Page 174 of The Well of Ascension

“Yes, my lady.”

“But you knew Kelsier,” she said. “You were with us from near the beginning. You know he’s no god.”

Demoux looked up, a bit of a challenge in his eyes. “He died to overthrow the Lord Ruler.”

“That doesn’t make him divine.”

“He taught us how to survive, to have hope.”

“You survived before,” Vin said. “People had hope before Kelsier got thrown in those pits.”

“Not like we do now,” Demoux said. “Besides…he had power, my lady. I felt it.”

Vin paused. She knew the story; Kelsier had used Demoux as an example to the rest of the army in a fight with a skeptic, directing his blows with Allomancy, making Demoux seem as if he had supernatural powers.

“Oh, I know about Allomancy now,” Demoux said. “But…I felt him Pushing on my sword that day. I felt him use me, making me more than I was. I think I can still feel him, sometimes. Strengthening my arm, guiding my blade….”

Vin frowned. “Do you remember the first time we met?”

Demoux nodded. “Yes. You came to the caverns where we were hiding on the day when the army was destroyed. I was on guard duty. You know, my lady—even then, I knew that Kelsier would come for us. I knew that he’d come and get those of us who had been faithful and guide us back to Luthadel.”

He went to those caves because I forced him to. He wanted to get himself killed fighting an army on his own.

“The destruction of the army was a test,” Demoux said, looking up into the mists. “These armies…the siege…they’re just tests. To see if we will survive or not.”

“And the ash?” Vin asked. “Where did you hear that it would stop falling?”

Demoux turned back to her. “The Survivor taught that, didn’t he?”

Vin shook her head.

“A lot of the people are saying it,” Demoux said. “It must be true. It fits with everything else—the yellow sun, the blue sky, the plants….”

“Yes, but where did you first hear those things?”

“I’m not sure, my lady.”

Where did you hear that I would be the one to bring them about?she thought, but she somehow couldn’t bring herself to voice the question. Regardless, she knew the answer: Demoux wouldn’t know. Rumors were propagating. It would be difficult indeed to trace them back to their source now.

“Go back to the palace,” Vin said. “I have to tell Elend what I saw, but I’ll ask him not to tell the rest of the crew.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Demoux said, bowing. He turned and hurried away. A second later, Vin heard a thump from behind: OreSeur, jumping down to the street.

She turned. “I was sure it was him.”

“Mistress?”

“The kandra,” Vin said, turning back toward the disappearing Demoux. “I thought I’d discovered him.”

“And?”

She shook her head. “It’s like Dockson—I think Demoux knows too much to be faking. He feels…real to me.”

“My brethren—”

“Are quite skilled,” Vin said with a sigh. “Yes, I know. But we’re not going to arrest him. Not tonight, at least. We’ll keep an eye on him, but I just don’t think it’s him anymore.”

OreSeur nodded.

---