To Be A Maestro (The Maestro Chronicles)

by Buttrick, John

  Daniel gave her all the details, how he located and restored Leah, her being the first Accomplished to officially associate with him, the coming assault on the Serpent Nest in Mount Tirana, and the multi-level complex being fashioned by Leah beneath the holding. The more he told Sherree, the calmer her emotions became, as if each detail made her feel closer to what was happening in his life. “So Loper is right here in the room with me and I have my personal shield in place even while lying in bed. I’m concerned about the others walking around so long with their shield amulets draining the life force energy out of them. In another day or so I want to refill their vats.”

  Love and concern flowed through the mental link formed by the amulet. “Have Leah refill the vats. A four-bolt Accomplished should have no difficulty performing the task. I am not pleased about you throwing yourself back into danger at Mount Tirana, yet I see why it must be done. The Serpent Guild has infested the world and most of the Accomplisheds in Aakadon believe the rogue guild has gone into hiding. The harmonic waves are another matter. People here are convinced the shield holding Tarin Conn is weakening and steps must soon be taken.”

  “Actually, I believe the Dark Maestro is growing stronger and the potential locked into the shield is becoming less and less adequate for the task. If the spells holding him are variable, a Grand Symphony may be necessary to raise the potential far above its current level,” Daniel gave his opinion.

  A sense of determination came through the link. “Maybe I will bring your idea up to Terroll Barnes. He seems to be the only one willing to grant me an audience, not even Janna Barroon has agreed to see me again,” Sherree sent along with a sense of frustration.

  “I love you,” Daniel sent with all the emotion he could pack behind the words. It was not the reply she would have been expecting, but it is certainly how he feels about her.

  “I love you, mountain man, so don’t go and get yourself killed. Stay in bed until you are completely well. I have an amulet to stay in touch and will take steps to insure you do not start on those chores before you are fit,” she replied.

  Daniel bade her farewell and placed the amulet on the table beside his bed. “You were right,” he told Silvia, who nodded in total satisfaction.

  The day waned on and Daniel continued to grow stronger. Jared visited him for a few marks before sundown and then went about his business. Shella and Jax were once again the Sentinels on night duty, David and Silvia went to bed, and Loper suddenly sat up sniffing with his nose pointed at the window. Your mate comes.

  A short time later Sherree entered his bedroom. “Yes, I am his wife,” she told the Sentinels. “Do not make the fact public knowledge.”

  “She is,” Daniel confirmed after getting over being stunned by her announcement.

  The pair of them saluted her. “It will be as you say, Lady Sherree,” they quickly replied, acknowledging her title as Lady of the Benhannon Holding, and leaving off the last name so as to respect her command.

  “Loper and I can protect him. Find something else to do until morning,” Sherree instructed and they quickly complied.

  When they exited the room, the beautiful Lobenian turned her attention to matters at hand. She came over to her husband, cast a spell to assess his health, after ordering him to temporarily remove his shield, and then nodded her head. “I just need to hold you tonight. Spells are cast on a near constant basis in the Aloe Guild between the training of interns and healing emergencies, so I found an empty chamber where the harmonic waves from Conveyance will go unnoticed among the other castings.”

  Daniel needed no explanations. “I’m just happy to see you.”

  She stripped to her underwear, climbed into bed, cuddled up, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms. The shield spells prevented anything more intimate from happening, yet they were necessary with the assassination attempt so fresh on their minds. Even so, having her near made him feel much better.

  Sherree woke before dawn, Daniel knew because he had awakened half a mark earlier. She quickly dressed and asked, “Why do you think the Serpent Guild infiltrated the holding?”

  Daniel had some fairly strong suspicions. “I think the assassination attempt was an opportunity strike. They are coming after me for two reasons, the flute of Della Lain and the trumpet of Tarin Conn. They know Serin Gell had the flute and was expecting his associate, who I executed, to bring the trumpet. It is logical for them to assume I am in possession of both.”

  Sherree stared at him for several moments and then asked, “Are you in possession of both instruments?”

  Daniel was not at liberty to discuss the Ducaunan royal family’s ties with Della Lain and the trumpet, not even with his wife, and yet did not want to be dishonest with her. “Leah is guarding the flute while I am recovering and the trumpet is hidden in this holding,” he admitted while leaving out the particulars.

  Sherree came back and sat on the edge of the bed. “I am asking you to take both of those instruments to Aakadon. Stop frowning. Hear me out. The Serpent Guild will never stop looking for those crescendos. You and I both know that.”

  Daniel still did not trust the leaders of Aakadon to safeguard the instruments. “Serin Gell escaped their custody.”

  “I remember. You may recall he Condemned me,” she replied, as if he could ever forget. “If the flute of Della Lain and the trumpet of Tarin Conn are publicly known to be in Aakadon, I believe the Serpent Guild will refocus their efforts away from you to something else. I don’t really care where, so long as you are no longer the focal point. Please, think of one person in Aakadon you trust and take the crescendos to the Accomplished.”

  Daniel truly wanted to refuse, his mountaineer steadfastness screamed at him to deny the plea, and keep the instruments where he knew them to be safe. Those emerald green eyes stared into his and he made up his mind. “How did your meeting go with Terroll?”

  Sherree blinked several times, no doubt having expected an answer rather than a question. “He came to believe you to be the Chosen Vessel before or during your duel with Balen Tamm, I’m not entirely sure when exactly, but he does believe you to be the champion to lead us in the coming war against Tarin Conn.”

  There were only a few people in Aakadon who could be trusted and Terroll was one of them. “In the near future, after I am fully recovered, I will take the crescendos to the Maestro of the Zephyr Guild.”

  “Remove the shield from your face,” Sherree instructed him and then kissed him with a passion that made him wish she could stay longer. She moved back from the embrace. “I’m not sure when I can see you, but be assured I will be back and there will be no shields between us.”

  Daniel looked forward to that day and was about to tell her so when there was an abrupt knock on the door and Leah walked in. The former Senior Soarer’s eyes locked onto the golden-haired Accomplished of Aakadon and took a deep breath. “You are Sherree Jenna, a member of the Aloe Guild, going by the medallion, and a veteran of the Battle of Bashierwood.”

  “I am and you are Leah Barryn, a four-bolt Accomplished recently associated with,” she paused and glanced at Daniel before continuing, “Maestro Benhannon of the Atlantan Guild.”

  Daniel chuckled at the joke. “Where did you get that name?”

  Sherree shrugged. “She is clearly not a Ducaunan, you will probably be recruiting other Aakacarns from who knows how many nationalities, and your association must be called something. You are the leader, so it all seems to fit.”

  Leah did not smile at Sherree’s show of humor; at least Daniel believed it was meant to be humorous. The Ecoppian’s head slanted slightly to the right as if to give her a better angle on the person she clearly did not expect to find in this room. “Have you come to affiliate with us?”

  Sherree’s gaze never wavered while she responded. “First, I want to thank you for saving the life of my husband and second, no one is to know he and I are married.”

  Leah’s jaw dropped open, her eyes widened, and several minutes went by befo
re she spoke, but not to Sherree. “I knew from the moment I chose to affiliate with you that I would have to make many adjustments. While I admit to being stunned, this is just another adjustment, and I might eventually come to see the relationship as nothing out of the ordinary. You are the Chosen Vessel and I will always serve you to the best of my ability no matter how many of our Aakacarn customs you cast aside,” that said she turned to Sherree. “As far as I am concerned, your marriage is sealed to the office of the Maestro, and I will not betray an Atlantan Guild confidence.”

  Daniel grabbed his covers and was about to throw them off, when he realized there was nothing on his body except a pair of underpants. So much for standing eye to eye to deliver the retort, he had to settle for frowning at the grinning pair. “There is no guild and I am not a Maestro.”

  Sherree smiled at him. “If you say so,” she said and then grabbed her diamond-bladed knife, glowed amber with potential, and disappeared in a flash.

  Leah smiled at him. “There is always something new with you. I doubt boredom will ever be an issue. I came to make sure all is well before I go back to work on the underground project.”

  Daniel nodded his head. “And I, like yesterday, will stay here and recover while everyone else goes about doing their chores.”

  “Good plan,” Leah replied and then turned on her heel and headed out the door.

  The next day he cast, How Do You Feel, and determined his blood supply was back to normal. He sprang out of bed and over to his wardrobe under the watchful eye of Loper. Leah, at some point, laundered and repaired his uniform. He had no idea the spell, Beak Strike, could cut through mail as quickly as Marge can a slice of cheese. That fact and the assassination attempt made him reassess when he should have a personal shield in place.

  He sent his bodyguards out of the room, cast, Refresh, to cleanse his body, also Personal Shield, having removed it to clean up, and then quickly put on his field uniform. Do we hunt? Loper wanted to know.

  Daniel smiled at the wolf. We will hunt soon, Daniel confirmed, and then stepped out into the hall with Loper at his side. Sergeant Tanner and the Breaker team of his Quicksilver squad quickly saluted, standing ready to obey any command should their leader desire to give one. “I am going to my office,” he informed them.

  His escort followed him down the stairs and the trip took twice as long as usual, seeing as everyone he passed felt the need to inquire about his health, to which he would respond, “I’m feeling right as a spring rain.”

  Jaim Cutler stood beside Daniel’s desk and held out a bucket of rocks when they entered the office. “Tinum, Coresen, and Henner, stand watch outside the door,” Tanner ordered the three Sentinels, while he and the two remaining members of the team stayed in the office.

  Vera Tinum, a slender young woman with her dark braid hanging out from the back of her helmet, clicked her boots together and said, “It will be as you say, Sergeant,” and then led her teammates out.

  Daniel accepted the bucket from Jaim. Since the order to fetch rocks had not been rescinded, the doorkeeper always made sure there was a new supply in the office. As it turns out, Daniel did need the contents this morning. “Thanks,” he told the young man, “I can use this.”

  Cutler gave a salute and went out in the hall to take up his position as keeper of the door. Loper circled a few times to the right of the desk and then settled onto the floor. Daniel sat down, opened his top drawer, and removed a sapphire stone. He had a gift in mind for Leah and pictured the object clearly in his mind. The spell, Change It, combined with Hunger worked in conjunction, and allowed him to shape a sapphire rod a cubit long and a finger width in diameter. He then took a silver coin and used the same spells to make a cap to place on the end. Lastly he cast, Potentializing the Baton. His shoulders tingled while the spell assessed his lighting bolts of life force energy and created the crescendo with seven bolts of amplification.

  He placed the bucket of rocks on the floor to his left and the baton, sapphire, and coin in the top drawer. Time to start hacking at his chores, he thought, and set his priorities. The spell, Find All, played in his head and he decided to extend the potential out to a ten span radius. Two legions, minus three thousand six hundred and seventy-two men, were in the circular fort on the Pentrosan side of the border. Daniel now knew how much the siege had cost the invaders along the perimeter of the walls and among the wagon trains in the forest. General Tallen was in his office at Fort Casum while Malcus was only a few doors down from where Daniel sat. The Knights of the Realm, he had heard, went back to their estates to muster their forces. Everyone, human and nonhuman, in and around the holding were accounted for, except about half a span south and a little to the east. Nine Condemneds and an Aakademned were huddled together within a hill hut similar to the kind Daniel had seen used by Serena and her team in the past. He sensed no Aakacarns, other than Leah, who appeared to be putting the finishing touches on the new underground facility.

  It is time to hunt Daniel sent the thought to Loper, who instantly sprang to his feet, and then focused on the human occupants of the room. “Sergeant Tanner, we are going to collect some Condemneds who have moved into the area. Assemble the rest of your squad, we are going for a ride and bring some shovels.”

  Jacob gave a quick salute. “It will be as you say, Sir Daniel.”

  By the time Daniel stepped out of building two, Sprinter was saddled and ready to go, as were twenty one other horses. It was good to see Kater fully restored to health. Daniel mounted the stallion in one fluid motion and all of the Sentinels did the same. “Let’s ride,” he said, and they headed south at a gallop with Loper and eight members of his pack running along beside them. The horses seemed to be more accepting of the predators and Sprinter had nerves of iron. The ashen stallion with black mane and tail had carried Daniel through far worse dangers.

  The journey through the forest, over small hills, and bushes, ended quickly as the grassy mound containing the Condemneds came into view. “Daggers out,” Tanner commanded.

  Daniel sincerely hoped the weapons would not be necessary, yet knew the precaution needed to be taken, especially with the Serpent Guild using some sort of invisibility spell. He played the music for, Find All, in his mind and focused on the inhabitants, added a Da Capo, and then cast Sleep Time. “The Condemneds are now asleep. Dig an opening right there,” he commanded while ceasing the potential powering the spells, and pointing to the exact spot, “and bring them out.”

  “It will be as you say, Sir Daniel,” Tanner replied and then shouted, “Kater, Tobin, Jax, start digging.”

  The wolves were sniffing all around the mound and some began digging, paws flinging dirt and soil into the air. The three men dismounted and went to work. As soon as they had an opening big enough to enter, Tanner and the rest of his squad went in and brought out ten people wearing brown cloaks. “Other than being bald, they appear to be unharmed,” Vera commented.

  Jana glanced under the robe of the smallest of the ten. “She is naked. These robes are the only clothing they have.”

  “It’s more than we had,” Jax commented.

  Vera took a deep breath. “They don’t even smell bad. Their handler must have ordered them to bathe.”

  Tobin and his brother came out of the hill hut carrying sacks marked, Fort Casum. “I suspect Captain Johannan may want these back.”

  “We will take them for now,” Daniel decided. “Sergeant Tanner, in the near future, see to it these supplies go back to Fort Casum with a warning about invisible assassins.”

  “It will be as you say, Sir Daniel,” Jacob replied.

  “Are you going to heal these people?” Kater asked.

  Tobin looked at him cross wise. “No Kater, he’s going to use them as his personal slaves. Of course Sir Daniel is going to heal them.”

  “I will restore these people sooner if ten Sentinels lay them across their horses,” Daniel interrupted the small talk.

  Tanner assigned the task and they brought the Cond
emneds back to the holding at a much slower pace. “Take them into the conference room, place them on the table, and I want guards at the window and doors inside and out,” Daniel commanded, while walking briskly through the common room of building two.

  Leah and Chas intercepted him. “I will need to know the types of spells you and the First Accomplished intend to employ during the assault on Tirana in order to form a plan,” Commander Herling said.

  Leah glowed with potential and stared at the unconscious people being carried into the conference room. Her life force energy vanished after a few moments. “Nine Condemneds and an Aakademned, I take it they were close by.”

  Daniel nodded and told her where the group had been hiding.

  “I should have scanned for them days ago,” Leah spoke in a soft tone of voice, filled with recrimination. “Are there anymore?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Not within a ten span radius. I suspect they were commanded to stay put by the invisible assassin. In my earlier surveillance of the Pentrosan side of the border, I remember seeing through my scouts a member of the Serpent Guild with ten individuals standing around him, all wearing brown cloaks.”

  Chas glanced into the conference room as the last Condemned was taken inside. “The First Accomplished has been to Mount Tirana and scouted the target area. We need to formulate an assault plan so we can take out that nest. The Sentinels you called for can guard this room while the patients sleep.”

  Leah nodded her agreement with the Commander. “They can be restored after the meeting, unless you feel healing them now to be the greater priority.”

  They would do whatever Daniel wanted, he knew this, and the desire to end the suffering of these victims right away warred with what else needed to be done on his list of priorities. The Condemneds were asleep, not suffering at the moment, and formulating the attack plan was essential. He focused on Leah. “It seems I am not the only one who went off on a quick jaunt.”

  The Ecoppian nodded. “I took some time off from working on the new facility yesterday and conveyed to Mount Tirana to learn what we need to know.”