Long before he becomes the Painted Man, young Arlen Bales takes his first solo job as a Messenger's apprentice: escorting a shipment through demon-haunted wilderness to the isolated Brayan's Gold mine. It is meant to prove he is ready for the road, but the journey tests him against corelings and men alike, well before he has learned all the wards that will one day cover his skin. A prequel novella in the Demon Cycle series.
Summary by Loreful, from public sources
Placement
- Demon Cycle — #1.5
- Demon Cycle — #2 (chronological)
- contained in The Demon Cycle Books 1-3 and Novellasomnibus
- contained in The Demon Cycle: Complete Collectionomnibus
- contained in The Demon Cycle: Novella Collectioncollection
- contained in The Great Bazaar & Brayan's Goldcollection