To Be A Maestro (The Maestro Chronicles) (33 page)

Leah’s eyes swept the room before fixing on him with her lips forming into a smile. “I am always interested in learning new spells and hope you have some instruments, unless you plan on whistling the Melodies.”

Daniel remembered learning the spell, Talon Strike, from Samuel using the method she mentioned. “I have developed a quicker method of instruction. The spell I use is of limited duration so multiple sessions will be required, yet I believe I can impart most of what you need to know within a mark.

Leah’s left eyebrow arched up speculatively. “You have a new method of instruction, something more innovati
ve than is done at Tames Hall?”

Daniel smiled, seriously doubting an
y innovation had occurred in Aakadon in over a thousand years. “Watch and learn, first Accomplished.”

He summed the potential for, Teach Me and twin beams of light shot from his eyes into hers. He taught her
Variable Shield, Conveyance, Find All, and Teach Me, along with instructions on how each spell should be cast and why, and then, Heart’s Beat As One, How Do You Feel, Heal Wounds, Heal Burns, Make Well, and also Vitality.” The Del Segno brought Teach Me to an end and the first session to a conclusion.

Leah’s eyes blinked rapidly and she touched her forehead. “That was incredible. You implanted Symphonic spells right into my mind. I mean, wow, this is fantastic, where did you get the idea?”

Daniel hesitated to answer at first and then decided to go ahead and say, “Tarin Conn gave me the idea. He can link to the mind of anyone who enters the caves on Mount Kelgotha and can control yetis, sasquatches, and Condemneds. I composed a spell which allows me to link my mind to any living thing, including people. Mind Touch allows me to send my thoughts directly into their minds and I figured it would be a good way to teach spells to someone like you. I added a Del Segno in the composition which automatically severs the link after a tenth of a mark, so no one’s mind can be enslaved, and then titled the new version Teach Me.”

“Are you going to teach me Mind Touch?” Leah asked.

Daniel held up his hand so she would know he needed her to wait, then played Mind Touch in his head without summoning the potential, and then added a seventh line in the harmony to make the spell ineffective on humans. “I am ready to teach you the spell and have made it harmless to humans. I’ve found having animals as scouts and agents to be very effective and believe you will too. In fact, it was a falcon named Dart who made it possible for me to find you so quickly.”

He began the second session of her education, teaching her, Mind Touch, Fashioning, Shield All,  What Is This, Refresh, Change It, and Hunger, until the Del Segno kicked in and brought the teaching to and en
d.

The third and final session, for the time being, allowed him to teach her, Die Now, Personal Shield, Jet Of Air, Lance Of Air, Pebbles Of Fire, Timeless, and Sleep Time.

“These spells are incredibly advanced and extremely useful. I can convey myself and others to a place far away like the Serpent Guild can, except Conveyance only requires one bolt of potential while they need an entire circle of Accomplisheds in concert,” Leah commented.

Daniel nodded agreement and pointed to her right. “Cast, What Is This, and touch that table.”

An amethyst glow surrounded her as she did as he instructed. “I see what it is made of and deeper down I see little worlds with tiny moons spinning around them.”

“That’s right. Everything is made up of those little worlds with tiny moons and every living thing has what I call recipe strands,” Daniel explained.

Leah’s eyes widened. “This is how you gave me a body in better shape than the original.”

“Yes, I chose to follow what your personal recipe called for,” Daniel replied. “What Is This, Hunger and Change It, are also required. You can heal most anything short of death with the spells I have taught you in these sessions. Restoration is a spell that can be used either way, to restore a person or reshape them into something else that is completely enthralled to the caster.”

“You did not teach me Restoration,” she was quick to point out.

“All of the spells I have taught you are to be kept between us and not to be shared with anyone not associated with us. As my first Accomplished I will likely teach you new compositions, but there are spells in my repertoire no one but me needs to know and Restoration is one of them,” he explained, hoping she would understand this did not mean he considered her untrustworthy.

Leah gave the customary nod of respect. “Every guild has spells that are not to be shared with outsiders and has spells restricted to its Maestro. This is a concept I have become well acquainted with in my seventy-eight year career as an Accomplished of the Eagle Guild,” she replied, slanted her head to the left and said, “I will save you the trouble of asking. I may appear to be thirty-two, but I am actually ninety-seven, and thanks to you, I will never look thirty-three.”

“Glad I could help,” Daniel replied, and when she kept staring at him expectantly added, “I recently turned twenty and have not decided when to cast Timeless upon myself.”

“Don’t wait too long.” Leah gave her unasked for advice. A few quick raps on the door caught her attention and she called out, “Enter.”

Jared, Silvia, and David came in and Daniel stood up quickly after imagining what he, sitting on the bed beside Leah, must look like. He made introductions and the three welcomed her to the swirl of the
Chosen Vessel.

“I think we should go eat,” Daniel suggested as much to consume foo
d as to end the awkward moment.

David maintained a totally unnecessary smirk on his face until they reached the bottom of the stairs. Both he and Silvia’s hands were suddenly resting on their daggerlances. People were everywhere, including a few cavalry officers, but mostly folks Daniel had grown up with, and all
were armed and staring at him.

Hough Bess stepped forward. “Sir Daniel, we were wondering if you could enlighten us about those waves that have been occurring.”

Captain BenJamin ran a finger along his dark mustache and took his place beside the Mayor. “I have my garrison on full alert, everyone in town is carrying bows and knives, and yet you appear calm as a winter pond.”

Daniel considered telling them they had nothing to be concerned about, yet to do so did not seem right. “Tarin
Conn is testing the limits of his prison like a caged animal. For now the bars, as it were, are holding, and what we have been feeling is his attempts to break free.”

Eyes widened and faces grew pale at the news and just when it seemed like people were about to panic, the age old mountaineer spirit took hold and stubborn determination gradually settled over everyone. Now was the time to harden the resolve. “Thunder warns us of a coming lightning storm, think of the harmonic waves as something similar, and likewise understand that swords, bows, and knives affect neither. I am calm because the danger is not in the crackling boom of thunder and I can do nothing about the noise. The Dark Maestro is still trapped beneath
Mount Kelgotha and the harmonic waves, while unsettling to experience and dangerous to shaky structures; cannot harm me here. In fact, I see the ripples as a sign the shield still holds.” Daniel watched as people began to nod acceptance of his words.

The residents began talking among themselves and gradually the crowd lessened as folks decided to go about their chores, most of them saying, “Like thunder,” and, “Good to know the shield still holds.”

“You handled that well,” Leah commented. “I would have told them not to worry and something along the lines of, it is an Aakacarn matter, and best to be left up to Accomplisheds to handle.”

Silvia stepped beside the tall Ecoppian. “That would have disbursed the crowd and been as useless as a Teki chief without a troop at calming their nerves.”

Leah stared down at the acrobat. “Point taken, those of us trained in Aakadon often fail to consider the nerves of commoners, and I will work to correct that attitude in me.”

Hough and Captain BenJamin walked out together as did Val and Todd, who must have been as frightened as everyone else to seek out Daniel’s opinion. The officer and the Mayor had both thanked Daniel while the newlyweds gave him a final glance and exited the Polkat. “I have pancakes, sausage, and eggs on the stove if anyone is interested in eating,”
Lydia mentioned to anyone within earshot who might be hungry.

Daniel and his friends ordered their breakfasts and waited at table three. He told them about
Mount Tirana and what he decided to do about it. “Are you open to suggestions?” Leah asked after he was through explaining to the others.

“I have found him to be one who will listen.” Silvia apparently felt the need to answer for him. She and David both had a habit of taking it upon themselves to spare him the burden of answering questio
ns.

Leah nodded her head and continued on as if Daniel had answered. “You seem to have the desire to convey us directly to Tirana, destroy the nest, and liberate however many Aakademneds are there.”

“That is what I had in mind,” Daniel replied before one of the Teki had a chance to answer for him.

“I suggest that you and I convey to Tirana, use Fashioning to learn the location of every tunnel and chamber, and then get with Chas Herling to plan an assault. I will, of course, follow your decision.” Leah proposed a good idea.

Jared did not offer an opinion. David and Silvia took issue with the idea of only Leah and Daniel going on the scouting mission, and then Bella Sander walked right up to the table before Daniel could announce his decision.

The old Senior Soarer acknowledged all at the table and then sat down when Daniel motioned toward the empty chair on the other side, seeing as his friends were seated to the right and left of him. “It is not every day one gets the opportunity to greet the dead and get a response,” Bella commented while fixing his gaze on Leah.

The first Accomplished opened her mouth to reply but Silvia spoke up first. “You are in the presence of the Creator’s Champion, the Chosen Vessel, and I too had to get used to greeting the dead,” she stated, in obvious reference to her cousin, Samuel, who had been declared dead by the troop chief.

Bella winked at her. “Many things change when the Vessel walks among us,” he said and brought his attention back to the first Accomplished. “Leah Barryn was determined to be a Condemned by a Senior Practitioner of the Aloe Guild and declared dead by the Maestro of the Eagle Guild, yet here she sits eating sausage and eggs.”

“Leah Barryn, Senior Soarer of the Eagle Guild was a Condemned and is dead,” she confirmed without batting an eye. “Leah Barryn, the first Accomplished to associate with Daniel Benhannon is alive and well. Do you find legal fault with the arrangement?”

Bella is an observant and crafty individual without a doubt, yet he did not seem to possess a mean bone in his body, and his sudden smile proved it. “As you well know, I am fully versed in the applicable laws, and know a dead person cannot be charged with breaking guild oaths. Technically, you are free to associate with whomever you choose. I am in reality pleased at your presence here in Bashierwood because it confirms the reports circulating in Aakadon.”

While Daniel normally did not much care what was happening in the Aakacarn city, Sherree being there made him sit up and pay attention like a hungry cat eyeing a bird. “What reports?”

“Accomplisheds of the Stone and Aqua Guilds associated with the Tomlin Project, along with one of the Aloe, one of the
Willow, and one of the Eagle, all arrived in a truly remarkable riverboat, and claim you are the Chosen Vessel and restored most of them from Condemnation. I see Leah as the living proof of your ability to heal a Condemned. As your new associate can tell you, each of those who had been Condemned were declared dead, are now in legal limbo, and will likely be confined to their respective guilds. Sherree Jenna and Jerremy DeSuan both claimed to have been Condemneds, yet being initiates whose physical states were unknown and amulets unavailable, their fate was never verified, so they are still legally alive and so have been granted greater freedom of movement,” Bella replied.

Daniel wondered why Sherree never mentioned the situation. She probably did not want to worry him. Wait, Bella said one member of the Eagle Guild. “I understand Samuel Cresh was here in Bashierwood, do you know what has become of him?”

Bella laughed. “You phrased that very well. I might not have suspected you know more about what the Fledging was up to than I, if his part in what happened to Serin Gell had not been in the report I received last night.”

David winked. “You should leave the questioning to me and Silvia. We are better at making people hear what we want them to hear without them perceiving what we don’t want them to know.”

Daniel smiled while giving a slight nod of his head. “I will take that under advisement. Bella, what does the report say about Samuel?”

The elder Accomplished sat back in his chair seemingly hesitant and then leaned forward. “This is not information I am normally at liberty to share, as your new associate can tell you, and yet I will do so because of who you are. The only person with first hand knowledge of your duel with Serin Gell is Samuel Cresh and each of the Accomplisheds questioned reported what he related to them. Sherree Jenna, who gained a second lightning bolt, apparently was not part of the discussion and so had nothing to report on the subject. Samuel confessed to having taught you the Eagle Guild specific spell, Talon Strike, so you could help him subdue Serin Gell, thus allowing you to summon enough potential to sunder the Silencing. They all, including Sherree Jenna, report your increase in Potential, and are convinced you are the Chosen Vessel. No one has a clue as to how you healed Condemnation. I assure you the Aloe Guild would like to know. Be that as it is, our friend Sam is in a great deal of trouble for violating an Eagle Guild confidence. This is an internal matter and Maestro Reese is the person the Fledgling will be judged by. Some leniency might have been shown to him since he is an initiate and was faced with extraordinary circumstances. While the entire Eagle Guild is pleased to know Serin Gell is dead and a member of our affiliation was involved in bringing him to justice, the Grand Maestro is furious over you being freed from the Silencing.”