To Be A Maestro (The Maestro Chronicles) (10 page)

The Aakacarn waved his arm to the right and then to the left, over and over again, causing each of the volleys to miss, one after the other. Maybe if we fire enough, we can keep him from going on the offensive and maybe some of the darts will get through. Canan could only hope. The Arrabella certainly could not out run the sleeker vessel. The only option was to fight.

A fire ball shot from the Aakacarn and hurtled onto the weather deck. Crewmen ran to extinguish the flames. One fire ball after the other came streaking at the Arrabella; hitting sails, masts, and all of the upper decks, igniting the oil for the flaming darts, and making it impossible to put out the fires. The entire ship was an inferno. Men screamed as they became living torches and began diving overboard. “Abandon ship!” Canan gave a command he never thought would come from his lips.

Men scrambled to the life boats and began lowering them to the dark water below as the flames roasted the mighty Arrabella. “Captain, your boat is ready,” Mister KaDin informed him.

Canan shook his head. “I’m not going. Get the men to safety,” he replied, knowing his responsibility.

“No one expects you to go down with the ship. Please, come with us,” Mister KaDin begged with tears in his eyes.

“Gram, go,” Canan said, and glanced up at the flames climbing the main mast. “You have no more time.”

“It will be as you say, Captain,” the First Mate replied while wiping his eyes; must be the smoke.

He and about twenty sailors entered the last life boat and then lowered themselves into the ocean. Canan stared at the Zunean vessel in wonder. Why didn’t they steal the cargo? He watched as fireball after fireball hit each of the life boats, the last of which contained Gram KaDin and twenty of the finest sailors ever to set sail. This was a slaughter perpetrated by the Serpent Guild in league with the Zunean Merchant Marines, there could be no doubt. These people intended to strike at Lord DeSuan’s fleet; otherwise they would have taken the gold and silver in the hold that was to be delivered to King Van Efery. The funds were meant to pay his military in a time of widespread discontent within his realm. Thieves would have taken the gold, Canan was sure. The only chance of the world learning the fate of the Arrabella would be when her charred planks washed ashore somewhere on the coastline, with no evidence of the unholy alliance that brought about her doom. He stood on the command deck, out in the open, hoping the Aakacarn would strike him dead with one of those invisible blades, but the last thing he saw was the mainsail fluttering down around him in flames.

Simon Trenca listened to the others converse while passing through the north gate of the Benhannon Holding and was anxious to get back and report their success, pleased by how everything turned out and his part in it.

Gaining knowledge was one of his great passions, nearly as great as his desire to do important things, and by all Atlantan he was in the thick of fulfilling both. His friend had come a long way since they met in the
ninth floor dorm room of Talenteds back in Aakadon. Simon noticed at the time Daniel had a presence that could not be ignored and had vowed to help him. One decision led to another and here he was involved with, and a friend of, the Chosen Vessel.

“Has anyone spoken to Accomplished Benhannon about the flute of Della Lain?” Master Togan brought up an obvious topic that had been avoided for reasons
Simon had not yet figured out.

Samuel interrupted his conversation with Lassiter to answer the question. “After his duel with Serin Gell, I told him we would speak of it again, not just the flute, but of other things related to his repertoire. Too many events began to happen at once and
the opportunity to have that discussion never came about.”

“That was an interesting answer,” his mentor commented to the group at large. “I have many questions about how our rescuer, who had been Silenced, managed to defeat one of the deadliest members of the Serpent Guild. It just so happens my Fledgling is an eyewitness to the event. Perhaps he can enlighten us.”

Simon had observed Daniel carefully and had a fair idea the flute was in the safest place possible, somewhere on the person of the seven-bolt Accomplished. The theory has yet to be confirmed, but time would tell. Even so Simon had no intention of sharing the suspicion, no more than he would tell them of the powerful baton on his own person given to him by Daniel.

Samuel hesitated, no doubt regretting he had not stayed quiet and let someone else answer the question. “Anyone who has been Silenced can learn and cast a spell if it was never in his original repertoire.”

“Lassiter is correct, your answers are interesting,” Oceanic Varroon joined the discussion. “What would be the source of such a spell?”

Samuel began to fidget in his saddle and
finally let out a sigh. “We were going into a Serpent Nest to confront Serin Gell and rescue Sherree,” he began and then stopped speaking long enough to eye everyone. “All of you, except Simon, were Condemneds, we did not know her fate and Daniel didn’t even know if he could reverse what happened to you.” Then his voice took on a stronger, more confident tone. “I’m a Fledgling of the Eagle Guild and my mentor, a Senior Soarer, was defeated by the Accomplished I was about to confront. Daniel revealed his rank to me and I made the only choice that could give us even the slightest chance of succeeding. I taught him the Eagle Guild specific spell, Talon Strike.”

Jeremiah Lassiter nodded his head. “I see, out of desperation you violated a guild confidence in order to achieve your goal.”

Samuel turned to his mentor. “To have a Maestro level spell caster at my back, you bet.”

“Look out Jere, your Fledgling has a sharp beak,” Daria said and gave a nod of respect to Samuel.

“I take it your Talon Strike is a variable potential spell,” Jerremy DeSuan finally lowered his nose, apparently deciding it was time for his opinion. “Fortunately for us, Samuel did teach it to Daniel. His seven bolts obviously blew apart the Silencing and here we are.”

Jerremy coming to the defense of Samuel came as a bit of a surprise. Simon decided Daniel was not the only one changing. Perhaps the Serinian was not quite as arrogant and aloof as he seems, even though incorrect in his opinion. Simon knew the Ducaunan Accomplished had at least a few spells in his repertoire before Samuel t
aught him Talon Strike.

“We all know the flute belongs in Aakadon,” Lassiter stated. “One of us will have to ask him for it. At some point in the near future we must leave this compound, go back to our guilds, and get on with our careers. The flute should go with us. Aside from that, all of my amulets were taken by Serin Gell, leaving me unable to send in a report,
do any of you have an amulet?”

Simon could contact
Barnabas Galloway, his mentor. The Senior Forester would be expecting a report and yet this did not feel like the right time to make one. The senior Accomplisheds here might take away his amulet if they knew about it, so Simon stayed quiet, and for a wonder so did Samuel.

“It seems we are in the same situation and will have to file our reports in person,” Master Togan concluded.

“How are we going to get back?” Daria asked another question that had been avoided.

Jerremy laughed. “We arrived here through Daniel’s spell casting. Demanding the flute might not put him in a mood to be accommodating.”

“We will find a way,” Lassiter stated confidently, yet none of the others voiced agreement with him, and seemed to be considering the Serinian’s opinion.

Simon coughed to get their attention. “I have a boat in Port Valeen. The Javelin has sufficient room to accommodate and transport everyone
us out of the Taltin Sea and down the Hirus River into Aakadon.”

Jerremy guided his horse over and gave Simon a pat on the back. “Daniel is correct, you are a wonder.”

“That solves one problem,” Master Togan said. “Which of us is going to ask our host for the flute?”

Daria eyed Samuel and Jerremy. “Accomplished Benhannon’s achievements were published by the Grand Maestro and are well known to us all, yet I never met him until waking up this morning, perhaps those who have known him the longest should be the first to speak of the flute to our healer.”

“An excellent idea,” Master Togan voiced his agreement, as did everyone except the ones who would have to bring the subject up to the seven-bolt Accomplished.

“Apprentice, I am assigning you the task of convincing Daniel Benhannon the flute of Della Lain belongs in Aakadon and to give the class two crescendo to Oceanic Varroon, him being
not only high in rank but also the oldest and most experienced of we senior Accomplisheds. The flute is safest in his keeping,” Master Togan told Jerremy.

“Yes, Master Artisan, it will be as you say,” the Serinian replied formally, although his sudden frown implied he was not happy about it.

“Samuel, I am assigning you the same task. You and Jerremy work out the best way to go about it,” the Senior Soarer directed his Fledgling.

The former Teki shrugged. “As I said, I’ve been meaning to have that discussion, and sooner is better than later.”

Simon remained quiet and the others seemed to forget he was among them, which was not unusual. None of them brought up the fact that only the Serpent Guild had a spell capable of transporting people instantly from one place to another, yet Daniel obviously could, and clearly no member of this party wanted to consider how he acquired the Melody. He may have wrung it out of the many enemy Aakacarns confronted along his journey, yet that was only a working theory and Simon chose not to share his suspicions. The key to Tarin Conn’s prison should stay in the hands of the Chosen Vessel, but his opinion did not count much in present company so he chose not to share it either.

Temperature, sight, sound, these had no meaning in the space between here and there. Daniel’s mind was on the return trip, picturing each person standing where they had been before the journey to the capital. Three heart beats later, they were back in his office.

“I apologize for doubting your word.” Jonah was the first to speak.

“You never told us the flute of Della Lain was in the hands of Serin Gell,” General Malcus added right behind him.

“To think that it was almost destroyed and the Dark Maestro set free,” General Tallen said, eyes wide and with an iron grip on the declaration of Realm Alert sig
ned and sealed by the Queen.

Each of the nobles had verbal and written verification of the Realm Alert as proof to the other knights and lords in the border region of the order to prepare for war. Word would spread quickly through Tallen’s relay system.

“Sir Daniel, what you did for my Aunt, not only destroying the Lethal Growths, but making her seem as though she never had them, it was nothing short of a miracle.” There were tears in Jonah’s eyes.

Daniel placed his right hand on the man’s shoulder. “It is the duty of a Royal Knight of the Realm to defend his Queen from any foe, healing her was within my power, and I refused to allow the cu
rsed disease to take her life.”

“Well said,” Sir Tomas gave his affirmation. “You have done far more than we credited you with.”

Daniel shrugged off the compliment, seeing as he did what duty called for, and anyone in the room would have done the same if they could.

“Did you know the flute was in danger?” Jaim Cutler ventured to ask, this being the first time he dared to speak in present company. Perhaps meeting and being noted by the Queen emboldened him.

Daniel wanted the people in his service to speak up, so answered the keeper of the door. “Someone I trust taught me a few things about the Chosen Vessel. One is that situations will arise requiring I make a choice. When something is wrong, people are in danger, or someone is in distress, I can walk away, stand and watch, or do something to help. We all make those kinds of choices, yet as the Chosen Vessel, I will have to make them more often than most folks.”

“Our duty in such cases is to help,” Sir Tomas stated correctly, it was one of the responsibilities of a Royal Knight of the Realm.

Daniel acknowledged the senior Knight with a nod of the head and then went on with the explanation. “Sherree Jenna was the person in danger and I went to rescue her. So I crossed to save her and found Serin Gell in possession of the flute. My duty at that point was to secure the ancient crescendo, defeat the enemy Aakacarn, and rescue Sherree.”

“We were not willing to risk a war to save the life of one person,” Malcus admitted.

Daniel glanced his way. “True, but none of you are the Chosen Vessel. Events swirl around me and sometimes decisions I make, like saving Accomplished Jenna, turn out to either place me where I need to be, in this case to protect the flute, or draw whatever resources might be needed in the future.”

“We are going to win this fight against
Tarin Conn!” Jaim boldly stated.

“I hope so,” Daniel replied. “Tarin
Conn is also a Chosen Vessel and he draws what he needs and has been doing so for over a thousand years. Our victory is far from guaranteed.”

“The butcher will get paid in any battle,” General Tallen stated grimly, sounding very much like Sergeant Keenan. “Don’t ever think the fight will be easy, it is a sure way to lose.”