The Assassin and the Desert

The Assassin and the Desert
Information
Author/s	Sarah J. Maas
Release Date	March 30, 2012 (ebook) March 4, 2014 (print)
Publisher	Bloomsbury USA
Series
Release order
Released after The Assassin and the Healer	Released before The Assassin and the Underworld

The Assassin and the Desert is one of the five novellas taking place prior to the Throne of Glass. It was first released as an e-book on March 30th, 2012. It is the third novella in the bind up The Assassin's Blade.

Description

The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter; she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive.

Plot

After the debacle in Skull's Bay, Celaena Sardothien is sent to train with The Silent Assassins as punishment by the King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel. With only a month to gain the approval of The Mute Master, she trains vigorously with the other acolytes including her new friend, Ansel of Briarcliff, but still has yet to train with the Mute Master himself.

Growing frustrated with the Mute Master's inattention, Celaena decides to accompany Ansel to Xandria in order to negotiate a treaty with its ruler, Lord Berick. Seemingly unhappy with the negotiation, Ansel steals one of his prized Asterion Horses, forcing Celaena to steal the other horse in their escape. Confronted by the Mute Master for their theft, [lCelaena takes the blame so as not to jeopardize Ansel's place at the Keep. With the truth evident in her eyes, the Mute Master decides to finally train Celaena himself, which creates tension between her and Ansel.

When Ansel drugs Celaena and leaves her in the desert, she quickly realizes that something is amiss and races back to the assassin's fortress, only to find herself amid a battle, many of her fellow assassins injured or dead. Hoping to save the Mute Master, she arrives at his chambers just in time to see Ansel preparing to execute him. In their ensuing battle, Celaena uses her newly acquired techniques learned from the Master and disarms Ansel. Deciding to spare her, Ansel flees the Keep of the Silent Assassins to reclaim Briarcliff while Celaena returns to Rifthold, gifted with the Mute Master's seal of approval and trove of gold as payment for his life debt.

Characters

• Celaena Sardothien
• Arobynn Hamel
• Ansel of Briarcliff
• The Mute Master
• Lord Berick

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