Messengers Legacy by Peter V. Brett

In a world overrun by demons, young Briar Damaj flees his small village after a tragedy, but the news of his flight sparks Ragen Messenger to risk danger and bring home this son of an old friend.

Messenger's Legacy highlights just how strong Brett's concept/World is. The rising of the corelings and the wards against them allow for many a brave hero to emerge and here we meet another. Briar is well crafted and manages to exist in the open without Wards thus giving rise to a new way of tacking the corelings. As usual, Brett crafts each of his characters nicely giving us much to enjoy even in such short stories. Look forward to see more of Briar in the future books.