Chapter 72

Venli communes with stones and worries about leading her people to destruction, while Dalinar and Navani navigate the Spiritual Realm to witness the early days of the Heralds—fifty years after humans arrived on Roshar. Their search for knowledge about Honor's death is complicated when young Gavinor accidentally follows them into the vision.

Venli, alone in a cave she carved from stone, sings to the ancient stones for guidance about her people's safety now that they shelter renegade Fused. The stones offer only joy and connection to her heritage, no answers about the future. She observes her seventeen hundred listeners, including many who rejected the forms of power she brought, building homes in the flatlands southeast of the Shattered Plains among resting chasmfiends. Her mother Jaxlim joins her, expressing guilt for teaching Venli songs that drove her toward power, but Venli accepts full responsibility for her choices. Jaxlim promises to share old songs that might help protect their people from Odium's wrath. Separately, Dalinar and Navani enter a vision using anchors (including a red ribbon from Shalash) to navigate the Spiritual Realm. They witness a gathering of early Heralds—Jezrien, Ishar, Chanaranach, Vedeledev, and others—roughly fifty years after humans arrived on Roshar. The scene shows humans confined to barren lands while singers thrive to the east. Tensions escalate as thirty humans have been killed, and singers led by Elodi warn of impending war. Dalinar, playing the Herald Kalak, subtly suggests that Honor might grant them Surgebinding powers to help them lead and prevent conflict. After Shalash angrily leaves and Elodi departs warning of disaster, Gavinor—Dalinar's grandnephew—suddenly appears in the vision after sneaking away to watch them leave. Navani comforts the frightened boy by explaining the vision as a story like Shallan's Lightweaving. Dalinar and Navani plan to search for anchors to jump forward to the moment the Heralds gain their powers, while keeping Gav safe and hoping the Stormfather will help them return him.