Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson [418]
Sazed sat quietly, waiting to speak until the staff were again out of earshot. “I hesitate to mention this, Your Majesty, for your burdens already seem great.”
“You might as well just tell me,” Elend said.
Sazed nodded. “I fear that we may have exposed the world to something when we killed the Lord Ruler, Your Majesty. Something unanticipated.”
Breeze raised a tired eyebrow. “Unanticipated? You mean other than ravaging koloss, power-hungry despots, and bandits?”
Sazed paused. “Um, yes. I speak of items a little more nebulous, I fear. There is something wrong with the mists.”
Vin perked up slightly beside Elend. “What do you mean?”
“I have been following a trail of events,” Sazed explained. He looked down as he spoke, as if embarrassed. “I have been performing an investigation, you might say. You see, I have heard numerous reports of the mists coming during the daytime.”
Ham shrugged. “That happens sometimes. There are foggy days, especially in the fall.”
“That is not what I mean, Lord Hammond,” Sazed said. “There is a difference between the mist and ordinary fog. It is difficult to spot, perhaps, but it is noticeable to a careful eye. The mist is thicker, and…well…”
“It moves in larger patterns,” Vin said quietly. “Like rivers in the sky. It never just hangs in one place; it floats in the breeze, almost like it makes the breeze.”
“And it can’t enter buildings,” Clubs said. “Or tents. It evaporates soon after it does.”
“Yes,” Sazed said. “When I first heard these reports of day mist, I assumed that the people were just letting their superstitions get out of control. I have known many skaa who refused to go out on a foggy morning. However, I was curious about the reports, so I traced them to a village in the South. I taught there for some time, and never received confirmation of the stories. So, I made my way from that place.”
He paused, frowning slightly. “Your Majesty, please do not think me mad. During those travels I passed a secluded valley, and saw what I swear was mist, not fog. It was moving across the landscape, creeping toward me. During the full light of day.”
Elend glanced at Ham. He shrugged. “Don’t look at me.”
Breeze snorted. “He was asking your opinion, my dear man.”
“Well, I don’t have one.”
“Some philosopher you are.”
“I’m not a philosopher,” Ham said. “I just like to think about things.”
“Well, think about this, then,” Breeze said.
Elend glanced at Sazed. “Have those two always been this way?”
“Honestly, I am not certain, Your Majesty,” Sazed said, smiling slightly. “I have known them for only slightly longer than yourself.”
“Yes, they’ve always been like this,” Dockson said, sighing quietly. “If anything, they’ve gotten worse over the years.”
“Aren’t you hungry?” Elend asked, nodding to Sazed’s plate.
“I can eat once our discussion is finished,” Sazed said.
“Sazed, you’re not a servant anymore,” Vin said. “You don’t have to worry about things like that.”
“It is not a matter of serving or not, Lady Vin,” Sazed said. “It is a matter of being polite.”
“Sazed,” Elend said.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
He pointed at the plate. “Eat. You can be polite another time. Right now, you look famished—and you’re among friends.”
Sazed paused, giving Elend an odd look. “Yes, Your Majesty,” he said, picking up a knife and spoon.
“Now,” Elend began, “why does it matter if you saw mist during the day? We know that the things the skaa say aren’t true—there’s no reason to fear the mist.”
“The skaa may be more wise than we credit them, Your Majesty,” Sazed said, taking small, careful bites of food. “It appears that the mist has been killing people.”
“What?” Vin asked, leaning forward.
“I have never seen it myself, Lady Vin,” Sazed said. “But I have seen its effects, and have collected several separate reports. They all agree that the mist has been killing people.”