Crucible (35 page)

“I might have a reputation for a temper, but I didn't think I had one for stupidity,” she pointed out. “By my reckoning, this was the
first
day you could
possibly
have come looking for me. I didn't expect you to actually attack today!”

Lence laughed. “Well, you're better liked than you think. When you didn't turn up six days ago, Gaveford sent a fast rider to Hart's Home, looking for you on the way, with orders to get us if you weren't there. We found your warning two days ago, and we've been setting up the attack since.” He evened up the papers on his lapdesk. “Well done, that, by the way. I never thought Animal Mindspeech was all that useful, but you sure as blazes proved me wrong.”

Despite the pain in her jaw, she couldn't help but smirk.

He eyed her with a new respect . . . and caution. “Something tells me you have a habit of doing that.”

She tried to look innocent, and probably failed. Innocence wasn't something she was good at. “It's . . . possible,” she admitted. “Are we done?”

He nodded. “We'll be in this camp sorting things out for a couple of days. Are you comfortable enough here?”

Since the alternative was to saddle and tack up Brownie and ride another day to Gaveford, she nodded. Lence crooked his finger at his orderly.

“Take the Healer to my tent, bring her things to her, and see that she's comfortable,” he ordered. “Get her whatever she needs that we've got.”

Since that was clearly a dismissal, Vixen followed the orderly out into the area the Guard had made into their own neat, orderly camp. “If you don't mind my asking, ma'am, how'd you manage to hide your Gift?” the orderly asked as she walked beside him down the rows of tents.

“I just told them I was Healer Rosie, an herb-Healer,” she replied. “They were looking for Vixen, but they only knew the name, and their leader was in bad enough shape that they took what they could get. I travel with all that stuff anyway; sometimes it makes more sense to use something other than a Gift.”

“Clever,” the orderly said. “But . . . who's Healer Rosie?”

“Oh,” she replied, thinking for a moment how very different she was from little Rosie, whose parents were so
sure
she would be a Herald. . . . “No one I know.”

For as long as he can remember,
Dylan Birtolo
has 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 gamer, 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
,
Shadowun
,
Legend of the Five Rings
, and
Pathfinder
. He trains with the Seattle Knights, an acting troop that focuses on stage combat, and has performed 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 hospital, 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 www.dylanbirtolo.com or follow his Twitter at @DylanBirtolo.

Jennifer Brozek
is a Hugo Award-nominated editor and an award-winning author. She has worked in the publishing industry since 2004. With the number of edited anthologies, fiction sales, RPG books, and nonfiction books under her belt, Jennifer is often considered a Renaissance
woman, but she prefers to be known as a wordslinger and optimist. Read more about her at www.jenniferbrozek.com or follow her on Twitter: @JenniferBrozek.

Brigid Collins
is a fantasy and science fiction writer living in Michigan. Her short stories have appeared in
Fiction River
,
The 2015 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide
, and
The MCB Quarterly
. Books one and two 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.

Ron Collins
is an award-winning author whose most recent publication,
Saga of the God-Touched Mage
, spent a couple of months at the top of Amazon's Dark Fantasy best seller lists. He has contributed nearly 100 stories to premier publications, including
Analog
,
Asimov's
, and the
Fiction River
anthologies. He is a
Writers of the Future
prizewinner. In 2000, CompuServe readers named “The Taranth Stone” as their best novelette of the year. Of “Gifts of Rage and Despair,” he writes: “I admit I've fallen a little in love with Kade and Nwah. Each time I write about them, they teach me something new.”

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 co-authors), she's sold several novels and more than 100 short stories in multiple genres. Her latest novel is the urban fantasy
Ghosted
. A recent transplant to the lush climate of Oregon, 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, TV, magic, laughter, and defying expectations. To find out where she is today, check out www.DayleDer matis.com.

Kerrie L. Hughes
loves art, history, science, animals, people and all things having to do with books. She has edited thirteen anthologies, including
Chicks Kick Butt,
co-edited with Rachel Caine, from TOR, and the upcoming
Shadowed Souls,
co-edited with Jim Butcher, to be published by Penguin in 2016. She has also published twelve short stories, most recently, “Do Robotic Cats Purr in Space?” appearing in
Bless Your Mechanical Heart,
from Evil Girlfriend Media. Kerrie has also been a contributing editor on two concordances:
The Vorkosigan Companion
and
The Valdemar Companion
.

Michele Lang
writes supernatural tales: the stories of witches, lawyers, goddesses, bankers, demons, and other magical creatures hidden in plain sight. She also writes tales of the future, including the apocalyptic adventure
Netherwood
and other stories set in the Netherwood universe. Author of the
Lady Lazarus
historical urban fantasy series, Michele's most recent story in the series, “The Witch of Budapest,” was released in 2014. Her YA fantasy story “The Weaver” will be appearing in the
Fiction River: Sparks
anthology in January 2016.

Fiona Patton
lives in rural Ontario, where she can practice bagpipes without bothering the neighbors. Her partner Tanya Huff, their two dogs, and their 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. “Before a River Runs Through It” is her eighth Valdemar story, the sixth involving the Dann family.

Angela Penrose
lives in Seattle with her husband, five computers, and some unknown number of books, which occupy most of the house. She writes in several genres, but SF/F is her first love. She majored in history at
college but racked up hundreds of units taking whatever classes sounded interesting. This delayed graduation to a ridiculous degree but (along with obsessive reading) gave her a broad store of weirdly diverse information that comes in wonderfully handy to a writer.

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
.

Growing up on fairy tales and computer games,
USA Today
-bestselling author of urban fantasy
Anthea Sharp
melded the two in her award-winning Feyland series. She now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes, hangs out in virtual worlds, plays the fiddle with her Celtic band Fiddlehead, and spends time with her small-but-good family. Anthea also writes award-winning Victorian historical romances as Anthea Lawson. Visit her website at antheasharp.com and join her mailing list, tiny letter.com/AntheaSharp, for a free story, reader perks, and news of upcoming releases!

Stephanie D. Shaver
lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, and two geriatric cats. She works as a program manager for Blizzard Entertainment, and spends her free time tinkering in the kitchen, hiking up hills, and planting way too many tomatoes in her garden. She baked at least one pie while writing this story.

Shortly after birth,
Louisa Swann
was strapped into a papoose carrier to keep her out of trouble. The restriction didn't last, however. She escaped the splintered confines after a few months and went on with life, finally
settling down on a ranch with hubby and son. Currently, Louisa and son Brandon are busy spinning tales in their own Myrtle Creek world. Louisa also spends time with blob soldiers, zombie sorceresses, and flying hamsters when not creating and solving mysteries. Her writerly eccentricities have resulted in several novels as well as short story publications in various anthologies. Find out more at www.louisaswann.com.

Elizabeth A. Vaughan
writes fantasy romance. Her first novel,
Warprize
, was rereleased in April 2011. The Chronicles of the Warlands series continues in
WarCry
, released in May 2011. You can learn more about her books at www.eavwrites.com. This story is dedicated with deepest gratitude to Dr. Sean Austin, who has proven time and time again that “Psychotherapy works!”

Elisabeth Waters
sold her first story in 1980 to Marion Zimmer Bradley for
The Keeper's Price
, the first of the Darkover anthologies. She then went on to sell stories to a variety of anthologies. Her first novel, a fantasy called
Changing Fate
, was awarded the 1989 Gryphon Award. She is still working on a sequel to it, in addition to writing short stories and editing the
Sword and Sorceress
anthology series.

When
Phaedra Weldon
read the Last Herald Mage trilogy, she instantly fell in love with the world of Valdemar, especially Vanyel (but who didn't?!), and her drive to become a writer blossomed. She later went on to publish urban fantasy with Penguin, and her recent series, The Eldritch Files and The Grimoire Chronicles, are available in ebook and print. Her fantasy series, The Prophecy's Edge, should be ready for release in 2016.

Michael Z. Williamson
is an immigrant, veteran, bladesmith, and SF and fantasy author best known for the
“Freehold” universe. He likes fire a lot, but only in controlled circumstances.
Jessica Schlenker
is a professional geek with a master's degree in IT security and a background in horses and ranching.

Mercedes Lackey is a full-time writer and has published numerous novels and works of short fiction, including the bestselling
Heralds of Valdemar
series. She is also a professional lyricist and a licensed wild bird rehabilitator. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and collaborator, artist Larry Dixon, and their flock of
parrots.

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