12. A Way to Help

Venli, serving as Voice to the Fused commander Leshwi in occupied Kholinar, recruits a new singer named Shumin into a secret resistance movement aimed at finding freedom for her people outside both Fused and human control. The chapter closes with Leshwi arriving unexpectedly with urgent news of a major shift in the war.

Venli oversees servants in Leshwi's tower chamber in Kholimar and facilitates the recruitment of Shumin, a young singer, into her covert organization. She tests Shumin's nerve by having her stand at the edge of the high chamber overlooking the city. When Leshwi returns from a military excursion, Venli learns she fought against the Windrunner leader but reached no conclusion, and that Leshwi killed someone named Lezian (the Pursuer), a newly reawakened Fused. Leshwi rejects Venli's suggestion to hire a human tailor named Yokska, deeming it politically unwise to elevate a human, though she allows the woman to train a singer in tailoring. After Leshwi departs to meditate, Venli meets privately with Shumin, Dul, and Mazish in the guardhouse. She explains her vision for the listeners: a free people who will escape the control of both the Fused and humans, seeking a neutral homeland. She reveals she has imprisoned a Voidspren within her gemheart through unknown means, granting her powers including the ability to perceive Shadesmar. She hints at contact with sympathetic spren and promises possible forms of power that do not come from Odium. Shumin commits to the cause. As Venli checks Shadesmar for spying spren, she detects Leshwi returning unexpectedly. The Fused enters in an agitated state, summoning Venli to the Rhythm of Agony with news that something dangerous is happening and the war is about to change.