One of these was the herb that she’d gotten him addicted to. Any one of the others might kill him. He wasn’t even sure what the odds were.
He drank the concoction anyway, gulping it down between choking gasps for air, then let himself slip into unconsciousness.
I have no doubt that if Alendi reaches the Well of Ascension, he will take the power and then—in the name of the presumed greater good—give it up.
50
“ARE THOSE THE FELLOWS YOU want, Lady Cett?”
Allrianne scanned the valley—and the army it contained—then looked down at the bandit, Hobart. He smiled eagerly—or, well, he kind of smiled. Hobart had fewer teeth than he had fingers, and he was missing a couple of those.
Allrianne smiled back from atop her horse. She sat sidesaddle, reins held lightly in her fingers. “Yes, I do believe that it is, Master Hobart.”
Hobart looked back at his band of thugs, grinning. Allrianne Rioted them all a bit, reminding them how much they wanted her promised reward. Her father’s army spread out before them in the distance. She had wandered for an entire day, traveling west, looking for it. But, she’d been heading in the wrong direction. If she hadn’t run afoul of Hobart’s helpful little gang, she would have been forced to sleep outside.
And that would have been rather unpleasant.
“Come, Master Hobart,” she said, moving her horse forward. “Let’s go and meet with my father.”
The group followed happily, one of them leading her packhorse. There was a certain charm to simple men, like Hobart’s crew. They really only wanted three things: money, food, and sex. And they could usually use the first to get the other two. When she’d first run across this group, she’d blessed her fortune—despite the fact that they had been running down a hillside in ambush, intent on robbing and raping her. Another charm about men like these was that they were rather inexperienced with Allomancy.
She kept a firm hold on their emotions as they rode down toward the camp. She didn’t want them reaching any disappointing conclusions—such as “Ransoms are usually bigger than rewards.” She couldn’t control them completely, of course—she could only influence them. However, with men so base, it was fairly easy to read what was going on in their heads. It was amusing how quickly a little promise of wealth could turn brutes into near gentlemen.
Of course, there wasn’t much of a challenge in dealing with men like Hobart, either. No … no challenge, as there had been with Breezy. Now, that had been fun. And rewarding, too. She doubted she’d ever find a man as aware of his emotions, and as aware of the emotions of others, as Breezy. Getting a man like him—a man so expert in Allomancy, so determined that his age made him inappropriate for her—to love her … well, that had been a true accomplishment.
Ah, Breezy, she thought as they passed out of the forest and onto the hillside before the army. Do any of your friends even understand what a noble man you are?
They really didn’t treat him well enough. Of course, that was to be expected. That was what Breezy wanted. People who underestimated you were easier to manipulate. Yes, Allrianne understood this concept quite well—for there were few things more quickly dismissed than a young, silly girl.
“Halt!” a soldier said, riding up with an honor guard. They had swords drawn. “Step away from her, you!”
Oh, honestly, Allrianne thought, rolling her eyes. She Rioted the group of soldiers, enhancing their sense of calmness. She didn’t want any accidents.
“Please, Captain,” she said as Hobart and his crew drew weapons, huddling around her uncertainly. “These men have rescued me from the savage wilderness and brought me safely home, at much personal cost and danger.”
Hobart nodded firmly, an action undermined just a bit as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. The soldier captain looked over the ash-stained, motley-clothed group of bandits, then frowned.
“See that these men have a good meal, Captain,” she said airily, kicking her horse forward. “And give them space for the night. Hobart, I’ll send your reward once I meet with my father.”
Bandits and soldiers moved in behind her, and Allrianne made sure to Riot them both, enhancing their senses of trust. It was a tough sell for the soldiers, especially as the wind shifted, blowing the full stench of the bandit crew across them. Still, they all reached the camp without incident.
The groups parted, Allrianne giving her horses to an aide and calling for a page to warn her father that she’d returned. She dusted off her riding dress, then strode through camp, smiling pleasantly and looking forward to a bath and the other comforts—such as they were—that the army could provide. However, first there were things she needed to attend to.
Her father liked to spend evenings in his open-sided planning pavilion, and he sat there now, arguing with a messenger. He looked over as Allrianne swished into the pavilion, smiling sweetly at Lords Galivan and Detor, her father’s generals.
Cett sat on a high-legged chair so he could get a good view of his table and its maps. “Well, damn it,” he said. “You are back.”
Allrianne smiled, wandering around his planning table, looking at the map. It detailed the supply lines back to the Western Dominance. What she saw was not good.
“Rebellions back home, Father?” she asked.
“And ruffians attacking my supply carts,” Cett said. “That boy Venture bribed them, I’m sure of it.”
“Yes, he did,” Allrianne said. “But, that’s all pointless now. Did you miss me?” She made sure to Tug strongly on his sense of devotion.
Cett snorted, pulling at his beard. “Fool of a girl,” he said. “I should have left you home.”
“So I could have fallen to your enemies when they raised a rebellion?” she asked. “We both know that Lord Yomen was going to move the moment you pulled your armies out of the dominance.”
“And I should have let that damn obligator have you!”
Allrianne gasped. “Father! Yomen would have held me for ransom. You know how terribly I wilt when I’m locked up.”
Cett glanced at her, and then—apparently despite himself—he started to chuckle. “You’d’ve had him feeding you gourmet foods before the day was through. Maybe I should have left you behind. Then, at least, I’d have known where you were—rather than worrying where you’d run off to next. You didn’t bring that idiot Breeze back with you, did you?”
“Father!” Allrianne said. “Breezy is a good man.”
“Good men die quickly in this world, Allrianne,” Cett said. “I know—I’ve killed enough of them.”
“Oh, yes,” Allrianne said, “you’re very wise. And taking an aggressive stance against Luthadel had such a positive outcome, didn’t it? Chased away with your tail between your legs? You’d be dead now, if dear Vin had as little conscience as you.”
“That ‘conscience’ didn’t stop her from killing some three hundred of my men,” Cett said.
“She’s a very confused young lady,” Allrianne said. “Either way, I do feel obliged to remind you that I was right. You should have made an alliance with the Venture boy, instead of threatening him. That means you owe me five new dresses!”