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Coins

The pressure on his neck greeaker He was able to gasp for breath, his vision returning And there, spilled on the ground before hi of beautiful copper coins Skaa weren't paid for their work--the h to survive on Yet, Spook had seen coins occasionally passing between noble hands He'd once known a boy who had found a coin, lost in the dusty grier boy had killed him for it Then, a nobleman had killed that boy when he'd tried to spend it It seemed to Spook that no skaa would want coins--they were far too valuable, and far too dangerous And yet, every eye in the roo in exchange for the boy," a voice said Bodies parted to where aat Spook He just sat, quietly spooning gruel into his 1narled and twisted, like leather that had been sitting in the sun for far too long "Well?" the gnarled et money like this?" Spook's father demanded

"None of your business"

"We can't let the boy go," one of the skaa said "He'll betray us! Once they catch him, he'll tell thenarledanother bite of food "He'll be with o ahead and tell the obligators about you all" He paused, lowering his spoon, glancing at the croith a crusty look "Unless you're going to kill me too"

Spook's father finally took his heel off Spook's neck as he stepped toward the gnarled stranger However, Spook's rabbed her husband's arm "Don't, Jedal," she said softly--but not too softly for Spook's enhanced ears "He'll kill you"

"He's a traitor," Spook's father spat "Servant in the Lord Ruler's ar histhe boy"

Spook's father looked down at the woman "You did this! You sent for your brother You knew he'd want to take the boy!"

Spook's narled man finally set down his spoon, then stood People backed away from his chair in apprehension He walked with a pronounced limp as he crossed the roo at Spook as he opened the door

Spook rose slowly, tentatively He glanced at his mother and father as he backed away Jedal stooped down, finally gathering up the coins Margel ive you, her posture see his neck, and rushed into the hot red sunlight after the stranger The older lanced at Spook as he walked

"You have a name, boy?"

Spook opened his mouth, then stopped His old name didn't seem like it would do any more "Lestibournes," he finally said

The old man didn't bat an eye Later, Kelsier would decide that Lestibournes was too difficult to say, and naure out whether or not Clubs kne to speak Eastern street slang Even if he did, Spook doubted that he'd understand the reference

Lestibournes Lefting I' for "I've been abandoned"

I now believe that Kelsier's stories, legends, and prophecies about the "Eleventh Metal" were fabricated by Ruin Kelsier was looking for a way to kill the Lord Ruler, and Ruin--ever subtle--provided a way

That secret was indeed crucial Kelsier's Eleventh Metal provided the very clue we needed to defeat the Lord Ruler However, even in this, ere oals, and would never have released him from the Well of Ascension So, Ruin needed other pawns--and for that to happen, the Lord Ruler needed to die Even our greatest victory was shaped by Ruin's subtle fingers

24

D1AYS LATER, MELAAN'S WORDS still pricked TenSoon's conscience

You come, proclaim dread news, then leave us to solve the proble his year of imprisonment, it had seemed simple He would make his accusations, deliver his information, then accept the punishely, an eternity of imprisonment seemed like the easy way out If he let himself be taken in such a manner, hoas he better than the First Generation? He would be avoiding the issues, content to be locked away, knowing that the outside world was no longer his probleht You'll be imprisoned for eternity--or, at least, until the kandra themselves are destroyed, and you die of starvation That's not the easy way out! By accepting your punish

And by so doing, he would leave MeLaan and the others to be destroyed as their leaders refused to take action What's more, he would leave Vin without the information she needed Even from within the Homeland, he could feel the occasional rumbles in the rock The earthquakes were still renored the If it was, then Vin needed to know the truths about the kandra Their origins, their beliefs Perhaps she could use the Trust itself Yet, if he told Vin anything reater betrayal of his people Perhaps a human would have found it ridiculous that he would hesitate noever, so far, his true sins had been impulsive, and he'd only later rationalized what he'd done If he fought his way free of prison, it would be different Willful and deliberate

He closed his eyes, feeling the chill of his cage, which still sat alone in the large cavern--the place washours What was the point? Even with the Blessing of Presence--which let TenSoon focus, despite his uncomfortable confines--he could think of no way to escape the uards, who all bore the Blessing of Potency Even if he did get out of the cage, TenSoon would have to pass through dozens of small caverns With his body ht, and he couldn't outrun kandra who had the Blessing of Potency He was trapped

In a way, this was co he preferred to contemplate--it simply wasn't the kandra way He had broken Contract, and deserved punish the consequences of one's actions

Wasn't there?