Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive #4) - Brandon Sanderson Page 0,333

had invaded Venli’s mind in the past; who knew how far his corrupting touch could reach?

Windrunner, Venli thought, reading the markings on the floor next to the woman. They listed whatever Venli’s team had been able to learn about the individual Radiants from interrogating the tower’s humans. She glanced down the row toward another Radiant whose face was making similar expressions. Also a Windrunner.

She finished her inspection and met up with Dul. It had turned out to be simple for Venli to put her most trusted people in charge of the fallen Radiants, as Raboniel thought it a good use for them.

“The other Windrunners,” Venli said softly. “Do they all seem…”

“Closer to waking?” Dul asked to Awe. “Yeah. They do. Any time one of the Radiants stirs, it’s always a Windrunner. We’ve caught some of them muttering in their sleep.”

“Raboniel asked me specifically to check on this,” Venli said to Anxiety. “She seemed to have anticipated it.”

“Not hard to guess,” Dul said. “The Radiant who is awake—supposedly roaming the tower—is a Windrunner, right?”

Venli nodded, looking along the rows of bodies. Venli’s loyalists moved among them, administering broth and changing soiled blankets.

“This was a good maneuver, putting us here,” Dul whispered. “Caring for the humans gives us an excuse to collect blankets and clothing for when we leave. I’ve begun putting away broth paste that should keep.”

“Good,” Venli said to Anxiety. “When only our people are around, test those Windrunners and see if you can wake one up.”

“And if we succeed?” Dul asked to Skepticism. “I think that’s a terrible idea.”

Venli’s first instinct—even still—was to slap him. How dare he question her? She pushed away that instinct, though it warned her that she was the same selfish person, despite it all. A few Words didn’t suddenly make her something better.

“Their powers would be suppressed,” Venli explained to him. “So they shouldn’t be a danger to you. And if they are violent, get away and let it be assumed they woke up spontaneously. That will keep us from being implicated.”

“Fine, but why risk it?”

“Escaping and hiding will be far easier with the help of one like these,” Venli said. “At the very least, we’ll need a distraction to get out. The Windrunners waking and suddenly fighting would provide that.”

She glanced at Dul, who still hummed to Skepticism.

“Look,” Venli said as they completed a walk around the room, “I don’t like humans any more than you do. But if we truly want to escape, we’ll need to make use of every advantage we can find.” She swept her hand across the room of unconscious Radiants. “This could be a very large one.”

Finally, Dul hummed to Reconciliation. “I suppose you’re right. It’s worth trying, though I’m not sure how to wake these up. What we need is a surgeon. Could probably use one anyway; some of these seem to be getting sores and drawing rotspren. Others won’t take any broth, though they have hungerspren buzzing around them.”

Venli attuned Peace as an idea occurred to her. “I’m sure I could get you surgeons. In fact, I know of one who might be willing to help our cause. A human. He’s in hiding, because of certain matters we shouldn’t spread. But I think we could place him here, to help.”

Dul nodded, humming to Appreciation. Venli left, stepping out onto the floor of the atrium—with the long vertical shaft running up toward the top of the tower. She passed several Regals standing guard at the door to the room with the model. Leshwi had told her to put the surgeon and his family someplace safe; well, this made sense.

Curfew was nearing, so here on the floor of the atrium, people were hurrying about their last-minute activities. The humans—no longer confined to quarters—had crept from their shells like vines after a storm. Many of them lived around the atrium, and they had pulled out carts, making temporary shops here near the large window. Like spren to the Passions, the humans sought out the sunlight.

Tonight, they walked timidly and kept their distance from Venli, as if they couldn’t believe that they were supposed to continue on as if nothing had happened. Venli found a stairwell and hurried up, causing a few human women to pull to one side and gasp softly, drawing wormlike fearspren. Sometimes Venli forgot how fearsome her Regal form looked. She’d grown comfortable with it, and more and more it felt like her natural state—even if there was a Voidspren trapped in her gemheart.

On the second