The Assassin's Blade

“Conquest wasn’t enough; no, Adarlan had to break them.”

Celaena succinctly summarizes the evil, colonialist mission of the Adarlanian Empire. They want not only to conquer Erilea, but to also break the spirits of the people that they conquer. Celaena knows this from firsthand experience, as her country was destroyed and her family murdered by Adarlan. This introduces the theme of The Fight for Justice and Freedom that pervades the novellas.

“She knew all the constellations by heart, and she instinctively sought out the Stag, Lord of the North, and the immovable star that crowned his head.”

The symbol of the Lord of the North makes its first appearance as Celaena looks at the night sky in Skull’s Bay while deciding to free the enslaved people. The Lord of the North reminds Celaena of her own desire to survive, a desire she sees mirrored in the other people who have been conquered and oppressed by Adarlan.

“She breathed him in—the smell of his sweat, the tang of the dust and rock, the metallic odor of his blood.”

The sensory details of smell are very important to Sam and Celaena’s relationship. The scent of Sam is what she recognizes when she later finds his body, so the sense of smell connects their first moment of physical touch with the tragic final moment of Celaena hugging Sam’s corpse.