Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive 4)

Dalinar braced himself.

“We have practically no chance of recovering Urithiru,” Jasnah said in Azish, her voice barely accented. “Our scouts confirm that fabrials don’t work near it. That means if we were to re-create a smaller version of my mother’s flying machine to deliver troops, it would drop the moment it drew too close.

“They’ve also blocked off the caverns. My uncle delivered a small force to the bottom, and that action seems to have informed the enemy that we know their ruse is up. They are no longer sending fake messages via spanreed, and we’ve seen singer troops on the balconies.

“With a Shardblade—which we discovered can be delivered into the protected area so long as it is not bound—our troops can cut through the blockage at the bottom. But while doing that the force would be exposed to archers on higher ground. And if we made it through that rubble, fighting all the way up through a contested tunnel system would be a nightmare.

“A march by soldiers along the tops of the mountains is impossible for a multitude of reasons. But if we did reach the tower, we’d lose. Our battlefields are a careful balance of Radiant against Fused, Shardbearer against Regal, soldier against soldier. At Urithiru, we’d have no Radiants—and the entire strategy would topple.”

“We’d have Kaladin,” Dalinar said. “His powers still work. The Stormfather thinks it’s because he’s far enough along in his oaths.”

“With all due respect to him,” Jasnah said, “Kaladin is just one man—and one you relieved of duty before we left.”

She was correct, of course. Common sense dictated that one man was nothing against an army of Fused. Yet Dalinar wondered. Once, in the warcamps, he’d argued with Kaladin’s soldiers who had set up a vigil for the young Windrunner—then presumed dead. Dalinar had been proven wrong that time. Now, he found himself possessing some of the same faith as those soldiers.

Beaten down, broken, surrounded by enemies, Kaladin continued to fight. He knew how to take the next step. They couldn’t leave him to take it alone.

“Our best chance,” Dalinar said to the others, “is to deliver me and a force through Shadesmar to the tower. I might be able to open a perpendicularity there, and we could surprise the enemy with an attack.”

“You might be able to open one there, Uncle,” Jasnah said. “What does the Stormfather think?”

“He isn’t certain I am far enough along in my oaths or my skills to manage it yet,” Dalinar admitted.

Jasnah tapped her notes. “An assault through Shadesmar would require a large number of ships—something we don’t have on that side, and which I see no way of obtaining.”

“We need to find a way to support Kaladin, Navani, and whatever resistance they are building,” Dalinar said. “We might not need a large force of ships. A small group of trained soldiers might be able to sneak in, then disable the fabrial the enemy is using to stop Radiants.”

“Undoubtedly,” Jasnah said, “that is the method the enemy used to get into the tower. They will be guarding against this same tactic.”

“So what?” Yanagawn said, chewing on some nuts he had hidden in a pocket of his oversized robes. “Jasnah, you argue against every point Dalinar makes. Are you saying we should give up Urithiru to the enemy?”

“Our entire war effort falls apart without it,” Noura said. “It was the means by which we connected our disparate forces!”

“Not necessarily,” Jasnah said, showing some small maps to the Prime. “As long as we have a stronger navy—and proper air support—we can control the southern half of Roshar. It will necessitate weeks or months of travel—but we can coordinate our battlefields as long as we have spanreeds.”

“Still,” Yanagawn said, glancing at Noura. The older woman nodded in agreement.

“This is a major blow,” Dalinar said. “Jasnah, we can’t simply abandon Urithiru. You yourself spent years trying to locate it.”

“I’m not suggesting we do, Uncle,” she said, her voice cold. “I’m merely presenting facts. For now, I think we need to act as if we will not soon retake the tower—which might mean moving against Ishar’s forces in Tukar, so we can secure those positions. At any rate, we should be planning how to support our forces in southern Alethkar against the Vedens.”

They were all valid points, the core of a cohesive and well-reasoned battle strategy. She was trying hard, and mostly succeeding, at learning to be a capable tactical commander. He couldn’t blame her for feeling she had something to prove there; her entire life had been a series of people demanding she prove herself to them.

However, her quickness to abandon Urithiru smelled too similar to what Taravangian had done in abandoning Roshar. Give up quickly, once you think you’re beaten.

“Jasnah,” he said, “we need to try harder to liberate Urithiru.”

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t, only that such an action is going to be very difficult and costly. I’m trying to outline those costs so we’re aware of them.”

“The way you talk lacks hope.”

“‘Hope,’” she said, spreading her papers out on the table. “Have I ever told you how much I dislike that word? Think of what it means, what it implies. You have hope when you’re outnumbered. You have hope when you lack options. Hope is always irrational, Uncle.”

“Fortunately, we are not entirely rational beings.”

“Nor should we want to be,” she agreed. “At the same time, how often has ‘hope’ been the reason someone refuses to move on and accept a realistic attitude? How often has ‘hope’ caused more pain or delayed healing? How often has ‘hope’ prevented someone from standing up and doing what needs to be done, because they cling to a wish for everything to be different?”

“I would say,” Yanagawn said, leaning forward, “that hope defines us, Jasnah. Without it, we are not human.”

“Perhaps you are correct,” Jasnah said, a phrase she often used when she wasn’t convinced—but also didn’t want to continue an argument. “Very well then, let us discuss Urithiru.”

“Your powers will work,” Dalinar said, “at least partially. You have said the Fourth Ideal.”

“Yes,” she said. “I have—though the Stormfather is uncertain whether the fourth oath will truly allow a Radiant to withstand the suppression. Am I correct?”

“You are,” Dalinar said. “But if the enemy is resupplying via the Oathgates, there is only one way we can realistically do anything about this situation. We must destroy their suppression fabrial. And so my suggestion of a small team makes the most sense.”

“And you are to lead it?” Jasnah said.

“Yes,” Dalinar said.

“You are still far from mastering your powers. What if you can’t open a perpendicularity at Urithiru?”

“I’ve been experimenting, practicing,” Dalinar said. “But yes, I’ve a long way to go. So I’ve been considering another solution.” He selected one of Jasnah’s maps, then turned it for the others to see. “We came here to Emul to use a hammer-and-anvil tactic, shoving our enemy against an army here. The army of Ishar, the being the Azish call Tashi.”