Chapter 55
47: STORMBLESSINGS
Overview
One year before the main timeline, young squadleader in training and promising soldier of the field of battle, protects a new recruit named cenn during a border skirmish. When a rogue shardbearer cuts through his squad, a young and unarmored kaladin pursues to protect his commander and kills the armored enemy with nothing but a broken spear shaft and a thrown spear head. Despite winning the prestigious shardblade, kaladin refuses it and gives it to a subordinate, walking away from both legendary status and the path to becoming a lighteyes.
Summary
The chapter opens one year prior to the main narrative, with nineteen-year-old squadleader kaladin preparing for battle in highmashal amaram's army. After four years of service, kaladin has decided to re-enlist rather than return home, unable to face his parents after failing to protect his brother tien. Before the battle, kaladin pays gare to transfer a young recruit named cenn to his squad. During the engagement, cenn is knocked down and kaladin leaves formation to save him, fighting off six enemy spearmen. However, a shardbearer in golden armor emerges from amaram's own lines and cuts through kaladin's squad with casual brutality, killing dallet, cenn, cyn, and lyndel in moments. As the shardbearer moves to kill amaram himself, kaladin charges forward in a desperate counterattack. Fighting an armored god-like warrior with only a spear, kaladin eventually catches a falling spearhead mid-air and hurls it through the shardbearer's visor slit, killing him. Though kaladin's men urge him to claim the fallen shardbearer's shardblade—a treasure that would make him legendary and change his status forever—kaladin refuses the blade, sickened by the killing it represents. He gives it to coreb instead and walks away from the hollow alone, emotionally shattered by the deaths of his closest friends.
Characters
- kaladinyoung squadleader who protects his squad during battle, kills a shardbearer, and refuses the shardblade
- cennnew recruit sent to kaladin's squad who is trampled and killed by the shardbearer
- dalletkaladin's sergeant who is killed by the shardbearer's blade
- garesquadleader who transfers cenn to kaladin's squad in exchange for payment
- amaramhighmarshal whose army fights; is pinned by his dying horse and rescued by kaladin's actions
- toorimshort spearman in kaladin's squad who is killed by the shardbearer
- cynmember of kaladin's squad killed by the shardbearer
- lyndelmember of kaladin's squad trampled and killed by the shardbearer
- reeshsurviving member of kaladin's squad who calls out to kaladin during the final confrontation
- corebmember of kaladin's squad who urges kaladin to take the shardblade and eventually receives it
- alabetsurviving member of kaladin's squad
- acismember of kaladin's squad killed by the shardbearer
- hamelmember of kaladin's squad killed by the shardbearer
- rakshamember of kaladin's squad killed by the shardbearer
- navarmember of kaladin's squad killed by the shardbearer
- habsurviving member of kaladin's squad who stumbles while fleeing
- the shardbearergolden-armored warrior who cuts through kaladin's squad and is killed by kaladin
- hallawenemy lighteyes officer whose forces fight amaram's army
- larnmember of kaladin's squad fighting beside him
- korabetsergeant accompanying gare
- nalemsergeant accompanying gare
- koratermember of kaladin's squad sent back with cenn
- toorimshort spearman who searches the killed lighteyes officer for spheres
- norbycaptainlord who would verify kills; mentioned but not present
- roshoneperson from kaladin's past; mentioned only
- tienkaladin's dead brother; mentioned only
- dalinarlegendary lighteyes; mentioned only
- sadeashighprince; mentioned only
- the nightwatchermythological figure; mentioned only