Sun in Glory and Other Tales of Valdemar

Rin nodded. He felt very uncomfortable.

'Impersonating an officer of the Crown is a serious offense, usually a capital crime. Serious enough to drag me from Haven to find you. People must be able to trust their Herald, and impersonating a Herald is unthinkable. Well, almost unthinkable. You obviously thought of it.'

Rin thought of running, but gave it up when he saw Coryandor staring at him as if the Companion knew his every thought.

'In your defense, there's your protection of those children. Even after meeting you, the boy still wants to be a Herald.' From the direction of the houses came the cheerful sound of voices singing with more enthusiasm than skill; something about drunken crows. They sounded much happier than Rin felt.

'We've been following you for three weeks.' Terek continued. 'Apparently, you never stole anything outright while posing as one of us, and you have no history of violent crimes.' Terek straightened up from brushing Coryandor's front leg. 'At least none we discovered. Another small point in your favor is that Cory says you took good care of your horse.' Rin wondered how the Companion told Terek that.

'Because of these factors, you have a choice between two options. One is to go back to Haven with us, where, after unpleasant interrogations, even more unpleasant things will happen to you.'

'How unpleasant?' asked Rin, feeling unpleasant already.

'Very.' said Terek. 'Perhaps hanging if you're lucky. If you're not, well...as much as Heralds despise someone posing as a Herald, there's a group with even stronger feelings. You could be turned loose in the exercise yards with a dozen young Companion stallions.'

Rin's spine chilled. It got worse as Coryandor turned his head to give Rin a hard, unblinking look, and Rin caught, not words, but a feeling, as if pressed into his mind from outside. The feeling said Rin would be much better off hanging.

'I'll take option two,' said Rin.

'Better hear it first. Understand that if you don't deliver on any part of option two, option one becomes the only option. And never think we can't find you.' Coryandor turned slightly so Terek could get to his flank, but the Companion still stared at Rin.

Rin simply nodded. 'Go on.'

'If yours was a lesser crime, and these less pressing times,' continued Terek, 'I'd have you go back to each and every village you visited, and work off every morsel of food, every piece of equipment and every courtesy.' Terek shifted and curried the Companion's other side. 'But these are special times.

So, the Crown will honor that pile of townchits in your saddlebags, and give the village their tax credits.

In other words, Valdemar will buy your debt from the villages.'

'And then?' Rin asked, though he didn't much want an answer.

'You return to Haven with me. That reminds me, change clothes as soon as we get away from here. Wear any combination of tan, or brown, or purple spots, or anything except white or gray. If anyone recognizes you as a 'Herald' tell them you're on a Philosophical Leave of Absence, developing your humility and service.'

'Heralds do that?'

'They do now. At least you do. After we reach Haven, you will go through training. Ethics, for a start, and Weapons, too...you can certainly use it. Mathematics, Reading and Writing, too, along with some...specialized classes.'

Reading and Writing? But Rin still grimaced. 'That could take years!'

'Option number one, then,' said Terek.

'Um...never mind,' said Rin quickly, 'forget I said anything. So I go to school on the Crown's coin.

That's the punishment?'

Terek smiled as nastily as any brigand.

'That's the preparation. Understand that any shortcoming, any shirking, any attempt to disappear or go back to your old ways and it's option number one.'

Coryandor was looking at him again, with those scary blue eyes. The man who said there's always a choice was a liar, thought Rin.

'I, uh, accept.' he said. Even with Herald wizardry watching, there was always the chance he could slip away later. 'What happens after I get educated?'

Terek smiled like he meant it. 'You come to work for me and Valdemar.'

'What?! Why me?'

Terek rubbed his Companion's neck. 'Because if you don't, you're back to option one,' he said cheerily. Coryandor snorted and bared his teeth at Rin. Rin blanched.

'Also, you're reasonably intelligent, if not always smart. Gods know you're lucky. You've traveled around both in and outside Valdemar. You can gain people's trust quickly, and convince them you're something you're not. And if needed, you can think the unthinkable. Any Monarch who cares about Valdemar and her people can use a few knaves fighting and conniving for the Right and the Good. You likely won't be a Herald; that choice is out of my hands, but with time you may equal one in service to Valdemar. It's up to you.'

Rin being of service to others, without being forced. The idea was a new one. Still...

'You think I can do all this?' he asked.

'With my job you have to be good at reading a person's potential and seeing his true colors,'

replied Terek. 'I'm very good at it. You might even call it a Gift.'

Rin's smile grew slowly to a huge grin as he thought about it. Here was a chance to be admired for himself, to learn to read and write and to use a sword, to adventure, to defend a kingdom using a slickman's stock in trade, and maybe most importantly a place to belong.

It might even be worth school.

Valon stuck his blond head in the doorway behind Terek and smiled shyly at Rin. The boy still had his wooden Companion with him. Valon's mother appeared behind the boy, put a hand on his head, and smiled. For the tiniest moment, Rin tasted dried apples.

Rin looked down at his torn, dirty Whites, back at Terek and Valon, grinned crookedly, and spread his arms.

'Looks like it's time to change,' he said. Terek's chuckle said he knew Rin wasn't just talking about clothes.

Touches the Earth

by Brenda Cooper

Brenda Cooper has had stories published in Analog and Asimov's with collaborator Larry Niven, and her own work has appeared in Analog. A long-time fan of Valdemar, Brenda loved doing a story for this anthology.

She lives in Bellevue, Washington, works in Kirkland city government, and loves to run, read, write, and enjoy family.

'That's right. Locate the energy line below you good-now draw it up through your feet, through your center, and feed it out slowly.' Tim's voice teased the edges of Anya's focus as she drew a mental picture of energy flowing. Floor to flank to fingers, earth becoming light. She fed the tiny flame she had conjured in the bowl in front of her. The fire flared from the size of her thumb to something that would engulf her palm, and she drew in a sharp breath. Her calf muscles quivered, pain shot through the small of her back, and the bright glow winked to nothing.

'You lost it. What happened?' Tim asked.

'I...I don't know. All of a sudden my back hurt and then it was gone.'

Tim frowned. 'And what happened last time?'

'My fingers quivered and didn't point the right way.' He'd been there when she caught the edge of a tablecloth on fire. Anya heard the defensiveness in her voice and labored to find another tone. 'It...it seems like I can only hold so much energy, and then something happens. It's not always the same thing, but it's always something. Physical. In my body. I don't know what to change!' Now it sounded to Anya like she'd exchanged defensiveness for despair. 'I'm sorry,' she mumbled.

'You can hold more energy. I can feel your potential. You aren't even near your capacity.' Tim tugged on his