Page 285 of The Well of Ascension

Spook prowled ahead, his keen senses allowing him to detect danger before Elend blundered into it.How does that work, anyway?Elend wondered as he walked.Tin is supposed to make you see better. But what does it matter how far you can see, if the mists just obscure everything?

Writers claimed that Allomancy could help a person pierce the mists, somehow. Elend had always wondered what that was like. Of course, he had also wondered what it felt like to feel the strength of pewter, or to fight with atium. Allomancers were uncommon, even among Great Houses. Yet, because of the way Straff had treated him, Elend had always felt guilty that he hadn’t been one.

But, I ended up as king eventually, even without Allomancy,he thought, smiling to himself. He’d lost the throne, true. But, while they could take his crown, they could not take away his accomplishments. He’d proved that an Assembly could work. He’d protected the skaa, given them rights, and a taste of freedom they’d never forget. He’d done more than anyone would have expected of him.

Something rustled in the mists.

Elend froze, staring out into the darkness.Sounds like leaves,he thought nervously.Something moving across them? Or…just the wind blowing them?

He decided at that moment that there was nothing more unnerving than staring into the misty darkness, seeing ever-shifting silhouettes. A part of him would rather face down a koloss army than stand alone, at night, in an unknown forest.

“Elend,” someone whispered.

Elend spun. He put a hand to his chest as he saw Spook approaching. He thought about chastising the boy for sneaking up on him—but, well, there wasn’t really any other way to approach in the mists.

“Did you see something?” Spook asked quietly.

Elend shook his head. “But I think I heard something.”

Spook nodded, then darted off into the mists again. Elend stood, uncertain whether he should continue on, or just wait. He didn’t have to debate for very long. Spook returned a few moments later.

“Nothing to worry about,” Spook said. “Just a mistwraith.”

“What?”Elend asked.

“Mistwraith,” Spook said. “You know. Big goopy things? Related to kandra? Don’t tell me you haven’t read about them?”

“I have,” Elend said, nervously scanning the darkness. “But, I never thought I’d be out in the mists with one.”

Spook shrugged. “It’s probably just following our scent, hoping that we’ll leave some trash for it to eat. The things are harmless, mostly.”

“Mostly?” Elend asked.

“You probably know more about them than I do. Look, I didn’t come back here to chat about scavengers. There’s light up ahead.”

“A village?” Elend asked, thinking back to when they’d come this way before.

Spook shook his head. “Looks like watchfires.”

“An army?”

“Maybe. I’m just thinking you should wait behind for a bit. It could be awkward if you wander into a scout post.”

“Agreed,” Elend said.

Spook nodded, then took off into the mists.

And Elend was alone in the darkness again. He shivered, pulling his cloak close, and eyed the mists in the direction from which he’d heard the mistwraith. Yes, he’d read about them. He knew they were supposed to be harmless. But the thought of something crawling out there—its skeleton made from random sets of bones—watching him…

Don’t focus on that,Elend told himself.

He turned his attention, instead, to the mists. Vin was right about one thing, at least. They were lingering longer and longer despite the sunrise. Some mornings, they remained a full hour after the sun came up. He could easily imagine the disaster that would befall the land should the mists persist all day. Crops would fail, animals would starve, and civilization would collapse.

Could the Deepness really be something so simple? Elend’s own impressions of the Deepness were seated in scholarly tradition. Some writers dismissed the entire thing as a legend—a rumor used by the obligators to enhance their god’s aura of divinity. The majority accepted the historical definition of the Deepness—a dark monster that had been slain by the Lord Ruler.

And yet, thinking of it as the mist made some sense. How could a single beast, no matter how dangerous, threaten an entire land? The mists, though…they could be destructive. Kill plants. Perhaps even…kill people, as Sazed had suggested?

He eyed it shifting around him, playful, deceptive. Yes, he could see it as the Deepness. Its reputation—more frightening than a monster, more dangerous than an army—was one it would deserve. In fact, watching it as he was, he could see it trying to play tricks on his mind. For instance, the mist bank directly in front of him seemed to be forming shapes. Elend smiled as his mind picked out images in the mists. One almost looked like a person standing there, in front of him.

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