Exile's Honor

"Exile's Honor" is a book in the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. It focuses on Alberich, the Weaponmaster of Heraldic Collegium who was Chosen out of Karse.

Plot Summary

Alberich is a Captain of the army in Karse, the youngest person to receive this promotion. He has flashes of Foresight and one day gets a vision of bandits invading a village. He musters his men and is able to save the village. After, a Red-robe priest of the god Vkandis proclaims that Alberich has a "witch-power" and therefore is condemned to death. He is locked in a barn and the barn is set afire. However, the horse given to him after his promotion rescues him and turns out to be a Companion named Kantor.

Alberich is unwillingly taken to Valdemar, and after he recovers from his injuries, is informed by King's Own Talamir that he is now a Herald Trainee. Alberich now has to deal with the fact that Heralds and Companions are not demons as he has been brought up to believe, and that he no longer can return to Karse. A priest of Vkandis who had fled Karse and his acolyte is able to help Alberich accept matters and he settles to life at the Collegium as the Weaponmaster's Second.

Alberich is later made the bodyguard of Princess Selenay and accompanies her when she does her circuit training at the courts in the city. In the latter half of the book, Alberich has to help Valdemar in the Tedrel Wars. Karse had hired a nation of mercenaries not tied to the Mercenary Guild to fight Valdemar. The war concludes with Valdemar winning, but King Sendar being killed and Selenay taking the throne. King's Own Talamar loses his Companion as well and another named Rolan arrives to pull him out of his grief. Alberich is now made full Weaponmaster, the old one deciding to retire, and the book ends.