To Be Victorious: The Maestro Chronicles Book 6

by John Buttrick

  She knew what he had placed himself in the middle of and he could sense her disapproval.

  “Defense teams, seventeen, thirty-four, fifty-seven, and eighty-three, convey to Port Joppa,” Chas Herling’s voice came through the array, sparing Daniel the need to immediately respond to his wife. “Maestro, more teams will be on the way to you. Conductor Lassiter and his raiders are hitting their targets on the coasts and Grand Circles are appearing at the bases that are under attack, so I am sending him assistance. Seeker Benhalow just informed me that the damage he and his fellow Pondhopper pilots and their Sentinel crews have done has drawn the attention of the Serpent Guild, therefore, I am also sending teams to his vicinity. Hopefully, as Vance Cummin learns there is more to this attack than a few raids, he will direct more of his forces away from you.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Sherree responded, having received the same report. The mental link showed her fear for her husband’s life was over riding her feelings of disapproval.

  Daniel knew the Maestro had no choice but to send teleportation circles to the other attack points, but felt Chas was being a little too optimistic. “Acknowledged, Commander,” he sent and then added, “If he truly believes I am alive and here in Port Joppa, we can expect more, not less. The best we can hope for is a lessening in the amount of the forces sent here and for Tarin Conn to stay away. We are not likely to experience the best, which means I am expecting the Dark Maestro to arrive at any moment.”

  A flood of fear flowed ahead of the words, “Daniel, if he does come, convey back to Shantear or anywhere, just get out of there,” Sherree sent. “This is not the time to fight him!” Her mental tone was emphatic.

  Her feelings were not baseless, seeing as fleeing had not occurred to him, even though that particular hornet of thought had been nagging at him. If he confronted the other Champion and won, victory over the rest of his followers would only be a matter of time, yet if Daniel lost, he knew the victory would go to the Serpents, and the people of Atlantan would become the subjects of a man who had no mercy.

  The math was never on his side. A spell-caster possessing forty-nine times the power of a One-bolt should not be able to prevail over a spell-caster possessing nine hundred times the power of a One-bolt, and that calculation was with neither using a crescendo. Daniel’s only edge was in his defensive spell, yet defense could only keep a person alive for a certain amount of time. “I do not mean for this raid to be the pivot point of the war, but cannot guarantee what will happen if my adversary joins this fight.” He knew the answer he gave was not what she wanted to hear. Death could come to him in an instant and he did not want to promise something beyond his control. “I will do what I can to survive so you can scold me in person.”

  “Do that,” she sent. “Don’t worry about me. I have mastered this boat. My feelings about flying in a manta have not carried over to this vessel. Franklin’s creation is fast, conveying from point to point more than makes up for the inability to fly, and I absolutely love piloting Pondhopper One,” there was a pause in her thoughts and then, “Anacondas are coming into range so I am going to be busy for a while. Daniel, stay alive.”

  The last three words were accompanied by a tidal wave of love and he matched it with a sending of his own. “Live and meet me at the bungalow when this is done.”

  The teams Chas had called into action suddenly arrived, bringing the Atlantan Guild’s commitment of forces to a thousand Accomplisheds, and they soon joined in the game of catch-me. Daniel was tempted to join the fray, but held back, not only to give his vat more time to refill, but those of Sero and Carlos. The early start he required of Chas meant his people would have to keep up the pace of the fight for at least a mark longer than the original plan called for.

  He sensed Mantas One and Two sinking Anacondas out on the bay. Spheroids, shot from the launchers, splashed into the waves and exploded, making the waters turbulent, but otherwise doing no damage to the rays. The twenty war-boats that had been patrolling the coast were headed for the Rover, whose port arrow slits were sending lances of light at what remained of the flaming mansion. The fancy home of Van Joppa was collapsing in on itself and the flaming rubble lit up the side of the hill, becoming a beacon to ships in the ocean almost as effectively as the lighthouse.

  The bow and stern guns turned on the Anacondas, sending harpoons of light in the direction of the coming threat.

  Too bad the war-boats were not closer together.

  The long streaks of light speared through the air in bursts that were too quick to count. Jessica must have been focused on the targeting of Van Joppa’s holdings, because the targeting of the oncoming Anacondas was imprecise. Glowing harpoons were mostly flying above or to the sides of the war-boats and only managed to hit one and that vessel exploded.

  Those crews really needed to find a safer way to store their spheroids.

  The barrage hit another boat, which did not blow apart but was punctured so much Daniel knew it would soon sink below the waves. A new volley joined in the attack. Lances of light shot out from the starboard arrow slits. Sheer volume made up for the failures in accuracy, four more Anacondas sank beneath the waves, and another one exploded.

  The Urchin had moved in closer to the port and was launching pebbles of flame into the sails of an Ecoppian carrier, whose marines were at the rails and sending blades of air at the patrol-boat. Burning canvas fell to the deck and as the fire spread the crew quickly became more interest in the life-boats than in fighting or trying to rescue their doomed ship. Clearly they noticed the life-boats were the only vessels in the harbor not on fire or under attack of any kind. Neither were the fishing boats but they were never targeted and had remained in their places at the docks. The assault would have been easier to carry out if the specific targets would stay in place and if every effort was not being made to avoid civilian casualties and the many rowboats full of survivors.

  More than half of the Anacondas that had gone to do battle with the mantas were on the bottom of the bay and Daniel was just beginning to have some positive thoughts when a thunderous blast announced the arrival of seven thousand Serpents. The only positive he could come up with concerning the enemy reinforcements was that Tarin Conn was not among them.

  Chas sent in two thousand more Accomplisheds and the fighting grew fierce, turning a skirmish into what could only be described as a major battle. The flashes and frequent changing of positions made it difficult to target any specific group, which meant sending high powered lightning bolts would be risky, Daniel figured, and so hesitated to strike out, lest he harm one of his own people.

  “It is probably best if you sit this part of the battle out and be on the lookout for Tarin Conn,” Sero suggested.

  “He is right. By now the Serpents know you are alive and here. The diversion is working as planned by the Maestro of the Eagle Guild. There is no reason for you to take any more risks at this point,” Carlos backed the assistant.

  Daniel appreciated their desire to keep him out of danger, as long as they continued to express those desires in the form of suggestions, and so gave each a nod of respect while the symphonic music for Sleep Time played in his head. He summoned the potential and radiated seven bolts of life-force energy at the battle taking place around the hotel. Topaz light brought the equivalent of daylight to the area as it washed over Serpents and Accomplisheds of the Atlantan Guild and then on up and into the fortress. He maintained the spell as the casters who flashed out of their positions finally materialized in other spots within the radius of his conjuration. They too succumbed to the demands of his casting. Personal shields kept most of his Accomplisheds awake; however some of them had been caught in the vulnerable places and dropped to the ground. The effort took so much from him his glands were no longer producing saliva, yet he did not ask his companions for a sip of their water. They had to be just as thirsty as he.

  “Or, you could do something like that,” Sero acknowledged.

  “We have destroyed the Anaconda
s that were coming at us,” Jessica’s voice came through the array. “Maestro, your spell seems to have neutralized everyone in the fortress. Captain Van Kestrel has requested that I convey him and some of his men to the stronghold.”

  Daniel glanced at the structure on the hill. Lances of light had poke many holes in the stone walls, but the ancient holding had held up under the assault. “Granted, take Van Joppa and his family into custody and anybody else you, Lyle, and Zackery believe should be arrested.”

  “Maestro, it will be as you say,” she replied.

  He focused attention on his people who were asleep. Having touched them at various points in the past, he could therefore identify each one, and so willed them to awaken.

  “Waking them is a good idea, Maestro,” Sero told him. “Thousands of Serpents could arrive at any moment. Their leaders are bound to wonder why they suddenly lost contact with the groups here.”

  Daniel nodded his head and coughed a few times before answering, “They are bound to believe I am the reason they lost contact,” and then through the array sent, “Sam, during this brief intermission, it would behoove us to remove our unconscious and injured Accomplisheds to Shantear. Take the war captives from the field along with the cursed people asleep on the second and third lower levels of the Lavistra as well.”

  “It will be as you say, Maestro,” the Conductor replied and soon agents were vanishing along with scores of injured and unconscious people.

  More than four thousand Accomplisheds of the Serpent Guild appeared and were scattered within the city. “People, this fight is about to get nastier,” Daniel spoke out loud and through the array.

  He had been hoping to limit the damage to the harbor, hotel, and Van Joppa’s holdings on the hill, but street fighting in a city where the enemy knew every nook and cranny ruined that hope.

  “Could the Dark Maestro be among the newcomers?” Sero asked, and offered his Maestro a sip from his canteen, which was accepted after a slight hesitation.

  Daniel wiped his mouth and shook his head. The liquid felt good in his mouth and he swished it around before swallowing it. His throat was a little better but the thirst had not been quenched. “No, I have touched more than his life-force, I know his recipe and he has touched me with his spells, we can easily recognize each other. I am not sensing his presence. Besides, Conn’s style is to come in blasting his enemies with all of his might. I am the one who needs to be sneaky and have the support of others.”

  Sero nodded affirmatively; whether that meant he accepted the assurance about the Dark Maestro not being in the crowd or that his Maestro needed the support of others, was not clear, perhaps the gesture was an affirmation of both. He took back the canteen.

  The Accomplisheds of the Atlantan Guild entered the city and the fight went from house to house, inn to inn, and into buildings of every sort, where damage and civilian loss of life were unavoidable. The Serpents did not care who died on the periphery, while Daniel’s people did their best to avoid harming the non-combatants.

  The battling had reached down into the sewers by the time the sun was up and Chas announced, “Aakadon has taken and secured the city of Ecoplis. All Atlantan forces are to withdraw from battle.”

  Ten thousand Serpents appeared on the ground in front of the Lavistra and with them stood the mighty Tarin Conn with a black snake-like crescendo in his hand. “Benhannon, come face me. We can settle this contest today,” he spoke in a spell-enhanced voice that was likely heard a hundred spans away.

  Daniel could not resist the urge to strike at his adversary. He began the symphonic in his mind and as the notes came near to completion, deep darkness overwhelmed him, and he sensed nothing.

  Chapter Twenty-Two: As The Wind Blows

  The next thing Daniel knew, he was standing on a lawn, and facing a lake. Six patrol-boats, the Wager and RiverDancer among them, were in their slips at the dock. A pair of otters was swimming, playing actually, in the water, and birds were chirping their greetings to the new day. White clouds drifted across a pale blue sky and served as a contrast to the storm brewing within him.

  The Symphonic music for Shatter Sphere completed and potential for the spell was ready to be focused in the direction his adversary had been standing. But for the timing Daniel could very well have arrived casting the spell. As it was he had to be glowing like a second sun. The thrill of holding such power was only matched by his anger at being yanked away against his will. It took some quick thinking to refrain from focusing the energy and cease the spell, but it would take a great deal more effort to douse the fury inside him.

  How dare he? Daniel thought and spun around to face Sero.

  The assistant’s eyebrows were raised in surprise, and it was clear he was confused, and had no idea why he was standing on the grounds of the Benhannon Naval Facility.

  “I brought us here,” Carlos admitted, drawing attention.

  Daniel turned and shouted, “I could have ended the war!” The look on his face must have been frightening because the bodyguard took three steps back and was as pale as a snowbank.

  “He did what I told him to do,” a familiar voice came from the bungalow. “And you might well have ended the war by dying. The risk was too great. Commander Herling gave the order to withdraw from battle. At that point the mission was over and even I withdrew.”

  “He nearly died anyway,” Sero mumbled.

  “The last time I checked, I was the Maestro of the Atlantan Guild,” Daniel said while turning to face the First Accomplished and choosing to ignore his assistant.

  How could he possibly win if those under him kept trying to keep him out of danger?

  Leah was standing on the porch. Behind her were his parents, along with Tim, Gina, David, and Silvia, a united front. The Seer stepped forward to stand beside the Five-bolt Accomplished. “You hold that title and are the Chosen Vessel, and certainly your face to face battle with the other Vessel is coming, but not today. This I have seen and so it is,” the Teki boldly stated, taking some of the anger out of him, but not all. Her stance was tense and the rapid blinking of her eyes meant she was scared, yet not allowing that fear to hold back what needed to be said.

  A thunder crack announced the arrival of a dark blue boat with a single contoured housing on the deck and a dome above where the pilot would sit. Mounted on the bow and stern were guns similar to those of a Wager-class patrol-boat, except the Pondhopper was a smaller vessel. Out of the main hatch came Sherree. Her team of Sentinels filed out onto the dock behind her.

  It happened in a blur. She slammed into Daniel so fast it seemed one moment she was a hundred paces away, and the next her arms were wrapped tightly around him. By the time she let go, more of his anger had drained away. He was glad to see her, but that did not erase the concerns over the conduct of his inner circle.

  “Husband, you were supposed to pop into Van Joppa’s home, abduct him and any other important people you could find quickly, and then convey them to Shantear. After which you were to convey back to Port Joppa and hold the Serpent Guild’s attention until Chas called a halt to the operation,” she spoke softly, evidently sensing his irritation. She was no doubt suppressing anger over what her spouse had done after recognizing that the Chosen Vessel was seriously upset and in no mood to be scolded. “We knew the real danger involved would be in Tarin Conn believing the report about you being alive and then coming in person.”

  Which was why they added the conveyance teams, Daniel understood, and even approved of the decision after the fact. Too bad they had not spoken of their concern ahead of time.

  “Yep, I knew that much and overheard the Seer speaking to Leah,” Tim agreed as he stepped off the porch, “and I told them that if the Dark Maestro appeared you would go at him the way you did that lion down past the north ridge of Tannakonna not so many years ago.”

  Ronn and Miriam were nodding their heads in agreement. Daniel still had the scars.

  “So, after consulting our Teki Seer, I ordered Carlos to co
nvey you here the moment Tarin Conn showed up,” Leah continued the explanation.

  Daniel allowed his gaze to fall on each of them before settling on the First Accomplished. “It is not the genuineness of your reasons that are the problem. It is the decisions you all made without informing me.” He spoke softly, only because shouting had hurt his dry throat.

  “Are you denying what Tim said?” Gina demanded and there was no missing the challenge in her eyes as she came and stood beside her husband.

  Daniel glanced at Tim, and then his parents before focusing back on the young woman he had known from childhood. “No, I was about to focus a High Powered spell that would have completely destroyed the Wager if I had not ceased the potential in time, a spell meant for Tarin Conn. If he had arrived unshielded, that spell would have killed him. So, yes, I was going after him with the same determination I had when facing the mountain lion.”

  “Given what the Seer told us, he might have been shielded and you could well have died back there,” Carlos dared to speak, clearly trying to justify his actions.

  Daniel eyed Silvia before responding. “If my Seer had given me her vision before the occurrence instead of after, I would have conveyed us here rather than attempt to fight Tarin Conn, but that was not the case. It seems none of you trust me enough to receive this kind of information and allow me to decide the appropriate course,” he said and then looked to his wife, whom he did owe an explanation. “Yes, I led Sero and Carlos in an attack on a major nest of the Serpents. We, along with Samuel and the teams of Accomplisheds that came in later did a great deal of damage. I don’t know off hand the total amount of destruction, but I know Van Joppa is no longer the leader of the rebels, his mansion is no more, the warships and Anacondas that were in the harbor are history, and upwards of twenty-seven hundred Serpents have been captured or killed.” He knew his people did not have enough time to gather every sleeping Serpent on the field. “The situation changed from what we assumed and so I adapted the plan, which had to be done,” he told her and then spoke to everyone, “I expect the totals from Samuel later on today and reports on the results of all the other raids from the leaders of my guild. The diversion was successful and I believe we lived up to our part, Reese should be thrilled. I expect a list of casualties at the time of the meeting and the people hurt or killed during the raid will be the only part of what happened this morning I will feel sorry about.”