AFTERWORD

Chapter 13

Interlude 2

Overview

An interlude centered on Shallan and Adolin's struggle against Fused in a cavern of beads in Shadesmar. After fighting Abidi and discovering unsettling powers over the beads—including a disturbing manifestation of Ba-Ado-Mishram—they regroup with Drehy and his squires, find Gallant safe among a herd of musicspren, and discover a massive secret army of thousands of singers sailing toward Azimir.

Summary

Shallan, manifested as Radiant, battles Abidi the Fused in a bead cavern. After wounding him, he escapes but the cavern collapses. Shallan uses her Lightweaving and a mysterious bead to create a room and find Adolin below. She experiences disorientation, unable to trust whether Adolin is real or an illusion she created. When she attempts to help Adolin reach Drehy and his squires above, her actions cause Ba-Ado-Mishram's face to manifest from the beads and she hears a threatening voice in her mind before Adolin destroys the manifestation. Shallan creates a sphere-like vehicle to escape the collapsing bead ocean. On the platform above, Abidi attacks again; Adolin kills him with an expertly placed sword strike. Radiant manifests as well and fires massive arrows to scatter other Fused. Shallan submerges them in a protected room beneath the bead ocean and uses her Stormlight to maneuver it like a ship, eventually collecting Pattern, Testament, Maya, and Drehy's spren. They surface near an island where Gallant stands safely surrounded by glowing musicspren; one spren bonds intimately with Adolin before departing with the herd. Drehy spots something more sinister: hundreds of ships crewed by singer warriors, sailing from the Horneater Peaks toward Azimir in what appears to be a secret strike force months in preparation.

Characters

  • ShallanLightweaver using beads to create structures and illusions; battles Abidi, rescues the group, and discovers a mysterious bead that seems supernaturally helpful
  • RadiantShallan's manifestation as a separate physical form who fights alongside Shallan against the Fused and fires a massive Shardbow
  • AdolinFound unconscious in the bead ocean; wields an oversized sword and expertly kills Abidi; touches an unfamiliar musicspren
  • Abidi the FusedA Heavenly One Fused with white-patterned face who initially wounds Shallan, escapes the first encounter, and returns to attack but is killed by Adolin
  • Abidi the MonarchAnother Fused leading the Heavenly Ones in the attack above the cavern
  • Ba-Ado-MishramAppears as a manifestation from beads in the form of a crowned female singer; speaks threats in Shallan's mind
  • DrehyWindrunner squad leader who fights above the cavern, uses a compass device that points toward the Grand Knell, and scouts the surrounding area
  • Drehy's squiresWindrunner squires fighting alongside Drehy; one is wounded and rescued by Shallan
  • PatternShallan's spren, found and rescued from the bead ocean
  • TestamentAnother spren rescued from the bead ocean
  • MayaA spren rescued from the bead ocean
  • Drehy's sprenDrehy's bonded spren, rescued from the bead ocean
  • GallantAdolin's horse, found safe among a herd of glowing musicspren and later used to scout
  • NotumMentioned as having used a musicspren as a mount; does not appear
  • The musicspren herdEthereal horse-like spren who befriend Gallant and interact with Adolin; one spren has a familiar interaction with Adolin