Penric's Demon

Lord Penric is riding toward his betrothal when he finds an old woman lying injured beside her fallen horse. Her maidservant and guards are frantic. Kneeling to help, Penric learns she is a divine of the Temple, one of the servants of the world's five gods, and that she worships the Bastard, the god who rules over calamities that strike at the wrong time. As she dies, she passes her uncanny powers on to him. Penric's life changes in an instant, and he soon finds himself hunted by people who either envy his new gift or fear it.

The novella is set in the same world as Lois McMaster Bujold's novels The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed Hunt. Its focus is on Penric himself, with close attention to his character and the emotional weight of what he has been given.