Prologue: To Weep

Prologue set six years before the main events. Eshonai, a listener scout, encounters King Gavilar in his private chambers at Kholinar palace and learns of his plan to resurrect the listeners' ancient gods to unite his fractured kingdom and restore a lost age of power. Gavilar gives her a dark sphere and asks her to convince the Five to support this. Eshonai instead reports to the Five that Gavilar is a threat, and they authorize an assassination that she helps facilitate that very evening.

Over a year into the listeners' contact with humans, Eshonai arrives at Kholinar palace to witness a treaty celebration. While exploring the palace corridors, she accidentally discovers King Gavilar in a private chamber with advisors. He summons her inside and shows her a fabrial—a device powered by a captured spren—explaining that humans once held gods in gemstones and that he has discovered how to reverse the process that robbed the parshmen of their transformation ability. Gavilar reveals his ambition to trigger a new storm that will resurrect the listeners' gods, believing this is necessary to unite his people and restore the Radiant age. He presents a map showing the vast world beyond the Shattered Plains, giving Eshonai overwhelming perspective on her people's insignificance. He gives her a dark sphere associated with the gods' power and asks her to convince the Five to help him. Eshonai flees and meets with the Five at the feast. She reports Gavilar's plan as a threat to the listeners' hard-won freedom—their ancestors once chose dullform to escape their gods. The Five debate urgently and agree this is a sign they must act. Klade's recently purchased slave is revealed to be an assassin who will carry out the killing. That evening, Eshonai plays drums at the celebration while the assassin departs to kill Gavilar. She participates in the decision but is devastated by the weight of what the listeners have done.