Silvia picked that moment to add her opinion. “With regard to the Chosen Vessel their choices are to join his swirl, get out of the way, or be destroyed.”
Samuel glanced at his cousin. “With every Teki in the realm preaching her message, it is not surprising so many people are afraid of Daniel.”
Every Teki in the realm, Sam had said, meaning Ducaun, yet troops of them were all over the world. An idea came to Daniel while Elias moved away and red-haired Rhoda Valeran took his place. “I think you should work on locating every Teki troop you can find and give a few people in each a communication amulet. They can quietly report to you what is happening in whatever kingdom they happen to be in,” Daniel shared his thought.
Samuel’s half smile turned into full on smugness. “Maestro, your idea is so good I have already begun establishing my Eagle Eyes among the tribal troops, some of which are in Cenkataar. They all look at me like a dead man walking, but I serve the Chosen Vessel, and so they cooperate.” An Aakacarn born among the Teki is always declared dead by the troop chief and so their attitude was not surprising.
“Just as I told him they would,” Silvia added a little bit of information Samuel had left out, no doubt because she did not appreciate being blamed for people being afraid. The Conductor of the ISIG had enough dignity not to stick his tongue out at her, although by the look in his eyes he surely wanted to. All smugness was gone.
While they were speaking Daniel overheard Bernard fill Sherree in on the most recent developments. It did not take her long to decide on a course of action. “Leah, Jeremiah, Marcus, and the Benhannon Guardsmen are in position to defend against the flotilla. I can convey with Chas and fifteen hundred Sentinels to the enemy encampment. We will give the Cenkataarans several good reasons to make their political demands from their side of the border,” she stated. Her action would do nothing about the seven legions on the way, but could drive the foreign army out of Ducaun and inject at least some caution against further aggression.
“There are twenty thousand horsemen and ten thousand foot soldiers along with support personnel camping three spans within Ducaun. I doubt they would be intimidated by your show of force since none of them have seen the Chosen’s Sentinels in battle,” Samuel made clear. “I have a rapid response force of twenty-five Accomplisheds who can accompany you. Their team leader, Accomplished Darrel Logan, has an owl in the area and can supply the visuals needed to convey anywhere you wish to arrive. It is my opinion the high command of the Cenkataaran legions will recognize a group of Aakacarns as being a serious threat and that may cause them to be more amendable to your suggestion to leave.”
Daniel had some serious concerns about their plan, they made it sound easier than what was likely to be, and any action taken at this point might lead to violence. He sent a mental message to Tekel and Mene, a pair of hawks, who were on Mount Tannakonna, about seventy spans from the encampment, and encouraged them to fly east. He wanted to see the encounter and agreed with Samuel on sending a team. “The rapid response force is to accompany the First Lady.”
“It will be as you say,” Sherree said with widening eyes. “I admit to being a little surprised you are allowing me to handle the situation rather than go yourself.”
Rhoda finished donating energy and stepped back. Daniel gave her a nod of respect and noted a long line of Aakacarns waiting to increase his potential. “The border violation is serious and needs to be addressed right away. I promised to remain here and have the contents of my vat increased over the course of four marks and have one more to go. The First Accomplished is occupied and so it seems appropriate for the First Lady to handle the crisis.” This of course did not mean he would stay out of the confrontation.
Sherree’s eyes narrowed as if she did not quite buy into his reasoning, which did not stop her from turning to Sam. “Have your team meet me at the Benhannon Northland Holding. Chas will have the Sentinels ready to deploy.”
“It will be as you say, First Lady,” he replied and then vanished in a flash.
Sherree’s eyes studied Daniel a while longer and then she too vanished in a flash.
While Daniel sat receiving potential, time passed and Mene and Tekel reached the encampment. He concentrated on Tekel until her senses became his. From her perch in an oak tree above the command pavilion she provided an excellent view of two camps, each divided into five sections that mirrored each other. A virtual sea of tents occupied the field surrounding the tree to the right and left with pickets at the perimeter. Each legion had command tents at the center, supply wagons, and a huge mess tent. Neat rows of identical gray tents, each able to house ten men, made up the vast majority of space, and both legions appeared to be settling in for the long hall. Even so, Daniel had no doubt they could snap into action if threatened and be on the move in short order.
A blanket of snow on the ground had a brownish color from the many boots and hooves adding dirt into the frosty mix. More horses then Daniel had time to count were being held in rope corrals and each legion had a portable smithy. He could hear the ring of hammers pounding iron from both camps. Smoke rose from the cook fires near the mess tents while men in red on black uniforms stood in orderly lines to get a meal. Each soldier had a black lacquered conical helmet with a spike at the top and every man had a sword and dagger at the hips. Black chain mail lay over their fur-lined coats, providing them protection in battle and the winter chill.
Through Tekel’s sharp eye, Daniel saw a patrol entering the perimeter of the camp on the left. Twenty horsemen took their mounts to the rope corral while one of them with a lieutenant’s silver bar on his shoulders walked from there up to the command pavilion. On the ground below were two generals. Daniel recognized the black lacquered helmets, each with a golden eagle with its wings spread wide at the front, and the five smaller eagles on their silver shoulder stripes. The black spikes on their helmets were trimmed with gold. Around the commanders stood a pair of colonels, each with four gold eagles on their shoulders, four majors with three eagles, and fifty guards. Anyone who wanted to attack these men would have to get past two legions to do so. The generals were gray bearded, one had a pug-nose, and the other’s a more prominent. The colonels had some gray in their beards, but most everyone else had silky black hair, and all of them had light brown complexions.
The lieutenant, who had led the patrol, reached the guards. Few Cenkataarans grew above six cubits in height, but the guard who escorted the young officer forward could have passed for an average Ducaunan if his skin had been paler and his oval eyes a bit rounder. “Major Kite, Lieutenant Grimes has returned from the west,” he announced.
The major moved away from his superiors and spoke to the junior officer in a tone too low for even Tekel’s sensitive ears to hear. The lieutenant replied in an equally low voice, the major nodded, and then rejoined the commanders.
“General Colter, General Langley, the Ducaunan muster is slightly larger than the legion commanded by General Tallen,” Kite reported. “Sixteen thousand men are in eight camps about five spans west of our position. The average Ducaun civilian does not carry a sword or shield, but they all have bows and knives.”
“An extra sixteen thousand archers added to ten thousand horsemen and two thousand foot soldiers can be formidable under the command of someone like General Tallen,” the pug-nosed General gave his assessment.
“Kent, those men are hunters and experts at taking their prey from concealment,” Prominent-nose added.
The Colonel on the right gave a slight negative shake of his head. “General Langley,” he said to Prominent-nose, so Pug-nose had to be Colter. “I believe the civilian musters will not be nearly as formidable as our trained soldiers. Major, how many men-at-arms are in the muster?”
“Two Ducaunan Lords of the Land and a Royal Knight of the Realm have brought a combined force of six thousand along with those ten thousand conscripts.” Kite replied.
General Colter huffed and said, “Rupert, the additional force of trained fi
ghters and ten thousand hunters does change the dynamics of what we face going forward, but not our mission. We still have the greater numbers. If the King’s demands are not met within the next ten days, battle will ensue.”
A thunder crack of displaced air startled Tekel. “Danger," her frantic mind shouted as she shot into the air and away from the encampment. Her terror became Daniel’s and he was forced to lesson his concentration on her emotions in order to control his own response. This was the price of sharing the senses and thoughts of another creature. Thick oaks with long bare branches reaching out toward evergreens seemed to be begging for some greenery on the landscape below as Tekel raced through the gray winter sky. Mene was flying off in the other direction. “Go back. The sound will not harm you,” Daniel sent reassurance to Tekel and her mate.
Tail and wings adjusted and she banked back around even though her tiny heart was still fluttering with fear. From the lofty heights above the trees her sharp eyes showed Daniel the clearing as they continued to speed in the direction of the twin camps. He was anxious to see what was happening with his wife and the Generals. Twenty-six people in blue silks, Sherree and the rapid response team, were in a ring facing the commanders and fifty legion guards, which were surrounded and cut off from the rest of the legionnaires by Chas and fifteen hundred Sentinels with nightsticks in hand.
Trumpets blasted, swords were drawn, shields at the ready, and suddenly every Cenkataaran seemed determined to cut a path to their leaders. Spearmen and archers readied themselves and were clearly just as prepared as the swordsmen to do battle. Daniel flinched.
“Maestro, is everything alright?” Sero asked at the same time physical contact with Accomplished Roy Cantur, the final donor, abruptly ended. The combined interruption caused Daniel to shift his concentration away from Tekel and back to the room where he actually sat.
Roy had a long clean-shaven face and his blue eyes were opened as wide as they could go. “Maestro, I felt a tremor in your vat as if a tremendous amount of power was about to be summoned.”
Daniel stood up. “The situation at the Cenkataaran encampment is about to escalate. Carlos, convey me to my quarters, I don’t want to waste time walking. When I am ready, you, Sero, David, Silvia, and I will be going to the negotiations.”
Carlos’s eyebrows arched up questioningly; even so he sprang to his feet and thankfully cast the spell without saying a word. Darkness enveloped Daniel for the space of three heart beats and they appeared in his bed chamber.
“Maestro, I have never been to the place you want to go. I cannot convey you,” Carlos admitted in a stress-filled voice.
Daniel cast the spell, What Is This, and focused inward. His vat was full to the brim with liquid representing every color imaginable. Sadly, none of them was his own topaz, but that would not stop him from wielding the donated potential. “Carlos, Tekel and Mene are on the scene. I have the necessary visual, my crescendo can supply up to seven bolts of amplification to any spell I cast, and as you know, Conveyance only requires one bolt. I can get us there at practically no cost to me,” he gave an explanation that should not have been necessary while removing his cloak.
Carlos nodded acceptance but his frown indicated he was not happy about it. Daniel quickly removed the rest of his silks, went to the wardrobe, and quickly donned his field uniform consisting of, polished chain mail, a forest green coat, and light green wool pants. A falcon in a sky of blue carrying a lightning bolt was embroidered on his shoulders, and over his heart lay the emblem of the royal hawk in flight that matched those on the sides of his green lacquered helmet, in the center of which were seven golden lightning bolts. He put on the black sword belt, which had a double row of diamonds studded around the waist, and the magnificent sword of a Ducaunan Royal Knight of the Realm hung from his left hip. At his right, in a gold sheath, he placed the diamond-bladed knife, and in the second sheath he inserted his old hunting knife that was also a crescendo. Last of all he summoned potential for Personal Shield and added a Da Capo. With his flesh protected, he was ready to go.
By the time he and Carlos exited the bedchamber, Silvia, David, Sero, and Hosea Shiloh were in the outer greeting room. “I volunteer to accompany you,” the Accomplished from the Defense Department stated.
Daniel had no objection. “You may come with us.”
“Thank you Maestro,” Hosea replied, and moved to stand next to Carlos.
“I will obtain the visual and we will convey to the confrontation. Activate your personal shields and have batons and nightsticks in hand and at the ready, things might get difficult,” Daniel announced and then focused his mind on Mene, whose nerves were calmer than Tekel’s. He did not want to frighten her any further.
The male hawk was perched in the lower branches of the oak while his mate was up near the top. Below, Sherree was talking to the generals. “I am asking you to leave Ducaunan soil before this encounter escalates into violence,” she spoke in a diplomatic tone of voice.
Chas Herling, Darrell Logan and half of his Accomplisheds were facing the officers, as did Sherree, while the rest of his team faced the fifty guards. Similarly, two thirds of the Sentinels who stood surrounding those guards were facing the legions and one third had their nightsticks pointed at the guards. It was not surprising she chose non-deadly force to meet the threat, her being a healer at heart, and Daniel appreciated the sentiment.
“Who do you think you are, coming here like this?” General Colter demanded to know, while perspiration dripped from his brow. “The only reason I have not ordered my legion to strike your men-at-arms down is you brought them here with only clubs drawn and without shields, sword-bucklers, armor, or chain mail for protection. So I am giving you a few moments to surrender before issuing the command.” Clearly he was betting she would be concerned about the apparent vulnerability of the non-Aakacarns under her command.
“I am Sherree Jenna, a two-bolt Accomplished of the Atlantan Guild. I and the Accomplisheds with me are here representing Sir Daniel Benhannon, a Royal Knight of the Realm of Ducaun, and these men with us are the Chosen’s Sentinels. We are here to supervise the orderly withdrawal of your legions from this kingdom,” she calmly replied. Their marriage had not yet been made known to outsiders so Daniel was not surprised at hearing her words of introduction under the current circumstances.
General Langley coughed a laugh. “I grant you made a grand entrance, but you did not bring nearly enough forces to supervise let alone demand a withdrawal. The conditions of peace we sent to General Tallen must be met before I can remove my legion from Ducaun. I am loyal to my king, even as you are to Sir Daniel, and will fight to the death to carry out the command given me.” He too was sweating and yet stood his ground.
Major Kite drew his sword. “You are all now prisoners and I demand that you order your men to drop those clubs and surrender their swords, daggers, and those tiny little crossbows.” None of the Cenkataarans seemed to acknowledge the presence of twenty-six Accomplisheds, yet they were perspiring a great deal for such a chilly late afternoon. These men expected to die, but not without a fight.
While looking through the eyes of Mene, Daniel could not see the glow of potential emanating from the Aakacarns, but could see the results. Kite flopped to the ground like a sack of cornmeal. Each of the senior officers fell asleep before they could take so much as a step. The fifty guards lunged inward as one, swords swinging in their attempt to reach the fallen leaders. The tall one who had led the lieutenant forward swung his sword at Sentinel Core DeKemp, who caught the blade in his hand after moving to intercept the man. The shield amulet beneath his clothes and lying against his skin protected him from being cut. The guard’s eyes widened just before Core touched the gem on the nightstick and said, “Good night.” The surprised fellow’s eyelids closed and he dropped to the ground. Darrel Logan and his team had the remaining guards slumping to sleep shortly thereafter.
Archers sent arrows flying straight into the Sentinels. Blue wool uniforms were puncture
d, ripped, and torn as the pointed heads struck, but did no damage to flesh. Most of the Sentinels had lowered their heads, protecting their vulnerable points, fingertips, eyes, nose, and mouth, allowing the arrows to bounce off their conical helmets. A few of them brought up an arm to their protect eyes and kept their mouths shut. All of them held on to the nightsticks. Daniel could not see the beams of potential striking each Cenkataaran through the eyes of Mene, but he could see one man after another falling to the ground as the Sentinels methodically rendered their equal in number unconscious.
The other officers and soldiers of the legions had no way of knowing the men falling before them were only sleeping and did not take the time to find out. They perceived a threat and acted as they were trained to do; meet it head on. The superior weapons and defenses of the Sentinels were proving to be formidable yet would be inadequate against such a huge group rushing in from all sides. Daniel’s muster could not push the gems in the nightsticks fast enough to keep from being swarmed and overcome by the legionnaires, he had to take action before that happened.
Through the eyes of Mene, Daniel focused on a clear area on the left side of the camp, behind the advancing soldiers, took his diamond-bladed knife in hand, and focused Conveyance through the crescendo. He pictured himself, Silvia, David, Carlos, Hosea, and Sero in the clear area, and three heart beats later, they stood in the camp.
“Put these men to sleep,” Daniel ordered.
Silvia pointed her nightstick at a soldier, and a blue beam of light stretched out from her weapon to the target, causing the man to collapse to the ground. The spells within the amulets were fixed and pre-focused so non-Aakacarns could use them, which meant the husband and wife team could only pick off the legionnaires one at a time. The Chosen’s Sentinels had the same limitation and time was not on their side.
Daniel summoned, Sleep Time, aimed his diamond-bladed knife, and sent bright light in hundreds of hues fanning out horizontally and stretching wide across the field, striking a hundred men and putting them to sleep in moments. Similar fans of energy emanated from Sero, Hosea, and Carlos, except theirs’ were hyacinth, olive-green, and the other deep blue rather than multicolored like that of their leader. A translucent amber dome of energy formed around the Sentinels. That had to be Sherree’s work. Daniel’s anxiety level dropped slightly, knowing she and the Sentinels would not be overwhelmed.
To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) Page 23