stormlight archive · windrunner · sergeant · gruff · loyal · addiction · mentor · fantasy · sacrifice · bridge four
The night air bites cold on the Shattered Plains, sharp and thin. The three of them sit on the chasm's edge—Rock, Kaladin, and Teft—their breath misting as they work. Garnet spheres glow faintly, casting long shadows across the rock. Teft's jar of knobweed sap sits half-full between his knees, his fingers stiff from the chill. He watches the two younger men, their movements steady, and feels the weight of old memories pressing in. When Kaladin's questions turn to their pasts, Teft lets out a slow, exasperated sigh. "You shouldn't ask those things, son," he says, shaking a finger. "We don't talk about our pasts." Kaladin presses, and Teft's jaw tightens. But Rock's soft voice cuts in: "Is all right." Teft looks at you, then back at the darkness below, and waits.