56. Nodes

Kaladin settles Teft in his hideout and has a meaningful conversation with Syl about grief and mortality, then receives an unexpected visit from Dabbid. Later, Kaladin attempts to descend the tower's exterior using Stormlight-infused brush handholds to observe the Oathgates, but arrives too late to see a transfer. However, he spots singers using a spanreed to communicate and decides to steal it as a valuable asset for Navani's research.

Kaladin has made a small refuge in a monastery on the fourth floor where he cares for the unconscious Teft, washing him and providing water through a syringe. Syl expresses anxiety about mortality and loss, revealing she has been struggling with memories of her previous knight Relador's death and the long sleep that followed. Kaladin reassures her that experiencing grief is a sign of being alive and having personhood, and they discuss how both humans and spren have agency to choose their own paths despite their origins. Syl practices manifesting with more vibrant colors and considers whether she could shapeshift into other forms like a syringe or Blade. Their conversation is interrupted by Dabbid's arrival at the door—he has somehow found Kaladin and brings broth for Teft. Kaladin realizes Dabbid recognized the tower spren's crystal light on the wall. After instructing Dabbid on how to care for Teft and feed him with the syringe, Kaladin leaves, needing to reach the Oathgate plateau before nightfall. Unable to sneak through occupied tower floors, Kaladin instead climbs the exterior of the tower using Stormlight-infused brush handholds tied at his belt, descending from the tenth floor toward the lower levels. During his descent, he encounters singers with spyglasses on a third-floor balcony, watching the sky for Windrunner scouts. He overhears them speaking in Alethi and realizes they are stationed there to prevent transfers if scouts are spotted. A flash of Voidlight from the Oathgates indicates a transfer has occurred. Kaladin reaches the realization that the scouts would have communicated with the Oathgate operators using a spanreed—a fabrial device that works despite the tower's interference. Rather than continuing to observe the Oathgates, Kaladin decides to pursue the scouts and steal their spanreed, recognizing this would be valuable intelligence for Navani's research into enemy fabrials.