92. A Gift

Teft awakens from his illness to find the tower under occupation by the Fused, with Radiants imprisoned and the queen held captive. He and Kaladin recover from their fevers while wrestling with whether continued resistance is futile, but ultimately resolve to attempt a rescue of the imprisoned Radiants.

Teft regains consciousness after several days of fever, relieved to discover he has not relapsed into moss addiction—maintaining nearly seven months of sobriety. He finds Kaladin similarly recovering but deeply affected by recent events, having lost contact with his spren Syl during the fighting. Phendorana, Teft's honorspren, explains that Kaladin's Surgebinding still functions, suggesting Syl remains nearby despite their separation. The group learns of grim circumstances: Fused occupy the tower, Queen Navani has been imprisoned for over two weeks in isolation, other Radiants lie guarded and comatose, and the tower's spren is being corrupted. Kaladin questions whether they should continue fighting, wondering if resistance will only cause more harm. Teft responds by revealing a long-buried secret: his childhood in Talinar, where his parents participated in a heretical group called the Envisagers that attempted to recreate the Radiant powers through dark practices. At age eight, Teft reported them to the citylord, leading to his father's execution and his mother's earlier death. Though haunted for years, Teft reframes this tragedy as ultimately enabling him to save Kaladin through knowledge of Stormlight. He argues they must act without perfect foresight, doing what seems right. The group considers breaking into the infirmary to wake the Radiants and escape through a window, with Teft volunteering to test whether Windrunners can use their powers to survive a fall from the tower. Kaladin counsels patience—they will wait, recover, and plan carefully, though Rlain offers to infiltrate the queen's quarters via the supply servants to gather her input. The chapter ends with Teft finding peace in their continued unity and his own survival.