To Be Victorious: The Maestro Chronicles Book 6

by John Buttrick

  “She is the heir. Aakacarns must go to Aakadon. This is a disaster,” Collin shouted. “Your spellcasting has ruined our daughter.”

  “Col, keep your voice down. People may hear you. I commanded him to protect her from the Lethal Growths and this is a result we must bear,” Cleona quickly calmed her husband. She eyed the blue silks her knight was wearing and then spoke. “Where you are concerned, the word, impossible, only means you have not done it yet. In this case Collin is correct about one thing. When news of this reaches Aakadon, the Accomplisheds will come for her.”

  Her eyes were flashing and although she had accepted partial responsibility for what happened, she was clearly upset and making an effort to reign in her temper. She also must have realized he had no time to change his attire otherwise she would have made some remark about his being out of uniform.

  “No one but us, and maybe Scarlet, needs to know,” Daniel suggested, and gave Jillian to her mother. “Aakadon is no longer the only option and the Atlantan Guild does not force people to join.”

  While the Queen was hugging the princess, resolve settled into her facial features. “I will limit Jillian’s contact with Bella. He is here at the palace, but it should be possible to hide this from him. I was proud to sponsor you during your brief stay in Aakadon, but surrendering my daughter, the heir to the throne of Ducaun, is quite something else,” Cleona made clear.

  Daniel nodded his head. “I agree and will add, if we do not teach or expose her to Melodies, Jillian will not be able to cast any spells, and unless it is taken from her prematurely, she will have a long and healthy life.”

  “Scarlet is an Aakacarn and so are many of the people who are guarding me and my family,” Collin pointed out. “Jillian will inevitably be exposed to spell-casting.”

  “Accomplisheds of the Atlantan Guild cast their spells mentally and use batons for amplification while outside of our facilities. Daniel instituted the rule for security reasons to keep non-members from learning our spells,” Sherree explained.

  “Are you saying she could cast whatever spell she heard played on an instrument?” Cleona inquired.

  “If she turns out to be a prodigy her talent could cause her to learn swiftly. My family and I were in the palace visiting Queen Clarees. My mother had just gotten over a long illness and was still weak from the ordeal. She fainted and Clarees called for Hanja Toweran, the Accomplished to New Oben. He performed the spell, Rejuvenation, audibly and revived my mother, but I had been following the notes so closely that I summoned the spell and the energy radiated out of me and gave everyone in the throne room a boost of energy. That was when and how my Potential was discovered. Shortly after that I was sent to Aakadon,” Sherree told the Queen and took hold of Daniel’s hand. “According to my husband’s mother, her boy had the talent of instantly learning melodies long before he cast his first spell.”

  Cleona wrapped Jillian in a blanket, leaving her face exposed. “Collin, it is possible our daughter is going to be a musical prodigy like Sir Daniel and Lady Sherree. Ducalin’s are not known for such ability. Does anyone on the Tirana side have talent?”

  The Prince, deep in contemplation, scratched the whiskers on his chin, and then snapped his fingers. “Cousin Julia sings beautifully and plays the harp. I will ask her to come and give our Jillian lessons, that way no one would be suspicious of why she has so much talent.”

  Cleona smiled at her husband. “That is an excellent idea. Our daughter’s Aakacarn nature will be kept secret, even from her.”

  Daniel hoped the notion worked out as the Queen desired, but knew from experience keeping the ability to cast spells a secret did not always work out as planned. In fact for him it had not work out at all. He opened his mouth and the first pulse of a harmonic wave caused him to snap it shut. More waves followed with no sign of stopping anytime soon and he found just standing on his feet had become a challenge. “The ripples are coming from the direction of Mount Filia.”

  “Tarin Conn must be using his full potential in whatever spell he is casting,” Sherree added, and then grabbed Daniel’s arm for support.

  Jillian began to cry and Cleona tried unsuccessfully to soothe her. Prince Collin let out a shudder and fell to the floor. “I am alright. It is difficult to stand while my bones are shaking,” he said with a little quiver in his voice, and then used the bedpost to pull himself up. He stood with both hands gripping carved wood.

  The doors flung open and in ran Simon and Scarlet just as the sounds of multiple explosions rumbled from seemingly every direction. Daniel summoned and focused Find All in a spherical radius that encompassed the entire city. Thousands of trini-bombs were falling from about a thousand cubits up over the capital. The airships were invisible to his spell, but not the bombs falling from the bottoms of the gondolas.

  “They must have teleported far enough away not to be heard and then floated in the wind to reach the city,” Simon shared his thoughts, which echoed Daniel’s own.

  “Serpent airships are in the sky above. Our Accomplisheds can target them now that the enemy vessels have gone on the attack,” Sherree gave a report that was clearly for the ears of the royals.

  “Maestro, in addition to feeling the effects of Tarin Conn’s casting, airships are dropping trini-bombs on New Oben,” Leah informed him through the array.

  “Maestro, upwards of a thousand airships are dropping trini-bombs on Tara,” Ned Bartimus, a former bartender from Arend in northern Ducaun, reported. The Emissary had joined the guild at the same time as Sorel and Buck.

  “Maestro, airships that must number as much as a thousand are bombing Bethel,” Daria added to the bad news.

  “The Serpents are attacking the resident cities of every monarch in the southern alliance,” Sherree again gave a report meant for the royals.

  “Maestro, we have located a massive airship base, but there seems to be no skyships or cruisers in it at the moment.” Agent Rachel Karesin sent from her hiding place in Pentrosa.

  “That is because they are bombing the cities the monarchs of our allies are ruling from,” Daniel replied. “Thank you for the report. I would appreciate it if you would use your scouts at Mount Suteck to see what Vance Cummin is up to.”

  A sense of sadness came through the mental link. “Maestro, I am sorry for not locating the base sooner, but it was well hidden and my Gilbert,” who must be part of the, ‘we’, she mentioned, “had a difficult flight. I can send Fran, who is hidden in the air vents at Suteck, to the grill in the ceiling of Vance’s office.”

  “Excellent, doing so would be very helpful,” Daniel replied to her, and then audibly said, “My Queen, with you permission, I will leave you under the protection of Accomplished Meado and go out and attack the airships.”

  “Sir Daniel, you have my permission to withdraw, and my command that you go out and defend my kingdom,” Cleona replied, while holding her baby tight. Jillian was still crying.

  “Leah, lead a team to New Oben and defend the city. Sandra, get to Tara with whatever resources you can immediately muster. Conductor Lassiter, take what you need from the Joint Mission Task force and defend Bethel,” Daniel commanded, hoping they could get to those locations in time to help the Accomplisheds of the Department of Emissaries who were busy defending their charges.

  “It will be as you say,” they all replied.

  He walked purposely from the room in measured strides, desiring to exit with a dignity appropriate to his station, and maintained that pace until arriving in the waiting area. “We are going to convey from here.”

  “For a moment there I thought you were going to make us run all the way,” Simon commented. “I have a visual and can place us where we can have an unobstructed view of the airships.”

  So much for wanting to appear dignified, Daniel thought. At least his Chief Aid had something useful to add along with the comment. “Take us there,” Daniel replied, and then was immersed in blackness.

  He arrived on the roof of the Excursion with Sherr
ee standing beside him on the left and Simon to the front near the ledge. The sky was partly cloudy and from those white puffs fell the trini-bombs. Spells were being focused from Atlantans on the ground up into the clouds, but they must have been missing the ships because Daniel saw no great flashes and heard no explosions.

  “We now know where the thousands of new airships are,” Sherree stated the obvious.

  Down below people were screaming and some folks were carrying the wounded, while others were trying to find some shelter while avoiding the torn bodies beneath their feet. The cobblestones were slippery from all the blood and he witnessed more than a few people slip and fall in a crimson puddles. One man landed face down, did a pushup, and got to his feet, only to slip backward after taking two steps. His head hit the stone of the street and he just laid there staring up at the sky. Since his chest was rising and falling, he was alive, but must have lost hope. Daniel cast a spell and levitated him to the dubious safety of the sidewalk.

  Palace Way was a mess on both sides of the thorough fare. Tree branches littered the street, a horse lay dead under a huge limb, and three of what likely had been coaches were scattered in sharp pieces, some of which had been long enough to pierce the flesh of horses and men. Even so, it was the iron shards within the bombs that did the most horrific perforations through skin and bone.

  A dome-shaped shield appeared over the palace just as trini-bombs fell on that location. The multiple impacts did not get beyond the shield, but he knew the energy to maintain it was coming from the dedicated Accomplisheds in Scarlet’s detachment who had taken up the chore. The energy released by the trinitrotoluene was not from life-force energy and therefore the shield could block, but not absorb it. Daniel could sympathize, having been in that situation many times.

  Simon began targeting the bombs. Ten beams of light shot from his hands and struck the same number of bombs. They blew apart; he nodded in satisfaction, and then targeted some more.

  Daniel could not sense the ship in the cloud above, but the six bombs that just appeared in the center of the white mass were instantly revealed to him by Find All. He created a bowl-shaped solidified platform of air way up inside the cloud. The trini-bombs struck his conjuration and the explosives forces were directed upward. The interior of the cloud lit up in a bright flash. Countless pieces of burning reed-strands, body parts, and iron filings rained down. An Amber jet of air directed the mess out over the street before any of it got near the roof. Sherree was a good sweeper.

  From points all around the city spells were either striking the clouds or picking off trini-bombs before they could fall far from whichever ships dropped them. Some of his Aakacarns struck the devices quickly enough to destroy the vessel from which they came.

  When it happened, Daniel sensed the change immediately, the bombing stopped, the ships were no longer hidden from Find All, and spells shot from the gondolas. Lightning bolts and fireballs rained down on the city and were even more deadly and dangerous than the trini-bombs had been. A few people below actually attempted to put out the fires, but it was a futile effort with so many burning balls slamming into the streets and buildings.

  “They must have run out of bombs,” Simon again echoed Daniel’s thoughts.

  An amber dome formed over the roof of the Excursion and Daniel nodded to Sherree, who had summoned the shield. Bright beams of light only strengthened her casting as it absorbed the incredible bursts of energy that flew at them from three airships at once. Her own spells lanced up from her diamond-bladed knife and through Find All he knew she was shearing off the crescendos along the side of the third skyship.

  All of vessels were dropping below the clouds and the individual glows of their shields were powerful enough to be visible even to the eyes of non-Aakacarns. Simon launched a solidified force of energy that slammed into the ship that was pummeling Climen Station, which had been used in the past as a place where Serpents stayed while spying on the city. The sky-cruiser pitched hundreds of strides up and to the left of its original position and while the huge instrument of death had not been destroyed by Simon’s assault, the spells no longer rained down upon the station. He must have knocked the Serpents away from their crescendos, giving them a temporary setback at best.

  Daniel raised his diamond-bladed knife and sent Shatter in a beam, backed by fourteen bolts of potential. His spell struck the center of the huge superstructure of the first ship that was launching lightning bolts and fireballs at Sherree’s defensive energy field. The shield of the airship flickered and quicker than Collin could snap his fingers, the sky-cruiser exploded, sending tiny bits of flaming debris raining down on the city.

  There were still close to a thousand enemy vessels floating above the capitol and he was the only Accomplished capable of doing more than knock them out of position. “Well, nothing to it but to do it,” he spoke softly and blew up the second sky-cruiser that was assaulting the shield his wife had conjured.

  Sherree cast the spell, Shatter Sphere, at the vessel whose port side she had trimmed of its crescendos, and an amber ball suddenly formed around the entire ship. Her casting was not powerful enough to overwhelm the shield, but it did not have to be. All she needed was an opening in the energy field and there were ten about the width of a finger. After a twenty count the shield simply vanished and the vessel drifted in the air.

  “The sky-cruisers, like the earlier skyships, are made of reeds,” Simon began to explain.

  “The spell does not harm vegetative matter,” Daniel finished for him.

  Find All revealed fifty lumps of flesh. The Aakacarns’ bones had been reduced to powder. Sherree spared a few glances at her husband and the Chief Aid. “That is why I chose that spell,” she informed them and then aimed her crescendo at another sky-cruiser. “By the way, I informed Daria of what I just did. In a few moments everyone in the guild will be following my example, since none of us has enough lightning bolts of potential to follow yours.”

  “I love you and am glad you are on my side,” Daniel replied.

  Sherree smiled. “The feeling is mutual and yes, you should be,” she responded and then sent her spell at the sky-cruiser.

  “I expect teleportation circles to arrive at any moment,” Simon shared his concern.

  Daniel eyed his sandy-haired friend. “I reckon the Serpents will live up to your expectations.”

  “Maestro, Accomplished Karesin has informed me of an important development,” Samuel’s voice came through the array.

  Daniel figured it was Sam’s Teki heritage that made him begin a report worded to first build the hearer’s interest. “Really, can it be more important than destroying sky-cruisers above the skies of Ducanton?”

  A sense of urgency came ahead of the words, “Fran was discovered and exterminated, but only after Rachel had used her to obtain a visual. She conveyed into the heart of Mount Suteck and overheard Vance Cummin order all teams to their attack positions. She quickly scanned the teleportation chambers and has verified that they are virtually empty. Her presence has not yet been discovered and she can send me a current visual. There might not be a better time for us to strike at Vance Cummin.”

  Daniel quickly informed Sherree and Simon, who then must have informed Leah, going by his next words. “The First Accomplished will be in the raid with you. Isaac Frees will take command of the defense force in her place.”

  Leah was correct in choosing the Three-bolt Accomplished to lead in her place and about an immediate response being called for, but Daniel was torn between defending Ducanton and leading an assault on Suteck. He blew up another sky-cruiser while trying to decide.

  “I can lead the defense of Ducanton. Much as I would rather go with you to attack Vance Cummin, we have a fairly good idea of where those teleportation circles are likely to appear, in this city or one of the others under assault, and one of us must stay here,” Sherree told him. “Leah is a Five-bolt Accomplished and has a crescendo made by you, my husband. You will need the level of life-force ene
rgy she can wield at your side. The Squadron of mantas is on its way from the naval facility and rays from Staring Cove are in the air to help defend New Oben and Tara. Ariel Carole,” the Three-bolt Accomplished of the Defense Department appointed Commander of the new base at Crescent Island, “is sending her mantas to Bethel.”

  Daniel stared out over the city, viewing the spell-battles taking place, surface to air, air to surface, in the form of bright beams, fireballs, and lightning bolts, both ways. The scene, along with the information his wife had given him, helped to make his decision. “This could be an opportunity created by the swirling of events that surrounds me. The chance may not come again soon or ever and so should not be ignored,” he spoke out loud and through the array. “Leah, assemble a strike force and meet me at the Shantear staging area in a tenth of a mark.”

  “It will be as you say,” the First Accomplished replied through the gemstone in his array.

  “I am going with you,” Samuel stated rather than requested. “I will meet you at Shantear,” to which his Maestro had no objections.

  Simon opened his mouth and Daniel raised his hand, preventing him from speaking, knowing what the Chief Aid was going to say. “No you can’t come, much as I could use that twisty spell-casting mind of yours, Sherree is going to need you more.”

  The Battencayan-born Aakacarn eyed the First Lady, who was maintaining an amber sphere fixed on a skyship that was floating over a hotel three blocks away. “I will stay, but do not forget events also swirl around Tarin Conn.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six: The Swirling Of Events

  Daniel stood on the stage in the vaulted chamber at Shantear. He eyed the columns and sunken floor, along with the benches in the center of the staging area, all of which gave a little elegance to the cavernous room he had originally created before the battle to evict the Serpents from the mountain. His creation had been utilitarian and also bland, but Jerremy DeSuan added the extra features later and definitely improved upon the original.