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"What have you done here, FhorKood?" TenSoon demanded of the captive Sazed kept an eye on the other Fifths, and was forced to sla more bones as he tried to sneak away

FhorKood spat "Dirty Third," he muttered

"You are the traitor this tihtly "KanPaar brands me a Contract-breaker, then he overthrows the First Generation? If the world weren't ending, I'd find that farNow, speak!"

Sazed paused as he noticed so The other cells in the floor were occupied He leaned down, recognizing so about the muscles he saw inside They werediscolored, and a bit deforup "Perhaps the First Generation is still alive Come here"

TenSoonwith canine lips "MeLaan! The keys!"

She rushed over, unlocking the grate With some consternation, Sazed was able to deter htly different color

"We need bones," TenSoon said, standing

MeLaan nodded, rushing from the room Sazed shared a look with TenSoon

"They must have killed the other kandra in these cells," TenSoon said softly "Traitors to our kind, imprisoned endlessly It was to have been my fate Either way, it is clever--everyone thinks that these cells hold dire cri them, and nobody would suspect that the occupants had been replaced with the First Generation, assu they didn't look too closely at the color of the ," Sazed said "Get to KanPaar"

TenSoon shook his head "We won't get far without the Firsts to tell our story, Terrisman Go and store more of your Feruchemy We may need it"

With that, TenSoonover to their captive "You have two options, FhorKood," he said "Either relinquish those bones, or I'll digest your body and kill you, as I did OreSeur"

Sazed frowned, watching The captured kandra seemed terrified of TenSoon The Fifth's body liquefied, and he ranite bones TenSoon smiled

"What is that for?" Sazed asked

"Soinning toout "Nobody expects a kandra to be an impostor In a few moments, FhorKood here will return to the Second Generation and tell them that the traitor TenSoon has been captured I should be able to stall long enough for the Firsts to reg1enerate--they will take far longer than I do to make bodies"

Sazed nodded MeLaan returned a short ti re-created FhorKood's body with incredible speed--moved out of the chamber on histhe lock and holding it to use as aan iron haht It felt odd to just sit there, but apparently the Firsts would need a few hours to regenerate their bodies

There really isn't a rush, is there? Sazed thought I have the First Generation here--they're the ones I needed I can continue to question them, learn what I want TenSoon will have KanPaar distracted It doesn't e for a few more hours

What harm could they possibly do?

I believe that thefor someone to become a new host for them The power needed a consciousness to direct it In this matter, I am still rather confused Why would power used to create and destroy need a ue will of its own, tied in to the mandate of its abilities Without a consciousness to direct it, nothing could actually be created or destroyed It's as if the power of Preservation understands that its tendency to reinforce stability is not enough If nothing changed, nothing would ever come to exist

That makes me wonder who or what the ardless, the mists--the power of Preservation--chose so before all of this happened That someone, however, was immediately seized by Ruin and used as a pawn He ic spike, he would keep thethemselves in her as they wished

The three times she drew upon their power, then, were the three ti had been reht the Lord Ruler, his Allo Marsh in Fadrex, she had used the earring as a weapon And, at the end, Marsh ripped it out, freeing her and allowing the mists--which were now desperate for a host, since Preservation's last as gone--to finally pour themselves into her

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SOMETHING CHANGED

Vin arose fro ih experience to tell what it was immediately, but she did see Ruin's nexus suddenly shoot away

She followed Speed wasn't an issue In fact, she didn't even really feel like she wasShe "followed" because that was how herher consciousness to the place where Ruin had focused his

She recognized the area The Pits of Hathsin, or a place nearby As a portion of her mind had noticed earlier, the Pits theee ca the resources that the Terris people had carefully stored A part of her s those who had fled Luthadel The Lord Ruler had worked to breed the Terris so they were docile However, had he expected that in htful, kindly people ould give of their last flocks to help those ere starving?