73. A Thousand Scurrying Creatures

In a flashback set one year before the present narrative, Shallan discovers her father has murdered their stepmother Malise and moves to stop him from killing Balat and his betrothed Eylita. She poisons her father with blackbane in his wine, and when the poison proves only to paralyze rather than kill him, she strangles him with her necklace while singing a lullaby he once sang to her.

The chapter opens with Shallan visiting Balat's room as he prepares bundles to escape with his betrothed Eylita, planning to flee to the highprince to expose their father's crimes. Jushu lounges nearby, scarred from his past debts, while Shallan shares a letter revealing that their eldest brother Helaran has vanished and likely died. Balat resolves to leave that night, claiming he will check on eastern villages but intending to pick up Eylita and ride to Vedenar. Wikim arrives with alarming news: their father has summoned Eylita and is speaking with her in the feast hall. Balat rushes down, with Shallan following more slowly. In the hall, their father has discovered Balat's plan to escape and reveals that Helaran is dead, killed on a battlefield in Alethkar. Balat draws his sword, and the two fight briefly; their father easily overpowers him and begins brutally beating him with an iron poker, fracturing his leg severely. When their father moves to kill Eylita, he suddenly staggers and collapses. Shallan reveals to Wikim that she poisoned her father's wine with blackbane, a poison Wikim had given her years earlier. However, the poison only paralyzes rather than kills. As their father regains consciousness and his eyes focus on Shallan, she realizes the poison will not finish him. She uses her necklace to strangle him while singing the lullaby he once sang to her as a child, finally ending his life as the highstorm rages outside.