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[Mia Casuana]

The place smelled distinctly like death.

Mia now understood why the Canton of Inquisition Headquarters was so feared--besides, of course, Inquisitors. If Kredik Shaw was the Hill of a Thousand Spires, this place was the Fortress of a Hundred Spikes. As if the entire city of Luthadel was horrified of the place, the immense stone structure had a wide berth encircling it, where no building dared stand. The result was a monstrous, Keep-like building surrounded with an eerie emptiness.

Well, it would have been empty, except for the spikes.

Two rows of thin, tall metal spikes lined each side of the long stone ramp which led to the main entrance--having the main door on the ground floor must not have been intimidating enough. The spikes stood all at the same height, so as one walked up the steady incline, a person would start enveloped by the spikes and ascend upwards to what looked like the fourth floor, the precise height of the spikes. Mia was shocked to see corpses impaled on several of them.

There were several tall hooks placed around the flat courtyard--specifically for skaa Allomancers. And beyond them, there stood a large ring of spikes, these ones looking newer than the ones adjacent to the ramp. Each one was aimed outward, as if for defense. Now that she thought of it, that ring was probably built to repel a skaa attack.

Lord Ruler, Mia thought, I've been spending too much time with Julian and his father. I'm analyzing the defenses of the place instead of focusing! But all there was to focus on was a terrible feeling of doom--doom that felt darker than ash.

She carefully approached the bottom of the ramp. Two Garrisoners stood, solid as stone. "I... I am Lady Mia Casuana," she said. "I have business here."

One of the well-armored guards nodded. "Your retinue must stay out here, my lady," he said in a comfortable tone--a stark contrast to the fear Mia felt. "No attendants are allowed. You, of course, are welcome to enter, Lady Casuana."

Mia nodded weakly to her guards and her Terrisman. No servants allowed, naturally. That would just make things easier, and the Inquisitors wouldn't want that. Helpless to do more, she moved up the causeway. It was nearly twenty, perhaps thirty feet wide, a bizarre width for a solid stone walkway.

The building loomed above her, dominating the area. While the entrance appeared to be the fourth floor, the building ascended to at least ten stories high. Mia had never seen a building so tall. Only the spires of Kredik Shaw were taller. At the top, spikes were erected at a forty five degree angle, very little space in between them. The spikes almost acted like a parapet, enough space in between to be an arrow loop for archers.

She inhaled softly. This was a scary, scary place, not for anyone with a faint heart.

You're crazy, she thought to herself. You aren't skaa. What do you have to fear? It's not like ten Inquisitors will pounce as soon as you enter that door. At that moment, about halfway up the causeway, she heard a faint scream. She glanced about, but she did not see anything. She barely heard it, but she could have sworn it was real.

Nothing to fear, she assured herself. She passed three decayed corpses, impaled on a single spike next to her. She tensed, pausing in front of the massive wooden door. Nothing to fear at all.

The door creaked open, and an obligator greeted Mia. "Welcome to the Canton of Inquisition," he said. There was a hint of superiority in his voice as he said that.

Nothing to fear, nothing to fear, nothing to fear... she thought, her heart beating quickly as she entered the dark, ash-stained structure.

[Mia Casuana]

Mia trembled as she stepped into the building. Cool air rushed out to her. The building, being stone, was significantly cooler than the Luthadel exterior.

Surprising, the narrow hallway did not have seventy Inquisitors breathing down her neck. Though it did have an enormous statue of the Lord Ruler.

To Mia's left, there was a long, stone rise. The obligator who had let her in moved, sitting behind the stone "desk". Straight ahead of the creepy clerk was a shorter stone bench--though, by comparison, since the desk stretched down the hall's ridiculous length, the bench being twenty feet long looked "short". To the right of the bench, the hallway buldged out in a large semicircle. There stood a fifteen foot tall statue of the Lord Ruler.

This was different than the images she saw at the Balls. The Lord Ruler looked as brilliantly divine as ever, but the walls around him were black. The Deepness. Not on the ground, defeated. This seemed to be the Lord Ruler's final confrontation with that unfathomable monstrosity.

Wait, is that stained glass? she wondered. It was! There was black glass, bent in a semicircle, and it stretched up all the way up to the high ceiling. She gazed up, the full effect sinking in. The ceiling was supported with steel arches, but behind that, there was more of the black glass over the entire thing. As Mia walked forward, the glass reflected light continuously. Mia couldn't tell whether she was this frightened, or she was imagining it and the proximity to Kredek Shaw was just getting to her.

She sat uncomfortably on the stone bench, the enormous Lord Ruler behind her. She looked ahead, and amidst the limelights and torches illuminating the hall, there the wall had something carved in it. A face... only the eyes weren't there, they were perfectly flattened, made of steel. The face of an Inquisitor.

Mia shivered. She was really in the Canton of Inquisition.

The obligator whispered something to an aide, and sat down in his chair. "We shall... get someone for you momentarily, my lady."

So she waited, a carving of an Inquisitor and an obligator staring at her, and the Lord Ruler killing the Deepness behind her. The corridor was utterly silent.

She felt like crying.

[Mia Casuana]

And so, Mia waited, wishing for Julian's touch. He wouldn't fear the Inquisitors. Well, he would, but he would have the sheer audacity to Riot them right in their den.

Where are you, love? she wondered. Despite the fact that she had a knack for math and strategy, Julian was the people person. Came with being a Rioter, she supposed. They were supposed to be a team. Mia was the clever businesswoman, Julian the clever alliance builder. But he was gone.

It felt like a betrayal, really.

They were weapon manufacturers. They could have started hiring soldiers to go on a frontal assault against the rebels. Who cares if the skaa have Allomancers now? The nobility could just burn down the skaa districts! That would teach them for their insolence, and taking away her husband. Julian never had to do it this way. He... he could have stayed with her. He should have.

A tear appeared in her left eye. Damn skaa...

She shouldn't think this way. She should be supportive of Julian. This was what he wanted. It'd give him a way to vent his aggressions on the skaa. Then, maybe he'd be the same person before his father's death.

No, she thought. That's idiocy. He'd be changed even worse, beaten by noble taskmasters. Suddenly, her stomach churned. How could she curse the skaa? That attitude would just harm Julian even more, and continue to corrupt him.

Damn these Inquisitors. If Julian used Allomancy, the Inquisitors would hunt him without question. And ironically, she was asking for their help. It felt wrong, but she couldn't see it any other way. In fact, everything felt depressing now that she was here. Her emotions were already in turmoil enough--she didn't these accursed Inquisitors Pulling on her mind!

She inhaled deeply, and thought of Julian's touch. His carefree smile. It eased Mia just a bit. She had to remember that Julian was a brilliant man. He wouldn't let himself die. He would come back. By leaving, Julian wasn't betraying Mia. She knew this was how it should be. Why was that so hard to remember in this building?

Damn obligators, she thought. So perhaps she was still surly. Mia didn't care.

"Lady Casuana," the desk obligator said. The bald man was staring at her, irate, with another obligator standing beside him. Was she so deep in thought she didn't notice?

"Good!" she said harshly. "It's about time."

"Follow me," the second obligator said, unamused.

So what if Mia made an obligator angry? They were intimidating her, and it was messing with her mind. Well, Mia was ready to mess with them, too. She wasn't in the mood for stupid games.

She smirked defiantly and walked down the corridor.

[Azoth Urbain]

Azoth did not like meeting with nobles. They were always plotting, always trying to twist everything to their advantage. So he was less than pleased when an obligator came looking for him with a message; "Lady Mia Casuana has requested a meeting with an Inquisitor." Azoth sighed, his two eye spikes throbbing in response to the flash of frustration he felt. He knew very little about House Casuana's plans, being more preoccupied with the problem of allomancers among the skaa.

"Are there no other Inquisitors you could bring this to?" Azoth asked. "No my lord." the obligator replied. "You are the only Inquisitor I have found who has not threatened to shove a spike through my heart for being a bother." Azoth smiled a little at this. "Well, next time you interrupt me, I will know how to get rid of you. I suppose I will meet the woman. Take me to her." The obligator bowed and started down one of the long hallways. As Azoth followed behind him, he let his thoughts wander. What kind of scheme am I about to become a part of? Whatever it is, it must be big. Nobles never come to the Canton of Inquisition unless there is a large profit in it for them.

[Mia Casuana]

The corridors were wide, but austere. Mia wouldn't be intimidated by size right now. They made three turns, but saw no one. It was like this place was empty. Well, of course it's empty. Everyone is out hunting skaa, or the Inquisitors are protecting the Lord Ruler.

"Please wait in this chamber," the obligator said. Mia walked inside. It was just as austere as the corridors. It lacked any adornments, though there was a steel table in the center, with two chairs on either side. If she didn't know any better, this could easily be an interrogation chamber. Just turn down the limelight a little, with an Inquisitor breathing down your neck, obsidian axe raking through your skin...

She shivered.

"Have a seat. An Inquisitor will see you now."

An Inquisitor? she thought stupidly. Of course there were Inquisitors in the Canton of Inquisition Headquarters. But really, how many of those creatures were there? Were there enough to spend one with listening to a noblewoman's petition? Apparently, the answer was yes.

She took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and readied herself for the monster.

[Azoth Urbain]

Azoth strode into the room and sat across from Lady Casuana. She is nervous, Azoth thought, noting the Lady's body language as he sat down. She is afraid of me, he thought, but she is trying her best to hide it. She wants something very badly. "So what request do you have of the Canton of Inquisition, Lady Casuana?" As he waited for an answer, he thought to himself, If I don't get a satisfactory answer as to why I was interrupted, I may get angry.

[Mia Casuana]

Mia tapped her fingers on the hard steel table. Steel was a cold thing. It didn't care if it stabbed you, or like those spikes outside, if it impaled you for the carrion to eat days later. Metal probably enjoyed the destruction, too. The Inquisitor, certainly cared about nothing else except destruction. She'd have to play on that, perhaps.

An image appeared in Mia's mind: Julian was with her right now, and he swung a massive sledgehammer into one of the Inquisitors "eyes". The thought made her smile. There's nothing to fear from this Inquisitor.

"Lord Inquisitor," she said, "I ask for some assistance. As you well know, my House has been a target for these accursed skaa rebels, what with Lucius dead a year ago. I worry, in fact, that they would use this opportunity of my husband's death to strike at me."

Now was the difficult part. She couldn't reveal much information on Julian's death, or else they may poke around in things even more... claiming Lucius's death as a need for security tonight was tenuous at best. But the obvious alternative--explaining about the fear of Venture and Ewing assassins--wouldn't convince any Ministry official. That was a matter for the nobility. If you were too weak to survive an attack, you didn't deserve to be a Great House.

But, Mia needed an Inquisitor for the Ball. That would scare away those assassins. She couldn't remember the last time that an Inquisitor attended a Ball, though she was certain it would happen. Inquisitors meant security. Though, maybe...

"My spies have come across whispers in the streets, from multiple trusted sources. I am quite convinced the insurgents will strike Casuana." It was a lie, of course. Camille would immediately tell her if she heard rumors like that.

Mia stood up and crossed her arms. She made sure to stare directly into the Inquisitor's steel eyes. "You well know, Lord Inquisitor, that I would not dare come here if it was not vital! I humbly request an Inquisitor to come to Casuana's Ball for security against the rebels. My forces have been bolstered to become the strongest Keep garrison in Luthadel, but I fear if the rebellion sends Mistborn, it will not be enough.

"I well know you are not a policing force but... Well, Lord Inquisitor, if you killed a skaa Mistborn, does that not appeal to you? I'm sure the Lord Ruler would put praise upon you."

She returned to her seat, looking apprehensive, hoping it would work. Delzen's going to kill me, she thought. I just lied to an Inquisitor. And then claimed to know what the Lord Ruler would do. But, desperate times needed desperate measures. What's the worst that could happen?