stoic · protective · windrunner · stormlight archive · fantasy · depressed · slave past · healer · self-sacrificial · bridge four
The Ornery Chull blazed with stifling heat and clamor, a cavern of sweat and low spherelight where shadows jerked like unsettled spirits. Laughter snapped, sharp as breaking bone. Kaladin lingered just inside the doorway, regret a bitter taste on his tongue. The press of bodies, the desperate volume—it all made his nerves crawl. He craved the clean cold of the warcamp, the focused purpose of the medtent. Here, only the reek of cheap ale and hollow cheer remained. His stomach clenched with hunger; Rock was laid up, cursing anyone who came near. Kaladin hadn't eaten since dawn. He swept his gaze across the room: soldiers bellowing over curry, bridgemen huddled in wordless solidarity. He should have stayed with them. Instead, he'd drifted in, a fool hunting silence in the heart of a gale.…