To Be Victorious: The Maestro Chronicles Book 6

by John Buttrick

  Sero sent twin blasts of energy at the storage house containing trinitrotoluene. The two spells struck the building, punching through the roof, and it suddenly seemed as if the ground beneath the structure was trembling, going by the way uniformed men were stumbling and falling to the ground and wooden boards split from the walls. The violent jostling did not sit well with the thousands of trini-bombs that filled the building. They exploded, creating a massive crater, and causing the soldiers, who had managed to keep to their feet earlier, to fall down. All those people vanished moments later in the countless iron shards that were flying through the air following the concussive blast, and all of them were swept into a roiling cloud that blacked out half of the installation.

  At the same time, Carlos was lashing the tail around, sending beams of light at the superstructures of the green skyships, most of which were moored to the ground. Every vessel he hit blew apart in bright flames that flash-roasted the men who were attempting to board those ships and get airborne. The fiery blazes reached far up into the sky and were whipped into swirling frenzies by the wind.

  Manta Two-forty-nine, piloted by Royn Tarkin, locked a spell onto one of the barns where the blue sky-cruisers were housed. A twister formed, lifting the roof off, and inside were the new vessels, which were then struck, one, two, three, four, five, by beams coming from the tail of the ray. Flames exploded outward and upward and were just as spectacular as those Carlos was making, except these blew out the walls of the super-sized barn.

  The hundreds of Aakacarns Daniel sensed in the area were out and casting spells at what they perceived to be the origin points of the offending potentials. Since the mantas were traveling faster than the speed of harmonics, the rays were beyond those points, and not a single hostile spell came close to hitting a manta.

  The other rays systematically copied Royn’s tactic, sending twisters and then energy beams at the other barns. The last one was empty when the roof came off. It had to be the structure from which the five sky-cruisers departed.

  “The vessels that would have been in there must still be in Ducaun,” Sero clearly recognized the significance of what they were seeing.

  “That would be my conclusion,” Daniel replied as he watched a score of green skyships rising into the air.

  The tail whipped down, right, left, and forward, sending spells at the vessels. Half of them burst into immense fireballs and then Carlos went to work on the other half. The explosions could not be heard through the shield, but the concussive forces washed though the air and made the ride less stable for all of the mantas, an effect that lasted only a few moments.

  Daniel reached over with his left hand and gripped one of the crescendos Sero had been using. The assistant silently watched without asking why his Maestro had done so. Daniel focused the potential over the entire base, buildings that were burning and the ones yet to be struck. With fourteen bolts of potential, he pictured all of those structures and the people and Aakacarns elsewhere. Conveyance only required one bolt of life-force energy, yet he was focusing many times that. He had never before tried to send anyone or anything or so many massive objects at once, to a different location, and never without being at the center of the spell. Part of him knew he was taking a big risk, but the Aakasear in him needed to see if what he wanted to do could be done.

  Just as Manta One flew directly over the base, the spell completed, and a brilliant flash of light, followed by the thunderous sound of air rushing to fill the huge empty gaps, actually grabbed hold of the manta. The safety straps kept them from being tossed from their seats and even so Carlos grunted and Sero hollered, “My eyes!”

  The suction pulled the ray down half a span and well below the speed of harmonics by the time Daniel was through blinking out the burn on his retinas enough to see. It took him a few moments more to level off and begin regaining altitude, although he chose not to increase the speed. All of the mantas had been affected by his spell and were making the same flight adjustments as he. “Is everybody alright?”

  “I am,” the assistant replied, “now that I have healed my blinded eyes.”

  “I was a little dizzy there for a few moments, but am better now,” the bodyguard called out from the rear.

  “Good,” Daniel responded while Osprey Vision showed him a huge area of exposed soil at the center of which was a crater where the bombs had been stored. The fires, the buildings, the bodies, the wreckage, were all gone as if they had never been there. The only smoke to be seen was drifting above and mingling with the clouds.

  “Maestro, not that I am complaining, but could you warn us before doing something like that again,” Royn sent through the array. He clearly recognized the topaz-blue life-force energy that had powered the spell.

  “If you could do that alone, why did you have us come along?” The inquiry came from Accomplished Rita Jonas, a Two-bolt Accomplisheds of the Department of Communications, assigned to Manta Two-forty-two.

  Daniel found it interesting how his associates believed he had every action all planned out. “I will consider giving a warning in the future. As to why you all are here, this base had to be destroyed and I had no doubt ten rays would complete the chore, and each manta crew did splendidly, but the idea of conveying the entire base to a different location occurred to me only moments before I decided to try it. I would not risk the entire mission just to tryout a new use for a spell. Our chores here were mostly complete and so I figured, why not give my idea a try?”

  “Uh, Maestro, where did you send them?” Elexa Crann, the pilot of Manta Two-forty-seven asked.

  “I sent them to the bottom of the Eastern Ocean. The water at that depth is so heavy anything alive was probably crushed instantly,” Daniel replied, calmly, as if he had not taken a major risk.

  “What would have happened had your experiment failed or not gone as expected?” Carlos asked in a voice full of patience, as if he knew the answer could not be good and did not want to sound as if he was scolding his Maestro.

  “I likely would have gone with them.”

  -----

  Terroll Barnes stood at the podium on the platform in the center of the coliseum. Around him, seated on the first seven rows of bleachers were seven thousand Accomplisheds, one thousand from each guild. Standing beside him were the Maestros of Aakadon.

  “We will rebuild the Emerald Tower,” Maestro David Svennar, Four-bolt Accomplished of the Stone Guild, gave the assurance. At one hundred two years of age, the brown-haired green-eyed former citizen of Pentrosa was one of the youngest Maestros. His thin frame and pale complexion made him seem frail, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The man was the Chief Architect and Builder in the Stone Guild and possessed a drive few could match.

  Runyen, who had recently come from surveying the wreckage, nodded acknowledgement, but was staring at Terroll expectantly. It was the Grand Maestro’s responsibility to respond to the crisis.

  More than six thousands Willows had lost their lives and the entire city was in fear of the next attack. Not long ago Daniel had taught them he could teleport into any place in Aakadon he had been to in the past. His was not the first lesson to be ignored by the city rulers, a group of Serpents teleported into the cells beneath the Eagle Guild and helped Serin Gell escape. Even so, no one truly believed any Serpents would appear in the city as Tarin Conn had done. An attack on the scale the Dark Maestro visited upon the Willow Guild was unthinkable, until it happened.

  The sheet music to a spell that had been in the Grand Maestro’s library was being passed out to the seven thousand performers, each with instrument in hand. The Symphonic Shield had seldom been used. Lena Beyers, Five-bolt Accomplished, and Maestro of the Sun Guild, had actually had a part in performing the piece in the past, although that had been practice, ordered by Grand Maestro Trevor Keen upon rising to the office. Evidently he had decided the city was overdue for a drill in the event of attack. He never got around to ordering another drill and neither had Efferin Tames. To be fair Terroll had t
o admit he never ordered such a concert to take place. The assembly he called for was no drill.

  Lena’s compact frame and pale complexion marked her as Demfilian by birth. She had long white hair and eyes of an iridescent blue. One hundred eighty-one years of life made her the oldest Maestro, although she possessed not a single wrinkle. She stood to Terroll’s right and was to be the first of a long line of conductors of the symphony. The individual parts were easy enough for any master musician to play the notes flawlessly and so he was not concerned about someone playing a wrong note. The recipient and focus of all that life-force energy would be the Conductor, upon who was the responsibility of focusing the potential correctly.

  It seemed to Terroll that the Maestros were studying his performance as the leader of Aakadon. Talmon Reese of the Eagles had been pleased about the meeting in Bashierwood and what had been agreed upon by both sides, yet the look in his dark eyes was definitely judgmental after surveying the fallen tower.

  Geran DuSorin, also a Five-bolt Accomplished, stout with a swarthy complexion, and a bald pate shining in the late morning sun, gave a nod which Terroll supposed was a show of support or possibly an encouragement for the Grand Maestro to get on with the task at hand. The Maestro of the Aqua Guild, born in the southern kingdom of Aczencopa, had light brown eyes and did not look a day over forty, even though his actual age was one hundred twenty-seven. At ninety-one, Terroll was the youngest person on the platform, but was not intimidated by the older and Potential-wise more powerful Accomplisheds.

  Maestro Janna Barroon of the Aloe Guild, a Four-bolt Accomplished, could not manage a smile, not after witnessing the deaths of so many citizens of Aakadon. 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. She was also one whose support Terroll could count on.

  Rondara Kapes was beyond a doubt his greatest supporter. The set of her brown ovoid eyes reflected anticipation. “Grand Maestro, the musicians have received their parts and all is ready.”

  “Maestro Beyers will soon begin the conducting of a symphonic spell that will prevent enemy Accomplisheds from Teleporting into Aakadon,” Terroll’s spell-amplified voice filled the coliseum and carried throughout the entire city. “This concert is to be performed all day and all night, it will go on for as long as the war continues. The dome shield is divided into seven sections. At the discretion of the Conductor, a certain section will open to allow Accomplisheds to go in and out of the city. The raising and lowering of the shield in any area will be random, leaving no pattern for enemy Accomplisheds to take advantage of. Every two hours a new Conductor will step in and fresh musicians will join the concert, taking over for the previous shift. You will make the transition seamlessly and without interruption to the music.”

  Terroll stepped off the podium and turned to face Lena. “Maestro, the concert is yours.”

  She stepped onto the podium and raised her baton. The music began and the stadium was filled with the sounds of woodwind, brass, stringed, and percussion instruments. All those notes in harmony supporting a beautiful melody built up into a crescendo, and as the music grew louder, streams of light flowed from the class two energy amplifiers, colors as vivid and intense as those found in a rainbow were gathered into Lena’s baton and she focused all that energy up into the sky. The multi-colored beam of light reached into the clouds, higher than the highest building in Aakadon, and then from that point, the dome formed until it encased the entire city. Only the docks remained outside the shield’s protection.”

  “People of Aakadon, our city is safe but the world is not. For this reason, we have forged an alliance with the Atlantan Guild. In a few days a Joint Mission Task Force will be formed in which Accomplisheds of Aakadon will train with Accomplisheds of the Atlantan Guild. Through the JMTF we and the associates of the Chosen Vessel will work together in bringing about the defeat of Tarin Conn and his Serpent Guild.”

  Shouts of affirmation came from tens of thousands of listeners who were in the streets of the city and for a brief time drowned out the concert. It had to be the wide range of emotions felt over the past few marks that fueled the outburst, Terroll concluded. He ceased the potential for the public address spell as the Maestro of the Eagle Guild opened his mouth.

  “Announcing the results of our meeting was a good idea,” Talmon said while leaning closer, perhaps to keep his words private. “It gives them hope and the possibility of victory. Everybody knows hiding beneath a shield cannot win a war.”

  “Yes, which is why I did so,” Terroll replied. “Now that the shield is in place, it might be a good time to notify our new ally.”

  The chief eagle glanced up at the multicolored dome. “Especially since your former student has shown a fondness for teleporting into this city announced.”

  Terroll reached into his pocket and removed the amulet with the falcon carrying a lightning bolt within a topaz gem. He placed the stone against his forehead. “Daniel, a Symphonic Shield is over Aakadon. This will keep Tarin Conn and his Accomplisheds from teleporting into the city.”

  A sense of satisfaction along with sadness mixed with anger came ahead of the words, “How are you breathing?”

  That was not the response Terroll expected. “The Willows are experts at photo syntheses. They can produce oxygen from sunlight and carbon dioxide. Is that question going to be your only response to my message?”

  A sense of amusement came ahead of the words, “That was my only question. I managed to grasp from your missive that I would not be able to convey into the city. I can arrive by way of the Hirus and either you will open a place for me or you will have to choose another location for the meeting.”

  “There will be no change of venue,” Terroll was quick to respond. “When the time comes the shield shall be lifted under heavy security. I will inform you of where to enter. The shield will go right back up and you will not be able to teleport out of Aakadon nor will your associates be able to appear within the city. I am making the fact known ahead of time so you do not think the meeting is a trap.”

  A strong sense of alarm came through the mental link, so strong Terroll began to worry his former student would cancel the meeting. “I figured as much,” Daniel replied. “My associates will not be fond of the notion, but I intend to make the alliance between us work.”

  A sense of relief filled Terroll at hearing the words, but the emotions that had come with them seemed not to fit. “I too intend to make our alliance work but Daniel, what alarming problem has arisen to make you feel so uncomfortable?”

  “Sherree just found out I risked my life during a recent strike on an airship base in Pentrosa. Really, just because I try a little spellcasting experiment does not mean everyone should panic. I’m fairly sure my personal shield would have kept me from being crushed to death.”

  Terroll was not sure he wanted to know the details, but the idea of the Creator’s Chosen Vessel dying over a spellcasting experiment frightened him. “I hope she gives you a good scolding. Do me a favor and try not to die before our meeting.”

  “I reckon you will get your wish about the scolding. Given the recent developments on the warfront, all I can say is, I will try to stay alive.”

  “Do that,” Terroll replied and then placed the amulet back into his pocket.

  “You seemed frightened there for a moment,” Talmon observed, not surprisingly.

  Terroll listened to the music playing around him and then addressed the Maestro of the Eagle Guild. “If not for the spell, Ageless, I swear the Chosen Vessel would have sped up my aging without needing to cast a Melody. Some of his impulses are nothing short of reckless.”

  Talmon chuckled, which was rare for him. “Having worked with Daniel Benhannon in the past and not always on the best of terms, I whole heartedly agree with you.”

  Chapter Eighteen: Five Days Later

  “It’s been five days since Daniel Benhannon destroyed our airship base near Los Ryn. He
must pay a price for that,” Tarin Conn told his wife while draining the life-force energies out of two female commoners.

  “Yes, pay severely,” Serena stated with even more vehemence than Tarin was feeling. Project Sky-cruiser was her idea. Only five of her ships survived out of fifty and only because they had not completed their return flight, her desire for retribution was perfectly understandable.

  Tarin released the mummified corpses and they fell at his feet. DuEller levitated the bodies up off the floor and took them out into the rubbish room. The bodies would eventually be turned to dust, since not even the vultures wanted to eat them.

  All he needed to know to get satisfaction was the exact whereabouts of his adversary. Reliable sources indicate Daniel always slept with his wife, but rarely in the same place. “It should be easier for your spies to learn where Benhannon is sleeping now that his holding in northern Ducaun is no more. He is either at his estate in the south or at Shantear.”

  DuEller re-entered the room and Serena waited for the No-bolt to exit into the chamber where the most recent group of sacrifices were being held. Tarin was amused over how the fools still believed they were actually going to be put to work. The First Lady waited a few more moments and then said, “Shantear is too well fortified, so attacking him there would be difficult. Ferren will inform me when Benhannon finally chooses to sleep in his southern mansion; it will be a far easier place to strike at him. The Knight visits the estate often enough but has not been sleeping there the last four nights. Perhaps this will be the evening he and his wife decide to slumber at their home in the south.”

  With anyone else, Tarin would have taken offense at the response. She should not be waiting for answers; she should be seeking and demanding them from her underlings. “Your spy in Ducanton hides under the spell, Unnoticeable, when he should be more aggressive in gaining the knowledge I seek.”