Choices

by Mercedes Lackey

  Raves for the Previous Valdemar Anthologies:

  “Fans of Lackey’s epic Valdemar series will devour this superb anthology. Of the thirteen stories included, there is no weak link— an attribute exceedingly rare in collections of this sort. Highly recommended.”

  —The Barnes and Noble Review

  “This high-quality anthology mixes pieces by experienced authors and enthusiastic fans of editor Lackey’s Valdemar. Valdemar fandom, especially, will revel in this sterling example of what such a mixture of fans’ and pros’ work can be. Engrossing even for newcomers to Valdemar.”

  —Booklist

  “Josepha Sherman, Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, and Michelle West have quite good stories, and there’s another by Lackey herself. Familiarity with the series helps but is not a prerequisite to enjoying this book.”

  —Science Fiction Chronicle

  “Each tale adheres to the Lackey laws of the realm yet provides each author’s personal stamp on the story. Well written and fun, Valdemarites will especially appreciate the magic of this book.”

  —The Midwest Book Review

  “The sixth collection set in Lackey’s world of Valdemar presents stories of Heralds and their telepathic horselike Companions and of Bards and Healers, and provides glimpses of the many other aspects of a setting that has a large and avid readership. The fifteen original tales in this volume will appeal to series fans.”

  —Library Journal

  TITLES BY MERCEDES LACKEY available from DAW Books:

  THE NOVELS OF VALDEMAR:

  THE HERALDS OF VALDEMAR

  ARROWS OF THE QUEEN

  ARROW’S FLIGHT

  ARROW’S FALL

  THE LAST HERALD-MAGE

  MAGIC’S PAWN

  MAGIC’S PROMISE

  MAGIC’S PRICE

  THE MAGE WINDS

  WINDS OF FATE

  WINDS OF CHANGE

  WINDS OF FURY

  THE MAGE STORMS

  STORM WARNING

  STORM RISING

  STORM BREAKING

  VOWS AND HONOR

  THE OATHBOUND

  OATHBREAKERS

  OATHBLOOD

  THE COLLEGIUM CHRONICLES

  FOUNDATION

  INTRIGUES

  CHANGES

  REDOUBT

  BASTION

  THE HERALD SPY

  CLOSER TO HOME

  CLOSER TO THE HEART

  CLOSER TO THE CHEST

  FAMILY SPIES

  THE HILLS HAVE SPIES

  BY THE SWORD

  BRIGHTLY BURNING

  TAKE A THIEF

  EXILE’S HONOR

  EXILE’S VALOR

  VALDEMAR ANTHOLOGIES:

  SWORD OF ICE

  SUN IN GLORY

  CROSSROADS

  MOVING TARGETS

  CHANGING THE WORLD

  FINDING THE WAY

  UNDER THE VALE

  NO TRUE WAY

  CRUCIBLE

  TEMPEST

  PATHWAYS

  CHOICES

  Written with LARRY DIXON:

  THE MAGE WARS

  THE BLACK GRYPHON

  THE WHITE GRYPHON

  THE SILVER GRYPHON

  DARIAN’S TALE

  OWLFLIGHT

  OWLSIGHT

  OWLKNIGHT

  OTHER NOVELS:

  GWENHWYFAR

  THE BLACK SWAN

  THE DRAGON JOUSTERS

  JOUST

  ALTA

  SANCTUARY

  AERIE

  THE ELEMENTAL MASTERS

  THE SERPENT’S SHADOW

  THE GATES OF SLEEP

  PHOENIX AND ASHES

  THE WIZARD OF LONDON

  RESERVED FOR THE CAT

  UNNATURAL ISSUE

  HOME FROM THE SEA

  STEADFAST

  BLOOD RED

  FROM A HIGH TOWER

  A STUDY IN SABLE

  A SCANDAL IN BATTERSEA

  THE BARTERED BRIDES

  Anthologies:

  ELEMENTAL MAGIC

  ELEMENTARY

  And don’t miss THE VALDEMAR COMPANION edited by John Helfers and Denise Little

  Copyright © 2018 by Mercedes Lackey and Stonehenge Art & Word.

  All Rights Reserved.

  Cover art by Jody Lee.

  Cover design by G-Force Design.

  DAW Book Collectors No. 1809.

  Published by DAW Books, Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious.

  All resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may be stolen property and reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher. In such case neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Ebook ISBN: 9780756414696

  DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED

  U.S. PAT. AND TM. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES

  —MARCA REGISTRADA

  HECHO EN U.S.A.

  PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

  Version_1

  Contents

  Raves for the Previous Valdemar Anthologies

  Also by Mercedes Lackey

  Title Page

  Copyright

  With Sorrow and Joy

  Phaedra Weldon

  Of Crows and Karsites

  Kristin Schwengel

  Feathers in Deed

  Jennifer Brozek

  The Letter of the Law

  Angela Penrose

  Who We’ll Become

  Dayle A. Dermatis

  Unceasing Consequences

  Elizabeth A. Vaughan

  Beyond Common Sense, She Persisted

  Janny Wurts

  Moving On

  Diana L. Paxson

  The Right Place

  Louisa Swann

  A Siege of Cranes

  Elisabeth Waters

  Cloud Born

  Michele Lang

  Letters from Home

  Brigid Collins

  Friendship’s Gift

  Anthea Sharp

  Enduring, Confusing, Perfect, and Strong

  Ron Collins

  The Once and Future Box

  Fiona Patton

  Acceptable Losses

  Stephanie Shaver

  Weight of a Hundred Eyes

  Dylan Birtolo

  Woman’s Need Calls Me

  Mercedes Lackey

  About the Authors

  About the Editor

  With Sorrow and Joy

  Phaedra Weldon

  “A year.”

  Herald Uli kept his tone as even and emotionless as possible, coached by his Companion’s soothing voice in his mind. But he was failing to keep his composure, even as he felt the burn of tears behind his eyes. In his rooms at the Collegium, he could express how he felt, acknowledge his s
adness and loss with grief and proper mourning. But not here. Not in the hold of the Norton family, the place of his birth outside Westmark.

  “Uli—” His Uncle Osric began as he stepped forward. He, Uli, and Uli’s older brother, Cyrus, all stood in the hold’s great hall, a place where the Norton family had gathered since bringing their family’s woodcraft from Hardorn to Valdemar. The interior had been built with the famous Norton oak, walls stained and oiled through the decades, standing as testament to the family’s craftsmanship. Ceiling to floor tapestries adorned three of the walls, depicting the arrival of the Nortons, the harvesting of trees, and the annual replanting begun by the first Father after the first winter.

  It was all there. The history of Uli’s family. And it was under his ancestors’ gaze that he had just learned his estranged father, the man who had cursed him for being Chosen by a “magic horse,” had dismissed him as no longer being a part of the family . . . of their Hold.

  Uli held up his hand, aware that he stood out among his family, dressed in his Herald Whites. He’d donned a clean set at a nearby Waystation on his way from the Collegium. Just returned from a two-year Circuit, Uli had rested enough to satisfy the Healer before answering an urgent summons home. He had secretly hoped the message, though not signed by his father, had come from Cade Norton so that he and his middle child could hopefully . . . mend fences.

  But that was never going to happen.

  “Uli,” Cyrus said, his rough, callused hands on his hips. “Are you crying? You’d think after eight years in that fancy school, you’d at least learn how to be a man.”

  :It seems Cyrus is still angry,: Sillvrenniel spoke with an almost scolding tone. She had been stabled away from the rest of the Norton horses and now ran in the field amid the tall, strong trees of the north.

  :He will always be angry,: Uli thought back. :Cyrus will never forgive me for leaving.:

  :I do not think that is where this anger is coming from.:

  :Oh?:

  Her voice took on a mothering tone. :Dry those eyes and pay attention. It is important.:

  His uncle and brother were watching him. He was sure they’d noticed the faraway look in his eyes as he spoke to Sillvrenniel. “Tears are an expression of emotion, Brother. You have known of our father’s death for a year. And yet I have just learned of the tragedy upon walking into this room. Surely when you heard, you shed at least one tear for the man who raised you? Protected you?”

  Uli had struck a nerve, and he knew it when he looked into Cyrus’ eyes. They narrowed as Cyrus lowered his hands to his sides and balled them into fists.

  “That’s enough,” Osric said, his hands up as he moved between the two of them. “Arguments have no place here. Not now.” He turned to Uli. “It is good to see you well, Uli. Though you do look tired. It is there, behind your eyes. I heard you’ve been on what they refer to as a Circuit?”

  “Yes, Uncle. An apprenticeship.” He and Osric had always been close, even when Uli’s own father had looked at his son with disgust. Osric had always seemed to know when the two had argued and had sought out Uli to comfort him, making excuses for his own brother’s behavior. Osric had been the one to escort a much younger Uli to Haven after Sillvrenniel had Chosen him, claiming to be proud there was a Herald in the Norton line. “I was paired with Herald Cerys for the last year of the Circuit. We traveled around the east, close to the border.”

  “Is this Cerys a woman or a man?” Cyrus said.

  “Herald Cerys is a woman,” Uli said, but did not look at Cyrus. “She is gifted with Farsight, which works well with my own gift.”

  Osric clapped his hands together. “Then the reports that you have found stolen items are true?”

  Uli hesitated. “I wasn’t aware there were reports.”

  “I have always kept an eye on you, Uli.” Osric crossed his arms over his chest.

  Uli smiled and blinked back tears. “You were always more of a father to me.”

  Cyrus snorted. “So we’re back to that, are we? Father never loved me enough.”

  “Cyrus,” Osric looked his nephew. “That’s enough.”

  To Uli’s surprise, his brother didn’t say another word. Cyrus had always been outspoken and verbally abusive since he could put words together. To see him actually stop talking because their uncle commanded him came as a surprise. Things had changed in the Norton Hold.

  “Uli, I kept up with you because I wanted to know how you were doing. What you were doing. And where you were.” Osric dipped his head and raised his shoulders. “Unfortunately . . . on occasion I lost track of you. Heralds are good at disappearing when they need to.”

  That much was true. And while traveling together, he and Cerys had made a few enemies and found it necessary to veer off their chosen path to protect themselves and their Companions. “Why didn’t you send word when he died?”

  “I did,” Osric said. “But there was no response. So after three days of mourning, it was time to put your father to rest. He’s in the chapel crypt if you would like to pay your respects. But first, I must discuss with you the reason you are here.”

  “Uncle—” Cyrus said abruptly.

  “You can go, Cyrus. Now.”

  Uli looked at his brother and saw the blaze in Cyrus’ eyes as he glanced at Osric. Cyrus bowed to his uncle, then shot a withering glance at Uli and stalked out of the room, slamming the door upon his exit.

  “I see my brother’s temper hasn’t changed,” Uli muttered.

  “I’m afraid not.” Osric motioned to the fire at the other end of the hall, and the two walked over and sat at a bench. Two women brought out a flagon of water and cups, a bowl of cheese and grapes, and a loaf of hot bread. Osric poured water and then gestured for Uli to break bread. “Will you be wearing those clothes the whole time you’re here?”

  “Only on official Herald business,” Uli didn’t have to force a smile. He was among the many Heralds who thought the Whites a bit too . . . ostentatious. As well as absurdly visible. It was the equivalent of wearing a target. “Uncle,” he paused after breaking the bread in half. He really didn’t have an appetite. “Why didn’t you keep sending me messages?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Once the first message about Father’s death failed to reach me, why not send more? Why wait for a year before bringing me home?”

  “Things aren’t as . . .” He set a cup in front of Uli. “It’s not that simple, dear boy. Your father’s death was sudden, and it destabilized the business for a while. You remember the Ohbokhens?”

  “Yes, one of the other woodcrafters near Delcaire. I remember father mentioning they were here before the Nortons came.”

  “Aye. Before his death, Cade shared something with me. Master Sorenson found his physical inventory didn’t match what the accounting reported. He showed Cade and together the two of them did a physical audit. When they were done, Cade said half a year’s wood and the equivalent in income were missing, even though the records said otherwise.”

  “Who was doing the bookkeeping?”

  “Cyrus.”

  Uli’s eyes widened.

  Osric continued, “Sorenson noticed the discrepancy because several large orders couldn’t be fulfilled. The ledgers said we had enough wood, but that wasn’t the case. The merchants were angry, and they took their business to Stanis Ohbokhen.”

  Uli put his hands on the table. “Did father confront Cyrus?”

  “Cade died two days later.” Osric shook his head. “I’m sure you didn’t know this, but your father didn’t leave Cyrus in charge of the company, Uli. He left it to Eda to run.”

  Eda. Uli’s younger sister. “Eda?” He looked around. “Where is Eda? How come she’s not here?”

  “She hasn’t been here in over a month.”

  “What—” Uli searched his uncle’s face. “What’s going on, Uncle? Why is
n’t Eda here if Father left the business to her? And why hasn’t someone confronted Cyrus about the loss?”

  “Because after your father died, Eda managed to build the business back up again, and we regained our reputation. But then a month ago we uncovered evidence that Eda had been selling that wood to Stanis Ohbokhen and pocketing the money. The Healer also kept evidence of Cade’s murder from the public. But I knew of it, and so did Cyrus. Eda killed your father because he found out what she was doing and threatened to disown her.”

  Uli slowly stood and stepped away from the bench. “You said Father died. You didn’t say he was killed.”

  “Uli—this is why I requested you come home. This is why I need you as a Herald.”

  “I don’t believe you—Eda would never have hurt Father.”

  “We have evidence that she poisoned him, Uli. When she was confronted, she fled, and we haven’t been able to find her since.” Osric stood and also stepped away from the bench. “Herald Uli, I request you find Eda Norton and bring her back to Norton Hold to stand trial for the murder of your father, Cade Norton.”

  * * *

  • • •

  :You need to calm down.:

  “How can I calm down?” Uli paced back and forth on the soft dirt before his Companion. After asking his uncle for some time, he went straight to Sillvrenniel, where she stood waiting by the fence. He slipped under the taut wire and remained with her while his mind rallied in defense of his sister. “This is impossible. How can they actually believe Eda would kill our father?”

  :You have told me on many occasions that you do not know your sister:, Sillvrenniel said as she gracefully settled down on the ground and crossed her front legs. Her bright iridescent eyes watched him as he moved back and forth. :She was only eight when I Chose you, my love. She had yet to grow into her own.:

  “My father would never have given over the business to her if he didn’t trust her.” Uli stopped pacing as a thought occurred to him. “Which means there was something about Cyrus he didn’t trust. Was it the discrepancy in the books?”