Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive 4)

“I’ve tried his way,” Beryl said with a grimace. “He acts like the person or thing he’s trying to be, and then his Lightweaving takes over. If he wants to make an illusion of a large rock, he says he thinks like a rock. How does that even work?” She gave Shallan a weak smile. “I don’t mean to complain, Brightness. I’m sure I merely have to keep trying. It will come to me as it did the others, right?”

“It will, I promise,” Shallan said. “I was frustrated like you at the start, unable to control it. But you can do this.”

Beryl nodded eagerly.

Inside, Veil was marveling. She’s an extremely good actor. I couldn’t spot any sign of a tell. I swear, either she hides her true emotions marvelously, or we have the wrong woman.

Veil’s surety of that had been growing and building during the trip. Shallan didn’t want to accept it, but it was hard to continue pretending at this point.

Perhaps we should speak with Ornament again, Radiant thought. I feel if we chat with her enough, she will let something slip.

They’d been trying that too, but … Veil thought they were hitting a dead end there. If Beryl’s spren knew about her treason, then the Cryptic wasn’t letting on.

It twisted Shallan about to consider this all might be for nothing. She wanted the spy to be Beryl. And they had a pretty damning confirmation, didn’t they?

Well, Veil thought, let’s assume the worst. That the real spy is extremely careful and skilled. Is it too much of a stretch to wonder if they discovered, by speaking to the others, that we’d seeded a bit of misinformation? Mraize is clever. He could have purposely fed us a line to put suspicion on Beryl.

What was the point of the inquiry, then? Shallan thought, frustrated. Why go to all that trouble if we were just going to doubt the results?

Because I doubt everything, Veil said. It’s information, but not conclusive.

I agree, Radiant thought. We have had time to investigate Beryl, and have uncovered nothing. To proceed further, we must find proof. Hard proof. We cannot erroneously condemn someone who might be innocent.

Storms, Veil thought. You sound like a law officer, Radiant.

I’m agreeing with you!

Yeah, but you hurt my cause when you’re so stiff. Couldn’t you relax now and then?

Shallan put her hands to her head, feeling … unsettled. She could remember a time not so long ago when her personas hadn’t held arguments inside her head. They’d mostly remained isolated; she would shift without noticing. Was it healthier now that they worked together, even if they argued? Or was it more dangerous, since the conflict was so difficult? Either way, she was growing exhausted of the struggle today.

So, reluctantly, Veil took over. And for now she stuck close to Beryl, trying to catch her in a lie. Unfortunately, a short time later, Adolin came tromping up. Like an axehound looking for something to chase. However, even Veil had to admit that with his floppy hair and his can-do attitude, Adolin had a way of making you feel better.

“Hey,” he said to Veil. “You have a moment?”

“I suppose,” Veil said. “I’m Veil right now, by the way.”

“Well, maybe you will have a useful perspective on this,” he said, walking her off from the others to speak in private. “The more I think about it, the more I worry we should change how we approach the honorspren. Notum was convinced the honorspren wouldn’t talk to us. Worse than Syl.”

“Change our approach? How? You mean not give them the letters and gifts?”

“I don’t think they’ll take either. I worry we’ll then be turned away immediately.”

“That would be aggravating,” Veil admitted. She hadn’t forgotten her real duty—that of getting into the fortress and locating Restares, leader of the Sons of Honor. Even Radiant was eager to find this man, to discover what secrets he held that Mraize wanted so badly. Finding the spy was important, but this mission superseded it.

“What if there’s a better way than delivering Father’s and Jasnah’s letters?” Adolin said. “What if we offered to give the honorspren as much Stormlight as they could take, delivered by my father, if they’d only send a representative back with us? What if we asked to exchange emissaries, and promised to build their representative a fantastic palace in Shadesmar near the Oathgate? We can bring tons of rock in from our side that is extremely valuable here.”

“Hmmm,” Veil said. “Adolin, they’re like an entire race of spren who act like Radiant does—and they see us as criminals. If we worry they won’t even accept some letters and books, wouldn’t it be dangerous to offer extremely valuable gifts? They might see those as bribes, or as admissions of our guilt.”

“Maybe,” he said, then punched one fist into the palm of his other hand a few times.

“I agree with Veil, Brightlord,” Radiant said. “I would be highly suspicious of valuable gifts, if I were them. It is not a payoff they want, but isolation.”

“All right then,” Adolin said. “An entirely different idea. We beg. Abjectly. We bow down and say that without them we’re doomed. If the spren are anything like Windrunners, then maybe they won’t be able to say no.”

Radiant considered. “Perhaps. I would find that more appealing than bribes, I suppose.”

“I wouldn’t,” Veil said. “But I guess I’m the wrong person to ask. Because at seeing you beg, I’d figure that I was correct to stay out of the conflict—because it’s unwinnable.”

“Damnation,” Adolin said. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Let me consider,” Radiant said. “I am Radiant again, by the way.”

Adolin nodded.

“This is a difficult challenge, Adolin,” Radiant finally said. “And I agree with your worries. We have exactly one chance to present ourselves properly to the honorspren. They are a hostile group—indeed, one that has self-selected toward hostility. We can surmise that the spren most willing to listen to our arguments have already joined the Knights Radiant.

“Your ploy of acting weak and begging for help is a promising idea. I wonder, however, if appealing to the honorspren’s rational side would be a better plan.”

“The way the honorspren insist on turning away from all of humankind is emotional though, right?” Adolin said. “They were hurt in the past. They are afraid of that pain.”

“One might call that rational. If your entire species had essentially been wiped out by fraternization with humans, would you not—logically—be wary of reengaging in that same fraternization?”

“But how’s it going to go for them if Odium wins?” Adolin asked. “He hates Honor. Well, I guess he hates everything. It’s kind of in the name.… Anyway, will they spend the rest of their existences inside their little bunker? Will they eventually bow before him? Decide to fight only once everyone else is dead or subjugated?”

Radiant smiled. “I can feel your determination, Brightlord. That passion is admirable. The things you said to me could be good arguments to make to the honorspren.”

“Those are the ones my father makes in his letter,” Adolin said. “That’s basically what Syl said before abandoning them and going to find Kaladin. I can’t help thinking that the arguments Father and Jasnah have made are the ones the honorspren will be prepared for, bracing themselves.…”