Chapter 107: Uniting – Summary & Analysis
Spoiler Notice
Warning: This page contains unmarked spoilers for Rhythm of War, especially for the events of Chapter 120. Read on only if you have finished this chapter.
Summary
Navani, bleeding and light-headed, flees Moash down the corridor toward the crystal pillar. Moash walks slowly, taunting her with the claim that Elhokar died a coward. When Navani stumbles, Raboniel—legs useless but still clinging to life—grabs Moash’s ankle and launches herself at him, stabbing him repeatedly with the dagger Navani left. The blade holds no more anti-Voidlight, but it is reversed and drains his Stormlight. Moash struggles with the crazed Fused while Navani escapes to the pillar and collapses against it. She whispers to the Sibling, and for the first time in days hears the strange blend of harmony and discord—the Rhythm of War.
Far away, Dalinar—Lashed by Lyn—feels a distant rumbling and learns from the Stormfather that Kaladin has entered the storm for the last time. Dalinar watches Kaladin fall, giving up, Syl weeping that he has forgotten the Words. Kaladin admits he is not strong enough and lets go. Dalinar, unwilling to witness the loss, demands the Stormfather slow time in the moment between when spheres are infused. There, Kaladin drifts in silence. The Stormfather urges him to speak the Words, but Kaladin says he has nothing left. He knows the voice that wants to claim him is lying, but he cannot find the strength. Dalinar feels a warmth in the darkness and—over the Stormfather’s objections—forges a Connection, determined to “unite” Kaladin with whatever that warmth represents.
In the tower atrium, Venli watches in horror as civilians led by a one‑armed man rush forward to block the warform soldiers from reaching the helpless Radiants. The humans are slaughtered. Leshwi explains that Raboniel no longer needs the Radiants and the Pursuer has ordered them killed. Some of Leshwi’s own soldiers hesitate and refuse to join. When Venli begs for a better way, she reveals her secret by drawing in Stormlight and glowing. Leshwi seizes her face and demands to know what she has done.
Key Events
- Navani wounds herself escaping, and Moash taunts her with the story of Elhokar’s death.
- Raboniel sacrifices herself, dragging herself up Moash and draining his Stormlight with the reversed dagger.
- Navani reaches the crystal pillar and hears the Sibling respond for the first time—in the Rhythm of War.
- The Stormfather tells Dalinar that Kaladin has entered the final storm; Dalinar sees his son’s friend falling, broken and resigned.
- Kaladin, suspended in the slowed moment between, resists the lie that he has no choice but admits he is too tired to speak the Fourth Ideal.
- Dalinar touches a warmth in the Spiritual Realm and resolves to Connect and unite Kaladin with it.
- Human civilians, led by a gruff one‑armed man, mount a last‑second rebellion against the warform soldiers and are cut down.
- Venli, witnessing the slaughter, reveals to Leshwi that she is a Radiant by glowing with Stormlight.
Character Development
Navani pushes through agony and blood loss, but it is her desperation to reach the Sibling that carries her. Her role as a scientist and leader is now secondary to survival and the faint hope that the tower spren can still be reached.
Raboniel ends her long life with an act of stunning defiance. Having achieved what she wanted—an end to the war—she still finds purpose in one last act of spite and protection, buying Navani time with a body that can no longer walk.
Dalinar moves from passive witness to active unifier. He refuses to accept the Stormfather’s fatalism and, even when warned of catastrophic risk, pushes his Bondsmith powers to forge a Connection for Kaladin. He embodies the title of the chapter: Uniting.
Kaladin hits the nadir of his long depression. He acknowledges he is not strong enough, lets go of Syl’s hand, and gives up. Yet in the stillness, a tiny part of him knows the Odious voice lies. He cannot find the strength to ascend, but that flicker of self‑awareness is what Dalinar seizes upon.
Venli steps into the open as a Radiant for the first time. Her decision is not calculated; it is a desperate reaction to the carnage around her and to Timbre’s urging. She risks everything in front of Leshwi, whose stunned reaction sets up a potential turning point.
Leshwi appears uncomfortably complicit but also conflicted. She sends a messenger to countermand the order, and her soldiers’ hesitation shows that even among the Heavenly Ones, not all sing to Joy in butchery.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The Lie of No Choice: Kaladin’s entire arc in this chapter revolves around the idea that giving up is the only option. The Stormfather directly names it “the ultimate lie,” insisting there is always another journey worth taking. Kaladin knows it is a lie intellectually but feels too empty to fight it.
Unity and Connection: Dalinar’s Bondsmith powers move from broad political unity to a deeply personal, spiritual act. He reaches into the place beyond time—the realm of visions and pure Connection—and attempts to unite Kaladin with something warm and bright. The chapter culminates in the word “uniting.”
Sacrifice and Redemption: Raboniel, an enemy who has done terrible things, spends her final moments not on hatred but on protecting Navani. That sacrifice mirrors the human civilians who throw themselves between the Radiants and the soldiers, paying with their lives.
The Rhythm of War: The Sibling finally responds with this blended tone, symbolizing the collision of harmony and discord. It suggests that the tower itself may yet be awakened, but not through simple peace—through a fusion of opposites.
Why This Chapter Matters
“Uniting” is the convergence of several isolated climaxes. Navani’s long struggle with the Sibling breaks open, giving her a tangible sign that Urithiru can be roused. Kaladin’s suicidal descent is halted mid‑fall by Dalinar’s unprecedented use of Bondsmith powers, linking the fate of the Windrunner to a mysterious warmth that readers can guess is a lost connection. Meanwhile, Venli’s reveal to Leshwi cracks the singer command structure—a Radiant will‑shaper standing openly in the middle of a civilian massacre forces Leshwi to confront the brutality she has permitted. The stage is set for a turning point in the Battle of the Tower and for Kaladin’s potential rebirth.
Study Questions & Answers
1. Why does Raboniel attack Moash when she can no longer walk?
Raboniel’s attack is not based on physical strength; she claws up his body and uses the same dagger Navani left. The dagger is reversed, so it drains Stormlight instead of injecting anti‑Voidlight. She knows she cannot win, but she does it to buy Navani a few more seconds. Her act shows that even a Fused who sought to end the war can find one last defiant purpose in thwarting Moash’s cruelty.
2. What does the Stormfather mean by “the ultimate lie”?
The Stormfather tells Kaladin that the idea he has no choice—that giving in to the dark voice is inevitable—is the enemy’s ultimate lie. It is a deception designed to rob a person of their remaining autonomy. Kaladin recognizes intellectually that it is a lie, but emotional exhaustion has convinced him he cannot act on that truth.
3. How does Venli’s reveal to Leshwi change the situation in the atrium?
Venli has been using wrong Rhythms and hiding her powers. By drawing in Stormlight and glowing in front of Leshwi, she discards that cover in front of a Heavenly One who has already shown compassion through her soldiers’ hesitation. Leshwi’s furious grip and question “What have you done?” suspend the impending slaughter—Leshwi now has to decide what to do with a listener Radiant while her own people commit atrocities.