Mercedes Lackey

New York Times-bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's Herald Spy series, set in the beloved fantasy world of Valdemar Herald Mags, the King of Valdemar's Herald-Spy, has been developing a clandestine network of young informants who operate not only on the streets of the capital city of Haven, but also in the Great Halls and kitchens of the wealthy and highborn. In his own established alternate personas, Mags observes the Court and the alleys alike, quietly gathering information to keep Haven and the Kingdom safe. His wife Amily, is growing into her position as the King's Own Herald, though she is irritated to encounter many who still consider her father, Herald Nikolas, to be the real King's Own. Nonetheless, she finds it increasingly useful to be underestimated, for there are dark things stirring in the shadows of Haven and up on the Hill. Someone has discovered many secrets of the women of the Court and the Collegia--and is using those secrets to terrorize and bully them. Someone is targeting the religious houses of women, too, leaving behind destruction and obscene ravings. But who? Someone at the Court? A disgruntled Palace servant? One of the members of the Collegia? Someone in the patriarchal sect of the god Sethor? Could the villain be a woman? And what is this person hoping to achieve? It isn't blackmail, for the letters demand nothing; the aim seems to be the victims' panic and despair. But why? Mags and Amily take steps to minimize the damage while using both magic and wits to find the evildoer. But just as they appear to be on the verge of success, the letter-writer tires of terror and is now out for blood. Mags and Amily will have to track down someone who leaves few clues behind and thwart whatever plans have been set in motion, and quickly--before terror turns to murder.

Born of the Clan of the Hawk, Tarma saw her entire tribe slain by brigands. Vowing blood revenge upon the murderers, she became one of the sword-sworn, the most elite of all warriors. Trained in all forms of death-dealing combat, she took to the road in search of her enemies. Born to a noble house and sold into a hateful "marriage", Kethry fled life's harshness for the sanctuary of the White Winds, a powerful school of sorcery. Unlike other sorcerers, Kethry could use wordly weapons as well as magical skills. And when she became bearer of a uniquely magical sword that drew her to those in need, Kethry was led to a fateful meeting with Tarma. Vows and Honor chronicles the adventures of Tarma and Kethry, swordswoman and sorceress, bound by a blood oath to carry on their mutual fight against evil. Together they will set forth to fulfill a destiny neither could have imagined...

Joy knows she'll be facing more dangerous Othersiders than ever before as a new member of the Elite Hunter unit, but if anyone is up to the challenge it's her. She's been Hunting these monsters since she was a child, and has a pack of eleven fiercely protective magical Hounds. Then the rules change. Monsters unlike any Joy's ever seen or even heard of are breaking through Apex City's barriers and the Hunters are scrambling to find new ways to fight them--all the while hiding the true danger Apex faces from the Cits, who are ignorant of the severity of the Othersiders' attacks. The leaders of Apex must come together to protect the city, but tensions have never been higher between the Hunters and the powerful PsiCorps, with each group competing to be the primary protector of the city. The conflict escalates even further when Joy starts discovering bodies of Psimons while patrolling the city sewers--on a special assignment from her uncle, who commands the Hunters. Someone is killing Psimons and if Joy doesn't uncover the true culprit she might just take the fall for it. Chaos erupts when Ace, the murderous Hunter who tried to kill Joy at her Elite trials, escapes from the Army's captivity and defects to the Othersiders. Joy has no idea what Ace might be capable of with the help of the cunning Folk, but she may be about to find out; Othersider forces are gaining strength and momentum just beyond the barriers. A storm is approaching Apex City, and unless Joy and her fellow Hunters put up the fight of their lives it might just sweep them all away?

Centuries before the events of Heralds of Valdemar, one man held the fate of a kingdom in his hands: Vanyel Ashkevron. Born with near-legendary abilities to work both Herald and Mage magic, Vanyel cannot run from his destiny. His raw power makes him the focus of frightening forces, and soon threatens to spiral out of his control. With wild magic wreaking havoc on the land and taking a brutal toll on the Heralds and Herald-Mages of Valdemar, Vanyel must shoulder his burden once again. Is the inexperienced Prince Tashir responsible for the magical destruction unleashed upon his kingdom - or is something darker and deadlier at work? While the king lies dying, will Vanyel and his Companion, Yfandes, have the strength to defend their people from the ultimate evil? The Last Herald Mage follows the legendary Vanyel Ashkevron and his Companion Yfandes, as Vanyel struggles with the enormity of his powers and the terrible responsibility they bring - all in the name of Valdemar.

Herald Mags, the King of Valdemar's Herald Spy, has been developing a network of informants who observe the Court and the alleys alike, quietly gathering information to keep the Kingdom safe. Meanwhile, his wife Amily is growing into her position as the King's Own Herald, though she is irritated to encounter many who still consider her father to be the real King's Own. Nonetheless, she finds it increasingly useful to be underestimated, for there are dark things stirring in the shadows of Haven. Someone has discovered secrets of the women of the Court and the Collegia-and is using those secrets to terrorize them. They are targeting the religious houses of women, too, leaving behind destruction and obscene letters. Mags and Amily use both magic and wits to try and find the evildoer. But just as they appear to be on the verge of success, the letter writer tires of terror. Now they are out for blood...

New York Times-bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's Herald Spy series, set in the beloved fantasy world of Valdemar Herald Mags, Valdemar's first official Herald Spy, is well on his way to establishing a coterie of young informants, not only on the streets of Haven, but in the kitchens and Great Halls of the highborn and wealthy as well. The newly appointed King's Own Herald, Amily, although still unsure of her own capability in that office, is doing fine work to support the efforts of Mags, her betrothed. She has even found a way to build an army of informants herself, a group of highly trained but impoverished young noblewomen groomed to serve the highborn ladies who live at Court, to be called "The Queens's Handmaidens." And King Kyril has come up with the grand plan of turning Mags and Amily's wedding into a low-key diplomatic event that will simultaneously entertain everyone on the Hill and allow him to negotiate behind the scenes with all the attending ambassadors―something which had not been possible at his son Prince Sedric's wedding. What could possibly go wrong? The answer, of course, is "everything." For all is not well in the neighboring Kingdom of Menmellith. The new king is a child, and a pretender to the throne has raised a rebel army. And this army is―purportedly―being supplied with arms by Valdemar. The Menmellith Regency Council threatens war. With the help of a ragtag band of their unlikely associates, Mags and Amily will have to determine the real culprit, amass the evidence to convince the Council, and prevent a war nobody wants― ―and, somewhere along the way, get married.

Set around three thousand years before the rest of the Valdemar series, this is the ancient history of Velgarth and the story of Skandranon Rashkae, a gryphon with gleaming ebony feathers, keen magesight and acute intelligence. He is the fulfillment of all that the Mage of Silence, the human sorcerer called Urtho, intended to achieve when he created these magical beings to be his champions, the defenders of his realm - a verdant plain long coveted by the evil mage Ma'ar. Together with Amberdrake, a Healer of body, mind and spirit, Skandranon will defend his nation from his evil counterparts created by Ma'ar, the makaar. The glorious city of White Gryphon will rise from the ashes, but it will take careful negotiation, spying and terrible war against the mysterious Black Kings to secure the stronghold. Even then, the elite guard force, the Silver Gryphons, will discover a greater terror lurking in the forests beyond the city walls... The Mage Wars omnibus follows Skandranon and his lifelong friend, Amberdrake, and their children, as they seek to establish and defend a Kingdom of peace and tranquillity.

Psychic Nan Killian and medium Sarah Lyon-White, and their clever birds, the raven Neville and the parrot Grey, have been agents of the Elemental Fire Master, Lord Alderscroft, since they left school. Now they have a new commission: to work with the famous man living at 221 Baker Street. But not the man living in flat B; they are to assist the one living in flat C. Taking the occult cases his more famous friend refuses, Doctor John Watson and his wife Mary, who are themselves Elemental Masters of Water and Air, will need every skill the girls and their birds can muster. Together, the girls will confront the mysterious and deadly entity that nearly killed them as children: the infamous Haunt of Number 10 Berkeley Square, and a multitude of spirits that threaten to destroy not only a lifelong friendship, but far more than that.

The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy--three groundbreaking, Lambda Award-winning novels that established Mercedes Lackey as a fantasy tour-de-force and her Kingdom of Valdemar as a place millions of readers return to again and again. This Lambda Award-winning trilogy tells the story of Vanyel, persecuted and abused son of a Valdemaran noble, who finds acceptance at Haven when he is Chosen by the Companion Yfandes. Companions like Yfandes are magical horse-like beings with the power to communicate and bond with their Chosen, and trigger the potential for psychic abilities--and magic. But Vanyel discovers other things about himself at Haven as well.... He discovers love in an unexpected place, and loses it, and nearly his own life. With Yfandes and his aunt, Herald Savil, he will travel to the home of the mysterious Hawkbrothers in search of healing and training, and will grow from a troubled and heartbroken Trainee to become the most powerful Herald-Mage in the history of Valdemar--and the one hope for Valdemar against an implacable foe bent on eradicating magic from the Kingdom entirely

Saved from a harsh life of destitution as an enslaved orphan, Mags has been recruited by the King's Own Herald as a spy. In this special appointment, Mags has thrived - he is well fed, educated and treasured for his unusually powerful Gift, an ability to Mindspeak and Mindhear anyone, regardless of whether they are Gifted. This makes him the ideal undercover agent for the king. After a year of careful investigation of the gem mines, it becomes clear that half of what was being produced has been disappearing. No one knows where the gems are going, or why. Mags must go undercover to find out. As he delves deeper into the mystery, he will confront old foes, and unearth a secret that goes to the heart of the nation of Valdemar.

New York Times-bestselling author Mercedes Lackey's Herald Spy series, set in the beloved fantasy world of Valdemar Mags was once an enslaved orphan living a harsh life in the mines, until the King's Own Herald discovered his talent and trained him as a spy. Now a Herald in his own right, at the newly established Heralds' Collegium, Mags has found a supportive family, including his Companion Dallen. Although normally a Herald in his first year of Whites would be sent off on circuit, Mags is needed close to home for his abilities as a spy and his powerful Mindspeech gift. There is a secret, treacherous plot within the royal court to destroy the Heralds. The situation becomes dire after the life of Mags' mentor, King's Own Nikolas, is imperiled. His daughter Amily is chosen as the new King's Own, a complicated and dangerous job that is made more so by this perilous time. Can Mags and Amily save the court, the Heralds, and the Collegium itself?

Valdemar and Karse have been enemy kingdoms for centuries. But when the mysterious Eastern Empire perpetrates malicious deeds against both kingdoms, they are forced into a cautious alliance. Valdemar's Heralds and Karse's Sun-Priests must unite and combine their magical abilities against the dangerous sorcery of the East. But their alliance is often fragile. Secrets that have been hidden for centuries are revealed, and strange, magical phenomenon begin to occur across the land-the mage-storms. These storms bring catastrophic earthquakes, monsoons and blizzards, as well as releasing terrible, nightmarish creatures into the realm. The allies must locate the source of the mage-storms to save the world from annihilation, and along the way they will encounter some of the most powerful magic ever devised. The Mage Storms omnibus follows young wizard Adept An'desha and cleric Karal as they struggle with the responsibilities of an adult world and seek to defend their Kingdom from magical havoc.

Available in a single volume for the first time, Mercedes Lackey's debut trilogy of Valdemar The Complete Arrows Trilogy contains the three extraordinary novels that launched Mercedes Lackey's remarkable career and sparked the imaginations of millions of readers across the world. The Arrows trilogy tells the story of Talia, a daughter of the repres­sive Holderfolk, who is Chosen by the immortal Companion Rolan to become one of the legendary Heralds of Valdemar. Companions like Rolan are mystical horse-like beings with powers beyond imagining--including the power to sense an awakening potential for special talents of the mind in certain young men and women, like Talia. With Rolan's help, Talia will learn to master her unique mental abilities of telepathy and empathy, and will grow from an uncertain and inexperienced Herald trainee to become the most important Herald of all: the Queen's Own. And together, Talia and Rolan will fight to protect the queen, the heir to the throne, and the entire kingdom--from dangerous conspiracies, looming unrest, vicious treachery, and even an evil and ancient sorcery beyond the magic of the Heralds themselves.

When a man is caught stealing from a walled gardenowned by a strange woman, he bargains away hisyoungest daughter in return for food for his family. Thewoman, rumored to be a witch, takes the golden-hairedchild and locks her away in a high tower. Sixteen yearslater, Giselle has lived an isolated life, but her adoptivemother has trained her in Air magic, and Giselle must useher new skills on a quest to avenge her broken heart...

Mercedes Lackey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Valdemar series and romantic fantasies like Beauty and the Werewolf and The Fairy Godmother. James Mallory and Lackey have collaborated on several novels. Now these New York Times and USA Today bestselling collaborators bring romance to the fore with The House of the Four Winds. The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince's future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes. Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice intends to work her way to the New World. When the crew rebels, Clarice/Clarence, an expert with rapier and dagger, sides with the handsome navigator, Dominick, and kills the cruel captain. Dominick leads the now-outlawed crew in search of treasure in the secret pirate haven known as The House of Four Winds. They encounter the sorceress Shamal, who claims Dominick for her own--but Clarice has fallen hard for Dominick and won't give him up without a fight. Full of swashbuckling adventure, buoyant magic, and irrepressible charm, The House of the Four Winds is a lighthearted fantasy romp by a pair of bestselling writers.

High Magic was lost to Valdemar centuries ago, when the last Herald-Mage gave his life to save the kingdom from dark sorcery. But now the realm is at risk again, and it falls to Princess Elspeth, Herald and heir to the throne, to defend it. Abandoning her home, Elspeth seeks a mentor who can awaken her untrained mage abilities, and soon learns that others, too, are being caught up in a war against sorcerous evil. The Tayledras scout Darkwind is the first to stumble across the menace creeping forth from the Uncleansed Lands. As the dark sorcery begins to take its toll, Darkwind must battle an enemy able to wreak greater devastation with spells than with swords, and is forced to call upon powers he has sworn never to use again. The Mage Winds omnibus follows Princess Elspeth, future Queen of Valdemar, as she masters her mage gift and defends her threatened kingdom.

In March 1987, Mercedes Lackey, a young author from Oklahoma, published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. No one could have envisioned that this modest book about a magical land called Valdemar would be the beginning of a fantasy masterwork series that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now the voices of other authors add their own special touches to the ancient land where Heralds "Chosen" from all walks of life by magical horse-like Companions patrol their ancient kingdom, dispensing justice, facing adversaries, and protecting their monarch and country from whatever threatens. Trained rigorously by the Herald's Collegium, these special protectors each have extraordinary Gifts: Mindspeaking, FarSeeing, FarSpeaking, Empathy, Firestarting and ForeSeeing, and are bonded for life with their mysterious Companions. Travel with these astounding adventurers in sixteen original stories.