Alcatraz vs. the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson Page A

said grimly. “They demanded our surrender, and since I've sent back no word, it seems they are going to resume their assaults. I had assumed they would wait until it was light to do so, but you know what they say about assumptions.”
    "If you're going to make a donkey joke," I noted, "I did that already."
    Mallo frowned at me. "No, I was going to quote an ancient Mokian proverb, revered and honored by our people over six centuries of use."
    “Oh," I said, embarrassed. "I’m, sorry. How does it go?"
    "'Don't make assumptions, idiot,'" Mallo quoted with a reverent voice.
    "Nice proverb."
    "Mokian philosophers like to get to the point," Mallo said.
    "Either way, if we are going to surrender, we need to do it now. Those terrible machines of theirs will begin throwing rocks soon, and the Defender's Glass will not last much longer against the assault."
    "If you give up,” Bastille said, "that is the end of Mokia."
    "Please," I said. "Give us more time . Wait just a little longer!"
    "Husband,” Angola said, laying a hand on his arm, "most of our people would rather die than be taken by the Librarians."
    "Yes," Mallo said, "but sometimes you need to protect people even when they do not wish it. Our warriors think only of honor. But I must consider the future, and what is best for all of our people."
    King Mallo's face adopted a thoughtful expression. He folded a pair of beefy arms, one of his soldiers holding his spear for him. He stared out over the top of the wooden wall, looking at the Librarian forces.
    Now, perhaps some of you reading might be thinking of Mallo as a coward for even considering surrender. That's great. Next time you're in charge of the lives of thousands of people, you can make decisions quickly if you want. But Mallo wanted to think.
    It all comes back to change. Nothing stays the same, not even kingdoms. Sometimes you have to accept that.
    Sometimes, though, things change too quickly for you to even think about it. What happened next is still a blur in my mind. We were standing on the wall, waiting for Mallo to make his decision. And then Librarians were there.
    Apparently, they came up through a tunnel they dug that opened just inside the wall. I didn't see that. I just saw a group of bow-tied figures, charging at us along the wall, wielding guns that shot balls of light.
    Kaz vanished, his Talent making him get lost.
    In the blink of an eye, three Mokian soldiers were standing in front of Aydee where there had been only two, her Talent instantly bringing a man from across the wall forward to defend her.
    My Talent broke a few guns, though several of the Librarians had bows, and they fired those. Bastille, moving in a blur, had her sword out in a heartbeat and was cutting arrows from the air.
    Seriously. She cut them out of the air . Never play baseball against a Crystin.
    The Mokian soldiers began to fight, leveling their spears, which also shot out glowing bursts of light.
    It was all over in a few seconds. I was the only one who didn’t move. I had no training with real combat or war – I was just a stoopid kid who had gotten himself in over his head. By the time I thought to yelp in fear and duck, the skirmish was over, the assassins defeated.
    Smoke rose in the air. Men fell still.
    I glanced down, checking to make certain all of my important limbs were still attached. "Wow," I said.
    Bastille stood in front of me, sword out, eyes narrow. She'd probably just saved my life.
    "You see, Your Majesty," I said. “You can't trust the Librarians! If you give up, they will just . . .”
    I trailed off only then noticing something. Mallo wasn’t standing beside me, where he had been before. I searched around desperately, and found the king lying on the wall, his body covering that of his wife, whom he'd jumped to protect. Neither of them was moving.
    Warriors called out in shock, moving to their king and queen. Others called for help. In a daze, I turned, seeing the bodies of the Librarian