Eleven years earlier, Dalinar marches on the Rift at Rathalas, assigning Sadeas to approach from the east while he advances from the west. Troubled by Evi’s quiet weeping and constant prayers, Dalinar confronts her. Evi begs him to show mercy and “not feed” the violent hunger she sees in him, a plea that unsettles Dalinar as he readies for battle.

On reaching the walls, Dalinar rides alone into bow range and forces a parley with Brightlord Tanalan, the son of the man Dalinar previously defeated. Dalinar evaluates the defenses, then offers a solution: a duel with equal Shards to spare the city, acknowledging his own propensity for destruction but seeking to avoid bloodshed for Evi’s sake. Tanalan refuses the duel as unwinnable and hints at a traitor among the highprinces aiding the rebellion.

Tanalan then proposes a ruse: reveal that the “rebellion” was staged to expose disloyal highprinces. The story would explain their public conversation and allow Tanalan to stand down without deaths. Pressed for specifics, Tanalan claims the aid came from Torol Sadeas and points Dalinar toward a caravan that had just departed east for Vedelliar, possibly carrying a Shardbearer.

Dalinar orders his forces to prepare and moves to pursue the caravan, wary of a disguised flanking attack. Teleb reports scouts saw Shardplate with the caravan, heightening the threat. Choosing action over immediate assault, Dalinar instructs Evi to send Gavilar a warning not to trust anyone and to expect that the Rift may be secured without bloodshed, while he rides to verify Sadeas’s alleged betrayal.