The Well of Ascension

The attack comes from a group of Allomancers, including Thugs (who can make themselves much stronger and resistant to wounds), a Coinshot (who can push metal away from himself), a Lurcher (who can pull metal toward himself), a Smoker (who can hide the use of Allomancy in a bubble around himself), and a Mistborn (who has access to all the Allomantic powers). In the ensuing battle, the shadowed presence whom Vin calls the Watcher (the one she thought was following her in Chapter 1) provides some assistance from afar. OreSeur is injured and requires a new body, but Vin, disgusted by the kandra practice of using dead people’s bones to impersonate them, does not allow him to use one of the dead Allomancers’ bodies. Under their contract, she is required to give OreSeur a new body, but she puts it off until she can find a solution that she finds more palatable. Vin worries over the fact that she had to use her last bead of atium to defeat the Allomancers—they have not found the stash of atium that the Lord Ruler had supposedly hidden away. Atium gives Mistborn the ability to see what their opponent will do before they do it. If she encounters a Mistborn who has atium, she will likely lose the fight and die.

Elend works on a proposal that he plans to submit to the Luthadel Assembly, the governing body he established after the Lord Ruler’s death to provide a fair and equitable government for all. It is composed of noblemen, merchant skaa, and peasant skaa. Elend’s proposal would forbid the frightened Assembly from making any agreements or surrendering to Elend’s father before he meets with his father himself.

Vin keeps watch over Elend and her friends. She suspects that the Watcher is nearby again when she feels distant Allomantic pulses, but then she notices a figure made of mist on the rooftop with her. When she attacks, the figure vanishes. Vin rushes into Elend’s study to check that no assassins have snuck in under her watch. She shares what she saw, and Elend worries that she is pushing herself too hard. When he discusses the Assembly proposal, she shares her confidence in Elend as a good leader and a good man.

Ham interrupts Vin and Elend to inform them that they determined the assassins to be employed by Ashweather Cett, a nobleman from a far-off city who calls himself King of the Western Dominance. Ham tries to be positive, telling Elend that at least they were not from Elend’s father, but he is disturbed when Elend says that kinship would not stop his father from assassinating him.

Sazed, the Terrisman steward and Keeper (a Terrisman with the power to store information and powers in metalminds, or metal objects touching the body), has spent much of the last year traveling and fulfilling what his people see as their responsibilities—educating the skaa about their cultural heritage. He finds them often unconcerned with their suppressed histories and forgotten religions; instead, they want another strong leader like the Lord Ruler. Sazed is called to examine a dead body that some of the skaa villagers found. The skaa inform Sazed that there was daytime mist (something unheard of before this), and the man describes how the now-dead man was standing in that mist and began jerking as if in a fit. He then collapsed. Sazed examines his coppermind holding medical knowledge but finds nothing related to this description of the death. He decides that it must have been due to some kind of disease. He performs funeral rights from one of the religions he has recorded in his metalminds and returns to his teachings, helping the skaa become a more knowledgeable, self-sufficient people.

Vin walks through Luthadel, observing the people’s anxiety as they worry that Straff Venture’s army will attack. Straff’s encampment outside the walls means that there will soon be shortages of crucial supplies and that prices will rise. She reflects that she now walks upright and powerful, rather than making herself small, as she did in her childhood on the streets. Members of the Church of the Survivor, which has developed to worship Kelsier, approach her, calling her the “Lady Heir” to Kelsier and asking for her protection from the encroaching army. Vin runs away, deeply uncomfortable with their view of her as a religious figure. Returning to her intended task, she buys a wolfhound from a local merchant and takes it to OreSeur. He insists that using the body of an animal would be an insult to him, but Vin orders him to impersonate the dog, arguing that it would seem less suspicious than her being followed around by a series of random people.

Vin finds Elend speaking with Dockson and observes how the two men practice careful politeness to cover their mutual dislike. Elend admits that he thinks Dockson sees him as a lesser man than Kelsier, and he worries that other members of the old crew feel the same way. Vin tries to reassure Elend, but he remains self-conscious. Ham and Vin discuss her most recent Allomantic experiment: She learned that more Allomantic metals exist than the noble class knows about, so she has a metal maker create a variety of metal alloys. She has experimented with several, some of which have made her sick. Ham brings her a new alloy of aluminum, called duralumin, and Vin burns it. She does not become sick, so she knows it must be the correct alloy, but when she burns it, it seems to do nothing. She is determined to keep trying it so that she knows whether it will help them against Straff. Vin agrees to spar with Ham, and Elend joins them to watch.

Cladent (“Clubs”) and Lestibournes (“Spook”), other members of the old crew, join Elend as he watches Vin and Ham spar. They discuss the match (especially Vin’s skills) and the siege. They also joke around, finding small moments of joy amid the fear pervading the city. Later that night, Vin and Elend meet OreSeur, who has completed his transformation using the dog’s bones. Vin tells him to join her on her nightly rounds to test out the new body.

Sazed reflects on his work teaching skills like farming, medicine, and writing to the skaa to help them become self-sufficient. He feels guilty about his dissatisfaction with the work. The Synod—the Terris governing body—insists that this is his duty and that he has believed in it for most of his life. Now, however, he is restless and worried about the mystery of the dead skaa man.

Marsh, Kelsier’s brother, finds Sazed and demands that he join Marsh to investigate the currently empty Conventical of Seran (the Inquisitor stronghold). Marsh infiltrated the Lord Ruler’s Inquisitors to help the crew’s plans for rebellion in The Final Empire, and now he is a close confidant of Elend. Sazed tries to argue that his duty is to teach the skaa, but Marsh insists that it is more important for them to investigate the stronghold and search its archives. Marsh shares that he has also seen mists coming in the daylight, adding to the mystery that Sazed had been considering. Sazed, curious and worried, agrees to join Marsh.

Vin has OreSeur test out the new body while they patrol the city, discovering that it more easily keeps up with her when she runs and jumps between buildings. The Watcher appears again, and while chasing him, Vin burns duralumin while simultaneously burning tin (which enhances the senses). She accidentally discovers that duralumin greatly enhances other metals when burned at the same time. Disoriented from the mass of sensory detail, she pauses, and as OreSeur catches up, the Watcher finally approaches. He asks Vin whether she truly killed the Lord Ruler and reveals his distaste for leaders like Straff and Elend. Vin is offended that he lumps Elend in with Straff, but the Watcher accuses Vin of playing their games. Vin watches as he leaves. She realizes that she needs a way to keep her metals safe from other Mistborn, so she asks if OreSeur can carry them until she needs them. He uses his ability to manipulate his adopted body and creates a pocket in his shoulder.

On the journey to the Conventical of Seran, Marsh confronts Sazed, arguing that as a Terrisman, he belongs in Luthadel. Sazed reminds Marsh of his duties to the Synod and explains that he sent help to Vin and Elend. Marsh argues that they need Sazed, not someone else, and he claims that their investigation at the Conventical and Vin and Elend’s difficulties are more important than Sazed’s duty to educate the skaa. Sazed personally agrees with Marsh, but his guilt has been a powerful motivator.

Elend gives a speech to the Assembly about Straff’s army while Vin and Ham act as guards. Elend gives his proposal—that any votes about surrendering the city be put on hold until Elend meets with Straff—and the Assembly accepts it with a two-thirds majority. Vin worries that Elend’s idealistic approach to ruling—giving power, money, and equal rights to all—will not work in the long term.

An unknown Terriswoman watches Elend from the crowd; Vin finds this unusual since nearly all the Luthadel Terrispeople have introduced themselves to Vin and thanked her for their freedom from the Lord Ruler. Before Vin can investigate further, a messenger announces that there is now a second army camping outside the city gates.

Elend, Vin, and the crew watch from the walls. The new army belongs to Ashweather Cett, the man who sent a team to assassinate Vin. A rider begins fleeing the army, and Vin recognizes the man as Edgard “Breeze” Ladrian, another member of the crew who had been in other parts of the empire trying to dredge up support for Elend’s government. Vin intercepts the men chasing him, practicing with duralumin as she does so. Breeze enters the city safely, and Vin joins him. Breeze explains that he became an advisor for Cett and manipulated the man to march on Luthadel, using rumors of the Lord Ruler’s atium stash. The crew is baffled at this move, but Breeze explains that Elend can now use Cett’s invasion as leverage, putting him in a better position to negotiate with Straff and/or Cett since neither army can attack without worry about the other army moving in on their weakened forces.

Guards approach Vin and Elend about skeletons they found in the castle, but OreSeur insists that the bones are not his. The three realize that there must be a kandra spy in the castle.