Mercedes Lackey: Valdemar and Beyond by DAW Books

Recounts how Mags, after an early life as a child, trained at the Herald's Collegium at Haven and became an undercover agent for the king.

Lackey's first major stand-alone novel set in Valdemar tells the legend of Lavan Firestorm, a young man blessed and cursed with a special talent for starting fires. His legend has haunted the darkest corners of Valdemar, yet the truth has never been told.

Princess Elspeth, heir to the throne, has gone on a desperate quest in search of a mentor who can teach her to wield her fledgling mage-poers and help her to defend the threatened kingdom.

Skif, a young orphan living with a miserly uncle, is taken in by a gang of pickpockets and becomes a master of the thieves' trade, until he is chosen by one of Valdemar's magical horses and is transformed into a herald for the queen.

A collection of ten short stories and a novella which looks at the relationship of Tarma and Kethry, two ex-mercenary swordsisters who run the schools in Haven

Talia, a young runaway, is made a herald at the royal court after she rescues one of the legendary Companions. When she uncovers a plot to seize the throne, Talia must use her empathic powers to save the queen. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

In this third novel of the Family Spies series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, Heralds Mags and Amily's youngest child must follow in his parents' footsteps to protect both his family and the realm. Thirteen year old Prince Kyril and Mags and Amily's fourteen-year-old son Tory "share" the Gift of Farsight--although neither of them are Chosen. They are self-trained, though currently, their shared Gift only allows them to see what is happening with their immediate family members. After much debate, the Herald's Collegium has decided to test and train them anyway. That's when the surprises start. They do not share a single Gift; they have two complementary Gifts working together in a way that the Heralds have never seen before. Tory is the Farseer--Kee's Gift is to extend his range beyond a few dozen feet. Their Gifts become crucial when Mags gets a desperate message from his cousin Bey, the head of the enigmatic assassin-tribe, the Sleepgivers. Bey's eldest daughter has been kidnapped, but he doesn't know why or by whom. He's calling in the debt Mags owes him to find his daughter before it's too late. Tory is certain that if anyone can find her, he can. But that will mean traveling out of Valdemar into an unknown, dangerous country. And it will mean taking a Royal Prince with him.

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.

Mags travels to the Bastion in search of his parents' identity and a possible explanation for being pursued by Valdemar's enemies.

Granddaughter of a sorceress and daughter of a noble house, Kerowyn had been forced to run the family keep since her mother's untimely death. Now all of her hopes and plans to return to training horses and hunting have been shattered by an attack on her ancestral home, the death of her father, the wounding of her brother and the kidnapping of his fiancee.

Rebuilding their city in the ten years after a magical Cataclysm kills their leader and forces them to the white cliffs by the Western Ocean, the people of Urthos must fight the Court of the Black Kings to keep their hard-won home

Storm Breaking is the third book in the Mage Storm Trilogy. As mysterious, magical onslaughts ravage Valdemar and the kingdoms of the West, the western allies have traveled far to locate the ruins of the Tower of Urtho, Mage of Silence, and excavate his legendary Vault, hidden stronghold of some of the most powerful magical weapons ever devised. They now know that the mage storms are an ‘echo’ through time of the prehistoric Cataclysm which permanently warped their world more than two thousand years ago. If they don’t find a way to stop these magical vibrations they will culminate in another Cataclysm- this time destroying their world for good.But Urtho’s Vault is not the only thing buried below the Dorisha Plains, and camped in the ruins of what was once the workplace of the most ingenious mage their world has ever known, the desperate allies soon realize that their solution may lie beneath their feet. The saving of their world just might be accomplished by the work of a man who has been dead for millennia!

Closer to Home is a story about a woman, Kat, and a man, Sam, who have both endured near-fatal accidents. They are both in surgery and hovering somewhere between life and death when the story begins. Kat faces what she thinks will be her last judgment only to find out she's been placed in a situation where she either accomplishes four missions for a mysterious higher power or face an eternity in limbo. The missions are to reverse four mistakes made by the higher power who can't reverse them Himself because of His image of perfection. If the missions are accomplished, the end results will revolutionize politics, social welfare, social and racial justice and nearly deplete homelessness and juvenile violence.

Tarma, the only survivor of her clan's genocide, and Kethry, a fugitive from a forced marriage, swear a blood oath to use their own magical powers and that of a magical sword to avenge the wrongs done to womankind

For use in schools and libraries only. Talia, Herald to the Queen of Valdemar, travels to a neighboring realm to investigate a prince's proposal to marry the Queen's heir, but discovers an evil plot to destroy Valdemar.

A former captain in the Army of Karse, Herald Alberich must protect King Sendar's daughter, Selenay, the new queen of Valdemar, from the devious members of the Valdemaran Council who unleash a campaign to strip her of her power. Reprint.

In Magic's Pawn, an ancient age in the history of Valdemar comes to life--an age when the kingdom was ravaged by the ungoverned fury of bandit warlords, ferocious ice dragons, and the wild magic of wizards. A new addition to Lackey's Valdemar kingdom--and her most powerful series to date!

In this new series, set in the bestselling world of Valdemar, Heralds Mags and Amily must continue to protect the realm of Valdemar while raising their children and preparing them to follow in their footsteps.Mags, Herald Spy of Valdemar, and his wife Amily are happily married with three kids. The oldest, Justyn, has the Gift of animal Mindspeech--he can talk to animals and persuade them to act as he wishes. Justyn's dream is to follow in his father's footsteps as a Herald Spy, but has yet to be Chosen by his horse companion.Mags is more than happy to teach Justyn all he knows. He regularly trains his children, including Justyn, with tests and exercises, preparing them for the complicated and dangerous lives they will likely lead. Justyn has already held positions in the Royal Palace as a runner and in the kitchen, useful places from which he can learn to listen. As the next stage of Justyn's training, Mags proposes that Justyn joins a group of traveling players and musicians, to get experience away from home and out in the world. Justyn joins the troupe, and he starts collecting information for his father. And the patterns he finds are unsettling....During the troupe's travels, Justyn witnesses growing rural unrest about an indigenous community of Valdemar, known as Hawkbrothers. When the troupe settles for a season at a fortified manor of a local lord, Justyn watches the unrest grow increasingly hostile. The manor lord dismisses Hawkbrothers as inhuman--and has a local militia to back up his hatred. When a child goes missing, the locals immediately blame Hawkbrothers, and Justyn finds himself in a dangerous position.He enlists the help of a local stray dog, who knows a lot about the town's goings-on, despite being a bit...odd. Justyn must find the missing child and warn the Hawkbrothers community of the trouble headed their way--before tensions turn deadly.

Fantasy. Orphaned Darian is apprenticed to a wizard but remains difficult. When his village is ransacked he flees into the forest where he meets the Hawk people. Together they assault the ransackers and save the villagers.

In Mercedes Lackey's classic coming-of-age story, the orphan Magpie pursues his quest for his parent's identity with burning urgency-while also discovering another hidden talent and being trained by the King's Own Herald as an undercover agent for Valdemar. Shy Bardic Trainee Lena has to face her famous but uncaring father, one of Valdemar's most renowned Bards. And Healing Trainee Bear must struggle against his disapproving parents, who are pressuring Bear to quit the Healers' Collegium because he lacks the magical Healing Gift.Each of the three friends must face his or her demons and find their true strength as they seek to become the full Heralds, Bards, and Healers of Valdemar.

Groundbreaking epic fantasy series in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar universe • Lambda-Award winning novels with heartfelt high adventure and magic Wild magic is taking its toll on the land. Many Heralds and Herald-Mages have died fighting to preserve the peace. Even Vanyel, the most powerful of the Herald-Mages is almost at the end of his strength, in need of a respite from the dual threats of war and dark magic. But for Vanyel, there can be no rest. Not when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a summons which can’t be ignored—a desperate cry of a magical holocaust in the neighboring kingdom. Almost overwhelmed by the devastations they discover there, Herald-Mage and Companion must try to unravel this tragic mystery. Is the young Prince Tashir, a newly Chosen Herald who can’t control his magic, responsible for the destruction? Or is Tashir a pawn in a deeper, more deadly game—and, if so, will Vanyel be able to find and defeat the true destroyer before this master of dark powers can strike again?

In the fantasy city of White Gryphon, the rulers have created a new elite force to protect the city, the Silver Gryphons. Two of its members, Tad and Blade, are assigned to a remote outpost, but to get there they must cross unexplored and dangerous territory. By the author of The White Gryphon.

The Herald-Mage, Vanyel, and his Companion, Yfandes, are alone responsible for saving the once-peaceful kingdom of Valdemar from the forces of a master who wields a dark, forbidding magic, and if either Vanyel or Yfandes falters, both Valdemar and its Herald-Mage must pay the ultimate price.

Evil had cast its shadow over the kingdom of Rethwellan. When Idra, leader of the Sunhawks mercenaries, failed to return from a journey to her home, Tarma and Kethry, warrior and mage, set out in search of their vanished leader.

When Mags (Magpie), a thirteen-year-old orphan chosen by one of the magical Companion horses of Valdemar and taken to the capital city, he is "recognized" by foreign secret operatives whose purpose is unknown, and then comes under suspicion.

AIt has been four years since Darian saw his village sacked and burned by barbarians. Taking refuge with the Hawkbrothers, he soon finds his life's calling--as a Healing Adept. But even as he learns the mystical ways of this ancient race, Darian cannot escape the dangers threatening his future. Another tribe of barbarians is approaching. The time has come ... to stand up and fight.

From these two legendary fantasy authors comes the third and final volume in a powerful saga of war and magic, life and love. Darian has opened his heart to a beautiful young healer when he learns that his parents are still alive and trapped behind enemy borders.