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"Both with a promise," Ruin said "My promise was to ith him to create you--life that thinks, life that loves"

"And his pro that she knew the answer

"That I could destroy you eventually," Ruin said softly "And I have co so is to watch it die Like a story that must come to a climax, what I have done will not be fulfilled until the end has arrived"

It can't be true, Vin thought Preservation If he really represents a power in the universe, then he couldn't really have been destroyed, could he?

"I knohat you are thinking," Ruin said "You cannot enlist Preservation's power He is dead He couldn't kill me, you see He could only iured that last part out already You really can't read my mind, can you?

Ruin continued "It was a villainous act, I ain Would you not call that an evil deed? It is as I said before--good and evil have little to do with ruin or preservation An evil oodRuin froht For all his words about stories and endings, he is not a force that would wait for an "appropriate" mo

What is holding him back?

"I've come to you," Ruin said, "because I want you, at least, to watch and see To know For it has come"

Vin perked up "What? The end?"

Ruin nodded

"How long?" Vin asked

"Days," Ruin said "But not weeks"

Vin felt a chill, realizing so hiht that there was no further chance for mankind He assumed that he had won

Which ht with determination And it involves loat

And that in to understand these things, you can see how Ruin was trapped even though Preservation's h Preservation's consciousness was mostly destroyed, his spirit and body were still in force And, as an opposite force of Ruin, these could still prevent Ruin fro

Or, at least, keep his too quickly Once his mind was "freed" from its prison the destruction accelerated quickly

58

"THROW YOUR WEIGHT HERE," Sazed said, pointing at a wooden lever "The counterweights will fall, swinging down all four floodgates and ste the flow into the cavern I warn you, however--the explosion of water above will be rather spectacular We should be able to fill the city's canals in a matter of hours, and I suspect that a portion of the northern city will be flooded"

"To dangerous levels?" Spook asked

"I do not think so," Sazed said "The water will burst out through the conduits in the interchange building beside us I've inspected the equipment there, and it appears sound The water should flow directly into the canals, and from there exit the city Either way, I would not want to be in those streetslots when this water comes The current will be quite swift"

"I've taken care of that," Spook said "Durn is going to make certain the people know to be clear of the ays"

Sazed nodded Spook couldn't help but be iears, and wire looked like it should have taken hed down the four gates, which hung, ready to block off the river

"This is an as spectacular as the reappearance of the canal waters, the people will be certain to listen to us instead of the Citizen" Breeze and Durn'sto the people to watch for aextraordinary, sohtful master of the city

"It is the best I could do," Sazed said with a ht, of course However, that shouldto four of Goradel's soldiers "You understand what you are to do?"

"Yes, sir," t1he lead soldier said "We wait for a er, then throw the lever there"

"If no htfall"

"And," Sazed said, raising a finger, "don't forget to twist the sealingthe water flow out of this chamber Otherwise, the lake will eventually empty Better that we keep this reservoir full, just in case"

"Yes, sir," the soldier said with a nod

Spook turned, looking back over the cavern Soldiers bustled about, preparing He was going to need er--they'd spent too long holed up in the cavern and the building above To the side, Beldre regarded Sazed's contraption with interest Spook broke away fro her with a quick step

"You're really going to do it?" she said "Return the water to the canals?"

Spook nodded

"I soined what it would be like to have the waters back," she said "The city wouldn't feel as barren--it would beco the early days of the Final Eashes in the ground"