85. Grieve Later

As Elhokar's death weighs on him, Adolin commands the evacuation of Kholinar's Oathgate platform after realizing the city has fallen to the Voidbringers. Shallan reveals she has been communicating with Sja-anat, a spren of Odium, who warns that the Oathgate is trapped—but Adolin orders her to activate it anyway to save as many people as possible.

Adolin suppresses his grief over Elhokar's death and leads Kaladin, Skar, and Drehy out of the Sunwalk onto the Oathgate platform, where Azure's forces hold position. From the platform, Adolin witnesses tens of thousands of parshmen pouring through Kholinar's broken gates and realizes the city is lost. He orders all available forces to hold the platform while allowing civilians to climb to safety, giving everyone ten minutes before the Oathgate activates. Inside the control building, Adolin finds Shallan kneeling before a mirror and learns from Azure that something is wrong with the device. Shallan reveals she has been communicating with Sja-anat, the Taker of Secrets—a spren of Odium—who claims the Voidbringers deliberately let Kaladin's group reach the Oathgate and that engaging the device will trigger a disaster. Adolin, acknowledging the risk but seeing no alternative, orders Shallan to activate it anyway. Pattern expresses uncertainty about Sja-anat's truthfulness. As Shallan summons Pattern as a Blade and engages the Oathgate lock, Sja-anat makes a cryptic promise to try not to kill them.