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Must have been where the guards caht She kept her pewter flared, amazed at hoell her body still worked, and stu the leather book to her chest

"You think to escape?" the lead Inquisitor asked from behind, his voice amused

Nuainst one of the palace’s many spires She heard the Inquisitor curse as she pitched into the air, hurling up into the dark night

The thousand spires rose around her She Pulled against one, then switched to another The rain was strong now, and it ht, and the stars were hidden by clouds above Vin couldn’t see where she was going; she had to use Allomancy to sense thein between

She hit a spire, catching hold of it in the night and pulling to a stop Have to bandage the wound… she thought weakly She was beginning to grow numb, her head cloudy despite her pewter and tin

Soainst the spire above her, and she heard a lol Vin Pushed off even as she felt the Inquisitor slash the air beside her

She had one chance Midjump, she Pulled herself sideways, toward a different spire At the saainst the book in her hands--it still had bits of metal embedded into its cover The book continued in the direction she had been going, ht It was the only ht the next spire lightly, trying to ht, burning tin, the rainfall becoht she heard the distinct sound of so a spire in the direction she had Pushed the book

The Inquisitor had fallen for her ruse Vin sighed, hanging fro her body She ainst the spire to hold herself in place, and ripped off a piece of her shirt to bandage the wound Despite her nuash was

Oh, Lord, she thought Without pewter, she would have fallen unconscious long ago She should be dead

So up All was black around her

It can’t be He can’t--

So away She Pulled herself toward another spire, caught it weakly, then iain The Inquisitor followed, thuds sounding as he jumped from spire to spire behind her

He found me He couldn’t see me, hear me, or senseit by one hand, lione I…have to get away… hide…

Her hands were nuers slipped from the cold, wet metal of the spire, and she felt herself drop free into the darkness

She fell with the rain

However, she went only a short distance before thudding against so hard--the roof of a particularly tall bit of the palace Dazed, she cli a corner

Hide… hide… hide…

She craeakly to the nook forainst the dark corner, lying in a deep puddle of ashy rainwater, arms wrapped around herself Her body ith rain and blood

She thought, for just a ht have escaped

A dark for up, and her tin revealed a head set with two spikes, a body cloaked in a dark robe

She was too weak to move, too weak to doplastered to her skin The Inquisitor turned toward her

"Such a s you are," he said He stepped forward, but Vin could barely hear his words

It was growing dark again… no, it was just herHer wound didn’t hurt anymore She couldn’t…even… think…

A sound, like shattering branches

Then arripped her Warm arms, not the arms of death She forced her eyes open

"Kelsier?" she whispered

But it wasn’t Kelsier’s face that looked back at her, streaked with concern It was a different, kinder face She sighed in relief, drifting away as the strong ar her feel oddly safe in the terrible storht

I don’t knoaan betrayed hts He was the one who discovered me; he was the Terris philosopher who first called es It seele to convince his colleagues--he is the only n

15

"YOU TOOK HER WITH YOU?" Dockson de into the room "You took Vin into Kredik Shaw? Are you bloody insane?"

"Yes," Kelsier snapped "You’ve been right all along I’m a madman A lunatic Perhaps I should have just died in the Pits and never come back to bother any of you!"

Dockson paused, taken aback by the force in Kelsier’s words Kelsier pounded the table in frustration, and the wood splintered from the force of the blow He still burned pewter, thehim resist his several wounds His mistcloak lay in tatters, his body sliced by a half-dozen different sht side burned with pain He’d have a massive bruise there, and he’d be lucky if none of his ribs were cracked