78. The Revel

Shallan infiltrates a cult revel on the Oathgate platform while disguised as "Swiftspren," discovering a horrifying corrupted heart structure at the platform's center. Kaladin dines with Highmarshal Azure and directly questions her identity before an attack alarm sounds, requiring them to rush to arms.

Shallan arrives at the Oathgate platform as Veil, delivering stolen food to cult members. She gains entry by expressing desire to join the revel and hear "the voice" calling to her. At the top, a guide named Kharat (wearing torn ardent robes) renames her Kishi and escorts her into the revel—a debaucherous gathering of corrupted citizens, ardents, and soldiers indulging in food, wine, and carnal activities. The outer ring is joyful but controlled by compulsion; Kharat reveals they cannot enter the inner rings. Shallan uses Pattern to manipulate Kharat with whispered suggestions, then creates an illusion of Veil to fool him while she escapes as Kishi. Moving inward, she discovers a second ring where people crawl about in maddened states, then finds the central structure: the Oathgate control building is completely covered by a pulsing, dark, organic mass—like a massive heart with thick black veins extending into the ground. The heart beats irregularly and broadcasts overwhelming voices. A strange shadow with white eyes appears, warning her the heart is a trap and identifying itself as not her enemy. When drums signal a Fused attack on the city walls, Shallan abandons her infiltration, assuming Kishi's face again, and escapes by jumping from the platform's rim, trusting Stormlight to heal her. Meanwhile, Kaladin joins Highmarshal Azure at the officers' table for dinner. He directly confronts her about being a woman and her mysterious arrival, despite protocol and the discomfort of lieutenants like Noro. Azure responds candidly: the men invented the pretense of her being a man to rationalize obeying a woman in Alethi culture. She asks if Kaladin came chasing her. Before he can answer, drums sound—a Fused attack on the wall—and both leap into action, calling their soldiers to arms.