To Be Chosen (The Maestro Chronicles)

by John Buttrick

  Through the senses of the female sasquatch, Daniel could hear Silvia’s approach well before she arrived at the willow where Shereeka sat upon the V of the trunk, hidden among the branches. She was invisible in the dark. Choaker clung to her back and she was content to feel his warm frame against hers. She could smell Sheila, the babe being saturated with human scent, particularly that of the human female, but also Daniel. Shereeka knew the scent of the new alpha and was pleased to accept Louda’s infant, fathered by Buraker. She also knew, through the mind of the alpha, that this is the female who had a part in killing Louda, but that was when humans were prey, now they are not. She never did like the taste of them. There was no anger in her over the death. All successful hunts end in death for one or another. She was intrigued by the new alpha, how he could speak to her without uttering a sound.

  “Shereeka, I’m going to place Sheila on the ground,” the human female spoke in a high voice similar to that of an infant.

  Shereeka growled a warning for Choaker to hold on tight and then hopped down to the ground. She understood the sounds of the human female, Silvia, through the mind of the alpha, who had also caused her to recognize this human as being approachable, while all others were still to be avoided. “Come.” She told the infant, who immediately scrambled out of the shiny skin she had been wrapped in and climbed onto her back next to Choaker.

  “I didn’t know sasquatches could speak,” Silvia said while taking a step back, although she showed no fear.

  “Sounds alpha make,” Shereeka did her best to make the correct sounds.

  “Who is Alpha?” The human female sought knowledge she already possessed.

  Shereeka turned, headed deeper into the trees where Gerowel waited with the other females, and then decided to impart knowledge already known. “Daniel,” she bellowed into the night.

  He opened his eyes, taking his mind off Shereeka; glad he did not have to take control of her, and glanced at David. “Silvia has given Sheila to her new mother and is on her way back to camp.”

  David, who had been staring anxiously at the tent flap, glanced back. “That’s good to know, but with the sasquatch bellowing your name in the night, I think the entire camp knows something is up.”

  Once again, Daniel had a plan that worked out fairly well, yet not exactly the way he wanted. He wondered how many more of his accomplishments or future plans would be altered or nullified by circumstances. “Silvia’s explanation about the swirl of the Chosen Vessel will have to come sooner rather than later.”

  David leaned forward in his chair. “In the larger picture, I think she will be telling the simple truth, you are drawing what is necessary for the possibility of ultimate victory.”

  The juggler voiced a good point. Daniel had made suggestions about humans to the creatures linked to him, and with the exception of Shereeka and Cleo the gator, all of the animals were free to go wherever they wanted. Momma sasquatch likely would have adopted Sheila even if she had not been encouraged to do so. Perhaps the various creatures do have a larger roll, a place in ultimate victory over Tarin Conn. One thing was for sure. Daniel had no intention of using them as fodder on the field, the way the Serpent Guild often does.

  Chapter S eventeen: Messages Received

  Everyone in the camp was wide awake by the time Silvia returned from her mission. She won over her audience quickly, giving a rousing speech about the swirl of the Chosen Vessel, and little Sheila being adopted by a female sasquatch that had been caught up in, “Sir Daniel’s swirl,” as evidenced by the bellowing of his name. She assured everybody the sasquatch had gone away with the baby and posed no threat to them. When the excitement died down, Sergeant Keenan ordered the men back to their tents.

  Daniel stood beside the Seer. “Thank you, that went well.”

  Silvia nodded her head. “It did. By the way, you never said you were teaching the beasts to talk.”

  Shereeka actually speaking words had come as a surprise. “I didn’t expect the sasquatches to learn human speech. Their link to me must be expanding their vocabulary.”

  David stepped between them. “You can remove the shield now,” he insisted. Really, there had been no need of reminding, Daniel was about to remove the thing.

  It only took a moment of concentration to detach the Da Capo, causing the Melody to cease. Silvia reached out and took hold of David’s hand, no doubt so he could feel her warm flesh and know she was no longer shielded. “We can talk about the sasquatches later,” she stated and then both of them went to bed.

  Daniel entered his tent, removed boots, helmet, sword belt, sir coat, and chain mail, leaving on only his pants and light green cotton undershirt, then stretched out on the bed roll. It was not yet time for sleep, but to further his plans, and hope circumstances did not alter them too far from his liking.

  He focused on his scan of the surroundings, sensing woodland creatures of all sorts, some of which were not native to the area. What was a group of ospreys doing so far south and in the flatlands? These are not flocking birds, although eight raptors could hardly be considered a flock. The river certainly had enough fish for them to prey on, perhaps that was the draw, and their being here might have nothing to do with his swirling of events, but he suspected otherwise. When they came into the trees, within a hundred strides, he linked with them. As the night went on, thirteen owls were added to his swirl, and a seven member wolf pack. Two cougars joined his odd collection along with a pair of huge male and female black bears. They all had names translated into human speech, and he gave the new recruits the suggestion that humans are not food and to go about their business, living, eating, reproducing, the things they would normally do.

  He spent some time trying to compose Symphonics to transport instantly from place to place, and to heal the queen, but knew in his soul the notes playing in his head were not yet what they needed to be. He closed his eyes, hoping to sleep for the remaining couple of marks, but a sensation in the back of his mind brightened into a vision from the river. Cleo was staring at six mounds surrounding a fire that was on the verge of going out, due to the fact that it was raining. A tall young man wearing black silks exited the fifth mud hut, strolled over to the river, urinated, and then went back inside. “Thanks Cleo,” Daniel communicated through the link. “Stay low and keep safe.”

  The gator could not form thoughts into words but there was a sense of acknowledgement from her. She swam off to find a snack while Daniel began trying to work out the distance involved. Human measurements meant nothing to Cleo and he dared not extend his scan that far ahead, the Aakacarns would sense it for sure. After she ate a gar, he had her swim around to get a good look at the area, and then compared what she saw to his mental map. Even in the dark, he could make out enough of the landscape to see the enemy was camped where the river bent to the east for about ten spans before bending north, placing them approximately forty-one spans ahead, and only a few days away, unless they chose to stay and wait for him, which they had no reason to do. By the time he finished with the gator, dawn came, and with it, Sergeant Keenan.

  “Sir Daniel, are you well?” the huge guardsman called with true concern in his voice. After all, this was the first time his commander was not up before him, so his reaction was not surprising.

  Daniel quickly cast, Refresh, cleansing his body, and then opened the tent flap, causing the Sergeant’s eyes to widen. This was also the first time he found his commander out of uniform. It was probably best not to offer an explanation, as Royal Knights of the Realm did not usually give account of their actions to Sergeants. “I’m right as rain. Get the men fed quickly, within the mark, we will be picking up the pace today, and please inform Cale there will not be time for a practice bout this morning.”

  Keenan blinked the shock out of his eyes and then was all business. “It will be as you say, Sir Daniel.”

  Daniel let the tent flap fall back into place and then put on his uniform and cast, Laundering, removing dirt, stains, smudges, and shining his bl
ack leather boots. He waited for what he considered to be an appropriate amount of time, not wanting anyone watching to be suspicious over how quickly he cleaned and dressed, then stepped outside.

  Sergeant Keenan and Corporal Duwin were rousing the men while Zaccum encouraged Jonah to speed up the process of getting ready. Russ Monner prepared a cold breakfast, which caused a little bit of grumbling, but was soon swallowed by a growing sense of excitement. Silvia and David emerged from their tent fully prepared to travel with crossbow and knives at the ready, Teki were always prone to be on the move.

  “Why is everyone scurrying around like a troop primed for a hasty exodus?” Silvia inquired while brushing a lock of long black hair away from her face.

  Daniel walked over to the couple, neither of which appeared to have gotten much sleep. “Our quarry is only forty-one spans ahead of us and on foot. I want to close the gap, so we’re going to be moving quickly today.”

  David blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. “That sounded specific, what changed over night to make you so sure?”

  Daniel motioned for them to come closer and then lowered his voice. “I sent Cleo to scout ahead. She found them sleeping in mud huts where the river bends.”

  Dimples formed on her cheeks as Silvia’s smile widened. “So that’s why you’re gathering animals into your swirl, they are the perfect scouts.”

  Daniel nodded. “They can be my eyes and ears where human spies cannot go and Melody wielding might be detected.”

  David began rubbing the grips of the knives on his hips. “We’re going to take them down. They have no clue how close we are or what they are up against.”

  His assessment seemed to be spot on. There was no way for the enemy Aakacarns to know they were being followed, much less by whom. Daniel was looking forward to surprising them.

  He waved a greeting as Cale walked up and stood beside him. “What’s this I hear about there being no time for a practice session and why is the Teki so excited?” the Master-of-the-bladed asked, after a glance at David.

  Silvia struck a sexy pose with one hand on her hip. “He just had the night of his life.”

  Cale’s eyes focused on the beautiful woman and then shifted toward David. “I think I’m actually envious. You are the only man on this trip who gets to enjoy female companionship.”

  Daniel cleared his throat. “To answer your other question, I want us to have an early start. Eat fast because you have half a mark before we head out and the pace is going to be stepped up.”

  Cale shrugged his shoulders. “It’s your call. If you want to ride fast, we ride fast. Is there a reason, or are you wanting to see how far we can go in a day?”

  Daniel was reluctant to reveal too much about his contacts in the animal world, so decide to give his more mundane reasons. “I was a mountaineer long before becoming an Accomplished or a Royal Knight of the Realm and I tend to see things as a hunter. Our quarry is, at least, days ahead of us,” he began to explain while both Sergeants and Jonah joined the tiny gathering. “I know the geography of this place and that we stand a better chance of gaining on our foes if we stop meandering with the river and move farther to the east, away from the marshy areas, where we can trot the horses at a quicker pace. If you know about where your prey is likely to be, you can avoid the zigzags and hopefully intercept it.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Jonah asked, as if what he heard was a suggestion rather than a decision made by his commander. The man is a lord, so his attitude was not surprising, and he might not even realize he was out of line.

  Daniel chose to answer the question. “We will be going five spans east, away from the Tollus, and then turn north forty-one spans. The river bends east at that point, flowing from the west for about ten spans before bending north northwest again.”

  “Sounds good to me,” David spoke up.

  “Suppose we get ahead of the Aakacarns, we could pass them by without knowing it,” Sergeant Zaccum pointed out.

  “Considering the head start they had, that possibility is unlikely,” Silvia responded, clearly trying to be helpful, seeing as she knew without a doubt the Aakacarns would not be passed by.

  Jonah nodded his head. “I’m all for moving faster and heading them off.”

  “Most of the men have already eaten and Russ will soon be packing his horses. If any of you want to eat, make it soon,” Sergeant Keenan stated, matter-of-factly. He was all business, and Daniel was glad of it.

  “You all heard the man, eat now or ride hungry,” Daniel said, and then took off walking toward the food, not waiting to see if anyone else cared to follow.

  After breakfast, everyone mounted up with Daniel at the head. Sergeant Keenan must have told the men about the change in direction because not a soul commented as they moved away from the river. White clouds drifted slowly across the blue sky and a breeze from the north kept the men in a good mood. Daniel’s shield prevented him from feeling the coolness of the breeze just as it prevented him from feeling the warm humidity of the swamp. Oak, spruce, and sycamore trees as well as sassafras dominated the landscape. Bees especially liked the sassafras, drawn to the nectar, and birds pecked at the glossy fruit.

  There was a hive within one hundred strides, so Daniel singled out the queen and linked to her. Her thoughts, even filtered through the spell, were so foreign he could not interpret them. Impulses better described what he was receiving. She began following him at a discrete distance along with thousands of bees. He concentrated on the queen and caught a glimpse through her multifaceted eyes. The sensation was so confusing he was forced to pull back his awareness.

  “Are you feeling alright?” Cale asked. “You looked a little dizzy there for a moment.”

  Daniel decided never to do that again. “Right as rain, I didn’t get much sleep last night, but all is well.”

  The Lieutenant shrugged his shoulders. “A practice bout would’ve got you pepped up for the ride, perhaps we can have one during the mid-day meal.”

  The man was probably right about the exercise, but Daniel had gone much longer without sleep in the past and was not feeling all that tired, no doubt it was the extra energy in his life force. “I hope we can squeeze at least one round in.”

  Cale nodded his head and then went on to talk of his many exploits, how many men he had dueled, and how many of those were in the line of duty and to the death, nothing Daniel was particularly interested in. They made eighteen spans before it was time for him to call a halt. He refreshed the horses and agreed to go one round with Cale. A third of a mark in, he managed to strike several minor blows on the master. The Lieutenant was perspiring, unable to penetrate Daniel’s defenses, and time was running out. Eagle In The Heights suddenly turned into Serpent Uncoiling, which should have been countered with Ferret Lunging, but Daniel responded with Serpent In The Nest, allowing the Master-of-the-blade to strike a winning blow, thus ending the bout.

  Cale laughed. “I faked you out. Serpent In The Nest counters Eagle In The Heights, but don’t worry, you will learn to respond quicker to changes in the form of attack.”

  Daniel handed him the lathe sword. “I will try to improve on that. By the way, you were right; I do feel more awake after our match.”

  Sergeant Keenan was making his way over, no doubt to remind his commander of the time. Daniel decided to give the order just as the man was opening his mouth. “I want everyone mounted as quickly as you can make it happen. We have twenty-three spans to cover before dark.”

  Keenan’s mouth snapped shut and he nodded his head approvingly, no doubt pleased his commander did not need reminding. “It will be as you say, Sir Daniel,” he replied and then turned. “Mount up, the last four guardsmen to be on their horses will be on third watch tonight.”

  Men scrambled to obey, the last person on his horse was Jonah, but his lordship was an exception. “Callen, Tabon, Gifer, and Munet, you will be standing third watch,” the Sergeant announced. Hard-muscled Callen, skinny Tabon, bald Gifer, and dour Munet, al
l acknowledge the order, and did so without complaining.

  Daniel had been the first one mounted. “Vaulting into your saddle is not the most dignified way for a commander in the field to behave,” Jonah apparently felt the need to mention.

  The temptation to point out that being the slowest to mount did not say much for the dignity of the second in command, was almost more than Daniel could resist. “Just be glad Keenan specified guardsmen,” he replied, earning a chuckle from Zaccum, and then signaled, forward ho.

  He urged Sprinter into a trot and double timed it, maneuvering around trees and bushes while his swirl of animals moved along with him silently and out of sight. Those in the river continued up stream, except Springer the frog, who was laying eggs that floated on the surface in thin films filled with dozens of eggs. She would probably catch up later.

  Four copperheads and six racers joined his swirl by the time the sun was glowing orange in the western sky, and the six mounds originally spotted by Cleo came into sight. Adam Avery and Trevor Hannon were already exploring the huts, good scouts that they were. Cale urged, Becket, his steed, into a gallop and raced ahead, apparently eager to see what they found.

  By the time Daniel arrived with the rest of the riders, Adam exited the third hut on the left and ran over to make his report. “The occupant of this hut left a message. I think it is for you.”

  Trevor Hannon stepped up to add, “These huts are hard as stone.”

  It was a trivial bit of information compared to the report of the other scout, but Daniel nodded acknowledgment and dismounted. He removed the shield from Sprinter so the horse could be rubbed down, and then was followed by Jonah, both Sergeants and the Teki. Cale was exploring the fifth hut. Avery gestured at the circular roof after Daniel ducked his head in order to gain entrance.