73: TRUST

After the failed betrayal and rescue, Bridge Four celebrates their salvation and freedom while processing the day's violence. As word spreads of his mysterious abilities, Bridge Four offers unwavering acceptance. When a renewed and introspective bridge crew gather around a fire, they pledge secrecy about his powers but eagerly offer to help him understand them through experimentation.

Opening on the staging ground at dusk, the chapter begins with worry and self-examination. An emotionally exhausted, conflicted bridgeman finds solace in conversing with his spren companion, grappling with the moral weight of the day: He has killed parshendi to save an alethi high prince, questioned whether such killing can be justified even for noble goals, and worries about having strayed from what true warriors should be. When the highprince arrives, punctual and purposeful, he offers a substantial opportunity. The narrative follows negotiations between the two: The highprince requests that bridge four serve as both personal bodyguards and the foundation of a new battalion of trained soldiers. In exchange, he offers the rank of captain—an unusually high position for a darkeyes—autonomy from standard chain of command, time for training away from plateau runs, and freedom from immediate combat. The bridgeman accepts these terms on the condition that his men consent as well, demonstrating his refusal to command through ownership. The highprince gifts him a cloak bearing his colors, marking the new recruit as part of his family. Later that evening, at the bridgemen's barracks, the entire crew awaits around a firepit. Word has spread among them of the mysterious glowing light the bridgeman wielded during the battle. Rather than fear or revulsion, the men greet the revelation with enthusiasm and curiosity, asking urgent questions about his abilities and whether such powers can be taught. The bridgeman demonstrates his stormlight briefly, allowing it to illuminate him in the firelight. The men respond with eagerness rather than alarm, noting their own experiences with being discarded by society and reasoning that anything that keeps him alive is worthy of support. They propose extensive testing and experimentation to map the parameters and limits of his powers. The chapter closes with the bridgeman reflecting on the day: Though three men fell in battle, hundreds of bridge runners have been freed from their fate and twenty-seven of his immediate friends have survived. For now, he feels he has finally managed to save someone.