The Assassin's Blade

Two months and three days later, Sam and Celaena wait for Captain Rolfe, Lord of the Pirates, in his office in Skull’s Bay, a coastal city in the Dead Islands. Rolfe is late, even though Sam and Celaena are already two hours behind schedule due to a travel delay. Overheating in her black mask and outfit, Celaena is annoyed at Arobynn for sending them to extract money from Rolfe for the deaths of three assassins at pirate hands. She is also still upset about losing Ben.

When Rolfe arrives, Celaena accuses him of being behind the deaths of the assassins, but when she gives Rolfe the sealed letter from Arobynn, Rolfe reveals that Arobynn does not blame him for the assassins’ deaths. Instead, he wants to establish an enslavement trade deal. Celaena is horrified but still agrees to see the deal through before she and Sam return to their inn room.

Sam and Celaena scan their room for any spy holes or signs of danger, then settle in. Sam tells Celaena that he didn’t know about the trade agreement either. Celaena does not understand why Arobynn wants to get involved in enslavement, as they have enough money from their work as assassins. She knows Ben wouldn’t have approved and wonders if Arobynn’s appearance of wealth is a facade, even though he spent a fortune training her, money she has to pay him back. She and Sam bathe, then attend a dinner with Rolfe. Celaena cannot eat, as her mask covers her mouth. Rolfe spends the dinner needling Celaena about her mask. Celaena asks Rolfe about the tattoos on his hands that function as a map, but he tells her they haven’t worked in eight years, since the King of Adarlan banished magic from Erilea. Rolfe reveals he became Lord of the Pirates by killing all the pirates that were better than him and tells her to kill Sam, as he is her competition. Back at the inn, Celaena tells Sam she will not kill him before they go to sleep.

Celaena struggles to sleep, as she feels morally obligated to refuse to bring the enslaved people back to Arobynn. She ditches Sam to talk to Rolfe alone, asking him to let her inspect them herself under the guise of ensuring their quality for Arobynn. She then asks about the number of enslaved people and where they are kept. When she returns, Sam asks her what she’s planning. Celaena refuses to tell him, and they argue.

Sam and Celaena go to inspect one of Rolfe’s ships and are horrified by the terrible conditions and violent treatment of the enslaved people. They seem afraid of Celaena in her mask, which she understands. The captain of the ship beats an enslaved man for resisting, which makes Celaena nauseous. She and Sam ask about their operation, and the captain says that Adarlan buys some of the enslaved for the salt mines of Endovier. Rolfe says they try to keep the children with their mothers but do not prioritize this over making a sale. Some of the children are sold to be scullery maids and stableboys while some are sold to the brothels. This enrages Celaena and Sam, but especially Sam, whose mother was a trafficked sex worker who was murdered by a jealous client. Sam and Celaena leave before their emotions get the best of them, then get in a physical fight on the beach. Celaena then tells Sam she feels morally obligated to find a way to free the enslaved people and keep them from Arobynn. Sam wonders whether they should run away, but Celaena says she’ll handle Arobynn. As she stands on the beach, she feels a breeze of Terrasen and sees the Lord of the North, the star of Terrasen, and reflects on the role choice has played in her life.

Celaena struggles to sleep again. She and Sam then canvas Skull’s Bay and find out that there are row boats available when the tide comes in. They note the number of guards on the ships and the parties that Rolfe throws for the pirates. They learn which enslaved people speak the common tongue under the guise of appraising their value on Arobynn’s behalf. A man, Dia, tells Celaena he can speak with her. Celaena hopes that Dia and the others have not yet been broken by the cruelty shown to them.

That night, Celaena and Sam row out silently to the ships where the enslaved persons are being held. From the two separate ships, they signal each other.

Celaena reaches one of the ships and incapacitates the guards. She then imprisons the captain. She goes to the area of the ship where the enslaved people are held and looks for Dia. She tells Dia the plan: Celaena and Sam will distract Rolfe’s fleet and drop the chain that guards Skull’s Bay from enemy ships entering or leaving the harbor. She instructs Dia and the others to sail the ship away from the Dead Islands toward freedom. Sam takes Dia to the other ship so he can explain the plan to the rest of the captives. Afterward, Celaena and Sam row back to Skull’s Bay.

Celaena and Sam distract Rolfe at the tavern, challenging him to chugging ale contest. Sam pretends to get drunk while Celaena wears her mask to avoid drinking. They play cards before Celaena starts a fight in the tavern among the other patrons. While the fight rages on, Celaena and Sam sneak out to disable the chain and catapults. Rolfe stops them.

Rolfe questions Sam and Celaena before realizing Celaena’s intentions. He threatens to attack Celaena, who removes her mask as a distraction and tells Sam to run. Rolfe is shocked by her youth, and Celaena realizes he is not drunk. He questions her intentions, not seeing the impact of freeing 200 people. They fight, and Celaena knocks him out. She runs over and sees Sam fighting pirates at the watchtower in his attempt to use the catapult to launch a boulder to break the chain. The captives row the ships quickly toward the chain, which is still up. Sam is stabbed by one of the pirates but manages to break the chain, the ships escaping as part of the tower crumbles. Celaena goes to look for Sam, worried he is injured or killed, but Rolfe presses a dagger to her neck.

Rolfe and Celaena fight again, and Celaena manages to incapacitate him. She forces him to sign a letter to Arobynn saying their deal is off and a document promising to never participate in the enslavement trade again and to establish Skull’s Bay as a safe haven for escaped enslaved persons. He initially refuses to sign, but Celaena threatens to kill him. He signs the documents, and she spares his life, even though he is still perplexed by the risks she took to free the 200 enslaved people. She promises to return and kill him if he reneges on their agreement, then knocks him out again. She looks for Sam again, trying to move a rock in the crumbled part of the tower that she remembers seeing him in. Sam appears behind her, alive, and they embrace before setting off again for Rifthold.