Mistborn #03 The Hero of Ages

was wise to choose as he did. Feruchemists, by the nature of their powers, have a tendency toward scholarship. With their incredible memories, they would have been very difficult to control over the centuries. Indeed, they were difficult to control, even when he suppressed them. Allomancy not only provided a spectacular new ability without that drawback, it offered a mystical power he could use to bribe kings to his side.
    65
    ELEND STOOD UPON A SMALL ROCK outcropping to look over his troops. Below, the koloss stalked forward, stomping a pathway in the ash for his humans to use after the initial koloss assault.
    Elend waited, Ham standing just a few steps below.
    I wear white, Elend thought. The color of purity. I try to represent what is good and right. For my men.
    "The koloss should have no trouble with those fortifications," Ham said quietly. "They can leap to the top of city walls; they'll be able to climb those broken stone ridges."
    Elend nodded. There probably wouldn't be any need for the human soldiers to attack. With his koloss alone, Elend had the numerical advantage, and it was unlikely Yomen's soldiers had ever fought the creatures before.
    The koloss sensed a fight. He could feel them getting excited. They strained against him, wishing to attack.
    "Ham," he said, glancing down. "Is this right?"
    Ham shrugged. "This move does make sense, El," he said, rubbing his chin. "Attacking is our only real chance of saving Vin. And, we can't hold the siege—not any longer." Ham paused, then shook his head, his tone of voice taking on that uncertain quality it always did when he considered one of his logic problems. "Yet, loosing a group of koloss on a city does seem immoral. I wonder if you'll be able to control them, once they begin to rampage. Is saving Vin worth the possibility of killing even one innocent child? I don't know. Then again, maybe we'll save more children by bringing them into our empire. . . ."
    I shouldn't have bothered to ask Ham, Elend thought. He never has been able to give a straight answer. He looked out over the field, blue koloss against a plain of black. With tin, he could see men cowering on the tops of the Fadrex City ridges.
    "No," Ham said.
    Elend glanced down at the Thug.
    "No," Ham repeated. "We shouldn't attack."
    "Ham?" Elend said, feeling a surreal amusement. "Did you actually come to a conclusion? "
    Ham nodded. "Yes." He didn't offer explanation or rationalization.
    Elend looked up. What would Vin do? His first instinct was to think that she'd attack. But then, he remembered when he had discovered her years before, after she'd assaulted Cett's tower. She'd been huddled up in a corner, crying.
    No, he thought. No, she wouldn't do this thing. Not to protect me. She's learned better.
    "Ham," he said, surprising himself. "Tell the men to pull back and disassemble camp. We're returning to Luthadel."
    Ham looked back, surprised—as if he hadn't expected Elend to come to the same conclusion he had. "And Vin?"
    "I'm not going to attack this city, Ham," Elend said. "I won't conquer these people, even if it is for their own good. We'll find another way to get Vin free."
    Ham smiled. "Cett's going to be furious."
    Elend shrugged. "He's a paraplegic. What's he going to do? Bite us? Come on, let's get down off this rock and go deal with Luthadel."
    "They're pulling back, my lord," the soldier said.
    Vin sighed in relief. Ruin stood, expression unreadable, hands folded behind his back. Marsh stood with one hand claw-like on Yomen's shoulder, both watching out the window.
    Ruin brought in an Inquisitor, she thought. He must have grown tired of my efforts to get the truth out of Yomen, and instead brought in someone he knew the obligator would obey.
    "This is very odd," Ruin finally said.
    Vin took a breath, then gambled. "Don't you see?" she asked quietly.
    Ruin turned toward her.
    She smiled. "You really don't understand, do you?"
    This time, Marsh turned as well.
    "You think I didn't realize?" Vin asked. "You think I didn't know you were after the atium all along? That you were following us from cavern to cavern, Pushing on my emotions, forcing me to search it out for you? You were so obvious. Your koloss always drew close to a city only after we discovered that it was the next in line. You moved in to threaten us, make us move more quickly, but you never got your koloss there too fast. The thing is, we knew all along."
    "Impossible," Ruin whispered.
    "No," Vin said. "Quite possible.