Editing Summary:Rhythm of War

Dalinar walks through the battlefield on the Emuli front with Szeth and several allied generals. He analyzes the battle, remembering the Rift and thinking about Taravangian's advice to stop fighting Odium. After congratulating other groups of victors, the Mink comes to speak with him. They discuss the enemy's tactics before Dalinar again promises to free Herdaz first after they free Alethkar.

Back in the command tent, Sigzil brings Stargyle, Lyn, and Leyten to see Dalinar. Stargyle makes a Lightweaving that plays back a view of what he saw on their scouting trip to Tukar, showing Ishar and his soldiers. Dalinar states his intention to go visit the Herald, telling the Radiants to make one more scouting trip while Dalinar consults with Jasnah.

Jasnah relaxes in her tent with Wit just after receiving word of the coalition's victory in Emul. She sorts through her notes from interviews with the Heralds, trying to find something to help with the situation at Urithiru, and admits her worry to Wit that Odium can see the future while they can't. Wit replies that they need to make sure Odium can't win even if he is sure not to lose. He presents to her his draft of a contract between Dalinar and Odium, explaining that one of Rayse's weaknesses is that he wants not only to win but to win in a way that shows off his intelligence. Wit states that the contest of champions will be no simple duel, but a matter of the heart of each champion; when asked if she trusts the hearts of those she fights alongside, Jasnah has no answer. She asks Wit who he really is, and he tells her that he is a man who is not bound.

Kaladin awakes from his nightmares, disoriented for a bit before remembering that he had tied his own hands to quell his violent reaction from being awoken. The Sibling speaks to him, telling him the enemy had found the final node and were soon going to kill the Radiants before requesting that Kaladin send Rlain down to them. Kaladin wakes Teft, informing him of the situation, and they get dressed in Bridge Four uniforms. Dabbid arrives, and they decide to send him with Rlain down to Navani. After Dabbid leaves, Kaladin tells Teft to run if things go wrong. After pointing out that the Pursuer will be waiting for him, Teft gets Kaladin to promise that he will run too and abandon the tower to the enemy so long as they can escape with as many Radiants as they can.

Navani, having spent all night listening as the singers discovered the tone for anti-Stormlight, numbly considers her failure in handing such a weapon to their enemies. She paints a glyph for divine direction, contemplating her belief in the Almighty. Moash arrives with the intention of killing Navani, but Raboniel negotiates with him until he agrees to get rid of Kaladin first. Leaving with a sack of sand and a dagger designed to kill a spren as well as instructions to break the final node, Moash halts when Navani calls him a traitor and replies to her coldly. When he leaves, Navani's guard brings her a candle to burn her prayers. After they are burnt, she discovers the dagger Raboniel had used to kill her daughter, still charged with a little bit of anti-Voidlight.

The Pursuer streaks forwards to confront Kaladin, and he grabs the Fused in a hold. As they wrestle on the ground, Kaladin begins undermining the Pursuer's confidence by taunting him. He uses Navani's fabrial to slide himself out of Lezian's grasp and draws his scalpel.

Kaladin walks towards Lezian and invites him to fight. When Lezian reaches him, Kaladin activates Navani's fabrial and sends him backwards into the window. After waiting for the wounded Fused to extricate himself, Kaladin yells at him to run, and he does. As the crowd chants his name, Kaladin turns towards the infirmary only to see Teft's body drop onto the floor in front of him.

Navani hears a commotion when the final node is destroyed, leaving the crystal pillar clear to approach. She takes the dagger charged with anti-Voidlight and sneaks towards Raboniel, activating a painrial hidden among the boxes in the corridor on her way. Raboniel tells Navani she should flee, but Navani claims that she cannot abandon the Sibling. She gives Raboniel the dagger and convinces her to wait with her in Navani's room to see if Moash does indeed defeat Kaladin. Raboniel accepts but promptly walks into the painrial trap.

Dalinar looks for a way to give Kaladin yet more time, demanding that the Stormfather learn to choose to have compassion. He searches, finding a place of warmth in the Spiritual Realm, and makes a Connection to give Kaladin a vision.

Kaladin finds himself in a tent on a battlefield from his time in Amaram's army. Varth walks up to speak with Gor, who tells him that their Brightlord's orders are to hold where they are. Varth directs Kaladin and the other messenger boy to grab spears and get out front, and Kaladin recognizes the scene. He sees Tien volunteer to go with them, and Tien explains to Kaladin that although he had been terrified, he needed to be there to help the others feel brave.

Leshwi kneels before Venli, overjoyed that the spren have returned to the singers. She asks after Riah, an old honorspren, but Timbre replies that she doesn't know her. Leshwi decides to join the battle going on around them, and her soldiers join her in fighting against the Pursuer's troops.

Rlain waits for those wishing to flee Urithiru to fetch their families while slowly leading the group of rebels through the Breakaway. As a group of Fused and Regals arrive to attack them, he turns to Venli and asks if there are any other Reachers willing to bond singers. Timbre tells Venli that Rlain is spoken for, and Tumi speaks to Rlain, showing him a vision of the future and inviting him to initiate their bond.

Dalinar, Szeth, and the Windrunners return from Tukar just in time to hear news of Urithiru's liberation. After sending a message to Navani and asking to meet with Jasnah and the Prime after the impending highstorm, Dalinar goes to his quarters. As he enters, he walks onto a golden field and realizes that Odium has come to speak with him. As Odium tries to provoke Dalinar into revealing the nature of his relationship with Ishar, Dalinar realizes that Odium is frightened of him and attempts to provoke Odium in turn. Odium looks at the terms Wit has written on Dalinar's behalf and angrily detects the Worldhopper's hand in them. He tells Dalinar that he is incapable of accepting the terms, now that the Everstorm has changed the situation, then explains that his plan has been to use the Rosharans as hardened warriors to fight for him in the cosmere.

Odium expresses interest in making an agreement that day, so he describes his terms: as Dalinar has to give up the idea of Odium restraining the Fused in the event of Dalinar's victory, Odium would give up his designs for Roshar and leave the Rosharan system in the event of his own victory. Dalinar, forewarned by Wit, refuses to make any agreement that will allow Odium to leave the Rosharan system, so they continue to negotiate until they settle on something acceptable, despite Dalinar's horror at the prospect of his failure, to them both: a battle of champions in ten days. Should Dalinar's champion win, Odium will cease all hostilities, return Alethkar and Herdaz to the coalition, and remain bound to the system. Should Odium's champion win, he will still cease hostilities and remain bound to the system, but he will keep what land he has conquered and will gain Dalinar's soul as a Fused.

Adolin and Shallan, in a room with their three spren, think that Testament looks better since Adolin's talk with her. They use Ala to contact Mraize, and Shallan tells him that, instead of killing Kelek, Veil has reintegrated herself with Shallan. Mraize tries to entice her back to the Ghostbloods with both promises of secrets and threats against her family, but Shallan is adamant and tells him that she will get to Ba-Ado-Mishram before the Ghostbloods can. Before ending the call, she tells Mraize the Ghostbloods had better vacate Urithiru before she returns and gives him messages from herself and from Wit to deliver to Thaidakar when his avatar next visits. Shallan thinks about the other worlds in the cosmere that Kelek had told her about with longing.

Kaladin leaves the gathering after Teft's funeral early to speak with Dalinar. Dalinar tries to say that he had been wrong to relieve Kaladin from command, but Kaladin cuts him off and explains that it does feel like the right thing for him. He asks for permission to continue pursuing the burgeoning field of mental health treatment and receives it. Dalinar tells Kaladin about the contest that is to happen in ten days and asks for him, as a surgeon, to travel to Shinovar and help Ishar so that Ishar can in turn help Dalinar to master his Bondsmith powers. Dalinar returns Wit's flute to Kaladin, explaining that Lift found it in a merchant's bin among other things salvaged from the Shattered Plains.

Lezian wakes, angry, back in a body on Roshar after only one day on Braize. He realizes he is in a room with El and asks for the Voidlight in the sphere that El is holding so he can renew his pursuit of Kaladin. El agrees that the Light is for him, tricking him into walking over. In reality, the sphere is anti-Voidlight that has been set into the hilt of a knife; El stabs Lezian with it and permanently kills him.

Eshonai hits the ground of the chasm after her battle with [[Adolin]] during the [[Battle of Narak]]. After a moment of disorientation, she attempts to climb the chasm wall and manages to get halfway up, but then fails to find proper handholds to continue. Shortly afterwards, the highstorm arrives and the flood rips her off the wall. After being carried in the current and nearly drowning, she manages to pull herself onto a boulder and out of the water.