First Meeting III

The Grim had been lurking on the rooftop above the open window for some time. His initial research had begun the previous day, walking the streets around Keep Donnelle dressed as a Skaa, getting a feel for the layout of the building, the concentration and demeanor of the guards, making mental notes of potential threats or opportunities.

Once he was satisfied there was nothing further to be learnt from ground level, he returned to his safehouse to prepare for the night.

Tonight, about two hours before the appointed meeting time, he began his final reconnaissance. Keeping to the shadows, he had made his way across the city in a wide circle around the keep, flying between rooftops in steel enhanced leaps. He had peered with tin enhanced eyes and ears at guard activity, and as he circled closer, burned bronze and listened intently for allomantic pulses.

The guards on nightwatch appeared bored and complacent, giving every sign of going through a routine that had long become dull and monotonous. Certainly not the behavior of men expecting any kind of action to occur.

Two of the sentries were Tineyes, and there was a moment where he had felt a quick burst of pewter being burnt, no doubt a Thug flaring to help themselves stay awake and alert.

The Grim knew there were probably other mistings in the area, but they either were not active right now or were being clouded by a Smoker. The Grim had burned copper himself anytime he used Allomancy, only dropping it when he stopped to seek for pulses again.

Once he was as sure as he could be that there were no surprises awaiting him, he had found an approach out of sight of the Tineyes and launched himself towards the keep with a flare of steel before extinguishing his metals completely.

The landing was heavier than it would have been using iron, but it meant there was no chance of any Seeker picking up on his burning, or an unexpected copper-cloud moving through the keep.

Most Mistborns wouldn't have even considered scaling the walls using regular climbing, when steel was so much faster and easier, but The Grim counted on not doing things the expected way. It was probably an unnecessary precaution given how relatively lax the security appeared to be, but even that appearance could be a pretense. You could never be too careful.

The room he had been instructed to reach was in a quieter part of the keep. If he'd had any doubt which room it was, the open windows would have confirmed it, invisible though it would be to anyone not burning tin. Experience had taught The Grim to be suspicious when things seemed too easy.

As he lurked in the shadows of the rooftop, straining to hear the conversation below, he had considered finding another way of breaching the room in order to maintain the element of surprise. It would be the smart approach if this turned out to be a trap.

…But then if this were a trap, the smarter approach would be to have not come in the first place.

As he waited, there was a gnawing temptation to burn tin and steel to get a better picture of what was in the room, but he'd gone to a lot of trouble to stay metal free within the walls of the keep. He resolved to be patient and see what could be gleaned with his unenhanced senses.

Two people were speaking in quiet tones. The Grim had a hard time making out specific words, but he could tell they were young, female, noble… Peers, neither of them sounded like a servant. One perhaps more confident and experienced than the other… They sounded relaxed but expectant. The Grim caught just a snatch of words from within.

"...being prompt, so I imagine he will make an appearance shortly. He's also known for being thorough, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's already in the vicinity…"

The Grim couldn't resist a smirk at that, wondering if they had any idea just how close he was.

Just then, the mists outside the window curled in reaction to one of the women stepping up to the window. The Grim risked leaning out over the edge just a fraction, enough to catch sight of a head of dark hair falling over a tightly held fur wrap.

The other woman spoke up from within.

"I doubt you'll be able to see him coming from the window. In fact, you'd be sensible to step aside in case he ends up entering at speed."

Good advice, The Grim thought. And not the kind of discussion you'd expect from someone planning on springing an ambush.

By this point the Grim was confident that the women were alone in the room and didn't have any surprises planned. There was still the possibility that they were being unwittingly used as bait…

The Grim looked out across the rooftops. The only roof close enough to serve as a launchpad for a steel-jump to the window had no cover at all. The only other options were to launch from the ground or drop in from the roof of the keep the way he planned to… both options would actually result in a relatively slow breach compared to a horizontal steel-jump…

The Grim decided that so long as he was out of sight of the window, but close enough to attack any incoming mistings, he would at least be able to escape any attempt to trap him.

It sounded like the women were talking about a party now. The Grim kept an eye for any movement while he waited. Gradually the conversation faded and the atmosphere grew expectant.

Showtime, thought The Grim, slipping his mask from his pocket and fixing it in place. With that, he vaulted over the parapet and, catching the eave of the window frame, swung into the room.