15

Kelsier returns to the crew’s hideout battered from the failed infiltration of Kredik Shaw. Dockson confronts Kelsier for taking Vin, and Kelsier reveals three Steel Inquisitors were waiting. He believes one chased Vin while the others stalled him, leaving the crew fearing she is lost in the city or dead.

As they prepare for a desperate search, Lestibournes warns someone approaches. The intruder proves to be Sazed, who arrives in the rain carrying Vin’s unconscious, bleeding body. Sazed administers pewter to help her burn metals unconsciously, then undertakes a difficult surgery, stitching her internal wounds as Ham assists and Clubs clears the room.

Afterward, Sazed warns that Vin may yet die, though pewter and care give her a chance. He explains he raced from Renoux’s mansion and found Vin at the palace, also retrieving a water-stained Khlenni tome. Exhausted, Sazed retires, leaving the book behind.

Alone with Dockson, Kelsier admits his stunt was reckless but driven by fear that the Lord Ruler cannot be stopped while alive. He recounts the Lord Ruler’s apparent invulnerability and his own failure to unlock the Eleventh Metal’s secret. They still do not know what lies in the guarded room, but the recovered book may hold answers. The chapter closes with Kelsier uncertain whether saving Vin—and perhaps the rebellion—was worth the risk.