Bees symbolize story; they are the things kept in the Starless Sea. This symbolism is present in the bee keys to the archive, the bee disks burned into acolyte’s chests, the honey of the Starless Sea, and in the bees themselves, who appear to create the worlds for the stories.

The key is the symbol of the keepers of the stories, as burned into their chests. Unsurprisingly, the Keeper’s roll of the die will always be the key—except for Zachary, who rolls hearts, foreshadowing the heart becoming the keeper’s symbol in the new Harbor. The story must be locked at the end, and in this incarnation, the key is Zachary, though he also embodies other symbols at various times.

The sword is the symbol of the guardians, tattooed onto their chests. A particular sword also appears in several of the stories. It is first used to kill the Owl King; then, it sits in the Keeper’s office. Eventually, Dorian uses it to kill Zachary, which brings the story to its end.