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Too , however, is deadly Water is necessary for survival, yet toothe history of the Final Ee of disaster via the ash The microbes1 broke it down about as rapidly as it fell, but when there was so much of it that it oversaturated the soil, it became more difficult for plants to survive

In the end, the entire system fell apart Ash fell so steadily that it smothered and killed, and the world's plant life died off Theup, for they needed time and nutrients to reproduce

52

DURING THE DAYS OF THE LORD RULER, Luthadel had been the most crowded city in the world Filled with three- and four-story tenements, it had been packed with the skaa who'd worked its nues, with the noble h nobility who'd simply wanted to be near the imperial court TenSoon had assuovernment shattered, Luthadel would become far less densely populated

He had, apparently, been wrong

Still wearing the wolfhound's body, he trotted along in amazement as he explored the streets It seemed that every nook--every alleyway, every street corner, each and every tenement--had become home to a skaa faed the streets, buried in ash

What is going on? he wondered The skaa lived in filth,piteously in their ash-filled gutters TenSoon made his way toward Keep Venture If there were answers to be found, he hoped to locate thely at skaa who looked at hinored his growls

Surely Vin and Elend would not have let this city fall so far, he thought as he hid in an alley It was a foreboding sign He'd left Luthadel without knohether or not his friends would even survive the city's siege Elend's banner--the spear and the scroll--flew at the front of the city, but could son as their own? And what of the koloss aro?

I should never have left her, TenSoon thought, feeling a stab of anxiety My foolish kandra sense of duty I should have stayed here, and told her what I know, little though it is

The world could end because of my foolish honor

He poked his head out of the alleyway, looking at Keep Venture TenSoon's heart sank to see that its beautiful stained-glass s had been shattered Crude boards blocked the broken holes There were guards at the front gates, however, which see to look like ahis way up to the gate Then, he lay down in some refuse to watch the soldiers He expanded his eardru

It turned out to be nothing The two guards stood quietly, looking bored and not a little disconsolate as they leaned against their obsidian-tipped spears TenSoon waited, wishing that Vin were there to Pull on the e them more talkative

Of course, if Vin were here, I wouldn't have to be poking about for inforht with frustration And so, he waited Waited as the ash fell, waited even until the sky darkened and the mists cauards "I hate night duty," one of theht,1" the other one said "Not for us Mists didn't kill us We're safe fro to hiuard said quietly

His cos"

The first guard shrugged "I just hope the e Penrod has all of the euard said sternly

Ah, TenSoon thought So Penrod ed to keep the throne Butwhat's this about an emperor? TenSoon feared that the emperor was Straff Venture That terrible man had been the one poised to take Luthadel when TenSoon had left

But what of Vin? So himself to believe that she had been defeated He had watched her kill Zane Venture, aatium when Vin had none She'd done the impossible three times, to TenSoon's count She'd slain the Lord Ruler She'd defeated Zane

And she'd befriended a kandra who had been deterain This is foolish, TenSoon thought I don't have ti! He rose, shaking the ash fro their spears anxiously as they searched the darkening night for the source of the sound

TenSoon hesitated, their nervousness giving hirown to know the city quite well during his year serving with Vin--she had liked to patrol the city, particularly the areas around Keep Venture Even with his knowledge, however, it took TenSoon so He had never visited the location, but he had heard it described

Described by a person who at the tiht him chills Kandra served Contracts--and in Contracts, they usually were required to imitate specific individuals A master would provide the proper body--kandra were forbidden to kill humans themselves--and the kandra would emulate it However, before any of that happened, the kandra would usually study its quarry, learning as much about theeneration brother OreSeur, who had helped overthrow the Father At Kelsier's command, OreSeur had pretended to be a nobleman named Lord Renoux so that Kelsier would have an apparent nobleman as a front to use in his plan to overthrow the empire But, there had been a more important part for OreSeur to play in Kelsier's plot A secret part that not even the other members of the crew had known until after Kelsier's death

TenSoon arrived at the old warehouse It stood where OreSeur had said it would TenSoon shuddered, re OreSeur's screams The kandra had died beneath TenSoon's torture, torture which had been necessary, for TenSoon had needed to learn all that he could Every secret All that he would need in order to convincingly imitate his brother

That day, TenSoon's hatred of hu them--had burned more deeply than ever before How Vin had overcome that, he still didn't know

The warehouse before TenSoon was now a holy place, ornamented andout front, displaying the sign of the spe1ar--the weapon by which both Kelsier and the Lord Ruler had died--and giving a written explanation of why the warehouse was important

TenSoon knew the story already This was the place where the crew had found a stockpile of weapons, left by the Survivor to arm the skaa people for their revolution It had been discovered the same day that Kelsier had died, and rumors whispered that the spirit of the Survivor had appeared in this place, giving guidance to his followers Those ru, following instructions OreSeur had given as he died The Blessing of Presence let TenSoon recall the precise words, and despite the ash, he found the spot--a place where the cobbles were disturbed Then, he began to dig