101. Undertext

Kaladin wakes from nightmares with his hands bound as a precaution. The tower's spren contacts him through a garnet, revealing that the final node has been found near the model in the infirmary and warning that the Radiants will soon be killed. Kaladin and Teft mobilize a rescue plan, sending Dabbid and Rlain to inform the queen while preparing to extract the captive Radiants.

Kaladin awakens in darkness, initially disoriented by his bound hands—a measure he'd taken to prevent harming others during nightmares. He struggles with overwhelming fear and exhaustion before calming himself. While searching for his canteen, he sees a faint light on the wall and touches a garnet, through which the tower's spren communicates with him. The spren is weakened and conveys critical information: the final node has been discovered at the model of the tower in the infirmary, and the enemy will soon execute all the captive Radiants. The spren requests that Rlain be sent to it. Kaladin immediately wakes Teft and briefs him on the situation. Despite his weakened state from his recent coma, Teft accepts the urgency and agrees to help. They don the Bridge Four uniforms Dabbid had obtained. When Dabbid returns, Kaladin learns that the spren also contacted him and that Rlain is on the fourth floor, distressed about something involving Venli. Kaladin instructs Dabbid and Rlain to reach the queen and inform her of the rescue operation, then hide in their current room. The plan is for the Windrunners to carry other Radiants down the exterior walls using Kaladin's infusion technique. Kaladin emphasizes to Teft that if anything goes wrong, they must prioritize escape over making a hopeless stand. Teft points out that the node discovery is likely a trap to lure Kaladin to the Pursuer, but their actual objective—freeing the Radiants—doesn't depend on confronting the node. He extracts an oath from Kaladin that he will run after the Radiants have been evacuated, ensuring they prioritize reaching Dalinar over any other consideration.