“It always looks like it wants to divide,” Steris said. “That it’s arranging itself to do so.”
“Ruin and Preservation,” Marasi whispered. “Atium and lerasium.”
“I think that’s the reason harmonium is so unstable,” Wax explained. “Harmony has trouble acting, right? He’s mentioned it before: his two aspects work against one another, leaving him indecisive, impotent.”
“He’s merely in equilibrium,” VenDell said. “Equal parts the need to protect and the need to let things decay.”
“Well,” Wax said, “I’m increasingly certain we face a god who isn’t hindered by that kind of equilibrium. I was skeptical at first, but Marasi convinced me.”
“Trell is dangerous, VenDell,” Marasi said, squinting against the bright light. “We have to do something. We can’t wait for Harmony.”
“Almost I am persuaded,” VenDell said. “What did you think of the note?”
“It’s confusing,” Marasi said. “And vague.”
Wax shot her a glance.
“I’ll explain,” she promised. “But first … are we going further with this?” She nodded toward the safe box they were all crowded around.
“Well,” Wax said, taking the trellium spike back from VenDell, “we noticed that this metal repels all forms of Investiture — and it repels harmonium even harder. I thought … what if I stretched a nugget apart like this, then used trellium to try to split it? Might that repel the two sides harder, and actually separate out some atium and lerasium?”
He looked to the others in turn.
“What … are the chances that blows things up?” Allik asked.
“Considering harmonium is involved?” Steris said. “I’d say it’s incredibly likely. But worth a try.”
“That’s why we have the safe box, right?” Wax said. “Plus, that’s a very small bit of harmonium. How much energy could one piece of metal contain?”
The words hung in the air.
“So…” Allik said. “I think we should all go next door and be very far away when he does this, yah?”
“Yah,” Marasi agreed.
Wax took a deep breath, then nodded. “I’ll rig a timer,” he said. “This basement is reinforced with enough concrete to pave a highway, so we should be fine upstairs.”
“We could make the kandra do it,” Marasi said. “They’re basically indestructible.”
“Basically,” VenDell said, “is infinitely distant from ‘completely,’ Miss Colms. I have been instructed to help you with your little infiltration — I believe you have a corpse for me? — not to risk my life trying to accomplish the impossible.”
“Timer it is,” Wax said.
“I’ll get a tiny sliver of trellium,” Steris said, “so we don’t have to use the entire spike.”
“Good idea,” Wax said. He should be able to repurpose his hydraulic punch …
It took a good half hour to set the whole thing up. All the while, Wax wondered. What if he did split harmonium? He’d have two metals, the bodies of gods, each capable of incredible things from ancient lore, like manipulating time or creating beings with mythological Mistborn abilities. What if he had that power? What would that change about him?
Nothing, he thought to himself. I’ve held that power. And when I had it, I used it to save my friends.
He finished the calibrations, leaving a machine on a timer set for five minutes. Once the time was up, it would press the tiny trellium shard forward into the center of the heated and stretched harmonium bead.
He closed the safe box tight, and together they all fled up the stairs and secured the thick metal door at the top. And then … Wax realized five minutes had probably been excessive.
“So…” he said as he pulled out his watch, “what about that note?”
“It was in one of the boxes in the cavern,” VenDell explained. “One of the few that weren’t destroyed in the explosions.”
“During the mission earlier,” Marasi said, “I spotted a masked figure in dark clothing. I had a slowness bubble up at the time, and she approached as a blur. I got barely a glance at her before she left, but I think this must be from her.”
She turned the paper toward Wax, showing a simple message.
We are watching, Marasi, it read. And we are impressed.
It had a small symbol at the bottom, with three interlocking diamonds. It looked vaguely familiar to Wax, though he didn’t think he’d ever seen the symbol before. More, the pattern reminded him of something.
“You ever seen this?” Wax asked VenDell.
“Uh…” he said, “that is a question I’m forbidden to answer. My apologies, Lord Ladrian.”
“Forbidden?” Steris asked. “By whom?”
“Harmony himself, Lady Ladrian,” VenDell said. For the first time that Wax could remember, the creature looked uncomfortable. “I suggest you speak to him directly.”
“Great,” Marasi said. “Nice to know we’re working for the defense of the planet itself while God is acting like a child with a secret crush.”
“False gods are like that,” Allik said, and earned glares from all around the room. He just shrugged.
They all fell silent. Why, Wax thought, does a few minutes feel like forever when you’re waiting?
“So,” VenDell said. “Your bones, Lord Ladrian. Have you reconsidered—”
“Not for sale.”
“But—”
“Not for sale.”
“Ah well, then,” VenDell said. “Can’t blame a person for inquiring. Such a fine skeleton, and for it to go to waste…”
A sudden blast shook the entire building. Chandeliers rattled, the window to Wax’s right cracked, and he heard dishes fall somewhere in the kitchen.
“Rusts,” Marasi said. “They probably felt that in the next octant over. You … think the safe box held?”
“One way to find out,” Wax said, walking toward the door to the basement.
“At least,” Allik said to the others, “we planned for it this time, yah?”
“Always plan for an explosion around Wax,” Steris said. “It saves a ton of effort.”
Wax pulled the door open, then started down the steps.
16
Call and Son and Daughters Accounting and Estate might not have looked like a mortuary, but Wayne was absolutely certain it was one. Because you’d have to be dead to enjoy working in such a place.
Tall Boring Guy and Short Boring Guy sat him down and started embalming him right away. Not with the good stuff either. He’d have taken basically any kind of drink, but no, they had to use ink.
They dried his body out good first though.
“Your investments,” Tall Boring Guy said, “are too high-risk, Master Wayne. We recommend a more balanced portfolio.”
“How much money have I got?” he asked, sullen.
“Over twenty million at this point.”
Well, damn. “I told you,” he said, “to give it to people what don’t have any houses!”
“Yes, and your affordable housing project was wildly successful,” Short Boring Guy said, perking up and reaching for a ledger. “How you anticipated the impending subsidies is quite a stroke of—”
“And that girl?” Wayne said. “With the plugs in the walls?”
Tall Boring Guy smiled. “The revolutionary electric devices developed by Miss Tarcsel are at the forefront of your financial empire, Master Wayne! Profits are astronomical.”