In a slave wagon, Kaladin endures the monotony and pain of captivity as a curious windspren asks why he does not cry. The caravan skips its usual stop, and when Tvlakv consults a map, Kaladin tears it to shreds, asserting defiance. Tvlakv restrains his anger, tries bargaining, and probes Kaladin about vengeance, revealing he knows of Highlord Amaram and the truth behind Kaladin’s shash brand.

Tvlakv insists they must publicly maintain the fiction of desertion to sell Kaladin, claiming there is “no law” outside Alethkar. Kaladin admits he once sought vengeance but dismisses it as fruitless, though his reaction to Amaram betrays lingering rage. Despite himself, Kaladin recognizes Tvlakv’s disarming charm and hates that it could inspire guilt over killing him.

A highstorm strikes. The leaky wagons rattle as Kaladin worries that if Tvlakv dies, the mercenaries might flee and leave the slaves to starve locked in their cages. The storm eases; Bluth opens the wagon sides early to wash the slaves clean, and the caravan hastily moves on.

As post-storm life blooms, the windspren notes many people to the east. Kaladin spots smoke, and the wagons crest a hill to reveal an immense Alethi encampment arranged in familiar formations, with Soulcast stone barracks and the deep blue banner of House Kholin. Beyond lies the vast chasm-cut expanse of the Shattered Plains.

The other slaves exult, hoping for wages and justice under Alethi law. Kaladin retreats into skepticism, recalling how lighteyes have cheated him. Yet the warcamps stir a buried longing: the chance to hold a spear again and perhaps reclaim the man he once was.