Riding the upper reaches of a highstorm, Kaladin guides Elhokar, Adolin, Shallan, and a small team—including Skar and Drehy—toward Kholinar. He manages their Lashings, channels the wind to keep them grouped, and notes Shallan’s exuberant ease in the sky while Adolin struggles and Elhokar focuses ahead. Syl flits nearby, prodding Kaladin about companionship and praising Shallan’s affinity for the sky.

As the storm’s power diminishes, Kaladin halts the group to conserve Stormlight and drops below the clouds to scout. He surveys the killing field and Kholinar’s walls, spotting Alethi flags and recharged lamps, suggesting human control. However, the palace district—especially around the Oathgate platform—lies beneath an unsettling darkness. He also notes singers building storm bunkers and besieging from outside.

Returning to the group, Kaladin warns that their Stormlight will no longer refill from the storm and reports what he saw. Elhokar, driven by concern for his wife and child in the palace, presses to descend openly and assert command. Kaladin advises caution, supported by Adolin, and Syl confirms that something about the palace is deeply wrong.

Elhokar defers to prudence. Shallan proposes landing beyond sight of the walls and infiltrating the city with Lightweaving to assess the situation and reach the Oathgate. With time and Stormlight limited, the team adopts the covert plan and prepares to set down outside Kholinar.