By the Sword

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This article is about the fantasy novel by Mercedes Lackey. For the manga by Sanami Matoh, see By the Sword (manga).

By the Sword is the name of a 1991 fantasy novel by Mercedes Lackey. This is a stand-alone novel which connects the Vows & Honor sub-series to the Heralds and other trilogies; it introduces the character Kerowyn who features therein. Kerowyn is the granddaughter of Kethry from the Vows and Honor sub-series.

By the Sword is identified as ISBN 1-58838-087-4.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Kerowyn is the teenage daughter of a minor noble who has been in charge of the household since her mother's death several years ago. She is anticipating handing the management of daily life over to her older brother's new wife when the wedding feast is interrupted by bandits. The bride, Dierna, is kidnapped, and no able-bodied man is left to rescue her. Kero appeals to her grandmother, the sorceress Kethryveris, and Kethry gives her the legendary sword Need. She rides after the bandits (with the Shin'a'in Swordsworn Tarma at her back) and rescues Dierna. (The event is immortalized in a song called 'Kerowyn's Ride.') Kero is both hero and embarrassment to her brother, and eventually leaves home to train as a mercenary under Tarma.

During her training, Kero meets Darenthalis, the third son of the king of Rethwellen. They become friends and, briefly, lovers, before Daren is called back to Rethwellen to serve under his older brother Faram. (Daren's other brother, Thanel, was married to Queen Selenay of Valdemar, but he attempted to assassinate her and was killed; the shock caused their father's heart to give out, and Faram took the throne). Thanel was the father of Princess Elspeth, and Daren is her uncle.

Kerowyn joins a mercenary company named the Skybolts and is with them some years. A campaign against Karse turns disastrous, and Kero is separated from the other mercenaries. She flees north for some distance and rescues a captive Herald from danger (for a fee). His name is Eldan, and they quickly become lovers. However, when Kero realizes that her presence (and that of her magic sword, Need) is attracting Karsite priests, she leaves him and, after some misadventures, is reuinited with the Skybolts. Through her intervention, the Skybolts escape ruin by a selfish Captain, and Kero herself takes the Captaincy.

Ten years pass. The Skybolts are a formidable company under Kero, and they win a decisive battle for Rethwellen against Karse. Kero meets Daren again, who brings her home to meet his brother. While she is at the court, Herald Talia and Herald Dirk arrive, seeking aid. Prince Ancar of Hardorn is making war against Valdemar, using men who are being controlled by magic as soldiers. Valdemar has no experience with magic since the time of Vanyel, and more importantly, they do not have a large enough army. Kerowyn volunteers the Skybolts as an advance force, while Rethwellen promises a second force with Daren to follow.

In Valdemar, Kero is reunited with Eldan, whom she has not been able to forget. But Ancar's forces seem limitless, and Kero was unable to bring her own mages across the Valdemar border. The Skybolts, to a man, sympathize with Valdemar and their cause, and the forces prepare for what looks like their final stand. With perfect dramatic timing, Daren arrives with the Rethwellan army and a number of Ancar's soldiers, now freed from the controlling spell. Ancar's troops are driven off. In the chaos of the battle, both Kero and Daren are Chosen by Companions, making them Heralds. Daren and Selenay meet on the battlefield and fall instantly in love.

In gratitude, Selenay gives the Skybolts a border town in Valdemar to use as their home base. Kerowyn is able to remain with Eldan while fulfilling her duties as a Captain and a Herald.

By the Sword fills in what had been some gaps in the series: it shows what happened to Tarma and Kethry after the end of the Vows & Honor sub-series; it also reveals more about the background of Seleney's husband (and Elspeth's father). The details of the assassination attempt are filled in more clearly in a book centered on Weaponsmaster Alberich (Exile's Valor).