Kaladin wakes from vivid nightmares of friends dying and performs his morning routine, caring for an unconscious Teft and feeding him by syringe. Syl confides she asked Dalinar to Connect her; though he refused, she believes it restored memories and the capacity to hurt, proving that spren can change. She and Kaladin agree to alert each other when darkness presses, even as Kaladin acknowledges he is deep in battle shock.

Dabbid arrives with glowing spheres, broth, and a strange bracer-like fabrial holding ten dun rubies, apparently guided to him by the Sibling. Kaladin plans for recharging gems during a highstorm, notes Dabbid’s improving steadiness, and prepares for his scheduled contact with Navani.

Navani speaks through the Tower veins, reinstates Kaladin as Highmarshal, and explains the device: a personal lift that uses conjoined rubies paired to heavy counterweights in a shaft. She instructs him to replace its rubies with the Voidspren ones from the stolen spanreeds and to install the paired halves on the twentieth floor. She details operation—thumb switch to lock orientation, squeezing to pull, dial to swap weights, and brief free fall to re-aim—warning that the five weights must later be rewound. Navani continues Light research and hopes the Sibling will reveal remaining node locations; Kaladin must keep the shield up.

Kaladin installs the rubies and tests the fabrial in a hallway, first being yanked forward and left hanging by his arm. Instinctively trying a Lashing, he instead crashes into a wall, mangling his hand; healing comes slowly, intensifying the pain. He learns to moderate speed, mind the activation switch, and keep his aim centered to avoid scraping walls, noting each weight’s limited travel.

Continuing drills, Kaladin identifies tactical uses—short bursts and sudden vectors rather than true flight—and plans to practice vertical movement outside after dark. Bantering with Syl, he commits to training until he stops crashing, using disciplined practice to push back his worsening mental strain and to be ready when Navani signals a move to protect the Tower’s nodes.