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appeared behind her. She dropped the tray and reached to the side of Kaladin’s face with a soft touch. Syl zipped around in a ribbon of light, laughing. Kaladin couldn’t laugh. Not until it had been said. He took a deep breath, choked on it the first time, then finally forced it out. “I’m sorry, Father, Mother,” he whi... |
their son’s name had lived and died in that time. The soldier who had been forged in Amaram’s army. The slave, so bitter and angry. His parents had never met Captain Kaladin, bodyguard to the most powerful man in Roshar. And then … there was the next man, the man he was becoming. A man who owned the skies and spoke anc... |
the air. “They’re like I remember them.” “Remember them?” Kaladin whispered. “Syl, you never knew me when I lived here.” “That’s true,” she said. “So how can you remember them?” Kaladin said, frowning. “Because I do,” Syl said, flitting around him. “Everyone is connected, Kaladin. Everything is connected. I didn’t know... |
with the highstorm by flying at the very front of the stormwall, like a leaf caught in a wave. That method—with the full force of the highstorm raging at his feet—seemed far too risky to use when bringing others. Fortunately, during their trip to Thaylenah, he and Shallan had tested other methods. It turned out he coul... |
to maneuver so much as the wind itself. Skar and Drehy handled their own flight about twenty feet below the group, watching in case anyone dropped for some reason. Lashings renewed, Kaladin maneuvered himself into line between Shallan and King Elhokar. The king stared forward through the mask, as if oblivious to the wo... |
somehow made a kind of … channel around the group, like in a river. A current, sweeping them along, keeping them closer together. “It really is beautiful,” Shallan said, surveying the storm, which blanketed everything but the tips of some very distant peaks to their left. Probably the Sunmaker Mountains. “Like mixing p... |
of Stormlight from cages left out in the storm to recharge the gems. And … yes, from guard posts flew Alethi flags, raised now that the worst of the storm had passed. Kaladin let out a relieved sigh. Kholinar had not fallen, though if their reports were right, all surrounding towns were occupied. In fact, looking close... |
renewed by the storm. Drehy and Skar looked visibly relieved when he arrived. “Kal—” Skar started. “I know. We don’t have much time left. Your Majesty, the city is right below us—and our forces still control the walls. The Parshendi are building storm bunkers and besieging the area, though the bulk of their army probab... |
illusion felt like a cave—except for the fact that wind and rain went right through it. The king and Shallan had grumbled all morning, complaining of a damp, cold night. Kaladin and his men had slept like stones. There were advantages to having lived through Bridge Four. “They let refugees in so they can drain the city... |
with handy tales about the brilliant things he’d done in his youth. The kind of man that made women think they preferred older men, when in reality they just preferred him. “Oh, now that’s unfair,” Kaladin said. “If I stretch a lie too far, people are more likely to be suspicious,” Shallan said lightly, then stepped ov... |
thought of Kaladin’s face; the king kept his eyes forward. He never did think much about other people, so that was normal. “They call it the Windrunner, you know,” the king said softly. It took Kaladin a moment to realize that Elhokar was referring to the river that ran past Kholinar. Their path took them across it on ... |
wow. That’s really distracting.” Storming woman. “What do you want?” “I’ve been thinking,” Adolin said. “We’ll want a place inside the city to hole up, right? We can’t follow either of our original plans—we can’t simply stride up to the palace, but we don’t want to assault it either. Not until we’ve done a little scout... |
“How many fighting men can you provide for the city defense?” “None,” Elhokar snapped. “They are my personal guard.” “Then, Brightness, you should march them personally on to the south and try another city.” “Where?” Elhokar demanded, the sentiment echoed by many in the crowd. “There are monsters everywhere, Captain.” ... |
step toward them, but before he could do anything, they crashed to the ground with strikingly loud impacts. Storms! He was shoved farther toward the city by the crowd, and barely restrained himself from drawing in Stormlight. Steady, he told himself. The point is to get in without being seen. You would ruin that by fly... |
spears Skar and Drehy carried—along with the cudgels held by Shallan’s two men—seemed enough to deter any would-be robbers. Kaladin quickened his pace to catch up to Adolin at the front of their little group. “Is this safehouse of yours close? I don’t like the feeling on these streets.” “It’s a way yet,” Adolin said. “... |
with brightly colored strips of red, blue, or green fabric. They walked past, calling out nonsense phrases. Words Kaladin knew, but which didn’t belong together. “What in Damnation is happening in this city?” Adolin muttered. “This isn’t normal?” Kaladin whispered. “We have buskers and street performers, but nothing li... |
kind of hideous spren.” “Hey!” Syl said. The door finally opened, revealing a short, matronly Thaylen woman in an apron and vest. Behind her stood a burly man with a white beard, cut after the Horneater style. “What?” she said. “Who are you?” “Oh!” Adolin said. “Shallan, I’ll need…” Shallan rubbed his face with a towel... |
than the Alethi wore at the Shattered Plains—with gold or silver thread, shiny buttons, and elaborate embroidery on the large pockets. The coats didn’t close at the front except for a few buttons right below the collar, while the sides flared out, then split into tails at the back. “It was the execution of the ardent, ... |
what she wanted. Satisfied, she took in a little Stormlight and healed up, then used some cloth from her satchel to wipe the blood from her leg. She rinsed her hands and the cloth in the washroom basin. She was surprised at the running water; she hadn’t thought Kholinar had such things. She took out her drawing pad and... |
over the last weeks, but they still didn’t know very much. She finished her sketch of the painspren, then did one of the exhaustionspren they’d seen earlier. She’d managed to glimpse some hungerspren around a refugee on their way. Oddly, those didn’t look any different. Why? Need more information, Shallan thought. More... |
falling red and white flower petals. These were like pieces of broken glass. The men, of course, were more distracted by the position she’d gotten herself into. She squawked, managed to take a Memory of the shamespren, and righted herself, blushing furiously and tucking her hand in her sleeve. That, she thought, might ... |
“of any sort—from spanreed, to warmer, to painrial—you’ll draw them. Screaming yellow spren that ride the wind like streaks of terrible light. They shout and swirl about you. That then usually brings the creatures from the sky, the ones with the loose clothing and long spears. They seize the fabrial, and sometimes kill... |
seized the palace, but we also can’t afford to be inactive.” He stood up straighter. Shallan had grown so accustomed to seeing Elhokar as an afterthought—a fault of the way Dalinar, increasingly, had been treating him. But there was an earnest determination to him, and yes, even a regal bearing. Yes, she thought, takin... |
Shallan would not object to your company, and I’d rather have someone watching to help get her out, in an emergency.” He wasn’t exactly correct; she would object to Kaladin’s presence. Veil wouldn’t want him looking over her shoulder, and Shallan wouldn’t want him asking questions about that persona. However, she could... |
Vathah to feel betrayed. Instead he nodded—as if this made perfect sense. He saluted her with one finger, then the two men retreated. Ishnah lingered. Shallan had—after some debate—decided to bring the woman. Mraize had vetted her, and in the end, Veil needed the training. “You don’t look surprised about this,” Shallan... |
to weave around huddles of people. The midblock courtyards were clogged with what had probably been normal villagers not long ago, but who were now impoverished wretches. There wasn’t much wheeled traffic on the streets. Some palanquins ringed by guards. No carriages. Life, however, did not stop for a war—or even for a... |
delicate gardens and ostentatious windows. But now, Veil felt the wrongness of the area as a prickling sensation on her skin. The families living here must have felt it, but they stubbornly remained in their mansions. She peeked through the iron gate of one such mansion, and found soldiers on sentry duty: men in dark u... |
it had been to Shallan. I like that brooding sense he has about him, those dangerous eyes. Why did Shallan focus so much on Adolin? He was nice, but also bland. You couldn’t tease him without feeling bad, but Kaladin, he glared at you in the most satisfying of ways. The part of her that was still Shallan, deep down, wa... |
up behind Veil, prodding her forward. She swallowed, sweat chilling her brow, and let them force her to that door. That maw … She walked into a grand entryway, marked by marble and a brilliant sphere chandelier. No Unmade. No darkness waiting to consume her. She breathed out, though she could feel something. That phant... |
with white spots for eyes. Veil quickly closed her peeking eye. Storms, what had that been? Don’t shift. Stay perfectly still. Don’t even breathe. Stormlight allowed her to survive without air. The guard carried her down some steps, then opened a door and walked down a few more. He dropped her none too gently onto the ... |
found herself at the base of the rise that the palace sat upon, a cliff of some twenty feet above her. The guards were distracted, walking to her right, so Veil slipped onto a street nearby, then ran for a short time, thankful to finally have a chance to work off some of her energy. She collapsed in the shadow of a hol... |
were one of the Heralds,” Dalinar noted to the Stormfather, who rumbled in the back of his mind. “Jezerezeh, Herald of Kings, Father of Storms.” Men say many foolish things, the Stormfather replied. Some name Kelek Stormfather, others Jezrien. I am neither of them. “But Jezerezeh was a Windrunner.” He was before Windru... |
done, Dalinar found himself out of breath, a headache coming on. He reflexively drew in Stormlight to heal it, and the small chamber dimmed. That stopped the pain, but it did nothing for his cold sweat. “Are there others like me out there?” he finally asked. Not right now, and there can ever be only three. One for each... |
glassy blue. “Rock?” Teft asked. “You? Holding a weapon?” “I am not going to swing this thing,” Rock said, rolling his eyes. “I will keep him safe. This is all.” “It’s a Shardblade,” Dalinar warned. “You’ve trained on those, correct?” “We have, sir,” Teft said. “Doesn’t mean one of this lot won’t storming cut their own... |
hurt, right? that seemed to say. She took him in an embrace, held on an extra moment—more than another Alethi might—then stepped back. “We’ll be watching the spanreed. One hour with no communication, and we’re coming for you.” He nodded. He couldn’t write to them of course, but he could flip the reed on and off to send... |
the Stormlight evaporate away like luminescent steam. Aladar’s officers withdrew their group in an orderly fashion, shouting for the men to start calisthenics. The soldiers from Sadeas’s army, however, spat at the ground and heaved themselves to their feet, retreating in sullen bunches, cursing and muttering. They’re g... |
surged in through the doorways. Apparently a season of summer was well under way in Azir. It smelled different here. Of exotic spices and more subtle things like unfamiliar woods. “Good luck,” Jasnah said as he stepped out of the room. It flashed behind him as she returned to Urithiru, leaving him to meet the Azish imp... |
Dalinar closed his eyes, listening to the unfamiliar language. As in Thaylen City, he had a moment of feeling he could almost understand. Stretching, he felt that meaning was close to him. “Would you help me understand?” he whispered to the Stormfather. What makes you think I can? “Don’t be coy,” Dalinar whispered. “I’... |
the cities that hosted them. Fen argued that Dalinar’s desperation to forge an alliance made for the perfect opportunity to secure beneficial and lasting trade deals through Urithiru. Even if Azir had no plans to fully join the coalition, they should negotiate use of the Oathgates and send a delegation to the tower. It... |
was the shortest of the essays, he heard them whispering and marveling over it. “Look, it incorporates all seven of Aqqu’s Logical Forms!” “That’s an allusion to the Grand Orientation. And … storms … she quotes Prime Kasimarlix in three successive stages, each escalating the same quote to a different level of Superior ... |
that flight of steps, onto this platform around the circumference of the large bronze dome, then down another set of steps. From this upper ramp, he could see some of Azimir—and was relieved by how little destruction he saw. Some of the neighborhoods on the west side of the city seemed to have collapsed, but all in all... |
tradition of rights related to their social ranking. “Those people,” he said, realizing something, “have been ordered to the fields because you lost your parshmen.” “Our fields haven’t yet been planted,” Noura said, eyes growing distant. “It’s like they knew the very best time to cripple us by leaving. Carpenters and c... |
did men suffer this? In battle, you won or lost based on strength of arms. At the end of the day, you knew where you stood. This endless talking left him so uncertain. Would the viziers dismiss the essays? Jasnah’s reputation seemed to be powerful even here, but they’d seemed less impressed by her argument than by the ... |
and famously one could make bronze. The carpeting and couches displayed bright patterns of orange and red. The Alethi favored solid colors, perhaps some embroidery. The Azish preferred their decorations to look like the product of a painter having a sneezing fit. In the middle of it all was this girl, who looked so sim... |
was. I suspect he will be eager for any and every source of aid, and will welcome this coalition of yours. “The prince of Tashikk has an ambassador—his brother—in the city. He’ll come as well, and the princess of Yezier is reportedly coming in person to plead for aid. We’ll see about her. I think she simply believes Az... |
you. All I need is a chance.” The Oathgate flashed, and Jasnah appeared inside. Dalinar bowed to Noura in respect, then stepped backward into the building. “You are not what I expected, Blackthorn,” Noura said. “And what did you expect?” “An animal,” she said frankly. “A half-man creature of war and blood.” Something a... |
for Adolin to move back, then shuttered the window and rubbed his chilled hands. This chamber was decorated like a lodge, hung with old forgotten greatshell trophies. At the side, a soldier stoked a flame in the hearth. The battles with the Vedens had wound down. Though the last few fights had been disappointing, havin... |
wasn’t wearing it. “Um…” He looked to Teleb, who merely smiled, shaking his head. “Run along, son,” Dalinar said. “You have geography lessons today.” “Can I stay? I don’t want to leave you.” He wasn’t speaking merely of today. The time was approaching when Adolin would go to spend part of the year in Kholinar, to drill... |
in person at length about all of this—indeed, I have important revelations of my own I would like to share. It would be best if we could meet in person. Once, I enjoyed your company every day. Now I believe it has been three years since we last spoke face to face.’ ” “But,” Dalinar said, interrupting, “the Rift needs t... |
and dying friends, but nothing in his training had ever prepared him to deal with these soft tears. “Seven years,” she whispered. “Seven years we’ve been out here, living in wagons and waystops. Seven years of murder, of chaos, of men crying to their wounds.” “You married—” “Yes, I married a soldier. It’s my fault for ... |
in case you have forgotten. Do you even care about the child’s condition? Or is he nothing to you now that he can’t become a soldier?” Dalinar grunted, feeling like he’d taken a mace to the head. He stood up, then walked toward the table. “What?” Evi demanded. “I’ve been in enough battles to know when I’ve found one I ... |
own guards.” “We don’t know that for certain, Your Majesty,” Kaladin said. “It sounded like the queen has succumbed to whatever is affecting the guards.” “Either way, she is in need of rescue,” Elhokar said. “Either we must sneak into the palace for her and little Gavinor, or we must rally a military force to help us c... |
* She slipped out of the building again as Veil. She wore the trousers and her coat, though that now had a hole in the back. Ishnah had been able to wash the blood off, but Veil still wanted to replace it. For now, she covered the hole with a Lightweaving. Veil sauntered down the street, and found herself feeling incre... |
her old one—white and long, past her knees. She paid to have it taken in, then casually asked the seamstress about the city’s grain. The answers led her one street over to a grain station. It had formerly been a Thaylen bank, with the words Secure Keeps across the top in Thaylen and the women’s script. The proprietors ... |
keeping the local lighteyes happy and ready to support his rule, should the winds turn his way. It made Veil sick. She fished out a second meat stick for the urchin, then started to ask him how far Velalant’s influence reached—but the kid was gone in a heartbeat. The grain distribution ended, and a lot of unhappy peopl... |
kingdom’s fall. Blessed with grand poise and beauty, the Natan people were famous across all of Roshar. Why, if you’d lived back then, you’d have viewed the east as a place of great culture, not an empty wasteland! “Queen Tsa, as you’ve doubtless heard, was an architect. She designed high towers for her city, built to ... |
see the beauty of your kingdom from above. For the pillars and domes of your city are radiant.’ “ ‘It is a pity,’ Tsa agreed. ‘But those sights are meant for the great ones of heaven, and to behold them myself would be blasphemous.’ ” Wit dropped another powder into the brazier, bringing up yellow-gold smoke. By now, d... |
it with much glee, though hidden, for this request was the very thing she desired. “ ‘I will feign that I am you,’ Tsa promised. ‘And I will do all that you do. We will switch back once I am done, and Nomon will never know.’ ” Wit grinned broadly. “And so, the moon and the woman traded places.” His raw enthusiasm for t... |
fail until only a single line of green remained. It shrank down, dwindling, almost out. When he spoke, his voice was soft. “Mishim,” he said, “now knew another mortal emotion. Loss. “The moon began to panic! She thought of her grand view from up so high, where she could see all lands and enjoy—if from afar—their art, b... |
things. Shallan slipped forward and glanced inside his pack, catching sight of a small jar, sealed at the top. It was mostly black, but the side pointed toward her was instead white. Wit snapped the pack closed. “Come. You look like you could use the opportunity to buy me something to eat.” My research into the cogniti... |
silk tablecloth. The room was obviously meant for lighteyes to enjoy private dining, while unsavory darkeyes ate out in the main chamber. “That’s a nice illusion,” Wit said. “You got the back of the head right. People always flub the back. You’ve broken character though. You’re walking like a prim lighteyes, which look... |
Shapes moved, and were worn down by time. Boulders became dust. Mountains became hills. Rivers changed course. Seas became deserts. “Storms,” she whispered. “When I was young…” he said. “Yes?” “I made a vow.” Shallan nodded, wide-eyed. “I said I’d always be there when I was needed.” “And you have been?” “Yes.” She brea... |
I was honest. I can know where I’m supposed to be, Shallan, but not always what I’m supposed to do there.” He tapped the table. “Why are you here?” “To open the Oathgate,” Shallan said. “Save the city.” Pattern hummed. “Lofty goals,” Wit said. “What’s the point of goals, if not to spur you to something lofty?” “Yes, ye... |
reminder of his authority. Elhokar wears a simple crown because he worries that something more lavish might make people look at it, instead of at him. He doesn’t want the competition.” Wit turned away from his inspection of the hearth and chimney. “You want to change the world, Shallan. That’s well and good. But be car... |
nurse to bring me more pudding.” She almost choked on a bite of cremling. Her cup was empty, but Wit walked past and put his in her hand. She gulped it down. “Power is a knife,” Wit said, taking his seat. “A terrible, dangerous knife that can’t be wielded without cutting yourself. We joked about stupidity, but in reali... |
disappeared in a puff of smoke. It will drive him crazy.” “The inn—” The door opened suddenly, swinging inward. The innkeeper entered, and hesitated as he found Shallan sitting alone at the table. Wit slipped deftly around the door and out behind the man, who didn’t notice. “Damnation,” the innkeeper said, searching ar... |
shield. That spear, Kaladin thought. Long, with a slender point for puncturing armor, it was like a horseman’s lance. He found himself nodding. That would be an excellent weapon for using in flight, where you’d need extra reach to attack men on the ground, or even enemies soaring around you. The spren ceased screaming.... |
him over, then dusted his shoulders. “I think it pulls too tightly through the chest, Brightlord.” “It’s wonderful, Yokska.” “Take a deep breath.” It was like she was a storming surgeon, the way she lifted his arm and felt at his waist, muttering to herself. Kaladin had seen his father give physicals that were less inv... |
“We need you not to stand out, Captain.” Reluctantly, Kaladin nodded, and allowed Shallan to add a Lightweaving to his head to make the slave brands vanish. Then, she handed each of them a sphere. The illusions were tied to the Stormlight inside of those—if the sphere ran out, their false faces would vanish. The group ... |
back. “You talk like a girl sometimes. Um … I mean that as a compliment.” “Thanks?” “But you do need to practice the sword more,” Adolin said, growing excited. “I know you like the spear, and you’re good with it. Great! But you’re not simply a spearman anymore; you’re going to be an irregular. You won’t be fighting in ... |
he’d maybe survey the wall and see if he could get an idea of the Wall Guard’s numbers. More, he wanted to walk a little longer. He strolled to the foot of the nearby city wall, counting guard posts on top, looking at the large lower portion that was a natural part of the local rock. He rested his hand on the smooth, s... |
“Please, no,” Kaladin’s mother cried, clinging to Lirin. “He’s just distraught. He—” Kaladin held out a hand toward her, palm forward, in a quieting motion. “It’s all right, Mother. That was only payment for a little unsettled debt between Roshone and me.” He met the eyes of the guards, each in turn, and they shuffled ... |
He spun the Blade and rammed her down into the floor in one smooth motion. He held the grip, feeling his eyes bleed to blue. Everything grew still. Townspeople froze, gaping. Roshone’s eyes bulged. Curiously, Kaladin’s father just lowered his head and closed his eyes. “Any other questions?” Kaladin asked. * * * “They w... |
have, and some way to carry them through the rain without ruining them.” He grimaced. “And a horse. Several of them, the finest you have.” “So you’re robbing me now?” Roshone asked softly, staring at the floor. “Robbing?” Kaladin said. “We’ll call it renting instead.” He pulled a handful of spheres from his pocket and ... |
some of the old spren have four genders instead of two.” “What? Why?” She poked him in the nose. “Because humans didn’t imagine those ones, silly.” She zipped out in front of him, changing into a field of mist. When he raised his hand, the Shardblade appeared. He strode to where Roshone sat, then stooped down and held ... |
king will respond to you, we can go through an intermediary.” She walked back out the doorway. “Laral…” he said, following. “I hear you stabbed my floor,” she noted. “That’s good hardwood, I’ll have you know. Honestly. Men and their weapons.” “I dreamed of coming back,” Kaladin said, stopping in the hallway outside the... |
way with alacrity. So be it. He’d accepted his place the moment he’d seized Syl from the air and spoken the Words. Lirin was back in the parlor, working on the wounded again. Kaladin stopped in the doorway, then sighed and knelt beside Lirin. As the man reached toward his tray of tools, Kaladin picked it up and held it... |
but I’m something else. A watcher at the rim.” Words spoken to Dalinar Kholin in a vision. Kaladin stood up. “I will protect those who need it. Today, that means hunting down some Voidbringers.” Lirin looked away. “Very well. I am … glad you returned, son. I’m glad you’re safe.” Kaladin rested his hand on his father’s ... |
“ ‘Your instincts are good, Captain,’ ” Dalinar finally sent. “ ‘I feel blind in this tower. Get close enough to discover what the enemy is doing, but don’t take unnecessary risks. Take the spanreed. Send us a glyph each evening to know you are safe.’ ” “Understood, sir. Life before death.” “ ‘Life before death.’ ” Lar... |
it toward Kaladin. Kaladin accepted it, then glanced at his mother and the little boy in her arms. His brother. “I want to take you to safety,” he said to Lirin. “I need to leave now, but I’ll be back soon. To take you to—” “No,” Lirin said. “Father, it’s the Desolation,” Kaladin said. Nearby, people gasped softly, the... |
confirmed by the shoulder patches he saw. The large common room was filled with tables, and a few armorers worked in the corner, sewing jerkins or uniforms. Others sharpened weapons, a rhythmic, calming sound. These were the noises and scents of an army well maintained. The stew didn’t smell anywhere near as good as Ro... |
think?” “You said you weren’t going to press me,” Kaladin said between bites. “I’m not pressing you, but you won’t find a place out there in the city where you’ll eat as well as you do here.” “Where do you get it?” Kaladin asked, spooning the stew into his mouth. “You can’t use Soulcasters. The screamers will come afte... |
and Azure led a group who held the wall when the Cult of Moments tried—in the chaos—to seize the city gates.” “He fought like a Voidbringer,” another squad member said. “I was there. We were almost overwhelmed, then Azure joined us, holding aloft a gleaming Shardblade. He rallied our numbers, inspired even the wounded ... |
who would be a captain. The other lieutenants next. When she stopped at their table, she took in Kaladin with a discerning gaze. “Who’s the new recruit, Lieutenant Noro?” she asked. “This is Kal, sir!” Noro said. “Found him haunting the street outside. Deserter, with a shash brand.” “On a lighteyes? Storms, man. Who di... |
the wall, but no would-be king of Alethkar is going to burn and pillage the capital. But those aren’t Alethi. They’re monsters. At best, they’ll enslave the entire populace. At worst…” She let the thought dangle, then looked at him. “I’m glad you have a brand. It says you’re dangerous, and we have narrow confines up he... |
incense Evi burned in a small censer attached to the side of her carriage. A petition to the Heralds to bless her marriage. He often heard her weeping inside the vehicle, though whenever she left it she was perfectly composed. She read letters, scribed his responses, and took notes at his meetings with generals. In eve... |
In here, she had undone and rolled back her safehand sleeve, displaying her long, elegant fingers. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” Dalinar said, looking away from the safehand. “You’ve been praying nonstop.” “For the Heralds to soften your heart.” “Right. Well, they’ve done that. Here I am. Let’s talk.” “No, Dalinar,” sh... |
lake brought the fecund scent of weeds and crem. Teleb strode up, wearing his Plate. Well, Adolin’s Plate. Evi’s Plate. “Brightlord,” Teleb said, “a short time ago, a large guarded caravan left the Rift. We hadn’t the men to besiege the city, and you had ordered us not to engage. So I sent a scout team to tail them, me... |
outstrip his guards. And the way he stared daggers at Dalinar … this was Brightlord Tanalan, son of the old Tanalan, whom Dalinar had bested after falling down into the Rift itself. That furious fight across wooden bridges and then in a garden suspended from the side of the chasm. The group stopped about fifty feet fro... |
“Well, I’m good at only one thing. He builds. I destroy. But because of the tears of a good woman, I have come—against my better judgment—to offer you an alternative. Let’s find an accommodation that will spare your city.” “An accommodation? You killed my father.” “And someday a man will kill me,” Dalinar said. “My son... |
the wall. “My men must be thinking it very odd. It will make sense when they hear the truth—that I was telling you about the envoy that had been here, delivering weapons and supplies to us from one of your secret enemies.” “Your reward, of course,” Dalinar said, “would be legitimacy as a highlord in the kingdom. Perhap... |
to trust anyone. One of our closest allies may have betrayed us. I’m going to go find out.” The Edgedancers are too busy relocating the tower’s servants and farmers to send a representative to record their thoughts in these gemstones. I’ll do it for them, then. They are the ones who will be most displaced by this decis... |
instead from polished dark stumpweight wood. It looked strangely natural, almost like a tree could have grown in that shape, poured from above and running down in an undulating column, splashing outward at the base. They soon passed a room to their left, where Ishnah was talking with the current mistress of Rockfall. E... |
wish I’d picked it out myself.” He grunted, scratching the side of his head. “I like Veil.” “Not me?” “You’re my boss. I’m not supposed to like you.” Straightforward, if rude. At least you always knew where you stood with him. He listened at the door, then cracked it open, tracking the guards. “All right. We go up the ... |
for Pattern, but he was still below. They stopped at a second-floor room, locked tightly. The plan was for Pattern to open it, but she didn’t have the patience to wait. Besides, a master-servant was walking along. He gave a bow when he saw Nananav. “That is your bow?” Nananav said. “That quick bob? Where did they teach... |
Soulcasting. Fortunately, Veil was running this operation. Shallan … Shallan got lost in things. She’d get focused on details, or stick her head in the clouds and dream about the big picture. That comfortable middle, that safe place of moderation, was unfamiliar ground to her. They descended the steps, then joined Red ... |
vision went dark for a moment, and she had a flash of panic remembering her stabbing in the palace. But why should she care if actual painspren joined the illusory ones around her? She righted herself and looked back toward the soldiers, her face melting, the crossbow bolt sticking from her temple. The guards ran. “Vat... |
called it. Veil didn’t know much of the Unmade. She’d never paid attention to the ardents on important matters, let alone when they spoke of old folktales and stories of Voidbringers. Shallan knew little more, and wanted to find a book about the subject, of course. Last night, Veil had returned to the inn where Shallan... |
me know if you do. In the meantime, do you know of anyone who could use a little extra food? People who are particularly nice or deserving, but who get overlooked by the grain rationing?” He eyed her, trying to determine her angle. “I’ve got extra to give away,” Veil explained. “You’re going to give them food.” He said... |
did it feel good to be doing something. Shallan could go off and study books, talk plots, and scheme. Veil would worry about the people who were actually starving. She didn’t give it all away though. She let Vathah keep his sausage. I am worried about the tower’s protections failing. If we are not safe from the Unmade ... |
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