An exciting short story set in the engrossing world of The Demon Cycle from bestselling fantasy author Peter V. Brett, available together in the UK exclusively on e-book.Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons – bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting and killing humanity for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.But there was a time when the demons were not so bold. A time when wards did more than hold the demons at bay. They allowed man to fight back, and to win. Messenger Arlen Bales will search anywhere, dare anything, to return this magic to the world.

This novella presents Arlen Bales, a seventeen-year-old apprentice Messenger carrying a dangerous cargo to Count Brayan's gold mine as One Arm, the giant rock demon, hunts him through the duchy.