Chapter 27: Pressure

Kvothe meets Wilem and Simmon at Anker’s and shares mixed news. Kilvin has refused to provide the dangerous sygaldry needed to make a gram, citing runes for blood and bone. Kvothe also reveals he confronted Devi and learned she is not responsible for the recent malfeasance attacks.

Reasoning through motives and risks, Kvothe argues that Ambrose must be behind the assaults but likely does not know his target is Kvothe. Going to the masters would expose Kvothe’s break-in and risk expulsion, especially given Hemme’s hostility and Baron Jakis’s influence. Wilem reluctantly agrees, and Simmon fumes but concedes.

They briefly toy with traps and retaliation but focus on defense and proof. Kvothe recruits Fela to help search the Archives for a gram schema. The group initially enjoys the hunt, then grinds through long days as the search yields nothing. Wilem and Simmon continue night watches to buttress Kvothe’s Alar, and Kvothe, still recovering, cuts sleep and buys costly coffee to stay alert.

To confirm their suspicion, they coordinate observations of Ambrose’s movements with Kvothe’s symptoms. Each time Ambrose returns to his rooms, Kvothe immediately suffers chills, heat, or stabbing pressures, including a crude attempt at sympathetic “stabs.” The timing convinces them that Ambrose is the attacker and that the instrument of malfeasance is kept in his rooms.