New flesh appeared as his hands caressed the damaged tissues. Ignoring the results of his healing was proving difficult. What kept him focused was seeing the horrible burns on the rest of her body and the sickly smell of burnt flesh permeating the kitchen area.
He rubbed her abdominal region and worked his way to her right and then left side. He bit his lip and healed her groin and hips and then levitated and turned her using a cushion of air and lowered her gently to the soft fluffy mat. The little skin that had not been seared away was blistered and oozing. He placed both palms on her back and healed from shoulders to buttocks. He restored the flesh of her legs and a few agonizing moments later the healing was complete and he removed the sleep spell.
Gina rolled over and sat up as if she had never been hurt, although it must have taken a great deal of strength. Most of the energy for the spell came from him but it was her body forced to produce new skin at an unnatural rate. Healing takes a toll from both physician and patient. For that matter, no spell can create something from nothing. The caster summons potential to affect the basic elements that already exist. She had to be close to exhaustion, but the woman possessed a will that would make a mule seem pliant and at times it served her well. Her lips formed into a familiar smile, the kind she had for him before his Aakacarn abilities were made known. She wrapped her arms around him and gave a quick hug and a non-passionate kiss on the mouth.
Daniel felt his cheeks get hot, she was not dressed. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth but nothing came out. He grabbed a sheet off the counter and wrapped it around her. “You’re welcome,” he managed to get out.
Gina squeezed his hand. “Thanks,” she said, and then headed for the back door, probably to go home and put on buckskins.
He drank another large glass of water and went back to work. People were in pain and he did not want them enduring it any longer than necessary. Each case tugged at his heart, being people he knew quite well. Even in the face of several suggestions from his mother to rest, he did not stop until the remaining five men, three woman, four girls, and three boys were healed. Young Jordan, being the last person healed, smiled and stared up at Daniel in wonder. The boy’s natural exuberance seemed to over power the normally exhausting affects of the healing and he ran out of the kitchen wrapped in a towel, shouting about how he had been healed.
Daniel was tired and thirsty and wanted to sleep, yet did not dare give in to that impulse. On his mental list of things to do, facing the Dark Maestro was not even on the page.
“You did well,” his mother said, and he detected a trace of pride in her voice. “They wouldn’t have survived,” she added, while handing him a tankard full of water.
Seeing no chairs, he hopped onto the counter and made himself comfortable. “Thanks, I just wish something could have been done to ease their pain,” he said, blaming himself for not being able to heal them faster. Touching the grotesque wounds had not been pleasant but he considered the discomfort nothing compared to the agony his friends endured. He took a sip of water and a stared at the floor.
Samuel and Sherree entered the kitchen droopy-eyed and walking as if half drunk. Miriam poured each a glass of water and smiled as they gratefully accepted, and then leaned against the counter.
The Teki brushed back his thick hair with one stroke of his hand and suddenly had the look of a fox about to raid a hen house. The Talented obviously did not come in just to take a break, something was on his mind. Having to be on guard around these people was beginning to wear thin. Where to go had already been agreed upon, what more did they want? “General Tallen insists on escorting us to Aakadon,” Samuel stated, as if making casual conversation.
“He sent a message about you to Queen Cleona by carrier pigeon,” Sherree added, and then extended her hand.
Daniel figured she either wanted to smack him or help him relax artificially. He hesitated, trying to decide which, but then leaned forward and allowed her to touch his forehead. The amber glow surrounded her and focused where she made contact. He was filled with the sensation of having slept for a candle mark, which helped, although was not like getting a full six or seven marks, something he really needed. “Thanks,” he said, and then leaned back against the wall.
The hawk to mouse look appeared in Sherree’s eyes, making him feel uncomfortable. “You’re welcome,” she replied, pursing her lips as if waiting to answer a question he had not yet asked.
He glanced at his mother, who stood quietly with no apparent intention of interrupting. She would not interfere in Aakacarn affairs, not even for her own son. He decided to take the bait, spring the trap, and ask the question. A mouse has a better chance with a fox than with a hawk, he thought wryly. “What did the message say?” he asked the Teki.
Samuel had a twinkle in his eye. “That Talenteds sent from Aakadon have found a Potential, they are extremely rare in Ducaun.”
Sherree looked sideways at the Teki and frowned, perhaps annoyed at being beaten to the answer. She glared at him, and then looked away as if he was not there, which definitely took the twinkle out of his eye. “The General thinks you are the most promising Potential ever to be discovered,” she said, in a tone indicating she agreed with the assessment. “You are highly skilled at healing and, of course, saved his life.”
These two Aakacarns were as obvious as a pair of goats in a sheep pen. Daniel hopped from the counter, glancing back and forth between the Talenteds. “You don’t need an army to make sure I go to Aakadon. My word has been given on the matter and that should be enough. I want rid of Tarin Conn and I know the Maestros are my only chance,” he said, knowing the Talenteds and Ducaunan Cavalry combined could not make him enter the Aakacarn city against his will and it was galling to think they would try. He refused to let them questioning his word bother him. There was nothing to be gained by arguing the point since he did agree to go.
“No, you have it wrong,” Samuel insisted with both eyebrows raised. “It is to be an honor guard.”
Daniel sipped from his tankard, not expecting such a thing. He still did not see the need. “I don’t want an honor guard, but if they want to travel with us, I don’t mind the company.”
“When will you be back?” his mother asked, breaking her silence. It would appear motherly concern was alive and well.
He knew she would not like the answer. To leave home was a decision he had made after the first yetis attacked under the command of Cenni Quen and nothing had changed. “It won’t be soon and coming back to live is out of the question, Tannakonna has suffered enough on account of my spell casting,” he told her, looking into her teary eyes and seeing hurt. “I’ll be back to visit, hopefully after my business with Tarin Conn is over with. Maybe when I am free of him, Balen Tamm and Serin Gell will leave me alone.”
“Make it soon,” she replied, soft as a whisper, and then hugged him like she would never let him go.
“I believe there are people waiting to be healed in the dining room,” Samuel interrupted, while wiping his eyes and heading for the door. The fellow had a heart and it would seem the shrewd look he wore earlier was only to hide what he thought would be news taken as a pleasant surprise.
Sherree stood smiling, not speaking, as if interrupting a mother embracing her son was beyond her. She waited and then said, “We are leaving tomorrow,” after the hugging ended and then added, “You will need to pack your belongings.”
Daniel gestured with both arms open. “I have a horse and saddle, two canteens, a guitarn, and what you see here,” he replied. He had given everything else to his best friend.
“That’s what I thought,” Sherree said, with a twinkle in her eye and the look of a cat about to swallow a guppy. “How did you surprise the Accomplished of the Serpent Guild?” she asked. “They conjured a fireball and threw it at the village and I hear plenty of talk about gushing fountains and tornados. Were those from you or them? What did you do?”
He always knew she was the most dangerous of the three. At least she h
ad not seen much and seemed to be relying mostly on second hand information. He certainly had no intention of confirming her suspicions. Terroll had warned him about revealing his six bolts to anyone and this conversation was taking a close trail to that subject. He would give her an answer, however obscure. “I fought and worried, and then fought and worried until the fighting ended,” he said, and tried to ignore the askance look she gave him in return. The expression was quite attractive on her and he did the best he could not to smile.
Her emerald eyes seemed to sparkle with delight. “How many yetis did you kill?” she asked, as if certain the question would force a more precise answer.
In truth, he did not know the answer, he had given up counting somewhere in the thousands. “Every single one that I could,” he replied, and then glanced at the floor before she could respond. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk on the way. Right now, I’m ready to heal more people.”
Sherree did not get angry; rather she smiled as if the answer was exactly what she expected to get from him. A mischievous glint appeared in those emerald eyes and she lowered the hood of her white silk cloak, allowing luxuriant waves of yellow-gold hair to fall freely about her head and shoulders. She went to the door and whirled around, hair shimmering in the firelight, facing him. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked, and then slipped out into the dining area.
He certainly had not expected that from her. He shook his head and walked out of the kitchen wondering why his mother was smiling at him. His life was complicated enough without trying to figure out those two women. He put the incident out of his mind, concentrating instead on taking care of the injured. Samuel and Jerremy seemed to be doing that very thing at table five. Two lines had formed and both Talenteds glowed with potential. Sherree, her hood back in place, had taken a seat at table one. Ten people lined up in front of her exposing their wounds. Fifteen pairs of eyes suddenly focused on Daniel, all belonging to wounded men in green and gold uniforms. He sat down at table seven and gestured for them to approach.
“Will you heal me?” asked a dark haired soldier who could not be older than sixteen, holding out an arm that was bent and broken in three places.
“Certainly,” Daniel replied, and then straightened the arm and cast a spell to knit the bone back together.
The soldier saluted him and then walked away while rubbing his arm as if he could not quite believe it had been healed. Daniel focused on the growing line of injured persons, which now included some Tannakonna residents, and he was determined not to take another break until he had healed them all.
A huge victory celebration followed the next morning. Every man and boy in Bashierwood shook his hand and every woman and girl hugged him. They even hugged the Talenteds. People were glad to be alive and so was Daniel. He did not know the full ramifications of his first spell but he felt better and was ready to deal with them and willing to admit he needed some help. It would take time to cope with all the changes in his life but he would manage them as he always did his tasks, set the priorities and arrange the chores accordingly. He would take back control of his life, beginning in Aakadon.
The End
The Maestro Chronicles: Book Two
To Challenge a Maestro
Daniel Benhannon, a young mountaineer, recently raised to six-bolt Accomplished, wants to be left alone to live out his life as he chooses. The casting of his first spell has placed him square in the middle of an ancient battle between the seven Guilds of Aakadon, led by Grand Maestro, Efferin Tames, and the Serpent Guild, led by Maestro Balen Tamm. To accomplish his goal, Daniel must break his link to the mind of the evil Tarin Conn, the Dark Maestro, imprisoned beneath Mount Kelgotha. To break the link, he must go to Aakadon, keep secret his standing as a six-bolt Accomplished, a potential equaling that of the Grand Maestro, out maneuver Efferin Tames, Balen Tamm, and Tarin Conn, three of the most powerful Accomplished in history, and show them what a Ducaunan backwoodsman can really do after he sets his priorities and arranges his chores accordingly.
To Cast the First Spell Page 27