Interlude 12

This interlude follows two separate defensive preparations: Jasnah arrives in Thaylen City with Alethi forces to bolster its defenses against an impending enemy invasion, while at Narak Four, Sigzil and his troops prepare for an assault by new enemy forces, including powerful new Fused variants called the Focused Ones and a massive thunderclast.

Jasnah marches into Thaylen City at the head of a division of Alethi troops, her honor guard comprising freed slaves. She meets with Queen Fen and military strategists to discuss defensive preparations. Jasnah reflects on the paradoxes of her leadership—whether her success as a female general helps or merely reinforces traditional masculine notions of power—and worries about the durability of the reforms she has implemented. She is also troubled by a letter she wrote ending her relationship with Wit. With Fen atop the city wall, Jasnah learns of a major threat: approximately one hundred enemy ships are approaching across the channel, far more than expected given enemy forces were supposed to be committed elsewhere. Fen expresses concern that Thaylen City will face a second cataclysmic invasion and that her navy remains weak despite a year of rebuilding. Jasnah assures her that with Radiants and Soulcasters, they can mount a strong defense, though she acknowledges the enemy will commit everything to taking the city. The scene shifts to Narak Four on the Shattered Plains, where Sigzil and Leyten observe enemy forces gathering, including the newly awakened Focused Ones—enormous beings whose bodies consist of layered cords that can compress into dense, muscular forms. As the highstorm converges with the Everstorm, an unprecedented event occurs: the highstorm is overwhelmed and nearly destroyed by the Everstorm, leaving only a weak rain. Sigzil notes this as a very bad sign. The enemy begins their assault on Narak Four, and Sigzil realizes his trap is working—the enemy is drawn to the weakest gate—until he hears the approach of a thunderclast in the distance, suggesting the enemy has a means to breach the fortifications after all.