The Sword
The author figuratively uses the sword as a symbol of killing. Richard is a swordsman who kills for hire. In all the incidents, Richard uses his sword to kill his targets. However, one must train hard to become an expert in using the sword to ensure targets are not missed. According to Richard, he rarely misses his targets except for one incident when he killed a man he never intended to murder. Therefore, the sword is a dominant symbol used throughout the novel.
The symbolism of greed
Greed is symbolized by characters Lord Horn and Chancellor Ferris. Horn wants to eliminate all his rivals and is ready to Pay Richard to kill them. On the other hand, Ferris is a greedy character who wants to be a Crescent Chancellor, and his objective is to kill Crescent Chancellor Basil Halliday. Ferris pays Richard to kill Basil, who later becomes the crescent chancellor. Consequently, Ferris and Horn are trying to kill their rivals for personal gain.
The symbolism of vengeance
Richard becomes an emblem of vengeance when he kills Horn. When Horn kidnaps Richard’s girlfriend, Alec, Richard is forced to follow Horn's demand to kill Michael. However, Applethorpe takes Michael's and dies on his behalf. Horn has no option; he releases Alec. However, Richard decides to get revenge by killing Lord Horn because he cannot tolerate future attempts to kidnap his girlfriend again.
