Page 35 (1/2)

"I’m sorry," she whispered

He shook his head, then th in them she wouldn’t have expected of a man who had been sheltered and isolated as heback at the words on the page The first word The first letter, actually

"That is the letter ‘shash,’" Siri said, s "I can teach you theht to be worried

21

Vasher stood atop the palace of the God King, watching the sun drop above the western rain forest The sunset was vibrant aes painting the trees Then the sun disappeared and the colors faded

Some said that before a htness Like a heart giving its last beat, like the final surge of a wave before the tide retreats Vasher had seen it happen, but not with every death The event was rare, htblood noted

The sunset? Vasher asked

Yes

You can’t see it, he said to the sword

But I can feel you seeing it Crimson Like blood in the air

Vasher didn’t respond The sword couldn’t see But with its powerful, twisted BioChrohtblood had been created to protect It was strange, how easily and quickly protection could cause destruction Someti Protect a flower, destroy the pests anted to feed on it Protect a building, destroy the plants that could have grown in the soil

Protect a h it was dark, Vasher’s life sense was strong He could just faintly feel the grass growing below and kne far away it was With ht even have been able to sense the lichen growing on the palace stones He knelt down, laying one hand on his trouser leg and one on the stone of the palace

"Strengthen s stiffened, and a patch of color bled from the black stone beside him Black was a color He’d never considered that before he’d beco at his cuffs stiffened, wrapping around his ankle With hi as he was, they could also twist around the bottoms of his feet

Vasher placed a hand on the shoulder of his shirt, touching another patch of e in his rip," he Coroup of tassels curled up around his hand Five of theers

It was a difficult Command It required farBreath barely allowed hi--and the visualization of the Coer tassels orth it; they had proven very useful, and he was loath to engage in the night’s activities without therey marble on the otherwise perfectly black palace surface He snation the priests would feel when they discovered it

He tested the strength in his legs, gripping Nightblood, then took a careful step off the side of the palace He fell some ten feet; the palace was constructed from massive stone blocks in a steep pyramidal shape He landed hard on the next block, but his Awakened clothing absorbed so like a second, external set of bones He stood up, nodding to himself, then jumped down the other pyrarass north of the palace, close to the wall that surrounded the entire plateau He crouched, watching quietly

Sneaking, Vasher? Nightblood said You’re terrible at sneaking

Vasher didn’t respond

You should attack, Nightblood said You’re good at that

You just want to prove how strong you are, Vasher thought

Well, yes, the sword replied But you do have to adnored the sword A lone rounds would be conspicuous So he surveyed He had picked a night when the gods hadn’t planned any grand celebrations out in the courtyard, but there were still s between palaces

How sure are you about this inforhtblood said Because, honestly, I don’t trust priests

He isn’t a priest, Vasher thought He h the dark starlit shadow of the wall’s overhang His contact had warned hiods like Blushweaver and Stillod--like Giftbeacon or Peaceyearning--wouldn’t work for Vasher’s purpose Instead, Vasher sought out the home of Mercystar, a Returned known for her involvement in politics, yet asn’t all that influential

Her palace looked relatively dark this evening, but there would still be guards Hallandren Returned all had servants to spare Sure enough, Vasher located two ant costuold after the pattern of their mistress

The men weren’t armed Who would attack the home of a Returned? They were si their lady while she slept They stood by their lanterns, alert and attentive, butelse