“Protect Scadrial,” Moonlight said, standing up as the roseite shell began to disintegrate.
“But neither of you are from here,” Marasi whispered.
“True,” TwinSoul said, “but my homeland is inhospitable to my kind for now. I joined Lord Kelsier for the opportunity to gain allies and resources for my eventual fight against the dark aether. And having this planet remain safe and uncorrupted is a worthy goal on its own.”
“And you?” Marasi asked Moonlight. “You can’t go home either?”
“I can’t,” she said, “but I don’t care so much about that. I’m keeping an eye on a particular enemy of the Ghostbloods. Plus I like secrets.” She nodded forward.
They continued, and after they checked around the bend and made sure no one else was coming, Marasi whispered to Moonlight, “What are the other two tenets?”
“We share what we know with each other,” Moonlight said. “There are no secrets within a team. If you ask Kelsier, evenhe’lltell you whathe’splanning. But you absolutely can’t share secrets outside the organization without his permission.”
“And the last one?”
“We trust each other,” TwinSoul said. “We’re a team. A family. You join us, you absolutely swear not to make a move against another Ghostblood. No infighting. No betrayals. No undermining one another. No squabbling over resources or favor.”
“We take it very seriously, Marasi,” Moonlight said. “And the way you act—your attitude as part of a team—is one of the main reasons we came to you.”
And not, she implied, to Wax. They went on, Marasi chewing on those tenets. She swallowed the last one easily. Not moving against one another? Not undermining the mission or goals of another member of the group? That sounded wonderful. More than once, she’dcollided with another constable’s ambition, preventing her from getting things done.
The other tenet though… Not sharing information with those outside? That sat in her gut like a stone. She was a constable for the city of Elendel. Joining the Ghostbloods would be like… like swearing allegiance to another country.
But the secrets they knew… the things they were doing… She doubted that if she joined the Ghostbloods, she’deverhave to waste her time dealing with small-time criminals again.
She put it all out of her mind for the time being as they reached an intersection. The rightmost turn was particularly well-lit. There, two long, narrow structures had been built out along the tunnel, one on each side. The path continued between them, as if they were shops on a street.
Peeking around the corner into this tunnel, Marasi could see that one of the two buildings was guarded by thick-armed men. The lord mayor’s bodyguards. The two men were distracted though, talking to someone inside. Which gave Marasi an opportunity.
She led the way, crouching low around the corner, and crossed the short distance to the rightmost building. She was joined by the other two as the bodyguards finished their conversation and closed the door, settling into guard postures.
A window on this short end of the building, where Marasi and the others hid, gave her a chance to steal a look. And there he was, right inside. The lord mayor himself, in formal dining wear, hair slicked back with something greasy, sitting at a table. Aside from him, there were two additional guards settling in by the door. Four people in white lab coats huddled near Gave’s table, one handing him something to drink.
Marasi frowned, noticing Gave’s slumped-over posture. He looked… worn. Far less commanding or smug than he was at the police station.
He shook his head. “What odds do you give her,” he asked, his voice muffled from inside, but audible, “of getting that bomb to fly. Of actually salvaging this?”
“That’s… not my department, sir,” one of the scientists said. “I’m not an engineer.”
“I can’t believe it’s come to this,” Gave said, his voice softening. “I didn’t think… when I agreed… Are they here?”
“Nearly,” another scientist said.
“How many?” Gave asked.
“A lot,” the woman replied. “An army of soldiers with golden skin and glowing red eyes. Sir, is it true? Are they…”
Gave pounded the table. “I’msupposed to be in control! She’s supposed to fail, andI’msupposed to take her place.”
“You will, sir,” one of the scientists said. “If she doesn’t get the bomb working, Autonomy will kill her.”
“And invade the wholerustingBasin,” Gave said, hands to his face. “Maybe the world. Damn. It wasn’t supposed to be like this…” He downed his shot and hauled himself to his feet.
Marasi shared a glance with the others. They’dknown Autonomy was planning some sort of decisive attack if Telsin failed to prove she could control the Basin. It seemed that maybe Gave had been assigned to facilitate that?
It would be convenient for him,she thought,to have these caverns as a bunker in case a destructive war breaks out above. That would explain the food, too.
And some kind of invading army? She remembered how awed Miles Hundredlives had been, speaking of the “men of gold and red” as he died. Rusts.