“‘They aren’t ghosts,’ Andry murmured […] ‘The Elders are flesh and blood as much as we are.’”

This passage foreshadows the fact that Andry will be one of the only people to believe that Dom and the other Elders are as capable as mortals of emotional responses when faced with trauma. Although Sir Grandel and the Companion look to the Elders with fear and a touch of awe, Andry is the only one to recognize that these beings are not invulnerable.

“Knighthood was three or four years off. A lifetime, Andry knew. And there is so much else to consider. My position in Ascal, my future, my honor. His heart sank. Knights are not free to roam as they will. They must protect the weak, aid the helpless, and above all serve their country and queen. Not sightsee.”

Here, Victoria Aveyard demonstrates the cost of Andry’s ambitions and the drawbacks of committing himself to knighthood. Although Andry is an exemplary squire by all standards, his aspirations of knighthood can only be met at the cost of his personal freedom, which he must sacrifice for what he deems to be a greater purpose.

“There is power in Corblood and Spindleblade, enough to cut the Spindles through. It is our duty to stop my brother from this ruin, to save the realm, to save the Ward.”

With this statement, Cortael delivers the basis of the narrative’s plot and explains why it is essential for Corayne to take up Cortael’s mantle after his death. Although she seemingly has no magical power, her existence is the key to righting the damage inflicted by her uncle on the realm, for she is one of the few people whose blood has the power to close the Spindles.