For the first time since he faced down a Saint to beg permission for Desdemona to remain in the mortal realm, Penric has to work closely with a Saint once again. On the eve of Bastard's Day in the canal city of Lodi a man with a manic, ascendant demon is on the loose. Penric must find him, before the chaos of demon magic spirals completely out of control. This is a short one even for this novella series but I enjoyed it a lot as a carnival romp.