Page 39 of The Well of Ascension

The man toppled from his mount. Vin landed from her rebound. She reached out, Pushing against the horseshoes of the two beasts behind the leader, causing the animals to stumble. The Push threw Vin backward into the air, and cries of equine pain sounded amid the crash of bodies hitting the ground.

Vin continued to Push, flying along the road just a few feet above the ground, quickly catching up with Breeze. The portly man turned in shock, obviously stunned to find Vin hanging in the air beside his galloping horse, her clothing flapping in the wind of her passage. She winked at him, then reached out and Pulled against the armor of another rider.

She immediately lurched in the air. Her body protested the sudden shift in momentum, but she ignored the twist of pain. The man she Pulled against managed to stay in his saddle—until Vin smashed into him feet-first, throwing him backward.

She landed on the black earth, the rider tumbling to the ground beside her. A short distance away, the remaining riders finally reined in their mounts, coming to an abrupt stop a few feet away.

Kelsier probably would have attacked. There were a lot of them, true, but they were wearing armor and their horses were shod. Vin, however, was not Kelsier. She had delayed the riders long enough for Breeze to get away. That was enough.

Vin reached out and Pushed against one of the soldiers, throwing herself backward, leaving the riders to gather their wounded. The soldiers, however, promptly pulled out stone-tipped arrows and nocked their bows.

Vin hissed in frustration as the group took sight.Well, friends,she thought,I suggest that you hang on tightly.

She Pushed slightly against them all, then burned duralumin. The sudden crash of force was expected—the wrench in her chest, the massive flare in her stomach, the howling wind. What she didn’t expect was the effect she’d have on her anchors. The blast of power scattered men and horses, throwing them into the air like leaves in the wind.

I’m going to have to be very careful with this,Vin thought, gritting her teeth and spinning herself in the air. Her steel and pewter were gone again, and she was forced to down her last metal vial. She’d have to start carrying more of those.

She hit the ground running, pewter keeping her from tripping despite her terrific speed. She slowed just slightly, letting the mounted Breeze catch up to her, then increased her pace to keep up with him. She dashed like a sprinter, letting pewter’s strength and balance keep her upright as she paced the tiring horse. The beast eyed her as they ran, seeming to display a hint of animal frustration to see a human matching it.

They reached the city a few moments later. Breeze reined in as the doors to Iron Gate began to open, but, rather than wait, Vin simply threw down a coin and Pushed, letting her forward momentum carry her toward the walls. As the gates swung open, she Pushed against their studs, and this second Push sent her sailing straight up. She just barely crested the battlements—passing between a pair of startled soldiers—before dropping over the other side. She landed in the courtyard, steadying herself with one hand against the cool stones, as Breeze entered through the gate.

Vin stood. Breeze patted his forehead with a hand kerchief as he trotted his animal up beside her. He’d let his hair grow longer since she’d last seen him, and he kept it slicked back, its lower edges tickling his collar. It wasn’t graying yet, though he was in his mid-forties. He wore no hat—it had probably blown free—but he had on one of his rich suits and silken vests. They were powdered with black ash from his hurried ride.

“Ah, Vin, my dear,” Breeze said, breathing almost as deeply as his horse. “I must say, that was a timely arrival on your part. Impressively flamboyant as well. I do hate to force a rescue—but, well, if one is necessary, then it might as well happen with style.”

Vin smiled as he climbed down from the horse—proving he was hardly the most adroit man in the square—and stablehands arrived to care for the beast. Breeze wiped his brow again as Elend, Clubs, and OreSeur scrambled down the steps to the courtyard. One of the aides must have finally found Ham, for he ran up through the courtyard.

“Breeze!” Elend said, approaching and clasping arms with the shorter man.

“Your Majesty,” Breeze said. “You are in good health and good humor, I assume?”

“Health, yes,” Elend said. “Humor…well, thereisan army crouching just outside my city.”

“Two armies, actually,” Clubs grumbled as he hobbled up.

Breeze folded up his handkerchief. “Ah, and dear Master Cladent. Optimistic as always, I see.”

Clubs snorted. To the side, OreSeur padded up to sit next to Vin.

“And Hammond,” Breeze said, eyeing Ham, who was smiling broadly. “I’d almost managed to delude myself into forgetting thatyouwould be here when I returned.”

“Admit it,” Ham said. “You’re glad to see me.”

“See you, perhaps.Hearyou, never. I had grown quite fond of my time spent away from your perpetual, pseudo-philosophical pratterings.”

Ham just smiled a little broader.

“I’m glad to see you, Breeze,” Elend said. “But your timing could have been a little better. I was hoping that you would be able to stop some of these armies from marching on us.”

“Stopthem?” Breeze asked. “Now, why would I want to do that, my dear man? I did, after all, just spend three months working to get Cett to march his army down here.”

Elend paused, and Vin frowned to herself, standing just outside the group. Breeze looked rather pleased with himself—though that was, admittedly, rather common for him.

“So…Lord Cett’s on our side?” Elend asked hopefully.

“Of course not,” Breeze said. “He’s here to ravage the city and steal your presumed atium supply.”

“You,” Vin said. “You’re the one who has been spreading the rumors about the Lord Ruler’s atium stash, aren’t you?”

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