88. The Man Who Owned the Winds

Shallan encounters Mraize in Urithiru and learns the Ghostbloods have infiltrated the tower; she is confronted with her identity as a Soulcaster and blackmailed with knowledge of her captured brothers. Meanwhile, Amaram attempts to extract the Herald Talenelat from captivity but is attacked by a Ghostblood assassin, and Szeth awakens after his death to discover he has been resurrected by Nalan (Nin), a Herald who offers him rebirth as a Skybreaker Knight with a black Shardblade.

Shallan discovers a card bearing the Ghostbloods' symbol with her name in the tower corridors. She confronts Mraize, who reveals he has identified her as Shallan Davar and knows of her family's historical involvement with his organization. Mraize claims to have rescued her brothers from the chaos following her family's fall and offers them as a gift, though he also reminds her that her family owes a debt—specifically, a broken Soulcaster, which Mraize suggests she may be. Despite Shallan's threat to kill him, Mraize departs, telling her to consider joining the Ghostbloods as "Veil" while remaining a Radiant publicly. After he leaves, Shallan meets Adolin in the hallway; they share an intimate moment before she retires to a room Pattern has chosen for her. In the room, Pattern forces Shallan to confront a repressed memory: her mother's death. Shallan witnesses a re-created scene in which her mother, discovering Shallan's supernatural abilities, attempted to kill her with the aid of a companion. Shallan killed both her mother and the companion with a Shardblade that manifested in her hands—a fact her father concealed by taking responsibility for the murders. Pattern confirms this truth, and Shallan weeps. In a parallel scene, Amaram writes to Restares that the Sons of Honor have successfully triggered a crisis by unleashing Voidbringers, which should bring about the return of the Heralds. He travels to the insane asylum where Talenelat (the Herald of War) is held and attempts to extract him, but a Ghostblood assassin attacks, firing a poisoned dart. The Herald catches the dart mid-air with surprising speed and clarity before returning to his catatonic state. Amaram escorts the Herald to his coach. Finally, Szeth awakens after his fall and death, confused about his continued existence. A man in black and silver—revealed to be Nalan, the Herald of Justice—explains that he has restored Szeth using a fabrial before his brain died. Nalan reveals that Szeth was never truly Truthless and that the Voidbringers have indeed returned, vindicating Szeth's beliefs. Nalan offers Szeth rebirth as a Skybreaker, one of the Knights Radiant, and presents him with a black Shardblade. The Blade's spren greets Szeth cheerfully, asking if he would like to destroy evil.