Hey, my Cosmere Chickens, its Thursday againtime for another Rhythm of War reread chapter. Welcome back, as we rejoin Kaladin for some sober conversation with Syl, and some very sneaky sneaking around the Tower. Also an Observation, and a realization that leads to a very tense mission which well get to in another three weeks. Come on in and join the discussion!

Reminder: Well be discussing spoilers for the entirety of the series up until now. If you havent read ALL of the published entries of The Stormlight Archive (this includes Edgedancer and Dawnshard as well as the entirety of Rhythm of War), best to wait to join us until youre done.

There are no Cosmere spoilers in the post this week; no promises about the comments, though!

Heralds: Palah (Pailiah, Paliah). Truthwatchers. Learned/Giving. Role: Scholar.

Vedeledev (Vedel). Edgedancers. Loving/Healing. Role: Healer.

A: Im not terribly confident in this, but my best guess is that Vedel is here for Kaladins skillful care-taking of the unconscious Teft, and possibly for the mental-health-and-grieving discussion with Syl. Palah maybe for his search for information about the Oathgates, or his creative use of Adhesion in pursuit of that information? Or could she be a subtle hint that eventually Dabbid will join the Truthwatchers? (If so, Im betting hell be like Renarin and Rlain in bonding one of Sja-anats children.)

Icon: Banner and Spears for a Kaladin POV.

Epigraph: From Rhythm of War, page 6 undertext:

We must not let our desires for a specific result cloud our perceptions.

P: This sounds like Raboniel, since I dont feel that Navani has any expectations.

A: I agree. Its all so new for Navani; shes never had this much freedom to explore possibilities before. Raboniel, on the other hand, is looking for something very particular; shes the one who needs to be careful not to bias her interpretation of data based on what she hopes to find.

WHO: KaladinWHEN: 1175.4.6.5 (within an hour or so after Chapter 49)WHERE: Urithiru

(Note: For the when notations, we are using this wonderful timeline provided by the folks at The 17th Shard.)

RECAP: With Stormlight to see by, Kaladin arranges Teft suitably for hospital care, giving him water which he takes eagerly. As he works, Syl asks some reflective questions, and reveals her grief over the loss of her first Radiant, whom she now remembers. Kaladin helps her understand herself in human terms, and then they hear noises at the door. Dabbid is outside with broth, sent by the Sibling. Kaladin leaves him feeding Teft and begins his search for information about how the Fused are working the Oathgates. Using Adhesion to attach handles and his boot toes to the outside of the tower, he descends some nine levels before he sees the Oathgate flash with a dark light. A group of singer scouts (which hed had to avoid once already) begin packing up their spyglasses, and he realizes that hes not going to get a chance at the Oathgates this night. Then he realizes that, since they appeared to have been watching for Windrunner scouts to make sure no one saw them using Voidlight to activate the Oathgate, they must be using spanreeds, which means they have Voidlight fabrials, which is really what Navani needs, which means he needs to steal it

With Stormlight, Kaladin had been able to investigate his little hideout, finding it slightly larger than hed pictured.

P: I was so relieved at this point that Kaladin had Stormlight. Hugely relieved. Not that Kaladin without Stormlight is entirely helpless, but when youre up against creatures like the Pursuer and an occupying army, Stormlight is a handy thing to have, even for one whose powers are limited.

A: Its also nice to see him with a little light. It may not be the daylight and open skies he craves, but its much better for him than being in the dark. (Also intensely practical, for things like putting Teft in a position and clothing that makes it easier to care for him, and for getting that water syringe actually in his mouth

Teft lapped up the contents eagerly. He seemed so close to coming awake, Kaladin expected him to start cursing at any moment, demanding to know where his uniform had gone.

Syl watched, uncharacteristically solemn. What will we do if he dies? she asked softly.

Dont think about that, Kaladin said.

What if I cant help thinking about it?

Find something to distract you.

A: What a contrast between Teft and Syl here! Teft, normally the grumpy one, is so hopeful, looking like he might wake upand wouldnt that be fantastic? And then Syl, the always-perky-and-cheerful one, is fearful, worrying that Teft might die.

P: This is so heart wrenching, to have Syl thinking this kind of thing. While I know the situation in the tower is likely weighing heavily on her, shes also showing more human behavior.

A: We saw just a hint of this in her Interlude, and now its really expanding. While its wonderful character development, its also rather painful to watch her learning to deal with grief.

Ive been remembering what it was like when Relador, my old knight, died. How it made me sleep for so many years, straight through the Recreance. I keep wondering, will that happen to me again?

P: Nobody likes to think of Kaladins possible death, least of all, me but its obviously something that weighs heavily on Syls mind. I cant imagine what it would do to her to lose another knight.

A: This really brings it home: She has no other spren to turn to for help (at this point). Shes the only previously-bonded honorspren to survive the Recreance, and there arent many from other spren families either. If the highspren were more communicative, they could (perhaps) share some insight into the process of dealing with repeatedly losing their human partners, but perhaps not. They dont seem to have the same kind of relationship with their humans as the honorspren do.

She cut off as a faint scraping sounded outside, from near the doorway. Immediately Kaladin reached for his scalpel. Syl came alert, zipping up into the air around him as a ribbon of light. Kaladin crept toward the door. Hed covered up the gemstone in the wall on this side with a piece of cloth. He didnt know if his light would shine out or not, but wasnt taking any chances.

But he could hear. Someone was out there, their boots scraping stone. Were they inspecting the door?

P: You want to talk about gut-wrenching fear this terrified me during the beta, thinking that the Pursuer might have found Kaladin.

A: Kaladin too, apparently. But yeah, the idea that his lovely little hideout might be compromised already was terrifying.

He made a snap decision, slipping his hand under the cloth and pressing it against the stone, commanding it to open. The rocks began to split. Kaladin prepared to leap out and attack the singer on the other side.

But it wasnt a singer.

It was Dabbid.

P: And then the moment of exultation not an enemy at the door, but a friend. What a huge relief!

A: Intense! I cant remember: Does Kaladin know at this point that Dabbid has been working for the Sibling? In any case, its a delight to start seeing the pieces coming together, as the Sibling is creating links between these three humans and their arcs are aligning.

Regardless, he was a wonderful sight. Kaladin had been worrying about leaving Teft. If Kaladin died on a mission, that would be a death sentence for Teft, too. Unless someone else knew about him.

He got Dabbid situated, then showed him the use of the syringe and had him start feeding Teft.

P: As confident as we are that Kaladin will survive, this is still reassuring. Leaving Teft alone in the dark made me squicky.

A: Alone and unconscious in a locked dark room ::shudders::

Tower spren? he asked.

Yes.

Is there a way I can lock these doors, so they cant be opened by just anyone?

It was once possible to attune them to individuals. These days, I must simply leave a given door so it can be opened by anyone, or lock it so none can open it.

Well, it was good to know thatin a pinchhe should be able to ask the Sibling to lock the door. For now, it was enough that Dabbid could get in and out.

P: Its somewhat worrisome that its all or nothing, really. But I guess that you take what you can get with a broken tower and an enemy occupation.

A: Yeah, its a bit much to ask that things would work in all the most helpful ways immediately But its nice to hope that over time, this also will change.

Navani had asked Kaladin to observe the Oathgates up close as they were activated. To see if he could figure out why they functioned when other fabrials did not.

Instead, he wanted to try climbing along the outside of the tower. Before hed learned to fly, hed stuck rocks to the chasm wall and climbed them. He figured he could do something similar now.

P: I know that hes got Stormlight to heal, but theres no telling if it would heal him if he fell. The thought of Kaladin clinging precariously to the side of the tower gives me vertigo and makes my stomach clench.

A: For sure. He may be on the side of the tower where there would be fields on the first level, but falling eleven stories would not be good for his health. I seem to recall getting awfully tensed up reading this, as if I could help him hold on!

Standing here, part of him wanted to jump, to feel the rushing wind. It wasnt some suicidal tendency, not this time. It was the call of something beautiful.

P: Super glad that he can think this without it being a suicidal thought.

A: Its so hard to see him restricted like thiscrawling on the wall instead of soaring through the air like he should be. I wonder if Brandon put this in specifically to foreshadow the time when he would dive off the top of the tower in a hopeless, desperate attempt to save his father. Its good, though, that he isnt suicidal here; hes just totally focused on the task at hand and finding a way to accomplish it.

He found footholds on the stone, but they were slippery. Once, there had been a great deal of ornamentation on the rock out herebut years of highstorms had smoothed some of that out. Perhaps Lift could have climbed it without help, but Kaladin was glad he had Stormlight.

P: Maybe hes only commenting on how lithe and light on her feet Lift is, but I found this an interesting thought considering how Lift can use Wyndle to do this very thing!

A: Im assuming hes seen her climb sometime? (I suppose I could go search) But whether he knows how she does it is another question. Interesting thought.

Hed release one brush from the wall, then slide it into place while holding on with only one hand, then move his feet before moving the other.

P: This sounds excruciatingly slow and difficult.

A: Doesnt it, though? Exhausting!

He felt her concern through the bond; when Syl was a Blade, they had a direct mental connectionbut when she was not in that shape, the connection was softer. Theyd been practicing on sending words to one another, but they tended to be vague impressions.

This time, he got a sense of some distinct words singers with spyglasses third-floor balcony looking up

P: Its really nifty how theyve learned to communicate like this. Or perhaps its just the bond growing stronger.

A: It makes me wonder. Is this an artifact of her becoming more human? Or an aspect of getting closer to the next Ideal? (Maybe at the 4th or 5th Ideal, the human and the spren gain a clearer mental connection?) Or is it, among Windrunners, something more unique to Kaladin and Syl?

Unfortunately, soon after hed passed the third floor, a dark light flashed from the Oathgates. It was tinged violet like Voidlight, but was brighter than a Voidlight sphere.

Kaladin took a moment to rest, hanging on but not moving.

P: I dont know what more Kaladin could glean from getting closer to the Oathgates. Sure, theyre using Voidlight but its not like he would be able to tell how theyre doing it.

A: True. At this point, hes not knowledgeable enough to report more than Theyre using Voidlight anyway. He could have observed that from a balcony on the 11th floor without all this climbing but at the same time, I can see Kaladin not really thinking about that aspect. Besides, this way theres a more useful option available! And fortunately, Kaladin sees it eventually.

Navani was trying to figure out how the enemy was operating fabrials. What if he could hand her one? Surely that would lead to more valuable information than he would get by observing the Oathgates.

Syl zipped over to the balcony the scouts had been using. I can see them! she said. Theyve packed up, and theyre leaving, but theyre just ahead.

Follow, Kaladin sent her mentally, then moved as quickly as he could in that direction. He might have missed the nights transfer, but there was still a way he could help.

And it involved stealing that spanreed.

P: *Mission: Impossible music*

But the gate had flashed with Voidlight. So he knew theyd done something to the fabrial. Hed have to try again tomorrow

But would getting close to the Oathgates tell him anything about what had been done to them? He didnt feel he knew enough about fabrials.

P: This was my thought. They know that the Fused and singers are using the Oathgates, and now its obvious that theyre using Voidlight, but what hope would Kaladin have of gaining any knowledge of how theyre doing what theyre doing?

A: Its true. It would have been interesting for the reader to know what they did to transition Oathgate usage from Moash and the Honorblade, to Voidlight and what? What kind of key are they using? Are there Voidspren who can take on forms like the Radiant spren to operate the gates? But theres certainly no narrative need for Kaladin to try to spy that out.

Kaladin paused, hanging from his handholds, as something struck him. Something that he felt profoundly stupid for having not seen immediately.

The scouts on the balcony, he whispered to Syl as she darted in to see why hed stopped. What would they have done if theyd spotted Windrunners in the sky?

Theyd have told the others to stop the transfer, Syl said, so the fact that the Oathgate glowed the wrong color wouldnt give away the truth.

How? Kaladin asked. How did they contact the Oathgate operators? Did you see flags or anything?

No, Syl said. They were just sitting there writing in the dark. They must have been using a spanreed.

P: Again, yes, we know theyre using Voidlight to power some fabrials, but what good will that do, really? Navani wouldnt be able to communicate with Dalinar using the Voidlight spanreeds.

A: But this is Navani were talking about. Im assuming shes thinking about the possibility of putting Voidlight into one of her already-paired spanreeds, if she can figure out how to make it work with the split spren. (Which is an interesting question could one of these split spren operate with one half using Stormlight and the other using Voidlight? Or would that just destroy the spren altogether?) If nothing else, she wants more information to work with.

Humans thinking about the wind, and honor, might have given you shape from formless powerbut youre your own person now. As Im my own person, though my parents gave me shape.

She smiled at that, and walked across the shelf wearing the form of a woman in a havah. A person, she said. I like thinking like that. Being like that. A lot of the other honorspren, they talk about what we were made to be, what we must do. I talked like that once. I was wrong.

P: I wonder what the other honorspren thought they were made to be and what they must do. I wish Syl would elaborate a bit here.

A: I dont remember off the top of my head whether we learn any more about this when we get back to Lasting Integrity; well have to try and remember to watch for it.

She sat on the stone shelf, hands in her lap. Is that how you stand it? Knowing everyone is going to die? You just dont think about it?

Basically, Kaladin said,

P: Yes, distracting oneself can be handy when dealing with depression. Though its not always effective. I do wish Kaladin had been able to offer Syl more sound advice.

A: As well see, this is less about depression and more about grieving. Even so, distraction is only a tool, and not a solution.

Everyone dies eventually.

I wont, she said. Spren are immortal, even if you kill them. Someday Ill have to watch you die.

What brought this on? Kaladin asked. This isnt like you.

Yup. Right. Of course. Not like me. She plastered a smile on her face. Sorry.

I didnt mean it that way, Syl, Kaladin said. You dont have to pretend.

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Rhythm of War Reread: Chapter Fifty-Five - tor.com