A Court of Silver Flames

Throughout the novel, Nesta makes or finds many magical objects. These are symbols that speak to the theme of Mastering Emotions. After Nesta herself was Made by the Cauldron, she senses power in herself but seems unable to control it. In fact, she does her best to suppress these mysterious powers just as she suppresses her negative emotions. Once she begins to direct her physical and emotional energies more constructively, she creates objects of power. The first indication of this new level of personal control occurs when Nesta forges three weapons. She feels a sense of direction and purpose as she hammers the blades into shape. The result is a sword, a dagger, and a broadsword, all with magical properties.

Aside from the objects she makes, Nesta also learns to manage two objects from the Dread Trove so that they do her bidding, another indication of her increasing control. When she dons the Mask, she uses it to kill the kelpie and briefly raise an army of the dead. Significantly, she says of the kelpie, “Though she had fought back against Tomas, against the Cauldron, against the King of Hybern, they had all happened to her.