To Be A Maestro (The Maestro Chronicles) (30 page)

Back when Vance assigned him the task of learning the whereabouts of Daniel Benhannon and the two mighty crescendos, Phil had been terrified at the prospect of confronting the Ducaunan Accomplished, knowing he could never win in a duel of spells against a six-bolt Accomplished. Word around the fort speaks of the man having gained a seventh lightning bolt. Phil knew he should be even more frightened and yet felt no fear. He fingered the knife sheathed to his belt and remembered how easy it had been to kill those captives and their guard. While the location of the trumpet and flute were still a mystery, Daniel will likely be in his compound, if not, Phil could be patient and had no problem waiting for the Knight’s return, confident in the knowledge no spells need be cast when they meet. Phil began whistling a tune while making his way north. It was high time he paid a
visit to the Benhannon Holding.

Daniel glanced up at the bald spot on his friend’s head as Jared, in his traditional brown suit with gold cufflinks, sat with him at the table in the receiving area of their room in the Excursion, pouring over the reported sightings of Condemneds. “See here,” the Account Keeper said while looking up and shoving the report toward Daniel. “According to the local constable, the flesh rotted off a man who grabbed hold of a Condemned haunting the
Bolton Bridge. No one dares go near the area and a ferry has been set up so people can cross the Gosian River.”

Before Daniel could reply, a harmonic pulse washed through the room, slamming him back, nearly toppling him out of the chair. Jared fell forward across the table, did a push-up to right himself, and asked, “What was that?”

Daniel’s head began to swim as hundreds of minds suddenly clamored for his attention, both animal and human. He became vaguely aware of Silvia and David running out of their room and shouting something at him. One by one he pictured each individual in a private chamber locked within his mind, and then held up a finger to indicate to his friends in the room he needed them to wait. He closed his eyes, set his priorities and then opened the mental compartment containing the voice of Cleona. “Sir Daniel, what just occurred?” the Queen asked along with a strong sense of barely contained panic.

“A single ripple of one truly powerful spell, possibly a Symphonic, judging by the intensity,” he sent back along with a sense of calm in an effort to sooth her nerves. “The Grand Maestro and the seven Maestros of Aakadon in concert are the only ones I know of who could come close to matching the power level.”

The steadiness of his reply seemed to lower the anxiety filtering through the communication amulet. “What do you think they are trying to do, scare everyone?” She wanted to know.

“That’s just it, I don’t think it was them, the pulse originated far to the north of us, if the spell had been cast in Aakadon, the wave would have come from the east,” Daniel sent.

A bad feeling grew inside him as he remembered something the Dark Maestro explained to him back when they were mentally linked. “My prison is threefold. My body is immobilized by a Symphonic spell cast with more than thirty bolts of potential, it is only a matter of time until I possess enough personal potential to break free of that spell and be able to move again. Secondly, the crystalline properties of the chamber in which I reside prevent all but a trickle of life force energy from leaving this tomb. The third obstacle is a Symphonic shield, with more than thirty bolts of potential, focused into amulet crystals embedded in my skin, keeping me from teleporting. I am in the process of composing a spell that will allow me to summon enough potential to remove the crystals without my dying in the attempt. Once they are gone, I will overpower the immobilization spell and teleport to freedom.”

“Um, Daniel, why am I feeling a sense of dread from you?” Cleona asked. The anxiety in her began to rise again.

“Because I believe what we felt is Tarin Conn attempting to break free,” he sent in reply, wishing he could make the news sound better.

“We may not have as much time as we thought, other than that, nothing has changed. We are doing what can be done,” she sent along with a sense of calm determination.

He drew on her resolve and meshed it with his own. “Yes, we are. I will soon go to Bolton to deal with a Condemned that is haunting the bridge. Maybe the pulse will cause the other monarchs to reconsider their opinion that you are over reacting to the threat of the Serpent Guild.”

“That is the spirit, focus on the task of ridding my realm of the Condemneds while I deal with political concerns. I alone have the benefit of an expert to consult on matters of the Aakacarn, my fellow monarchs do not, and might not be as easy to convince as you might think. Be it as it is, we both have our chores, as you often tell me, and I shall leave you to yours,” she sent and then the connection ended.

Daniel sent a strong sense of calm to all of the animals upset by the pulse and each person, including Chas, Marcus, and Sherree, who needed to hear from him. “I assure you no one in Aakadon had anything to do with casting that blast of potential,” she sent along with a sense of disappointment. “Ever since we arrived here, each of us has been interviewed by the Maestros of our respective guilds and Senior Soarers of the Eagle Guild. Some Accomplisheds seem open to the idea of you being the Chosen Vessel, but not many. It may take awhile to convince the majority.” A sense of hopefulness accompanied what came next. “I have made an appointment to see Maestro Barnes and believe him to be the most open minded, perhaps more so than Maestro Barroon. She neither agreed nor disagreed when I brought you up to her. I suspect she does believe you are the Creator’s Champion and for some reason, perhaps political, is not ready to officially take a stand.”

Daniel could not say the situation surprised him and had
no comments on the matter, having other things on his mind. “I wish we could arrange a meeting to be with each other. I’m just a bit envious of Terroll getting to spend time with you while I can’t.”

“I want to be with you too, but I’m living in my quarters in the Aloe Guild and am surrounded by Accomplisheds on all sides. They would sense it if I were to cast Conveyance.”

She was telling him nothing he did not know. “I understand intellectually, while my heart desires to the contrary,” he sent back along with as much love as he could mentally transmit.

A strong sense of love washed right back at him. “We have the same dilemma. I promis
e we will see each other soon.”

The connection ended and Daniel opened his eyes to see Silvia and David seated at the table along with Jared. “I might reconsider handing out communication amulets so casually. A whole lot of people tried to contact me at once, for a few moments I could not concentrate on my own thoughts,” he told them, and then explained about the pulse and his theory on the source.

Jared’s face had gone pale during the explanation and David kept caressing the handle of his daggerlance, while Silvia bit her lower lip as if unsure of what to say. The Account Keeper inhaled, which seemed to steady his nerves. “What are we going to do?” he inquired, and his use of the word, we, meant he wanted to be included in whatever needed doing, bless his loyal heart.

“Yes, what shall we do?” David and Silvia asked with the same level of commitment.

Daniel picked up the report Jared had been reading. “We continue to prepare for the war,” he replied and eyed the Seer. “Your vision already told us how far behind we are, the pulse merely serves as a strong reminder. I have already told Marcus and Chas to be on the alert, my parents are training the defenders, and we are going to Bolton to rid their community of the Condemned.”

David and Silvia sprang up from the table, Teki are always ready to be on the move, and were half way to their room when Jared asked, “Shall I ask your parents to tran
sport us on the RiverDancer?”

The couple stopped, no doubt to hear the reply, “Give me a little time and I will be able to Convey us where we need to be,” Daniel said, and then closed his eyes.

He concentrated on the closest bird of prey to Bolton and found himself in the mind of Dart, a falcon. The chill of the wind flowed over and under his feathers as he soared above the treetops, angled to the east, and spotted the Gosian River far below. Daniel sent a desire to follow the waterway south and Dart instantly replied with a strong sense of wanting to do that very thing. Riverboats went about their daily routines transporting goods and people while smaller craft cast fishing nets, and soon a covered bridge arching high above the water came into view. Buzzards circled in the air above both entrances.

Dart went into a dive, increasing his speed, vision focused forward, and the world blurred around him as the entrance to the bridge rapidly drew nearer. He flew right under the covering, near the roof, scattering a few buzzards, staying well above the floor, and right over the head of a dark, roughly human-shaped, creature covered with sores. The stench was such that even the raptor felt repulsed. The falcon shot out into the open air and landed on the branch of a sycamore tree, giving Daniel a vivid view of the area.
Thank you Dart,
he sent and the falcon returned a sense of contentment.

Daniel withdrew his awareness from Dart and opened his eyes. Silvia and David were booted, coated, and ready to go, as was Jared in a wide-brimmed brown hat and holding a suitcase. He had also been issued a daggerlance but chose not to carry the miniature crossbow. “Have each of you placed your shield amulets in contact with you skin?” Daniel asked.

Silvia smiled while nodding affirmatively. “Have you cast the shield upon yourself?”

“Seeing as the Condemned has already rotted the skin off some poor soul, I decided a personal shield might be prudent,” Daniel replied. At his estate, in his holding, or in his rented room, he did not feel the need to be shielded. Going out to confront a Condemned was another matter entirely.

He summoned the potential for, Conveyance, pictured the area Dart had shown to him, and thought of each person in the room standing in the shade of the sycamore tree. Darkness enveloped him and three heart beats later they were standing near the Bolton Bridge. He waved up at Dart and the falcon screeched a greeting in return. The east bank entrance had accumulated a rather large population of buzzards and some long-necked vultures. The scene gave Daniel an idea. He concentrated on all of the animals in his swirl who were seeking Condemneds and encouraged them to scout anywhere they see circling buzzards.

“Do you want us to go in there with you?” Silvia asked while fingering the crossbow clipped to her belt, she preferred the newer version with the ability to send a stream of flaming pebbles, and who would not.

Daniel shook his head. “No, just be ready when I bring it out.”

The buzzards scattered when he passed the entrance with the wooden planking creaking and popping beneath his boots. Up the gradual incline he walked amid the carcasses of dead birds, some rotted like the man in the report, and others nothing but feathers and bones. The carrion eaters came in expecting a meal and ended up being one. He cast, Find All, and focused the potential ahead while blinking his eyes, needing both the spell to sense what is up ahead, and to physically see where he was going. The Condemned sat at the apex of the bridge, the darkest area, and its stench caused Daniel’s stomach to heave. He brought his hands up to cover his mouth and nose, a second heave doubled him over and his breakfast and lunch came hurling out. He laughed while straightening up and wiping his mouth, picturing the less than heroic image.

“I am not going to attack you,” he called out on the theory it could understand on some level. Each person he restored had told him of the experience, about being passengers in their own bodies.

The Condemned sprang to its feet, made no other sounds, just stood staring in his direction. Daniel summoned and focused, Sleep Time, at the wretch and it collapsed to the floor and began rolling down the incline toward him. At the last moment he caught it in a cushion of air, bringing it to a sudden stop, and levitated it a pace off the floorboards. He then wasted little time making his way out of the stinking bridge and into the open air with his captive floating behind him.
Festering sores covered the Condemned from head to toe and the hips and ribs were so badly bent it was impossible to guess what the gender of the person had been before all traces had been avulsed from its body.

David came running. “That must have been a man at one time.”

Silvia bent down and examined the Condemned. “Daniel, he is as tall as you.”

The height of the individual was only the second thing Daniel had noticed once he had it out in the sunlight. It had two golden lightning bolts on each shoulder. “This thing was a four-bolt Accomplished. I wonder how many Condemneds running around are Aakacarns,” he commented.

Jared opened his suit case. “I packed silk as well as wool for you to work with, since we had no idea which we would encounter, Aakacarn or non-Aakacarn. I figured the boots and belt you can alter to your liking.”

Daniel nodded, pleased by the thoughtfulness of his Account Keeper. “Excellent thinking, Jared you are a treasure. He is a big one but I can create more silk out of what you brought,” he replied and then eyed the area. “All of you need to draw your weapons and prepare to defend me. Restoring this person is going to require all of my concentration and I’ll be removing the shields from around my hands, since physical contact is required.”