The Assassin's Blade Quotes
"All male, all far older than she, and all refusing to meet her stare."
"Her beauty was a weapon—one she kept honed—but it could also be a vulnerability."
"Gregori’s been caught," Arobynn finally said."
"But you didn’t need to drag us here to decide this. You already gave the order, didn’t you?"
"Silence fell, and a roaring noise filled her ears as Arobynn took a breath. Something was wrong."
"Celaena," Arobynn said, his voice echoing in the silent room.
"You have three blocks," Rolfe said. "Better make them count."
""You’re in my city, and on my island." Only a handbreadth separated them. "You’re not in any position to give me orders."
""I’m the world’s greatest assassin." She lifted her chin. "I’m not afraid of anyone."
"But we’re just two people—surrounded by Rolfe’s pirates."
"Reckless, but maybe the most meaningful, too."
""I don’t know how you handle things in the North, but down here, we like to know who we’re speaking to."
"I suppose if we’re going to die, it should be for a noble cause," he said.
"If you’re going to kill you, Celaena Sardothien," Rolfe breathed.
"Fool," Rolfe spat, and this time feinted so well that even Celaena couldn’t avoid the rake of his sword across her arm.
"Stupid girl. If I don’t kill you, your master will."
"Pirates raged up and down the docks, seeking any boat that was in working order."
"The slaves still rowed for the chain as if demons from every Hell-realm were upon them."
"The wind filled their sails and set them cruising, flying swiftly from the mouth of the bay and into the ocean beyond it."
"She murmured a prayer for them to find a safe harbor, her words carrying on the wings of the wind, and wished them well."
"She swallowed the pain in her arm, focusing on her breathing as she ran and ran, not daring to take her eyes off the tower ahead."
"There was a flash of movement from the half-crumbling tower. Steel glimmered, and there was Sam, charging up the staircase that wound up the outside of the tower."
"Sam glanced toward the stairs. He knew about the pirates, too."
"Sam slung himself down to the catapult level, and Celaena staggered a step as he hurled himself against the rotating platform on which the catapult sat."
"And with a boom that echoed across the bay, the chain collapsed, taking out a chunk of the tower—taking out the spot where she’d last seen Sam."
"Celaena’s heart gave a lurch. Sam. He couldn’t be dead. Not from that dagger, or those dozen pirates, or from the catapult."
"I suppose I could spare a dance or two."
"If only we didn’t live thousands of miles apart. But can you blame me for trying?"
"I’m sure Mikhail will get his fair share of teasing, too."
"He’s the villain, no matter who is telling the story."
"You are not going to enjoy this. You will not forget this. And I don’t want you to."
"So the people of Terrasen will always know how to find their way home."
"That’s the problem with attacking an impenetrable fortress full of skilled warriors: you have to be smarter than us."
"The noble, clever, beautiful assassin from the North—the great Celaena Sardothien, has no idea why he’d want to train her? No idea that he might want to leave his mark on you, too? To have a hand in shaping your glorious fate?"
I didn’t say that," Celaena said through her teeth. "Don’t put words in my mouth.
"But you … You want to know the truth about you, Ansel? The truth is, even if you go home and get what you want, no one will give a damn if you take back your speck of territory—no one will even hear about it. Because no one except for you will even care."
Fine," Celaena said. "Yes: most of the people in the kingdoms know my name—know to fear me.
"I’m scared to go home," she said at last, staring out at the dunes beyond the walls."
"The world seems to think so, but as far as my memory serves me, I’ve never officially sworn to be silent."
"Every day since you left, I’ve gone to the temple of Kiva to pray for forgiveness."
"My price was his oath that he’d never lay a hand on you again."
"How long will you bow and scrape for that monster?"
"You look beautiful. Though I bet you already know that."
"The silence was the worst thing she’d ever heard."
"Some things are more important than death."
"I was unconscious for a day, and dozed on and off for three more after that."
"I hate to admit it, Sam Cortland, but I missed your sorry ass, too."
"Try not to stain them with your tears when you play. It took a lot of bribes to get these."
"The capital began to stir, chimneys puffing up smoke from the first of the day’s fires, fishermen calling to one another from the nearby docks, young children rushing through the streets with bundles of wood or the morning papers or buckets of water."
"I think this covers my debt. And then some."
"I love you," he repeated, shaking her again. "I have for years."
"You’re a damned idiot," she breathed. "You’re a moron and an ass and a damned idiot."
"Go to hell," he spat, and a match flared.
"No matter what I have done, I really do love you, Celaena."
"My name is Sam Cortland ... and I will not be afraid."
"We're not like Farran. We know how to do it, but we don't enjoy it. That's the difference."
"When we die, I don't think the gods will even know what to do with us."
"You want to hear something ridiculous? Whenever I'm scared out of my wits, I tell myself: My name is Sam Cortland ... and I will not be afraid."
"I'm a coward. And I'm scared. I'm scared all the time. Always."
"We're not like that. We can't be like that."
"Why shouldn't I enjoy Lysandra after all these years of investing in her career?"
"As long as I live, I'll never forget that."
"Each of her steps up the stairs to her apartment was heavy and light—heavy and light, the sensation shifting with each heartbeat."
"The streets were the same, the sky was clear, the briny breeze off the Avery still ruffled her hair."
"She was fire, she was darkness, she was dust and blood and shadow."
"The dawn was blinding, and her eyes felt gritty and sore as she hurried through the slums."
"The world swayed beneath her feet, but she kept upright as she finished the walk to the table and looked down at the naked, mutilated body she had."
"The game had been played, and she had lost."
"She hurtled through the streets, each step faster than the last as that black fire burned through thought and feeling until all that remained was her rage and her prey."
"The roaring silence hovered around her, a cresting wave that she’d been trying to outrun for hours."
"Celaena opened her eyes. She would go into Endovier. Go into Hell. And she would not crumble."
"She was going to Endovier—she was to be a slave in the Salt Mines of Endovier."