This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here.

Title: Tossing Spears

This could be a violent encounter in all likelihood, or less likely a training scenario with the squires, but I choose to think that Kal and Szeth will make a game out of throwing things back and forth while they fly to Shinovar.

 

Icons: Taln

Hopefully Kal will get to talk to Taln and Ash before he leaves… but it could also be the endurance or resourcefulness that Taln is known for 

 

Epigraph: That's basically something I was tempted to say in previous chapters: Kaladin's listening strongly resembles the Edgedancer ideals. I do wonder if the listening that becomes the pivotal key moment Jasnah mentions is about listening to the Wind itself or to something/someone else.

 

Well, the opening line is about Kaladin stopping to listen, so this seems to be an important moment. I was expecting that to take longer. What has the Wind got to say? 

 

Good to see that the newest batch of squires have nearly achieved gender equality. That is a much faster shift in cultural acceptance than I expected in the short time since Lyn joined up.

 

Skar is tossing spears out a window. That's our title. Presumably it's not aimed at anything. Is it for the squires to retrieve later? No it must be a readiness/awareness exercise, to see if they can notice the loss of their weapons and evaluate how they respond to that. It's my best guess, at least. 

 

Yes, that's what it seems like. Situational awareness assessment and training. Seems to be a familiar drill Skar likes to use with some regularity.

 

Seems like Lusintia came alone, she wasn't part of a larger early group that I guessed might have departed before anyone noticed. Just her on her lonesome, which is brave of her. She did tell them to expect more soon, presumably referring to the dozen that departed when Shallan did. 

 

Solemnityspren. No surprise that one's rare, though I suppose Kal might have a better chance than most to have seen one before. Looks like a spiraling serpent. 

 

Quote

“There's more than a bit of the wind to you”

makes me wonder what is being culturally ascribed to the Wind, as distinct from the Storm. Those cultural elements will have influenced (and drawn from) the nature of the spren who embodies the Wind.

 

Quote

“The east wind sees tomorrow before anyone else does.”

This is a fascinating idiom whose literal and surface meaning feel straightforward but which also seems like it has a lot of context and depth to add nuance to its usage. It feels wistful and aspirational in the way Skar uses it here. 

 

Skar at least convinces him not to leave without saying goodbye. Glad someone is giving good advice. It's a neat feeling to realize that Kaladin is aiming to be in Azimir when the other protagonists come through, not because they'll be there but because they are being escorted by Drehy, and that's someone he needs to talk to. It's a good way to convey that the rest of the world matters beyond our main characters. 

 

Wait, Kaladin is giving out hugs now? He really is feeling good! 

 

What possessions has Syl been collecting? Initial guess is leaves and scraps of fabric, similar to what she brought Kaladin away back in WoK before honor chasm, but it could really be practically anything.

 

…

Notably, Shallan traces her fear of the bead ocean not to the time she almost drowned in it in Kharbranth when she first soulcast that goblet, but rather to her childhood visions of Shadesmar back when she was bonding Testament. Visions that she now remembers, for a rather dramatic change from the pervasive repression of the books so far. 

 

Radiant making a building doesn't seem like the sort of strategy that will help retrieve Adolin from beneath the surface, even if it's a good way of getting herself out of danger. I hope it's only step one. 

Oh. Drehy grabbed Adolin already. That is encouraging that they've got a competent protector, but also a little bit of a letdown that Shallan's efforts didn't help with the rescue. Radiant doesn't care, though, she's just relieved. The disappointment is entirely a reader reaction to subverted expectations.

 

Pattern and Testament got dropped in the ocean. That's what I expected, as it's the natural choice, but it is a pretty stark reminder that for all their personhood, spren are also treated as things at least part of the time. 

 

Adolin has memorized and accounted for the mental/cultural idiosyncracies of the different types of Fused from a command perspective. He remains a capable military leader regardless of the power disparity between himself and these new superpowered foes.

 

And yet the situation doesn't fit those expectations–the Fused used the cover of the beads to sneak up on Shallan's platform. 

 

Despite the interchangeability of different flavors of investiture when actively manipulating the beads in Shadesmar, the beads “hate” voidlight. I'm not sure how that manifest practically, though. The cave appears to be an intentional construct made by the Heavenly One she's fighting, not an exclusion bubble resulting from beads fleeing the Voidlight.

 

Quote

“I am sane because I bathe in the blood of Radiants.”

Very convincing argument there. Not sounding unhinged at all. 

 

Shallan's next truth is admitting her fear. I didn't see that coming for her. It seemed like her fear was not a hidden part of herself to any significant degree. 

 

The flow of internal vs. external speech as Shallan and Radiant change places is unexpectedly powerful as a device to convey tension and crescendo in this moment of personal breakthrough. 

 

His name is Abidi the Monarch, future ruler of Roshar, and someone not at all suffering delusions of grandeur.

 

I thought for a brief moment that Shallan was going to merge with Radiant, but it's obviously too early in her journey for that. Solid illusions is a much more natural next step, and well telegraphed by her discussion with Restares. Manifesting swords where you want them is a pretty useful trick as well. Notably, this has the potential to make Radiant a more real and separate aspect rather than a more integrated one, though we'll have to see how Shallan's mental state develops from this. She's looking very strong at the moment. 

 

Despite the victory here, there are still 5 more attackers plus the mystery lights suggesting a larger supporting force. They're not out of this yet, and we have to check back in with Kaladin before we find out how difficult their situation even is.