99. Not Bound

After a hard-fought victory on the Emuli battlefield, Dalinar surveys the carnage and grapples with his growing aversion to killing. Windrunners and a Lightweaver scout the enemy forces in Tukar and discover the Herald Ishar leading them—a revelation that energizes Dalinar's determination to confront him directly.

Dalinar walks across the Emuli battlefield in the aftermath of victory, reading the movements of troops and casualties. The experience weighs heavily on him; since sending the Thrill into the ocean, he finds himself loathing the sights and smells of battle, harboring a secret that the Blackthorn has lost his will to kill. He maintains his military facade for the assembled generals, congratulating victorious companies despite his internal revulsion. The Mink, a Herdazian commander, recognizes Dalinar's true feelings and discusses their strategic position: Emul is effectively secured, and they've forced the enemy to abandon the region rather than waste resources defending it. The Mink reminds Dalinar of his promise to liberate Alethkar and Herdaz after securing Urithiru. Alone in his command tent, Dalinar feels adrift, aware that Navani remains trapped and that retaking Urithiru is essential to his true goal of making Odium fear a negotiated settlement. Sigzil the Windrunner arrives with Stargyle, a Lightweaver, who uses color-focused Lightweaving to create an illusion of an enemy encampment along a shoreline. The illusion reveals an older man with a white beard and pale skin—identified as Shin in appearance—standing before a pavilion marked with Tukari religious symbols and creating a glyph of mystery in frost. Dalinar recognizes this as the Herald Ishar, whom Wit previously described. Szeth reacts with shock that a Herald could be Shin, having never considered Heralds as representatives of peoples other than Alethi. Dalinar interprets the glyph as a message directed at him personally and concludes that Ishar is waiting for him. He instructs the Windrunners to conduct further scouting and announces his intention to consult Jasnah before confronting Ishar.