The Assassin and the Desert (Throne of Glass, #0.3)

by Sarah J. Maas

The last thing she remembered was a pang of guilt at the sight of her blood staining Arobynn’s exquisite red carpet. And then darkness, blissful darkness, full of relief that she hadn’t seen him hurt Sam.

“Tomorrow will be better. It might be only a foot more than today, but it will be a foot longer that you can run.”

Weakness was never to be shown at any cost. Brutality was rewarded. And education and culture were equally important—words could be just as deadly as steel.

“Some witches, like the Crochans, were gifted with ethereal beauty.

I literally forgot there were witches in this series

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.

“Where do men find it in themselves to do such monstrous things? How do they find it acceptable?”