Interludes

This interlude depicts Szeth eighteen years before the main narrative, as a nineteen-year-old soldier orchestrating an ambush against stonewalker raiders attacking a fishing village. After capturing him deliberately as part of his trap, Szeth infiltrates the enemy ship, fights the raiders, is mortally wounded but mysteriously healed by the Voice, and commits brutal acts on the captain's orders to frighten the enemy into never returning—ultimately succeeding but drawing disapproval from his father Neturo and the General.

Eighteen years prior, young soldier Szeth leads an operation in a fishing village to stop stonewalker raids by setting a trap with his best men disguised as weak captives and goods as bait. When a boy accidentally remains in the village, Szeth sacrifices his concealment, allows himself to be captured, and is taken aboard the enemy ship. Once aboard, Szeth's soldiers execute their plan: they cut themselves free, ignite the oil stores, and set two ships ablaze. Szeth swims to the third ship and joins the deck, initially passing as a stonewalker until recognized. He kills seven enemy sailors in rapid succession but is stabbed through the stomach from behind. The Voice (a spren bonded to him) miraculously heals his fatal wound, and Szeth returns to fighting with his men's support. The enemy surrenders. Rather than destroying the final ship, Szeth follows the Voice's instruction to demonstrate his supposed immortality and supernatural status—claiming to be a Stormrider—by healing his wound before the captain and then fatally stabbing two sailors to ensure word of his terror spreads. He joins his victorious men on shore as the two burning ships sink. His father Neturo and the General arrive, and while Neturo embraces him with apparent concern, both express disapproval: the General believes Szeth overstepped orders and will provoke larger retaliation, while Neturo questions how far his son has gone. The General orders Szeth to report to camp pending a decision on his fate.