147
edits
MarsTemple (talk | contribs) m (Just a grammar fix) |
Lord Spirit (talk | contribs) |
||
(9 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown) | |||
[[Kalak]], one of the ten [[Herald]]s, wanders through a torn landscape littered with dead humans, [[thunderclast]]s, and other beasts. He is traveling to the Heralds' preordained meeting place (a rocky spire) for those who survived the [[Desolation]].
Upon arrival, he finds only their leader, [[Jezrien]], waiting for him. At first, Kalak assumes that the other eight must have died
Kalak shows horror and disgust that both Jezrien and himself have been broken by the cycle of Desolations and that they are too weak to face their suffering. They plan to lie and tell the people that they finally won against the "enemy", saying it might even turn out to be true. Their abandonment of mankind is somewhat diluted by the fact that Ishar, another Herald, believes that "...so long as there is one of us still bound to the Oathpact (Talenel), it may be enough. There is a chance we might end the cycle of Desolations." Jezrien points out that mankind also has the [[Knights Radiant|Radiants]].
Finally, both Jezrien and Kalak summon their Blades and slam them into the ground, along with the other seven. They depart
*[[bws: annotation-the-way-of-kings-prelude/|Prelude Annotation]]
When he reaches the area just outside the King's quarters, Szeth uses his abilities as a [[Surgebinder]] to fight his way past the guards. As he reaches the king's quarters, he is confronted by a [[Shardbearer]] as the King flees.
Szeth fights his way past the Shardbearer
Gavilar then gives Szeth a strange [[black sphere]] and tells him, "You must take this. They must not get it." He then instructs Szeth to tell Gavilar's brother [[Dalinar]] that he must "find the most important words a man can say."
*[[bws: annotation-the-way-of-kings-prologue/|Prologue Annotation]]
[[Dallet]], a sergeant, picks Cenn up and returns him to the squad. They are soon joined by Kaladin, who asks Dallet to take care of Cenn during the battle as he won't know the group's signals. They then fall to discussing tactics.
The opposing force arrives and the battle begins. Kaladin's squad does not lose a single man. At one point, Kaladin singlehandedly fights off six enemy spearmen to save Cenn. When an enemy [[Brightlord]] appears, Kaladin and his squad attempt to defeat him. They are hindered, however, by the arrival of an enemy [[Helaran Davar|Shardbearer]]. Cenn blacks out from blood loss, and the scene cuts out.
*[[bws: annotation-the-way-of-kings-chapter-1/|Chapter 1 Annotation]]
'''Kaladin'''
Kaladin is now a slave in a caravan, waiting to be sold
When approached by another slave about escaping, Kaladin gruffly tells him that he has no plans to escape because it will never work. A second slave approaches Kaladin and asks how he came to be a slave. When Kaladin doesn't respond, the other men tell their stories. It eventually comes out that Kaladin killed a man, but the one he did not kill is the reason he's a slave.
Kaladin idly toys with a leaf of [[blackbane]], contemplating using it to poison [[Tvlakv]], his slave trader. A [[windspren]] in the form of a slender young woman
Kaladin sees Tvlakv going to inspect a sick slave. Kaladin tells him that the man has the grinding coughs and will survive if given extra water. Tvlakv removes the man from the rest of the slaves, and Kaladin thinks he is going to give him water. Instead, [[Bluth]] brutally murders the man. Kaladin is upset over his failure to save him.
'''Shallan Davar'''
[[Shallan Davar]] has just arrived in [[Kharbranth]], the City of Bells. She experiences a culture-shock
After a short conversation with Captain [[Tozbek]] of the [[Wind's Pleasure]], the boat she
Shallan and one of Captain Tozbek's sailors, [[Yalb]], make the trip up to the palace so Shallan can speak to Jasnah. When they arrive, she asks Yalb to wait for her outside the palace. It is revealed that Shallan had requested to be Jasnah's ward, and that Jasnah told her to meet her in [[Dumadari]]. Shallan has been chasing her from city to city ever since.
Shallan is very nervous
The chapter ends with Shallan turning a corner and seeing Jasnah.
'''Kaladin'''
Kaladin is sitting in the slave wagon, waiting for the caravan to stop for lunch
In the conversation that follows, Tvlakv says that he is only comfortable with the idea of Kaladin escaping because he knows that he wants revenge on Brightlord [[Amaram]] more than he does on Tvlakv. Kaladin realizes that if Tvlakv knows about Amaram, then he also knows that Kaladin isn't actually a deserter,
A short time later, the windspren comes back. She had apparently left during the recent highstorm, but now tells Kaladin that there is a large group of people not far away. A few minutes later, Kaladin realizes that it's an Alethi war camp, and that their destination is the [[Shattered Plains]].
{{epigraph|If anything I have said makes a glimmer of sense to you, I trust that you'll call them off. Or maybe you could astound me and ask them to do something productive for once.}}
'''Kaladin'''
Kaladin visits the apothecary again to sell his knobweed sap. He pretends that "wild" knobweed isn't as effective and tries to swindle Kaladin. With the help of Syl, he sees through the ruse and gets a better price. He considers escaping, but he can't bring himself to leave the bridgemen. Gaz has changed Bridge Four's work duty to chasm duty because the other bridges resent them for getting away with breaking rules by bringing back wounded.
;Dalinar
Dalinar and Sadeas watch as the Parshendi army of roughly ten thousand lines up, while they still try to remove the gemheart. Sadeas suggests they attack together, but Dalinar knows that many of the bridgemen will be killed. He holds to the Code and won't order what he himself wouldn't do. Dalinar will follow Sadeas's army once a
;Kaladin
;Kaladin
As Sadeas's forces withdraw, Bridge Four lags behind. Having wounded and already being low in number, they are unable to move ahead of the army and help with the crossing of the staging plateau. Instead of crossing with the army, Kaladin tells Matal that they will rest, use their bridge to follow and catch up later. Kaladin gives the pretense that he doesn't want to slow the rest of the army. The army continues westward without Bridge Four. Kaladin explains to the men that now they can simply escape without fighting. Everything is perfect except the wounded back at camp. Kaladin insists that he stay with the wounded and escape later. Kaladin feels unsettled, and not just because of the men he would have to leave behind. He sees Syl next to him as a regular-sized woman. She stands looking back at the battle with an expression of horror. Kaladin also looks back at the battle. He sees the thousands of dark eyed soldiers hopelessly surrounded. Syl says that she now remembers what kind of spren she is. She is an honorspren. The spirit of oaths, promises, and nobility. Kaladin thinks that trying to save Kholin's army would be suicide and that he and his men owe Dalinar nothing. He is determined not to be fooled again like the time he saved Amaram. Finally he remembers his father's words: "The lighteyes don't care about life, so I must. So we must." With the Ideals of the Radiants forming in his mind he tells the members of Bridge Four that they must go back. They agree and lift their bridge, heading back to the Tower.
;Dalinar
;Dalinar
Dalinar rides at the head of his remaining force. Seething with anger, he contemplates his confrontation with Sadeas. He knows he must first protect Alethkar despite his desire for revenge. As his force
;Kaladin
As the middle moon finishes rising, Dalinar joins Kaladin on the staging ground. They discuss the condition of the bridge crews and how many Kaladin thinks will stay in the army. Dalinar wants Kaladin and Bridge Four to replace his honor guard who had been nearly wiped out earlier that day. He wants the rest of the bridgemen to be trained as a company of spearmen. Kaladin agrees on condition that the men agree and Dalinar makes him a captain. Dalinar also gives Kaladin his cloak that he wore in battle that day as a token of appreciation.
Kaladin returns to Bridge Four's barrack to find his men engaged in their nightly tradition of eating Rock's stew. They talk to him about his extraordinary abilities and they want him to teach them how to do it too. Kaladin is unsure if
{{anchor|Chapter 74}}
|
edits