Both Janarle and Penrod had made a point of finding reasons to keep the main army from marching on Cett's homeland.
"Those bastards won't be at all happy when they hear about this," Cett said.
Elend shook his head. "Does everything you say have to contain one vulgarity or another?"
Cett shrugged. "What's the point of speaking if you can't say something interesting?"
"Swearing isn't interesting," Elend said.
"That's your own damned opinion," Cett said, smiling. "And, you really shouldn't be complaining, Emperor. If you think the things I say are vulgar, you've been living in Luthadel far too long. Where I come from, people are embarrassed to use pretty words like 'damn.' "
Elend sighed. "Anyway, I—"
He was cut off as the ground began to shake. Vin was on her feet in seconds, looking for danger as the others cursed and reached for stability. She threw back the tent flap, peering through the mists. Yet, the shaking subsided quickly, and it caused very little chaos in the camp, all things considered. Patrols moved about, checking for problems—officers and Allomancers under Elend's command. Most of the soldiers, however, just remained in their tents.
Vin turned back toward the tent's room. A few of the chairs had fallen over, travel furniture disturbed by the earthquake. The others slowly returned to their seats. "Sure have been a lot of those lately," Ham said. Vin met Elend's eyes, and could see concern in them.
We can fight armies, we can capture cities, but what of ash, mists, and earthquakes? What about the world falling apart around us?
"Anyway," Elend said, voice firm despite the concerns Vin knew he must feel, "Fadrex has to be our next goal. We can't risk missing the cache, and the things it might contain."
Like the atium, Reen whispered in Vin's head as she sat back down. "Atium," she said out loud.
Cett perked up. "You think it'll be there?"
"There are theories," Elend said, eyeing Vin. "But we have no proof."
"It will be there," she said. It has to be. I don't know why, but we have to have it.
"I hope it isn't," Cett said. "I marched halfway across the blasted empire to try and steal that atium—if it turns out I left it beneath my own city . . ."
"I think we're missing something important, El," Ham said. "Are you talking 1about conquering Fadrex City?"
The room fell still. Up until this point, Elend's armies had been used defensively, attacking koloss garrisons or the camps of small warlords and bandits. They had bullied a few cities into joining with him, but they had never actually assaulted a city and taken it by force.
Elend turned, looking back toward the map. Even from the side, Vin could see his eyes—the eyes of a man hardened by two years of near-perpetual war.
"Our primary goal will be to take the city by diplomacy," Elend said.
"Diplomacy?" Cett said. "Fadrex is mine. That damn obligator stole it from me! There's no need to worry your conscience about attacking him, Elend."
"No need?" Elend asked, turning. "Cett, those are your people—your soldiers—we'd have to kill to get into that city."
"People die in war," Cett said. "Feeling bad about it doesn't remove the blood from your hands, so why bother? Those soldiers turned against me; they deserve what they'll get."
"It's not that simple," Ham said. "If there was no way for the soldiers to fight this usurper, then why expect them to give up their lives?"
"Especially for a man who was, himself, a usurper," Elend said.
"Either way," Ham said, "reports describe that city as being very well defended. It will be a tough stone to break, El."
Elend stood quietly for a moment, then eyed Cett, who still looked inordinately pleased with himself. The two seemed to share something—an understanding. Elend was a master of theory, and had probably read as much on war as anyone. Cett seemed to have a sixth sense for warfare and tactics, and had replaced Clubs as the empire's prime military strategist.
"Siege," Cett said.
Elend nodded. "If King Yomen won't respond to diplomacy, then the only way we'll get in that city—short of killing half our men breaking in—is by besieging it and making him desperate."
"Do we have time for that?" Ham asked, frowning.