60. Winds and Oaths

Spoiler Notice

This page contains spoilers for Oathbringer through Chapter 67.

Summary

Kaladin Stormblessed leads a group above a highstorm toward Kholinar, carrying King Elhokar, Adolin, Shallan, the bridgemen Skar and Drehy, plus two of Shallan’s soldiers and her handmaid. They ride the storm’s power but stay above the clouds, renewing Stormlight as they fly. Shallan glides joyously, windspren dancing around her, while Kaladin focuses on managing the Lashings and wrestles with his own burdens. Syl teases him about noticing Shallan. As the storm weakens, Kaladin descends to scout the city: Kholinar’s walls still fly Alethi flags, but he spots enemy storm bunkers under construction on the killing field. Most disturbing, a dark, wrong aura clings to the palace monastery—the Oathgate platform. Kaladin returns and urges caution; Elhokar initially wants to march down openly, but Adolin sides with caution. Shallan proposes landing outside the city and using Lightweaving illusions to slip in unnoticed. The team agrees, setting the stage for a covert infiltration.

Key Events

  • The team flies above the highstorm, using Lashings and stormpower to travel toward Kholinar.
  • Kaladin renews Stormlight on each passenger and keeps the group together with a wind current.
  • Shallan experiences pure, heedless joy in the sky, while Adolin endures the flight with gritted teeth.
  • Kaladin scouts below the clouds as the storm wanes, noting Alethi control of Kholinar but also enemy-built storm bunkers.
  • He sees a palpable darkness over the palace’s Oathgate platform, which Syl confirms feels wrong.
  • A debate: Elhokar initially favors a direct march into the city, but Kaladin and Adolin argue for caution.
  • The mission shifts to a stealth approach: landing outside the city and using Shallan’s illusions to enter.
  • The group prepares to descend and investigate before revealing themselves.

Character Development

Kaladin

Kaladin’s sense of duty weighs heavily on him; even surrounded by a beautiful storm, he cannot shake his responsibilities or the people he must protect. He notices Shallan’s carefree joy and briefly daydreams of teaching her to truly fly, but quickly suppresses the thought. His internal conflict between duty and desire is sharpened by Syl’s teasing, revealing a vulnerability he rarely shows.

Shallan

Shallan embraces the flight with open arms, laughing and waving at windspren. Despite the serious mission, she finds delight in the sky and even muses about the value of bad art, using humor to deflect tension. Her ability to ignore or transform her inner wounds contrasts starkly with Kaladin’s brooding.

Adolin

Adolin is uncomfortable and ill-at-ease in the air, but he trusts Kaladin’s abilities and holds on. When the debate about landing arises, he supports Kaladin’s cautious instinct, demonstrating that he values the Windrunner’s judgement over his cousin’s eagerness.

Elhokar

The king is fixated on reclaiming Kholinar and reaching his wife and child. His initial desire to march directly to the palace shows both his urgency and a lingering blindness to hidden threats. However, he ultimately defers to the group’s experts, showing a capacity to listen.

Syl

Syl flits about, teasing Kaladin about his stolen glances at Shallan. She serves as his conscience and emotional mirror, prodding him toward human connection while also alert to the wrongness below.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Themes

  • Duty versus personal release: Kaladin cannot enjoy the storm’s beauty because he is consumed by his obligations, while Shallan lets herself be swept up in it.
  • Trust in expertise: Elhokar relies on Kaladin’s instincts and Shallan’s talents, marking a shift from a sole ruler’s command to a collaborative leadership.
  • Hidden corruption: The city appears to hold, but the darkness over the palace suggests a deeper, unseen infection.

Symbols

  • The highstorm is a source of raw power and a symbol of the journey itself, dangerous yet vital for their speed.
  • The dark cloud over the Oathgate represents an encroaching voidish threat—likely an Unmade or voidspren—tainting the heart of Kholinar.
  • Windspren embody the joy and freedom Shallan experiences, a counterpoint to the heavy mission.

Motifs

  • Flight recurs as a means of transcendence and vulnerability, with each character reacting differently.
  • Illusions versus reality emerges as Shallan prepares to cloak the group, emphasizing that what is seen may not be true.

Why This Chapter Matters

“Winds and Oaths” bridges the rapid travel to Kholinar with the critical decision to approach the city covertly. It reveals that the Oathgate is already compromised by a dark presence, raising the stakes for the entire campaign in Alethkar. The chapter cements the team’s reliance on nuanced strategy—stealth, illusion, and caution—rather than brute force. It also deepens the interpersonal dynamics, particularly the unspoken tension between Kaladin and Shallan, and foreshadows that reclaiming the city will require confronting something far more sinister than a mere occupying army.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What does Kaladin notice about the palace when he scouts, and why is it significant?
    He sees a dark, unnatural cloud hanging over the palace’s Oathgate platform, described as a “wrongness” that Syl also perceives. This signals a voidish corruption—likely an Unmade—nesting at the very place they need to activate for reinforcements, making the Oathgate a trap rather than a simple objective.

  2. How does the chapter contrast Kaladin’s and Shallan’s attitudes toward the flight?
    Kaladin remains anchored by duty, checking each passenger and suppressing any personal delight, while Shallan flies with arms outstretched and a grin, fully immersing herself in the wind and spren. The contrast highlights two coping strategies for inner pain: Kaladin suppresses and shoulders burdens, Shallan embraces distraction and levity.

  3. Why does the team ultimately decide to land outside the city and use illusions instead of marching in openly?
    Kaladin’s report of the palace’s dark aura convinces Elhokar and Adolin that a visible entry could provoke unknown dangers. Shallan’s Lightweaving offers a stealth alternative that lets them investigate the city’s true state before committing to any action, reflecting a shift toward strategic caution.

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