Mistborn #03 The Hero of Ages

spread quickly, otherwise they would have just assumed him to be a kandra wearing human bones.
    His guards led him to a steel door set into a large cavern wall. One of them moved inside, while the other guarded Sazed. Sazed noticed shards of metal twinkling in the kandra's shoulders. They appeared to be spikes, one in each shoulder.
    Smaller than Inquisitor spikes, Sazed thought. But still very effective. Interesting.
    "What would you do if I were to run?" Sazed asked.
    The kandra started. "Um . . ."
    "Can I assume from your hesitance that you are still forbidden to harm, or at least kill, a human?" Sazed asked.
    "We follow the First Contract."
    "Ah," Sazed said. "Very interesting. And, with whom did you make the First Contract?"
    "The Father."
    "The Lord Ruler?" Sazed asked.
    The kandra nodded.
    "He is, unfortunately and truly, dead. So, is your Contract no longer valid?"
    "I don't know," the kandra said, looking away.
    So, Sazed thought, not all of them are as forceful of personality as TenSoon. Even when he was playing the part of a simple wolfhound, I found him to be intense.
    The other soldier returned. "Come with me," he said.
    They led Sazed through the open metal doors. The room beyond had a large metal pedestal a few feet high. The guards did not step on it, but led Sazed around it toward a place before a group of stone lecterns. Many of the lecterns were empty, though kandra with twinkling bones stood behind two of them. These creatures were tall—or, at least, they used tall bones—and very fine-featured.
    Aristocrats, Sazed thought. He had found that class of people very easy to identify, no matter what the culture or—apparently—species.
    Sazed's guards gestured for him to stand before the lecterns. Sazed ignored the gestures, walking in a circle around the room. As he had expected, his guards didn't know what to do—they followed, but refrained from putting their hands on him.
    "There is metal plating surrounding the entire chamber," Sazed noted. "Is it ornamental, or does it serve a function?"
    "We will be asking the questions here, Terrisman!" said one of the aristocratic kandra.
    Sazed paused, turning. "No," he said. "No, you will not. I am Sazed, Keeper of Terris. However, among your people, I have another name. Holy Announcer."
    The other kandra leader snorted. "What does an outsider know of such things?"
    "An outsider?" Sazed asked. "You should better learn your own doctrine, I think." He began to walk forward. "I am Terris, as are you. Yes, I know your origins. I know how you were created—and I know the heritage you bring with you."
    He stopped before their lecterns. "I announce to you that I have discovered the Hero. I have lived with her, worked with her, and watched her. I handed her the very spear she used to slay the Lord Ruler. I have seen her take command of kings, watched her overcome armies of both men and koloss. I have come to announce this to you, so that you may prepare yourselves."
    He paused, eyeing them. "For the end is here," he added.
    The two kandra stood quietly for a few moments. "Go get the others," one finally said, his voice shaking.
    Sazed smiled. As one of the guards ran off, Sazed turned to face down the second soldier. "I shall require a table and chair, please. Also, something with which to write."
    A few minutes later, all was ready. His kandra attendants had swelled from four to over twenty—twelve of them being the aristocratic ones with the twinkling bones. Some attendants had set up a small table for Sazed, and he seated himself as the kandra nobles spoke together in anxious whispers.
    Carefully, Sazed placed his pack on the table and began to remove his metal-minds. Small rings, smaller earrings and studs, and large bracers soon lined the table. He pushed up his sleeves, then clasped on his copperminds—two large bracers on the upper arms, then two bracers on the forearms. Finally, he removed his tome from the pack and set it on the table. Some kandra approached with thin plates of metal. Sazed watched curiously as they arranged them for him, along with what appeared to be a steel pen, capable of making indentations in the soft writing metal. The kandra servants bowed and withdrew.
    Excellent, Sazed thought, picking up the metal pen and clearing his throat. The kandra leaders turned toward him.
    "I assume," Sazed said, "that you are the First Generation?"
    "We are the Second Generation, Terrisman," one of the kandra said.
    "Well, I apologize for taking