OK, since I won't be posting for a while and I doubt I'll be able to get the next chapter of "Mercs" up before I have to go to training/camp, I'll post this. I've been working on this when I have writer's block on "Mercs", which, as you can see, is quite often. This first part is very short, but I've posted multiple chapters, so there is plenty to read. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not Mercedes Lackey, nor do I own any of her characters, places or her worlds.
Prologue
Ancar had won. On that day when Herald Talia had died in his dungeons, Ancar had swept the field with his wizards. Few Heralds survived it. It was now simply known as "Soulkiller" because it had destroyed the lives and souls of so many people. Selenay had died within minutes of capture, preceded by so many Heralds who fought so valiantly to save her. Herald Alberich had performed his duty even while his heart screamed at him to save his queen, and had ridden from the field as fast as Kantor's hooves could carry him, whisking the Heir to safety in the forest of Sorrows. Then Ancar had rampaged through Valdemar, destroying everything he could. Haven was not spared.
The Heralds that survived had ridden for the Collegium to save as many of the Trainees as they could, Healer, Heraldic and Bardic. The Blues had already been evacuated by their families. The Heralds brought the Trainees with them to Sorrows, Healer and Bardic doubled up with Heraldic Trainees or on the backs of Companions with no Heralds, as the Companion herd also followed them to the Sorrows. The people of Valdemar were told to run, and so they did. They flocked wherever they could run. Iftel even opened its borders to the refugees, recognizing that they could be next and knowing they would need all the manpower they could get.
Meanwhile, those who could not flee went into hiding. Haven became a city of ghosts. Residents, evicted by high-ranking Hardonens, were left to wander the streets, digging in the rubble left behind. The Death Bell tolled daily, sometimes multiple times a day. As the years dragged by, the tolling became a part of life, something to be expected. For every five Companions that left the Sorrows to Choose new Heralds, only two returned. Every newly Chosen Herald discovered was executed if they were caught on their way back to the Sorrows.
Over the years, the Heralds changed their temporary camp to a rustic village, building it to blend in with the forest. Their homes were built in the trees with bridges going from platform to platform. Training areas for weapons work were located on the ground but were never in the same place twice. In essence, it was a fortress against Ancar, meant to keep him away as long as they needed in order to overthrow him, but no more.
Those newly Chosen who did make it back often spent weeks in the Healers care before they could begin training, which now consisted mainly of weapons training. Academic pursuits were only concentrated on in the early evening, before dinner and only for a mark or two. The Trainees had to worry about staying alive before they could worry about delivering justice.
The average age of the trainee was also dropping. Many believed this was because there was not enough time to let them grow before being Chosen, that Heralds were needed immediately. Others, like Alberich and Elspeth, believed there was another reason. They believed that in a few years, the time would be ripe to overthrow Ancar. Trainees were being Chosen at a younger age so that they had time to learn more, to become better Heralds and be able to take up the great task left to them, to free Valdemar.