60. Veil Walks

Shallan conducts late-night scholarly research on the location of Stormseat, the ancient capital of Natanatan, comparing old maps to modern ones of the Shattered Plains. She also experiments with creating illusions that produce sound and learning to sustain them without constant proximity, discovering that Pattern can help anchor her creations through their bond.

Unable to sleep due to racing thoughts, Shallan studies in her quarters, showing Pattern maps that suggest Stormseat once stood on the Shattered Plains rather than in the highlands as scholars claim. She references Jasnah's notes and Amaram's observations about Parshendi weapons, theorizing the craters may be ruins of ancient domes and that Stormseat contained an Oathgate leading to Urithiru. Pattern presses her to acknowledge the truths about their bond and her past, but Shallan resists, explaining that embracing traumatic childhood memories would cripple her. She creates an illusion of Veil, a confident darkeyed persona distinct from herself, and attempts to make it produce sound—a ability she once had but cannot remember how to access. After failing for an hour, she discovers that by giving Pattern Stormlight, he can help sustain the illusion even when she leaves his presence. Through experimentation, she learns to attach the illusion directly to Pattern, allowing it to move with him like reflected light, though not with natural walking motions. She celebrates this progress as a major breakthrough in her abilities.