Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson [704]
Like the atium, Reen whispered in Vin’s head as she sat back down. “Atium,” she said out loud.
Cett perked up. “You think it’ll be there?”
“There are theories,” Elend said, eyeing Vin. “But we have no proof.”
“It will be there,” she said. It has to be. I don’t know why, but we have to have it.
“I hope it isn’t,” Cett said. “I marched halfway across the blasted empire to try and steal that atium—if it turns out I left it beneath my own city . . .”
“I think we’re missing something important, El,” Ham said. “Are you talking about conquering Fadrex City?”
The room fell still. Up until this point, Elend’s armies had been used defensively, attacking koloss garrisons or the camps of small warlords and bandits. They had bullied a few cities into joining with him, but they had never actually assaulted a city and taken it by force.
Elend turned, looking back toward the map. Even from the side, Vin could see his eyes—the eyes of a man hardened by two years of near-perpetual war.
“Our primary goal will be to take the city by diplomacy,” Elend said.
“Diplomacy?” Cett said. “Fadrex is mine. That damn obligator stole it from me! There’s no need to worry your conscience about attacking him, Elend.”
“No need?” Elend asked, turning. “Cett, those are your people—your soldiers—we’d have to kill to get into that city.”
“People die in war,” Cett said. “Feeling bad about it doesn’t remove the blood from your hands, so why bother? Those soldiers turned against me; they deserve what they’ll get.”
“It’s not that simple,” Ham said. “If there was no way for the soldiers to fight this usurper, then why expect them to give up their lives?”
“Especially for a man who was, himself, a usurper,” Elend said.
“Either way,” Ham said, “reports describe that city as being very well defended. It will be a tough stone to break, El.”
Elend stood quietly for a moment, then eyed Cett, who still looked inordinately pleased with himself. The two seemed to share something—an understanding. Elend was a master of theory, and had probably read as much on war as anyone. Cett seemed to have a sixth sense for warfare and tactics, and had replaced Clubs as the empire’s prime military strategist.
“Siege,” Cett said.
Elend nodded. “If King Yomen won’t respond to diplomacy, then the only way we’ll get in that city—short of killing half our men breaking in—is by besieging it and making him desperate.”
“Do we have time for that?” Ham asked, frowning.
“Besides Urteau,” Elend said, “Fadrex City and the surrounding areas are the only major sections of the Inner Dominances that maintain a strong enough force to be threatening. That, plus the cache, means we can’t afford to simply leave them alone.”
“Time is on our side, in a way,” Cett said, scratching his beard. “You don’t just attack a city like Fadrex, Ham. It has fortifications, one of the few cities besides Luthadel that could repel an army. But, since it’s outside of the Central Dominance, it’s probably already hurting for food.”
Elend nodded. “While we have all of the supplies we found in the storage caches. If we block off the highway, then hold the canal, they’ll have to surrender the city eventually. Even if they’ve found the cache—which I doubt—we will be able to outlast them.”
Ham frowned. “I guess. . . .”
“Besides,” Elend added, “if things get tough, we do have about twenty thousand koloss we can draw upon.”
Ham raised an eyebrow, though said nothing. The implication was clear. You’d turn koloss against other people?
“There is another element to this,” Sazed said softly. “Something we have, as of yet, not discussed.” Several people turned, as if they’d forgotten he was there.
“The mists,” Sazed said. “Fadrex City lies well beyond the mist perimeter, Emperor Venture. Will you subject your army to fifteen percent casualties before you even arrive at the city?”
Elend fell quiet. So far, he’d managed to keep most of his soldiers out of the mists. It seemed wrong to Vin that their army had been protected from the