Now, Nikys, Penric, and Desdemona must infiltrate the hostile country once more, finding along the way that family relationships can be as unexpectedly challenging as any rescue scheme. Penric and Nikys have reached safety in the Duchy of Orbas when a secret letter from a friend brings frightening news: Nikys's mother has been taken hostage by her brother's enemies at the Cedonian imperial court and confined in a precarious island sanctuary. In the town of Sosie, the fugitive party encounters unexpected delays and even more unexpected opportunities and hazards, as the courtesan Mira of Adria, one of the ten dead women whose imprints make up the personality of the chaos demon Desdemona, comes to the fore with her own special expertise. Penric, suffering from injuries attained while escaping from the Cedonian dungeon in which he was imprisoned, must now guide General Arisaydia and his widowed sister, Nikys, across the last hundred miles of hostile Cedonia to safety in the Duchy of Orbas.

If Penric is to survive, he’ll have to navigate treacherous politics-and his own feelings for the young widowed sister of the General. No sooner than he has arrived, Penric finds himself tossed into a dungeon.

Penric must travel across the sea to Cedonia in an attempt to secure the services of the Cedonian General Arisaydia for the Duke of Adria. Now, he finds himself on his first covert diplomatic mission. Learned Penric, a sorcerer and divine of the Bastard’s Order, has faced danger and intrigue many times before. Penric does it his way! Follow-up to collection Penric's Progress. TALES OF A NEW FANTASY HERO FROM LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD, TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME! Includes Penric’s Mission, Mira’s Last Dance, and T he Prisoner of Limnos.

Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold