Sazed Takes Action

Ladies and gentlemen, Sazed is back.

This is the confident Sazed, the person who—without raising his voice, without seeming to make demands—can control a group and get the information he desires. He’s always claimed that he’s no leader, but he’s actually a fantastic one when he puts his mind to it. His calm sense of purpose puts people at ease, and makes them do as he requests.

He’s not a king—he’s right on that count. He is, however, a man to be respected and obeyed. He doesn’t have much time left; the book is almost finished. However, he will make good use of his time.

The First Generation Arrive

The First Generation are different from the other generations. Other kandra were born from mistwraiths that had bred true, becoming their own species. The Firsts, however, were humans who were changed directly into kandra. They aren’t as good at holding their bodies together as creatures who were born first as mistwraiths. Someone like TenSoon carries with him a heritage of intuition and instinct gained by his previous life as a mistwraith.

The Firsts don’t have that. They haven’t practiced taking new bodies—in fact, only a couple of them have ever even done such a thing. They’ve spent their lives in the Homeland and don’t know how to use their powers. The skin droops from their bones, and they look—and feel—old, something that doesn’t happen to other kandra.

Here, oddly, is the first climax of the TenSoon chapters. He’s not there to see it, but his words are what finally convinced the Firsts to come down from their alcoves and face the truth that the end has come.

Also, Moshe, I still think those should be podiums rather than lecterns.