Table of Contents
TRANSMUTATION
THE FEAST OF THE CHILDREN
DEATH IN KEENSPUR HOUSE
DAWN OF SORROWS
HORSE OF AIR
A Change Of Heart
ALL THE AGES OF MAN
WAR CRY
STRENGTH AND HONOR
THE BLUE COAT
SAFE AND SOUND
SONG FOR TWO VOICES
FINDING ELVIDA
DARKWALL’S LADY
NAUGHT BUT DUTY
LANDSCAPE OF THE IMAGINATION
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.”
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“This high-quality anthology mixes pieces by experienced author 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.”
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“Joseph 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.”
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“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.”
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NOVELS BY MERCEDES LACKEY
available from DAW Books:
ARROWS OF THE QUEEN
ARROW’S FLIGHT
ARROW’S FALL
MAGIC’S PAWN
MAGIC’S PROMISE
MAGIC’S PRICE
WINDS OF FATE
WINDS OF CHANGE
WINDS OF FURY
STORM WARNING
STORM RISING
STORM BREAKING
THE OATHBOUND
OATHBREAKERS
OATHBLOOD
BY THE SWORD
BRIGHTLY BURNING
TAKE A THIEF
EXILE’S HONOR
EXILE’S VALOR
SWORD OF ICE
SUN IN GLORY
CROSSROADS
Written with LARRY DIXON:
THE BLACK GRYPHON
THE WHITE GRYPHON
THE SILVER GRYPHON
OWLFLIGHT
OWLSIGHT
OWLKNIGHT
OTHER NOVELS
THE BLACK SWAN
JOUST
ALTA
SANCTUARY
THE SERPENT’S SHADOW
THE GATES OF SLEEP
PHOENIX AND ASHES
THE WIZARD OF LONDON
And don’t miss:
The VALDEMAR COMPANION
Edited by John Helfers and Denise Little
Copyright © 2005 by Mercedes Lackey and Tekno Books
All Rights Reserved
DAW Book Collectors No. 1346.
DAW Books are distributed by Penguin Group (USA).
All characters and events in this book are fictitious.
All resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.
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.
First Printing, December 2005
DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED
U.S. PAT. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES
—MARCA REGISTRADA
HECHO EN U.S.A.
eISBN : 978-1-101-52437-4
http://us.penguingroup.com
Introduction copyright © 2005 by Mercedes Lackey
“Transmutation,” copyright © 2005 by Larry Dixon
“The Feast of the Children,” copyright © 2005 by Nancy Asire
“Death in Keenspur House,” copyright © 2005 by Richard Lee Byers
“Dawn of Sorrows,” copyright © 2005 by Brenda Cooper
“Horse of Air,” copyright © 2005 by Rosemary Edghill
“A Change of Heart,” copyright © 2005 by Sarah A. Hoyt and Kate Paulk
“All the Ages of Man,” copyright © 2005 by Tanya Huff
“War Cry,” copyright © 2005 by Michael Longcor
“Strength and Honor,” copyright © 2005 by Ben Ohlander
“The Blue Coat,” copyright © 2005 by Fiona Patton
“Safe and Sound,” copyright © 2005 by Stephanie Shaver
“Song for Two Voices,” copyright © 2005 by Janni Lee Simner
“Finding Elvida,” copyright © 2005 by Mickey Zucker Reichert
“Darkwall’s Lady,” copyright © 2005 by Judith Tarr
“Naught but Duty,” copyright © 2005 by Michael Z. Williamson
“Landscape of the Imagination,” copyright © 2005 by Mercedes Lackey
CROSSROADS: AN INTRODUCTION
Once there was a computer programmer with ambitions—one might say delusions—of being a writer.
Actually she’d had ambitions for a very long time. As a kid, she had written Andre Norton pastiches and illustrated them too (and somewhere she still has some of those illustrations) and occasionally told them as bedtime stories to the kids she babysat. As a teenager she continued to write, submitting short story after short story to her high school literary magazine (and she has some of those somewhere as well). And in college she created an ongoing story arc about a team of psychic spies that she wrote as letters to amuse a friend.
She actually went so far as to take a creative writing honors course with the one college professor who was
