Penric and the Bandit — Lois McMaster Bujold

Strange company …When Rozakajin, road-weary bandit and army deserter, spots a hapless blond young man in a country inn with an intriguing treasure map, he thinks he’s scouted an easy and lucrative victim. Attaching himself to odd traveler Penric seems simple enough, but when Roz’s old enemies catch up from behind, his plans take a turn for the much worse. When Pen’s claim that I never travel alone proves true in ways Roz never imagined, his world becomes more frightening still—but also much wider than he’d ever dared to dream.The internal chronological order of the Penric & Desdemona tales is presently:Penric’s DemonPenric and the ShamanPenric’s FoxMasquerade in LodiPenric’s MissionMira’s Last DanceThe Prisoner of LimnosThe Orphans of RaspayThe Physicians of VilnocThe Assassins of ThasalonKnot of ShadowsDemon DaughterPenric and the Bandit