Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive #4) - Brandon Sanderson Page 0,553

chase?

Rlain attuned the Lost. No wonder Hesina looked like she’d been through a storm. Still, she seemed eager to have something to do, and took over leading the triage.

That let Rlain step away for a breather and wipe his hands. Some humans who had seen it all gave him scattered explanations. The Pursuer had ordered the slaughter of helpless Radiants, and both humans and singers had resisted his army. Before Rlain could go demand answers from Venli, several gruff human men approached him. He recognized them from the sessions Kaladin had been doing, helping them with trauma. They’d been forced to pick up weapons again, the poor cremlings.

“Yes?” Rlain asked.

They led him to a body placed reverently beside the wall, the eyes burned out. Teft.

Rlain fell to his knees as Dabbid joined him, letting out a quiet whimper, anguishspren surrounding them. They knelt together, heads bowed. Rlain sang the Song of the Fallen, a song for a dead hero. It seemed the plan hadn’t gone off too well for them either.

“Lift?” he asked.

“She’s in the infirmary,” Dabbid whispered. “Unconscious. Legs dead from a Blade. Looks like someone hit her hard on the head. She … is bleeding. I tried to give her Stormlight. Nothing happened.”

Rlain attuned Mourning. Lift could heal others, but—like with Kaladin and Teft—her internal healing wasn’t working. So much for waking the Radiants. He bowed his head for Teft, then left him there. Let the dead rest. It was their way, and he wished to be able to give the man a proper sky burial. Teft had been a good person. One of the best.

Behind him, other matters drew Rlain’s attention. The humans and singers were already squabbling.

“You need to submit,” Leshwi was saying, hovering above them in her imperious Fused way. “I will explain to Raboniel that the soldiers were uncontrolled and didn’t obey my orders.”

“And you think she’ll let us walk?” one of the human women shouted. “We need to get out of here right now.”

“If I let you go,” Leshwi said, “it will seem that I am in rebellion. We can contain this if you submit.”

“You’re not in rebellion?” one of the men demanded. “What was that then?”

“We ain’t obeying one of you again,” another bellowed. “Ever!”

Shouts from both sides rose as singers ordered the people not to argue with one of the Fused. Rlain turned from one group to the other, then attuned Determination and wiped the makeup from his tattoo. He strode out between the groups. Field medicine wasn’t the only thing Bridge Four had taught.

“Listen up!” he shouted to Confidence. “All of you!”

Remarkably, they fell silent. Rlain did his best Teft impersonation as he turned to the humans. “You all, you know me. I’m Bridge Four. I know you don’t like me, but are you willing to trust me?”

The humans grumbled, but most of them nodded, prompted by Noril. Rlain turned toward the singers. “You all,” he barked to Confidence, “absolutely committed treason. You acted against Odium’s wishes, and he will seek retribution for that. You’re as good as dead—and you Fused, you’re in for an eternity of torture. Fortunately, you have two people here who can guide you—listeners from a people who escaped his control. So if you want to survive, you’re going to listen to me.”

Leshwi folded her arms. But then muttered, “Fine.” The other Heavenly Ones seemed willing to follow her lead.

Venli rushed over, and she was infused with the deep violet light of Voidlight. Far more so than an ordinary Regal. She glowed more, in fact, than a Fused.

“What are you?” Rlain demanded.

“A Radiant,” she said to Consolation. “Kind of. I can use Voidlight to power my abilities, so they work in the tower.”

“Figures,” Rlain grumbled. “Kelek’s breath … I wait years, then you of all people grab a spren first.” Maybe that was too much Teft. “Anyway, it explains how you got Lift out. We need to get moving. Odium won’t stand for a rebellion among his own. So you singers are going to come with us. We’re going to grab the Radiants and we’re going to carry them out onto the plateau, where we’ll escape via the Oathgates to the Shattered Plains.”

“That puts us in the humans’ power,” Leshwi said.

“I’ll get you out of it,” Rlain said. “After we’re all safe. Understood? Gather up our wounded, grab those Radiants, and let’s get going. Before Raboniel knows there was a rebellion, I want all involved parties—human and singer—out of this tower. Go!”

They started moving, trusting that