Summary:Words of Radiance/Chapter 80
You must become king. Of Everything.
—From the Diagram, Tenets of Instruction, Back of the Footboard: paragraph 1
- Characters
- Kaladin (Point of View)
- Shallan (Point of View)
- Adolin (Mentioned only)
- Aladar (Mentioned only)
- Dalinar (Mentioned only)
- Elhokar (Mentioned only)
- Gavilar
- Gaz (Mentioned only)
- Jasnah
- Khal
- Lopen (Mentioned only)
- Moash (Mentioned only)
- Navani (Mentioned only)
- Palona (Mentioned only)
- Rlain
- Roion (Mentioned only)
- Torol Sadeas
- Sebarial (Mentioned only)
- Sylphrena
- Taka (Mentioned only)
- Teft
- Tien
- Vathah (Mentioned only)
- Plot Summary
- Ishishach 1173
Shallan climbs up a rock formation to get a good view of the ruins of an old city. Shallan reluctantly returns to the tents to join a war council among the highprinces. Shallan tells Dalinar they must push onward. Adolin reports that ten thousand Parshendi have been spotted on the nearby plateaus. Dalinar decides they will march toward the city the next day and attack.
Everyone leaves but Dalinar, Navani and Shallan, and Shallan says the oathgate is real according to Jasnah, and Dalinar thinks they might need it in case of emergency to escape.
Kaladin walks through the near deserted camp to think and try to put his losses behind him. He returns to his barracks and finds Elhokar is waiting for him. Elhokar speaks with Kal privately and asks how he knows how to be a hero. Elhokar complains that he is incompetent even though the Almighty gave him the throne. Elhokar asks Kal if he is a bad king, and Kal replies yes. Kal thinks he could kill the king then and there and wonders if he should, but then realizes that he doesn't want to fail Dalinar. Kaladin suggests that Elhokar resign, which angers the king, but then Elhokar says that when Kaladin came, that the shadows that haunted him vanished and that there is something special about Kaladin. Elhokar apologizes for his treatment of Kaladin which was out of jealousy, and admits culpability for their failure to deal with Sadeas, and leaves.