The Way of Kings: Chapter 70

Shallan lies in her hospital bed feeling sorry for herself. She especially regrets everything she’s done to Jasnah. The death of Kabsal keeps weighing on her, though considering what he had done, she shouldn’t be bothered. She’d just grown fond of him.
Thinking of Kabsal brings back the memories of the infamous jam and bread - the poisoned bread, which Jasnah had eaten without the anidote-laced jam. Shallan starts in surprise, realizing that Jasnah should be dead. She draws Jasnah inspecting the jam while the strange symbol creatures hover nearby. She continues to ignore them and instead inspects the drawing, noting that Jasnah did stick her finger in the jam jar and sniffed it, but never ate any or told them it had spoiled. She draws another image of Jasnah eating the bread with a distinctly distasteful look upon her face and it seems as if the bread were melting.
Shallan leaves the hospital in just her robe without encountering any interference. She makes her way to the Conclave and Jasnah’s alcove, though Jasnah makes it known Shallan is not welcome and threatens to call the guards. Shallan pointedly tells Jasnah that the Soulcaster Jasnah has is fake and has been all along, unless it was some sort of decoy.
Shallan then shows Jasnah the drawing of the odd place she visited when she first Soulcast. Jasnah is taken aback, and wants to know what book had described that place so well that Shallan could draw it. Shallan explains that it wasn’t from a book, but from her own experience the night she Soulcast her goblet into blood. Shallan then says:
Jasnah remains quiet while Shallan explains that she can also Soulcast without the aid of a fabrial. She claims Jasnah knew Kabsal was an assassin trying to poison her, but with the jam, not the bread. When Jasnah had examined the jam, she Soulcast away the antidote. And when Jasnah tried the bread, she Soulcast that as well, which explains why she didn’t get sick. But Jasnah did this without a Soulcaster; Shallan reveals that she stole Jasnah’s Soulcaster the night Jasnah killed the men, which visibly surprises Jasnah.
Jasnah still doesn’t believe her, so Shallan calls upon one of the symbol-head creatures. The creature demands a truth in exchange for sending Shallan back to "that place." Shallan fulfills that request by admitting she killed her father. Suddenly Shallan finds herself falling into a sea of glass beads before being lifted up to a raft Jasnah creates from the beads. Jasnah calls her an "idiot girl" and then pushes her through some sort of flame only to end up back in the alcove. Jasnah, clearly still angry with Shallan, tells her how dangerous it is to go to Shadesmar with just one dim sphere.
Shallan says she wants to join with Jasnah on her research:
Shallan also apologizes for stealing from Jasnah, and insists that she very much cherishes what Jasnah has to offer through her studies. Shallan could be someone Jasnah confides in. Shallan knows she made mistakes, and that she'll make more, but with Jasnah she could learn much and hopefully not make as many.
Jasnah tells Shallan that she must never lie to her or steal from anyone ever again. Shallan promises. Jasnah then shares with Shallan her notes on the Voidbringers.
-by Michael Pye
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