To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5)

by John Buttrick

  Daniel had thirty communication amulets in the pockets of his cloak and had the ability to call on any of those individuals at will, but they could not contact him unless he was holding the gem against his forehead. With so many threats looming over the guild, it might not be a bad idea to at least give his lieutenants the ability to contact him when they felt the need, he reasoned. “I accept the array and will wear it from now on,” he replied and took the offering from her hand.

  Simon came forward, almost hesitantly, which often meant he was about to point out or suggest something everyone else had overlooked. “As Conductor Lassiter pointed out, our response to Aakadon’s aggression has always been non-lethal. The Grand Maestro and the seven Maestros are glaringly, almost willfully, ignorant of how powerful and influential the Serpent Guild has become, being blinded by their animosity towards you. After all, they do not have the benefit of a Teki Seer to enlighten them.”

  “Seek guidance from a non-Aakacarn? No way,” Leah rightly stated, even though she interrupted the Chief Aid.

  He smiled and acknowledged her remark with a nod and then continued. “This being the case, the army out there might attack us believing we will respond as we have in the past, with non-lethal force. They do not understand how high the stakes are and therefore emboldened by their ignorance, may see no risk in moving against us. I propose we make them aware of the change in policy before something occurs we will all regret.”

  The Conductor of the Defense Department took a deep breath and placed both hands on his hips. “If they move into attack position, we will make clear to them that lethal force has been authorized,” Jeremiah pointed out, a statement Daniel felt to be reasonable, even though it had been stated more forcefully than was necessary.

  “Suppose they cast spells first and ask questions later,” Simon replied, undaunted by the possibility whatever he had in mind might not be popular. “Daniel, I think you should inform Terroll Barnes of the many dangers we are facing and the reason why any aggression against the Atlantan Guild will no longer be treated gently.”

  “You want my husband to enter Aakadon?” Sherree asked in a quiet voice while her green eyes narrowed sharply at the Chief Aid as if he had just suggested the man she loved be executed at dawn.

  Simon, truly a man of courage, did not hesitate to answer. “Yes, none of us has any standing with the Maestros, and of the seven, only Terroll would listen to Daniel. Sherree, the Maestro of the Zephyr Guild has told you he believes your husband is the Chosen Vessel, and we do not know the opinions of the other six. The last time you spoke with the Maestro of the Aloe Guild, she refused to come out and say where she stood on the issue. If you believe anyone else has a chance of enlightening a Maestro of Aakadon, please tell us now.”

  Jeremiah’s way was safer for Daniel, but Simon’s proposal might not only prevent bloodshed in the current threat posed by Aakadon, it could avert future confrontations.

  Everyone began shouting at the Chief Aid, even Sero who rarely commented on anything. “It is too dangerous,” Sherree was emphatic. “Daniel will be arrested on sight,” Leah said while looming over Simon. “Are you insane?” Sero asked. “You are insane!” Carlos exclaimed. “A trip to Aakadon for our Maestro is out of the Question,” Jeremiah insisted while glancing at his former Fledgling as if for support. “Simon might be right,” Samuel yelled in order to be heard over the others and began another round of shouting, directed at him, led by his former mentor.

  Daniel raised his hand and gradually brought silence to the room as each person noticed he was signaling for quiet. They were within the Health Department and it was a wonder half the members were not running to see what all the yelling was about. “This evening a pair of Zephyrs will enter the gates of Aakadon and walk to the home of their guild. One will be me and the other will be Sherree,” he added her because he knew there was no way she would agree to him taking such a risk without her at his side. “With darker skin and a broader nose I can pass for an Ecoppian and Sherree can darken her hair, thicken her eyebrows just a little, and pass for a Taracopian. Most of the changes will be illusion but will suffice so long as no one actually touches our faces.”

  Simon, focusing on the floor as if loathed to impose his opinion, gave it anyway. “I like everything about the idea except the part where my name is missing.”

  Daniel tried not to smile before making his reply. Well, not very hard. “There is no reason for you or any of the others to come with us. We have to arrive outside Aakadon far enough to keep the sound of our arrival from being overheard. The more I take, the louder the noise, and the farther away from the city we will be forced to arrive,” he replied, and to the group at large added, “You all know a Talented at the gate is not going to question a pair of Accomplisheds who wish to enter and no one in the Zephyr Guild is likely to wonder about two of its members entering the building, even if they do not recognize the pair. The guilds of Aakadon are huge and no member of a guild knows everyone personally.”

  “I still do not like the proposal,” Leah said as her eyes met those of everyone else. “But disguises will minimize the danger, especially if they go as a pair of Gusts, and Daniel might just be able to convince the leaders of Aakadon to stop this and any future campaigns that might be launched against us.” It was good she could see the merits to Simon’s proposal and offered an excellent idea about going in as a pair of young Accomplisheds whose relatively low rank would not stand out.

  Daniel looked to Sherree. “What do you say?”

  For answer, amber light radiated from her and moments later she had darker skin, black hair, and her blue silks were now the red on black of Aakadon. “We will have to conceal our marriage knifes within our cloaks, choose different belts, and make a couple of gold medallions with the letter Z on them.”

  “That’s my wife,” Daniel replied, proud of her response.

  No one objected once the decision had been made, which did not mean that they liked it, only that they decided not to argue with their Maestro. He and Sherree proceeded to their room, removed their belts, created medallions, and then she focused her amber potential at him. Daniel suddenly had on the red and black silks of Aakadon and one golden lightning bolt on the hood of his cloak. The new belts she made had the letter, G, on the buckles. She attached her old baton to her belt and handed a duplicate to him. “The crescendos are level twos and complete the disguises. I know you promised to wear the new array, but I think prudence dictates that you leave the device here until we return,” she suggested, and so he set the circlet on the night table. “It is well into the evening but the city should be bright as day for another six marks,” she informed him as if he had not spent enough time in Aakadon to know such a thing.

  He looked in the mirror and did not recognize the face staring back at him. “Accomplished Sheila Van Tarran, are you ready to head back to our guild?” Daniel asked while instantly making up the name.

  Sherree smiled at him. “Accomplished Tyrone Bareen, I am ready and have the perfect arrival point in mind.”

  “I didn’t know you had any spies in Aakadon,” Daniel mentioned.

  Sherree shrugged her shoulders. “You didn’t know I had any in New Oben either. You never asked before so I did not bother you with such small details.”

  Since he had a tendency not to chatter about what he considered minor details, the response was nothing he could argue with. He kissed her, seeing as he would not be able to do that while in Aakadon. “It is good to have a wife who knows not to bother her husband with small details,” Daniel playfully responded.

  “That’s right. I’ll just keep on handling the small details and let you know when one comes along that is big enough to trouble you with,” Sherree replied, equally as playful, and then touched the diamond-bladed knife hidden in her cloak.

  The absence of all external senses lasted about three heart beats and then they were standing, not outside the city, but in the stables. Daniel was surprised by the location, having expecte
d to arrive in a remote location near one of the bridges. The horses stomped their hooves in protest, startled by the sound of whips. Amber light again radiated from Sherree, this time aimed at the equines, and they immediately calmed. “I used the spell, Relax, to make them settled down.”

  Seriously, someday people will stop explaining to him what a spell he composed is supposed to do, but evidently not soon. Rather than comment, Daniel led the way out into the street. Her spell must have also affected the grooms, seeing as none had come out to investigate the noise.

  The stables of Aakadon were multi-storied and massive with winding inclines for the horses, leading up to each level. Horses belonging to Talenteds were at ground level, half of which was taken up by the grooms’ residences; whereas areas dedicated to members of the Aloe Guild were on level three, nine tenths of which was shared with the Willow Guild, they being the society having the most equines. Daniel wondered why she did not appear there or outside for that matter. The mounts of the Aqua Guild took up most of the second level with a small fraction of the stalls reserved for members of the Stone Guild. Level four was equally shared by members of the Zephyr and Sun Guilds, while the Eagles had the entire fifth level to themselves.

  Daniel leaned down toward her ear and asked, “Why the stables?”

  “It is unlikely anyone would be in the stables at this hour and it is for sure no Talented would be,” Sherree informed him as they walked casually from the facility. “Arriving outside and entering through the gate would have taken more time and I want us to be exposed to as few people as possible. Our disguises are good but why take chances?"

  Daniel nodded acknowledgement and they walked calmly among the many Accomplisheds going to and fro, some in groups and others alone. “Take a right on South Street,” Sherree needlessly told him.

  They passed the coliseum, ignored the half opal half jade building of the Aqua Guild, and especially the equally tall topaz building of the Aloe Guild. Sherree tensed a little at the sight of her former association. He was tempted to take hold of her hand, but that sort of behavior would stand out in the minds of the male and female Accomplisheds they were passing on the street. So far not a soul paid them any attention. A man with a deep tan, dark of hair and eye, stepped out onto the street and glanced every which way as if taking in every detail in order to store the information away for future analysis. Daniel’s breath caught at seeing who was coming toward him.

  “Good evening, Maestro Reese,” Sherree said along with a respectful nod of the head.

  Talmon eyed her and Daniel, who quickly gave a nod of respect. The king Eagle returned the nod without commenting one way or the other, evidently not having an opinion on the quality of the evening, and also proving their disguises to be more than adequate.

  They reached the home of the Zephyr Guild and entered the lobby. A sky blue carpet lay just within the entrance. Three couches, placed to the left against the wall, were for people waiting on appointments, of which there were none at the moment. Sherree went right up to the clerk behind the desk. “Is Maestro Barnes available?”

  The white-haired young man looked up and his blue eyes noted Daniel but his gaze settled on Sherree. “I doubt you can get a formal appointment with him sooner than three days from now, but he is in dining area two, and may be open to an informal and brief discussion,” he informed without questioning why she wanted to know or even asking their names.

  So far, so good was Daniel’s thought. Now all he and Sherree needed to do was fool everybody else. He was keenly aware of the arrest warrants with his and her names on them and the risk they were taking.

  “Thank you Accomplished,” she replied and headed for the lift. “Dining area two is located on the ninth floor.”

  Daniel nodded and was grateful for the information, seeing as he was only familiar with the lobby and Terroll’s office area. The diamond-walled corridor seemed endless but eventually led to a sliding door. Inside was a shaft that stretched up to the very top floor of the building, with sliding doors at each level. Sherree entered the lift and he cast the spell to raise the platform to the second level. “Let me do the spell casting,” She told him before the doors opened. “My entire body glows every time I summon potential and so do those of every spell-caster I have met, except you. There is a chance, here in the bosom of our adversaries, that other people may know you are the only one who has demonstrated this skill.”

  He knew her to be correct and realized further similar actions would only increase the risk of getting caught. “I will be guided by you in this,” he replied just as she opened the door on the second level and they stepped out into the hall. When she did not move right away, he added, “Guided by you in not casting unnecessary spells and to the dining area, seeing as I have no idea where to go from here.”

  Sherree smiled and headed to the left. They passed two female Senior Cyclones and three male Cyclones, all with the letter, C, on their belt buckles, none of which did more than glance at two Gusts who were obviously on their way for an evening meal. Upon entering the dining area Daniel spotted Terroll Barnes sitting at table two of ten. The Maestro of the Zephyr Guild wore four golden lightning bolts on the shoulders of his scarlet on black silk cloak and a golden buckle with a diamond encrusted letter, Z, indicating his office. He was a tall man, when standing, and clean-shaven with skin the color of ebony.

  At the table with him was his Chief Aid, Bernie a Two-bolt Accomplished with yellow-gold hair and a neatly trimmed mustache. Sitting with them were five Senior Cyclones, one a female Daniel recognized immediately and the rest were males he did not know. A Cenkataaran with three lightning bolts shook his head in disgust. “How does the Chosen Vessel believe he can win the approval of any respectable Accomplished if he keeps breaking every tradition we hold sacred?”

  “Maestro, our distinguished colleague does have a point,” his fellow Three-bolt stated, whose bald head reflected the white light of the sphere glowing above the table.

  Terroll seemed on the verge of responding when Rondara Kapes glanced at the pair who had just expressed their opinions and spoke up. “Simeon, Chelton, you fail to understand something I learned on the mission to Shantear; Daniel Benhannon does not seem to care what we hold sacred and I doubt he believes gaining our approval is even possible no matter what choices he makes,” the Four-bolt explained, accurately, in a calm tone devoid of emotion. Her black silky hair shimmered in the light as her ovoid eyes focused on Terroll, “Did you know the young mountain Potential you discovered and tutored would turn out to be the Creator’s Champion?”

  Terroll shook his head. “It was only after he cast the spell of Ranking that the idea flickered in my head. I rejected the notion, not because of Daniel, but because of the implications such a truth would bring. I was not ready to accept Tarin Conn breaking free of entombment or the War of the Champions being waged in my lifetime.” He took a sip from his cup.

  “It would have been easier for us if you had done a better job of teaching your former student the proper behavior of an Accomplished,” commented a skinny Accomplished, whose long nose was the only part of his face visible from the confines of his hood. Daniel felt the bold statement to be disrespectful, but Terroll seemed to ignore the tone and kept drinking until his cup was empty.

  “Accomplished Jenna betrayed her guild for him. It is not surprising she would break tradition and marry him as well. Even if Benhannon’s education did not prove adequate to keep him from entering matrimony, the same cannot be said for her, she knew the rules well before entering Aakadon,” a plump man with a goatee said in deep sonorous voice. Before him was a half-eaten plate of noodles with some sort of red sauce and cheese. Daniel did not care for his choice of food or his criticism of Sherree.

  Chelton, the bald fellow, nodded gravely. “It must be mind control. He commanded her to be his wife and she obeyed.”

  Hearing such talk from Sherree’s sister was one thing, Daniel perceived the accusation was born of familial concern, but Shin
y Head was not family and therefore not entitled to have his allegation go unanswered, and so Daniel thought nothing about stepping right up to the table. “Truly, it is no wonder the Chosen Vessel cannot expect to gain the approval of people who accept lies as truth. If you who claim to see him as the Creator’s Champion believe such trash without any proof, how are those who have not made up their minds going to perceive him?”

  Sherree’s dark eyes locked onto him and she hurried over to the table. “Tyrone Bareen, is this how a One-bolt Accomplished addresses his superiors? Had I known you would speak so to our leaders, I would have suggested we go to one of the other dining areas.”

  Terroll’s eyes had locked onto Daniel before he completed the first sentence and his eyebrows seemed to have been attempting to climb his forehead by the time Daniel had asked the question. By the time Sherree spoke up, the Maestro of the Zephyr Guild had his facial features under control. “No, it is quite alright, Accomplished, what is your name?” he replied to her, even though his eyes reflected recognition, causing Daniel to wonder what his old friend would do next. They had not altered their voices and so Terroll knew the true identities of the pair of Accomplisheds standing by the table.

  “Sheila Van Tarran,” Sherree replied in a softer tone than she had used on Daniel. She did not look at the scowling Accomplisheds seated around the table. Those scowls seemed to deepen the more she ignored them.

  Terroll nodded his head as if accepting the name as true, which meant he would play along with the ruse, at least for a while. “Gust Van Tarran, I encourage free speech and would very much like to hear more of what, Gust Bareen, has to say on the subject of Daniel Benhannon, but not at this table. My office is a much better place to discuss the subject and the prudence, or lack thereof, of you choosing this time to bring him here.”