Pathways

by Mercedes Lackey

  :Well?: Arville asked.

  :Not a rat,: Ryu replied. :But . . . something. Just tell her that the scents are too faint to read, and let’s get out of here.:

  Dame Eller’s response was a disdainful sniff, and she turned her back on them as they left the house. And the moment they did, Ryu stuck his nose high in the air and began drinking in the scents. :Got it,: he said after a moment. :Let’s go.:

  A candlemark later, winding in and around through the forest as Ryu followed the scent, Ryu suddenly stopped. :It’s very strong now,: he said. :Time to sneak. We don’t want to disturb it. Slowly.: And suiting his own actions to his words, he got down on his belly and crawled toward a thicket.

  Arville followed him, moving just as sneakily. And as Ryu’s nose parted the grass and he stuck his own head in just above Ryu’s, he felt his eyes nearly pop out of his head.

  • • •

  “Now you’ve got to be really, really quiet,” Arville cautioned the group of three people he’d brought along as his witnesses. “This is a dangerous situation if what we’re looking at is startled. I mean that. Someone could be killed.”

  Dame Eller looked both impatient and momentarily taken aback. But to her credit, she went down on hands and knees and sneaked in toward the thicket along with the others, moving as silently as only people who depend on their hunting skills to eat can do.

  And finally she, along with the rest, carefully parted a few stems of the thick grass around the thicket—and Arville heard her swift intake of breath as he made his own little peephole.

  There, in a space burned clear in the center of the thicket, was an arch made of the stems of very green grass. Arrayed in a pleasing pattern in front of the arch, along with bright pebbles and bits of metal scrap, was every object that had been stolen from the village.

  And under the arch was a firebird, critically eyeing his handiwork and moving the objects tiny bits at a time until he was completely satisfied. And only then did he spread his tail, spread his wings, raise his head to the sky, and begin his dance.

  It was obvious why he had stolen what he had and why the arch was made of fresh green grass. Sparks and even tiny droplets of fire shook out of his feathers with every stamp of his delicate feet, and things like berries and petals wouldn’t have lasted a moment. All of his stolen treasures shone in the light and reflected the glory of his feathers, until it almost seemed as if he had two tails, one spread out on the ground, and one raised high in the air.

  Eventually his song was answered. The female firebird—almost as glorious as her mate, but lacking the spectacular tail—answered his call. That was when Arville tapped each of the villagers on the back in turn and motioned for them to crawl away. No need to urge them to caution now—everyone in the Pelagiris knew you didn’t frighten or startle or challenge a firebird, not if you wanted to escape being burned to a crisp.

  As they got to their feet where Pelas and Ryu were waiting, far enough away from the dancing bower that it was unlikely the firebirds would be disturbed, Arville saw to his surprise that Dame Eller had tears in her eyes. Unashamed, she wiped them away with the back of her hand. “That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” she sniffed, obviously affected to the point of tears. Arville thought about pointing out something about love always being beautiful or asking her if she was sorry now that she’d accused Yulia unjustly and very nearly gotten the girl killed, then thought better of it. There was a time to keep his mouth shut . . . and besides, there was probably at least one spiteful neighbor who would never miss a chance to remind the woman she’d nearly caused a murder.

  “But . . . when can we get our things back?” the village tailor and shoemaker, who had lost several valuable small tools, asked plaintively.

  Fortunately, Ryu had told Arville just that detail. “Once they start a nest, they’ll abandon the bower,” Arville told him. “Keep sending someone to check on it—carefully! When you see the grass has dried out, that means he’s abandoned it, and it’s safe to collect your things. And next year at this time, don’t leave shiny things near windows or outside. You might collect broken bits of shiny pottery, or pretty stones, or even paint stones in bright colors, and pile them up in a tray on the edge of the village. Chances are he’ll take things from there and not go into the village itself.”

  “Well, I for one am very glad you came here when you did, Herald Arville,” declared the third person, a woman who had lost a silver chain to the thieving firebird. “When you are ready to leave, let me know. I’ll make a tray of pocket pies for your travels.”

  :Wowsers!: said Ryu in his head. And Pelas licked his lips.

  • • •

  With a basket full of pocket pies stowed in the caravan and the morning sun at his back, Arville clucked to the horses and waved to the people of Sternbridge who had come out to see him off. Pelas trotted alongside as they drove out of sight, on their way to the next village about three days away.

  Arville was feeling very cheerful about—well, everything. Not only had he had a fabulous breakfast of warm pocket pies, he’d spotted Yulia and Morten holding hands as they waved goodbye, right in front of Dame Eller. It looked as if even that had sorted itself out.

  :I suspect Dame Eller suddenly realized that if she wanted to be a grandmother any time soon, she had better bow to the inevitable and get over the fact that her son is in love with the servant girl,: Pelas remarked as the village vanished into the distance. :And how are you feeling, Chosen? Good, I hope. You do realize that you solved this entire problem all by yourself, right?:

  “I—uh—what?” he said, startled. “But I didn’t! I just tried to think like Rod and Alma and Elyn, and—”

  :And none of them were there to tell you what to think. You took the how and came up with answers on your own. Maybe a little of it was Luck—that probably kept the firebirds from attacking you and the people that were with you—and that’s a good thing. And most of it was you being kind, and thinking about what you said before you made angry people even angrier. But when it all is put together, you are the one that did everything.: Pelas’ Mindvoice was warm with affection. :Didn’t he, Ryu?:

  “Rye roo roo rould,” Ryu said with satisfaction. “Roor a real Rerald!”

  And to his astonishment, Arville realized they were both right. He wasn’t “a fourth of a Herald.”

  He was all of one. And it felt . . . right.

  About the Authors

  Nancy Asire is the author of four novels: Twilight’s Kingdoms, Tears of Time, To Fall Like Stars, and Wizard Spawn. Wizard Spawn was edited by C.J. Cherryh and became part of the Sword of Knowledge series. She also has written short stories for the series anthologies Heroes in Hell, edited by Janet Morris, and Merovingen Nights, edited by C.J. Cherryh. Other short stories of hers have appeared in Mercedes Lackey’s anthology Flights of Fantasy, as well as in the previous Valdemar anthologies. She has lived in Africa and traveled the world but now resides in Missouri with her cats and two vintage Corvairs.

  For as long as he can remember, Dylan Birtolo has always been a storyteller. No matter how much other things have changed, that aspect has not. He still tells stories, in whatever format he can. He currently resides in the great Pacific Northwest, where he spends his time as a writer, a game designer, and a professional sword-swinger. His thoughts are filled with shapeshifters, mythological demons, and epic battles. He has published a few fantasy novels and several short stories in multiple anthologies. He has also written pieces for game companies set in their worlds, including BattleTech, Shadowrun, Vampire, and Pathfinder. On the game designer side, he’s worked on Dragonfire as well as his first game, scheduled to release in 2017. He trains in Systema and also with the Seattle Knights, an acting troop that focuses on stage combat, performing in live shows, videos, and movies. Endeavoring to be a true jack of all trades, he has worked as a software engineer, a veterinary technician in an emergency h
ospital, a martial arts instructor, a rock climbing guide, and a lab tech. He has had the honor of jousting, and, yes, the armor is real—it weighs over 100 pounds. You can read more about him and his works at dylanbirtolo.com or follow his Twitter @DylanBirtolo.

  Jennifer Brozek is an award-winning author, editor, and tie-in author. Two of her works, Never Let Me Sleep and Last Days of Salton Academy, have been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. She was awarded the Scribe Award for best tie-in Young Adult novel for The Nellus Academy Incident, a BattleTech YA novel. Grants Pass won an Australian Shadows Award for edited publication. In between cuddling her cats, writing, and editing, Jennifer is an HWA volunteer, SFWA Director-at-Large, and an active member of IAMTW. She keeps a tight writing and editing schedule and credits her husband, Jeff, with being the best sounding board ever. Visit Jennifer’s worlds at jenniferbrozek.com.

  Brigid Collins is a fantasy and science fiction writer living in Michigan. Her short stories have appeared in Fiction River, The Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, and Chronicle Worlds: Feyland. Books 1 through 3 of her fantasy series, Songbird River Chronicles, are available in print and electronic versions on Amazon and Kobo. You can sign up for her newsletter at tinyletter.com/HarmonicStories or follow her on twitter @purellian.

  Ron Collins is the bestselling Amazon Dark Fantasy author of Saga of the God-Touched Mage and Stealing the Sun, a series of space-based SF books. He has contributed 100 or so stories to premier science fiction and fantasy publications, including Analog, Asimov’s, and several volumes of the Valdemar anthology series. His work has garnered a Writers of the Future prize and a CompuServe HOMer award. His short story “The White Game” was nominated for the Short Mystery Fiction Society’s 2016 Derringer Award. Find current information about Ron at typosphere.com.

  Dayle A. Dermatis has been called “one of the best writers working today” by USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith. Under various pseudonyms (and sometimes with coauthors), she’s sold several novels and more than a hundred short stories in multiple genres. She is also a founding member of the Uncollected Anthology project. A recent transplant to the wild greenscapes of the Pacific Northwest, in her spare time she follows Styx around the country and travels the world, all of which inspires her writing. She loves music, cats, Wales, old houses, magic, laughter, and defying expectations. For more information and to sign up for her newsletter (and get free fiction!), go to dayledermatis.com.

  Rebecca Fox always wanted to be John Carter of Mars when she grew up because of the giant birds. Unfortunately the job was already taken, so she got her doctorate in Animal Behavior instead. She makes her home in Lexington, Kentucky, where she shares her life with three parrots, an evil canine genius of a Jack Russell named Izzy, and a big goofy gray thoroughbred gelding. When she isn’t writing or on a horse, she works as an associate professor of biology at a liberal arts college and spends a lot of time in the great outdoors spying on the private lives of house sparrows for professional reasons.

  Michele Lang grew up in deepest suburbia, the daughter of a Hungarian mystic and a fast-talking used car salesman. Now she writes tales of magic, crime, and adventure. Author of the Lady Lazarus historical urban fantasy series, Michele also writes urban fantasy for the Uncollected Anthology series.

  Fiona Patton lives in rural Ontario where she can practice bagpipes without bothering the neighbors. Her partner, Tanya Huff, and their two dogs and many cats have taken some time to get used to them, but they no longer run when she gets the pipes out. She has written seven fantasy novels for DAW books as well as over forty short stories. “Cobblestone” is her tenth Valdemar story, the eighth involving the Dann family.

  Diana L. Paxson is the author of 29 novels, including the Westria series and the Avalon novels, nonfiction on goddesses, trance work, and the runes, and ninety short stories, including “Weavings,” which features some of the same characters in the 2014 Valdemar anthology No True Way. Many of her novels have historical settings, a good preparation for writing about Valdemar. She also writes nonfiction on topics from mythology to trance work. Her next book will be a study of the Norse god Odin. She also engages in occasional craftwork, costuming, and playing the harp. She lives in the multi-generational, multi-talented household called Greyhaven in Berkeley.

  Angela Penrose lives in Seattle with her husband, seven computers, and about ten thousand books. She’s been a Valdemar fan for decades and wrote her first Valdemar story for the “Modems of the Queen” area on the old GEnie network, back in the 1980s. In addition to fantasy, she also writes SF and mysteries, sometimes in combination. In the last year, she’s had stories published in the anthologies No Humans Allowed, Last Stand, Haunted, Alien Artifacts, The Year’s Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016, and of course Tempest, the previous Valdemar anthology.

  Kristin Schwengel lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband, the obligatory writer’s cat (named Gandalf, of course), a Darwinian garden in which only the strong survive, and a growing collection of knitting and spinning supplies. Her writing has appeared in several previous Valdemar anthologies, among others. Any resemblance of this story to William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is purely intentional.

  Growing up on fairy tales and computer games, USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp has melded the two in her award-winning, bestselling Feyland series, which has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. In addition to the fae fantasy/cyberpunk mashup of Feyland, she also writes Victorian Spacepunk and fantasy romance. Her books have won awards, topped bestseller lists, and garnered over a million reads at Wattpad. She’s frequently found hanging out on Amazon’s Top 100 Fantasy/SF author list. Her short fiction has appeared in Fiction River, DAW anthologies, The Future Chronicles, and Beyond the Stars: At Galaxy’s Edge, as well as many other publications. Her newest novel, Star Compass, is now available at all online retailers.

  Stephanie D. Shaver lives in Southern California with a prepositional-phrase-crushing spouse, two rambunctious children, and a very patient cat. By day she works for Blizzard as a program manager, by night she’s probably trying to catch up on sleep. You can find her full bibliography at sdshaver.com, along with occasional ramblings when she isn’t sleeping or chasing the kids off the cat.

  Having gotten both a BA and an MA in Communication, D Shull now gets to answer emails for a tech company and dream of bigger things, like working for workplace diversity. D manages to find some time to read for fun, as well as run the odd tabletop RPG, and would love to get out to the ocean more. D was born, raised, and still lives in California, with very good reasons for staying there, thank you very much.

  Growing up in the wilds of the Sierra Nevada mountains, surrounded by deer and beaver, muskrat and bear, Louisa Swann found ample fodder for her equally wild imagination. As an adult, she spins both experiences and imagination into tales that span multiple genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and her newest love—steampunk. Her short stories have appeared in Mercedes Lackey’s Elementary Magic and Valdemar anthologies (which she’s thrilled to participate in!); Esther Friesner’s Chicks and Balances; and several Fiction River anthologies, including No Humans Allowed. Her new steampunk/weird west series, Abby Crumb, debuted this summer. Find out more at www.louisaswann.com.

  Elizabeth A. Vaughan is the USA Today-bestselling author of fantasy romance novels. She has always loved fantasy, and has been a fantasy role player since 1981. This story is dedicated to Kandace Klumper and Patricia Merritt, both fans of Valdemar. You can learn more about her books at www.writeandrepeat.com.

  Elisabeth Waters sold her first short story in 1980 to Marion Zimmer Bradley for The Keeper’s Price, the first of the Darkover anthologies. She then went on to sell short stories to a variety of anthologies. Her first novel, a fantasy called Changing Fate, was awarded the 1989 Gryphon Award. Its sequel, Mending Fate, was published in 2016. She is now working on her short story writing, in addition to editing the annual Sword
and Sorceress anthology. She also worked as a supernumerary with the San Francisco Opera, where she appeared in La Gioconda, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Khovanschina, Das Rheingold, Werther, and Idomeneo.

  Phaedra Weldon grew up in the thick, atmospheric land of South Georgia. Most nights, especially those in October, were spent on the back of pickup trucks in the center of cornfields, telling ghost stories, or in friends’ homes playing RPG. She got her start writing in Shared Worlds (Eureka!, Star Trek, Battletech, Shadowrun); she has written original stories for DAW anthologies and sold her first urban fantasy series to traditional publishing. Currently she writes three series (The Eldritch Files, the Grimoire Chronicles, and the Zoe Martinique novels) as well as busting out the occasional Shadowrun novel (her most recent one is Identity Crisis).

  Through her combined career as an author and cover artist, Janny Wurts has written nineteen novels, a collection of short stories nominated for the British Fantasy Award, and thirty-three contributions to fantasy and science fiction anthologies. Best known for the War of Light and Shadow series, other titles include the Sorcerer’s Legacy, the Cycle of Fire trilogy, and standalones To Ride Hell’s Chasm, Master of Whitestorm, and the Empire trilogy written in collaboration with Raymond E. Feist. Her paintings and cover art have appeared in exhibitions, including: NASA’s 25th Anniversary exhibit, Delaware Art Museum, Canton Art Museum, Hayden Planetarium in New York, and have been recognized by two Chesley Awards and three times Best of Show at the World Fantasy Convention. She lives in Florida with three cats and two horses and rides with a mounted team for search and rescue. Life experience as an offshore sailor, wilderness enthusiast, and musician is reflected in her creative work.