The Way of Kings

The men of Bridge Four accept Kaladin as their leader and begin training in earnest. Kaladin also begins teaching his crew how to carry the bridge at a slant to provide some protection from Parshendi arrows.

Six years earlier, the new lord Roshone torments Kaladin’s family. While Kaladin’s father Lirin continues healing people, Roshone encourages them not to pay him, and the family lives in deprivation. Roshone wants Kaladin’s family to start spending the fortune given to them by the previous lord, which includes special spheres capable of capturing stormlight.

One evening, a group of people wearing masks appears and demands Lirin give up the spheres. The surgeon opens the cupboard where the spheres are kept and pulls back the cloth covering them. The bright light blinds everyone for a moment and makes the men look ridiculous in their get up. Kaladin recognizes a local man by his limping. Lirin challenges them to rob him, reminding them that he is ultimately one of them. The men silently leave.

Kaladin and his men train to carry the bridge sideways. Since the bridgemen are not allowed shields or other protection, the bridge could help save them instead.

During the next bridge run, Kaladin decides to try the side carry on the final approach as the Parshendi are already in position. Bridge Four’s maneuver is successful in that it protects them, but it is disastrous for the rest of the army. Realizing they cannot kill Kaladin’s crew, the enemy focus on the rest of the bridgemen, resulting in several bridges crashing into the chasm. Kaladin realizes that his initiative has resulted in Sadeas’s defeat.

While pretending to do research in the library, Shallan compares Jasnah’s and her family’s Soulcasters by drawing them side by side. Her goal is to make the broken one look like an exact replica of the princess’s, so that she can exchange them without anyone noticing.

Upon returning to their assigned alcove in the library, Shallan finds the ardent Kabsal waiting there. He has brought bread and jam, as has become his habit in the past two months. The two eat and converse playfully. Kabsal claims to want to convert Jasnah as that would distinguish him among the other ardents. He believes the Almighty is present all around them as everything, including city plans, glyphs, and names, is symmetrical.

Kaladin is severely beaten because of his side carry maneuver. He wakes up hanging upside down from a building. As punishment, Kaladin will be left outside during a highstorm to be judged by the Stormfather, the being believed to inhabit the storms.

The highstorm arrives and Kaladin is badly battered by the winds. In the middle of the storm, he sees an enormous face for an instant then loses consciousness.

After the storm, Rock and Teft venture out to check on Kaladin, afraid that he is dead. To their shock, the young man is badly injured, but alive. Mysteriously, the sphere Teft gave Kaladin before the storm has lost its light despite being out in the highstorm, which should have recharged it.

Shallan reads Gavilar’s description of his first meeting with the Parshendi as written down by Jasnah. While the princess takes a bath, Shallan is tempted multiple times to switch the Soulcasters but finds herself unable to deceive the princess. Shallan becomes restless, realizing her plan is doomed to fail. Jasnah notices her strange mood and decides they need to explore the city.

When the two women come out of the palace it is nighttime. Jasnah walks down the main street but soon turns into a dark alley. Shallan feels uncomfortable but follows her down an even narrower and darker side street. While they walk, Jasnah talks about the nature of truth.

Suddenly, four men attack the women. Without preamble, Jasnah uses her Soulcaster to kill them, shocking Shallan. Jasnah claims that she acted in self-defense, but Shallan is still disturbed by the cold-blooded way in which her mentor committed the murders. Shallan realizes that Jasnah baited the men by walking in her finery late at night through the alley. Jasnah poses several questions: “am I a monster or am I a hero? Did I just slaughter four men, or did I stop four murderers from walking the streets? Does one deserve to have evil done to her by consequence of putting herself where evil can reach her?” (665). Shallan is unable to answer, and so the princess tells her to spend the following week researching and thinking about the nature of truth and justice.

Shallan is still shaken, but also disappointed in and angry with Jasnah. She decides that the princess does not deserve to possess a Soulcaster and finds the resolution to exchange it with the broken one.

Five and a half years ago, Lord Roshone invites Lirin to his manor to negotiate and Kaladin goes along. Roshone wants to make a deal with Lirin, but also accuses him of stealing the spheres from the previous lord. When Kaladin attempts to defend his father, Lirin scolds him and sends him to the kitchen. The boy is angry, humiliated, and disappointed in his father.

On the way to the kitchen, Kaladin sees Laral, the former lord’s daughter, accompanied by Roshone’s son, Rillir. Rillir embarrasses Kaladin by twisting his words and Kaladin feels betrayed by his former friend Laral, who sides with Rillir. Kaladin decides that he wants to become a surgeon after all and learn the ways of the aristocrats. When his father comes out of the meeting with Roshone, Lirin confides that he only pretended to consider making a deal with the lord in order to buy time. Kaladin realizes that his father did steal the spheres, or at least took advantage of the dying lord’s lack of mental clarity.

Kaladin gradually regains consciousness. He was sick for a long time after surviving the highstorm but his men took care of him. His condition is not improving, however, and he begins seeing deathspren.

One day while looking after the sick crew leader, Teft presses several glowing spheres into Kaladin’s hand. Nothing happens for a while, but suddenly Kaladin gasps and the stormlight fades from the spheres. At the same time, wisps of light rise from the young man’s body.

Shallan draws and ponders how a person can evaluate actions and intentions and whether the latter are more or less important. Suddenly, she realizes that she is drawing a death scene from her past and feels the need to go outside for some fresh air.

Kaladin recovers from his injuries in only 10 days with the help of spheres provided by Teft. Kaladin seems unaware of what he is doing, so the older man decides to observe him for a while without saying anything. The rest of the crew are happy to have Kaladin back and regard him with a new reverence.

While the bridgemen celebrate Kaladin’s recovery, Sigzil, a quiet, dark-skinned Azish man, sits to the side. Kaladin engages him in conversation. It turns out that Sigzil is educated and has traveled widely. He tells Kaladin about Marabethia, a place in the north of Roshar where people offer their convicts the option to be executed immediately or be dangled over the ocean for a week as bait for a sea monster. Most condemned choose to hang, even if they are usually eaten by the creature within a day. Sigzil insinuates that Kaladin gives the bridgemen false hope since running bridges will still eventually kill them. These words affect Kaladin negatively and he begins sliding into depression once again.

Five and a half years ago, Roshone and his son Rillir are injured during a hunt. Rillir spasms and bleeds profusely, and Lirin realizes that there is nothing to be done to save him. Roshone refuses to accept this and insists that Lirin save his son, but Lirin sedates Roshone who is taken back to his estate.

Lirin and Kaladin know that Roshone will be enraged after he regains consciousness. There had been a moment when the surgeon could have killed Roshone and made it look like the result of the lord’s wounds. However, Lirin did not succumb to temptation and tells Kaladin that someone needs to do the right thing first so that others can follow.

After researching various schools of philosophy and thinking about Jasnah’s actions, Shallan concludes that the murders were legal, but immoral and unethical. The lesson she learns is that legality and morality do not always coincide. Legality has to do with action, while morality concerns intent. Jasnah is satisfied with Shallan’s basic knowledge of different schools of thought.

One day, Kabsal invites Shallan out for a picnic. The two go to the garden and spend some time joking and flirting. Shallan realizes she has come to enjoy her life as Jasnah’s ward and wishes there were a way to keep it. Right after the picnic, however, she receives news that the ship on which she sailed to Kharbranth is on its way to pick her up and return her home.

Kaladin slowly falls into despair after realizing that nothing he does can save the bridgemen. He thinks he is cursed by the Almighty to bring death to those around him.

One day, there is an announcement that Bridge Four will be on permanent chasm duty. The crew goes down as ordered and begins harvesting. Despondent, Kaladin declares out loud that they will all die. Teft brings up a saying he has overheard, “journey before destination” (755). Sigzil remarks that this is one of the Knights Radiant’s mottos, along with “life before death” and “strength before weakness” (755). The group bickers about the Knights Radiant and Kaladin goes off into the darkness. He converses with Syl, who once again attempts to persuade him not to give up. Eventually, Kaladin returns to his men and suggests they attempt to escape by attacking a guard post at night.

Five years ago in Kaladin’s village, the regional lord, Amarant, comes to town to find more men for his troops. Several boys volunteer, but he needs more bodies. Roshone brings out the list of townsmen eligible to be drafted and insists that Tien, Kaladin’s brother, be one of them. Kaladin sees that his brother is terrified and volunteers to go with him.

Kabsal confesses his love for Shallan, but the young woman is mostly confused and upset by his words, as she is unsure of her own feelings. As a parting gift, the ardent requests a portrait and Shallan obliges. He wants to pay her, but that would make her portrait an exchange, rather than a gift. Instead, he requests a second drawing of the two of them together.

While Shallan draws, she notices she has included several strange figures again. Upset, Shallan runs to her rooms. On the way, she keeps pausing and drawing her surroundings, which always include the strange figures who seem to be following her. In her room, she realizes the creatures are there, too. Shallan considers using Jasnah’s stolen Soulcaster to fight them, but instead begins ritualistically counting to 10 “to bring forth the fruit of her sin, the proceeds of her most horrific act” (799). Midway through the process, she hears a voice and is transported to an alternate reality where everything is made out of beads. She almost immediately finds herself back in her room, but the goblet on her nightstand has been transformed into a puddle of blood. Shallan has unintentionally Soulcast. Jasnah arrives at that moment and is about to enter. Shallan realizes that if there is no explanation for the blood, the princess will realize that Shallan has stolen and used the Soulcaster. Shallan cuts her hand and pretends to be unconscious.

Kaladin dreams of flying in a highstorm and observing various places on Roshar. A voice calls him child of Honor and Tanavast, and declares that the Oathpact has been broken. Kaladin lands and an enormous face appears above him. It is the same creature he saw in the storm announcing that Odium, “most dangerous of the sixteen,” is coming (806). Before he can gather more information, Kaladin wakes up, held down by the other crewmembers. Apparently, after the highstorm started, Kaladin tried to go outside.

After the storm subsides, the Bridge Four members shave outside. They talk about leaders and injustice, and Moash declares he would seize power and create a better society if he could. Kaladin disagrees, believing that changing who is in power makes no difference in terms of how unjust the system is. Sigzil tells of a different place where rulers are chosen not based on eye color but on age. To ensure that the ruling family stays in power, they assassinate anyone else who gets too old.

The battle from Chapter 1, now a year in the past, is retold from Kaladin’s point of view. The enemy Shardbearer that suddenly appears on the battlefield attempts to get to Amaram by passing through Kaladin’s unit, killing soldiers in front of the young man. Enraged, Kaladin attacks and somehow manages to kill the enemy warrior. Kaladin is delighted, as his victory should earn him automatic aristocratic status. However, Kaladin feels that it is wrong to possess a Shardblade. He decides to gift it to one of his men.

Shallan recovers in the hospital from what Jasnah assumed was her attempted suicide. Jasnah and Kabsal come to visit Shallan at the same time. The young man brings bread and strawberry jam, a rare delicacy only found in Shinovar. Jasnah opens the jar and dips in a finger, saying she wants to smell it. Shallan insists that Jasnah eat some, as well as the bread. The princess is reluctant but eventually agrees. Kabsal and Shallan eat some of the bread and Kabsal insists that Shallan try the jam. Opening the jar, Shallan realizes that it smells terribly. Nevertheless, Kabsal forces a bite down, insisting she do, too. He suddenly stands up and attempts to leave, but falls to the ground. Shallan starts to feel ill, as well.

Jasnah realizes that they have been poisoned and tells Shallan she will have to transfigure her blood. Terrified, Shallan realizes that even if the princess attempts to help her, she will not be able to do it with the broken Soulcaster Shallan switched out when she stole the Princess’s working Soulcaster. Shallan confesses to the theft and passes out.

While Bridge Four is on chasm duty, Kaladin begins training them to fight.

Shallan regains consciousness in the hospital. Jasnah interrogates her about the theft, thinking that someone else is behind it. The younger woman confesses that her family is in dire straits and that they need a way to make money fast. Jasnah decides not to punish Shallan, but has arranged for her to leave soon. Jasnah reveals that Kabsal was an assassin sent to kill the princess. The poison was in the bread and the antidote must have been in the jam, but somehow spoiled.

This chapter provides the rest of the details of Kaladin’s enslavement 12 months ago. When Amaram learns that Kaladin does not want the Shardplate and Blade, he orders the execution of the rest of Kaladin’s squad. As a personal thanks to Kaladin for saving his life, Amaram has him branded as a slave, rather than killed. Kaladin feels betrayed and cannot understand why someone would act in such a way. Amaram explains that he cannot let others find out that Kaladin gave away the magical armor and sword. It is better for everyone to think that the lord won them himself, so Kaladin and his men must be made out to be traitors.