The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) Page 86

That's the difference, he thought. Whatever is in those pouches, could it be the way Jastes controls the creatures?

There was no way to know, save begging one of the pouches off a koloss—and he doubted they would let them go.

As he walked, he noticed another oddity: some of the koloss were wearing clothing. Before, he'd seen them only in loincloths, as Sazed had reported. Yet, many of these koloss had pants, shirts, or skirts pulled onto their bodies. They wore the clothing without regard for size, and most pieces were so tight they had torn. Others were so loose they had to be tied on. Elend saw a few of the larger koloss wearing garments like bandanas tied around their arms or heads.

"We are not koloss," the lead koloss suddenly said, turning to Elend as they walked.

Elend frowned. "Explain."

"You think we are koloss," it said through lips that were stretched too tightly to work properly. "We are humans. We will live in your city. We will kill you, and we will take it."

Elend shivered, realizing the source of the mismatched garments. They had come from the village that the koloss had attacked, the one whose refugees had trickled into Luthadel. This appeared to be a new development in koloss thinking. Or, had it always been there, repressed by the Lord Ruler? The scholar in Elend was fascinated. The rest of him was simply horrified.

His koloss guide paused before a small group of tents, the only such structures in the camp. Then the lead koloss turned and yelled, startling Elend's horse. Elend fought to keep his mount from throwing him as the koloss jumped and attacked one of its companions, proceeding to pummel it with a massive fist.

Elend won his struggle. The lead koloss, however, did not.

Elend climbed off his horse, patting the beast on the neck as the victimized koloss pulled his sword from the chest of his former leader. The survivor—who now bore several cuts in his skin that hadn't come from stretching—bent down to harvest the pouches tied to the corpse's back. Elend watched with a muted fascination as the koloss stood and spoke.

"He was never a good leader," it said in a slurred voice.

I can't let these monsters attack my city, Elend thought. I have to do something. He pulled his horse forward, turning his back on the koloss as he entered the secluded section of camp, watched over by a group of nervous young men in uniforms. Elend handed his reins to one of them.

"Take care of this for me," Elend said, striding forward.

"Wait!" one of the soldiers said. "Halt!"

Elend turned sharply, facing the shorter man, who was trying to both level his spear at Elend and keep an eye on the koloss. Elend didn't try to be harsh; he just wanted to keep his own anxiety under control and keep moving. Either way, the resulting glare probably would have impressed even Tindwyl.

The soldier jerked to a halt.

"I am Elend Venture," Elend said. "You know that name?"

The man nodded.

"You may announce me to Lord Lekal," Elend said. "Just get to the tent before I do."

The young man took off at a dash. Elend followed, striding up to the tent, where other soldiers stood hesitantly.

What must it have done to them, Elend wondered, living surrounded by koloss, so terribly outnumbered? Feeling a stab of pity, he didn't try to bully his way in. He stood with faux patience until a voice called from inside. "Let him in."

Elend brushed past the guards and threw open the tent flap.

The months had not been kind to Jastes Lekal. Somehow, the few wisps of hair on his head looked far more pathetic than complete baldness would have. His suit was sloppy and stained, his eyes underlined by a pair of deep bags. He was pacing, and jumped slightly when Elend entered.

Then he froze for a moment, eyes wide. Finally, he raised a quivering hand to push back hair he didn't have. "Elend?" he asked. "What in the Lord Ruler's name happened to you?"

"Responsibility, Jastes," Elend said quietly. "It appears that neither of us were ready for it."

"Out," Jastes said, waving to his guards. They shuffled past Elend, closing the tent flap behind them.

"It's been a while, Elend," Jastes said, chuckling weakly.

Elend nodded.

"I remember those days," Jastes said, "sitting in your den or mine, sharing a drink with Telden. We were so innocent, weren't we?"

"Innocent," Elend said, "but hopeful."

"Want something to drink?" Jastes said, turning toward the room's desk. Elend eyed the bottles and flasks lying in the corner of the room. They were all empty. Jastes removed a full bottle from the desk and poured Elend a small cup, the size and clear color an indication that this was no simple dinner wine.

Elend accepted the small cup, but did not drink. "What happened, Jastes? How did the clever, thoughtful philosopher I knew turn into a tyrant?"

"Tyrant?" Jastes snapped, downing his cup in a single shot. "I'm no tyrant. Your father's the tyrant. I'm just a realist."

"Sitting at the center of a koloss army doesn't seem to be a very realistic position to me."

"I can control them."

"And Suisna?" Elend asked. "The village they slaughtered?"

Jastes wavered. "That was an unfortunate accident."

Elend looked down at the drink in his hand, then threw it aside, the liquor splashing on the dusty tent floor. "This isn't my father's den, and we are not friends any longer. I will call no man friend who leads something like this against my city. What happened to your honor, Jastes Lekal?"

Jastes snorted, glancing at the spilled liquor. "That's always been the problem with you, Elend. So certain, so optimistic, so self-righteous."

"It was our optimism," Elend said, stepping forward. "We wanted to change things, Jastes, not destroy them!"

"Is that so?" Jastes countered, showing a temper Elend had never seen in his friend. "You want to know why I'm here, Elend? Did you even pay attention to what was happening in the Southern Dominance while you played in Luthadel?"

"I'm sorry about what happened to your family, Jastes."

"Sorry?" Jastes said, snatching the bottle off his desk. "You're sorry? I implemented your plans, Elend. I did everything we talked about—freedom, political honesty. I trusted my allies rather than crushing them into submission. And you know what happened?"

Elend closed his eyes.

"They killed everyone, Elend," Jastes said. "That's what you do when you take over. You kill your rivals and their families—even the young girls, even the babies. And you leave their bodies, as a warning. That's good politics. That's how you stay in power!"

"It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time, Jastes," Elend said, opening his eyes. "The losses are what define a man's faith."

"Losses?" Jastes demanded. "My sister was a loss?"

"No, I mean—"

"Enough!" Jastes snapped, slamming the bottle down on his desk. "Guards!"

Two men threw back the tent flap and moved into the room.

"Take His Majesty captive," Jastes said, with an unsteady wave of his hand. "Send a messenger to the city, tell them that we want to negotiate."

"I'm not king anymore, Jastes," Elend said.

Jastes stopped.

"Do you think I'd come here and let myself get captured if I were king?" Elend asked. "They deposed me. The Assembly invoked a no-confidence clause and chose a new king."

"You bloody idiot," Jastes said.

"Losses, Jastes," Elend said. "It hasn't been as hard for me as it was for you, but I do think I understand."

"So," Jastes said, running a hand through his "hair," "that fancy suit and haircut didn't save you, eh?"

"Take your koloss and go, Jastes."

"That sounded like a threat, Elend," Jastes said. "You aren't king, you don't have an army, and I don't see your Mistborn around. What grounds do you have for threats?"

"They're koloss," Elend said. "Do you really want them getting into the city? It's your home, Jastes—or, it was once. There are thousands of people inside!"

"I can. . .control my army," Jastes said.

"No, I doubt you can," Elend said. "What happened, Jastes? Did they decide they needed a king? They decided that's the way that 'humans' did it, so they should do it, too? What is it that they carry in those pouches?"

Jastes didn't answer.

Elend sighed. "What happens when one of them just snaps and attacks you?"

Jastes shook his head. "I'm sorry, Elend," he said quietly. "I can't let Straff get that atium."

"And my people?"

Jastes paused only briefly, then lowered his eyes and motioned to the guards. One laid a hand on Elend's shoulder.

Elend's reaction surprised even himself. He slammed his elbow up into the man's face, shattering his nose, then took the other man down with a kick to the leg. Before Jastes could do more than cry out, Elend jumped forward.

Elend ripped an obsidian knife—given to him by Vin—from his boot and caught Jastes by the shoulder. Elend slammed the whimpering man around, pushing him backward onto the desk and—barely thinking to consider his actions—rammed the knife into his old friend's shoulder.

Jastes emitted a loud, pathetic scream.

"If killing you would do anything useful, Jastes," Elend growled, "I'd do it right now. But I don't know how you control these things, and I don't want to set them loose."

Soldiers piled into the room. Elend didn't look up. He slapped Jastes, stopping his cries of pain.

"You listen," Elend said. "I don't care if you've been hurt, I don't care if you don't believe in the philosophies anymore, and I don't really care if you get yourself killed playing politics with Straff and Cett.

"But I do care if you threaten my people. I want you to march your army out of my dominance—go attack Straff's homeland, or maybe Cett's. They're both undefended. I promise I won't let your enemies get the atium.

"And, as a friend, I'll give you a bit of counsel. Think about that wound in your arm for a little while, Jastes. I was your best friend, and I nearly killed you. What the hell are you doing sitting in the middle of an entire army of deranged koloss?"

Soldiers surrounded him. Elend stood, ripping the knife from Jastes's body and spinning the man around, pressing the weapon against his throat.

The guards froze.

"I'm leaving," Elend said, pushing the confused Jastes ahead of him, moving out of the tent. He noticed with some concern that there were barely a dozen human guards. Sazed had counted more. Where had Jastes lost them?

There was no sign of Elend's horse. So he kept a wary eye on the soldiers, pulling Jastes toward the invisible line between the human camp and the koloss one. Elend turned as he reached the perimeter, then pushed Jastes back toward his men. They caught him, one pulling out a bandage for the arm. Others made moves as if to chase Elend, but they paused, hesitant.

Elend had crossed the line into the koloss camp. He stood quietly, watching the pathetic group of young soldiers, Jastes at their center. Even as they ministered to him, Elend could see the look in Jastes's eyes. Hatred. He wouldn't retreat. The man Elend had known was dead, replaced by this product of a new world that didn't kindly regard philosophers and idealists.