Brandon Sanderson - [Stormlight Archive 01]
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such a demand, especially when she followed it with only the hint of a
promise? He saw himself as the holy protector of an entire world, and she
had asked him to give that up. For her.
THE WAY OF KINGS PRIME 703
She sighed, stretching and standing to the side as a group of soldiers
dismantled her tent. Though Aneazer had purchased her a relatively nice
talla in one of the towns they had passed, for now she wore trousers and one of her tough seasilk sencoats. It was odd how quickly she had grown to prefer the loose, comfortable clothing. When she had tried on the talla, she had found herself trying to walk with a full stride, and had nearly tripped in surprise. The constrictive dress had made her feel short-of-breath and trapped, as if she were bound in tight ropes. She would have to grow accustomed
to tallahs again, eventually—but for now she could maintain that wearing her sensible clothing was necessary, lest she ruin her only luxurious outfit.
As she waited, she saw Meridas and Aneazer leave the command tent,
and allowed herself a moment of seething frustration. Meridas was still
firm in his declarations that a woman did not belong in the command tent.
Though they had adopted her plan for attacking the Veden force—and
even came to her for suggestions on strategy—they forbade her entrance
into the daily planning meetings. While most of the things they discussed
were minor issues, it was annoying to be left out. Besides, she knew more
than they did. While the men had heard recitations from the great and
historic strategic works, she had actually read the books—and there was
a difference, especially since she had read not only the dictations by the generals, but the often more-enlightening comments added by their wives
and daughters in the Justification.
Meridas bid Aneazer farewell, saying something in a low, almost
suspicious, voice before parting. Jasnah thinned her eyes, watching the
two go about their morning duties. Their allegiance was another item
of great concern. She trusted Meridas about as much as she trusted the
winds not to blow, and Aneazer’s reputation was proof enough of his
nature. Both men would do what best gained them power, and there
was little she could do to check them. She had worked to build Taln’s
reputation, and therefore power, among Aneazer’s troops, and she had
encouraged her guards to make friends with those in Aneazer’s personal
bodyguard. Her resources were, unfortunately, very limited.
Meridas noticed her watching, and unfortunately decided to stroll her
direction. He barked a few orders at attendants, sending the men to do his will, and approached her alone.
“Lady Jasnah,” he said with a panderer’s smile. “I had hoped you would
wear Lord Aneazer’s gift this day, since we might enter Kholinar by
nightfall. It wouldn’t do for the court to see you dressed so, lest they mistake you for a stableboy.”
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“I shall change once we obtain victory, Lord Meridas,” Jasnah replied flatly.
“Of course,” he said, glancing around. “I don’t see our resident deity
nearby. What shall you do without him to amuse you?”
Jasnah didn’t reply, instead folding her arms and adopting an icy glare.
“Of course,” Meridas noted, looking back at her with eyes hiding a
violent jealousy, “there will be another highstorm tomorrow morning. The
two of you can just run off then and amuse yourselves.”
Jasnah started. That night, on the highlands. You were seen asking after him, then left your guards and went to find him alone. There would have been talk. Of course Meridas knows about it.
“I thought I told you to be discreet,” Meridas said in a low voice.
“I was worried, so I went to see where he was,” Jasnah said. “Nothing more.”
“Of course,” Meridas said.
She gritted her teeth, hissing slightly. “Go!” she snapped, pointing.
“Leave me.”
His eyes flashed with anger, and he looked at her with . . . satisfaction.
Jasnah paused, pushing aside her feelings of revulsion. There was something in his eyes, something he probably didn’t mean to reveal.
“No matter,” Meridas said. “This will be over soon anyway.” He stalked
away, leaving her feeling somehow soiled by the entire conversation.
Jasnah stood for a moment, forcing herself to focus on the oddity she
had sensed in his words. “Kemnar?” she requested.
“I am here,” he said, stepping forward from his almost unnoticed position
beside the working tent soldiers. Having him back was such a wind-blessed
relief that she had stopped worrying about releasing him from service. She needed him too much, for the moment at least.
“Meridas is planning something,” Jasnah said.
“Of course he is,” Kemnar said.
“Something specific,” she said. “I need to know what it is. I need a list of any commands he and Aneazer have contrived in their planning councils
over the last three days. Take Lhan to scribe for you, and ask around. I
need to know any changes they’ve made to the army’s structure or orders,
no matter how insignificant, and I need to know them before we attack
this afternoon.”
“Yes, my lady,” Kemnar said, already moving to do as she bid.
This time it felt different. She would have thought that war would be
familiar to her by now. Her first tastes of battle had come during her childhood, when her father and his brothers had fought against Jarnah the Tyrant.
THE WAY OF KINGS PRIME 705
By then, Jarnah had already conquered most of Roshar. His mysterious
allegiance with the Shin clans had allowed him to roll across the Second
Peninsula like a raging highstorm. Once Davar, Vedenel, and Prallah had
fallen, Alethkar had found itself threatened from both the south and the east.
This she knew from the histories. Her memories of those days were
different—memories highlighted by the emotions she had seen on her
father’s stout face. Fear, confusion, and worry. Every nation on Roshar, even the island kingdom of Thalenah, had fallen to Jarnah’s conquering—what
hope did Alethkar have?
But then Dalenar had slain the Tyrant himself in single combat. Jarnah’s
empire had fallen upon itself. Several of his generals had tried to lead the armies, but fracturing and rebellion had turned them against one another.
Jasnah’s first true experiences with war hadn’t come for another several
years. Those days, once Jarnah’s armies had been defeated, her father had
sought to reestablish Alethkar’s historic boundaries. She had been young
during the first Prallah Wars, not even eighteen, but her father had quickly realized his daughter’s tactical ability. Never a man who had cared much
for propriety, Nolhonarin had used her from that day onward. It had been
a simple matter for her to transfer that service to Elhokar, when he took
his war of justice to the Pralir highlands.
Why should this battle feel so different from the others? She sat nervously in her saddle, waiting as the runners did one final scout of the enemy
camp. The unfamiliar horse shuffled beneath her, and Jasnah wished for
a litter, for she had little experience with riding. The army waited with
barely-contained vigor. Perhaps that was the reason for her unsettlement.
Before, her strategies had always been given at ot
hers’ behest. They had
been the ones venturing men’s lives, and ultimately the guilt of failure
had been theirs to bear.
That was it. She had gathered these men, and for the first time the responsibility of their lives was hers. Meridas insisted on control ing battle command, and Taln’s was the banner under which they rode, but they were Jasnah’s
men. They would die because she had brought them here.
Her horse stirred, and a sudden touch on her leg made her jump. She
looked down to find Kemnar and Brother Lhan standing beside her. Had
she been that distracted?
“I’m sorry it took us so long, Lady Jasnah,” Kemnar said, nodding for
Lhan to produce a sheet of paper, scribbled with lines of text. “But here it is—a list of the commands Meridas and Aneazer made over the last few
days, with the more unusual ones listed at the top.”
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Jasnah took the proffered sheet, noting the spear Lhan carried in his
other hand. She held up the sheet, scanning the list, as she spoke. “Brother Lhan, you are not to take part in the battle.”
“Excuse me?” the monk asked.
“You will withdraw to the command tent,” Jasnah said. “You are one of
a few people in this force who can read, and I am not going to let you die on that battlefield.”
Lhan glanced away with bitter eyes. “Well,” he said, “my streak for
proving myself useless continues unabated. Thank you, my lady—one
wouldn’t wish to break such a delightful streak of laziness. I suppose I’ll go find a place to nap while everyone else dies.”
“You have too much knowledge and training, Lhan,” Jasnah said. “Re-
gardless of your newfound desire to be heroic, you cannot be risked. Do
as I command.”
Lhan sighed, then stalked off. For the first time Jasnah remarked on
how young he was—barely twenty, if that old. His monk’s robes, mixed
with his strange ability to see to the truth of a person’s soul, made him
seem far older.
Kemnar bowed and retreated to the battle preparations. Jasnah let them
both leave, turning to scan the list they had worked to prepare. What had
she expected to find? There had to be some clue to Meridas’s plans manifest in his orders—whatever his schemes, he could hardly actuate them without
giving commands.
Most of the list was unremarkable. Squads had been assigned to separate
camp duties; changes had been made in personnel groupings to better mix
the untrained with the skilled. Men had been sent to hunt for food supplies to supplement what the Awakener created. Meridas had made orders as to
how the tents were to be arranged, and who was to pack them each day.
Once again, Jasnah remarked on what she had noticed so long ago. When
Meridas had first taken command of that first hundred men from Marcabe,
he had displayed far more knowledge about the workings of an army than
a simple merchant should possess.
There wasn’t much on the list that was of any interest. She almost tossed
it away before she made the connection. Meridas had made many orders
about troop locations for the upcoming battle, obviously intentioned on
placing Aneazer’s better-trained soldiers in key positions. One of those
changes, though unremarkable at first glance, suddenly gave her a chill of realization.
Meridas had replaced Taln’s inexperienced honor guard with men from
THE WAY OF KINGS PRIME 707
Aneazer’s own personal guard. Jasnah recognized some of the names
as Aneazer’s most loyal and well-trained soldiers. Ostensibly, it was a sign of respect for Taln, putting the Herald under the protection of the finest soldiers in the army.
Jasnah saw the truth. She remembered vividly the jealousy in Meridas’s
eyes and his conspiratory familiarity with Aneazer.
Taln would not survive the battle.
I have to warn him. Thankful for an excuse to leave the horse behind, Jasnah slid out of her saddle and went looking for the madman. She found
him sitting alone, close to the front of the army, yet somehow apart from
them. He looked up when she approached, and she could see something
in his eyes: resolve.
For ill or gain, he had made his decision.
A sudden panic struck her. She had hoped that he would wait, at least
until the battle was over, to decide. Now she realized that was not possible.
He had delayed as long as his conscience would allow, but the scouts would return within the hour. After that, it was to battle—and he would either
stay with certainty in his Heraldship, or go with his madness honestly
declared. If he did expose himself, the men would have to ride into battle with an uncertain morale, having just listened to their leader swear himself a madman.
He could yet destroy their army before the enemy had a chance to strike.
Taln’s eyes were grim. Was that because he had finally realized the depth
of his fantasies? Or, instead, was it because he knew she would be disap-
pointed in his decision to remain a ‘Herald?’ Jasnah wished sharply that she had never brought this decision before him.
She paused a short distance from his stone perch, and he stood. He still
refused to wear Plate, though he bore his Shardblade in a calm grip. He
had traded his noble, seasilk cloak for the simple brown one he had been
given in the monastery. What did that mean?
“You are in danger,” she said quickly. “Meridas has replaced your honor
guard. I’m afraid he intends you to suffer an ‘accident’ on the battlefield.”
Taln snorted. “Meridas is the least of my problems at the moment,” he
said, waving his hand dismissively. He stood quietly for a moment, eyes
distracted. Then he looked right at her, eyes decisive. “I—” he began, but didn’t get beyond that first word before Jasnah interrupted.
“Don’t speak!” she pled. “I don’t want to hear what you have decided.”
Taln paused. Then he frowned. “What game do you play, woman?”
“No game,” Jasnah promised. “I . . . oh, Taln. I had no right to ask you
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to betray yourself. This is who you are—even if your memories are false,
they are what give you life.”
“Perhaps you had no right to ask the question,” Taln said. “But you
certainly have no right to make the decision for me, Jasnah. Let me speak
my piece.”
“I can’t,” Jasnah said. “It’s not a decision you should have to make. At
least give it more thought.”
“I have put it off long enough,” Taln said with a shake of his head. He
looked down at her with those solemn brown eyes of his. “You realize
that, either way, I cannot lead this army any longer. As a Herald I must
leave you here; as a man I must step down from my position of lies. Either way, I will not ride to battle at the head of the Herald’s Army.”
And without him, it would fall. Even as he spoke, a plan occurred to
Jasnah, though she cursed herself for it. Must everything be a deal to you, Jasnah?
She had told him yes, and for once she had spoken with complete honesty.
“Those aren’t the only two options, Taln,” she said. “As a Herald you
could ride with us, then reap the benefits of a befriended nation.”
Taln shook his head. “That is what you offered before, but it isn’t enough.
; I would need more than just a ‘friendly kingdom,’ Jasnah, I would need a
nation that believed in me.”
“And you would have it,” Jasnah said. “I vow to you, Talenel. Help me
fight off the invaders that threaten my kingdom, and I will see that you
have whatever resources you need. I will profess you a Herald with my
loudest voice, and build you allies amongst the courts of Roshar. You
say the Stormshades will come in one year. I give my oath that when
this invasion is repelled and Alethkar is safe, our nation will prepare for the Return as if what you say were true. We will train our armies as you
proscribe. We will stockpile and plan. We will listen to your preachings,
and we will obey. If your demons do attack Roshar, then they will at least find one kingdom ready for them.”
Taln listened to the speech, the confusion in his eyes shining again. His
frown deepened. “Your king would honor this vow?”
“I don’t know,” she confessed. “But my uncle, Lord Dalenar Kholin,
will. Even if he doesn’t hold the crown when we return, he is a powerful
man—even more powerful than my brother. You’d like him, Taln. He’s a
lot like you—a little stuffy and incorrigibly proper, but honest and good. I promise you he will honor my vow.”
Taln fell silent, considering. His grip on the Shardblade tightened
THE WAY OF KINGS PRIME 709
unconsciously. “You have a sure talent, Jasnah—whenever I think I see
clearly, you can make smoke to dim my understanding.”
Smoke. Onyx.
He looked into her eyes. “Do you always get what you wish?”
“Usually,” Jasnah admitted. Though I have often regretted wanting the wrong things. Especially recently.
“A Herald cannot be a man, Jasnah,” he said quietly. “If this is who I
am to be, then I will live it as best I can. No more questioning. I will be a Herald, and you must understand what that means. Heralds are . . . above
the regular concerns of men”
“I understand,” Jasnah replied softly, trying to keep things from breaking inside. She had to remain strong. “I would rather know you as Talenel the
Herald than be with you as Taln the broken madman.”
Their eyes locked, and lingered, something unspoken passing between
them. She would never know his answer—she would never know whether