The Well of Ascension

Page 103

  "I need. . . antidote," Straff forced out, focusing on the Amaranta of the now: the woman in her late twenties, the old—yet still useful—thing that kept him alive in the face of Zanes poisons.

  "Of course, my lord," Amaranta said, walking over to his poison cabinet, getting out the necessary ingredients.

  Straff settled back, focusing on his breathing. Amaranta must have sensed his urgency, for she hadnt even tried to get him to bed her. He watched her work, getting out her burner and ingredients. He needed. . . to find. . . Zane. . . .

  She wasnt doing it the right way.

  Straff burned tin. The sudden flash of sensitivity nearly blinded him, even in the shade of his tent, and his aches and shivers became sharp and excruciating. But his mind cleared, as if hed suddenly bathed in frigid water.

  Amaranta was preparing the wrong ingredients. Straff didnt know a great deal about the making of antidotes. Hed been forced to delegate this duty, instead focusing his efforts on learning to recognize the details—the scents, the tastes, the discolorations—of poisons. Yet, he had watched Amaranta prepare her catch-all antidote on numerous occasions. And she was doing it differently this time.

  He forced himself out of his chair, keeping tin flared, though it caused his eyes to water. "What are you doing?" he said, walking on unsteady feet toward her.

  Amaranta looked up, shocked. The guilt that flashed in her eyes was enough confirmation.

  "What are you doing!" Straff bellowed, fear giving him strength as he grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. He was weakened, but he was still much stronger than she.

  The woman looked down. "Your antidote, my lord. . . "

  "Youre making it the wrong way!" Straff said.

  "I thought, you looked fatigued, so I might add something to help you stay awake. "

  Straff paused. The words seemed logical, though he was having trouble thinking. Then, looking down at the chagrined woman, he noticed something. His eyes enhanced beyond natural detail, he caught a slight glimpse of a bit of uncovered flesh beneath her bodice.

  He reached down and ripped off the side of her dress, exposing her skin. Her left breast—disgusting to him, for it sagged a slight bit—was scarred and cut, as if by a knife. None of the scars were fresh, but even in his addled state, Straff recognized Zanes handiwork.

  "Youre his lover?" Straff said.

  "Its your fault," Amaranta hissed. "You abandoned me, once I aged and bore you a few children. Everyone told me you would, but yet, I hoped. . . "

  Straff felt himself growing weak. Dizzy, he rested a hand on the wooden poisons cabinet.

  "Yet," Amaranta said, tears on her cheeks. "Why did you have to take Zane from me, too? What did you do, to draw him off? To make him stop coming to me?"

  "You let him poison me," Straff said, falling to one knee.

  "Fool," Amaranta spat. "He never poisoned you—not a single time. Though, at my request, he often made you think that he had. And then, each time, you ran to me. You suspected everything Zane did—and yet, you never once paused to think what was in the antidote I gave you. "

  "It made me better," Straff mumbled.

  "Thats what happens when youre addicted to a drug, Straff," Amaranta whispered. "When you get it, you feel better. When you dont get it. . . you die. "

  Straff closed his eyes.

  "Youre mine now, Straff," she said. "I can make you—"

  Straff bellowed, gathering what strength he had and throwing himself at the woman. She cried in surprise as he tackled her, pushing her to the ground.

  Then she said nothing, for Straffs hands choked her windpipe. She struggled for a bit, but Straff weighed far more than she did. Hed intended to demand the antidote, to force her to save him, but he wasnt thinking clearly. His vision began to fuzz, his mind dim.

  By the time he regained his wits, Amaranta was blue and dead on the ground before him. He wasnt certain how long hed been strangling her corpse. He rolled off her, toward the open cabinet. On his knees, he reached up for the burner, but his shaking hands toppled it to the side, spilling hot liquid across the floor.

  Cursing to himself, he grabbed a flagon of unheated water and began to throw handfuls of herbs into it. He stayed away from the drawers that held the poisons, sticking to those that held antidotes. Yet, there were many crossovers. Some things were poisonous in large doses, but could cure in smaller amounts. Most were addictive. He didnt have time to worry about that; he could feel the weakness in his limbs, and he could barely grab the handfuls of herbs. Bits of brown and red shook from his fingers as he dumped handful after handful into the mixture.

  One of these was the herb that shed gotten him addicted to. Any one of the others might kill him. He wasnt even sure what the odds were.

  He drank the concoction anyway, gulping it down between choking gasps for air, then let himself slip into unconsciousness.

  I have no doubt that if Alendi reaches the Well of Ascension, he will take the power and then—in the name of the presumed greater good—give it up.

  50

  "ARE THOSE THE FELLOWS YOU want, Lady Cett?"

  Allrianne scanned the valley—and the army it contained—then looked down at the bandit, Hobart. He smiled eagerly—or, well, he kind of smiled. Hobart had fewer teeth than he had fingers, and he was missing a couple of those.

  Allrianne smiled back from atop her horse. She sat sidesaddle, reins held lightly in her fingers. "Yes, I do believe that it is, Master Hobart. "

  Hobart looked back at his band of thugs, grinning. Allrianne Rioted them all a bit, reminding them how much they wanted her promised reward. Her fathers army spread out before them in the distance. She had wandered for an entire day, traveling west, looking for it. But, shed been heading in the wrong direction. If she hadnt run afoul of Hobarts helpful little gang, she would have been forced to sleep outside.

  And that would have been rather unpleasant.

  "Come, Master Hobart," she said, moving her horse forward. "Lets go and meet with my father. "

  The group followed happily, one of them leading her packhorse. There was a certain charm to simple men, like Hobarts crew. They really only wanted three things: money, food, and sex. And they could usually use the first to get the other two. When shed first run across this group, shed blessed her fortune—despite the fact that they had been running down a hillside in ambush, intent on robbing and raping her. Another charm about men like these was that they were rather inexperienced with Allomancy.

  She kept a firm hold on their emotions as they rode down toward the camp. She didnt want them reaching any disappointing conclusions—such as "Ransoms are usually bigger than rewards. " She couldnt control them completely, of course—she could only influence them. However, with men so base, it was fairly easy to read what was going on in their heads. It was amusing how quickly a little promise of wealth could turn brutes into near gentlemen.

  Of course, there wasnt much of a challenge in dealing with men like Hobart, either. No. . . no challenge, as there had been with Breezy. Now, that had been fun. And rewarding, too. She doubted shed ever find a man as aware of his emotions, and as aware of the emotions of others, as Breezy. Getting a man like him—a man so expert in Allomancy, so determined that his age made him inappropriate for her—to love her. . . well, that had been a true accomplishment.

  Ah, Breezy, she thought as they passed out of the forest and onto the hillside before the army. Do any of your friends even understand what a noble man you are?

  They really didnt treat him well enough. Of course, that was to be expected. That was what Breezy wanted. People who underestimated you were easier to manipulate. Yes, Allrianne understood this concept quite well—for there were few things more quickly dismissed than a young, silly girl.

  "Halt!" a soldier said, riding up with an honor guard. They had swords drawn. "Step away from her, you!"

  Oh, honestly, Allrianne thought, r
olling her eyes. She Rioted the group of soldiers, enhancing their sense of calmness. She didnt want any accidents.

  "Please, Captain," she said as Hobart and his crew drew weapons, huddling around her uncertainly. "These men have rescued me from the savage wilderness and brought me safely home, at much personal cost and danger. "

  Hobart nodded firmly, an action undermined just a bit as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. The soldier captain looked over the ash-stained, motley-clothed group of bandits, then frowned.

  "See that these men have a good meal, Captain," she said airily, kicking her horse forward. "And give them space for the night. Hobart, Ill send your reward once I meet with my father. "

  Bandits and soldiers moved in behind her, and Allrianne made sure to Riot them both, enhancing their senses of trust. It was a tough sell for the soldiers, especially as the wind shifted, blowing the full stench of the bandit crew across them. Still, they all reached the camp without incident.

  The groups parted, Allrianne giving her horses to an aide and calling for a page to warn her father that shed returned. She dusted off her riding dress, then strode through camp, smiling pleasantly and looking forward to a bath and the other comforts—such as they were—that the army could provide. However, first there were things she needed to attend to.

  Her father liked to spend evenings in his open-sided planning pavilion, and he sat there now, arguing with a messenger. He looked over as Allrianne swished into the pavilion, smiling sweetly at Lords Galivan and Detor, her fathers generals.

  Cett sat on a high-legged chair so he could get a good view of his table and its maps. "Well, damn it," he said. "You are back. "

  Allrianne smiled, wandering around his planning table, looking at the map. It detailed the supply lines back to the Western Dominance. What she saw was not good.

  "Rebellions back home, Father?" she asked.

  "And ruffians attacking my supply carts," Cett said. "That boy Venture bribed them, Im sure of it. "

  "Yes, he did," Allrianne said. "But, thats all pointless now. Did you miss me?" She made sure to Tug strongly on his sense of devotion.

  Cett snorted, pulling at his beard. "Fool of a girl," he said. "I should have left you home. "

  "So I could have fallen to your enemies when they raised a rebellion?" she asked. "We both know that Lord Yomen was going to move the moment you pulled your armies out of the dominance. "

  "And I should have let that damn obligator have you!"

  Allrianne gasped. "Father! Yomen would have held me for ransom. You know how terribly I wilt when Im locked up. "

  Cett glanced at her, and then—apparently despite himself—he started to chuckle. "Youdve had him feeding you gourmet foods before the day was through. Maybe I should have left you behind. Then, at least, Id have known where you were—rather than worrying where youd run off to next. You didnt bring that idiot Breeze back with you, did you?"

  "Father!" Allrianne said. "Breezy is a good man. "

  "Good men die quickly in this world, Allrianne," Cett said. "I know—Ive killed enough of them. "