88. Falling Star

Adolin's trial before the High Judge Kelek begins in Lasting Integrity's amphitheater. Three witnesses testify against him: Amuna argues that humans are inherently untrustworthy due to the Recreance, Blended contends that spren should never bond with humans again, and Notum unexpectedly declares that honor lives in the hearts of men, causing an uproar among the honorspren. Meanwhile, Shallan orchestrates a fake injury to gain access to the Stormlight vault and steals an emerald from the honorspren's reserves.

Adolin arrives at the trial in Lasting Integrity's forum, nervous despite his past combat experience. The proceedings begin with Kelek, an ancient and erratic Herald, presiding. Sekeir, the honorspren official, frames the trial as determining whether humanity—represented by Adolin—bears the sins of the Recreance and whether honorspren should aid humans in war. Adolin contests this framing, arguing he should be tried for his own actions, not his ancestors', and contends that the honorspren are acting dishonorably by refusing to help despite pleas for aid. Kelek allows the trial to proceed under Sekeir's terms. Amuna, an honorspren who cares for deadeyes, testifies first. She describes the near-total annihilation of honorspren during the Recreance and argues that humans are fundamentally unchanged and untrustworthy, presenting their brutality and willingness to use deadeyes as evidence. Blended, Adolin's tutor and an inkspren, then testifies against him, claiming that bonds between humans and spren are unnatural and that men are inherently changeable and unreliable. When Adolin mentions Odium and his refusal to serve evil, Blended acknowledges his point but maintains that the safest solution is to forbid new bonds entirely. Kelek notes this testimony from a non-honorspren is particularly damning. The third witness is Notum, a captain once forbidden entry to Lasting Integrity. After beginning to read accusations, Notum abruptly declares, "Honor is not dead so long as he lives in the hearts of men!"—a phrase that triggers emotional chaos among the honorspren. Some respond in outrage while others support him; officials forcibly remove him as the crowd fractures. Kelek panics at the commotion, curling into a ball. After the forum clears, Adolin speaks with Kelek privately. Adolin claims the trial went well for him, but Kelek reveals he intended to rule against Adolin all along. The Herald explains that he has known many great men across millennia, all of whom eventually failed or broke, and he cannot in good conscience order honorspren back into war. However, Kelek then delivers a more troubling revelation: Adolin's trial is unintentionally becoming a focal point for deep tensions within Lasting Integrity, with some honorspren secretly considering joining Odium's side. By giving these dissidents a platform through the trial, Adolin may inadvertently cause a mass defection of spren to the enemy. In the second section, Shallan stages a fake fall from a tree to gain access to the Stormlight vault, a secured location the honorspren previously denied her. With Pattern's help, she convinces the honorspren that she is mortally wounded and needs Stormlight to survive. Once inside the vault, she discovers an enormous central repository and shelves of perfectly preserved gemstones that have accumulated over millennia. While pretending to recover, Shallan uses sleight-of-hand techniques learned from her mentor Tyn to steal a glowing emerald, replacing it with a dun one on the shelf. An alert honorspren guard discovers the theft, accuses her of consuming the Stormlight, and expels her from the vault. Shallan and Pattern escape before being searched, having successfully obtained the emerald.