Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar

future without the aid of one who did have that talent. He knew he was taking a chance that all of his actions for many years to come would be regarded with suspicion and mistrust if he could not convince them. But he knew what he was doing was right, and trusted in the wisdom of the elders to overcome their fears.

'How can we know that you are not simply seeing what you wish to see?' the first elder asked.

'She sleeps, and she is too weary to awaken if you do not alarm her,' Starwind said. 'She trusts us. You may touch her mind now, and from there see into her heart. Read what you see there, see what it is she represents for her own great Clan k'Valdemar, and then tell me if she is not indeed worthy to be named our Wingsister.'

'Even if we find it so,' another elder spoke, 'what difference will it make? Tell me, Starwind k'Treva, why we should bring her into our clan? She has people of her own, and the Heralds of Valdemar are different from us in more ways than they are similar. We do not eat the same foods, speak the same tongue—we do not even swear by the same gods!'

'She should be made one of us because she is one of us, she and her kind differ from us only in the names by which we swear, not to the spirit behind those names,' he replied stubbornly. 'And because we can learn much from each other, the k'Treva and this Herald-Mage. In many ways, our magic is much greater than theirs. Yet there are things they can do which we cannot. It is my belief that what we learn from each other—the combination—will be greater than any that we can each of us perform apart.'

Another long silence followed. Each of the elders was considering what Starwind had said. Surely they knew he was right that the k'Treva could not live isolated in the Pelagirs forever. There had even been visions, Fore-- Sight some of them had experienced, which suggested that events in the future would require that they learn to broaden their ways. Finally, the first elder spoke.

'It will cost us nothing to look at this Savil you bring us. We must at least look before we judge.'

Savil's sleep was interrupted by dreams, memories, and nightmares. In them, she relived experiences from the years since she had first donned Whites, the moment that Kellan had Chosen her, battles fought in the service of Valdemar, even passionate feelings for those loved and lost. Then came a dream of a test—a decision she was forced to make three times, one which left her frightened, exhausted, and drained. Countless hopeless scenarios presented themselves to her. Over and over again she was forced to decide how to react. Just as her decision was made, the scene would fade, and another would take its place. Each was progressively worse than the last, more hopeless, more futile, and in it she and those around her were suffering greater and greater loss. Only when the scenario required that she sacrifice Kellan, her Companion, did she wake from the nightmare, unable to make the impossible choice.

She woke with a start, her own voice screaming to be left alone, tears streaming down from eyes wide open in the darkness.

:It was only a dream, dearheart,: Kellan consoled her,

:A hideous, ugly, necessary dream. I am fine. Return to your sleep.:

She was too sleep-fogged to take in anything except Kellan's reassurance, too exhausted to question anything Kellan said. Relieved to have Kellan's voice in her mind, she fell back into the embrace of the strange bed, and slept until morning. If she continued to dream, she didn't remember any of it.

When she awoke, she found Starwind sitting beside her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. She could feel the soft tingle of power as it flowed through him to her.

:Good morning, Wingsister,: he said cheerfully. .-Wind to thy wings.:

:Wind to thy wings, Starwind k'Treva,' she answered automatically, her head throbbing. She wished, vaguely, that he wasn't being so damned cheerful. -.Gods, but I've one miserable headache!:

He sobered, and looked both contrite and a little guilty. -.Forgive me, Wingsister. The elders felt it was necessary.:

She frowned. :What have the elders to do with my headache?: Then she sat up, her own suspicions flaring. :Were your people messing about in my head?:

Starwind closed his eyes and spoke quietly into her mind. .-Remember all, little sister. There is nothing to fear.:

With that touch, Savil suddenly recalled the dreams and sendings she'd gotten after the nightmare of sacrificing Kellan, the knowledge slowing coming forward to her consciousness. In a single flash, she knew as much about the Tayledras as they knew themselves, as if she had studied them and their ways all her life.

The history of the k'Treva, their philosophies, their purpose as entrusted to them by their Goddess, their mysterious bond with their birds, everything given to her, including Starwind's own memory of the meeting last night, every newly gifted memory, all rose up and became a part of her. As they did, her headache dulled and then faded. Savil lay there unmoving, sharing Star-wind's loving gaze for quite some time. They may have lain there for hours longer, basking in the communion, if a hertasi had not crept in quietly to bring them some fruit.

Without conscious thought, she thanked the hertasi (who was already leaving,) in Starwind's own tongue. Then she laughed out loud of the pleasure and strangeness of it all.

Once before in her life she had known the incredible, indescribable joy of finding that she belonged somewhere, that there were people in the world who welcomed her as one of their own. That had been when she became a Herald—and now it had happened again.

'So this is what it means to be one of you,' she whispered.

'Not entirely, shayana,' Starwind replied, 'but you now share the most of it.'

Savil's eyes had been alight with the joy of the newfound knowledge and abilities of these strange and wondrous people she knew she could now call her own. She was overwhelmed by the all-pervasive sense of the peace of this place, of the serenity of those who lived here. After all the conflicts within and besetting Valdemar, k'Treva Vale seemed like a vision of paradise, and she. wanted to remain here forever.

And as soon as she had that thought, she knew it was impossible. For a moment, her eyes stung with tears.

'You know I can't stay. You must know that I'm a Herald first, and always will be so.'

'Of course, ashke, of course,' Starwind patted her hand to console her. 'It was that which finally convinced the elders of the trueness of your heart.'

'But I want to,' she confessed desperately, as Star-wind's elegant fingers brushed a tear from her cheek. 'I want to stay here, live here in this peace.'

'We each have our duties, Wingsister. Mine is to the land, yours to your people. Neither of us can fully understand the other, yet it is so. But we can revel in that which we share. I believe that this sharing, this exchange between us, will be of great importance in times yet to come.'

Savil nodded, understanding, remembering the certainty she held in memories now her own, shared with him. Neither of them knew why—but the certainty was there, as real as if they had absolute facts to prove it to be true.

'There is much yet to learn, Wingsister, and far too little time to learn it in. We are now your clan, as you are one of us. Every member of k'Treva will do what he can to help you gain the skills that are ours, and we know you will share willingly of your ways as well. And I feel this will not be the last time that those of k'Treva and k'Valdemar will share their wisdom.'

She thought about her duty—but she had been far ahead of her schedule, and there was time. A little, but there was time. 'Where do we start?' Savil asked. 'With your lessons, or mine?'

He smiled. 'Where both our powers flow from, at the nodes.'

Then Starwind took her hand, guiding her to her feet, and their journey toward knowledge was begun.

In the Forest of Sorrows

by John Heifers

This story marks John Heifers' fourth fiction sale. Other stories of his can be found in Phantoms of the Night, Future Net, and A Horror Story A Day: 365 Scary Stories.