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over the years … Her brothers emerged. She’d buried worries about them in the back of her mind. Held by the Ghostbloods … No word from any spanreed she tried … Her father stepped from the Light. And her mother. The illusions immediately started to fail, melting back to Light. Then, someone seized her by the left hand. ...
they burned out. His satisfaction lasted until, glancing down at the corpses, he was struck by how human they looked. He’d spent years fighting Parshendi. He didn’t think he’d actually killed another Alethi since … well, he couldn’t remember. Sadeas. Don’t forget Sadeas. Fifty men dead at his feet, and some three dozen...
choice. Szeth expunged that fear. Nin was correct. Life could not be lived making decisions at each juncture. The parshmen standing on the shore of the bay did not have glowing eyes. They looked much like the Parshendi who had used him to assassinate King Gavilar. When he drew close, several of them ran off and boarded...
the enemy, and they twisted in the air. The Fused—gemstone in one hand—stabbed Szeth with a wicked knife. Fortunately, with Stormlight, that didn’t do anything but cause pain. Szeth Lashed them both downward, holding tight, and sent them crashing to the stone. The gemstone rolled free as the Fused groaned. Szeth Lashed...
the defense. Fighting in city streets was difficult; your men got divided up, and were easily flanked or surrounded. Fortunately, the Sadeas troops seemed to have forgotten their battle training. They didn’t hold ground well; they had broken into roving bands, like axehound packs, loping through the city and looking fo...
considered it unwieldy. Amaram made it look elegant, mesmerizing. That deep red glow within Amaram’s helm grew darker, bloody, somehow even more sinister. Kaladin blocked another hit, but the power of the blow sent him skidding backward on the stone. He’d made himself lighter for the fight, but that had repercussions w...
side. Kaladin was forced to dismiss Syl and slow himself, spinning and sliding across the ground until his Lashing ran out and he settled down. Teeth gritted, Kaladin summoned Syl as a short spear, then rushed Amaram—determined to bring the highlord down before the Fused returned to attack Dalinar. * * * The Thrill was...
advantage of Radiant Shallan’s distraction and cleanse Thaylen City. Otherwise, when the assault comes from outside once more, our attention will be divided.” “From outside?” Fen said. “But we have the wall fixed, and— Storms! Brightness!” Jasnah stepped aside without looking as the second Fused swooped down—the reacti...
fight, right? Accept death, and die slaying as many as possible? I’m ready. Let’s do it. I’m ready to be a noble sacrifice. No. He did not win by dying. Szeth lobbed the gemstone away as hard as he could. The Fused went after it, leaving him an avenue to escape. He dropped toward the ground, where spheres glistened lik...
for a minute? I need some help.” * * * Kaladin ducked toward Amaram, thrusting with his spear one-handed. That was usually a good tactic against an armored man with a sword. His spear hit right on target, where it would have dug into the armpit of an ordinary opponent. Here, unfortunately, the spear just slid off. Shar...
“Beating up the animal because you can’t defeat me?” Amaram asked. He didn’t seem to notice that the horse, in bolting away, carried off the Shardbow. I’ve killed a man wearing that Shardplate before, Kaladin thought. I can do it again. Only, he wasn’t merely facing a Shardbearer. Amethyst crystals broke Amaram’s armor...
of a Thaylen soldier drooped from a rooftop nearby, tangled in ropes. It hung there, eyebrows dangling to brush the ground. Adolin swept past, peeking out between buildings onto a larger street. A handful of Thaylens fought here, trying to bring the thunderclast down. The ropes had been a great idea, but the thing was ...
slammed his shoulder against the wall, breaking through the hole. As he did, he heard a whimper from behind. Adolin gritted his teeth. I could use one of those storming Radiants about now. He ducked back into the building and flipped over a table, finding a young boy huddled underneath. That was the only person Adolin ...
said, “for giving me strength when I needed it.” The Thrill thrummed with a pleased sound. It drew in closer to him, the faces of red mist grinning with excitement and glee. Charging horses screamed and died. Men laughed as they were cut down. Dalinar was once again walking on the stone toward the Rift, intent on murde...
and made her way to one of the ships. She stumbled up the gangway—yet felt crisper, more awake, than she’d been in a long, long time. In her mind played the Rhythm of Joy. One of the old rhythms her people had learned long ago—after casting out their gods. Timbre pulsed from within her. Inside her gemheart. “I’m still ...
a Shard-enhanced punch. He turned toward the dead one, then looked back at Adolin with a posture that somehow expressed amazement. The thunderclast called, sending a wave of sound across the street, rattling chips of stone. Adolin swallowed, then started counting heartbeats as he dashed away. The monster crashed along ...
to the side, freeing her from the stone. He reached down and rammed her into the stone below, then let go and swung from this new handhold a moment before releasing the Blade and dropping the rest of the way to the rooftop. His leg screamed in pain. He collapsed to the rooftop, eyes watering. As he lay there in agony, ...
let’s—” “Adolin, don’t be foolhardy!” Renarin grabbed his arm. A burst of healing moved through Adolin like cold water in his veins, causing his pains to retreat. “But—” “Get away,” Renarin said. “You’re unarmored. You’ll get yourself killed fighting this thing!” “But—” “I can handle it, Adolin. Just go! Please.” Adoli...
As his face touched her carapace, he Lashed her upward. That sent her flying into the air with a scream. Szeth landed and prepared to follow, then cursed as the Fused fumbled with the gemstone. He whipped his jacket off as she dropped it. Though one of the flying Fused swept in to grab it, the ruby slipped out of his f...
then stepped inside. * * * Amaram was screaming in pain. Kaladin sparred with the Fused who had the strange overgrown carapace, and couldn’t spare a glance. He used the screaming to judge that he was staying far enough from Amaram to not be immediately attacked. But storms, it was distracting. Kaladin swept with the Sy...
rose up on the other side, considering his next move. Amaram launched himself into the air. He soared in an incredible leap, far higher and farther than even Shardplate would have allowed. And he hung for a time, sweeping close to Kaladin, who dodged backward. “Syl,” he hissed as Amaram landed. “Syl, that was a Lashing...
these brands?” “I left you alive. I spared you.” “An attempt to assuage your conscience.” Kaladin clashed with the highprince. “A failed attempt.” “I made you, Kaladin!” Amaram’s red eyes lit the crystals that rimmed his face. “I gave you that granite will, that warrior’s poise. This, the person you’ve become, was my g...
the flickering gemstone at his chest, which went out, plunging the area into darkness. Kaladin! Syl shouted in Kaladin’s mind. He barely dodged as two Fused swooped past, their lances narrowly missing his chest. Two more came in from the left, one from the right. A sixth carried the hulking Fused back, rescued from Kal...
wanted to move. Needed to move. But it hurt to watch their army die and puff into nothing. One figure didn’t melt like the others. A woman with jet-black hair that had escaped its usual braids. It blew free as she stepped between the enemy and Shallan, Radiant, and Veil. The ground turned glossy, the surface of the sto...
command and confidence. The Stormlight rushing to do her will. The air itself responding as if to the voice of God himself. Shallan gasped in wonder. “It obeyed. The air obeyed your call to transform. When I tried to make a single little stick change, it refused.” “Soulcasting is a practiced art,” Jasnah said. “Up, up....
Glys said, would be bad. Motion caught his attention: a young girl standing in a doorway and waving at him. He walked over, worried the Fused would attack him. Hopefully his Stormlight—which he’d mostly used up fighting the thunderclast—wasn’t bright enough to draw their ire. He entered the building, another single-sto...
gesture not unlike a salute, humming to a frantic tune he did not know. Renarin was so frightened, he worried he’d wet himself. Not very noble or brave, now was he? Ah … what will come now? Glys said, voice thrumming through Renarin. What emerges? One of his fits struck him. Not the old fits, where he grew weak. He had...
begun to carry ladders off their ships to use in a full-on assault. * * * “Tell the men not to give chase to those Fused,” Renarin said to Lopen. “We need to hold the Oathgate, first and foremost.” “Good enough, sure,” Lopen said, launching into the sky and going to relay the order to Teft. The Fused clashed with Bridg...
Renarin settled down nearby on some steps, trembling from it all, but grinning anyway. * * * Dalinar drifted in the Thrill’s embrace. He’d once believed he had been four men in his life, but he now saw he’d grossly underestimated. He hadn’t lived as two, or four, or six men—he had lived as thousands, for each day he be...
Flying ones descended, and while he warded away their lances with the Sylshield, his side throbbed with pain. The healing was coming more slowly now. Two other Fused swept along, scooping up nearby gemstones, leaving Kaladin in an ever-expanding ring of darkness. Just buy time. Dalinar needs time. Syl sang in his mind ...
drool leaking out the side. He stumbled toward Kaladin, gemstone heart pulsing with light. A Shardblade formed in his hand. The one that had killed Kaladin’s friends so long ago. “Amaram,” Kaladin whispered. “I can see what you are. What you’ve always been.” Amaram tried to speak, but his drooping jaw only let out spit...
as the Fused inexplicably retreated back toward the ships. The parshmen rushed to follow, as did many of Amaram’s troops—though some just lay on the broken stones. Lethargically, the black storm faded until it was a mere overcast stain, rippling with drowsy red lightning. It finally rolled across the island—impotent, b...
Moash jumped, startled to find a figure hovering down through the broken ceiling, swathed in black. Lady Leshwi still visited Moash, the man who had killed her. She was important among the singers, but not in a highprince sort of way. More like a field captain. “I guess I am curious, Ancient Singer,” Moash said. “Is th...
so light it was almost white. “Would you do the same to a god?” * * * Navani left through the sally port in the Thaylen City wall, and ran across the broken field, heedless of the calls of soldiers who scrambled after her. She’d waited as long as was reasonable to let the enemy army withdraw. Dalinar walked with help f...
Veil worried about looting. A city in chaos often proved how feral it could become. Veil wanted to be out on the streets, looking for people likely to be robbed, and making sure they were cared for. Shallan wanted to sleep. She felt … weaker … more tired than the other two. Jasnah approached along the wall walk, then l...
other, and back. A moment of Veil. A moment of Radiant. Shallan peeking through— Adolin’s hand tightened around her own. Shallan’s breath caught. There, she thought. That’s the one. That’s the one I am. He knows. Adolin relaxed, and for the first time she noticed how ragged his clothing was. She raised her safehand to ...
so far, and those who had awakened were unaccustomed to having physical bodies. What a strange way to treat a failure. She attuned Appreciation anyway. An old rhythm. She loved being able to hear those again at will—she could attune either old or new, and could make her eyes red, except when she drew in Stormlight. Tim...
am not your master,” Nin said. “And you have not angered me. Why would I be displeased?” “You have determined that the parshmen are the true owners of this land, and that the Skybreakers should follow their laws.” “The very reason that we swear to something external is because we acknowledge that our own judgment is fl...
rounded up Amaram’s troops, and made certain there was no looting. Shallan idled in the mouth of an alleyway. The tea was bitter, but good. Knowing Teshav, it probably had something in it to keep her on her feet and alert—scribes always knew the best teas for that. She watched the people for a time, then glanced upward...
me like some kind of prize. You don’t decide who gets me.” “I’m not trying to…” He took another deep breath. “Look, this is hard for me, Shallan. I’m trying to do the right thing. Don’t make it harder.” “I don’t get a choice?” “You’ve made your choice. I see how you look at him.” “I’m an artist, Adolin. I appreciate a ...
like that, though? Three betrotheds instead of one. Some men drool over the idea of such debauchery. If you wanted, I could be practically anyone.” “But that’s the thing, Shallan. I don’t want anyone. I want you.” “That might be the hardest one. But I think I can do it, Adolin. With some help, maybe?” He grinned that g...
but I know this truth. He was your first god, before you turned to Honor.” Kaladin exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. The men of Bridge Four were having trouble with this idea. As well they should. Others in the military didn’t care, but his men … they knew. You could protect your home. You could kill to defend the peop...
better than I did, then.” Teft heaved a breath. Kaladin rested his hand on Teft’s shoulder. “I know how it feels.” “Aye,” Teft said. “I suppose you do. But isn’t it supposed to feel better? The longing for my moss is still storming there.” “It doesn’t change us, Teft. We’re still who we are.” “Damnation.” Kaladin looke...
chamber, trailing a wizened hand along one of the wall reliefs. He joined Dalinar, and together they studied a carving of a powerful man, standing tall between two pillars of stone—barring the way between monsters and men. “You … didn’t become king of Jah Keved by accident, did you?” Dalinar asked. Taravangian shook hi...
a leaf tucked there. “Found you, naco.” Rua transformed into the shape of a petulant young boy, maybe nine or ten years old. Rua was his name, but “naco” was—of course—what Lopen called him. Rua zipped into the air as a ribbon of light. Bridge Four stood near some tents at the bottom of Thaylen City, in the Low Ward, r...
head. He stared straight ahead, not blinking. “Want to see a trick?” Lopen asked the soldier. The man shrugged. Lopen lifted his foot up and put the boot on the man’s cot. The laces had come undone, and Lopen—one hand behind his back—deftly grabbed the strings and looped them around his hand, twisted them, then pulled ...
tell.” “How…” the man said. “How does one join up? They say … they say it heals you.…” “Sure, it heals everything except what’s in the rockbud on the end of your neck. Which is great for me. I’m the only sane one in this group. That might be a problem.” “Why?” “They say you have to be broken,” Lopen said, glancing towa...
a double rude gesture. “Don’t wear it out, naco,” Lopen said. * * * “Come on,” Ash said, holding Taln’s hand, pulling him up the last few steps. He stared at her dully. “Taln,” she whispered. “Please.” The last glimmers of his lucidity had faded. Once, nothing would have kept him from the battlefield when other men die...
summon the strength to overcharge him with Stormlight, though it was obviously exhausting to do so. Kaladin had used up that charge getting to Kharbranth, where he’d stopped for a night’s sleep. Even Stormlight could only push the body so far. After a long flight the next day, he’d reached the Tarat Sea. He flew now us...
even if … It … Storms. Trying to think through the fuzz in his brain was … bothersome. “He is weak of mind today,” Dukar announced to Mrall, Taravangian’s thick-armed bodyguard. “He can interact, but should not make important policy decisions. We cannot trust his interpretation of the Diagram.” “Vargo?” Adrotagia asked...
a dangerous position,” Dukar said. “His Majesty revealed too much to Dalinar. We will be watched now.” … the … window … “Dalinar doesn’t know of the Diagram,” Adrotagia countered. “Or that we brought the singers to Urithiru. He only knows that Kharbranth controlled the assassin—and thinks that the Herald’s insanity pro...
resting his scepter on Taravangian’s shoulder. “Do you think I will ever meet with you when you are feeling well?” “I…” “Do you not realize that I chose this day specifically because of your ailment, Taravangian? Do you really think you will ever be able to negotiate with me from a position of power?” Taravangian licke...
from himself, in the past. Incredible! Had he somehow seen even this? Thank you. He read them out loud. “You have agreed to a battle of champions. You must withdraw to prevent this contest from occurring, and so must not meet with Dalinar Kholin again. Otherwise, he can force you to fight. This means you must let your ...
beautiful.” “Only because you’re here. Without you, I fade.” Brightness Teshav stood near them, and though the woman normally maintained a stoic professionalism, Shallan thought she caught a hint of an eye roll. Well, Teshav was so old she probably forgot what it was like to breathe most days, let alone what it was lik...
the shades of their coalition. The generals began discussing tactics. They wanted to invade Tu Bayla—the large land that stretched between Jah Keved and the Purelake. The argument was that if the enemy took that, they’d divide the coalition in two. The Oathgates allowed quick access to the capitals, but many cities wer...
a safe Roshar—if through brutal means. Still, I have to wonder. I can’t afford to be too trusting. Hopefully that’s one thing Sadeas cured in me.” The Blackthorn shook his head, then looked to Shallan and Adolin. “Either way, Alethkar needs a king. More so now than ever.” “The heir—” Adolin began. “Too young. This isn’...
in Alethkar who won’t be pushed over, but who can also deal with diplomats in diplomatic ways.” “Well, that’s not me,” Adolin repeated. “Who, then?” Dalinar demanded. Shallan cocked her head. “Hey. Have you boys ever considered…” * * * Palona skimmed through the latest gossip reports out of Tashikk, looking for the jui...
left him alone to break stones, with no overseer or guard in sight. So he was surprised when he heard another pick fall beside him. He spun, shocked. “Khen?” The beefy parshwoman started breaking rocks. “Khen, you were freed from your slavery,” Moash said. “Your assault on the palace earned you the Passion of Mercy.” K...
along with a dried fish from Lift. A Marati rug came from Queen Fen. Dried fruit. Perfumes. A pair of boots. Ka seemed embarrassed as she opened the box and revealed them as a gift from Kaladin and Bridge Four, but Shallan just laughed. It was a much-needed moment of relief in the stress of the day. She got gifts from ...
them. Her brothers. Shallan cried out in delight, throwing herself toward them, passing through a burst of joyspren like blue petals. She tried to embrace all three at once, heedless of what it might do to her carefully arranged dress. “How? When? What happened?” “It was a long trek across Jah Keved,” Nan Balat said. “...
the moment, as Rial and his other bodyguards were all in Bridge Thirteen—and that whole crew had gone up as squires to Teft. Dalinar smiled to himself, then walked to his desk and settled down. A Shardblade hung on the wall before him. A temporary place; he’d find it a home. For now, he wanted it near. It was time. He ...
be able to help it.” Navani seemed skeptical. “Here,” Dalinar said. “How do I emphasize a word?” “These marks here, above and below a word you want to stress.” He nodded in thanks, dipped his pen, then rewrote what he’d given to Navani, substituting the proper changes. The most important words a man can say are, “I wil...
of Urithiru, in part because he’d promised her a room with a balcony. Fresh air and a view of the mountain peaks. If she couldn’t be completely free of this building’s shadowed depths, then at least she could have a home on the borders. She pulled at her hair, pleased to see it had turned black. She had become Veil, a ...
of the tower’s budding markets. Thousands of merchants, washwomen, prostitutes, innkeepers, and craftsmen of all varieties were setting up in Urithiru. Shallan knew well how many—she’d been the one to bring them all through the Oathgate. In her sketch, the black upper reaches of the large market cavern loomed over tiny...
then. I’d have thought that imitating a woman to catch a glimpse of a young lady in her undergarments was beneath you, Adolin Kholin.” “Oh, for Damnation’s sake, Shallan. Can I come in now? And just so we’re clear, I’m a man and your betrothed, my name is Adolin Kholin, I was born under the sign of the nine, I have a b...
She’d been intending to get something at one of the taverns later tonight while prowling about wearing Veil’s face. Those taverns had set up in the main market, despite Navani’s attempts to send them elsewhere, and Sebarial’s merchants had quite the stock to sell. Now that this was all before her … well, she didn’t wor...
reluctantly moved down from the wall where he’d been watching. As always, he made a ripple in whatever he crossed, be it cloth or stone—like there was something under the surface. His complex, fluctuating pattern of lines was always changing, melding, vaguely circular but with surprising tangents. He crossed up her dre...
pain and savored the moment—good food, good company, the setting sun casting ruby and topaz light across the mountains and into the room. She felt like drawing this scene, but knew it was the type of moment she couldn’t capture on a page. It wasn’t about content or composition, but the pleasure of living. The trick to ...
sent teams to question Vedekar Perel’s family and friends. They discovered where he was before he died, who last saw him, and wrote down anything suspicious. I thought we could read the report.” “And the rest of the books?” “You seemed lost when Father asked you about Makabaki politics,” Adolin said, pouring some wine,...
Herdaz to find an eligible woman you haven’t pursued.” She held out her hand to him, to help her to her feet. “Are you mocking my failings?” “No, I’m lauding them,” she said, standing up beside him. “You see, Adolin dear, if you hadn’t wrecked all those other relationships, you wouldn’t be here. With me.” She pulled cl...
and red skin, rather than the deep red on black like Rlain from Bridge Four. They didn’t wear warform, though neither did they wear some terrible, powerful form. Though they were squat and bulky, their only carapace ran along the sides of their forearms and jutted out at their temples, leaving them with full heads of h...
a streak of light in the dim afternoon shade. “He’s there,” the shrill voice said. “You’re being watched! Beneath those shrubs!” Kaladin burst up through the underbrush, ready to suck in Stormlight and be away. Though fewer towns had any now, as it was running out again, he had a little left. The parshmen seized cudgel...
here that your father lay down some rules on people moving alone through empty parts of the tower.” “I still think there might be two murderers,” Adolin said. “You know … like someone saw Sadeas dead, and figured they could get away with killing someone else, blaming it on the first fellow.” Oh, Adolin, Shallan thought...
I mean, you’re a woman.” “Was it the makeup that tipped you off, or the dress? Oh, it was the breasts, wasn’t it? Always giving us away.” “Shallan, this is serious.” “I know,” she said, calming her nerves. “Yes, Pattern can become a Shardblade, Adolin. I don’t see what this has to do with anything. I can’t give it away...
seized her charcoal pencil. Pattern moved over to her, a floating ball of shifting lines, buzzing in concern. “Shallan? Please. What is wrong?” I can hide, Shallan thought, drawing at a frenzied pace. Shallan can flee and leave someone in her place. “It’s because you hate me,” Pattern said softly. “I can die, Shallan. ...
the sharp edge, with delicate crystalline ridges along the back. He put one of the guards on the sword’s edge. Radiant put one foot forward, Blade lifted high in two hands beside her head. “Hey,” Adolin said. “That’s not bad.” “Shallan did spend quite a lot of time drawing you all.” Adolin nodded thoughtfully. He appro...
rooms in Urithiru had high ceilings. Adolin gestured for her to perform a simple strike, as they’d been practicing. Radiant raised both arms, tilting the sword, then took a step forward while bringing it down. The entire angle of movement couldn’t have been more than ninety degrees—barely a strike at all. Adolin smiled...
his stance. She was forced to let some of Radiant bleed away. “No, stand there,” Shallan said, pointing at Adolin with her charcoal. “Yes, like that.” She sketched out the stance, then nodded. “Now strike, and hold the last position.” He did so. By now he’d removed his jacket, standing in only shirt and trousers. She d...
have one oddity. There was no gemstone. Gemstones were what allowed men to bond to Shardblades. Often affixed at the pommel, though occasionally at the spot where hilt met blade, the gem would flash when you first touched it, initiating the process. Keep the Blade with you for a week, and the Blade became yours—dismiss...
will only cost him time. He has that in plenitude. He still will not agree easily, but it is possible he will agree. If presented with the option in the right moment, the right way. Then he will be bound. “And we win…” Time, the Stormfather said. Which, though dross to him, is the most valuable thing a man can have. Da...
didn’t return soon, the Honorblade would provide another means of Windrunning—a way to get to Thaylen City or Azir at speed. Or to get Elhokar’s team to Kholinar. The Stormfather had also confirmed it could work Oathgates, which might prove handy. Dalinar reached more inhabited sections of the tower, which bustled with...
finally turned and stalked back down the corridor to his rooms. Where was that package Navani had given him? He found it on an end table, and from inside it removed a leather bracer somewhat like what an archer would wear. It had two clock faces set into the top. One showed the time with three hands—even seconds, as if...
adjacent chambers. I want you to keep the troops busy. I’m worried about them getting restless and starting more fights.” “It will be done, Brightlord,” Kelerand said, bowing. “I’d like a spar myself,” Dalinar said. “I shall find someone suitable, Brightlord.” “What about you, Kelerand?” Dalinar said. The swordmaster b...
need for formality. I’m just looking for a match.” “I’m not equipped for a proper duel, Brightlord,” he said. “Give me some time.” “No need,” Dalinar said. “I’m fine for a wrestling match. It’s been too long.” Some men would rather not spar with a man as important as Dalinar, for fear of hurting him. Khal had trained h...
he’d begun to recognize that there was something profoundly wrong about the Thrill. So he gritted his teeth and struggled—cleanly and fairly—with his opponent. And got pinned. Aratin was younger, more practiced at this style of fight. Dalinar didn’t make it easy, but he was on the bottom, lacked leverage, and simply wa...
contest had endangered them both. He was annoyed at himself. He’d specifically chosen someone younger and stronger, then became a poor loser? Getting older was something he needed to accept, and he was kidding himself if he actually thought this would help him on the battlefield. He’d given away his armor, no longer ca...
match, and Dalinar rushed in swinging. Kadash rebuffed him competently, then stepped to the side of the ring. “Pardon, Brightlord, but you were different from the others. You were much, much better at the killing part.” I always have been, Dalinar thought, rounding Kadash. It was odd to remember the ardent as one of hi...
of a soldier. When he dueled, he kept watch to the sides, in case someone tried to flank him. An impossibility in a solo duel, but all too likely on a battlefield. “How can you ask that, Dalinar?” “Because it should be asked,” Dalinar said. “You claim the Almighty is God. Why?” “Because he simply is.” “That isn’t good ...
he’s somehow failed in his most solemn duty to a man he deeply admires.” They met eyes, their swords still locked, but neither one actually trying to push the other. For a moment, Dalinar saw in Kadash the man he’d always been. The gentle, understanding model of everything good about the Vorin church. “Give me somethin...
short. ‘If I only tie it twice,’ he exclaimed, ‘the ends hang down so low, I trip!’ ” The chamber fell silent. Nearby, one soldier chuckled, but quickly cut himself off—none of the ardents seemed amused. “I love tradition,” Dalinar said to Kadash. “I’ve fought for tradition. I make my men follow the codes. I uphold Vor...
stand in relation to the church. What does our queen say?” “Nothing good,” she muttered. “She says you can contact her with arrangements for the return of the stolen goods, and she’ll consider.” “Storming woman,” Dalinar said. “She’s after Adolin’s Shardplate. How valid is her claim?” “Not very,” Navani said. “You got ...
Bash his head in yourself?” The tent fell silent. “If it means they can’t take us again?” she said. “Yes, I’d kill him. I won’t go back, Ton.” They had simple, darkeyed Alethi names—matched by their uncomfortably familiar accents. Kaladin didn’t worry for his safety; though they’d taken his knife, spanreed, and spheres...
cards you can place,” Kaladin said, struggling to remember all the rules. “He can capture any other card except another king, and can’t be captured himself unless touched by three enemy cards of knight or better. Um … and he is immune to the Soulcaster.” I think. “When I watched men play, they used this card rarely. If...
light—while we are trapped in shadows. They sold her mother. Sold her. Because she had birthed a healthy child, which made her good breeding stock. “Do you understand that, human? Do you understand watching your family be torn apart, and knowing you should object—knowing deep in your soul that something is profoundly w...
for a good hour in silence before Syl next decided to come back to him. She landed on his shoulder, becoming the image of a young woman in her whimsical skirt. “She’s gone ahead for a little bit,” she said. “And the parshmen aren’t looking.” “The spren is guiding them,” Kaladin said under his breath. “Syl, this spren m...
his captor’s daughter approaching. She carried a waterskin in two hands, and stopped right beyond his reach. She didn’t have shoes, and the walk so far had not been kind to her feet, which—though tough with calluses—were still scored by scratches and scrapes. She timidly set the waterskin down, then backed away. She di...
eager to drink after a storm. Who has my knife?” Nobody moved to return it. “If you scrape off this inner layer,” Kaladin said, tapping at the rockbud shell, “you can get to the dry portion. Now that the rain has stopped, I should be able to get us a fire going, assuming nobody has lost my tinder bag. We need to boil t...
hard-bitten experience she feigned. Well, she would have to do her best and hope to recover from her inevitable mistakes. She tied another knife onto her belt, long, but not quite a sword, since Veil wasn’t lighteyed. Fortunately. No lighteyed woman would be able to prance around so obviously armed. Some mores grew lax...
one you can’t mate with yet.” “Can we please stop talking about him that way?” “Very well,” Pattern said. “But I like him.” “You hate his sword.” “I have come to understand,” Pattern said, growing excited. “Humans … humans don’t care about the dead. You build chairs and doors out of corpses! You eat corpses! You make c...
In fact, some weren’t tents at all, but were better described as stands—roped-off sections of ground guarded by a few burly men with cudgels. Others were actual buildings. Small stone sheds that had been built inside this cavern, here since the days of the Radiants. Merchants from all ten original warcamps mixed at the...

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