Mistress, I nearly got you killed!"

"I know," she said again "How can I o away? Do you need another body?"

TenSoon was quiet for a moment "Yes"

"Take Zane's," Vin said "For the moment, at least"

"He is dead?" TenSoon asked with surprise

He couldn't see, she realized His neck is broken

"Yes," she whispered

"How, Mistress?" TenSoon asked "He ran out of atium?"

"No," Vin said

"Then, how?"

"Atium has a weakness," she said "It lets you see the future"

"Thatdoesn't sound like a weakness, Mistress"

Vin sighed, wobbling slightly Focus! she thought "When you burn atiue ill happen in that future You can grab an arrow that should have kept flying You can dodge a blow that should have killed you And you can move to block an attack before it even happens"

TenSoon was quiet, obviously confused

"He showed e the future, but Zane could By reacting toto do, he inadvertently showed ainst him, and he tried to block a blow that never came That let me kill him"

"Mistress" TenSoon whispered "That is brilliant"

"I'm sure I'm not the first to think of it," Vin said wearily "But it isn't the sort of secret that you share Anyway, take his body"

"Iwould rather not wear the bones of that creature," TenSoon said "You don't kno broken he was, Mistress"

Vin nodded tiredly "I could just find you another dog body, if you want"

"That won't be necessary, Mistress," TenSoon said quietly "I still have the bones of the other wolfhound you gave ood If I replace a few of theood bones from this body, I should be able to form a co to need to plan what to do next"

TenSoon was quiet for a moment Finally, he spoke "Mistress, my Contract is void, now that my n a wrench of sadness "Of course"

"I do not want to go," TenSoon said "But, I ive ive," Vin said "And thank you for that timely hint at the end"

TenSoon lay quietly She could see guilt in his canine eyes He shouldn't have helped ainst his current master

"Mistress," TenSoon said "You know our secret now Mistborn can control a kandra's body with Allomancy I don't knohat you will do with it--but realize that I have entrusted you with a secret that my people have kept sacred for a thousand years The way that Allomancers could take control of our bodies and make slaves of us"

"Idon't even understand what happened"

"Perhaps it is better that way," TenSoon said "Please, leave 's bones in the closet When you return, I will be gone"

Vin rose, nodding She left, then, pushing through thethe hallway outside Her wounds needed tending She knew that she should go to Sazed, but somehow she couldn't force herself in that direction She walked faster, feet taking her down the hallway, until she was running

Everything was collapsing around her She couldn't ht But she did knohat she wanted

And so she ran to hioodman In truth, all of his actions--all of the deaths, destructions, and pains that he has caused--have hurt his were, in truth, a kind of sacrifice for him

48

ELEND YAWNED, LOOKING OVER THE letter he'd penned to Jastes Perhaps he could persuade his former friend to see reason