The Mistborn Trilogy (163 page)
Read The Mistborn Trilogy Online
Authors: Brandon Sanderson
Tags: #Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #bought-and-paid-for
THE HERO
OF AGES
TOR BOOKS BY BRANDON SANDERSON
Elantris
THE MISTBORN TRILOGY
Mistborn
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages
BRANDON SANDERSON
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK
NEW YORK
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE HERO OF AGES: BOOK THREE OF MISTBORN
Copyright © 2008 by Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC
All rights reserved.
Edited by Moshe Feder
Maps and interior art by Isaac Stewart
A Tor Book Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC 175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sanderson, Brandon.
The hero of ages / Brandon Sanderson.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(Mistborn ; bk. 3)
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-1689-9
ISBN-10: 0-7653-1689-7
I. Title.
PS3619.A533 H47 2008
813'.6—dc22
2008031067
First Edition: October 2008
Printed in the United States of America
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FOR JORDAN SANDERSON
,
Who can explain to any who ask
What it’s like to have a brother
Who spends most of his time dreaming
.
(Thanks for putting up with me.)
PART ONE
: Legacy of the Survivor
PART FOUR
: Beautiful Destroyer
1. Metals Quick Reference Chart
As always, I owe a whole lot of people a whole lot of thanks for helping make this book what it is today. First and foremost, my editor and my agent—Moshe Feder and Joshua Bilmes—are to be noted for their exceptional ability to help a project reach its fullest potential. Also, my wonderful wife, Emily, has been a great support and aid to the writing process.
As before, Isaac Stewart (
Nethermore.com
) did the fine map work, chapter symbols, and circle of Allomantic metals. I truly appreciate Jon Foster’s artwork as well; this time it’s resulted in my personal favorite of the three Mistborn covers. Thanks to Larry Yoder for being awesome, and Dot Lin for her publicity work for me at Tor. Denis Wong and Stacy Hague-Hill for their assistance to my editor, and the—as always—marvelous Irene Gallo for her art direction.
Alpha readers for this book include Paris Elliott, Emily Sanderson, Krista Olsen, Ethan Skarstedt, Eric J. Ehlers, Eric “More Snooty” James Stone, Jillena O’Brien, C. Lee Player, Bryce Cundick/Moore, Janci Patterson, Heather Kirby, Sally Taylor, Bradley Reneer, Steve “Not Bookstore Guy Anymore” Diamond, General Micah Demoux, Zachary “Spook” J. Kaveney, Alan Layton, Janette Layton, Kaylynn ZoBell, Nate Hatfield, Matthew Chambers, Kristina Kugler, Daniel A. Wells, The Indivisible Peter Ahlstrom, Marianne Pease, Nicole Westenskow, Nathan Wood, John David Payne, Tom Gregory, Rebecca Dorff, Michelle Crowley, Emily Nelson, Natalia Judd, Chelise Fox, Nathan Crenshaw, Madison Van-DenBerghe, Rachel Dunn, and Ben OleSoon.
In addition I’m thankful to Jordan Sanderson—to whom this book is dedicated—for his tireless work on the Web site. Jeff Creer, also, did a great job with the art for
BrandonSanderson.com
. Stop by and check it out!
MARSH STRUGGLED TO KILL HIMSELF
.
His hand trembled as he tried to summon the strength to make himself reach up and pull the spike free from his back and end his monstrous life. He had given up on trying to break free. Three years. Three years as an Inquisitor, three years imprisoned in his own thoughts. Those years had proven that there was no escape. Even now, his mind clouded.
And then
It
took control. The world seemed to vibrate around him; then suddenly he could see clearly. Why had he struggled? Why had he worried? All was as it should be.
He stepped forward. Though he could no longer see as normal men did—after all, he had large steel spikes driven point-first through his eyes—he could sense the room around him. The spikes protruded from the back of his skull; if he reached up to touch the back of his head, he could feel the sharp points. There was no blood.
The spikes gave him power. Everything was outlined in fine blue Allomantic lines, highlighting the world. The room was of modest size, and several companions—also outlined in blue, the Allomantic lines pointing at the metals contained in their very blood—stood with Marsh. Each one had spikes through his eyes.
Each one, that is, except for the man tied to the table in front of him. Marsh smiled, taking a spike off of the table beside him, then hefting it. His prisoner wore no gag. That would have stopped the screams.
“Please,” the prisoner whispered, trembling. Even a Terrisman steward would break down when confronted by his own violent death. The man struggled weakly. He was in a very awkward position, as he had been tied to the table on top of another person. The table had been designed that way, with depressions to allow for the body underneath.
“What is it you want?” the Terrisman asked. “I can tell you no more about the Synod!”
Marsh fingered the brass spike, feeling its tip. There was work to do, but he
hesitated, relishing the pain and terror in the man’s voice. Hesitated so that he could . . .
Marsh grabbed control of his own mind. The room’s scents lost their sweetness, and instead reeked with the stench of blood and death. His joy turned to horror. His prisoner was a Keeper of Terris—a man who had worked his entire life for the good of others. Killing him would be not only a crime, but a tragedy. Marsh tried to take command, tried to force his arm up and around to grab the linchpin spike from his back—its removal would kill him.
Yet,
It
was too strong. The force. Somehow, it had control over Marsh—and it needed him and the other Inquisitors to be its hands. It was free—Marsh could still feel it exulting in that—but something kept it from affecting the world too much by itself. An opposition. A force that lay over the land like a shield.
It
was not yet complete. It needed more. Something else . . . something hidden. And Marsh would find that something, bring it to his master. The master that Vin had freed. The entity that had been imprisoned within the Well of Ascension.
It called itself Ruin.
Marsh smiled as his prisoner began to cry; then he stepped forward, raising the spike in his hand. He placed it against the whimpering man’s chest. The spike would need to pierce the man’s body, passing through the heart, then be driven into the body of the Inquisitor tied below. Hemalurgy was a messy art.
That was why it was so much fun. Marsh picked up a mallet and began to pound.
