To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) (8 page)

Janna Barroon of the Aloe Guild, a Four-bolt Accomplished, arrived next with Lena Beyers. The chief healer was born in the kingdom of Fon Kay and her wheat-colored hair and blue eyes were a common trait among the people of her homeland. Whereas Lena, a Five-bolt Accomplished, Maestro of the Sun Guild, was Demfilian by birth, and was a compact woman with long white hair. Her eyes were a light iridescent blue, and her complexion so pale the light blue tint of her veins could be seen beneath her skin. One hundred eighty-one years of life made her the oldest Maestro, although she possessed not a single wrinkle, no one in the room did, even though Terroll was the only Maestro under one hundred years of age, which for him was nine years away. Everyone greeted her with respect.

Maestro David Svennar, Four-bolt Accomplished of the Stone Guild, the next person to enter, greeted everyone, and took his seat. His face was grim, his guild suffered the greatest loss at Shantear, only two Accomplisheds, Lucia Trotta and Carmen Frank survived out of the team of twenty Master Artisans.

Talmon Reese, Maestro of the Eagle Guild, deeply tanned, dark of hair and eye, came in moments later along with Efferin Tames. The chief Eagle’s coloring came from being born on the southern coast of Taracopa. He glanced around the room, taking in every detail as though storing the information away for future analysis, which is the way he normally entered a room. More than half of his Eagles at Shantear perished. His face could have been carved from stone and betrayed not an inkling of the emotions that had to be brewing beneath. The seat of the Eagle Guild was at the end of the table and the Five-bolt Accomplished made his way to it after greeting each person in the room.

Efferin Tames, born on the island kingdom of Serinia located off the west coast of the continent, an ancestry giving him light brown skin, dark eyes and high cheek bones, eyed the occupants of the room. His face was just as blank as Talmon’s. The green and scarlet hooded cloak of the Grand Maestro had six golden lightning bolts stitched into the shoulders, three on the right and three on the left, indicating the amount of potential at his command. The hood was down and the front open, revealing neatly trimmed hair, mostly gray, and his black on silver silk shirt and trousers. He wore eight rings, four on each hand; seven bore the emblem of a guild. The eighth and largest of all was the ruby pyramid, representing the office of Grand Maestro.

“I see none of you are surprised by the presence of Maestro Reese,” Efferin began the meeting. “Frankly, I would have thought less of your Accomplisheds assigned to the mission if they had not briefed you on the current events. In the interest of being thorough, I believe we should start with a report from the Maestro who was on the scene.”

All eyes shifted to Talmon. “The Shantear Mission was a success in that Tarin Conn is safely still in his prison with a shield on his Potential,” he began and his eyebrows drew down as if the rest of what he had to say was too grim for even his iron self-control to keep from reflecting on his countenance. “Fifty-six dedicated Accomplisheds of Aakadon lost their lives in the taking of Shantear, eighteen Stones, twelve Eagles, nine Zephyrs, seven of the Sun, six of the Aqua, two Aloes, and two Willows.”

This was not news to any of the Maestros, Terroll knew, yet hearing the death tally again was like tearing open a freshly bandaged wound.

“The fact that you are here rather than at Shantear causes me to wonder about your narrow measurement of success,” David Svennar’s comment drew nods of the head from Lena Beyers and Geran DuSorin. The head of the Stone Guild was a stickler for precise measurements and would naturally not be satisfied with an assessment that was less than accurate.

Efferin’s fingers began drumming a hasty rhythm on the table top. “I agree with the Maestro of the Stone Guild. The standard you set for yourself is somewhat low. Strengthening the spells holding Tarin Conn happened or at least whatever is currently shielding off his potential, but not entirely through your leadership. Instead of enforcing your own warrant and arresting the rogue when he came to your camp, you joined forces, agreed on a battle plan, and gave control of the entire mission to him. After you informed me of this development and were cautioned about trusting the rogue, I ordered you to arrest Daniel Benhannon after the completion of the mission, and yet you are here and he is not. A broader measurement of success would include you in command at Shantear and the rogue and his allies in custody.”

“And there might have been fewer deaths had you done differently,” David unkindly added to the rebuke.

“I awakened in a room along with eighty-three Accomplisheds and forty-seven bodies, all that was left of the one hundred-forty-two Aakacarns I started out with. Of the twelve missing members, nine had been blown out of existence in the battle, Judas Scarott I executed after he snatched the Flute of Della Lain from my hand, proving he was a spy for the Serpents, and Sherree Jenna along with Simon Trenca betrayed their guilds and joined Daniel Benhannon. I had eight Senior Soarers and we were surrounded by hundreds of Benhannon’s spell-casters and more than a thousand of what he calls the Chosen’s Sentinels. His commoners are armed with weapons that launch spells. I was not in a position to arrest anyone, much less the Seven-bolt Accomplished who defeated Balen Tamm. I will add the fact that Benhannon was backed up by more than a few highly skilled former Accomplisheds of Aakadon, Leah Barryn and Jeremiah Lassiter among them, to name a few,” Talmon calmly stated without a trace of shame even after receiving such strong rebukes. It was rather bold to mention two former members of his guild as examples of those who stood against him.

Terroll would not have attempted an arrest under those circumstances and also believed the Grand Maestro was leaving out one important fact. “If Maestro Reese had arrested Daniel without agreeing to join forces, does anyone believe the overall mission would have succeeded?”

Efferin’s fingers froze in place and he fixed his gaze on Terroll. “Why do you think I gave orders for him to be arrested after the assault?” He asked and then gave no time for a response. “The rogue whom you educated to the level of Accomplished has stacked up a respectable number of successes at the expense of the Serpent Guild, as we are all very much aware, and so I knew he would play a major role in this latest battle as well. Do you know the newest estimate on the number of Aakacarns who are now serving your former student in the Atlantan Guild?” He paused for an answer this time.

“Over fifteen hundred is the most recent I have heard. That of course only counts what he allowed our people to see,” Terroll replied without hesitation. All of the other Maestros nodded their heads; they must have received similar reports.

Efferin smiled as if Terroll had just made the point for him. “Yes, the rogue has, by our legal definition, established his own guild and declared himself a Maestro much like Tarin Conn did during the tenure of Della Lain. Your pupil has been focusing on the Serpents because they are the biggest threat to his own rise to power and he dares not directly harm an Accomplished of Aakadon. I am sure he knows we would squash him if he did. Even defeating Balen Tamm and bringing me the baton of Tarin Conn was an act of self-interest that just happened to benefit the rest of us.” the Grand Maestro stated and then looked at Talmon. “You have had Soarers watching the rogue’s estate near Ducanton and should by now his holding in the north. You know better than I that neither of those locations is extensive enough to accommodate the army of Aakacarns and commoners he is assembling. Clearly he needed a larger and more defensible base, and you gave it to him. Why do you think he is gathering so many people?”

It did not escape Terroll’s notice that his and Daniel’s relationship was being emphasized by the Grand Maestro. And now Efferin was bringing everyone’s attention back to the Maestro of the Eagle Guild. Efferin was attempting to manipulate the conversation and spread doubt upon the two Maestros who were currently the focus of his displeasure.

“I disapprove of his lawless behavior and inability to conform to the standards of Aakadon. Even so, I have come to believe that Daniel Benhannon is the Chosen Vessel, the Creator’s Champion to lead in the fight against the champion of evil, Tarin Conn, and his minions. Benhannon gathered people, Aakacarn and non-Aakacarn to help him fight the battles. That being the case, I also gave him the lead because he composed the necessary Symphonics, and it was he more than I who had to be in the Crystal Chamber,” Talmon boldly stated.

“How can you say such a thing?” Efferin demanded. All signs of self-control had vanished from his demeanor. “You and your team were cast from Shantear, treated as trash that needed to be disposed of!” He took a deep breath, calming himself. “I move that the Atlantan Guild be officially declared an illegitimate society and call for an immediate vote on the matter.” It was a quick change in the conversation but not a move that surprised Terroll.

The Grand Maestro could have made a declaration, but a vote of the Maestros would solidify the fact in law, making the Atlantan guild an official enemy of Aakadon. Each Maestro produced a slip of paper. Terroll summoned the potential for, Script, the words, “By our existing laws, the Atlantan Guild is illegitimate,” flashed in his mind, appeared on the slip, and then he levitated the ballot to the bowl placed before the Grand Maestro. The other identical slips soon joined his. Efferin retrieved each one from the bowl and read the results. “It is unanimous, the Atlantan Guild is an illegitimate society,” he stated as if he knew that would be the case and then fixed his gaze on Terroll. “Even you have to admit your former student has broken the law.”

Terroll glanced at the other Maestros and took a deep breath. His relationship with the Grand Maestro had often been on shaky ground where Daniel was concerned, but this was the time to act and not worry over the possible consequences to his career. “I call for a vote of clarification. Is Daniel Benhannon the Creator’s Chosen Vessel?”

Efferin smiled as if Terroll had just boxed himself into a corner. “Are you certain you wish to go forward with this? We know you are proud of the success of your student, but this might be stretching beyond what is prudent.”

“I call for the vote,” Terroll stated firmly. It was time to see if the months of private meetings and careful conversations with his peers have paid off.

Once again each Maestro produced a slip of paper. Terroll summoned the potential for, Script, the words, “Daniel Benhannon is the Creator’s Chosen Vessel,” flashed in his mind, appeared on the slip, and then he levitated the ballot to the bowl placed before the Grand Maestro. The other Maestros did the same. Efferin retrieved each one from the bowl and read the results. His eyebrows arched up and he began blinking rapidly. “Four affirmative and three undecided, explain this,” each word came out as if forced. He no doubt expected the majority to be, “No,” votes, of which he did not get a single one.

“As I stated before, I believe Benhannon is the Chosen Vessel, but I also believe his usefulness is at an end so long as Tarin Conn remains safely shielded,” Talmon was the first to speak and Terroll took careful note of his comment.

Runyen cleared his throat. “I believe Daniel is the Chosen Vessel, based on what Barnabas Galloway reported, and I have absolute faith in the scholar.” It was good to know Cransur had an open mind.

Seeing as it was a blind ballot, each person had to decide whether or not to speak up at this point and Terroll did not hesitate to add his voice for the record. “Daniel Benhannon is the Chosen Vessel.”

Janna Barroon pursed her lips as if determined to keep them shut, but then gave a slight nod of the head. “I agree with the Maestro of the Zephyr Guild.” Based on previous discussions between her and Terroll, her reluctance most likely had nothing to do with Daniel. She was probably still smarting over Scarott, a member of her guild, being a traitor.

“I have not decided, but if he is the Chosen Vessel, I agree with Maestro Reese, Daniel Benhannon’s services are no longer needed so long as Tarin Conn remains shielded,” Maestro DuSorin said without hesitation. That made two powerful Accomplisheds who did not see a future roll for the Chosen Vessel.

“I have not made up mind concerning the Benhannon boy’s status, nor am I yet satisfied that Tarin Conn is no longer a threat,” Lena Beyers spoke in her usual calm manner.

She might be one who could eventually be persuaded to see things my way
, Terroll noted.

“Good point,” David Svennar agreed. “We have only Benhannon’s word that the Dark Maestro is safely shielded, nothing of the sort has been verified.”

Lena focused her eyes on the Grand Maestro. “While I am not sure about the boy’s status, he has proven to be a formidable threat to the Serpent Guild, yet could be dangerous if left to his own devices. In my opinion, he must be brought under the control of Aakadon.”

Persuading her might prove difficult after all,
Terroll admitted to himself, especially since bringing Daniel under control also meant bringing him into custody.

Efferin nodded his acceptance of the vote. “It is clear the majority of the Maestros of Aakadon believes Daniel Benhannon is or could be the Chosen Vessel, I disagree for the record, but I think we all can agree he should be working with Aakadon and not against us, and that he is a rogue Accomplished who has established his own guild.” His position on the matter was never in doubt.

He paused and glanced at the Maestro of the Willow Guild. “Some valid points have been raised by Maestros Beyers and Svennar; we need to verify the facts. I am ordering that no one is to go within twenty spans of Kelgotha until it can be verified that the new shield and whatever else Terroll’s student placed there has thwarted the Dark Maestro’s ability to establish links. I am nearly finished severing the links Conn created to the hundreds of Accomplisheds sent on our last ill-fated attempt to approach the blighted mountain. Maestro Cransur is to send a team to study the desert, if life returns to the barren land then a new assessment will be made concerning whether or not any further attempt to reach Kelgotha should be made. I think we can be sure if Tarin Conn is no longer in his tomb the fact will not be a secret for long.”