Silver On The Road by Laura Anne Gilman

Isobel has hit a milestone in her life.  She has turned sixteen and her days as an indentured servant have come to an end.  Her life has been one of working in the saloon, serving those who come to play cards with the Devil and learning their secrets.  She doesn't know what she wants to do next, but she knows she wants to do something different.  The man she works for, known as The Devil, controls the Territory and all within it.  He is powerful enough to help her start a new life if she can decide what to do.  But his help is never free.

When Isobel has her talk with the Devil, he offers her the chance to be his Left Hand, the one who travels the land, determining what is going on and making sure that his law is being upheld.  Most would never consider a young woman as the likely Left Hand, but he sees things in Isobel that others cannot see.  She leaves the only home she has known to travel in the company of Gabriel, who has made his own bargain with the Devil.  He agrees to mentor Isobel in the ways of traveling in return for release from the pull of the Territory on his soul.

But this trip is not normal from the start.  The two encounter evil and dangers neither have even heard of before.  Someone evil is afoot in the Territory and they are the only hope against it.  They meet a Magician on the road and even though everyone knows magicians are not to be trusted, they form an alliance with him.  The unlikely trio ventures forward to attempt to rid the land of the danger that is apparent to them all.  Will they be successful?

This is the first novel in the Silver series by Gilman.  She is a Nebula Award finalist and this series is set in the Old West, an unusual setting for fantasy.  The premise and characters are intriguing and readers will be eager to read the next in the series.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.