Rhythm of War (9781429952040)
13. Another Hunt
by Sanderson, BrandonThe chapter opens with Shallan recovering from a hangover caused by her alter ego, Veil, after a wedding celebration. Despite her discomfort, she manages her duties as a highprince’s wife and Lightweaver, overseeing finances and governance in Urithiru. With trusted advisors handling day-to-day affairs, she audits accounts but feels the weight of her responsibilities. Adolin, her husband, encourages her to rest, though he spends his free time riding horses, leaving Shallan alone to confront her thoughts and unanswered correspondence.
While sorting through letters, Shallan discovers a cryptic message about an arranged deal involving spren, which unsettles her. Seeking distraction, she visits her brother Jushu, where she finds solace in drawing by the hearth. Her sketches evoke nostalgic memories of her childhood home in Jah Keved, though these recollections are bittersweet. The creationspren around her mimic objects from her past, including a chilling necklace chain, hinting at darker undertones beneath the surface of her idealized memories.
As Shallan reflects, she grapples with fragmented memories of her traumatic past, particularly the death of her mother when she was just eleven. She struggles to reconcile her younger self—who once summoned a Shardblade—with her present identity, fearing the person she once was. Her alter ego, Veil, insists the memories are buried deep within her, but Shallan resists confronting them, terrified of being unlovable or monstrous. Her research into fragmented personas offers little comfort, as historical cases were often treated as aberrations.
The chapter closes with Jushu interrupting Shallan’s reverie, noting the disturbing imagery in her sketch—burning souls in the fireplace, resembling her family members. This moment underscores Shallan’s unresolved trauma and the fragile stability of her mental state. Despite her attempts to convince herself she is improving, the chapter leaves her psychological struggles unresolved, hinting at deeper conflicts yet to surface.
FAQs
1. How does Shallan cope with Veil’s alcohol abuse, and what does this reveal about her current state of mind?
Answer:
Shallan deals with Veil’s alcohol abuse by using Stormlight and headache herbs to recover physically, but the emotional toll is evident in her frustration (“Storming woman”) and blurred memories. This reveals her ongoing struggle with dissociative identity disorder and the consequences of her alternate personas’ actions. Despite her recovery efforts, the repeated occurrence suggests a pattern of avoidance and self-medication through her personas, highlighting her fragile mental state and the challenges of maintaining control over her fractured psyche.2. What role do creationspren play in Shallan’s emotional journey in this chapter?
Answer:
Creationspren manifest around Shallan as she draws, taking the forms of objects from her childhood home in Jah Keved. They reflect her subconscious memories and emotions, particularly her nostalgia for a time when her family was whole. However, the appearance of a slinking necklace chain—a likely symbol of trauma—hints at darker undertones. These spren serve as a bridge between her artistic expression and repressed memories, emphasizing the tension between her idealized past and the painful truths she avoids confronting.3. Analyze the significance of the epigraph about conjoined fabrials in relation to Shallan’s character.
Answer:
The epigraph describes conjoined fabrials as gemstones split yet still functioning as one, mirroring Shallan’s fractured identity. Just as rubies and flamespren are “easiest to divide,” Shallan’s psyche has been divided into personas (Shallan, Veil, Radiant) that retain a connection to her core self. However, the note that other spren “do not split as evenly” parallels her instability—her divisions are not clean, and some memories (like her mother’s death) resist integration. This metaphor underscores the fragility of her mental state and the potential for further fragmentation.4. How does Shallan’s interaction with Jushu reveal her conflicted feelings about her family?
Answer:
Shallan engages with Jushu superficially, chatting about her mission, but her true focus is on revisiting childhood memories through drawing. She imagines a warm, intact family—including her deceased brother Helaran and abusive father—while acknowledging these moments were actually “terrible times.” This contradiction highlights her longing for connection alongside unresolved trauma. Jushu’s comment about her “weird” drawing snaps her back to reality, emphasizing the dissonance between her idealized past and the truth she struggles to face.5. Why is the line “The deal is set and arranged. The spren will come” significant, and how does it foreshadow future events?
Answer:
This cryptic message, which Shallan burns after reading, hints at a hidden agreement involving spren—possibly related to her Radiant duties or her unresolved past. Given her earlier epigraph about spren manipulation, it may foreshadow a confrontation with her repressed memories (symbolized by spren) or a literal arrival of spren tied to her trauma. The chill she feels suggests danger or unease, implying this deal could destabilize her further or force her to confront Formless, the “dark” presence within her.
Quotes
1. “Conjoined fabrials require a careful division of the gemstone—and the spren inside. If performed correctly, the two halves will continue to behave as a single gemstone.”
This epigraph introduces a key magical concept in the Stormlight Archive universe, explaining the delicate process of creating linked fabrials. It foreshadows themes of division and connection that resonate throughout the chapter, particularly in Shallan’s fragmented psyche.
2. “She held this one for a moment, then burned it. Feeling a chill, she decided she didn’t want to be alone in her room any longer—so went to visit her brothers.”
This moment reveals Shallan’s anxiety about a mysterious message regarding “the spren,” showing her instinct to seek familial comfort when troubled. The act of burning the message suggests its dangerous or secretive nature.
3. “In truth, those days at home had been terrible times. Times of tears, and screams, and a life unraveling. It was also the last time she could remember her entire family together.”
This poignant reflection captures Shallan’s complex relationship with her traumatic past, where cherished memories coexist with deep pain. It highlights the chapter’s exploration of memory, trauma, and family bonds.
4. “She couldn’t see those memories; didn’t want to see them. As she shied away from them, something dark shifted inside her, growing stronger. Formless.”
This quote reveals the central psychological struggle of the chapter - Shallan’s avoidance of painful memories and the resulting fragmentation of her identity. The emergence of “Formless” suggests a new threat to her mental stability.
5. “Everything was getting better. Surely it was.”
This short, uncertain statement perfectly encapsulates Shallan’s unreliable self-reassurance about her mental health. The repetition and questioning tone reveal her deep-seated doubts beneath the surface optimism.