The Well of Ascension

Page 16

  He was already there. He nodded to Vin as he noticed her arrival, and she smiled. Then he turned back to speaking quietly with Lord Penrod, one of the noblemen in the Assembly.

  "Elend will be happy," Vin whispered. "Place is packed. "

  "Theyre worried," Ham said quietly. "And worried people pay more attention to things like this. Cant say Im happy—all these people make our job harder. "

  Vin nodded, scanning the audience. The crowd was a strangely mixed one—a collection of different groups who would never have met together during the days of the Final Empire. A major part were noblemen, of course. Vin frowned, thinking of how often various members of the nobility tried to manipulate Elend, and of the promises he made to them. . . .

  "Whats that look for?" Ham asked, nudging her.

  Vin eyed the Thug. Expectant eyes twinkled in his firm, rectangular face. Ham had an almost supernatural sense when it came to arguments.

  Vin sighed. "I dont know about this, Ham. "

  "This?"

  "This," Vin said quietly, waving her hand at the Assembly. "Elend tries so hard to make everyone happy. He gives so much away—his power, his money. . . . "

  "He just wants to see that everyone is treated fairly. "

  "Its more than that, Ham," Vin said. "Its like hes determined to make everyone a nobleman. "

  "Would that be such a bad thing?"

  "If everyone is a nobleman, then there is no such thing as a nobleman. Everyone cant be rich, and everyone cant be in charge. Thats just not the way things work. "

  "Perhaps," Ham said thoughtfully. "But, doesnt Elend have a civic duty to try and make sure justice is served?"

  Civic duty? Vin thought. I should have known better than to talk to Ham about something like this. . . .

  Vin looked down. "I just think he could see that everyone was treated well without having an Assembly. All they do is argue and try to take his power away. And he lets them. "

  Ham let the discussion die, and Vin turned back to her study of the audience. It appeared that a large group of mill workers had arrived first and managed to get the best seats. Early in the Assemblys history—perhaps ten months before—the nobility had sent servants to reserve seats for them, or had bribed people to give up their places. As soon as Elend had discovered this, however, he had forbidden both practices.

  Other than the noblemen and the mill workers, there was a large number of the "new" class. Skaa merchants and craftsmasters, now allowed to set their own prices for their services. They were the true winners in Elends economy. Beneath the Lord Rulers oppressive hand, only the few most extraordinarily skilled skaa had been able to rise to positions of even moderate comfort. Without those restrictions, these same people had quickly proven to have abilities and acumen far above their noble counterparts. They represented a faction in the Assembly at least as powerful as that of the nobility.

  Other skaa peppered the crowd. They looked much the same as they had before Elends rise to power. While noblemen generally wore suits—complete with dayhats and coats—these skaa wore simple trousers. Some of them were still dirty from their days labor, their clothing old, worn, and stained with ash.

  And yet. . . there was something different about them. It wasnt in their clothing, but their postures. They sat a little straighter, their heads held a little higher. And they had enough free time to attend an Assembly meeting.

  Elend finally stood to begin the meeting. He had let his attendants dress him this morning, and the result was attire that was almost completely free of dishevelment. His suit fit well, all the buttons were done up, and his vest was of an appropriate dark blue. His hair was even neatly styled, the short, brown curls lying flat.

  Normally, Elend would begin the meeting by calling on other speakers, Assemblymen who would drone on for hours about various topics like taxation rates or city sanitation. However, this day, there were more pressing matters.

  "Gentlemen," Elend said. "I beg your leave to depart from our usual agenda this afternoon, in the light of our current. . . state of city affairs. "

  The group of twenty-four Assemblymen nodded, a few muttering things under their breath. Elend ignored them. He was comfortable before crowds, far more comfortable than Vin would ever be. As he unrolled his speech, Vin kept one eye on the crowd, watching for reactions or problems.

  "The dire nature of our situation should be quite obvious," Elend said, beginning the speech he had prepared earlier. "We face a danger that this city has never known. Invasion and siege from an outside tyrant.

  "We are a new nation, a kingdom founded on principles unknown during the days of the Lord Ruler. Yet, we are already a kingdom of tradition. Freedom for the skaa. Rule by our own choice and of our own design. Noblemen who dont have to cower before the Lord Rulers obligators and Inquisitors.

  "Gentlemen, one year is not enough. We have tasted freedom, and we need time to savor it. During the last month, we have frequently discussed and argued regarding what to do should this day arrive. Obviously, we are of many minds on the issue. Therefore, I ask for a vote of solidarity. Let us promise ourselves, and these people, that we will not give this city over to a foreign power without due consideration. Let us resolve to gather more information, to seek for other avenues, and even to fight should it be deemed necessary. "

  The speech went on, but Vin had heard it a dozen times as Elend practiced it. As he spoke, she found herself eying the crowd. She was most worried about the obligators she saw sitting in the back. They showed little reaction to the negative light in which Elends remarks cast them.

  Shed never understood why Elend allowed the Steel Ministry to continue teaching. It was the last real remnant of the Lord Rulers power. Most obligators obstinately refused to lend their knowledge of bureaucracy and administration to Elends government, and they still regarded skaa with contempt.

  And yet, Elend let them remain. He maintained a strict rule that they were not allowed to incite rebellion or violence. However, he also didnt eject them from the city, as Vin had suggested. Actually, if the choice had been solely hers, she probably would have executed them.

  Eventually, Elends speech drew to a close, and Vin turned her attention back to him. "Gentlemen," he said, "I make this proposal out of faith, and I make it in the names of those we represent. I ask for time. I propose that we forgo all votes regarding the future of the city until a proper royal delegation has been allowed to meet with the army outside and determine what, if any, opportunity there is for negotiations. "

  He lowered his sheet, looking up, waiting for comments.

  "So," said Philen, one of the merchants on the Assembly. "Youre asking us to give you the power to decide the citys fate. " Philen wore his rich suit so well that an observer would never have known that hed first put one on about a year ago.

  "What?" Elend asked. "I said nothing of the sort—Im simply asking for more time. To meet with Straff. "

  "Hes rejected all of our earlier messages," said another Assemblyman. "What makes you think hell listen now?"

  "Were approaching this wrong!" said one of the noble representatives. "We should be resolving to beg Straff Venture not to attack, not resolving to meet with him and chat. We need to establish quickly that were willing to work with him. Youve all seen that army. Hes planning to destroy us!"

  "Please," Elend said, raising a hand. "Let us stay on topic!"

  One of the other Assemblymen—one of the skaa—spoke up, as if he hadnt heard Elend. "You say that because youre noble," he said, pointing at the noble Elend had interrupted. "Its easy for you to talk about working with Straff, since youve got very little to lose!"

  "Very little to lose?" the nobleman said. "I and all of my house could be executed for supporting Elend against his father!"

  "Bah," said one of the merchants. "This is all pointless. We should have hired mercenaries months ago, as Id suggested. "

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; "And where would we have gotten the funds for that?" asked Lord Penrod, senior of the noble Assemblymen.

  "Taxes," the merchant said with a wave of his hand.

  "Gentlemen!" Elend said; then, louder, "Gentlemen!"

  This garnered him some small measure of attention.

  "We have to make a decision," Elend said. "Stay focused, if you please. What of my proposal?"

  "Its pointless," said Philen the merchant. "Why should we wait? Lets just invite Straff into the city and be done. Hes going to take it anyway. "

  Vin sat back as the men began to argue again. The problem was, the merchant Philen—as little as she liked him—had a point. Fighting was looking like a very unattractive option. Straff had such a large army. Would stalling really do that much good?

  "Look, see," Elend said, trying to get their attention again—and only partially succeeding. "Straff is my father. Maybe I could talk to him. Get him to listen? Luthadel was his home for years. Perhaps I can convince him not to attack it. "

  "Wait," said one of the skaa representatives. "What of the food issue? Have you seen what the merchants are charging for grain? Before we worry about that army, we should talk about bringing prices down. "

  "Always blaming us for your problems," one of the merchant Assemblymen said, pointing. And the squabbling began again. Elend slumped just slightly behind the lectern. Vin shook her head, feeling sorry for Elend as the discussion degenerated. This was what often happened at Assembly meetings; it seemed to her that they simply didnt give Elend the respect he deserved. Perhaps that was his own fault, for elevating them to his near equals.

  Finally, the discussion wound down, and Elend got out a piece of paper, obviously planning to record the vote on his proposal. He did not look optimistic.

  "All right," Elend said. "Lets vote. Please remember—giving me time will not play our hand. It will simply give me a chance to try and make my father reconsider his desire to take our city away from us. "

  "Elend, lad," said Lord Penrod. "We all lived here during the Lord Rulers reign. We all know what kind of man your father is. If he wants this city, he is going to take it. All we can decide, then, is how to best give up. Perhaps we can find a way for the people to retain some freedom under his rule. "

  The group sat quietly, and for the first time nobody brought up a new squabble. A few of them turned toward Penrod, who sat with a calm, in-control expression. Vin knew little of the man. He was one of the more powerful noblemen who had remained in the city after the Collapse, and he was politically conservative. However, she had never heard him speak derogatively of the skaa, which was probably why he was so popular with the people.

  "I speak bluntly," Penrod said, "for it is the truth. We are not in a position to bargain. "

  "I agree with Penrod," Philen said, jumping in. "If Elend wants to meet with Straff Venture, then I guess thats his right. As I understand it, kingship grants him authority to negotiate with foreign monarchs. However, we dont have to promise not to give Straff the city. "