Welcome back to the Avalanche Rumblings of the Rhythm of War Reread! Things are starting to shake loose. Plans are explained, fears are acknowledged, and Bridge Four begins to swing into action. An exhausted Kaladin, a weakened Teft, and a very frightened but determined Dabbid are ready to roll. Come on in and join the discussion!
Reminder: We’ll be discussing spoilers for the entirety of the series up until now. If you haven’t 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 you’re done.
Heralds: Shalash (Ash), Herald of Beauty. Lightweavers (Illumination, Transformation). Creative/Honest. Role: Artist.
Jezrien (Jezerezeh, Yaezir, Ahu), Herald of Kings. Windrunners (Adhesion, Gravitation). Protecting/Leading. Role: King.
A: I’m honestly not quite sure why Shalash is here this week. For their creative plans to get the Radiants out? Jezrien is obvious: the Windrunners of Bridge Four, their efforts to protect/lead, and of course their plan for escape down the side of the tower. But why Shalash?
Icon: Banner and Spears—a Kaladin POV (his first lucid POV since Part Three!)
Epigraph:
Humans are weapons. We singers revere Passion, do we not? How can we throw away such an excellent channeling of it?
—Musings of El, on the first of the Final Ten Days
A: I’m always a little creeped out by someone referring to people as weapons. Just… yikes. But everything he’s saying fits in all too well with what we’ll learn of Odium’s plan to use humans to conquer the Cosmere. Again I have to ask… why was he punished? Did he see too well what Odium was doing and let it slip to other Fused? Or was it the other Fused who punished him because they don’t understand Odium’s goals? I don’t understand.
Chapter Recap
WHO: Kaladin
WHEN: 1175.4.10.4 (If all other things are correct, this would be the day after Navani creates anti-Voidlight. Apparently overnight was long enough to develop and make enough anti-Stormlight to start killing the spren and the Radiants.)
WHERE: Urithiru
(Note: For the “when” notations, we are using this wonderful timeline provided by the folks at The 17th Shard.)
RECAP: Kaladin wakes, disoriented, to find the Sibling trying to contact him. The location of the final node has been discovered, and the Fused are planning to kill all the captive Radiants. Kaladin sends Dabbid to find Rlain and go with him to Navani; meanwhile, Teft and Kaladin review their plans as they change into fresh Bridge Four uniforms, ready to go rescue the Radiants and escape the tower if they can.
Chapter Chat—Watchers at the Rim
A: I have to start with the chapter title and its origins:
“Every pasture needs three things,” the woman said, voice changing, as if she were quoting from memory. “Flocks to grow, herdsmen to tend, and watchers at the rim. We of Alethela are those watchers—the warriors who protect and fight. We maintain the terrible arts of killing, then pass them on to others when the Desolation comes.”
—From The Way of Kings, Chapter 19, “Starfalls”
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The Lost Metal
A: This is from our first look at the “Midnight Essence” vision; it’s the Radiant talking to Dalinar after rescuing the woman and child from the creepy critters. It’s used again in Oathbringer, when Kaladin (who had clearly been listening to the transcribed visions!) quotes it to explain to his father why he can’t stay in Hearthstone. “You’re a surgeon, Father, but I’m something else. A watcher at the rim.” (That’s also the chapter title: “A Watcher at the Rim.”) He goes on to explain that he needs to protect the vulnerable by hunting down the (presumed) Voidbringers.
The thing is, it can’t stop at being “watchers at the rim.” They watch, yes, but then (as the Radiant explains in the vision) when the threat comes for which they’ve been watching, they must be ready to fight, killing if needed, to protect those who are metaphorically the flocks and the herdsmen—the people who go about their days providing goods and services to one another in order to feed their families and live in a productive, healthy culture.
The time has again come to fight.
What had awakened him? He remembered a… a song. A distant song.
He found the canteen, but then saw a light on the wall. Faint, almost invisible even in the darkness. …
… help… please…
Storms. The tower spren sounded frail.
A: Well, ouch. We knew they were weakening, but this is heartbreaking. Last time anyone spoke with them on screen, it was Navani trying to get them to work out a way to bond Rlain, and while they were open to the idea, they were also being a bit stubborn about trying anything. (To be fair, last time they tried anything in cooperation with Navani, Raboniel was eavesdropping and it worked out very badly. So… can’t really blame them.) They were clearly having a hard time of it then, but now… Raboniel has been far too successful in her efforts to overcome the poor Sibling.
P: I feel for the Sibling, too. They’ve got to be terrified, under the assault from Raboniel, plus feeling betrayed by Navani (though the eavesdropping Fused weren’t her fault). And knowing that the Sibling would have been under Raboniel’s control long before now had she not been drawing this out is no comfort.
“What is wrong? They found the last node?”
Yes… at… the model…
… the large model of the tower in the infirmary room. In there? Near the Radiants?
Storms. That was where his parents were.
A: Triple whammy there. The node, the incapacitated Radiants, and his parents. (And, presumably, his little brother? Have we seen Oroden since Lirin and Hesina took over the Radiants’ care?) This is not where you want a bunch of Fused and Regals tromping around.
P: There’s been no overt mention of him, but it’s safe to assume he’s with their parents. And the location of the final node would definitely be a huge worry for Kaladin as they try to execute this Hail Mary of a plan.
A: Good description. They are so desperate.
There is something else… so… much… worse…
“What?” Kaladin demanded. “What could be worse?”
They will… soon kill… all the Radiants…
A: Horrible as it is to contemplate, at the moment I’m flabbergasted that the Sibling considers the death of the captive Radiants to be “so much worse” than their own imminent Unmaking. I would not have thought they would be so deeply concerned, given their earlier apparent antipathy toward the Knights Radiant. I’ve always had a certain affection for the Sibling, despite some impatience with their attitude, but… wow.
P: Yeah, this is kind of a big deal, isn’t it? I mean, for the Sibling to care at all that the Radiants are going to die is a big deal, but for them to think it’s worse than being Unmade? Huge.
Kaladin took a deep breath, trembling. Could he do this again? He took out a sphere, then woke Teft. … I have to fight, Kaladin thought. I’m the only one who can.
A: And here we go again. There is a need, and he sees himself (not entirely inaccurately) as the only one available to fight. But he’s wrong. He may be the strongest physically, and the most skilled as a warrior, but there are others who are strong in spirit and skilled in their own ways. He’s not alone. There are other watchers at the rim with him.
P: I just want to say that your comments here brought tears to my eyes, thinking of Kaladin feeling so very alone and tired while knowing he needs to go out and fight the Pursuer in the hour of saving lives.
A: My heart aches for him. I know what it’s like to feel too tired to go on—but my experience is nothing like this level of either exhaustion or duty. I can’t begin to say how grateful I am that he has Teft, and Lift, and Rlain, and Dabbid. And, in their own way, his parents, and Noril, and Adin, and all the rest. They couldn’t do it without him, but they’ll do their best to do it with hm.
“Our hand seems to have been forced. We need to try to rescue the Radiants.”
Teft nodded, groaning as he sat up.
“You don’t seem surprised,” Kaladin said.
“I’m not,” Teft said, heaving himself to his feet. “This was coming, lad, no matter what we did. I’m sorry. Doesn’t seem we have time to do it your father’s way.”
“Watchers at the rim,” Kaladin said softly.
A: For all that, they have both always known that this was coming. It was only a matter of time. Sure, they’d hoped to have time to do more planning, maybe coordinate with Navani and share information, but they’re soldiers. They’ve always known that they aren’t in control of the setting or the timing; all they could do was watch, wait, and be ready to roll.
P: They should know this especially after the last two node attacks. They’re constantly on the defensive, responding to attack rather than having the ability to pick a time and place.
“You get Lift ready to sneak in to the Radiants, so she can begin waking them up. I’ll make a fuss outside to lure out the guards and distract the Pursuer. If the guards don’t come out though, you’ll have to neutralize them.”
A: Well, there’s the plan. Simple and straightforward—so far as it goes—the only kind that they’d have any chance of executing, realistically.
P: Simple and straightforward, yet flawed. As Kaladin mentions, Teft is still weak from his coma. What chance does he have at fighting Fused?
A: Especially when he can’t summon Phendorana as a Blade!
Teft pointed to the side, to where something lay folded on the ground. Bridge Four uniforms. Kaladin had asked Dabbid to get them changes of clothing. That was what he’d found?
A: Heh. Not exactly unobtrusive, so you can understand Kaladin’s reaction. Still, it is perfect for the way it will all play out for all parties. (And if that isn’t a mixed feeling, I don’t know what is!)
P: This is a big statement from Dabbid, I feel. Telling them that they are Bridge Four regardless of having essentially retired.
A: I agree. Kaladin might have wished for something less noticeable, but Dabbid is right: they need to be Bridge Four today. They need that strength.
“Do you know where Rlain is?” Kaladin asked.
“I’m going to meet him,” Dabbid said. “Fourth floor. Something’s happened with Venli that has him really shaken. He didn’t want to talk in the infirmary.”
A: This would, I assume, be Venli’s refusal to help them and Rlain’s acceptance that she’s maybe not exactly trustworthy? Or at least that he can’t count on her presumed Shardblade? Although… he’d probably also be shaken by the knowledge that some of his listener friends and family might still be alive. (Also of note… Dabbid’s speech seems much better. Is that because it is better, or just because Sanderson isn’t currently making a point of his disability?)
P: As an audiobook listener, I recall Michael Kramer doing Dabbid’s voice the same as he always does, kind of slowly and deliberately speaking… so I’d never really caught this before, that he seems so much more coherent.
A: Well, since they consult on these things, I assume it’s just that Sanderson didn’t choose to interrupt the narrative flow by reminding us again how Dabbid speaks. It’s not really needful.
“Someone needs to inform the queen. Do you think you two can get to her?”
“Rlain thinks he can,” Dabbid said. “I will go with him. People ignore me.”
A: As much as I find this a sad reality, there are times when being readily overlooked can be an advantage. In this case, it’s a good plan, even though it won’t actually happen this way.
P: Poor Dabbid… he doesn’t even seem upset by the fact that people ignore him. I guess he’s had his share of being ignored in his life.
A: And if you asked him about it, he’d probably tell you that at least it’s better than being bullied… All too often, those are the two options. Being accepted as a brother in arms, as he’s been with Bridge Four, has definitely been the exception in his life.
“Tell her what we’re doing, and that we’re going to have to get the Radiants out. Then you two take up hiding in this room, and don’t make any storms. We’ll escape with the Radiants, get Dalinar, and return for you.”
A: This phase of the plan is… less straightforward. Assuming Kaladin could distract the guards and the Pursuer, and assuming Lift could wake all the Radiants, and assuming Syl could reunite with Kaladin, and even assuming Venli actually had a Shardblade and was helping… it’s sketchy at best. Once away from the tower, getting to Dalinar and returning would be the easy part.
P: Escaping with the Radiants is the big flaw in the plan here. Even if they were revived quickly, none of them would be in physical shape to escape.
Dabbid wrung his hands, but nodded. “Bridge Four,” he whispered.
A: This… brings tears to my eyes today. Dabbid, too, is a watcher at the rim, and he will do what he can to protect and fight. (The scene, many chapters from now, where he steps in front of Adin even though he’s terrified, gives me chills just thinking about it. Dabbid is sorta my new hero, you know?)
P: He is a watcher! And Bridge Four to the core.
They’d practiced Kaladin’s trick of infusing objects and his boots to climb down walls. In an emergency, someone might have to jump out the window and hope to regain their powers before they hit the ground—but that was an absolute last resort. The current plan was for the Windrunners to climb down the outside, each with another Radiant strapped to their backs.
It was far from a perfect plan, but it was better than letting the Fused murder the Radiants while they were in comas.
A: “Far from perfect” is an understatement, considering they’d be relying on Windrunners who’d only just been awakened and have not practiced this trick. I don’t think there are enough Windrunners to carry all the other Radiants anyway, are there? But still, some would be better than none, and in the chaos maybe the rest could have some hope of hiding until they could return with Dalinar…
P: Not only have they not practiced this trick, if we recall Teft’s extreme weakness upon being revived by Lift, none of these Windrunners would be physically capable of climbing down an exterior wall with someone strapped to their back.
A: Honestly, wouldn’t they be doing well to climb down with only their own weight to manage? Yikes. Still, they’d try—and it might be preferable to risk it rather than being executed by the Fused… especially if they knew what Raboniel was planning!
“Even if you only get yourself out,” Kaladin said, “do it, rather than staying and making a hopeless stand. Take your spren and get to Dalinar.”
A: Yeah, right. That’s what Teft will do, while others are still in danger… Even if it’s the best thing he could do, I can’t really imagine him doing it—at least not without a major conflict of will!
P: I’m not entirely sure that Kaladin would win that conflict!
“Look, what happened the last two times a node was discovered?”
“The Pursuer was waiting for me,” Kaladin admitted.
“He will be again,” Teft said. “This is a trap, plain and simple. What the enemy doesn’t know is that we don’t care about the node. We’re trying to free the Radiants. So distract him a little, yes, but then run and let them have their storming fabrial.”
“I could try that.”
“Give me an oath, lad.”
A: Hah. Thank you, Teft, for knowing Kaladin so well. Under oath, he’ll do it if he can. Otherwise? Nope. Not a chance.
P: Yes, Teft knows Kaladin quite well, doesn’t he? With no oath, Kaladin would do as he sees fit in the moment.
“We need to reach Dalinar. I’m going to head that way with as many Radiants as I can rescue. You’ve got my back, right?”
“Always,” Kaladin said, nodding. “I swear it. Get as many of the Radiants out as you can, and then run. Once you do, I’ll follow.”
A: Oh, this breaks my heart. It was so hopeful, thinking that maybe they could get out, that the ones who didn’t go out to war would be the ones to save everyone else… Knowing what’s going to happen and how far things are going to go wrong, this conversation just hurts. And yet… they’re the watchers at the rim, ready to protect and fight, and they will. To the last breath, they will.
P: I’m getting all verklempt again. Talk amongst yourselves.
Bruised and Broken
Kaladin woke with a start, ready to fight.
He struggled, his heart racing as he found his hands bound. … He’d tied his hands together on purpose, to prevent him from punching someone who woke him, like he’d done to Dabbid yesterday.
A: The nightmares continue, though not the extended coma, thank the Almighty. He’s not sleeping well, constantly exhausted because of it, unable to trust himself when he’s not fully awake. We aren’t explicitly told a cause, but there are many possibilities. Syl is still separated from him, so that’s gotta be bad. The nightmares are bad. Moash has found ways to give Odium access to his mind, so that’s still bad. And, of course, the tower is still under the control of the Fused, who want nothing more from Kaladin than to kill him, so that’s stressful and bad.
Whatever the reason, it’s always painful to see him in this state: stressed, confused, and deeply exhausted.
P: I just want to hug our boy during this scene. So much is riding on his shoulders and weighing on his mind.
[Teft’s] grip was weak. Despite what he said, the time in a coma had left him enervated.
A: Now that’s hard. Teft has always been so strong! I mean… okay, no, he gave in to the addiction too many times, which was a weakness, but he’s beaten that off. To see him, now, strong in will but weak in body… ::sniffles::
P: And this is exactly why they should realize that the plan for the Radiants to escape down the wall of the tower will be nigh impossible to execute.
A: Yeah, it just doesn’t seem remotely plausible. I guess when all the options are untenable, you pick the one that might save a few. They certainly have no chance of fighting their way to the Oathgates and using those to escape, and the tunnels aren’t any better. What an awful dilemma.
Spren & Shadesmar
… Please… send… me Rlain…
A: Apparently Navani’s suggestion has borne fruit, and the Sibling now actively seeks to bond him! (More clever misdirection from the author… but this was a reasonable choice.)
P: I guess they’re so terrified at the thought of being Unmade that they’re willing to accept a bond in order to avoid that.
“The Sibling told me the Radiants are in danger, and asked me to send Rlain. I think they meant to send Rlain to Navani, like we’d been planning.”
A: Heh. Um, no. They were planning to send Rlain to Navani purely for communication purposes, because Kaladin wanted to consult her before attempting any rescue. The Sibling wants Rlain for a Bondsmith.
P: I can’t help but wonder how Kaladin might have felt had he known the Sibling’s intentions toward Rlain.
A: Heh. It would be interesting to hear his thoughts, wouldn’t it? I think he’d like the idea, or at least accept it, even though he’d wanted Rlain to be a Windrunner. I went back to look at the beta comments, and at this point on my first read, I was convinced that Rlain would become the Sibling’s Bondsmith.
We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week there will be no Rhythm of War Reread, due to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. We’ll be back on December 1 with chapter 101, in which the avalanche rumblings shift yet again, as Dalinar and Jasnah meet with Yanagawn and Noura to plan their next steps. Looking ahead, we’ll have posts on December 1, 8, and 15, and then we’ll be taking a couple weeks off for Christmas and will (probably) start the new year’s posts on January 5.
Alice is a former Sanderson beta reader who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. Winter is well on its way!
Paige resides in New Mexico, of course, and she’s mourning the end of the baseball season. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.
