Brandon Sanderson
King Elend asks Ham for advice. His father, Straff Venture, is coming to the city walls with fifty thousand men. they have been recruiting, but only have about twenty thousand men with less than a year of training. Ham points out that Kelsier was the brains. Elend decides they need to have a crew meeting. Vin has been out in the city looking for someone, the Watcher, she originally thought intended to assassinate Elend, but seems more interested in her. Vin meets up with the kandra, OreSeur, and they decide to go back to Elend at the wall. That is when coins are flung at Vin.
Vin quickly realizes the attack came from a group of Misting assassins rather than the Watcher. She is able to fight them at a distance until one pulls on her coin pouch. She ends up using coins on the ground and her glass daggers to fight, keeping her distance from the Thugs. At one point, the Watcher is there and helps her. However it isn’t enough once Vin realizes there is a Mistborn among them. SHe calls out to OreSeur for a vial of atium and drinks it quickly. She is easily able to kill the last of the Mistings, but is worried her supply of atium will run out before the other Mistborn’s supply. He trows coins at Oreseur hoping to distract Vin. She attacks and once the other’s atium wears off, she stabs him in the neck. The Watcher only stays for a moment before taking off. OreSeur has some broken bones and will need a new body. Vin doesn’t like him digesting bodies and the two do not get along because of it. She won’t let him take any of the Misting bodies and says she will figure something out as the Contract says he will not kill anyone. Vin realizes her next encounter with another Mistborn could mean her death because she used the last of her atium.
With Straff Venture’s army getting closer, Elend tries to work out his proposal to the Assembly. The twenty four people (serve as representation of the people) couldn’t agree on anything. He worries that their fear will make them want to surrender to his father. Vin is on the roof of Keep Venture, which is the new Palace, thinking about how much they need Kelsier. She thinks people are over estimating her abilities, but she does wonder why some (like her, Steel Inquisitors, and the Lord Ruler) can penetrate copper clouds. She thinks back to the night she killed the Lord Ruler and how she seemed to draw the mist into her and use it. She suddenly senses something right in front of her from burning bronze. THere is a human-like figure just barely visible in the mist. She throws coins at it and it disappears. Elend is still trying to finish his proposal for the assembly when Vin arrives. She tells him about eh assassins, using the last of her atium, and the mist-spirit. Elend is worried, but tires to keep himself from thinking about what will happen to Vin if she faces another Mistborn. Ham comes in briefly to tell him the assassins came from King Ashweather Cett in the West and probably weren’t sent by his father.
Sazed inspects a dead villager. A man, Teur, tells him that he was working when the mist surrounded him and killed him in the middle of the day. Sazed uses the strength he saved up in his pewtermind to dig a grave for the man and leaves a stick coming out of the fresh dirt. When Teur asks why, Sazed explains it was part of a religion that may have belonged to their ancestors. He says a prayer and asks the group around him if any are interested in learning the religion. They are far more concerned with when the Lord Ruler will return and bring stability back. Sazed decides he can teach them other skills to help them survive.
Vin goes down to the market that has formed from the skaa’s freedom. She gets distracted by a dress shop momentarily before she is surrounded by priests of the Survivor. THey think she is going to protect the city from the army just outside. She gets away from them as quickly as possible. Vin makes her way through the crowd to find a man selling dogs. He tires to sell her a cute, friendly puppy, but she insists on something else. Eventually she pushes past the man to find a watchbeast (used by nobility to attack intruders). Vin knocks it out, throws it over her shoulder, and pays the man. She takes the dog home and tells OreSeur it is his new body. Which he is not happy about. A package has arrived for Vin from Terian, an Allomantic metallurgist who has sent her an alloy called duralumin (aluminum mixed with copper). Vin goes to see Elend, who is talking with Dockson upon his recent return to the city. After Dockson leaves them, Vin points out the tension between him and Elend. Elend thinks it is because he is a nobleman and Dockson thinks Kelsier should have been king. Vin explains why she fell in love with Elend rather than Kelsier. Elend tells her about Kelsier saving his life in the square. Vin tells him about eh dog body for OreSeur, but she still isn’t happy to be around the kandra. Ham comes in and Vin uses the opportunity to try to burn the duralumin. She doesn’t get sick (like the last four tries), but can’t seem to figure out how to use the alloy.
Elend watches Vin and Ham spar. General Clubs shows up and bets him Vin will win. A little intimidated by the old man, Elend takes the bet. Spook shows up in a uniform and fake beard. He has been away spying and tells them that there are stories being planted to make people believe the atium store is in Luthadel (despite Breeze’s efforts to start rumors it is elsewhere). Vin ends up winning the match. ham theorizes that her incredible jumps are because her body isn’t as heavy. Elend and Vin leave the others behind. Back in Vin’s room, OreSeur is ready in his dog form with manipulated vocal chords enabling him to talk. Vin (prompted by Elend) tells him they will be spending more time together.
Sazed continues to teach the skaa villagers how to read and write. He feels like the revolution may have ruined the people’s lives, but tries to keep to his duty. Marsh arrives and tells him the Conventical of Seran is empty. He needs Sazed to go with him in case the other Steel Inquisitors arrive. Sazed thinks of the library there and knows it must be saved. he agrees to leave that night, but he notices that Marsh is stiffer and different since the last time they met.
Vin run around in the mists around Keep Venture. OreSeur is able to keep up with her in his new dog form, so they head out into the city. vin spots the Watcher and chases after him. She looses him, but her bronze is able to pierce his copper cloud and she finds him hiding in a room behind shutters. She decides to try the duralumin while another Mistborn is around. She is knocked back by the sudden onslaught of information. She realizes that everything she was burning at the same time as the duralumin is completely used up. The fourteenth metal enhanced them greatly for a short period of time. OreSeur brings her her belt with a vial attached and she drinks it. The Watcher approaches her for the first time and she thinks he looks familiar. He says he is an enemy and vin asks why he helped her with the assassins. he says he is insane, which Vin thinks is unlikely. He indicates that she is playing games of the nobles, but Vin insists she is protecting the people she loves. The Watcher leaves. OreSeur shows her how he can hide vials in his skin and they head back to check on Elend.
March and Sazed start their journey on foot. Marsh explains that Sazed is need in Luthadel and Sazed tires to argue that his duty is to be a keeper and spread knowledge. Marsh points out that important things are happening in Luthadel and Sazed will need to go back. Sazed agrees and hopes the impending doom he senses is just his imagination.
Vin attends the heavily guarded Assembly meeting. Elend makes his proposal to parlay with his father, but the others only agree because it will give them time to plan how to give up the city. Vin thinks Penrod, one of eight representatives of the nobility, has too much influence over the others and Elend is too idealistic. Vin notices a Terriswoman among the spectators and finds it weird that she doesn’t recognize her (the Terris people come to thank her for their freedom when they enter the city). Elend doesn’t think much about it, but Vin is worried. A soldier arrives to tell them a second army has arrived.
Elend, Vin, Ham, and OreSeur make their way to the wall to check out the second army. They are flying Cett banners and will bot be friendly. Vin uses Tin to see Breeze riding in and bing chased by archers. Vin uses Duralumin to get to Breeze quickly, and again to send the archers flying. Once sagely inside the walls, Breeze tells them he convinced Cett to bring his army to cause a stalemate and buy them some time. Vin keeps OreSeur’s new identity a secret. They arrive back at the keep and are immediately approached by Captain Demoux because OreSeur’s discarded bones were found. Elend and Vin are relieved until the Captain says there is a second body. OreSeur can tell the other bones were newly discarded. Someone’s bones have been taken and it is assumed to be one of them in the inner circle.
Sazed and Marsh arrive at the Conventical of Seran, which is in a deep pit-like valley. Sazed hides some of his copperminds in case something happens inside and then follows after Marsh. Inside, Sazed speaks about he place to record it into a new coppermind. They find all the servants dead in one room. Marsh goes up to the Inquisitor’s quarters and Sazed goes down. He finds a hole in the wall that leads down to a Terris writing scratched into steel. Marsh finds him and tells him they have to leave. Sazed makes a rubbing of Kwann’s words about the Hero of Ages. He knows he has to share this information with his people.
Vin starts asking OreSeur questions about kandra and finds out they don’t enter human society without a Contract. They aren’t affected by mental Allomancy and they cannot use an Allomancers body to perform Allomancy. vin senses something in the mist and this time decides to go after it. She finds a ghost-like creature that seems a lot like he mistwraiths the skaa talk about killing people. It disappears and then vin suddenly has a pain in her arm. She falls out the window and uses pewter to land. Elend mets with the crew, who are all ready to side with Cett and give him the city. He is able to convince them to try setting the armies against each other, but they still worry about Elend playing a major role in the plan. Captain Demoux comes in to bring the Terriswoman, who was listening from the next room. She wants to talk to Elend alone and points out that Vin is already watching from outside the window Elend Agrees to meet with her, realizing she is a Keeper.
The Terriswoman, Tindwyl, explains her specialty is biographies. She has come to teach Elend how to be a ruler by gaining the respect of his people. Vin, who wasn’t actually at the window returns and tells Elend she doesn’t like Tindwyl. Once they are alone, vin asks Elend about the Deepness. He doesn’t have much information, but doesn’t think it is an issue. She tells him how she will try to find the impostor among them using Allomancy. She refuses to test Elend. They say goodnight and vin goes back out into the mists.
Eight days after leaving the Conventical, Sazed wakes up to find Marsh is gone. He waits a while before deciding to move on. He finds a village, Urbene, and decides to stop. He finds the livestock roaming freely and bodies in the village. He checks all of the hovels to find over one hundred dead skaa. Just as he is about to leave, Sazed hears someone. He returns to one of the hovels to find a man. Sazed tries to offer him food, but the man refuses and eats a piece of one of the corpses. The man says the mist came for weeks. Some people escaped, some people were brought down horribly. Sazed forces the man outside to show him the mists are gone and the man takes off. Sazed uses a steel ring for speed.
Vin sits in the main room of her quarters separating the logbook of the man (Alendi) the Lord Ruler took the place of. She finds vague references to the Deepness and sets them aside. She also finds the man wrote about the mist creature following him that only he could seem to see. Vin realizes the man wasn’t crazy. Tindwyl forces Elend into a uniform to gain respect of his people. After seeing the effect, he also allows his hair to be cut. Tindwyl explains he will have to go through a lot of training to become a king but he will have to fake it until then. She then insists on a wooden crown painted silver. Demoux arrives to tell him his father has sent a messenger. Elend goes to find Vin.
Still in her room, Vin starts taking notes slowly (she hasn’t had much practice at writing). Elend comes to get her and she is surprised by the change. He tells her they have a messenger from Straff Venture. As soon as Vin sees the messenger, she realizes he is the Watcher. Vin warns Elend their visitor is Mistborn. He introduces himself as Zane and insists Elend meets with Straff in his personal tent. Elend says he will send along a reply. Shortly after, Vin finds herself in the mists with the mist-creature watching her. She sees Zane and takes off after him. He leads her to Keep Hastings, which doesn’t have any metal for them to use as they spar. THey use coins to keep in the air. Zane grabs her and again says she doesn’t belong there. He pushes all the coins away so that Vin Falls, but uses one he hid in his mouth to balance in the air. He tells vin that Elend cannot love her if he doesn’t understand her. Vin wonders if he is right and that she doesn’t belong, which is how she has felt. Zane takes off into the night and Vin resolves to keep sparring with him.
Zane returns to the army camp and makes sure to show his dominance over the soldiers. He tries to ignore the voice in his head (he calls God) telling him to kill everyone he meets. He is bitter that his half brother, Elend, was so privileged while he lived on the streets and went insane. He writes down coordinates of patrols inside Luthadel. When Straff does not arrive at the command tent, Zane goes to him. Straff questions him about the Lord Ruler’s supply of atium in the city, assuming that Mistborns are addicted to it and that is why it is so valuable. Zane assures him that he is befriending the girl so he can find out. A girl serves Straff tea, his enhanced Tineye senses let him know it is poisoned, but he drinks it anyway. After Zane leaves, Straff sends for a woman, Amaranta, who makes him an all inclusive antidote. He thinks Zane is trying to kill him, but doesn’t realize Zane is just helping others that want to kill Straff.
Sazed continues on his way to Luthadel and cuts his time down by using all of his steelmind’s speed. He notices an army and looks to find it is made up of koloss. He climbs a tree to get a better look at them and starts storing information. They vary in size and never stop growing. Their saggy blue skin tightens until it tears as they grow. A small force finds him and starts leading him through the army, witnessing deaths along the way. He is taken inside a tent that has human guards outside to meet Jastes Lekal. Jastes orders Sazed to be his servant, but the Terrisman explains he must decline. He has an important job as a Keeper, but would be willing to deliver a message to Elend when he gets to the city. Jastes realizes that he really doesn’t have the means to detain a prisoner without removing a man from between him and the koloss. Jastes says he will give Elend a better deal than Straff or Cett and sends Sazed on his way. He wonders how much trouble Elend is in.
As Vin watches Elend meet with the rest of the crew, she realizes that he is changing. She is a little bitter that he is listening to Tindwyl when he didn’t take her suggestions. She uses her bronze and hears the pulsing of Breeze’s soothing. She extinguishes all her metals except bronze and then burns duralumin. She knows which emotions Breeze is dampening on Elend and has a greater appreciation for him. She is now positive he is not the kandra and dreads having to test the others. Tindwyl doesn’t give Elend any praise on his improvements and keeps telling him what he is doing wrong. She suggests he marry Vin to show the skaa he is more like them, but Vin has refused his proposal. Tindwyl starts to say he might want to consider a new girl. Elend refuses and she drops the subject, allowing him to stay with Vin.
Cett’s daughter, Allrianne, has come to Luthadel looking for Breeze. She is a spoiled, country noble woman looking to escape her father. Allrianne begs for refuge and ELend agrees to let her stay. He sends her off with a steward, promising to talk at dinner. Vin stealthily enters and they discuss what should be done with the girl - send her back to show good faith, or keep her as a bargaining chip. The crew looks to Elend to make the decision, and he decides to let her stay for now.
Vin watches Ham as he steps into the night. She has OreSeur startle him and senses his use of pewter. She lets him know she is there and the dog will behave. Knowing that he isn’t the kandra, Vin tells Ham that she is out of atium. THe only way he knows to defeat a Mistborn with it is to surprise them. Vin isn’t sure that approach will work either. Ham moves on and leaves Vin with OreSeur. He reassures her that her plan will work, but refuses to answer if kandras can use Allomancy on their own (rather than using it from an Allomancer’s body). Vin realizes she doesn’t know OreSeur very well, so she tells him about her past (which sounds about as bad as his). Humans are scared that kandra will kill and eat them, which is why they have the Contract forbidding them to kill. Many humans don’t believe it and beat them out of fear. Vin listens using bronze and hears the beat of something to the north and senses the mist-spirit in the distance. OreSeur alerts her to a man coming near them. She quickly realizes it is Sazed and goes to greet him. He has to talk to Elend immediately.
The crew meets in the kitchens to discuss what he has learned. They cannot trust Jastes Lekal, but there isn’t much they can do about his army of koloss except hope the three armies decrease their own numbers amongst themselves. Elend worries about the koloss being so close to the city. Sazed tells them about the mists killing in the day. He plans to stay in Luthadel and research the matter. Allrianne appears dressed but with mussed hair. Elend suspects she has been eavesdropping for a while, and Vin has the same suspicion. When they are alone, she tells Elend she was too focused on Sazed’s story to notice the girl. She goes out into the night. Tindwyl is waiting for Sazed when he gets to his room. She is disappointed that he didn’t follow the Terris leader’s advice. She thinks he is making up a greater threat to make himself important.
Vin keeps watch over Elend from on top of Keep Venture. Zane waits for her at Keep Hastings, but when she doesn’t show up, he goes to find her. Vin says she isn’t in the mood for sparring. He asks her what she would do if she didn’t feel the need to restrict her actions. She immediately thinks about going to find the strange pulse she senses in the north when she burns bronze, but tells Zane she would eliminate all the threats to Elend. Before he leaves, he tells her she is just a tool to her friends and they will take her for granted. Vin wants to keep talking to him about being Mistborn, but lets him go because she doesn’t understand her own desperation for him to stay.
OreSeur warns Vin to wake up just before Tindwyl comes into the room to invite her shopping for a dress to wear when she meets Straff. Vin is not happy to learn that Allrianne is going with them. She tells Spook (going to be their pack man) to keep his tin burning. She tries on a dress and dances a bit to test her memory. Both the dressmaker and Tindwyl are impressed. The Terriswoman asks Vin why she hasn’t married Elend. Vin explains that Elend needs a queen - someone like Allrianne. Tindwyl tells Vin she is allowed to have different sides to her and ELend loves her even after learning who she really is. Spook warns them that a crowd has gathered. Tindwyl and Allrianne convince Vin to go talk to the people. Vin can’t bring herself to tell them the truth, so she tells them everything will be okay. When they complain about Elend, she points out all the good he has done. WHen she gets back inside, the war drums start beating. Elend heads to the wall, but the army is unorganized and confused. He has given up hope. Vin arrives, but Clubs stops her from jumping into the fight. He tells them this was Straff testing their forces and they didn’t do very well.
Vin prepares herself for the meeting with Straff. OreSeur is a little surprised to learn that he isn’t going with her. When the carriage arrives, Vin and Elend go alone. They are taken to meet Straff and along the way, Elend notices his father is still using Obligators to control the people. Inside Straff’s tent, he explains that he wants to form an alliance and let Straff take the throne after they take out Cett together. Elend just wants to remain his heir. Straff doesn’t go for the proposal, sure that he can take the city and defend it from Cett. Elend offers him the stock of atium, but Straff doesn’t seem convinced. Vin admits they never found the storage. Elend tries to act nervous to appear weak. Straff believes Vin and asks the women to leave the tent. Elend tells Vin he will be fine.
Realizing that acting weak isn’t working, Elend changes his approach with his father. After Straff threatens his life, Elend points out that Straff and his generals would not survive Vin. He has her show off her ability. She wipes Straff of all emotion using the duraliumin. Straff agrees to let Elend go, and Elend explains they will have an alliance. When they return to the city, everyone is excited by the news. Even Dockson (still hates nobles) doesn’t refuse to ride in the same carriage as Elend. Vin remains quiet. Despite Elend’s success, there is a letter signed by all twenty three members of the Assembly. They have deposed Elend.
Tindwyl is appalled that Elend himself wrote a law that allows the Assembly to remove him as king. Elend calms everyone down when they start talking of reclaiming his position with force. He explains that he can get his position back if the Assembly reselects him, or if they don’t pick a new king within a month. He wants to try to win them over so they can continue to govern peacefully. As the conversation digresses, Vin and OreSeur start making jokes quietly with each other. Elend begins to study and everyone but Tindwyl leaves. Elend expresses his worry that he offended Vin, and Tindwyl tries to help him understand how Vin feels. She also says that his love for her is a distraction. Elend is determined he can rule and love Vin.
Vin and OreSeur sit on top of Keep Hastings. OreSeur tells her that her fascination with Zane is unsettling because the other Mistborn is not a good person (kandra are generally good judges of character). vin offers to let OreSeur get a human body, but he turns her offer down. they talk a little longer until he points out he needs to eat and sleep. As the sun comes up and the last of the mists is still there, Vin thinks she finally figured out what the Deepness was.
Vin visits Sazed in his room and asks him about the Deepness. He explains a few theories before vin tells him it is the mist. She thinks the mist will come during the day and block out the sun, killing life. she shows him passages from the logbook to support her theory. SHe also tells him about the mist spirit. vin asks if this means their might be another Hero of Ages. Sazed can’t be sure because the prophecies have been lost. Vin asks about Tindwyl. Sazed says she is a Feruchemist that was snuck in to be a breeder. She had about twenty children all by different men under the Lord Ruler’s system to eliminate Feruchemy, but was actually allowing it to be passed down to the next generation. When the Lord Ruler was done with her, she became a member of the Synod (Terris leadership council).
Philen Frandeu, on of the merchants in the Assembly, is the one who convinced everyone to depose ELend. He has his own plans. He is surprised when Elend shows up to their public meeting. Elend remembers all of his coaching and impresses the Assembly. In the absence of a king, he recommends they elect a Chancellor to lead them. He then nominates Penrod, who wins a majority vote. Elend is given time to speak and uses it to discuss what is best for the city. When he is finished speaking, people try to goad him into begging for the crown. He tells them he just wants what is best for the city. He then suggests they make nominations for King. A skaa member says Penrod. Penrod returns Elend’s favor of nominating him Chancellor by nominating Elend. Philen nominates Cett, who is reveals his hiding place from within the crowd.
Cett’s chair is carried to the stage by some of his men. He tells the Assembly that if they kill him, his army will attack He wants to take over leadership of Luthadel and return things to the way they were under the Lord Ruler. He asks the Assembly to allow him to move into one of the empty keeps with some men until their decision is made. From there, he will meet with each member of the Assembly, who agrees to this. Cett’s son, Gneorndin approaches Elend to set up a time for him and Cett to discuss Allrianne. Vin thinks Cett acts like a cripple to cover up that he is Mistborn.
Vin returns to her studies and gets frustrated. OreSeur points out that kandra prophecies tend to be more for hope rather than actually predicting anything. THeir own beliefs indicate the humans will kill themselves off. A healer comes to Elend because one of the city wells has been poisoned. He sends Ham and some of his men to help make one of the noble mansions into a hospital and to guard the well to keep other people from drinking it. They have no idea who could’ve poisoned it amongst their enemies. Vin goes to Dockson to talk about if he still hates all nobles because of his past. He admits that he feels like Kelsier would have disapproved putting Elend on the throne. Vin tells him how Kelsier saved Elend’s life. Dockson feels guilt over how many nobles he and Kelsier killed just because they were nobles. Vin knows he is not he kandra, but OreSeur points out that a kandra might be around someone for years before trying to become them. Sometimes their master torture the person for information. Vin decides she will still rule out Dockson for now. She sees someone sneaking around and finds Demoux has already completed whatever task he set out to do. Vin is fairly sure he is the kandra.
Vin goes to tell Elend about the kandra, but there are to many people around him. She instead tells him about the poisoned wells, but he already knows and has taken care of it After a while, Vin gets restless and leaves to patrol. Zane is waiting and attacks her. He is using atium and she can’t fight back effectively. He stops surprised that she doesn’t have the metal. He tells her his father sent him to kill her. He also admits that Elend is his half-brother. He wants Vin to go away with him, but she tells him she can’t because she loves Elend. Zane warns her that Straff sent refugees to the city to scare the populace because the koloss army is near.
Elend and Vin go to Keep Hastings to meet with Cett. They take Spook, Ham, Demoux, and two hundred soldiers. Breeze refuses to go. Cett says he doesn’t care that Elend has his daughter. he admits that once he is king, he will have Elend assassinated and run the country as the Lord Ruler did. Elend is confident the Assembly will choose him and freedom. Cett thinks they have the atium, and wants to trade for food, but Elend admits they never found the stockpile. There is also no point in taking him hostage as he is no longer king. Vin searches for other Allomancers, but finds Cett isn’t hiding any from her. She notices that neither he nor his son are burning any metals.
Sazed is helping the refugees who arrived battered. Tindwyl notices how tired he is. She asks him about his bronzemind and Sazed admits he used up all his wakefulness on his run to Luthadel. Tindwyl asks to see his findings. Breeze helped Sazed and Tindwyl get to that point. He stays at the warehouse and soothes the people Elend and Ham arrive, and Elend tells the Thug to show the clothing merchants the misery the refugees are going through. Breeze leaves to have his nightly drink with Clubs. They talk for a while about the city, Kelsier, and other matters. ALlrianne arrives and Breeze can’t help his attraction to her. Int he next room over, vin has determined that Clubs ins’t the kandra. Sh has also learned that Allrianne is rioting Breeze’s emotions. Vin talks to a few people to find Demoux. She hides on top of a building and listens to him tell a collected group how they must have faith in Elend and vin. She is surprised to hear him say she will bring back the sun. As Demoux returns to the palace, Vin confronts him. He is a true believer in the Church of the Survivor. Vin no longer thinks he is the kandra.
Surrounded by paper, Sazed and Tindwyl sort through the metalminds to find references to the Deepness. They both come to the conclusion that that the Deepness is the mist, as Vin suggested. Tindwyl says that she will leave to offer her services to the other armies unless Sazed gives her a reason to stay. He asks her to and she does. Elend walks around with Ham and tires to figure out what to do. Ham points out that he is starting to look like a king and the soldiers look at him as a commander. Elend thinks about his strengths and weaknesses as he watches a skirmish between Cett and Straff’s men. The tension has risen, especially with the arrival of the koloss army. Elend has an idea.
Vin stands with Elend as he greets the members of the Assembly. He warns her that he had to use her reputation to secure votes, but doesn’t have time to explain. Vin takes her seat and wonders what Elend did. Each nominee is allowed to give a final address to the Assembly. Elend has joined the Church of the Survivor to get the skaa vote and cause a deadlock. However, assassins come for Elend and Cett (three pairs made of Thugs and Coinshots). Vin does her best to fight them off to protect Elend while not hurting anyone in the crowd. She recognizes one of the Thugs from when she and Elend visited Cett at Keep Hastings. She is able to use her duralumin to keep a thug from smashing her side, but OreSeur has to bring her another vial of metal and his skull is cracked. He uses that to his advantage to help Vin. The last Thug starts to strangle Vin. She burns duralumin again and ends up punching his head off. Elend looks at her with horror before she passes out. A messenger comes to tell Elend the voting will continue at Penrod’s mansion. Elend arrives and ends up with seven votes. Penrod gets fifteen, and Cett only gets two votes. They are in a deadlock. When the two Assembly members realize that cett isn’t going to win, they switch their vote over to Penrod. Elend leaves his crown for the new king.
Straff Venture thinks Zane sent his allomancers (also his children) to die against Vin. Zane tries to reassure his father that he just miscalculated, but Straff doesn’t believe him. Penrod comes to tell Straff he won the crown and will be handing over the city soon to ensure stability for the people. Straff disrespects him throughout the conversation. Once alone, Straff decides that Zane has become a liability and will have to be killed.
Elend is there when Vin wakes up. He explains what happened and he thinks Penrod will be a good king. Vin touches Elend and notices him flinch. She realizes that she has to leave him and can’t let him marry her. She drinks the drugged broth Sazed left for her. WHen Vin wakes up again, Zane is watching over her. He explains Pendrod’s deal with Straff, but tells her the assassins came from Cett. He gives her a ball of atium before he leaves. OreSeur comes to visit Vin in his new body. She is surprised to see he chose another dog. He says it would be expected of her to get another dog and he is still exploring the possibilities. she asks why he helped her. He explains it was the right thing to do. She asks if attacking a man violates the Contract, and he says only if the man died directly by him. He starts to tell her how the Lord Ruler created the kandra and they volunteered as servants before they could be enslaved forcefully. Vin tries to sooth him and ends up breaking through to him. OreSeur howls in pain. Vin apologizes. he suggests they both get some rest.
Sazed and Tindwyl continue to pour over information. Kwann named Alendi the Hero of Ages. However something must have happened for him to change his mind about Alendi and send his nephew, Rashek (the Lord Ruler) out to mislead or kill Alendi. The Keepers know they don’t have much time until the city is violently taken. Elend wanders the keep halls wondering what is next. He finds Sazed and Tindwyl studying. After Tindwyl tests him to see if he reverted back into his old self, he asks if he lost the throne because he wasn’t willing to lie. Tindwyl points out there are a lot of reasons prior that lost him the throne. Sazed thinks he made the right decision to keep his integrity. Elend leaves and goes back to his room to change back into his king uniform.
Elend asks for a few volunteers to help the skaa prepare for winter and over a hundred men show up. lend wants to have men rip apart some of the noblemen’s houses for firewood. Though he cannot command the skaa out, be can suggest they move to the skaa hovels to keep warm. They try to determine how water and food supplies are being poisoned. Ham takes Elend out of the city and the former king goes to the koloss army. He demands to be taken to Jastes and they comply. Jastes blames Elend’s ideals for his entire family being killed. Elend threatens him and puts a knife in his shoulder. He then uses Jastes as a shield to get back to the koloss. He demands they lead him out and attacks the smallest one. He kills it and takes the koloss’ things. Elend opens up the pouches to find Jastes is controlling the koloss by paying them in wooden coins.
Vin is in Elend’s room watching him sleep when Zane arrives. He continues to tell Vin that Cett was the one who sent the Allomancers after Elend. She thinks about how Elend went into the koloss camp and decided to go with Zane to kill Cett. OreSeur is against it, but still gives vin the atium when she asks for it. They go to Hastings Keep and start taking out the guards. Vin takes out a lot of hazekillers before finding Cett and his son, Gneorndin. She quickly realizes neither of them are Mistborn. Zane blasts through the wall dripping blood and ready to kill. vin begs him to leave them alone. Zane leaves, disappointed that Vin is still controlled by Elend.
Elend wonders what happened to vin after the previous night’s attack. ham and Spook don’t think she is stable. Elend sends them away. OreSeur comes to tell him he found Vin. They leave with a few guards and find her in a tiny hideout of a thieving building. He wants to help her and says he will support her decisions. Vin tells him she has to leave Luthadel to go north and find the Well of Ascension. Elend explains he can’t abandon the city. Elend declines the offer of her atium (she forced it back up when she didn’t burn it) and she gives it to OreSeur to hold onto.
Sazed and Tindwyl continue to collect all references to the Deepness and the Hero of Ages. hen they look through their notes, they find all copies have the same sentence torn out: Alendi must not reach the Well of Ascension; he must not be allowed to take the power for himself. Sazed is starting to believe that Vin is the Hero of Ages, but Tindwyl doesn’t think it is realistic. Vin stops by to ask Sazed about love. She is debating whether she should be with Elend or someone more like herself (Zane). Sazed thinks she and Elend make each other happy and should be together. As soon as Vin leaves, Elend shows up to ask Sazed about love as well. After Elend leaves, he realizes they need to finish studying and get Vin and Elend out of the city before it falls.
Breeze receives a letter from Sazed for a secret meeting. He arrives and is shocked to find most of the crew - the older, experienced members - were all invited. Tension is high, so Breeze helps Sooth people until Sazed can reveal the purpose of the meeting. They all know the city is going to fall soon. They were never really meant to hold it. The important thing is that the world knows there are skaa willing to rebel. However, Sazed wants to send some of the younger members - Elend, Vin, Spook, and Tindwyl - away from the city. He is hoping they can convince them to leave for the Well of Ascension. Everyone seems to accept their fate and starts planning. Vin goes to the secret chamber in Kredik Shaw to think about what decision she has to make. She wants to be with Elend, but thinks Zane will make her the person she needs to be. Straff sends assassins to kill Zane, but Zane easily kills them first, having slept with his metals unburned. He goes to Straff, who is terrified, and tells him he can take the city. Straff is relieved, but confused. Zane tells him he and Vin will be leaving the city that night.
Vin is standing out on her balcony when Zane comes for her. She is about to leave with him and takes out a vial of metal. Zane flinches at the movement. Vin realizes how important Elend’s love and trust is to her. She tells Zane she is not going with him and he attacks her, using atium and yelling about how she was supposed to save him. Vin gives OreSeur the signal to give her the atium ball he holds for her, but she quickly learns that OreSeur is really TenSoon - Zane’s kandra. Her own kandra was killed before she gave him the dog body. As the two Mistborns continue to fight, TenSoon tells Zane that Vin knows the kandra’s secret. Vin takes the hint and uses duralumin to Soothe him. Vin feels like she is split in two and can control TenSoon’s body. She uses it to ram into Zane and takes the atium from his broken shoulder. However, the atium was really just a coated ball of lead and burns out quickly. She realizes that Zane will show her what she is going to do before she knows. She uses his reaction to change directions and stabs him in the throat. He wants to tell her she is the only one god never told him to kill. God tells him he was never crazy. Vin offers Zane’s body to TenSoon, but he wants to fix his current dog body with leftover bones from the last wolfhound body he used. He tells Vin that he will have to report back to his people since the one holding his contract died. He doesn’t want to go, but knows he must. Vin runs to Elend.
When she finds him, Elend immediately takes Vin to Sazed for medical attention. She asks the Terrisman for the quickest way for them to be married. They profess their love for each other and Sazed’s witness finalizes it. He then tells the newly weds they can help the city by going to the Well of Ascension. He fabricates lies to make them think they have more information (such as a map) than they really do. He reassures them with lies about a peaceful takeover by Straff and the crew all hiding to survive. Elend and vin agree to go and take Spook. Tindwyl will also go to deliver important information to the Terris people.
Tindwyl thinks Elend is a fool for abandoning the city to chase Vin’s believe that she is some deity. Elend sends her away for insulting his wife. They take off on horseback with Spook and Allrianne. Vin uses Allomancy to get them past Straff’s army. Allrianne leaves them as soon as they are safe. As the rest of the crew watches the young members leave, Clubs and Sazed argue over whether or not Kelsier and the Lord Ruler are really considered gods. Straff feels like he has been poisoned and calls for Amaranta. She admits that she has been drugging him and when he thinks he has been poisoned, he is really going though withdrawal. He realizes she became Zane’s lover when he started to reject her. HE strangles her to death before mixing a whole bunch of herbs together hoping one is the drug he needs. Straff passes out.
Allrianne charms some men (who were originally planning to rob and rape her) into returning her to her father’s camp. She knows her father can’t return home because an obligator has taken over and they have no Allomancers in the family besides her. Allrianne convinces her father to stay in Luthadel to gather friends before they go home. She hopes it gives Breeze a better chance of surviving. Vin and Elend are enjoying their time as newly weds and have decided to take the trip slowly. Vin dresses and leaves their tent to start their fire back up. Elend asks Spook if they are still being followed, but he is not sure. Vin tell them it is the mist spirit chasing them and it can become dangerous. Straff is surprised when he wakes up . He asks why his general didn’t kill him and quickly realizes no one else knows Zane is gone. He plans to take his son’s advice and gives the order to break camp and slightly retreat. WHile storing up attributes, Sazed tells Clubs about a religion that worshiped only one god through their art (knowing that Clubs is an artist). Clubs seems intrigued by it. Sazed goes to see Tindwyl. She refused to lave because she loves him. Dockson is with her and explain his plan for the inevitable attack. Sazed will be posted on one of five gates that is likely to be attacked first. Dockson will keep the headquarters in the Venture ballroom to send messages between the leaders at the gates.
Vin goes to build a fire in what is left of the morning mist while Spook is out scouting. She looks for the mist spirit and senses it in the tent where Elend is sleeping. It has a dagger over him and Vin has to stop it. It disappears with the daylight. Spook returns to let Vin know there is a camp of five men following them. She decides to let Elend decide what to do with his father’s men. Spook wishes he was Mistborn so he could be important and save people. Vin tells him it is overrated. Back in Luthadel, the battle drums are going off. The koloss are fighting among themselves to prepare for battle. Dockson orders everyone to their respective positions and they all hope for the best. Straff’s general, Janarle, comes to tell him the koloss have started to attack the city. Straff tells him to turn the column back towards the city, but to take his time. Sazed is amazed at how efficient the koloss are as killing machines and how quickly their own army of twenty thousand men is spread thin. The koloss start to spread out and some are heading for his gate. Vin attacks the small camp that has been following them, but doesn’t kill anyone. She is surprised to find Jastes Lekal in the largest tent. He explains he left the koloss army because he couldn’t control them. Elend takes off his friend’s head with his sword for setting the koloss on the largest populated city in the Final Empire. Vin hopes the koloss will attack Straff, but Spook reveals the crew’s plan to them. Vin knows she has to go back and help. She has also noticed the pulse from the Well of Ascension getting weaker as they get further from the city. She thinks the well is in Luthadel. Elend promises he and Spook will follow, traveling at night to avoid the mist spirit.
Breeze works constantly to Soothe groups of soldiers at a time. He is choking down brass powder with water to keep going. Clubs thinks they are doing well so far, but he has fought in battles for the lord Ruler before; they never lost, but they always had the koloss on their side. Vin burns pewter and tries to ignore the pewter drag. She is furious with her friends for not letting her help. She knows Spook is probably right and they are already dead, but she keeps going as fast as she can. Breeze and Clubs joke about how such terrible people became leaders. They blame Kelsier as the gate opens. Sazed receives word the Zinc Gate has been beaten open. He requests a new leader for his own gate. The captain doesn’t know what to do. Skaa start to gather at his gate. he tells them to seek shelter, but they believe Vin will come to Sazed (who they call the Holy First Witness) to save them first. The koloss start climbing over the city wall. Sazed taps into her pewtermind and yells for the men to fight with him, and they do. Vin runs out of pewter and knows she will need a lot more to make it the rest of the way to Luthadel. She hears a happy skaa village of a couple hovels and asks them for pewter. They would have to shave down utensils to get as much as she needs. Instead Vin asks for horseshoes and she uses steel and iron to make her own path. It takes her a while to figure out how to juggle five horseshoes to keep going.
Straff feels better, having found the drug Amaranta used on him. He decides they will let the koloss ravage the city a while longer before they go and take the city. Sazed uses his stored strength and weight to hold the gate closed. The soldiers are able to put a board up to keep it closed temporarily. Dockson’s messenger says Sazed won’t get any more men because another gate has fallen - the one Tindwyl is on. He doesn’t have much time to worry about her before his own gate flies open again. Clubs directs his troops back. He tells one group to go to Ham at Keep Lekal and the other to Keep Hastings. Breeze is pushed into the snow and turns just in time to see Clubs killed in his place. Dockson thinks on what they could have done differently as the koloss break into Keep Venture. He grabs his sword and turns to fight, but a koloss’ sword comes down and everything goes black. Straff is told they could take the city at this point. He decides to let it burn since they rejected him. It should make finding the atium easier and he can rebuild in dedication to himself. Allrianne tries to convince Cett to help the city, but he has decided to join Straff. Sazed and his men hold out as long as they can. He knows he is about to die when Vin shows up and saves him. He gathers everyone that is left and tells them to flee the city through the north gate (where the koloss first entered the city and have now likely moved on from). Breeze cowers in his hiding place. Ham and Sazed find him, looking for what to do next since they haven’t heard from Dockson. Breeze is still too terrified to move, but is slightly relieved that the others are talking about escape because it means he isn’t the only coward.
With her new purpose to defend, vin continues to fight the koloss. She is getting extremely tired from the pewter drag though. Sazed goes to keep Hastings to try convincing Penrod to lead what is left of his people north. Pendrod’s Tineye has already seen the attack on the people Sazed sent that way. He refuses to let the refugees in the keep . Vin continues to fight, but there are too many. She tries Soothing them and burns duralumin. Just like the kandra, she is able to control the beasts actions. Sazed has given up by the time Vin arrives. A koloss lifts her up so she can talk to Penrod. She tells him to have his remaining two hundred soldiers protecting the people. She will take care of the koloss. Sazed reminds her about Straff’s army. She is aware and walks away with the koloss following. Sazed spends all night looking for Tindwyl. He finally finds her body in the morning. He finds none of the religions can give him comfort and feels like his whole life has been a sham.
Straff is confused by the koloss gathering outside the city. He notices humans gathering behind them. Vin launches herself at Straff’s army and starts taking out soldiers. The koloss hit soon after. Allrianne charges to the battle to get her father to help. Eventually, he calls his forces to defend Luthadel. Sazed doesn’t know what to do. he is surprised when Cett’s army joins Vin’s. Straff’s men surrender in large groups. She makes all of the kings (or their surviving successors) swear loyalty to Elend. She leaves Sazed to get everyone situated inside the city and then goes to rest. Sazed, thinking about the prophecy, is thinking Vin really is the Hero of Ages.
Spook travels ahead of Elend to scout for danger in the mist. He tells Elend to wait while he checks on a group of fires. The mist spirit approaches Elend and points north. Elend feels calm and wonders if it is using Allomancy on him. Spook returns to tell Elend he needs to come see the refugees. The mist spirit disappears. Elend talks with the refugees from Terris. The Inquisitors came and killed the Keepers. Tindwyl was the only member of the Synod who wasn’t there during the attack. Elend warns them Luthadel was just attacked by koloss. he tries to reassure Spook that Vin has taken care of everything, but wonders what else he has been ignoring.
Sazed listens to the Kings - Cett, Penrod, and Janarle - argue about what they should do next. Cett wants to take back his land far to the west, and Janarle wants to strengthen control closer in the north. Sazed makes them wait on Vin’s decision, but he worries her pewter drag will be too much for her. Elend and Spook arrive at the city, but can’t really tell what is going on. Spook says Elend’s flag is being flown. They decide to sneak in with a line of refugees. Sazed reads over the original document he and Tindwyl put together. He can’t stop thinking about her and comes to understand all the contradictions she was telling him about. Vin arrives. She tells him the Well of Ascension is in the city. She thinks the Lord Ruler moved things around to hide it. They hear changing that the king has returned and Vin jumps out the window. Vin rushes to meet Elend. She apologizes for making him emperor. He accepts and decides his previous ideas were too simplistic. Sazed intends to go meet Elend, but he finds a scrap of paper - one of the pieces torn off his and Tindwyl’s documents. Vin leads Elend, Ham, and Spook to Kredik Shaw. She pulls out a wall and they find stairs behind it. Sazed continues to read over Kwann’s words. The mist spirit arrives and points to the middle of the city. Sazed wonders if the well will corrupt even Vin. There is a scream outside and Sazed runs to follow it. Vin and her friends go through the hidden chamber. Spook is distracted by canned food. Elend points out a map and wonders why Statlin City is circled. Vin pulls on him, saying that isn’t what they are looking for. Sazed follows the mist spirit into the streets to find a man dead. He looks like the men killed by the mist in the south. The mist spirit leads him into Kredik Shaw, but only so far. Sazed continues on, hoping to find Vin. Instead he finds Marsh, who apologizes for having to kill him.
Vin and Elend go down a stone tunnel until they find a second cavern filled with smoke. Vin passes through without choking on it and Elend nervously follows. Marsh uses Allomancy to throw Sazed’s metal pouch at him. his rings go into him and Sazed is able to use up the health stored in his goldmind. marsh is surprised and Sazed calls him a traitor. Vin wonders if she knows what she is doing. Elend assures that he trusts her to do the right thing. They find pieces of smashed pottery and one has a strange metal on it. Sazed fights Marsh, but he only has what little he has stored in his rings, now inside him. He is able to use weight and speed against Marsh, but it runs out before Sazed can pull the spike between his shoulder blades. Marsh explains he has spent the last year killing. Before Marsh can kill Sazed, a dueling cane crashes over his head. The mist spirit finds Vin and Elend. Elend thinks it wants to tell them something and approaches it. It cuts him across the stomach. Vin sees the wound is deadly, and she goes into the well. Sazed takes off to find vin and Ham follows. When he arrives, he knows he is too late. Vin feels the power. There is a voice telling her to let the power go. She knows Elend would want his people safe before himself, so she lets it go. She has freed something.
Vin has given up. The mist spirit points at Elend. Vin realizes it was trying to get her to keep the power and save him. It points out the odd metal Elend holds and indicates she should give it to him. She does and has him wash it down with one of her metal vials. He starts healing. Vin uses bronze to see that Elend is burning pewter.
Sazed returns to the Conventical of Seran. As he suspected, the writing in steel is different from the rubbing he took weeks ago. Kwann explains that whatever is in the well can change what is written or stored in metalminds. It would alter the Terris religion to fit the description of whoever would be good enough to release the power. Kwann, with his eidetic memory is the only one that knows the truth, so he sends his nephew, Rashek, after Alendi before he can release the creature from its prison. Sazed loses all faith. Elend spent weeks in bed healing, but Vin finds him on the city wall when he is lucid. He is now Mistborn and they know how the first ones were created. Vin explains what happened and asks Elend what they are going to do. He says they will survive, just like Kelsier taught them.