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The Assassin and the Underworld

The Assassin and the Underworld

A Throne of Glass Novella
NovellaDark FantasyFantasy
Pages
53
Published
2012
Language
English

Synopsis

Back in Rifthold after her time with the Silent Assassins, Celaena Sardothien and Sam Cortland are reunited — and the distance between them has shifted something they are not yet ready to name. When Arobynn assigns them separate jobs, Celaena takes on a contract involving a Rifthold crime lord while Sam pursues his own path in the city's dangerous underground. As they navigate competing jobs, a growing awareness between them, and Arobynn's increasingly suffocating control, the possibility of something different begins to take shape: freedom. Sam proposes buying their way out of the guild and beginning again somewhere else — a dream that feels impossibly fragile the moment it is spoken aloud. The fourth novella is the most emotionally intimate of the five, trading the larger-scale action of the desert and the pirate bay for the quieter, more dangerous territory of what Celaena actually wants from her life beyond the blade.

Prose complexity
4/10

Collected in

Book cover of The Assassin's Blade
The Assassin's Blade

Vibe

DarkTenseComplexEmotional
Forbidden LoveMorally GreyRivalsComing of AgeSurvival

Genres

Dark Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy Romance Young Adult

About the author

S
Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is a #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author known for her epic fantasy novels and their devoted global readership. She began writing what would become the Throne of Glass series as a teenager, posting early chapters online before the series was acquired by Bloomsbury. Her three interconnected fantasy universes — Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City — have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and been translated into dozens of langua...

Characters

Celaena SardothienProtagonist

The fourth novella strips away most of Celaena's usual bravado; her feelings for Sam, her awareness of Arobynn's manipulation, and her longing for a life outside the guild are all surfaced here more directly than anywhere before.

Sam CortlandProtagonist

Sam's role expands from rival to co-protagonist; his decision to propose buying their freedom is the emotional hinge of the novella and establishes the stakes for the fifth and final story.

Arobynn AhamarAntagonist

The King of Assassins and Celaena's guardian-captor; his manipulative hold over both Celaena and Sam is shown in sharpest relief here, as the consequences of defying him become increasingly clear.

All characters in The Assassin and the Underworld

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the relationship between Celaena and Sam by this point in the series?

    By The Assassin and the Underworld, their antagonistic rivalry has evolved into a close partnership that is clearly becoming something more. The novella depicts the early stages of their romantic feelings with considerable restraint — neither character names what they feel openly — which makes the events of the final novella hit considerably harder.

  • Who is Arobynn Ahamar, and how does he fit into the larger series?

    Arobynn Ahamar is the King of Assassins and Celaena's mentor, guardian, and captor — having taken her in as a child and trained her as his finest weapon. His manipulative, controlling relationship with her is a key driver of the novella arc. He reappears in the main series, most significantly in Queen of Shadows, where the full consequences of his actions are addressed.

  • What does 'buying their freedom' mean in this context?

    Assassins in Arobynn's guild are bound to him through debt — the cost of their training and upkeep is recorded as an obligation they must work off. Sam proposes paying off both his and Celaena's debts in full, which would legally free them from his service. The plan is financially feasible but requires Arobynn's cooperation, which is the central risk.

  • Is this the darkest of the five novellas?

    In terms of emotional weight, yes — The Assassin and the Underworld is the point at which Celaena's vulnerability is most exposed. The external action (the Rifthold crime lord plot) is relatively contained; the real tension is psychological, centred on what Arobynn is capable of doing to punish defiance.

  • Does Celaena kill anyone important in this novella?

    The Rifthold crime lord contract is completed, but the narrative focuses far more on the emotional terrain than on action sequences. The violence here is more context than centrepiece, which is a notable tonal shift from the more action-driven Pirate Lord and Desert novellas.