To Be Victorious: The Maestro Chronicles Book 6

by John Buttrick

  “Here, use these,” the Chief Aid said while handing over two small silk bags of seeds.

  Daniel placed the items in one of the empty pockets within his cloak. “Thanks, I will put them to good use. Silvia, have I made the right choice?”

  The Seer bit her lip again, he was beginning to dread seeing that sign from her. “You have made the choice, the ripples will spread from this point on, but I cannot say whether or not this decision is the correct one.”

  He expected no better answer, but had hoped for one. “Don’t fret,” he told her, knowing full well she was going to anyway. “This will not be the first time I have confronted a legion of yetis or armies made up of huge numbers of non-Aakacarns backed by Accomplisheds. We will win this battle and worry about the next one when it comes.”

  Jared handed him the array. “Sir Daniel, this might come in useful.”

  Daniel placed the communication device on his head and then pulled up his hood.

  Bonny Tell, a young woman with a peaches blended in cream complexion, appeared on the stage with the sound of a whip-crack. The One-bolt Accomplished had long tresses of sand-colored hair that flowed forward and down from her hooded-cloak and she held a sapphire baton in her hand. “Maestro, Conductor Cresh sent me to provide a conveyance point.”

  He nodded acknowledgement but part of Daniel’s mind was on the Sasquatches that were nearing the hills east of the city. Little Sheila, Louda’s infant, fathered by Buraker, was with the tribe, which had grown to several hundred. The toddler was already three cubits tall and had the skills of a Teki acrobat. Running beside her was Choaker, a male fathered by Terroar. Shereeka, with a white stripe beginning above her brow and extending over and down to slightly above her tailbone, was the male’s mother and foster-mother of Sheila, whose mother was killed by David and Silvia in the Swamps of Append in southern Ducaun.

  Through the eyes of the young female, Daniel took quick glances at the other Sasquatches. Turremble had slightly lighter fur than did the others and so was easy to pick out of the crowd. Quaker, running beside him, was missing one eye, and Kerrash, crashing through the thick foliage, had one thumb. Buraker, who had taken to swinging from tree to tree, had pitch black fur and was lanky rather than bulky. Gurrumble and Gerowel led the huge pack. The Sasquatches had no problem navigating through thick forest at night.

  Daniel/alpha, Sheila’s thought came to him with a feeling of pleasure mixed with the kind of excitement a young daughter might show to a father that had recently arrived back home. His was the face she had seen upon opening her eyes for the first time. He had cut her out of Louda’s dead body.

  I see you are growing up big and strong, Daniel sent to her while conveying a sense of approval.

  Pleasure flowed back through the link and Sheila took a flying leap and caught hold of a tree branch. She swung up and soon was swinging from limb to limb like Buraker was doing. Far ahead, poppa Sasquatch paused in a tree and glanced back. When Sheila was eight trees away from him, he swung onto the next tree and continued toward a glow, which had to be coming from the area around the city.

  Only a few moments had passed since Bonny’s arrival. Daniel opened his shirt and tucked the Mimic amulet down and against his chest, activating the spell. The young Accomplished blinked, glanced at Simon, and then back at her guild leader. “I know it is you, Maestro, not just because I witnessed the change, but because you are standing right in front of me and I can sense your presence. I don’t think I could if you and Accomplished Trenca were standing single file or farther away.” She was also one of the thousands of Aakacarns he had restored from Condemnation.

  Captain Bower and Roder Keenan eyed Daniel and the Chief Aid. “You two look exactly alike,” the Lieutenant said. “Identical twins,” Marcus added his view.

  Daniel nodded acknowledgement of all three comments. “Sero made a good suggestion. Now, the Sasquatches, several hundred of them, will be in the hills to the east of Bolover within a quarter of a mark. They are going to attack the support units. Leah is going to lead the primary attack on the Serpents, Marcus is going to lead half of the guardsmen against the Fon Kayan command staff and Roder is going to lead the other half against the Battencayan command staff.”

  Leah nodded approvingly, that was the plan he and the First Accomplished had come up with. “Just as we are increasing the forces defending the city, it is highly likely the Serpent Guild is going to increase theirs. Accomplisheds; convey to your assigned locations,” she ordered.

  Half of the Benhannon Guard vanished in a thunderclap along with Marcus Bower. Moments later the other half vanished along with Roder Keenan.

  Leah fixed her dark eyes on the ISIG agent. “Accomplished Tell, convey the Maestro, his assistant, his bodyguard, and his Teki escorts to wall.”

  “It will be as you say,” Bonny replied.

  In the time it would take to scratch an ear, Daniel found himself on a huge wall, forty cubits high and ten thick with crenellations tall enough to duck his head behind. Spheres floating in the night sky illumined the city and the surrounding land, which was filled with yetis. The Fon Kayan forces were northwest of the city and the Battencayan forces were to the southwest. Already the Benhannon Guard was attacking them from the rear, each half battling toward the lightly defended command staff. Both enemy Generals had their forces arrayed for an assault on the city. They had not left themselves defenseless, yet clearly did not expect the amount of soldiers Daniel had ordered into the fray.

  The Ducaunan legion was manning the walls and using deathsticks to kill the yetis that were running and screaming across the uneven terrain that surrounded the city. At one time that outer area had buildings, mostly of wood, but currently the fields were full of splintered planks and rubble. The leather-faced brutes did not seem to be slowed down much by the ground clutter.

  Daniel almost felt sorry for the beasts that were being forced to run at the walls. Such a tactic likely would have worked back when the defenders only had arrows, spears, and swords to use when under siege, but spell-powered weapons made the move obsolete.

  The Yetis and non-Aakacarn combatants were mostly a distraction. It was the two hundred enemy Accomplisheds casting spells at the city who were the real danger. Daniel was not surprised another Grand Circle had arrived. Samuel and his agents were battling them spell for spell. Leah and her two hundred Accomplisheds jumped right into the fight.

  Twenty paces to his left stood General Conner, a clean shaven man of medium build. He had a pair of gold stars on the collar of his light green shirt and four golden hawks on the shoulders of his jacket. The royal hawk in flight was engraved in gold on his green lacquered helmet. “Accomplished Trenca,” the General called out and then walked the short distance. “I received a report about Tarin Conn personally attacking the Benhannon Estate. I hope Sir Daniel and Lady Sherree are well.”

  Bonny pointed at Daniel and the moment her mouth opened, he raised his hand and her jaw snapped shut. “The estate was attacked by the Dark Maestro and people died. For now, that is all the information being published,” he replied while watching men on the walls sending death beams at the yetis.

  One hundred violet beams of light struck an equal amount of yetis, which dropped dead so suddenly the ones behind them tripped over the corpses. The color of the potential was that of the Accomplished in Design and Development, Jerremy DeSuan, who created the original deathsticks. Thousands of the white shaggy beasts were dead on the field and more dying by the moment. Find All showed the beams of light striking out from every section of wall spanning the city.

  He focused back on the General. “First Accomplished, Leah Barryn, is out there and engaging the Serpents. She and Conductor Cresh will deal with them while I and my team handle the yetis.”

  Conner glanced at the screaming hordes. “The deathsticks provided to my men by your guild are doing an effective job on the yetis.”

  A solidified blade of air sliced a chunk out of the nearest crenellation. Thousands of
the blades were flying through the air from the Fon Kayan and Battencayan forces. “Those are what are buggering us. The legions do not charge, they sit back and launch invisible blades,” invisible to non-Aakacarn eyes, “those things are killing my men and chipping away at the walls. The sun-blighted things cut through stone almost as easily as through flesh and bone. The only warning before they strike is the sound of a sword slashing in the wind,” Conner said as he ducked his head and a slice of stone flew by his cheek. “It is clear Sir Daniel has sent his personal guard and most powerful Accomplisheds out to deal with them and has given a pair to you,” Conner added with a casual wave toward Sero and Carlos. “Clearly the Royal Knight is confident his aid can handle the yetis.”

  “Watch,” Daniel said in Simon’s voice.

  Sheila had not been allowed to participate, so she had climbed the highest tree on the hill and was in a good position to provide a view of everything that was happening. Through her eyes Daniel could see all the fighting, including the Sasquatches tearing apart wagons and attacking the support staff. Since the enemy soldiers were hunkered down closer to the walls of Bolover and launching blades of air from their cutlasses, the horses had been left in picket lines near the supplies. The stallions and mares were terrified by the huge shaggy beasts and running wild. All it took to achieve a stampede was some roars and slaps on the rump to get them going. The Sasquatches did not harm the horses, but more than a few men were being trampled under hooves.

  Kerrash tackled three soldiers at once, knocking them backwards onto the ground and then proceeded to beat them into unconsciousness. Gurrumble, the huge alpha male, grabbed a soldier and threw him into a tree so hard the thick branch shook. The man dropped back to the ground and did not move.

  A fellow with a sword stabbed Quaker in the arm, slicing into the right bicep, and driving the point all the way through and out. The one-eyed Sasquatch reached around with his left hand and yanked the soldier’s sword-wielding arm off, which also pulled the blade free. He tossed the appendage and sword off to the left. His attacker’s attention was on the blood squirting from the shoulder where his arm used to be. Quaker back-handed him to the ground and ran toward a supply wagon.

  Lanky Buraker swung out of a tree and landed feet first on a soldier, driving that man flat to the ground. The pitch-black Sasquatch then took a flying leap and smashed into a group of eight men who were attacking Turremble. With the assailants on the ground, both towering Sasquatches began pounding on the men. Flashes and loud bangs drew Sheila’s attention elsewhere.

  The men in the rear area were using swords, knives, and spears. The spell-powered weapons were in the hands of the men stationed at the front. The support personnel were not particularly skilled in the use of their weapons and were not faring well against the towering Sasquatches that were quicker, more agile, and had much longer arms.

  Fire balls and bright beams of light, powerful enough to be seen by the eyes of any living creature, burst across the battlefield. Aakacarns were throwing spells at Aakacarns and the results were brutal. Accomplisheds in blue silks were battling Accomplisheds in black. Benhannon Guardsmen, on foot, were using their flaming crossbows and daggerlances against the invaders, who were shooting back with their blades of solidified air.

  For whatever reason, Tarin Conn did not provide his non-Aakacarns with any type of spell-powered shielding devices, and that was what made the difference. Blades of air, launched from cutlasses, flew at the men and women in blue wool, ripping into uniforms, and hurting some of the Benhannon Guards, but those rips and wounds were small in number compared to the lances of light that were punching holes in the Battencayans and Fon Kayans.

  Sheila’s eyes could not see the life-force energy being used in the form of lances and blades, but she could see perforated bodies falling to the ground with blood leaking from the terrible wounds. The neat ranks of men that had been focused on the city were suddenly in chaos as they turned to face the threat from behind. In both foreign battle groups the officers did their best to restore a semblance of order among their troops and attack the new threat. Bolover itself was no longer under attack, which was according to plan. It was too soon to rejoice over one part going well, the battle was far from over, and things had the potential to go wrong without warning and with sudden and deadly consequences.

  Unlike some of the spells, the scary fires were well within the young Sasquatch’s ability to see, and Daniel could feel her fear as she clung tighter to the tree. The recipients reorganized and even so had no defense against the flaming streams of pebbles that set uniforms on fire and burned into flesh. Many of those burning men fell against trunks, setting trees afire, and starting conflagrations that quickly spread up into the swaying branches of neighboring trees. Sheila coughed and her eyes burned as the wind carried the smoke in her direction.

  Daniel, aware of the General’s eyes on him, and not caring if the man would be impressed or not, summoned the potential and cast Sleep Time in a broad focus that took in every yeti in sight. Thousands of the shaggy beasts fell to the ground. He then raised his hands and beams of light flew from his fingers and thumbs. The mental links formed and ten yetis had become part of his swirl. I am Daniel. You will leave the field. Go home and avoid humans.

  He allowed those to awaken and then went to work on the next batch while the first group headed into the woods. Sero, Carlos, and Bonny were following his example. ISIG teams on the other three walls began putting yetis to sleep and also creating mental links. Thousands of the shaggy white beasts were dead and their corpses were scattered throughout the fields surrounding the city, all struck down as the fodder they were intended to be by the Serpent Guild. Daniel decided not all of the hairy bipeds had to die.

  “Cease firing,” General Conner commanded. “Well done Accomplished. The yetis have been dealt with and the Benhannon Guard has drawn the full attention of our attackers.”

  Trumpets sounded and within minutes no one on the walls was sending death beams. Bright flashes and explosions of fire came from the surrounding hills, the visual effects of two furious battles. The Aakacarns tore into each other with vicious spells and the non-Aakacarns did the same to each other, using spell-powered weapons.

  “Yes,” Daniel replied. “Even though the Benhannon Guard is outnumbered, their defenses are superior and of course there are two hundred Aakacarns backing the squads up. Unless the Serpents bring in more of their allies, that part of the battle will soon end.”

  The white ones are leaving the hunting ground, Gurrumble, the huge alpha male of the tribe spoke in Daniel’s mind. Through the eyes of the Sasquatch he could see streams of yetis walking through the woods and making their way to the north. The huge male was standing in the middle of wreckage; broken wagons, dead and wounded soldiers, and ruined supplies. The Battencayan and Fon Kayan forces no longer had support.

  The Sasquatches considered the yetis linked to Daniel as being kin, the kind who had overstayed their welcome, and would be better loved from afar. Not even he could make the two groups fond of each other. He was not sure what the Sasquatches thought of the yetis linked to Bonny or the other Accomplisheds. None of them fought so he had to be content with that as an answer.

  Gurrumble and the tribe have done well; Daniel sent his thoughts to the male.

  A flood of emotions, mostly satisfaction, flowed into Daniel from hundreds of Sasquatches, even the youngsters.

  The mental links were not his only source of information. Through Find All, he sensed Lieutenant Keenan and his army fighting through to the Battencayan officers. Andrew, Jaffy, and Slimmian were right alongside him, sending lances of light at anyone who got in their way. While they cleared the path of enemy soldiers, the big man went right for the General. A blade of air shot from the officer’s cutlass, but Roder charged forward with his left arm up in the guard position. The blade, which would be invisible to him, ripped his sleeve, was deflected to the left, and sliced into Andrew’s boot, causing him trip. He removed the i
mpediment and regained his footing at the moment Keenan’s right hand connected with the commanding officer’s jaw.

  The General fell to the ground, stunned by the blow, which must have been Roder’s intention; otherwise the man would be unconscious or dead. When the enemy officer stood back up, he was surrounded by Benhannon Guardsmen and surrendered his sword to the Lieutenant. The trumpeters sounded retreat and the signal began to spread. Their kingdom had been conquered by Fon Kay and it was unlikely their hearts had ever been in the war. Consequently, it was not unusual to see them surrender rather than fight to the last.

  From the hills came a single name from hundreds of beastly throats. “Daniel!”

  “The beasts are calling for the Knight,” Conner said with his eyes wide and reflecting astonishment.

  “He is the Chosen Vessel,” Silvia proclaimed as if someone standing by might not have heard the news before.

  While everyone was looking to the Seer, David pointed out over the wall. “The Battencayans are retreating.”

  Half a mark later, through Find All, Daniel sensed Marcus and a ring of Guardsmen surrounding the Fon Kayan General and his staff. The enemy officer handed his sword to the Captain of the Benhannon Guard. Half the battle would soon be over when the order to retreat reached the front lines, but the spells were still ripping apart the landscape as two more Grand Circles appeared and the fighting between Aakacarns intensified.

  Daniel sensed Leah battling a group of thirteen Two-bolt Aakacarns. They were performing in concert with one thin spell-caster conducting the combined energies. All together they were wielding far more potential than she, but Daniel was confident the first Accomplished to officially join his cause could handle them. A thunderclap rippled across the field and announced the arrival of yet another Grand Circle. Sheila was still in the tree so Daniel used her eyes to get a closer look at the new arrival.