“You must be losing your touch,” Vin said with a smile. Breeze was a Soother—an Allomancer who could burn brass to calm another person’s emotions. A very skilled Soother—and Vin knew of none more skilled than Breeze—could dampen all of a person’s emotions but a single one, effectively making them feel exactly as he wanted.
“Actually,” Elend said, turning and looking back up at the wall, “I was hoping we could go back up on the wall and study the armies some more. If you spent time with Lord Cett’s force, then you could probably tell us a lot about it.”
“I can; I will; I am not going to climb those steps. Can’t you see how tired I am, man?”
Ham snorted, clapping Breeze on the shoulder—and throwing up a puff of dust. “How can you be tired? Your poor horse did all the running.”
“It was emotionally exhausting, Hammond,” Breeze said, rapping the larger man’s hand with his cane. “My departure was somewhat disagreeable.”
“What happened, anyway?” Vin asked. “Did Cett find out you were a spy?”
Breeze looked embarrassed. “Let’s just say that Lord Cett and I had a … falling-out.”
“Caught you in bed with his daughter, eh?” Ham said, earning a chuckle from the group. Breeze was anything but a ladies’ man. Despite his ability to play with emotions, he had expressed no interest in romance for as long as Vin had known him. Dockson had once noted that Breeze was just too focused on himself to consider such things.
Breeze simply rolled his eyes at Ham’s comment. “Honestly, Hammond. I think your jokes are getting worse as you age. One too many hits on the head while sparring, I suspect.”
Ham smiled, and Elend sent for a couple of carriages. While they waited, Breeze launched into a narrative of his travels. Vin glanced down at OreSeur. She still hadn’t found a good opportunity to tell the rest of the crew about the body change. Perhaps now that Breeze was back, Elend would hold a conference with his inner circle. That would be a good time. She had to be quiet about it, since she wanted the palace staff to think that she’d sent OreSeur away.
Breeze continued his story, and Vin looked back at him, smiling. Not only was Breeze a natural orator, but he had a very subtle touch with Allomancy. She could barely feel his fingers on her emotions. Once, she had found his intrusions offensive, but she was growing to understand that touching people’s emotions was simply part of who Breeze was. Just as a beautiful woman demanded attention by virtue of her face and figure, Breeze drew it by near unconscious use of his powers.
Of course, that didn’t make him any less a scoundrel. Getting others to do as he wished was one of Breeze’s main occupations. Vin just no longer resented him for using Allomancy to do it.
The carriage finally approached, and Breeze sighed in relief. As the vehicle pulled up, he eyed Vin, then nodded toward OreSeur. “What’s that?”
“A dog,” Vin said.
“Ah, blunt as ever, I see,” Breeze said. “And, why is it that you now have a dog?”
“I gave it to her,” Elend said. “She wanted one, so I bought it for her.”
“And you chose a wolfhound?” Ham asked, amused.
“You’ve fought with her before, Ham,” Elend said, laughing. “What would you have given her? A poodle?”
Ham chuckled. “No, I guess not. It fits, actually.”
“Though it’s almost as big as she is,” Clubs added, regarding her with a squinty-eyed look.
Vin reached down, resting her hand on OreSeur’s head. Clubs did have a point; she’d chosen a big animal, even for a wolfhound. He stood over three feet tall at the shoulder—and Vin knew from experience how heavy that body was.
“Remarkably well-behaved for a wolfhound,” Ham said, nodding. “You chose well, El.”
“Regardless,” Breeze said. “Can we please return to the palace? Armies and wolfhounds are all well and good, but I believe supper is more pressing at this point.”
“So, why didn’t we tell them about OreSeur?” Elend asked, as their carriage bumped its way back toward Keep Venture. The three of them had taken a carriage of their own, leaving the other four to follow in the other vehicle.
Vin shrugged. OreSeur sat on the seat across from her and Elend, quietly watching the conversation. “I’ll tell them eventually,” Vin said. “A busy city square didn’t seem the right place for the revelation.”
Elend smiled. “Keeping secrets is a hard habit to break, eh?”
Vin flushed. “I’m not keeping him secret, I’m just …” She trailed off, looking down.
“Don’t feel bad, Vin,” Elend said. “You lived a long time on your own, without anyone to trust. Nobody expects you to change overnight.”
“It hasn’t been one night, Elend,” she said. “It’s been two years.”
Elend laid a hand on her knee. “You’re getting better. The others talk about how much you’ve changed.”
Vin nodded. Another man would be afraid that I’m keeping secrets from him, too. Elend just tries to make me feel less guilty. He was a better man than she deserved.
“Kandra,” Elend said, “Vin says you do well at keeping up with her.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” OreSeur said. “These bones, though distasteful, are well equipped for tracking and quick movement.”
“And if she gets hurt?” Elend said. “Will you be able to pull her to safety?”
“Not with any speed, Your Majesty. I will, however, be able to go for aid. These bones have many limitations, but I will do my best to fulfill the Contract.”
Elend must have caught Vin’s raised eyebrow, for he chuckled. “He’ll do as he says, Vin.”
“The Contract is everything, Mistress,” OreSeur said. “It demands more than simple service. It requires diligence and devotion. It is the kandra. By serving it, we serve our people.”
Vin shrugged. The group fell silent, Elend pulling a book from his pocket, Vin leaning against him. OreSeur lay down, filling the entire seat opposite the humans. Eventually, the carriage rolled into the Venture courtyard, and Vin found herself looking forward to a warm bath. As they were climbing from the carriage, however, a guard rushed up to Elend. Tin allowed Vin to hear what the man said, even though he spoke before she could close the distance.
“Your Majesty,” the guard whispered, “our messenger reached you, then?”
“No,” Elend said with a frown as Vin walked over. The soldier gave her a look, but continued speaking; the soldiers all knew that Vin was Elend’s primary bodyguard and confidant. Still, the man looked oddly concerned when he saw her.
“We … ah, don’t want to be intrusive,” the soldier said. “That’s why we’ve kept this quiet. We were just wondering if … everything is all right.” He looked at Vin as he spoke.
“What is this about?” Elend asked.
The guard turned back toward the king. “The corpse in Lady Vin’s room.”
The “corpse” was actually a skeleton. One completely picked clean, without a hint of blood—or even tissue—marring its shiny white surfaces. A good number of the bones were broken, however.