Chapter 59

Adolin commands the defense of a domed city against singer forces while managing a critical strategic disadvantage: the enemy has obtained a Soulcaster and fortified the central structure with bronze, rendering direct assault impossible. Simultaneously, Sigzil takes command of coalition forces defending the Shattered Plains against an incoming assault from nearly half the enemy's entire Fused population, implementing an unconventional engineering-based strategy of intentional defensive weak points to misdirect the enemy.

Adolin oversees the eleventh wave of singer assaults within the dome, where human defenders maintain a pike-and-shield formation against waves of enemies. After a costly failed assault on the enemy's newly constructed wooden fortress, Adolin discovers the singers have Soulcast portions of it to bronze using their captured Soulcaster, making it impervious to fire. Unable to breach the fortification without unacceptable casualties, Adolin strategizes with Commandant Kushkam and Shardbearer Neziham, proposing to use siege weapons or drop rocks through skylights to test the structure's integrity. Exhausted after four days of continuous fighting with two more days until reinforcements arrive, Adolin is forced to rest by his staff. He requests clarification on what "capturing" the city means under Dalinar's contract with Odium, suspicious of hidden legalities. Meanwhile, Sigzil arrives at the Shattered Plains to take command of the united coalition defense of Narak. Flying to observe the approaching Everstorm, he identifies hundreds of Fused including nearly all the Skybreaker force being transported by Heavenly Ones. Assessing the situation as facing half the enemy's functional Fused force (roughly eight to nine hundred), Sigzil proposes a counterintuitive defensive strategy to gathered generals: spreading forces across four plateaus instead of concentrating on two, deliberately creating weaker points to deceive the enemy into attacking non-vital positions while protecting the critical Narak Prime and Narak Two (which holds the Oathgate). Despite his relative inexperience in command, his status as a Radiant and his logical, engineering-based approach wins acceptance from the generals. Troops begin deploying to Narak Three and Four, positioned to invite assault on Narak Four first, as Sigzil prepares to defend against the incoming Fused assault.