To Be A Maestro (The Maestro Chronicles) (15 page)

Marge nodded her head. “You are making our work much easier.”

Daniel smiled. “Mine too.”

The kitchen staff began clapping their hands, clearly pleased by the innovation. Daniel decided he would replace the hand pumps at his southern estate with CAFs, seeing as he no longer chose to hide the fact that he could summon potential.

Samuel entered the kitchen while finishing off a strip of bacon. His eyes seemed to be analyzing the occupants and finally settled on Jerremy. “Did you get around to persuading him about the flute?” His soft tone of voice was not low enough. “Or were you and Simon sidetracked by another one of Daniel’s wonders?”

The Serinian raised his nose upward as if all else was beneath him. “The CAF is a good idea and has me thinking of how I can use it in my own designs,” he stated and then fixed his haughty gaze on the Teki. “I see you have a new right hand, yet there does not seem to be a flute in it. Could it be you were sidetracked?”

“Did you notice how Daniel did not glow when he cast the spell to fuse the CAF?” Simon asked.

Samuel cracked a half smile in his direction “The skill is acquired through intense concentration and plenty of practice.” He had asked the same question of Daniel days ago and received an answer.

Simon, eyes blinking rapidly, opened his mouth, yet spoke not a word. His right eyebrow arched up momentarily and then he closed his mouth and nodded his head. It never seemed to take him long to adjust to the unexpected. He clearly did not expect Sam to be the one with an explanation, especially since the Teki had not been in the room when the CAF was installed.

“You seem to have the answer, yet I see no evidence of the skill in you.” Jerremy’s observation was accurately aimed at the Teki, who stood clenching his fist and flexing his muscle.

“Lower your gaze and look around. I am not talking about my skill. Take note of the hand and the CAF, there is your evidence of skill. As for answers, I’m an Accomplished of the Eagle Guild and a big part of what we do involves investigating the truth of a matter,” Samuel explained and stopped
flexing after making his point.

Daniel focused on his Aakacarn friends. “See, I’m not the only one with the answers. Pester the Fledgling while I get on with my chores, unless you want to work on the plumbing with me?”

Samuel shook his head. “You are good at sidetracking, I’ll grant you that, but we need to talk about the flute.” True to his nature, he stuck to his goal.

Daniel glanced at the people standing around him. “Right here in the kitchen?”

“We could go back to your office,” Simon suggested.

Jerremy sighed and then drew a deep breath as if about to say something he would really rather not. “I have been ordered by my mentor to persuade you to hand over the flute to Oceanic Varroon for safe keeping. The plan is to take the crescendo to Aakadon.” He did not seem pleased by the assignment, nor did he mention being in agreement with it, perha
ps he felt the same as Daniel.

“Sam has the same assignment from Lassiter, who seemed to believe you would be more amendable hearing the suggestion from Accomplisheds who have known you longer,” Simon threw in the information, causing Samuel to sh
ake his head and roll his eyes.

“Simon, if you’re not going to help can you at least try not to be a hindrance?” the Accomplished of the Eagle Guild firmly admonished, perhaps thinking about the meeting last night and how the Battencayan-born Aakacarn sided against him.

The Sapling of the Willow Guild’s sudden smile shined in his eyes, clearly reflecting amusement. “I could try.”

Samuel glanced significantly at his right and then left shoulder. “Is this the respect you show a Two-bolt?”

Simon burst out laughing. “When there is a huge gator in the pond, who notices a trout?”

Jerremy lowered his nose and smiled. “The gator does.” They all looked at the seven-bolt Accomplished in the room.

The analogy amused Daniel briefly, yet he did have a busy day planned and the current conversation did nothing to help. “The flute is safest with me until proven otherwise. No one has yet convinced me Della’s instrument should be in Aakadon and that closes the matter for now. Samuel delivered the opinion shared by the majority of Accomplisheds within this holding last night, and now Jerremy; so that much of your assignments are complete.”

Daniel removed the CAF; the working model would now be a template from which he would duplicate enough for the entire holding and his estate. “I thought this was for us,” Marge stated, disappointment clear in her tone.

He turned to her. “This was a test, I’m going back to my office to make more, and I promise your kitchen will be the first to receive the next CAF.”

She nodded her head. “I always taste a new broth before deciding to make a big batch of it. I suppose it makes sense in the ways of Aakacarns as well.”

Daniel nodded to her and each of the kitchen staff, and then headed back to his office. Unfortunately his unwanted entourage followed along. David and Silvia were his Teki escorts and expected to be near him, not so much the three Aakacarns. He went to his desk and sat down. The spell, Change It, played in his mind while he held the CAF in his right hand and focused on the pile of rocks, transforming them into scores of CAFs, enough for this holding. He would need another bucket full in order to make more for the southern estate.

“I don’t remember seeing that spell in the Stone Guild library, yet it must be one from my affiliation or..,” Jerremy commented and then halted as if deciding to choose his words more carefully. “Your repertoire seems quite broad, full of specialized spells from every guild.”

Daniel saw no reason to deny the fact. “If you mean by, every guild, meaning the Serpent, you would be correct. All of the spells they taught me I have used to good effect, you standing here whole and in control of your body is proof. It is how they use the spells that is evil.”

“I need no further evidence of your good will. My words were meant to be a statement of fact not an indictment. You teleported us here and the only guild possessing a spell for that is the Serpent. We all know this, yet none of us accuses or even suspects you of being one of them. Like Silvia declared, we too have come to believe that you are the Chosen Vessel, and that you will always oppose
Tarin Conn,” Jerremy replied without a trace of haughtiness.

Daniel gave him the traditional nod of respect. “You can inform your colleagues I freely acknowledge the fact that some of the spells in my repertoire are compositions of
Tarin Conn, they need not tiptoe around the subject as if it is something that cannot be mentioned in polite company, and my usage of those Melodies speaks for itself.”

Jerremy stared at the CAFs and then focused on Daniel. “I will inform them. Before I do, fusing stone to stone and metal to metal is a task any fourth year Talented could manag
e, might I help install these?”

Daniel had intended to do all of the work himself and did not even consider passing the job to others. His remark about them helping with the plumbing was a quip not a request. “A Benhannon never fobs his chores onto someone else,” his father taught him. Maybe it was time to learn the art of delegating. “I would appreciate you doing so.”

“If Jerremy can do it, so can I,” Samuel spoke up after putting on the rest of his clothes, and then matched word to deed and began picking up CAFs.

Simon grabbed a handful. “I’ll start in the kitchen. You promised Marge she would be the first recipient.”

The three of them walked out of Daniel’s office with all of the CAFs, leaving him free to check in with his scouts, many of which were vying for his attention within the compartments of his mind. Before doing so he decided to do a little more delegating. “David, would you ask Sergeant Keenan and Commander Herling if they and one other person are willing to spar with me? Silvia, Gurrumble will be arriving later today with thirty-one additional sasquatches, please inform the people of this holding. When the time comes, I want to introduce them to the sasquatches and develop a way for everyone to recognize the creatures in service to me.”

David gave a quick nod of the head. “I will do as you ask, Chosen One,” he replied, formally, and headed out the door without delay.

Silvia had a tendency to spread word around without being asked, this particular chore aimed her at a specific target. She sat up straight. “Informing the people is a good idea. Every story ever told of the beasts has them under Serpent Guild control, and since that is still mostly true, we will need to recognize the ones in your swirl,” she replied. “I’ll also come back with suggestions on how we can make the distinction.”

Daniel gave a nod of respect, being glad she understood the necessity. “Excellent, I am open to ideas, so long as dressing the sasquatches in gaudy colors is not one of them.” He could not stop the smile from spreading across his face.

Silvia laughed. “There goes my first suggestion.” With that, the Teki acrobat stepped lightly out of the office.

Much as Daniel liked the company of his friends, he felt glad to be alone and able to start hacking at his pile of chores. Wisp seemed the most agitated so he concentrated on the osprey. Huge cotton-like clouds drifted slowly to the west as the raptor soared in a pale blue sky. He and the bird were one. Daniel could feel the air current beneath his wings as Wisp effortlessly caught the thermals that kept him aloft. Looking at the landscape below, he could see a line of grassy hills interrupted by an immense circular wall amid a broad clearing of huge honeylocust trees, inside of which was a multistoried building with a nearly completed roof. Stables were under construction to the west of the enclosure and looked to be capable of housing thousands of horses. The legion of regulars out of Los Collins, dressed in their light brown uniforms with dark brown trim, were awake and milling about on the line of rolling hills to north, raising tents, and settling in for what appeared to be an extended stay. Daniel had hoped they would head back to base, yet knew better than to make his plans on such a feeble notion. The two legions of Sutten Guardsmen were working on the fortress. Who would have thought they would choose to make a base out of the walls raised by Jerremy? It seems General Kall intends to make this a permanent base for his elite force. Was battle averted by having the Accomplisheds meet with the Pentrosans or merely postponed until the Aakacarns of Aakadon were gone? Another troubling question came on the heels of the last,
where are the enemy Aakacarns?

He sent his gratitude to Wisp, withdrew awareness from the raptor, and then cast, Find All, out to a five span radius. Each of the Aakacarns in his holding instantly appeared in his mind along with sixteen more inside the fortress up north in the Foothills, giving him the enemy location. He found the knowledge pleasing and displeasing, knowing their whereabouts is good, yet the Serpent Guild members still being in the area was not, especially since there were ten Condemneds near the ninth Accomplished. Daniel’s foes were way too close for comfort. Refocusing, he sensed every person and the huge variety of animals within his scanning range, all seemed to behave normally. Hundreds of men on horses slowly entered his radius from the east, these were Tallen’s reinforcements. The number reached a little over two thousand by the time the entire force was within the five-span radius. Daniel recognized several hundred of this group as being individuals he had healed after the Battle of Bashierwood. He released the potential for, Find All, and paused to consider what to do next.

Pressure began to build from multiple compartments in his mind, Mouser, Hoot, Screech, and Yonder, the first two being owls and the second pair ospreys, each clamored for his attention. Daniel opened his mind to all of them and immediately received images from four vantage points, circling in two different directions in the sky, on a branch high above, and the lower branch of an elm, upon which Mouser clutched amid the broad elliptical leaves. Opening up to all four suddenly did not seem to be a good idea. Daniel had difficulty focusing on what they were trying to show him. Mouser not only had the best view, she was close enough to hear clearly. Daniel backed his awareness away from the others and fully onto the owl on the elm.

In the center of the clearing stood a female Accomplished of the Serpent Guild, the hood of the black cloak lay back, exposing her red-blond hair, and a peach-colored complexion. The last he had seen of Serena, she led four Talenteds, two women and two men, and now a Two-bolt and nine one-bolt Accomplisheds have joined her. This could not be good.

“We arrived in Rivertown and decided it would be best to meet you here and thus draw less attention,” the Two-bolt spoke in a smooth tenor.

Serena looked up into the face of the hooded figure, whose visage could not be seen from Mouser’s position. “You did well Jakes. The sooner you get us to Kelgotha, the better. I am sure you don’t want to be the one who causes a delay in the Supreme Maestro’s plans.”

Jakes barked a nervous laugh. “I swear you are the only one of us who can fail at such a great task and still be the Master’s favorite.”

“Did you know
Tarin Conn visits our dreams without us ever knowing of his coming or going? What thoughts fill your mind at night while you sleep? Be sure our Supreme Maestro knows,” Serena’s voice seemed filled with concern, yet the feeling did not reflect in her cold blue eyes. “He approves of my dreams.”

Jakes drew in a deep breath. “Batons out!” he shouted, clearly unwilling to continue the line of conversation, and each Aakacarn suddenly had a type one crescendo in their hands. “Teleportation, focused on me in, three,
two, one.”