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protect, Kaladin. Not kill.” “You have to kill to protect,” he snapped. “Storms. You’re starting to sound as bad as my father.” He tried a few more stances, until finally Ivis came over and gave him some corrections. She laughed at his frustration as he held the sword wrong again. “You expected to pick this up in one d... |
before.” “Not this breed!” the Thaylen man said with a laugh. “Chickens for eating are stupid—this one is smart, almost as smart as a man! It can speak. Listen. Jeksonofnone! Say your name!” “Jeksonofnone,” the creature said. Shallan jumped back. The word was mangled by the creature’s inhuman voice, but it was recogniz... |
must act more like a lady,” Father said. The darkeyes gave them plenty of room, bowing as her father passed. Two of Father’s ardents trailed after them, hands behind their backs, contemplative. “You will need to stop gawking so often. It will not be long before we will want to find a husband for you.” “Yes, Father,” sh... |
seat beside Father—the one that Helaran, as heir, would have used if he’d been there. Revilar’s two servants took up places behind him. They somehow managed to convey a sense of disapproval of Father without saying anything. “Is your son going to duel today?” Father asked. “Actually, yes.” “Hopefully he can keep all of... |
he didn’t even send one of the guards with her. She slipped out of the box, satchel under her arm, and passed through the Davar servants who were preparing her father’s meal. Freedom. Freedom was as valuable as an emerald broam to Shallan, and as rare as a larkin. She hurried away, lest her father realize he had given ... |
many as there were darkeyes. That seemed very odd to her. Odd and fascinating at the same time. She itched to find a corner to watch where she would not be noticed, her sketchpad out and her imagination boiling. Instead, she forced herself to move around the edge of the fair. The tent that her brothers had spoken of wo... |
grand a term for the patched and ripped tarp strung up at the edge of the fairgrounds. She’d have found it on her own soon enough. The thick canvas, with sides that hung down a few feet, made it surprisingly dark inside. Men crowded together in there. The few women that Shallan saw had the fingers cut out of the gloves... |
into the leg of the other. Blood sprayed the ground, deep violet. “What is it?” Balat asked. “That is the glyphpair of House Tavinar.” “It’s from Eylita.” “Eylita? The daughter? Why . . . what . . .” Shallan broke the seal, opening the letter to read for him. “She wishes to walk with you along the fairgrounds stream. S... |
that meeting only to start another. A man she did not know sat next to Father with a cup of chilled water in one hand. Tall, slender, and blue-eyed, he had deep black hair without a hint of impurity and wore clothing the same shade. He glanced at Shallan as she stepped up into the box. The man started, dropping his cup... |
shoulder, his eyes distant. He did try. They all did. Shallan sought out their carriage, which stood parked with a number of others near the western slope of the fairgrounds. Jella trees here rose high, their hardened trunks colored the light brown of crem. The needles sprouted like a thousand tongues of fire from each... |
I’ll not be boxed up and forced to spend my days convincing people to listen to the Almighty—who suspiciously has nothing to say for himself.” “That doesn’t mean you can’t study,” Shallan said. “I gathered those from Father’s books, equations for determining highstorm timing. I translated and simplified the writing to ... |
scale—because a person decided to be frivolous.” “He is well, though?” she asked. “Well enough. The message for your father was that he has eyes nearby, and is watching.” No wonder it had put Father in a bad mood. “Where is he?” Shallan said, timidly stepping forward. “Did he tell you to speak to me?” “I’m sorry, young... |
of the beauty of a woman,’ the first said. ‘Can I not know her beauty in the softness of her caress, the kindness of her voice, the keenness of her mind as she reads philosophy to me? Can I not know this beauty? Can I not know most kinds of beauty, even without my eyes?’ “‘Very well,’ said the second. ‘But what if your... |
from the sip I just took. It is beautiful because it could have been. It should have been. I . . .” She blinked tears. She saw it. Stormfather, but she saw it. She heard her mother’s voice, saw Jushu giving up spheres to Balat as he lost the duel, but laughing as he paid, uncaring of the loss. She could feel the air, s... |
their identity. Individuality through meal choice; Kaladin found that amusing as he moved off into the night, shouldering his spear. He had three more crews to look in on. The next, Bridge Eighteen, was one of those having problems. Their sergeant, though earnest, didn’t have the presence necessary for a good officer. ... |
to do so.” “Teft likes to exaggerate,” Kaladin said. “It’s one mark of a good sergeant.” Syl frowned. “And that last part . . . was a joke?” “Yes.” “Ah.” She looked into his eyes. “Rest anyway, Kaladin. Please.” Kaladin looked toward Bridge Four’s barrack. It was a distance away, down the rows, but he thought he could ... |
to leave the storage room. “Sir,” Shen said. Kaladin paused. “You are,” Shen said, speaking in his slow way, “a good man.” “I’ve spent my life being judged for my eyes, Shen. I won’t do something similar to you because of your skin.” “Sir, I—” The parshman seemed troubled by something. “Kaladin!” Moash’s voice came fro... |
barracks manned by ordinary soldiers—and the men there were busy in tasks that Kaladin had rarely seen in Sadeas’s army. Sharpening spears, oiling breastplates, before their dinner call came. Kaladin’s men weren’t the only ones going out for the night, though. Other groups of soldiers had already eaten, and these strol... |
mold. Rock, I’m disappointed in you.” The Horneater looked sheepish, but took a bite. His chouta crunched. “Shells?” Kaladin asked. “Cremling claws.” Rock grinned. “Deep-fried.” Kaladin sighed, but they finally struck out again through the crowd, eventually reaching a wooden building built on the leeward side of a larg... |
In a normal army, Kaladin would be lighteyed, and his wife or sister would act as the battalion’s scribe and clerk. Peet waved them over, and Ka led them through to a table set off to the side. Kaladin settled himself with his back to the wall, near enough to a window that he could look out if he wanted, but where he w... |
air was thick and thinking was difficult. But we were hated.” “Who would hate Horneaters?” Peet said. “Everyone,” Rock replied as Ka brought the drinks. More special attention. Most everyone else was having to go to the bar to pick up drinks. Rock smiled at her and grabbed his large mug. “Is first drink. Lopen, you are... |
mountains.’ And he was promised. Then, tana’kai returned to mountains, and said, ‘Give to us your heat, this thing that is in your heart, that we may live upon your peaks.’ “And this thing, he pleased gods of mountains, who saw that Unkalaki would work hard. They would not be burden upon the gods, but would solve probl... |
top, is water. Beneath, is not. Is something else. Water of life. The place of the gods. This thing is true. I have met a god myself.” “A god like Syl?” Kaladin asked. “Or maybe a riverspren?” Those were somewhat rare, but supposedly able to speak at times in simple ways, like windspren. “No,” Rock said. He leaned in, ... |
something wrong with that reasoning, but he had trouble producing it logically. He drank a little more, and looked around the room, noticing again how relaxed everyone seemed. This was their life. Work, then play. That was enough for them. Not for him. He needed something more. He got out a glowing sphere—just a diamon... |
to meet you. Embarrassing Sadeas while saving the Blackthorn himself? Good show, man. Good show.” “And you are?” Kaladin asked. “A patriot,” the man said. “Call me Graves.” “And are you the Shardbearer?” “Straight to the point, are you?” Graves said, gesturing for Kaladin to sit at the table. Moash took a seat immediat... |
place anyway,” Kaladin said. “No,” Danlan said. “Dalinar holds himself back. He knows he should take the throne, but hesitates out of love for his dead brother. The other highprinces interpret this as weakness.” “We need the Blackthorn,” Graves said, pounding the table. “This kingdom is going to fall otherwise. The dea... |
I wish their arguments hadn’t been so good. “How did you meet them?” Kaladin asked as Moash jogged up to join him. “Rill, that’s the fellow who was sitting at the table, he was a mercenary on some of the caravans I worked before ending up in the bridge crews. He came to me once we were free of slavery.” Moash took Kala... |
However, Jasnah’s annotations said other maps from the time placed it elsewhere. “How could they not know where their capital was, the center of the orders of knights? Why does every map argue with its fellows?” “Mmmmmm . . .” Pattern said, thoughtful. “Perhaps many had heard of it, but never visited.” “Cartographers a... |
could translate because of the sounds of the cities above.” “But those aren’t written in the Dawnchant!” “The scripts are derived from one another,” Pattern said. “Obviously.” “So obvious that no human scholar has ever figured it out.” “You are not as good with patterns,” he said, sounding smug. “You are abstract. You ... |
Shallan whispered. “She thought she could find a passageway here, on the Plains. But they’re barren stormlands, just stone, crem, and greatshells.” She looked up at Pattern. “We really need to get out there, onto the Shattered Plains.” Her announcement was accompanied by an ominous chime from the clock. Ominous in that... |
They would be far safer here than at her father’s estates, and what would they be leaving behind? Barely anything at all. She’d begun to think it was a far better solution than anything else, and let them dodge the issue of the missing Soulcaster, to an extent. She’d gone to one of the information stations connected to... |
“You are being treated well, En?” she asked as he opened the coach door for her. “Yes, mistress.” “You’d tell me if you weren’t?” “Er, yes, mistress.” “And you, Vathah?” she asked, turning to him. “How are you finding your accommodations?” He grunted. “I assume that means they’re accommodating?” she asked. Gaz chuckled... |
expert on feeding.” Shallan gathered all of her spheres—several were now dun—and set them on the seat across from her, out of reach. That wasn’t far enough, for as her Stormlight ran out, she breathed in using instincts she hadn’t realized she had. Light streamed from across the carriage and into her. “I’m quite good a... |
her hand disturbed it like smoke. She noticed something else. While her hand was in the image . . . Yes. She sucked in a breath and the image dissolved to glowing smoke, drawn into her skin. She could reclaim Stormlight from the illusion. One question answered, she thought, settling back and making notes about the expe... |
trying to distract Balat from the sketchbook. She couldn’t keep herself from blushing as he turned page after page. Those weren’t meant for others to look at. They weren’t any good. “Yeah,” he said, grinning. “You going to have Shallan read it to you?” Wikim asked, throwing the ball. Balat coughed. “I had Malise do it.... |
too quickly, your audience is disappointed?” “Shallan!” Balat said. Wikim, however, was rolling on the ground. After a moment, Balat shook his head, and gave an agreeable chuckle. For her own part, Shallan was blushing. Did I really just say that? That last one had actually been somewhat witty, far better than the othe... |
floor, hands bound behind his back. Over the years, Jushu had grown plump from his periods of excess. “Bah,” Father said. “I will not suffer this extortion.” “His credit is your credit, Brightlord,” one of the men said in a calm, smooth voice. He was darkeyed, though he didn’t sound it. “He promised us you would pay hi... |
that moment, Shallan felt a terrifying hatred from her father. He strode over, grabbing her by the arms. Her satchel dropped to the floor. “I’ve done this for you,” he growled, holding her arms in a tight, painful grip. “And you will obey. I’ve gone wrong, somewhere, in letting you learn to question me.” She whimpered ... |
She hurried as best she could on slippered feet down the cobbled drive and out the gates onto the road. She wasn’t fast, but neither were chulls. As she drew closer, she saw that Jushu had been tied to walk behind the carriage. He didn’t look up as Shallan passed him. The carriage stopped, and Jushu dropped to the grou... |
unsheathed one of the daggers and inspected it. “Name for me one reason I should show this man pity. In my house, he was an arrogant glutton, acting without thought for the difficulty he would cause you, his family.” “Our mother was murdered,” Shallan said. “That night, as I cried, Jushu held me.” It was all she had. T... |
“I would not want to have to punish anyone else because of you, Shallan,” Father said. This cold monster, was this really her father? “It is time.” Father nodded. “No more indulgences. If we are to be important in Jah Keved, we cannot be seen as weak. Do you understand?” She nodded, unable to stop the tears. “Good,” he... |
him muddle her mind. She had a purpose to this meeting: an alliance with House Kholin to help her brothers and give her resources for exposing the Voidbringers and discovering Urithiru. She couldn’t afford to come off as weak. She had to control the situation, could not act like a sycophant, and she couldn’t— Adolin sa... |
a sigh. “Sure, it’s all right for Jasnah to run about into her middle years without a spouse, but if I reach my twenty-third birthday without a bride, it’s like I’m some kind of menace. Sexist of her, don’t you think?” “Well, she wanted me to get married too,” Shallan said. “So I wouldn’t call her sexist. Merely . . . ... |
these days. Oh, is that our wine?” Poised, she reminded herself yet again. She pointedly did not look eastward. The servant had brought them two cups of brilliant blue wine. Adolin picked his up and studied it. He smelled it, sipped it, then nodded in satisfaction and dismissed the servant with a parting smile. He watc... |
was probably supposed to ask what happened next. “What if you need to poop?” she asked instead. “Well, I put my back to the chasm and laid about me with my sword, intending to . . . Wait. What did you say?” “Poop,” Shallan said. “You’re out there on the battlefield, encased in metal like a crab in its shell. What do yo... |
not as brave as the poor men who have to clean your armor.” Adolin bellowed out a laugh. For the first time it seemed like something genuine—an emotion from him that wasn’t scripted or expected. He pounded his fist on the table, then waved for more wine, wiping a tear from his eye. The grin he gave her threatened to br... |
That’s how they look. Why?” “That’s the chrysalis of a yu-nerig,” Shallan said. “A greatshell from the seas around Marabethia. The people there feed criminals to them, I’m told.” “Ouch.” “This might be a false positive, a coincidence. The yu-nerig are an aquatic species. The only time they come onto land is to pupate. ... |
listen when she approached him with something even more revolutionary. “All I’m saying,” Shallan continued, “is that it’s worth thinking about and studying. What would it be like if you could start raising chasmfiends, growing them to juveniles in batches like men raise chulls? Instead of hunting three a week, what if ... |
. .” He continued. He poured out a surprising story, one with far greater detail than she’d anticipated. A story of betrayal, and of hope. Visions of the past. A unified Alethkar, prepared to weather a coming storm. She didn’t know what to make of it all, though she gathered that Adolin was telling her of it because he... |
tapping the paper with one finger. “A lot of that sank in the ocean, I’m afraid, but I do have some of her notes, and . . . Adolin, how hard do you think it would be to convince the highprinces to get rid of their parshmen?” “Get rid of what?” “How hard would it to be to make everyone stop using parshmen as slaves? Giv... |
Not Adolin. Storms, but being with him was something else she could get very, very used to. People began to stir on the patio. She ignored them for a moment, but then many began to stand up from their seats, looking eastward. Highstorm. Right. Shallan felt a spike of alarm as she looked toward the Origin of Storms. The... |
away from one, separated by a window shutter, she had not been as close as she was now. Watching that darkness descend upon the warcamps . . . I need to draw. “Shallan!” Adolin said, pulling her away from the railing. “They’ll close the doors if we don’t go now!” With a start, she realized that everyone else had left t... |
Had she really promised to help him breed chasmfiends? As if she needed something else to take her time. Still, she felt good about the day as she entered the women’s sitting room, her guards taking their places in the appropriate waiting room. Shallan strolled through the women’s room, which was well lit with gemstone... |
recognized that voice, didn’t he? Adolin sat upright, then looked over his shoulder. How long had Sadeas been back there, and why hadn’t Adolin spotted him when first entering? Sadeas turned to him, a calm smile on his face. Maybe he’ll just . . . Sadeas strolled up to Adolin, hands clasped behind his back, wearing a f... |
My Shalashian temperament, perhaps. I wish Dalinar good fortune in finding a replacement—though from what I’ve heard, the other highprinces have come to an agreement that none of us are . . . suited to these kinds of appointments.” He renounces the king’s authority, Adolin thought. Storms, this was bad. He gritted his ... |
pathway through the Outer Market, strolling around puddles. Gardeners had begun growing ornamental shalebark along the sides of the path, though it wasn’t very high yet, just a few inches. A good shalebark ridge could take years to grow properly. Those two insufferable bridgemen followed along behind him. Not that Adol... |
men had set spheres on the ground. What was going on? Normally, two or maybe four men would be on guard here. Not eight. And . . . why was there a parshman wearing a guardsman uniform, holding a spear with the others? “Sir!” said a lanky, long-armed man at the front of the bridgemen. “We were just heading in to check o... |
boulder too big for even storms to move. He seemed so sure. It was something to cling to. “You don’t remember anything?” Navani asked Dalinar, rising. “No.” He turned to Adolin. “I think it’s obvious now that I was behind each of these. Why does that bother you so, son?” “It’s the idea of you scribbling on the ground,”... |
Knights Radiant, the preparation for a disaster that might or might not come—was a package. Adolin had already decided to believe that his father wasn’t mad. Further worry was pointless. The other decision might get him into trouble. He left his quarters, entering the sitting room, where Dalinar was already planning wi... |
slowly. “It shouldn’t be so. The kingdom needs to be strong enough to survive the loss of one man, no matter who.” “Well, it’s not there yet,” Adolin said. “To get it there, we’re going to need you. And that means you need to let us watch out for you. I’m sorry, Father, but once in a while you just have to let someone ... |
it, noticing its shape, ridged in places, almost like . . . “It’s a chasmfiend,” Adolin realized. He passed the face, a hollowed-out piece of stone that evoked the exact feeling of a chasmfiend’s head. A statue? No, it was too natural. A chasmfiend had died here centuries ago, and instead of being blown away, had slowl... |
them and where she paused. She changed tones, but the result was more of a chant than a song. Inadara took out a writing board and spanreed, then started writing down what Eshonai said. “What is this?” Eshonai demanded. “I came alone, as you asked,” Adolin said, trying to project his father’s air of command. “But I wil... |
would he have been able to do more? Inadara still wrote, sending the words to Dalinar. A reply from him finally came. “Return to the warcamps. There is nothing you, or I myself, could have done. Clearly, her mind is already made up.” Adolin spent the return ride brooding. When he finally reached the warcamps a few hour... |
have a plan for my next target.” “Good. To succeed out on the Plains, we will need Shardbearers—and we will need the loyalty of as many highprinces as will follow me. Focus your dueling on the Shardbearers of the faction loyal to Sadeas, and beat them with as much fanfare as you can manage. I will go to the neutral hig... |
who wore their uniforms wore them with unbuttoned jackets and wrinkled trousers. She passed tavern after tavern, each spitting forth a racket. The women who idled in front of some indicated that not all were simply taverns. Whorehouses were common in every camp, of course, but they seemed more blatant here. She passed ... |
distance behind them. “We’re going to start keeping a secure perimeter.” “Yes, Sergeant.” “Oh, stop harassing the lad, Hav,” the other soldier said. “You can’t expect him to know rules that half the soldiers don’t even know yet.” “On with you,” Hav said, waving Shallan through. She hastened to obey. A secure perimeter?... |
The Stormlight rising from his exposed skin was enough to illuminate the chasm, and it cast shadows on the walls as he ran. Those seemed to become figures, crafted by the bones and branches stretching from the heaps on the ground. Bodies and souls. His movement made the shadows twist, as if turning to regard him. He ra... |
Amaram apparently trusted his servants. A long flight of steps led up to the second floor, providing quick access for servants to bring meals to Amaram. Shallan had drawn a layout of the building from guesses based on window locations. The room with the secrets had been easy to locate—Amaram had the windows shuttered, ... |
Amaram was going up to his room, the one Shallan was supposed to inspect. The Ghostbloods will be mad at me for alerting Amaram, Shallan thought, but they’ll be even angrier if I do that and then return with no information. She had to get into that room, alone. That meant she couldn’t let Amaram enter it. Shallan scram... |
wasn’t about reflexes or timing. It wasn’t even about changing perspective. It was about fear. It was about that moment when, hanging in the air, his body lurched from being pulled down to being pulled sideways. His instincts weren’t equipped to deal with this shift. A primal part of him panicked every time down stoppe... |
sphere and taking Memories of the maps. The Shattered Plains? This map was far more extensive than any she’d seen before—and that included the Prime Map that she’d studied in the king’s Gallery of Maps. How had Amaram obtained something so extensive? She tried to work out the use of glyphs—there was no grammar to them ... |
this assignment. Shallan had to craft better lies. She pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and slapped it onto the desk, then began to frantically draw. * * * Kaladin jumped off the wall at a careful speed, twisting to the side and landing back on the ground without breaking step. He wasn’t going very quickly, but ... |
“I sent her off to work with Stine for the evening. I thought the girl needed a little direction.” “No,” Pattern said. “Her return was at my command. I have sent her out again, and told her not to speak of what happened tonight.” The cook frowned. “What . . . happened tonight?” “You are not to speak of this event. You ... |
I find excuses to summon it.” Shallan was barely listening. A Blade with the back edge ridged like flowing waves. Or perhaps tongues of fire. Etchings all along its surface. Curved, sinuous. She knew this Blade. It belonged to her brother Helaran. * * * Kaladin charged through the chasm, and the wind joined him, blowin... |
rope around him and pushed him off a cliff, then yanked on the rope right as he reached the end of it. The Stormlight inside, however, made the discomfort negligible. He pulled sideways, into another chasm. Lashings sent him eastward again down another corridor, and he wove around plateaus, keeping to the chasms—like a... |
said, drawing Amaram’s attention. He seemed startled, as if he’d forgotten she was there. “Yes?” “Brightness Shallan,” she said, “wants to make certain the records are all correct and that the histories of the Blades and Plate in the Alethi army have been properly traced. Your Blade is not in them. She asked if you wou... |
in a swirl until finally coming to rest on his shoulder. She sat, then looked down. “Not many men ever see this view,” she noted. From up here, the warcamps—circles of fire to his right—seemed insignificant. It was cold enough to be uncomfortable. Rock claimed the air was thinner up high, though Kaladin couldn’t tell a... |
coming back without having gone out. Storms. They’d have seen him flying out here, wouldn’t they? What would they think? Were any close enough to have seen him land? Well, he couldn’t do anything about that now. He reached the bottom of the chasm and started walking back toward the warcamps, his Stormlight slowly dying... |
he said, turning back toward Dalinar’s camp. “Not tonight.” Evening stew was finished by the time Kaladin arrived back at the barracks. He passed the fire, where embers still glowed, and made his way to his room. Syl zipped up into the air. She’d ride the winds overnight, playing with her cousins. So far as he knew, sh... |
his ability in his previous duel had not coaxed anyone powerful into agreeing to a bout. Adolin had barely persuaded Elit. Time for a different tactic. Adolin passed where Sadeas, Aladar, and Ruthar watched. The core of the coalition against Father. By now, each of them had gone on plateau runs illicitly, getting to th... |
at the straight-on blow. Others booed, however. The classical strike there would have been to hit Elit’s head, trying to shatter the helm. Elit stumbled forward, knocked off balance by the missed thrust and subsequent blow. Adolin heaved against him with a shoulder, throwing him to the ground. Then, instead of pouncing... |
her. “I checked your seat before the fight and you weren’t there.” “I forgot to burn a prayer,” she said, “so I stopped to do so. I caught most of the fight, though.” She hesitated right before him, seeming awkward for a moment. Adolin shared that awkwardness. They had only been officially courting for little more than... |
bridgeman guards jumped, and Renarin cursed, standing up. Adolin just turned, gently moving Shallan to the side so he could see who was standing beyond. Relis, current dueling champion and Highprince Ruthar’s eldest son. As expected. “What,” Relis demanded, stalking into the room, “was that?” He was followed by a small... |
I hope you actually have a plan.” Shallan sat down next to him. “What do you know of Highprince Yenev . . . ?” Shallan stepped from the carriage into a light rainfall. She wore the white coat and trousers of the darkeyed version of herself that she’d named Veil. Rain sprinkled on the brim of her hat. She’d spent too lo... |
sheltered from the wind, plants would find purchase and start to grow. The snarl of green grew haphazardly—this was not a true lait, where life would be safe over time, but instead a temporary shelter, good for a few years at most. For now, plants grew eagerly, sometimes atop one another, sprouting, blossoming, shaking... |
cultures will involve a lot of shouting and posturing, but few deaths. That kind of boastful society doesn’t seem the type to have assassins.” And yet the Parshendi had sent one. Against the Alethi. Mraize was studying her—watching her with unreadable eyes, long blowgun held lightly in his fingertips. “I see,” he final... |
is not more detail to these maps,” Mraize noted, inspecting the picture again. Shallan obligingly got out the other five pictures she’d drawn for him. Four were the maps on the walls in detail, the other a closer depiction of the wall scrolls with Amaram’s script. In each one, the actual writing was indecipherable, jus... |
with one another in hushed voices, but Shallan couldn’t make out any of it. She felt like she was on display before an audience. “I copied some of the text for you,” Shallan said, fishing out one page of script. These were lines she had specifically chosen to show them—they didn’t reveal too much, but might act as a pr... |
forbidden, but it is hardly encouraged. We cannot run an organization properly if subordinates consider hunting their superiors to be a primary method of advancement.” “Yes, sir.” “Your superior, however, was not a member of our organization. Tyn thought herself to be the hunter, but she was game all along. If you are ... |
‘I have entered the carriage when you weren’t looking. Do not look. My exit must be stealthy. Carry me back to the city. Pull up to the warcamps and wait to a count of ten. I will leave. Do not look. You have your payment, and discretion was part of it.’” Pattern hummed and moved off. A short time later, the carriage r... |
all signs of the Ghostbloods with it. “I guess this means I’m walking,” Shallan said, turning back toward the warcamps. “Did you expect otherwise?” Pattern asked from his place on her coat, sounding genuinely curious. “No,” Shallan said. “I’m just talking to myself.” “Mmm. No, you talk to me.” She walked on into the ev... |
approached hesitantly. Well, she’d been right in her worry. It was a good thing she’d stayed behind. Something nagged at her. . . . The coachman! She ran ahead, fearing the worst. His corpse was there, lying beside the broken carriage, staring up at the sky. His throat had been slit. Beside him, his parshman porters la... |
along.” At the end of the hallway, they stepped into daylight. Not much of it, though. The sky was still overcast from the rains of the last few days. They emerged into the warcamp. “We collecting any other guards?” Adolin asked. “Usually there’s two of you.” “Just me today.” Kaladin was short-manned, with the king und... |
He’d rather be thinking about the new sword stances that Zahel had taught him, but Wit had shown him kindness before. The least Kaladin could do was chat with him. “So, uh, did you keep your job? As King’s Wit, I mean. When we met before, you implied you were in danger of losing your title.” “I haven’t checked yet,” Wi... |
of the Weeping. Stormfather. Grey skies and miserable weather made him wonder why he’d even bothered to get out of bed. Eventually, the carriage reached Sebarial’s warcamp, a place that looked even more like a city than the other warcamps. Kaladin marveled at the fully constructed tenements, the markets, the— “Farmers?... |
with Adolin. He had to show more initiative than that; could he instead confirm that she was who she said she was? Decide from her past if she was a threat or not? Kaladin stood up, planning to jump down onto the ground to keep an eye on her as she approached Adolin. She suddenly started, eyes widening. She pointed at ... |
“No offense,” Kaladin whispered, “but I’d sooner flirt with a chasmfiend.” He left Wit to drive the carriage, hauling himself into it. Inside, Adolin looked toward the heavens. “You’re kidding.” “It’s my job,” Kaladin said, seating himself next to Adolin. “Surely I’m safe in here,” Adolin said through gritted teeth, “w... |
to the menagerie. What was it? Adolin turned back around and asked after her day. Kaladin listened with half an ear, studying Shallan, trying to pick out any knives hidden on her person. She blushed at something Adolin said, then laughed. Kaladin didn’t really like Adolin, but at least the prince was honest. He had his... |
about it, I remembered a reference to the Yenev duel in Jasnah’s biography of the old king.” “All right . . .” Kaladin said, frowning. “‘The purpose,’” Shallan continued, holding up her finger as she read further from the account, “‘of this preliminary duel was to conspicuously awe and impress the highprinces. Though w... |
and authority would be the same.” “It’s about perception,” Shallan said. “Sadeas has formed a coalition against the king. That implies he is stronger than the king. Losing to the king’s champion would deflate that.” “But it’s all just games,” Kaladin said. “Yes,” Adolin said—Kaladin hadn’t expected him to agree. “But i... |
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