Interlude 18

Interlude 18 follows three characters dealing with severe consequences of recent battles. Adolin adjusts to losing his foot and being permanently barred from combat; Szeth learns he is destined to become a Herald and must forge a new Oathpact; and both face the crushing weight of duties they cannot escape. The city's defensive lines are collapsing and time is running out.

Adolin receives a prosthetic peg for his severed foot and learns from the surgeon that he will never be fit for combat again. Despite his frustration at being sidelined while soldiers die, he plays towers with Emperor Yanagawn in the imperial tent. When he discovers that Gezamal has been demoted to latrine duty as punishment for allowing the emperor into battle, Adolin confronts him about the injustice. Gezamal, however, accepts his punishment with dignified resignation, explaining that he loves the Azish empire despite its flaws and believes in respecting its laws, even when they hurt him. Adolin finds this perspective sobering and returns to the courtyard, where Colot shares his own pain about being rejected by the Windrunners due to his lighteyed birth. Meanwhile, Szeth's spren visits him at camp to reveal that Szeth is destined to become a Herald of the Oathpact to prevent millions from suffering. The revelation devastates Szeth, who sees eternal life as a curse rather than honor. His spren admits uncertainty about many details of the plan but urges Szeth forward. Kaladin's distant flute music provides Szeth momentary comfort as he contemplates a future of immortal servitude. Adolin later learns from reports that the defensive lines are barely holding and will likely collapse within a day and a half, leaving him helpless to prevent the city's fall.