Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive, #4)

by Brandon Sanderson

“I’m not strong enough,” Kaladin whispered. “You’re strong enough for me.” “I’m not good enough.” “You’re good enough for me.” “I wasn’t there.” Tien smiled. “You are here for me, Kal. You’re here for all of us.” “And…” Kaladin said, tears on his cheeks, “if I fail again?” “You can’t. So long as you understand.” He pulled Kaladin tight. Kaladin rested his head against Tien’s chest, blotting his tears with the cloth of his shirt. “Teft believes in you. The enemy thinks he’s won. But I want to see his face when he realizes the truth. Don’t you? It’s going to be delightful.” Kaladin found himself smiling. “If he kills us,” Tien said, “he’s simply dropped us off at a place we were going anyway. We shouldn’t hasten it, and it is sad. But see, he can’t take our moments, our Connection, Kaladin. And those are things that really matter.”

Tien smiled, then pressed something into Kaladin’s hand. A small wooden horse. “Try to keep track of him this time, Kal. I worked hard on that.” Then Kaladin dropped suddenly, the wooden horse evaporating in his hand as he fell. He searched around in the endless blackness. “Syl?” he called. A pinprick of light, weaving around him. But that wasn’t her. “SYL!” Another pinprick. And another. But those weren’t her. That was. He reached into the darkness and seized her hand, pulling her to him. She grabbed him, physical in this place and his own size. She held to him, and shook as she spoke. “I’ve forgotten the Words. I’m supposed to help you, but I can’t. I…” “You are helping,” Kaladin said, “by being here.” He closed his eyes, feeling the storm as they broke through the moment between and entered the real world. “Besides,” he whispered, “I know the Words.” Say them, Tien whispered. “I have always known these Words.” Say it, lad! Do it! “I accept it, Stormfather! I accept that there will be those I cannot protect!”

Are you all right? he asked the Stormfather. Yes. He tried to steal our bond. It should not be possible, but Honor no longer lives to enforce his laws.… The perpendicularity. Did Szeth … destroy it? Don’t be foolish, the Stormfather said. No creation of mortal hands could destroy the power of a Shard of Adonalsium. He merely collapsed it. You could summon it again.

The powers of a Bondsmith are the powers of creation, the Stormfather said. The powers of gods, including the ability to link souls. Always before, Honor was here to guard this power,

It seems that Ishar knows how to make full use of his new freedom. The Stormfather paused, then rumbled more softly. I never liked him. Though I was only a wind then—and not completely conscious—I remember him. Ishar was ambitious even before madness took him. He cannot bear sole blame for the destruction of Ashyn, humankind’s first home, but he was the one Odium first tricked into experimenting with the Surges. You don’t particularly like anyone, Dalinar noted. Not true. There was a human who made me laugh once, long ago. I was somewhat fond of him.