He pounded the floor in frustration until the answer struck him. This wasn’t a lock designed for someone who could PushorPull. It was designed for someone who could do both. The third pin required a Pull.
In short, it was a lock designed for a Mistborn to open. Or in this case, someone using Hemalurgy to cheat.
Which meant he was out of luck. He’dnever get this open, not unless he could rip it out and do his Pushes from both sides… He didn’t havetime for that. And there was something more going on outside. Shouts. Alarms, and…
And was thatsmokehe smelled?
Rusts. Wax did a quick scan of the room for anything else he could investigate. There wasn’t…
Wait. That pattern of metal in the floor. Wooden boards in regular straight rows, nailed down in lines. Except for one square of nails underneath the rug.
Trapdoor,he thought, and shoved the rug aside, feeling about until he located the hidden latch. Entrone had the spikes to make him an Allomancer and was quite enamored with his powers, judging by that safe. But he didn’t have theexperienceof someone who’dgrown up with their powers. A seasoned Coinshot could pick out that pattern of nails in the same way a square of new paint on an old wall would stand out.
The trapdoor led to a very narrow shaft with a wooden ladder. Probably between two walls on the first floor, down into a basement.
As smoke began to stream in around the door and he heard shouts for a fire brigade—along with feet thumping along the hallway outside—Wax decided to abandon the safe. He slipped onto the ladder, then pulled the trapdoor closed behind him. Hoping that wherever this led, it would point him in the right direction.
42
It was odd for Marasi to feel such urgency while sitting and waiting.
The elevated train of Bilming lived up to its reputation. The group of them sat in a private compartment, speeding around the city, bypassing traffic congestion. The train stopped frequently, but each time it did, it bolted back into motion with a jarring acceleration.
It felt almost like she was a Coinshot, each burst of speed from the train a fresh Push launching them ever closer to their destination. She’dread of the Ascendant Warrior’s Flight of Destiny in the Words of Founding, when she’dreturned to Luthadel at the last minute to save Harmony. In the stories, Vin had traveled a miraculous distance in mere hours.
Now, Marasi likely traveled at that same speed. In cushioned comfort, with a cool breeze piped in from outside. They carried weapons hidden in cases or sacks, and Marasi still wore the simple trousers and shirt she’ddonned for her sting. Moonlight was dressed as a Bilming constable, and TwinSoul had shrouded himself in a local fisherman’s raincloak. She’dinitially worried that his suit and colorful sash would stand out, but he clearly knew how to be inconspicuous.
“For this to work,” Marasi said to them, “I need to understand our resources. That means, Moonlight, Ireallyneed to know what you’re capable of.”
“Art criticism,” she said. “Fighting, if needed. Wisecracks when appropriate.”
“I meant any extraordinary abilities,” Marasi said.
“Her wisecracksareextraordinary,” TwinSoul said, his eyes twinkling. “Why, they’re so remarkable that I quite often can’t see which part of them is supposed to be wise.”
Moonlight, in turn, rolled her eyes. “I have three soulstamps on me at the moment: two universal stamps, one Essence Mark. It takes time and preparation to create more—time we don’t have—so we’ll have to rely on these ones. I can use each stamp multiple times, but no use will last long, since they weren’t… Right, you have no idea what I’m talking about.”
“Moonlight,” TwinSoul explained, “has stamps that rewrite the nature of the objects she encounters. One makes a doorway appear where none previously existed. The second repairs a broken or worn object, to make it look new. Is that correct?”
Moonlight nodded. “It’s something I’m practicing still—stamps that will work on any object, I mean. Requires Invested ink, on this planet, but we’ve got the process mostly working.”
“So you can make a door appear,” Marasi said. “And you can make an object that was broken become new? How many times?”
“As often as I want,” Moonlight said. “But only for a limited period in each case.”
“Wow,” Marasi whispered. “That’s… magic?”
“Is Allomancy magic?” Moonlight asked.
“Of course not,” Marasi said.
“Neither is this,” Moonlight said. “To repair something, I merely rewrite the past, making the object think it was well-maintained or never broke. Like I said, universal stamps are a new technology. I don’t have them working perfectly yet, but they’ll do for now.”
It felt magical to Marasi regardless. Allomancy was one thing—it made perfect sense to be able to use metal to Push on other pieces of metal. But rewriting the past of an object? How was thatnotmagical?
“You said you have three stamps,” Marasi said. “What’s the third?”
“It’s for emergencies.” Moonlight shifted in her seat. “The other two work on nonliving objects only. This one changes a person—me, specifically—in dramatic ways. I avoid using it if possible.”