It felt so good, to be out in the open again. True enough, the tower had many places where the walls and ceilings retreated almost enough to give the impression of openness, the constant breeze that flowed with the help of a system the scholars hadn't discovered yet took much from the confined air that a place like the tower would have had on Kaladin in other circumstances. Still - being out in the open again, on the Plains where the wind caressed his face and he could see the horizon in the distance - that was something Urithiru couldn't compare to.

Even though the reason he had returned to the Plains were dire. Thinking about them suppressed the overwhelming joy that had grasped him when taking to the skies again. Kaladin clenched his teeth, searching the ground before him. If he were on the run he would have gone out into the open, away from busy streets crowded with people bound to lead persecutors to him. He had sent the rest of Bridge Four scouting the busy areas of the Tower, mainly the Breakaway, knowing his men would enjoy this task while it would only have been a nuisance for himself. A part of them also took off to search the warcamps. There still was a lot of civilization there, partly because of the trade that now flowed through the oathgate. If the fugitive had taken these roads, they were bound to find the woman. A figure like that - white armor, armed, not bearing the colours of a highprince, possibly a deserter - would attract attention, even if they didn't see through the armor she disguised herself with.

The Shardblade wielding fugitive.

He growled softly, thinking about that moment, when the woman had been facing Dalinar, eye to eye. It seemed she had already killed an important lighteyes before. Letting her get close to Dalinar like that, just a whim away from potentially injuring or even killing the Highprince...

Kaladin had failed once again.

He owed it only to chance that this time hadn't cost lifes.

Perhaps he felt he owed her something for not killing Dalinar when she could have. Or was it because he disliked the idea of fighting a woman? Whatever the reason, the task he had been commanded to fulfill was more and more like an icy ball of spikes, deep within his insides. Still he had taken the route himself, where he suspected to find the fugitive. If she really had a Shardblade capturing her might prove dangerous. Even deadly for most people, if she resisted. He would not risk his men without dire necessity.

"Where are you?", he whispered, feeling agitated. The guard at the oathgate had known nothing of any soldiers crossing the gate today, even less with that strange armor of hers. The few soldiers that had gone to the Shattered Plains since her prison escape had been described to Kaladin and none of them had matched her looks in the slightest. Had he been wrong? Heralds send he hadn't chosen the wrong path to follow! If his men encountered that woman without him, being split into two separate groups to investigate the trail...

"Kaladin", a voice beside him said. He shot the glowing ribbon of light a glance, feeling his heart pound in his chest. The ribbon sprouted a face, becoming more of a floating body enveloped in long hair, than a simple line. Syl had a grave expression on her face.
"What do you want to do to that woman, Kaladin?" Syl inquired, sounding worried. "You have no reason to fight her."

"I was commanded to.", he replied, still scouting the Plains before him. Nothing, but an odd spec of color. A pond or small body of water? Out here? The blueish spot seemed to move from a distance, but perhaps that only seemed that way because of the constant up- and down his lashing brought with it. Syl shook her head at his words. "But it's not what you feel is right to do, Kaladin."

"She's a murderer.", he growled, annoyed at the hollowness of his own arguments. He could feel that he wasn't being serious with it and so apparently could Syl. "But you don't want to.", she mused, now confused. "Why would you do something that you feel is wrong?"

"I can't know if it's right or wrong." He squinted his eyes, the icy ball inside of him growing even colder. "All I know is that Dalinar believes it just to apprehend her at least. That's all I want to do. All I'm-" He stopped midsentence, suddenly feeling heavy and sluggish.

That was no water.

Before him a person with waving black hair, dressed in a long, blue havah hurried across the plains.

"Kaladin!", he heard Syl call as he descended.

There was nothing to give his approach away, no sound or reflecting of metal under the cloudy sky, not even a shadow. Still the woman spun around when he was only a spear's width away. He saw her paling beneath her deep tan.

Then she ran.

He leashed himself in the same direction she had taken off to, feeling a jerk in motion that ripped through his whole body. She was unlucky he was what he was. With that speed, most ordinary soldier's could not have caught her.

He fell at double her speed toward the lashing.

Again she seemed to sense his approach without looking, because she changed directions, one narrow turn after the other, never staying long in one direction. He had to adjust his lashings, but it was plainly visible that she wouldn't be staying ahead much longer. He was almost close enough to touch her and then...

Suddenly she threw herself forward, turning her speed into an elegant roll and when she shoot to her feet again she was facing towards him now, not away from him. Her eyes were wide with fear, and mist started to take shape in her defensively extended hands. The blade was pointed directly at his chest.

With a lashing into the opposite direction he brought himself to an abrupt halt that seemed to almost snap him in two. He let out a wheeze, drawing in more stormlight, to hold his body together. Still it felt as if his eyes and brain both wanted to just pop out of his head.

The woman pounced on him, sword falling like a executioner's axe.

"Stop!", he cried, evading the blow narrowly with the help of another lashing backwards. He dodged another attack, raising his hands while being fully aware that it would take but a moment to summon the Sylspear, should the situation require it. "Dalinar... Highprince Kholin wants you to come back peacefully. I do not want to fight you!"

Her eyes tightened, the glow of her shardblade reflecting in them. He felt dazzled by it. A woman, holding a blade like that...

Shallans blade had been more of a shortsword than a real blade. But this - this was death made steel. A giant sword, narrowing at it's base to spread out into a wider tip of deadly beauty, with a hilt of woven steel ropes, streaming upward. It's form reminded him of the Glyph Jeh.

"It doesn't matter, what Highlord Kholin wants. If I go to him, I'm as good as dead." Her voice was surprisingly calm. She didn't even seem agitated from the quick attacks, her breathing as steady as if she had only taken a slow walk around the park, not run with all her speed and then executed two complex strikes with a blade bigger than herself. He kept his hands upwards, feeling stormlight evaporate from his lips as he spoke.

"Dalinar Kholin is a man of honor. He will prove worthy of the trust you put in him. Come with me. I don't want to hurt you." Syl zipped in front of him, anxious eyes on the fugitive. The woman's face was a mask of determination.

"Over my dead body.", she shouted and fell into another set of attacks.

He felt the wind dance around him, as he narrowly evaded the blade, sucking in Stormlight to enhance his speed and alertness. With the sky covered as it was the wisps of light coming from his skin were now obvious, his body shining like a beacon. The woman didn't flinch. She was faster than anyone he had ever duelled - the blade flashed next to his face. Syl let out a cry.

A strand of Kaladin's hair fell to the ground.

Enough of this, he decided, dancing between two hits, suddenly jumping forward, evading a blow by getting too close for her to swing at him. His hand brushed over her shoulder.

With a surprised yelp the woman shot into the air. The Shardblade escaped her fingers, puffed to mist, before it could touch the ground.

Kaladin took off after her, lashing herself to the same point, he had just sent her flying towards.

Surprised he noticed her changing her position.

She was adapting her stance to the lashing he had put on her!

When their eyes met he realized that there was not a hint of fear in her eyes, like a normal opponent should have shown by being launched hundreds of feet into the air without warning. She already had her hand stretched out to summon her sword again. 10 heartbeats. That was the time he had if he wanted to do anything. 10 heartbeats - Kaladin adjusted his lashings, coming close enough to touch her again. He could lash her toward the Oathgate. If he managed to do that-

The moment he came close enough she punched him. A light flashed around her hand and when her fist connected with his face, blackness danced in his vision, bells ringing in his ears. Pain flashing through his nose and a disgusting, crunching noise told him that the punch had broken it. As he gasped for breath he tasted blood on his tongue. Mind guided by stormlight, not even forming a single coherent thought, his hand shot down. Diverted by it the punch intended for his solar plexus instead only grazed his body.

But he was touching her.

With a double lashing she shot off towards the Oathgate, himself following slower with only a fraction of that. He wanted to stay close enough to watch but far enough away that her blade-

She screamed.

And shot off in the opposite direction.

"What-" he followed, reversing the directions of his lashings. "How can she-" Had he made a mistake while lashing her? But how could that explain her going in the opposite direction? He didn't understand, how could this-

"No, Kaladin.", Syl said, face of utter disbelief. "Her sword! It's-"

"Another honorblade?", he shouted against the wind, lashing himself further until he was close enough to reach her ankle. The woman was still screaming, but managed to pull her leg away, kicking after him with the other. With a curse he snatched it and had her go up again instead. He couldn't keep this craziness up for a long time. Even with the broams he now carried on him all the time his Stormlight was bound to eventually-

From one moment to the next the pull that had thrown her to the side stopped. She shot up into the sky at a weird angle, a curve rather than a straight ascend, slowing while ascending.

He could make out the place she was bound to come to a halt, stretched out his hand to summon Syl, not to strike but-

The sword fell into her hand again. Fast! But 10 heartbeats could pass like that in moments like-

When he neared her position she turned herself in the air, bringing the blade up for a desperate strike with all her weight on it. The Sylspear fell into his hands, parrying the blow and-

"NO!", he heard Syl scream. Her voice shook every part of him, echoing deep within his bones.

From one moment to the next the Sylspear shattered into blinding light.

So did the Shardblade.

"He is my brother!", he heard Syl cry.

It was at this moment that the woman started to fall.