Golden Grove Vol. 4 Issue 1 Contents Letter from the Editor 3 Story Prompt 4 Stories and Advancement Requirements 5 Upcoming Books from Misty 13 List of Fairs and Conventions 14 Submission Instructions 19 2 Golden Grove Vol. 4 Issue 1 Letter From the Editor Hi All, Here we are at the beginning of another new year. I enjoyed a few days visiting the family and playing with my nieces in the snow. I also finally, finally started on my Voltron costume, the one I’ve been meaning to start for the last year. Maybe I’ll get it done this year, but I’m not putting any deadlines on it at this point. My big project for this year is working on fixing up my basement. That’s going to be a big enough project, but I’m hoping to get it finished this year. I still need stories, poetry, artwork and book reviews to publish in Golden Grove. If you are thinking of doing more writing this year, consider sending me your work to have it published. 3 Golden Grove Vol. 4 Issue 1 Story Prompt The small child was curled up in the overstuffed arm chair asleep. The soft light from the lamp on the table beside the chair illuminated a circle of dark wood floor, the book that had fallen when the child passed out, and the lower part of the bookshelves on the wall behind the chair. The rest of the room was hidden in shadows. Across the room, through the open door, a light could be seen moving closer. As always, if you would like any story published you can submit it to Golden Grove [email protected] with Golden Grove in the subject line. 4 Golden Grove Vol. 4 Issue 1 Stories and Advancement Requirements Companions This piece of Mercedes Lackey fan fiction is licensed under Creative Commons. Companions By Linda A. Malcor (Based on the Works of Mercedes Lackey) Herald Kaylan Elderwood sat cross-legged on a bed of pine needles in a grove of evergreens in the Companions’ Field, his elbows resting on his knees and his palms pressed against the closed lids of his bright blue eyes. His shoulder-length, straight black hair, damp with sweat from the oppressive heat that always settled over Haven in the summer, hung in limp curtains from a center part. Not an ounce of fat showed anywhere on his lithe frame. Instead of Herald Whites he wore a dark gray uniform cut in the same pattern and tailored to fit him perfectly. As an assistant to the Equitation instructor, Herald Keren, he was the one inside the paddock with the Trainees every day, getting covered in dust and muck, while she stood in Whites, safely outside the fence, so he’d been assigned the type of uniform worn by Weaponsmaster Alberich. His partner-to-be, Herald-Trainee Yarik Rafton, took great pleasure in teasing him about how the students doing chores in the laundry were thrilled they didn’t have to scrub splatters of unknown origin out of his Whites. Kaylan wasn’t thrilled about anything at the moment. His assignment for the afternoon had been to get his Fetching Gift to mesh with Yarik’s Gifts of Mindspeech and FarSight through their lifebond. Stones had more Mindspeech than Kaylan did, though he was a powerful enough Fetcher that he should have been able to take those stones and place them in a straight line at a Waystation three days’ ride from where they were. After more candlemarks of trying than he wanted to think about, he still hadn’t been able to get a specific stone in the Companions’ Field that Yarik was concentrating on to so much as jiggle. “This is impossible. Let’s just give up.” Yarik, arms folded stubbornly across his chest, sat beside the depressed Herald, not quite touching him. Average in height and weight with curly brown hair and brown eyes, he was as plain as Kaylan was memorable. He wore the same gray uniform as all the other Trainees at the Heralds’ Collegium, which meant it was only approximately his size, well-worn and carefully mended. “Heralds don’t give up.” Kaylan’s older cousin, Herald Jorge Elderwood, sat on the ground a few paces away from them. He leaned heavily against his Companion Tieg’s flank as the stallion lay unmoving behind him. His Whites blended with Tieg’s coat, giving the disconcerting impression in the dimming light 5 Golden Grove Vol. 4 Issue 1 that his head was floating just above his Companion’s spine. His short once-black hair stuck out in all directions, as if he had spent several se’nnights in bed. Which he had. His unfocused eyes, identical to Kaylan’s in color, seemed out of place in his pale, scarred face. He braced his hands against the ground, as if trying to keep the world from spinning beneath him. “It’s not a problem with you two meshing. It’s impossible to tell where one of your auras stops and the other starts.” Kaylan raised his head. “No offense, Jorge, but you don’t look like you could get two physical images to line up, let alone two auras.” Yarik tousled his hair in a futile attempt to dry it. “Heralds Dirk and Kris make it look so easy.” “Dirk and Kris both have Mindspeech,” Jorge said. “They work together like a fine-tuned machine. It’s all straightforward and logical for them. You two are trying to work with a lifebond, and logic has nothing to do with it.” Kaylan sat a bit straighter and pushed his hair away from his face. “I miss Grandmother and Grandfather.” Jorge snorted. “Tell me about it.” “What do they have to do with anything?” Yarik asked. Kaylan used his sleeve to wipe away the sweat that dribbled down his face. “Grandfather is really good at teaching people to work together.” “And Grandmother would have me back in the saddle by now,” Jorge added. “It’s only been six se’nnights, Jorge,” Kaylan reminded him. “You’ve seen enough head injuries from people falling off horses to know that some cracked skulls take longer to heal than others. And you didn’t just fall. You had a bandit try to bash your brains out.” “Bandits,” Jorge growled, starting to rise. “More than one.” Kaylan waved him back down just before he fell down. “You know what I mean. You took a lot of damage to your head. Healers can repair the fractures, but having your brains sloshed around like mop strands in a wash bucket is something even Mindhealers can’t do much about.” Yarik jostled Kaylan with his shoulder. “When was the last time you swabbed a deck?” Kaylan automatically jostled him back. “You think pirates are the only ones who use mops?” 6 Golden Grove Vol. 4 Issue 1 “Bah!” Jorge exclaimed. “How the two of you can stand to be practically on top of each other in this heat, I’ll never understand.” Tieg turned his head, looked up and down at the spot where Jorge was leaning against him, and gave a snort. Jorge glared at his Companion. “It’s not the same, and you know it.” Tieg shook his head and stared off into the trees as if he were talking with someone. Adele and Illysha, Kaylan thought. They’re probably down by the Terilee where it’s cooler. “The sun’s setting. I should be getting myself back to bed.” Jorge sighed. “I’m sick of living in a cubicle that’s only slightly larger than a coffin.” Kaylan hid a wince. Jorge’s room was the same size as that of every other Herald who spent most of his time out on Circuit. But his cousin’s description of his living quarters struck a little too close to the heart. I need to get him out of here. Suddenly an idea so crazy he would have sworn it came from Adele slipped through his mind. “Heyla! It’s nearly time for everyone who’s free to ride out on Mandatory Family Visits. Yarik and I were going to stay here because you couldn’t make the journey. But what if you could make it? Think you can ride if we tie you to Tieg’s saddle?” “Huh?” Jorge asked. “Huh?” Yarik echoed. Tieg swiveled his head around until he was eye to eye with his Chosen. Jorge crinkled his nose. “I know you aren’t going to carry me anywhere except back to my room unless I’m tied to your saddle.” “You stuck me in a caravan to get me to Haven when I was too sick to ride,” Yarik ventured. “You were almost dead and had never ridden a horse in your life. Plus, we’ll never get someone to loan us a caravan just to visit our family. Tied on, I think Jorge could do it.” Kaylan grinned wickedly at his cousin. “With a bowl in his hands so he doesn’t get Tieg’s coat dirty.” “The only thing I’d do with a bowl is throw it at you.” Jorge pulled himself onto Tieg’s back. Tieg winked at Kaylan as he stood up carefully. Kaylan used his Fetching to steady Jorge. 7 Golden Grove Vol. 4 Issue 1 Jorge bristled. “Cut it out. I can mount my own Companion without your help. You may, however, Fetch my bags to the courtyard when it’s time to leave. I’m already packed.” “You’re never unpacked.” Kaylan stood and helped Yarik to his feet.