POV: tanavast
Summary
*Seven thousand fifty years ago.* In Tanavast's voice the vision goes on. He has imprinted himself on the storms — made of them an avatar of himself, a spren that is at the same time him, the version of him free to just *exist.* It is not fully independent. It is not fully him. He savours its simple joy. Then Kor returns to their home on Roshar — the verdant explosion near the centre of the continent that she calls their nest. She lands in her greatest shape, the winged dragon with deep-brown skin and silver tracery, and in an eyeblink takes her human form and grabs him by both arms, mingling their divine essences into a single harmony.
*Tanavast,* she hisses. *Rayse didn't kill only Uli Da.* *Who else?* *Aona.* The healer — of all people, he had attacked Aona? *Both she and Skai are dead. He drew them into conflict, then finished them off when they were weak.* Aona had always treated him with kindness. He feels his essence thin and spread, his soul vibrating with anguish, then he snaps back. *He goes too far. We must move against him. Now.* Kor hesitates — she is not a pacifist, but her way is careful, subtle nudges, not direct confrontation. He opens the future to her, lets her see the possibilities. Their lives are in danger; Rayse is wounded. This may be their best chance. She nods, and together they sweep across the landscape with a storm building behind them.
They find him with the singers. To the mortals it has been decades, and in those years he has turned from his pet humans to these who feel the Almighty has abandoned them. He had been only briefly away to help dissidents on Ashyn — long enough for the singers to drift from his teachings and look back toward their ancient gods. The Honor power within him recoils at the broken promise. He, from his time as a mortal, knows how normal this drift is, and tries to explain — but the power cannot stand it, and lately he has been ceding to its will. The singers like Rayse for all that he intimidates them: he came to them in their own shape, spoke of passion, moulded himself to what they wanted instead of demanding the promises the Almighty's power insists on.
When Tanavast and Kor approach, Rayse sweeps off to a mountaintop; they follow and step out of the storm in avatars on the snow. He takes his regal divine human shape; Kor, ever one for drama, emerges as the long-necked draconic figure with dark-brown wings. *I wondered when you'd greet me. My friends.* They attack — and the instant they touch him, Rayse pulls projections of the future and displays them. A burned land. Bodies on all sides. Earthquakes besetting a world that has no tectonics. He trembles and cannot deny it. The clash is not just possible; it is the likely outcome. They could kill him — but he would make the fight exceptionally painful for everyone on Roshar. *The future,* Rayse says, *is death, my friends.* *We see what may happen,* Kor says, rearing up on her hind legs. *It is not the future you show us!* *In how many eventualities, Kor, does this land survive a full clash between us? Do you know what happened to the region where I killed Ambition?* *Yes,* she says softly.
He raises his hands, eyes like dark holes into infinity. *Then come for me.* Neither dares strike. Tanavast looks toward the place where Ambition died, distant in the deep cosmere: an entire region annihilated, multiple planets, others broken and barely habitable. In that moment he understands at last why Adonalsium, at the end, had not fought them. *We will need to make an accommodation, won't we?* Rayse says, *to ensure our continued good relations.* *We cannot fight directly,* Tanavast declares, haunted by the visions. *But we must not do as we did on Ashyn. Common men cannot hold that much strength without misusing it.* The words echo strangely in him — *common men.* He sees Ashyn again, burned. He was a god. He was God. He had also been a common man.
*Hmmm,* Rayse says, strolling through the snow. *We do not want another situation like Ashyn. But would you have us cut off all contact with the mortals? They need gods, Tanner. I've never met a dragon who could resist being worshipped.* *We can interact,* Kor says. *If we have limits.* She holds out her hand, and the equations form above it in notations they instantly understand — a portion of divine power that can be granted to mortals, within controls. There is genius in it: great power to a few who will bend to divine rules, or lesser power scattered indiscriminately to many. *Brilliant,* he whispers. *With these restrictions, no mortal would ever be powerful enough to destroy the planet.* Unless … no. Ridiculous to consider.
Rayse dislikes being bound. *Perhaps I will just leave. I had thought to convalesce here, but there may be better places—* *No,* Tanavast says, his heart yearning for the dead Aona. There are others who would be defenceless against him. *We three violated the rules. We belong together. We stay, and share this system.* *Do it, Rayse,* Kor says in her draconic voice, *or I will gather the others and you will be dealt with as Adonalsium was.* The threat hangs. He weighs fighting on the spot, but he would lose, and he knows it. *Fine. I accept these terms.*
As he says it, something happens. The power inside Tanavast surges forward and he lets it — propels it — as he has never done before. His own power, the power of Honor, binds even gods more firmly. His ability blankets Rayse, then Kor, then himself. Rayse shouts, gathering his strength. The power withdraws, and Tanavast smiles. This time he was aligned with it. *What the hell was that?* Rayse asks, stepping back. *We are Vessels,* Kor says. *For things we barely understand, Rayse. I do not think the Shards will take our agreements lightly.* She glances at the sky. *Each violation of our word weakens us, opens us to attack.* She leans her draconic head level with his face. *Be glad you happened on two of us who are reasonable and willing to share.*
Together they sweep away, leaving Rayse on the mountaintop. And — Tanavast can feel his anger vibrating through the planet. Slowly, to his horror, Roshar begins to adopt Rayse. Just as it had Kor and himself.