43. The Ghostbloods

Shallan infiltrates a secret meeting of the Ghostbloods, a mysterious organization, while disguised as a darkeyes. She meets Mraize, the scarred leader, and accepts an assignment to investigate Brightlord Amaram, discovering that the Ghostbloods are connected to the symbol Jasnah had been researching.

Shallan ventures through the warcamp disguised with Lightweaving, using her dark hair and brown eyes to move unnoticed among the crowds. She navigates to Nar Street where she finds a dilapidated tenement building concealing an underground chamber. After passing a large guard, she descends through multiple levels—discovering a basement beneath the basement—and enters a luxurious hidden room where the Ghostbloods gather. Mraize, a scarred man with violet eyes and a blowgun, initially threatens her but accepts her claim that Tyn sent her as an intermediary after Jasnah's assassination. When Shallan refuses to betray Tyn's location and argues that such disloyalty would make her worthless to him, Mraize respects her reasoning. He offers her employment and assigns her to investigate Brightlord Amaram's manor for secrets, warning her not to harm or alert him. Shallan notices Mraize wears a signet ring bearing the same mysterious symbol that Jasnah had drawn—the symbol also carried by her former steward and Kabsal. A masked woman from the organization is sent to follow Shallan as she leaves. Shallan evades her tail using Lightweaving to create an illusory wall, though her disguise unravels in the process. She returns safely to the mansion, exhilarated by the danger and resolved to gain Mraize's trust while pursuing an alliance with House Kholin through Prince Adolin.