To Be Victorious: The Maestro Chronicles Book 6

by John Buttrick

  Carlos leaned forward with both elbows on the table. “So, once again you and the First Lady will be under the same roof as the leaders of Aakadon. We have to hope they sincerely want to work with us rather than usurp control of the guild.”

  Bella glanced at the bodyguard and then fixed his gaze on Daniel. “The Grand Maestro will not try to usurp control from the Chosen Vessel. You and Terroll will make that deal or the proverbial roof will fall in on the heads of us all.”

  -----

  Daniel stood in the fourth floor master bedroom with one arm around Sherree’s waist. He cast the spell and the duplicate Maestro suddenly appeared on the bed. She cast the same spell and the duplicate First Lady formed and solidified under the covers.

  He kissed the real Sherree, glad to finally be with her. Neither one had a shield on their bodies. The warmth seeping into him from her silks was enjoyable and fed his longing to lie beside her on the bed deep below the mansion. The events of the day still weighed heavily on his mind, as did Bella’s thoughts on the importance of the meeting with Terroll. Battles had been won and some lost, but at the end of the day he was with his wife, and that mattered a lot. She seemed to be feeling every bit of the stress that came with surviving one skirmish after another.

  “Leah is on duty. Unless something truly disastrous occurs, we have the whole night. We both know how the day went so let’s not talk about those things we have both learned from the many reports,” Sherree said, her green eyes lit with desire. “I want to convey to our room, kiss, snuggle, and do whatever else comes to mind before we fall asleep.”

  He took her in his arms while summing the potential for, Conveyance, and then placed his mouth on hers. While they were in the dark space between here and there, Daniel could not feel her lips against his but when they appeared in the room below, he sure did.

  “Maestro,” Ginnie’s voice came into his head through the amulet he had given her. “Six more Zeuthan warships are anchored off the west coast of Serinia.”

  Sherree now, everything else later, Daniel thought and placed the message in one of the many compartments in his mind.

  Chapter Sixteen: Terroll’s Proposal

  Two marks after sunrise Daniel and his entourage appeared on the Benhannon homestead near the top of Mount Tannakonna. A surreal feeling came over him as he stared at the pale blue cottage in which he had been born and raised to adulthood. His former home had blue trim on the windows and doorframes, a chicken coop about a stone’s throw from the back door, and to the right of it was a barn, which was currently occupied by old Cabe. The double doors were open and the horse stood near the front while eating hay. Eighteen hens and a pair of roosters were poking at the ground farther to the right and scampering all over the place were six half-grown puppies.

  Farther up in the woods, near the great pine, would be the cabin he built with the intention of inviting Val Terrance to share with him. They both had been looking forward to the marriage until he cast his first spell and she became frightened of him, more like in terror of him, but that part of his life had become like snowmelt down the mountain, beyond recovery. The cabin belonged to Tim and Gina. Daniel never asked the couple what they did with the log dwelling, left it vacant with the intention of coming back, or gave it away. He did not particularly care one way or the other. The cabin had never been his home.

  With the exception of Simon, this was the first time the people with him, Sherree, Jeremiah, Carlos, Sero, or Chas had seen the place where Daniel had grown up. He doubted any of them were impressed. The marriage custom on Tannakonna required the young man to build a cabin and invite the woman he wanted to marry to go in with him. His father built a cottage, which was pretty fancy by local standards, and invited Miriam Dupiron into the dwelling. No one except possibly the Teki Seers had any notion of what their union would bring into the world, yet it all started with an ancient mountain custom. His father and Lydia Briwood were the only people who had a spouse from far away. Henri, born on Mount Geble, built the Polkat, with the help of Ronn Benhannon, and invited her in.

  From deeper within the barn came Darby Jack with his long knife out and ready to do some serious cutting. Lessa and Charn were at his heels, Stankweed and Matty came running from the back side of the cottage, and the puppies yipped right along with the four adult hounds. “Oh, Daniel, it’s you,” the old trapper called out and then sheathed his knife. “Heard whips crackin and wondered what was goin on. Your Ma and Pa asked me to watch over the place while they went off to visit you. I ain’t seen them for a time, but I’m glad to see you.” He whistled a shrill tone and the hounds stopped their barking, but the puppies continued to yip.

  His tan buckskins were stained, damp, and a pungent odor wafting in the air from his direction indicated he had not grown any fonder of bathing since the last time Daniel caught up with him. The old-timer scratched at his gray whiskers. “I heard you was comin for a big meetin down at the Polkat, but didn’t expect you here.” He eyed the people standing in the yard. “Say, you helped save the village and ain’t you the gal Daniel invited into his cabin?”

  Sherree smiled. “It was a house nearly as big as the Polkat, one of four, but yes, I am the one who went inside with him. Samuel, Jerremy and I did what we could during the Battle of Bashierwood,” she replied and then focused on Daniel. “It was your local boy here who did the heavy lifting, although he hid that from me at the time.” The hood of her cloak was down, revealing her yellow-gold hair. Her emerald green eyes reflected love as she stared up at him while taking hold of his arm.

  Darby nodded and said, “You I know,” while pointing at Simon. “The Benhannon’s went off with you. You weren’t wearing those blue clothes then. Now you are wearing what they all are cept that feller over there.”

  “Yes,” replied the Chief Aid. “We joined up with Daniel. That feller over there is Chas Herling, Commander of the Chosen’s Sentinels, and they wear wool rather than silks. Beside him is Jeremiah Lassiter, Conductor of the Atlantan Guild Defense Department. That fellow next to him is Carlos Tiran, a Three-bolt Accomplished, and standing right over there is Sero Bagget, a Four-bolt Accomplished.”

  “Pleased to meet you all, I’m Darby Jack and these are my hounds.”

  The old-timer went on to give the names of his dogs and each of the puppies, but Daniel continued to stare at the cottage. Sherree drew closer to him. “Do you miss it?”

  “A small part of me does, but this place is no longer my home. I own properties yet what I consider to be home is wherever you are. As long as we are together, it does not matter which property I sleep at,” he replied and wished they were not both shielded so he could hug her and actually feel the embrace.

  “Have the visitors from Aakadon arrived yet?” Simon asked.

  Daniel knew the answer. Find All made him aware of the large contingent of Aakacarns currently occupying the inn. He knew four of the five that were on the first floor. One hundred fifty more were in a camp located a little to the south of the town. He sensed some oddly-shaped wagons amid the ordinary horse-drawn coaches, but nothing to be suspicious over.

  “Yep, they showed up last night from what I heard,” Darby replied. “You cain’t trust them Aakacarns, if you don’t mind my sayin.”

  Somehow in his mind he saw Sherree, and Simon differently than other Aakacarns, but Carlos and Sero took it good-naturedly. “We trust them about as far as you can throw that barn” the bodyguard spoke his agreement with the sentiment.

  “Good,” Darby replied. “Durn flatlanders cain’t be trusted, the pack of them. Daniel, do you need me to come for backup?”

  “Thanks for offering, but I’m sure we can handle them. After all, we are only talking about a couple hundred flatlanders.”

  Darby nodded his head, taking Daniel’s words as final, and likely agreeing about dealing with people who came from the lower elevations, mountaineers considered them soft and untrustworthy, but Daniel learned better in his time away from Tannakonna. He did marry a flat
lander after all and nobody wanted to mess with Sherree, certainly not twice.

  They left the trapper and soon approached what was called the pitch fork. The center trail led straight down through the heart of Bashierwood, past the Polkat Inn, and then wound its way down the mountain. The left prong turned at a slight angle and paralleled the center trail for about three spans, and then turned sharply to the west and on down the slope. The right prong turned east. Three and a half spans down that trail was the Dukane spread. Rod built the house twenty-one or so years back and invited Cindi inside. Their union produced one boy, Tim, and three girls, Tanya, Katie, and Sonia. Daniel led his delegation without mentioning who lived where. It occurred to him that Tanya was old enough to be invited into a cabin.

  He knew his eyes grew wide as they approached the town, but he could not help being surprised at the sight of a stone wall thirty cubits high that hid all the single story buildings and houses. “That’s new. Even Yetis might have some difficulty getting over that,” Daniel said as they walked into Bashierwood through the north gate, guarded by a pair of cavalrymen. Tekel and Mene, a pair of hawks, were to the east near Ducaun’s border with Cenkataar, but the scouts were originally stationed on Tannakonna. Had he asked the hawks to fly back, he would have known about the changes.

  “Didn’t I mention that,” Simon said, knowing full well he had not. “Samuel has Eagle Eyes here and gave me a report last night.”

  “Did it occur to you I would want to know about the change? This is only the place where I grew up,” Daniel asked.

  Simon smiled smugly. “Yes, that is why I am telling you now.”

  Daniel knew the Chief Aid would find a way to get back at him for not mentioning the Zeuthans the instant he became aware of their existence. He chose not to comment, preferring to silently note the changes. The community within had expanded to four times the size it had been when he moved away, it was only three times the last time he visited. Bashierwood still had one street and everything was on one side or the other. A full garrison occupied the area to the east of the town, which was not new, but it had grown larger. The Polkat Inn, five floors high, and about a hundred strides wide, occupied the center of the town and was still the largest building in Bashierwood, but not by much anymore. The barracks housing the garrison came close. Chad Grening’s Stable stood ahead on the right, his son and daughter-in-law currently served on the Wager. Chad’s stables were full of horses. Down near the end of the street was Mister Thatcher’s supply store. The log building spread as far and wide as did the Polkat, although had only one floor. Syd Ducarren’s smithy was a few strides from the store.

  “I barely recognize this as the community where I found the source of the High Power spell,” Sherree commented, while eyeing all the new buildings and houses.

  Half the men in the town were wearing dyed buckskins and the other half were in the green with gold-trimmed uniforms of the Royal Cavalry. Most of the women had on full dresses or blouses with skirts, although a few were clothed in buckskins. Val’s eatery stood down the paved street, which was new, it used to be dirt. She was in a green blouse and skirt with a white apron. In her arms was a baby. And she looked radiant, content with the life she was making. Daniel was glad to see she was not stuck in thoughts of what might have been, and was clearly happy with the course she was on. Val and Sherree locked eyes and he wondered how they would respond to each other. Val lifted the baby in her arms a little higher as if to say, “See what I have,” and Sherree placed her hand on her belly and nodded. At that point both women smiled and Daniel’s attention was suddenly drawn to Simon, who had brought his mouth very close to his Maestro’s ear.

  “Val Polkat is one of Sam’s Eagle Eyes,” the Chief Aid spoke softly so as not to be heard by anyone beyond the two of them.

  She was helping in her own way and Daniel was pleased to hear it. “Val can spot a hummingbird in a patch of flowers from two hundred strides away. She is a good choice to serve as an observer.”

  At that point Hough Bess rushed up to him. The Mayor’s bushy sideburns stopped short of being considered a beard. His light blue-dyed buckskins were clean and unstained. He smiled. “Sir Daniel, it is good to see you again. We in Bashierwood are proud to have you visit.”

  The welcome seemed to be genuine, but it was clear Daniel was considered a visitor and not a member of the community, which was fine, seeing as he no longer considered himself as being one either. “Mayor Bess, it is good seeing you as well. Thank you for agreeing to host the meeting.”

  “The battle with the Yetis put this place on the map. This meeting, I think, will be historic and even more folks will come here.” Hough seemed pleased over the prospect of the town growing larger. It could eventually grow into being classified as a city.

  Orin Netless walked out of the Polkat. His red wool coat and gray breeches were wrinkled and frayed. He stood shorter than half the women and all of the men in the town, and normally possessed an attitude twice as surly, but today he was actually smiling. Kemer Tannent came out behind the old man, whom he equaled in age. Traces of gray streaked his hair and mustache and his buckskins, red-dyed shirt and blue-dyed pants, seemed to have been freshly laundered. Laugh lines near his eyes showed him to be a jovial man. He was also the best shot on the mountain with a bow and probably the reason for Orrin’s good mood.

  Henri came out next with his family. His buckskins were dyed white, well-tailored and unstained. He had gray hair and a face with no whiskers. Linda Polkat, the innkeeper’s young daughter, stood right next to him. She gave Daniel a tentative smile, perhaps remembering the time he healed a cut on her hand. Lydia, the girl’s mother, eyed Daniel and then nodded to Sherree as if to say, “You are taking proper care of him.” Her dark hair hung half way down her back, like that of most women on Tannakonna.

  Chad Grening rushed across the street. His black wavy hair was matted down with perspiration. A thick beard hid most of his round face and his brown-dyed buckskins were soiled with dirt and sweat. “I was hoping my son would be coming with you,” the big man said while wiping his face with a cloth.

  “Tom is with Tim and Gina,” Sherree informed him. “He participated in a battle that has won Ducaun control of the Taltin Sea.”

  Chad grinned. “My boy knows how to get things done.”

  “He certainly does,” Daniel agreed, and then went on to greet the folks in the crowd that were quickly gathering around him, even Orrin.

  Most of them were familiar faces, but a goodly number were not. Many of the young men he had grown up with were missing, one in particular.

  “Todd joined the cavalry and is over to the east serving under General Tallen,” Henri stated proudly, supplying the answer to the question that was about to be asked.

  Val must be running the eatery by herself, Daniel figured. He had no doubt she was fully capable. “Then you may be happy to know he recently helped throw back an army of Zuneans who thought they could overrun our borders.” Anyone with the General would have been in the fight even if Daniel did not see Todd at the time.

  Henri nodded. “I have not heard from him in over a month, but I am not surprised he is at the forefront of the action. He’ll show those foreigners they can’t take Ducaunan land without a fight.”

  Daniel nodded to the innkeeper who not so long ago had been his employer. “They thought to do so, but Todd and a few of his friends disabused them of the notion.” It also did not hurt to dramatize the roll for the sake of goodwill. He was sure Todd fought as hard as everyone else.

  Bernie Keppin, dressed in green-dyed buckskins, stepped out onto the long porch. At seven cubits, the man stood taller than the door and was nearly as wide, making him the biggest mountaineer on Tannakonna. “It’s good to see you, Daniel. Them Accomplisheds from Aakadon are all seated in the dining room,” he spoke in a deep bass voice. “I mean, not all of them, just three Maestros, the Grand Maestro, and a fella with five lightning bolts on his cloak who looked as though he might have swallowed a
rotten plum.”

  A year or two ago the man, and most everyone else in Bashierwood, would have been terrified at the notion of such powerful Aakacarns being anywhere near the town. Times clearly had changed and Bernie’s voice sounded as steady as if he had been speaking of the weather. Sherree stepped onto the porch and tilted her head back in order to look him in the eyes. “It is good to see you again, but as you pointed out, people are waiting for us. I don’t mean to be abrupt and yet, if I do not get my husband inside real soon, we will be standing on this porch for marks while he greets all the folks who want to say hello.”

  Daniel spoke up then, “I am glad to see you Bernie, but my wife is right. There will be time for greeting old friends and meeting new ones after talks with the Accomplisheds of Aakadon have concluded.”

  “Of course there will be time,” Henri said, speaking with volume. “Important matters are to be discussed in my inn. Daniel needs to set these Aakacarns straight and he can’t do that with you all chatting at him. Bernie, step aside. You’re blocking the door.”

  Bernie looked behind him. “Oh, sorry,” he said and then quickly scooted to the right.

  Daniel, Sherree, and his entourage entered while Mayor Bess and the innkeeper sent the well-wishers and onlookers away. The dining room had ten tables with normally eight chairs at each. The delegation from Aakadon was seated at table three, which had ten chairs; all of the other tables were unoccupied. Daniel glance at Sero and Carlos, the pair nodded and then went and sat at table ten.

  The only sound was that of their boots on the hardwood floor as the others walked with their Maestro to table three. Neither Sherree nor Simon showed any concern about being in a meeting with two men who had interrogated them in the past. One of them had used the spell Truth Speak on Simon and yet the Chief Aid only smiled at the Accomplished. Daniel pulled up the hood of his cloak, clearly displaying his seven golden lightning bolts, and then took a seat across from the Grand Maestro.