Summary:Words of Radiance/Interlude I-11
- Characters
- Plot Summary
- Ishashes 1173
Eshonai tries to shoo away her new bonded spren but fails. She attunes her old rhythms as the new ones that she was listening to which had voices that gave advice tended to make other people nervous. She meets the others of the ruling council, with her sister Venli having taken stormform as well. Eshonai tells them that they need to transform more of their people to be ready for the Alethi push toward Narak, so they can summon a highstorm to use as a weapon. Eshonai tunes out the voice within that is screaming and attunes joy and tells how awesome she feels. Zuln dissents from Eshonai's proposal, saying it is not right. The meeting breaks up and Venli and Eshonai discuss their options for getting consensus on their plan and Venli says that she knew what the stormform would do to Eshonai, angering her sister. Eshonai asks how Venli knew but she doesn't answer. Eshonai addresses a crowd and tells them that the Five want to forbid the new form but that she will allow anyone who wishes to join her in a highstorm to transform, then she generates a miniature storm for them to see as a demonstration of her new ability, impressing the onlookers. She then asks for volunteers from her soldiers for the new form and is happy that almost no one refuses her. She then tells the soldiers that she wants to transform all the civilians also, and has them go through the city get volunteers and segregate anyone who refuses the transformation. Venli says that those unwilling to transform must be killed and Eshonai says that will happen after her soldiers all take stormform. Abronai refuses the transformation and is grouped with the dissenters, along with Zuln. Thude confronts Eshonai on her changes in behavior and attitude but she defends her actions as necessary to their people's survival. Eshonai sends Thude to guard the dissenters, which include her own mother. As she prepares to speak to her entire people, Varanis tells her that the dissenters escaped, helped by Thude, but Eshonai says not to pursue them since they will not survive the next highstorm anyway. Venli confronts Eshonai, who threatens to kill her sister but doesn't since she needs Venli for the stormspren. Eshonai lets Venli go and addresses the Parshendi as she planned.