Celaena Quotes

Nor had she missed when they zigzagged between levels, even though the building was a standard grid of hallways and stairwells. As if she'd lose her bearings that easily.
She might have been insulted if he wasn't trying so hard. ~ Sarah J. Maas

And then that voice from behind her said her name again.
"Celaena."
They had done this.
Her bloody fingers slid down Dorian's face, to his neck. He just stared at her, suddenly still.
"Celaena," a familiar voice said. A warning.
They had did this. They had betrayed her. Betrayed Nehemia. They had taken her away. Her nail brushed Dorian's exposed throat.
"Celaena," the voice said.
Celaena slowly turned.
Chaol stared at her, a hand on his sword. The sword she'd brought to the warehouse- the sword she'd left there. Archer had told her that Chaol had known they were going to do this.
He had known.
She shattered completely, and launched herself at him. ~ Sarah J. Maas

The world was waiting--wide open and hers for the taking. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Celaena wondered if she still had a death wish.

Or perhaps the god of death just liked to play with her too much ~ Sarah J. Maas

Celaena would have thanked her again, but another wave of cramping took over and she leaned forward as the door closed. Her weight gain over the past three and a half months had allowed for her monthly cycles to return after near-starvation in Endovier had made them vanish. Celaena groaned. How was she going to train like this? ~ Sarah J. Maas

Alone with Rolfe, Celaena raised her sword. "Celaena Sardothien, at your service."
The pirate was still staring at her, his face pale with rage. "How dare you deceive me?" She sketched a bow.
"I did nothing of the sort. I told you I was beautiful. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Perhaps. I can understand wanting to kill the competetion, but to do it so viciously ... I hope it's nota a pattern."
Dorian's blood went a bit cold. "You think they'll try to kill Celaena?"
"I added some extra guards around her rooms."
"To protect her, or to keep her in? ~ Sarah J. Maas

You always wear that necklace," he said. "Is it another gift?" Though she wore gloves, he glanced at her hand - where the amethyst ring always sat - and the spark died from his eyes.
"No." She covered the amulet with her hand. "I found it in my jewellery box and liked the look of it, you insufferably territorial man. ~ Sarah J. Maas

It was the least she could do. For Nehemia - for. . . a lot of other people. There was nothing left in her, not really. Only ash and an abyss and the unbreakable vow she'd carved into her flesh, to the friend who had seen her for what she truly was. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Celaena." She looked back at him, her red gown sweeping around her. His eyes shone as he flashed her a crooked grin. "I missed you this summer."
She met his stare unflinchingly, returning the smile as she said, "I hate to admit it, Sam Cortland, but I missed your sorry ass, too. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Celaena pulled another book toward her and grinned. It was as if someone had read her mind. It was a large black volume entitled The Walking Dead in tarnished silver letters. Thankfully, the captain didn't see the title before she opened it. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She traced Celaena's cheekbone, where the bruises had once been. "Where do men find it in themselves to do such monstrous things? How do they find it acceptable?" "We'll make them pay for it in the end." Celaena grasped Ansel's hand. The girl squeezed back hard. "We'll see to it that they pay." "Yes." Ansel shifted her gaze back to the stars. "Yes, we will. ~ Sarah J. Maas

This was the least she owed those murdered in Endovier and Calaculla - the least she could do, after so long. A monster to destroy monsters.
The flames on her left hand burned brighter as Celaena stepped beyond the archway and into the beckoning abyss. ~ Sarah J. Maas

We'll never be a normal boy and girl, will we?" she managed to say.
"No," he breathed, eyes blazing. "We won't."
And then the music exploded around them, and Chaol took her with it, spinning her so that her cloak fanned out around her. Each step was flawless, lethal, like that first time they'd sparred together so many months ago. She knew his every move and he knew hers, as though they'd been dancing this waltz together all their lives. Faster, never faltering, never breaking her stare.
The rest of the world quieted into nothing. In that moment, after ten long years, Celaena looked at Chaol and realized she was home. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He removed her hand from his cheek to kiss the tips of her fingers. "I get scared, too," he murmured onto her skin. "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've been doing it for years."
It was her turn to raise her brows. "And that actually works?"
He laughed onto her fingers. "Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. But it usually makes me feel better to some degree. Or it just makes me laugh at myself a bit. ~ Sarah J. Maas

So she moved away from the carving of the mythical stag, instantly cold as she severed contact with the delightful heat living within the stone. Part of her could have sworn that ancient, strange power was sad to see her go. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I'm not ill like that," she groaned. He sat on her bed, peeling back the blanket. A servant entered, frowning at the mess on the floor, and shouted for help.
"Then it what way?"
"I,uh ... " Her face was so hot she thought it would melt onto the floor. Oh you idiot. "My monthly cycles finally came back!"
His face suddenly matched hers and he stepped away, dragging his hand through his short hair. "I-if ... Then I'll take my leave," he stammered, and bowed. Celaena raised an eyebrow, and then, despite herself, smiled as he left the room as quick as his feet could go without running, tripping slightly in the doorway as he staggered into the rooms beyond. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Her hand rose to her lips and she stared up at the stars, feeling her heart grow, and grow, and grow. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He opened his mouth, but stopped as he beheld her smile. Though she had no regrets about her choice, she felt something strangely like disappointment when he said, As you wish. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Her salary as King's Champion was considerable, and Celaena spent
every last copper of it. Shoes, hats, tunics, dresses, jewelry, weapons,
baubles for her hair, and books. Books and books and books. So many
books that Philippa had to bring up another bookcase for her room. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She'd awoken that morning feeling . . . clear. The grief and pain were still there, writhing inside her, but for the first time in a long while, she felt as though she could see. As though she could breathe. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Father, brother, lover - he'd never really declared himself any of them. Certainly not the lover part, thought if Celaena had been another sort of girl, and if Arobynn had raised her differently , perhaps it might have come to that. He loved her like family, yet he put her in the most dangerous positions. He nurtured and educated her, yet he'd obliterated her innocence the first time he'd made her end a life. He'd given her everything, but he'd also taken everything away. She could no sooner sort out her feelings toward the King of the Assassins that she could count the stars in the sky. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn't, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful, because I will always care what happens. ~ Sarah J. Maas

That was all Celaena needed to hear before she tossed the ring to Maeve, before Rowan rushed to her, his hands on her cheeks, his brow against her own. "Aelin," he murmured, and it wasn't a reprimand, or a thank-you, but ... a prayer. "Aelin," he whispered again, grinning, and kissed her brow before he dropped to both knees before her. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Are you married?"
"No."
She picked at her nails. "I'm not married, either. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Rumor has it she was your Champion this fall. Do you wish to deal with this?"
Dorian said smoothly, "You will find, Rolfe, that one does not deal with Celaena Sardothien. One survives her."
...
Aelin and Aelin looked at each other. The one in black grinned up at the newcomer. "Oh, you ARE gorgeous, aren't you?"
...
Aelin and Lysandra fixed the warrior with an unimpressed look that would have sent lesser men running. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I was merely observing; I have no agenda." He looked at his hand, still touching hers. "Where did you get that ring?"

She contracted her hand into a fist as she pulled it away from him. The amethyst in her ring glowed in the firelight. "It was a gift."

"From whom?"

"That's none of your concern."

He shrugged, though she knew betterthan to tell him who'd really given it to her - rather, she knew Chaol wouldn't want Dorian to know.

"I'd like to know who's been giving rings to my Champion."

The way the collar of his black jacket lay across his neck made her unnable to sit still. She wanted to touch him, to trace the line between his tan skin and the golden lining of the fabric.

"Billiards?" she asked, rising to her feet. I could use another lesson." Celaena didn't wait for his answer as she strode toward the gaming room. She very much wanted to stand close to him and have her skin warm under his breath. She liked that. Worse than that, she realized, she liked him. ~ Sarah J. Maas

What are you doing?"
Celaena lifted another piece of paper. "If His Pirateness can't be bothered to clean for us, then I don't see why I can't have a look."
"He'll be here any second," Sam hissed. She picked up a flattened map, examining the dots and markings along the coastline of their continent. Something small and round gleamed beneath the map, and she slipped it into her pocket before Sam could notice.
"Oh, hush," she said, opening the hutch on the wall adjacent to the desk. "With these creaky floors, we'll hear him a mile off." The hutch was crammed with rolled scrolls, quills, the odd coin, and some very old, very expensive-looking brandy. She pulled out a bottle, swirling the amber liquid in the sunlight streaming through the tiny porthole window. "Care for a drink? ~ Sarah J. Maas

Two black boots came into view, then a pair of knees as someone crouched on the edge of the ring.

"Get up," Chaol whispered. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the face. It was over.(...)

"Get up," Chaol said again, louder. She could only stare at the white line of chalk that marked the ring.(...)

"Celaena," Chaol said gently. And then she heard the scraping noise as his hand came into view, sliding across the flagstones. His fingertips stopped just at the edge of the white line. "Celaena," he breathed, his voice laced with pain - and hope. This was all she had left - his outstretched hand, and the promise of hope, of something better waiting on the other side of that line.

Moving her arm made sparks dance before her eyes, but she extended it until her fingertips reached the line of chalk, and stayed there, not a quarter of an inch from Chaol, the thick white mark separating them.

She lifted her eyes to his face, and found his gaze lined with silver. "Get up," was all he said.

And in that moment, somehow his face was the only thing that mattered. She stirred, and couldn't stop her sob as her body erupted with pain that made her lie still again. But she kept her focus on his brown eyes, on his tightly pressed lips as they parted and whispered, "Get up. ~ Sarah J. Maas

If she could keep breathing, she wouldn't fall apart. ~ Sarah J. Maas

But you were never just Celaena, and I think you knew that, deep down, even before everything happened. I understand now. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I am glad we're not ordinary, Elentiya." Nehemia was smiling into the darkness of the carriage. "It'd be so boring if we were."

Celaena grinned. "Incredibly boring."

"And, for what it's worth, I'd pick you over a thousand ordinary and extraordinary friends. I think even if we just met on the street, even if I just saw you in passing, I'd know what you are."

Celaena cocked her head to the side. "An assassin?"

Nehemia's dark eyes were bright as she shook her head. "The sister of my heart. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Because I am lost," she whispered onto the earth. "And I do not know the way. ~ Sarah J. Maas

There is... this rage." she said "This despair and hatred and rage that lives and breathes inside me. There's not sanity to it, no gentleness. It is a monster dwelling under my skin. For the past ten years, I have worked every day, every hour, to keep that monster locked up. And the moment I talk about those two days, and what happened before and after, that monster is going to break loose, and there will be no accounting for what I do."

"That is how I was able to stand before the King of Adarlan, how I was able to befriend his son and his captain, how I was able to live in that palace. Because I did not give that rage, those memories, one inch. And right now I am looking for the tools that might destroy my enemy, and I cannot let out the monster, because it will make me use those tools against the king, not put them back as I should - and I might very well destroy the world for spite. So that is why I must be Celaena, not Aelin - because being Aelin means facing those things, unleashing that monster. Do you understand? ~ Sarah J. Maas

She looked to the open window, to the world beyond. For the first time in a long while, she heard the song of a northern wind, calling he rhome, And she was not afraid. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I am Celaena Sardothien,Adarlan's Assasin.If these men knew who i was,they'd stop laughing.I am Celaena Sardothien.I am going to win.I will not be afraid. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She knew he meant it. He'd burn the library, the city or the whole world to ashes if she asked him. It was their bond, marked by blood and scent and something else she couldn't place. A tether as strong as the one that bound her to her parents. Stronger, in some ways. ~ Sarah J. Maas

You're back," Sam said, as if he couldn't quite believe it.
She lifted her chin, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Obviously."
He tilted his head slightly to the side. "How was the desert?"
There wasn't a scratch on him. Of course, her face had healed too but ... "Hot," she said. Sam let out a breathy chuckle. ~ Sarah J. Maas

With each day he felt the barriers melting. He let them melt. Because of her genuine laugh, because he caught her one afternoon sleeping with her face in the middle of a book, because he knew that she would win. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Celaena had a sudden moment of clarity then, as her hair ripped from her braid and the wind tore at her clothes. Of all the girls in all the world, here she was on a spit of beach in the Red Desert, astride an Asterion horse, racing faster than the wind. Most would never experience this - she would never experience anything like this again. And for that one heartbeat, when there was nothing more to it than that, she tasted bliss so complete that she tipped her head back to the sky and laughed. ~ Sarah J. Maas

How long was I asleep?" she whispered. He didn't respond.
"How long was I asleep?" she asked again, and noticed a hint of red in his cheeks.
"You were asleep, too?"
"Until you began drooling on my shoulder. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I'm impressed you got up here so quickly - and without a pack of court ladies hounding after you. Perhaps you should try your hand at being an assassin." He shook the hair out of his face.
"I'm not interested in court ladies," he said thickly, and kissed her. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Her voice was soft, ethereal, the sound of a lullaby half-remembered. The songs she sang, one by one, held Celaena in place. Songs of distant lands, of forgotten legends, of lovers forever waiting to be reunited. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Am I going to be blessed with the pleasure of hearing your voice, or have you resolved to be silent for the
duration of our journey?"
"I'm afraid your questions didn't merit a verbal response."
Dorian bowed low. "Then I apologize, my lady! How terrible it must be to condescend to answer! Next time, I'll try to think of something more stimulating to
say. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She had often wished for adventure, for old spells and wicked kings. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Tall, broad-shouldered, every inch of him seemingly corded with muscle, he was a male blooded with power. He paused in a dusty shaft of sunlight, his silver hair gleaming. As if his delicately pointed ears and slightly elongated canines weren't enough to scare the living shit out of everyone in that alley, including the now-whimpering madwoman behind Celaena, a wicked-looking tattoo was etched down the left side of his harsh face, the whorls of black ink stark against his sun-kissed skin. ~ Sarah J. Maas

In the garden, the Captain of the Guard stared up at the young woman's balcony, watching as she waltzed alone, lost in her dreams. But he knew her thoughts weren't of him.
She stopped and stared upward. Even from a distance, he could see the blush upon her cheeks. She seemed young - no, new. It made his chest ache.
Still, he watched, watched until she sighed and went inside. She never bothered to look below. ~ Sarah J. Maas

If they let you out," Kaltain said, both of them staring into the blackness of their prisons, "make sure that they're punished someday. Every last one of them."
Celaena listened to her own breathing, felt Chaol's blood under her nails, and the blood of all those men she'd hacked down, and the coldness of Nehemia's room, where all that gore had soaked the bed.
"They will be," Celaena swore to the darkness.
She had nothing left to give, except that. ~ Sarah J. Maas

It would have been nice, she supposed. It would have been nice to have one person who knew the absolute truth about her
and didn't hate her for it.
It would have been really, really nice.
She walked away without another word. With each step she took back to her room, that flickering light inside of her guttered.
And went out. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I can wait," he said thickly, kissing her collarbone. "We have all the time in the world. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He slumped down into the pen, and the puppies immediately leapt on him. "Perhaps I'll see you later tonight."

"If you're lucky," Celaena purred, and walked away. She smiled to herself as they strode through the castle.

Eventully Nehemia turned to her. "Do you like him?"

Celaena made a face. "Of course not. Why would I?"
You converse easily. It seems as if you have...a connection."

"A connection?" Celaena choked on the word. "I just enjoy teasing him."

"It's not a crime if you consider him handsome. I'll admit I judged him wrong; I thought him to be a pompous, selfish idiot, but he's not so bad."

"He's a Havilliard."

"My mother was the daughter of a chief who sought to overthrow my grandfather."

"We're both silly. It's nothing."

"He seems to take great interest in you."

Celaena's head whipped around, her eyes full of long-forgotten fury that made her belly ache and twist. "I would sooner cut out my own heart than love a Havilliard," she snarled.

They completed their walk in silence, and when they parted ways, Celaena quickly wished Nehemia a pleasant evening before striding to her part of the castle. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Then Celaena and the King of Adarlan smiled at each other, and it was the most terrifying thing Dorian had ever seen. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Aelin Galathynius smiled at her, hand still outreached. "Get up." the princess said.
Celaena reached across the earth between them and brushed her fingers against Aelin's.
And arose. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Would I have loved her if I had know from the start what she is?" He shook his head. "If I had met her now... my first instinct would be to protect Dorian from her.

Celaena was a fraction of Aelin - both good and bad. But Aelin... she is Celaena, and she is queen, and she is the Fire-Bringer. I fell in love with a facet, and I panicked when I realized it was a fraction of the whole - when I saw that power, that heritage, and... it was not a part of my plans.

Rowan Whitethorn saw everything. From the moment he met her, he saw all of Aelin. And he was not afraid. I don't blame either of them for falling in love. I don't blame her... I was what Celaena need after Endovier. But Rowan is who Aelin needs - forever. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Fleetfoot turned to look up at Celaena, her golden eyes full of question. Celaena reached down to stroke the warm head, the long ears, the slender muzzle. But the question remained. Celaena said, "She's never coming back." The dog kept waiting. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He shook the hair out of his face. "I'm not interested in court ladies," he said thickly, and kissed her. His mouth was warm, and his lips were smooth, and Celaena lost all sense of time and place as she slowly kissed him back. He pulled away for a moment, looked into her eyes as they opened, and kissed her again. It was different this time - deeper, full of need. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Apparently, a woman can only go so long without a sword between her hands. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She had seen hundreds of doors in the castle - doors of wood, of bronze, of glass - but never one of solid iron. This one was ancient, from a time when an iron door meant something. So was this supposed to keep someone out - or to keep something in? Celaena ~ Sarah J. Maas

I don't think you realize who you're dealing with."
The man clicked his tongue, "If you were that good, you would be more than just Captain of the Guard."
Chaol let out a low, breathy laugh. "I wasn't talking about me."
"She's just one girl."
Though his guts were twisting at the thought of her in this place, with these people, though he was considering every possible way to get himself and Celaena out of here alive, he gave the man a grin.
"Then you're really in for a big surprise. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She had a flicker of memory from a time when, just for a moment, she'd been free; when the world had been wide open and she'd been about to enter it with Sam at her side. It was a freedom that she was still working for, because even though she'd tasted it only for a heartbeat, it had been the most exquisite heartbeat she'd ever experienced. ~ Sarah J. Maas

My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Every one of the restraints she'd locked into place after she'd rampaged through Endovier snapped free. An icy, endless rage swept through her, wiping away everything except the plan that she could see with brutal clarity. The killing clam, Arobynn Hamel had once called it. Even he had never realized just how calm she could get when she went over the edge. If they wanted Adarlan's Assassin, they'd get her. And Wryd help them when she arrived. ~ Sarah J. Maas

And then I am going to rattle the stars. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Of course she was worthy. She was Celaena Sardothien, gods be damned. ~ Sarah J. Maas

The creature took Aelin's face in its hands, and her sword thudded to the ground, forgotten.
Rowan was screaming as the creature pulled her into its arms. As she stopped fighting. As her flames winked out and darkness swallowed her whole. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Wincing, Celaena slumped next to Rowan on the bench, and swore viciously at the pain in her leg, her face, her arms. Swore at the pain in the ass sitting right next to her. ~ Sarah J. Maas

If it won't respond to humans, then it will have to be killed," Dorian said offhandedly, and a spark went through Celaena. "Kill it? Kill it? For what reason? What did it do to you? ~ Sarah J. Maas

So I wish to give to you what I have given to few before." Her dark eyes shone. "Names are not important. It's what lies inside of you that matters. I know what you went through in Endovier. I know what my people endure there, day after day. But you did not let the mines harden you; you did not let it shame your soul into cruelty." The princess traced a mark on her hand, her fingers pressing into Celaena's skin. "You bear many names, and so I shall name you as well." Her hand rose to Celaena's forehead and she drew an invisible mark. "I name you Elentiya." She kissed the assassin's brow. "I give you this name to use with honor, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, 'Spirit That Could Not Be Broken.'" Celaena ~ Sarah J. Maas

There was a poem scribbled at the top of the Ashryver family tree, as though some student had dashed it down as a reminder while studying.
Ashryver Eyes
The fairest eyes, from legends old
Of brightest blue, ringed with gold
Bright blue eyes, ringed with gold. A strangled cry came out of him. How many times had he looked into those eyes? How many times had he seen her avert her gaze, that one bit proof she couldn't hide, from the king?
Celaena Sardothien wasn't in league with Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.
Celaena Sardothien was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, heir to the throne and righful Queen of Terrasen. ~ Sarah J. Maas

But if the two hundred slaves that I freed are telling the story, then no, I suppose I didn't deserve it."
None of them were smiling anymore. "Holy gods," Ansel whispered. True silence fell over their table for a few heartbeats.
Celaena resumed eating. She didn't feel like talking to them after that. ~ Sarah J. Maas

It's Aelin now," she snapped as loudly as she dared. "Celaena Sardothien doesn't exist anymore. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I like music," she said slowly, "because when I hear it, I ... I lose myself within myself, if that makes any sense. I become empty and full all at once, and I can feel the whole earth roiling around me. When I play. I'm not ... for once, I'm not destroying, I'm creating. ~ Sarah J. Maas

You can't go."
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't."
"Because I'll miss you, damn it!" she hissed, splaying her arms. "Because what's the point in anything if you just disappear forever?"
"The point in what, Celaena?" How could he be so calm when she was so frantic?
"The point in Skull's Bay, and the point in getting me that music, and the point in ... the point in telling Arobynn that you'd forgive him if he never hurt me again."
"You said you didn't care what I thought. Or what I did. Or if I died, if I'm not mistaken."
"I lied! And you know I lied you stupid bastard! ~ Sarah J. Maas

A feral smile, and he grabbed her by the chin
not hard enough to hurt, but to get her to look at him. "First thing," he breathed, "we're not friends. I'm still training you, and that means you're still under my command." the flicker of hurt must have shown, because he leaned closer, his grip tightening on her jaw. "Second
whatever we are, whatever this is? I'm still figuring it out, too. So if I'm going to give you the space you deserve to sort yourself out, then you can damn well give it to me. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He grasped her by the wrist , running a thumb along the sensitive skin underneath. "Then let me call you Mine for a dance or two"

She grinned but someone was suddenly between them, a tall, powerfully built person. Sam. He ripped the stranger's hand off of her wrist. "She's spoken for," he growled, all too close to the young man's maked face. The stranger's friend was behind him in an instant, his bronze eyes fixed on Sam.

Celaena grabbed Sam's elbow. "Enough," she warned him.

The masked stranger looked Sam up and down, then held up his hands. "My mistake," he said, but winked at Celaena before disappeared into the crowd, his armed friend close behind.

Celaena whirled to face Sam. "What in hell was that for?"

"You're drunk," he told her, so close her chest brushed his, "And he knew it, too."

"So?" Even as she said it, someone dancing wildly crashed into her and set her reeling. Sam caught her around the waist, his hands firm on her as he kept her from falling to the ground.

"You'll thank me in the morning."

"Just because we're working together doesn't mean I'm suddenly incapable of handling myself." His hands were still on her waist.

"Let me take you home. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She battered her eyelashes and readjusted her shackles as though they were lace gloves... ~ サラ・J・マース

Sam," she said.
"I'm trying!"
"Sam," she repeated.
"No," he spat, hearing her tone. "No!"
He began screaming for help then. Celaena pressed her face to one of the holes in the grate. Help wasn't going to come-not fast enough.
"Please," Sam begged as he beat and yanked on the grate, he tried to wedge another dagger under the lid. "Please don't."
She knew he wasn't speaking to her.
The water hit her neck.
"Please," Sam moaned, his fingers now touching hers. She'd have one last breath. Her last words.
"Take my body home to Terrasen, Sam," she whispered. And with a gasping breath, she went under. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She would fill the world with it, with her light-her gift. She would light up the darkness, so brightly that all who were lost or wounded or broken would find their way to it, a beacon for those who still dwelled in that abyss. It would not take a monster to destroy a monster-but light, light to drive out the darkness.
She was not afraid. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He'd loved her so much that she still felt the echoes of it, even now. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She tore off his grip, and then she was walking out the kitchen door, across the courtyard, through the ward-stones, and along the invisible barrier- until she found a spot just out of sight of the fortress.
The world was full of screaming and wailing, so loud she drowned in it.
Celaena did not utter a sound as she unleashed her magic on the barrier, a blast that shook the trees and set the earth rumbling. She fed her power into the invisible wall, begging the ancient stones to take it, to use it. The wards, as if sensing her intent, devoured her power whole, absorbing every last ember until it flickered, hungry for more.
So she burned and burned and burned. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Because I made a promise. A promise to my friend that I would see her kingdom freed." She shoved her scarred palm into his face. "I made an unbreakable vow. And you and Maeve - all you gods-damned bastards - are getting in the way of that." She went off down the hillside again. He followed.
"And what of your own people? What of your own kingdom?"
"They are better off without me, just as you said."
His tattoo scrunched as he snarled. "So you'd save another land, but not yours. Why can't your friend save her own kingdom?"
"Because she is dead!" She screamed the last word so loudly it burned in her throat. "Because she is dead, and I am left with my worthless life!"
He merely stared at her with that animal stillness. When she walked away, he didn't come after her. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She did not know how long she fell with them.
But then there was a rushing, roaring below - a frozen river. Whispers and foggy light were rising to meet them. No, not rising - this was the bottom.
An end to the abyss. And an end to her, perhaps, at last.
She didn't know if the Valg princes' hissing was from anger or pleasure as they slammed into that frozen river at the bottom of her soul. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She glanced sideways at her companion, who had peeled off his outer layers of clothing to reveal the sweat-drenched shirt clinging to his body. They rounded a hedge, and Calaena rolled her eyes when she saw what waited on the path ahead.
Every morning, more and more ladies found excuses to be walking through the gardens just after dawn. At first, it had just been a few young women who'd taken one look at Chaol and his sweaty, clingy clothes and halted their walk. Celaena could have sworn their eyes had bulged out of their heads and their tongues had rolled onto the ground. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Saying those words made a sharp, quick panic rise up in her, an aching pain that had her throat closing. "You left me," she repeated. Maybe it was only out of blind terror at the abyss opening up again around her, but she whispered, "I have no one left. No one. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Ansel smiled, a winning grin. "Half of them are on their way there now. Ready to join with Terrasen. The country of my friend Celaena Sardothien, who did not forget it, even when she was in the Red Desert; and who did not stop looking north every night that we could see the stars. There was no greater gift I could offer to repay her than saving the kingdom she did not forget. And that was before I got her letter months ago, telling me who she was and that she'd gut me if I didn't assist in her cause. I was on my way with my army already, but . . . then the next letter arrived. Telling me to go to the Gulf of Oro. To meet her here and follow a specific set of instructions. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Celaena didn't move. "Go to hell. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He whispered her name, her true name, and she screamed as he - Celaena awoke with a gasp, clutching the Eye of Elena. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She batted her eyelashes & readjusted her shackles as if they were lace gloves. ~ Sarah J. Maas

His eyes blazed with hunger that matched her own, and she kissed him again, tugging him into her bedroom. He let her pull him, not breaking the kiss as he kicked the door shut behind them.
And then there was only them, and skin against skin, and when they reached that moment when there was nothing more between them at all, Celaena kissed Chaol deeply and gave him everything she had. ~ Sarah J. Maas

She brought her mouth close to his ear. "My name is Celaena Sardothien," she whispered. "But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me." She smiled at him as she stood. He just stared up at her, his bloody nose leaking down the side of his cheek. She took the handkerchief from her pocket and dropped it on his chest. "You can keep that," she said before she walked off the veranda. ~ Sarah J. Maas

the world was too big, too full of splintered dreams. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Celaena jabbed the cue, and hit the ball with such force that it zoomed toward the back wall of the table, knocking three colored balls out of its way before it collided with the number three ball, sending it shooting straight for a hole. It stopped rolling at the edge of the pocket. A shriek of rage ripped from her throat, and Celaena ran over to the pocket. She first screamed at the ball, then took the cue in her hands and bit down upon the shaft, still screaming through her clamped teeth. Finally the assassin stopped and slapped the three ball into the pocket. ~ Sarah J. Maas

I have no name," she purred. "I'm whoever the keepers of my fate tell me to be. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Her heart was raw and trembling, and the darkness faded. ~ Sarah J. Maas

The girl wore her scars the way some women wore their finest jewelry. ~ Sarah J. Maas

And then," Ress was saying, his boyish face set with fiendish delight, "just as he got her into bed, stark naked as the day he was born, her father walked in"- winces and groans came from the guards, even Chaol himself-"and he dragged him out of bed by his feet, took him down the hall, and dumped him down the stairs. He was shrieking like a pig the whole time."

Chaol leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "You would be, too, if someone were dragging your naked carcass across the ice-cold floor." He smirked as Ress tried to deny it. Chaol seemed so comfortable with the men, his body relaxed, eyes alight. And they respected him, too-always glancing at him for approval, for confirmation, for support. As Celaena's chuckle faded, Chaol looked at her, his brows high.

"You're one to laugh. You moan about the cold floor more than anyone else than I know."

She straightened as the guards gave hesitant smiles. "If I recall correctly, you complain about every time I wipe the floor with you when we spar."

"Oho!" Ress cried, and Chaol's brows rose higher. Celaena gave him a grin.

"Dangerous words," Chaol said. "Do we need to go to the training hall to see if you can back them up?"

"Well, as long as your men don't object to seeing you knocked on your ass."

"We certainly do not object to that," Ress crowed. Chaol shot him a look, more amused than warning.

Ress quickly added, "Captain. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Afraid she and I had a summer romance?" That insufferable grin was still there.
"I hope you did. I certainly enjoyed myself this summer."
The smile faded at that. "What do you mean?"
She brushed an invisible fleck of dust off her red gown. "Let's just say that the son of the Mute Master was far more welcoming than the other Silent Assassins. ~ Sarah J. Maas

He found her beautiful, if a bit strange and sour. It was something in the way that her eyes sparked when she looked at something lovely in the landscape. He couldn't understand it. ~ Sarah J. Maas

Would you like to dance with me?"

He laughed. "With you? No."

She looked at the marble floor, her chest tight. "You needn't be so cruel."

"Cruel? Celaena, Perrington is just over there. I'm sure he's not happy about you being here, so I wouldn't risk drawing his attention any more than necessary."

"Coward."

Chaol's eyes softened. "If he weren't here, I would have said yes." (...)

"Anyway," Chaol added, jerking his chin at Dorian, "I think you have far more attractive suitors vying for your attention. I'm boring company to keep."

"I don't mind being here with you."

"I'm sure you don't," Chaol said dryly, though he met her stare.

"I mean it. Why aren't you dancing with anyone? Aren't there ladies whom you like?"

"I'm the Captain of the Guard - I'm not exactly a catch for any of them." There was some sorrow in his eyes, though it was well concealed.

"Are you mad? You're better than everyone in here. And you're - you're very handsome," she said, taking his hand in her free one. There was beauty in Chaol's face - and strength, and honor, and loyalty. She stopped hearing the crowd, and her mouth became dry as he stared at her. How had she missed it for so long?

"You think so?" he said after a moment, looking at their clasped hands.

She tightened her grasp. "Why, if I wasn't - ~ Sarah J. Maas

A cluster of giggling women sat nearby, tittering about how the Crown Prince was gone on holiday to the Sorian coast, and how they wished they could join the prince and his dashing friends, and on and on until Celaena contemplated chucking her spoon at them. ~ Sarah J. Maas