The Way of Kings: Chapter 31

Kaladin is with his father in their house. He is poring over a folio with diagrams of muscles splayed out to see. It is late at night, and his father is drinking strong liquor yet Kaladin later sees that his father is not drunk. Lirin is ranting about the mistakes he has made in his life. Namely bringing his wife along with him to Hearthstone, and tearing her away from her life. This goes on for a bit, and Kaladin adds some commentary in his own mind, contradicting his father. (The reader sees him becoming more independent.) The talk continues on to Roshone's attack on Lirin's work. He talks about human nature, and how they bow and scrape to the unappeasable, and that was just the way of things. This shapes Kaladin's perspective a lot throughout the course of the novel. This continues until it is interrupted by a thump on the door. There is a group of people in black masks (revealed to be the townspeople) who accuse Lirin of stealing the spheres meant for Kaladin's education as a surgeon. Lirin is calm, and at the same time enraged. Kaladin is panicking, while Lirin goes to the cabinet, takes out the covered lamp of spheres and blinds the group of men in masks. Kaladin sees the townspeople, some of those upon whom Lirin has worked. Lirin accuses them of being cowardly. He continues to say to the men that they can beat him up and take the spheres, but that they would do so knowing that Lirin has healed them and their children for next to nothing. The men cringe and fade away into the night.
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