To Be Chosen (72 page)

The thought made her feel warm inside and she remembered her last regret, that she rejected his proposal of marriage, and what she said would happen if she ever had the chance again. She pulled her pants back up, admired the blue boots, and then put on the shirt and cloak. It was time to go find the man who captured her heart.

The cell door was unlocked and she noted the entire place was illumined by soft blue light that seemed to emanate from the walls. The hall was empty yet she could hear a slow steady breathing, the sound of perhaps hundreds of people sleeping. She peered into the first sell on her right and found twenty people dressed in blue, wool rather than silk, and all of them sleeping peacefully. Did Daniel heal them too? She found the same in each cell. Voices echoed from up ahead, two masculine and one feminine, and she cautiously headed in that direction. The door on her left opened and out stepped a tall man in blue silks. His skin was the color of ebony yet his face was shaped more like a Taracopian. He looked familiar. It took her only a few moments to place him. “You are Jeremiah Lassiter,”

The Two-bolt Accomplished gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. “I am, and thanks to Daniel Benhannon, I’m no longer among the Condemned. He must have overcome the Silencing and regained his repertoire,” Lassiter said in a deep bass voice.

“I was also among the Condemned and believe the people in these cells might have been as well” Sherree replied.

Lassiter’s eyes scanned her, making it seem he was weighing and assessing every detail about her. “You are Sherree Jenna, one of the Talenteds who participated at the Battle of Bashierwood, and graduated to the rank of One-bolt Accomplished.
How is it you now have two?”

Sherree was so happy she could not stop a chuckle from escaping. “I think it is a side affect of Daniel’s healing.”

Lassiter was shaking his head. “I was a Two-bolt before being Condemned and am still one after having been restored and performed the spell of Ranking.”

Sherree did not want to be rude to the Senior Soarer, but she was more interested in the man who healed her. “Why don’t we go find Daniel and ask him?”

Lassiter smiled. “I can see no reason for us to do otherwise. Speaking of side affects, while I was in good physical condition before, I am in great shape now, better than ever.”

Sherree nodded her head. “Same here,” she told him.

She and Lassiter walked toward the voices. The two males turned out to be Tim Dukane and Ronn Benhannon. The woman was Miriam, who smiled and ran to her the moment their eyes made contact. “Sherree, it so good to see you up and about,” Daniel’s mother told her in the middle of a fierce hug.

It felt good to be hugged by this woman and Sherree hugged her back just as warmly. “Where is he?” she asked, realizing Miriam would know which, he, she was referring to.

Tim Dukane walked over with a grin on his face and he seemed happier yet more settled in some way then when they last met. “Daniel went off to heal the Queen of the Lethal Growths. He is back now and outside helping the other Accomplisheds to defend this position from eleven members of the Serpent Guild, nine on the other side of the hill to our north, and two with the Pentrosan legion.”

Sherree would have been skeptical about any Accomplished claiming to have single-handedly healed a patient of the Lethal Growths, but after having been restored from Condemnation decided to keep an open mind, considering who was credited with the accomplishment.

Lassiter’s eyes became even more intense. “That suggests an allegiance of some sort between the two. This could be a serious development, especially if Pentrosa is a willing host of the illegitimate guild. Where is Serin Gell? Did he get away?”

Tim pointed to the far corner of the chamber, behind the throne, where a black silk cloak covered a mound of some sort. “No, he didn’t get away. Daniel executed him right over there and what is left of him is not pretty. I was not here at the time but understand Daniel was quite angry when he learned Sherree had been Condemned.”

Lassiter went over and uncovered the body, a mound of what appeared to be boneless flesh. “He has no skeleton, but my spell confirms this is Serin Gell.”

“His skeleton is still there only broken into tiny fragments,” Ronn corrected him.

“Officially, he should have been captured and sent back to Aakadon for further questioning, but personally, I’m glad he is dead,” Lassiter admitted, a sentiment Sherree agreed with, and he stood up. “I would like to come back and do a more thorough examination of the body and his personal affects, so please leave him as he is.”

Ronn licked his lips and smiled. “You will have to get in line. Samuel Cresh already asked that we leave the body for him to examine.”

Lassiter’s eyes widened. “You mean he is still alive! I saw him die at the hands of Gell’s minion.”

Sherree put her hand on his shoulder. “Samuel lost his right hand in the encounter but is very much alive.”

Tim pointed toward the southeast exit. “He is out there helping to defend against the enemy forces, nearly died once, but was saved by Simon, who smashed the Aakacarn flat with a tree. Who knew the Willow Guild had such violent spells?”

Sherree never heard of such aggressive spells from the Willow Guild, but then, each guild possessed specific Melodies unique to them, and she should not have been surprised some of them might be lethal.

Lassiter glanced at the exit. “I am going to help him,” he declared and ran, quite fast, down the hall and out of sight.

Ronn Benhannon watched him go. “He seems lively enough, how do you feel?”

Sherree stepped back from Miriam’s embrace and spread her arms wide. “I have never been in better shape and feel like I could swim spans against the current of the Mighty Hirus.”

Tim let out a chuckle. “That sounds plenty strong to me.”

“Are there any casualties?” Sherree wanted to know. Where there is fighting injuries soon follow, she knew from experience, and wanted to help.

Miriam nodded her head. “There have been burns and cuts from blades of air, little fireballs, and such, but casualties on our side are fairly low because of the stone fortification built near the southeast entrance to this hill complex. Jerremy built a wall around the hill and later one to protect the archers up top. Daniel informed me that Storm, Slink, Skulk, and Sniffer died in their battle with the Pentrosan cavalry unit.”

Sherree was happy to know Jerremy had also been healed and was quick to offer her condolences for the dead. “I’m sorry for the loss of those men.”

Tim was shaking his head. “A panther and three coyotes,” he corrected and then chose to add more after she looked at him askance. “Daniel is the Chosen Vessel and the animals are part of his swirl. They fight for him, whether he wants them to or not.”

Sherree turned to Miriam, being unsure of Tim’s sense of humor. Oh, she heard all the rumors flooding Ducanton about Daniel being the Chosen Vessel, but he never spoke of it and she did not mention it either.

“Tim is not joking. My son is the Chosen Vessel. Teki Seers have confirmed it, the Queen has confirmed it, and Daniel willingly admits it,” Miriam attested to the fact.

Ronn ran his fingers through his hair and said, “You have been educated in Aakadon. Have you ever heard of a twenty year-old Six-bolt Accomplished?”

Six bolts, Sherree was about to tell them such a thing was impossible, but then Daniel healed the impossible and defeated the Maestro of the Serpent Guild in a duel of potentials. One thing was for sure, when she wed that man, he was going to tell her things like this without making her pump him like a well handle. “I’m going outside. Send word if you need my help,” she said and walked out of the hill complex and into the bright morning
.

A huge stone fort was about twenty paces from the entrance and balls of fire slammed against it along with solidified blades of air. A solid red-brown beam of light hit the north wall and a blue glow around the building grew brighter and brighter as if absorbing the power and using it to strengthen the shield. Shards of stones went flying out one of the windows like hundreds of darts being thrown in rapid succession. That was clearly an offensive spell of the Stone Guild. Sherree noted twelve different potentials being focused to the north, three she recognized as belonging to Samuel, Jerremy, and Simon, although she could not discern the spe
cific spells they were casting.

She noted the wall around the perimeter and many trees with prickly branches, most of which were on fire as were the hills outside the walls raised by Jerremy. A Three-bolt Accomplished worked a jet of water that spouted up out of the ground, extinguish
ing most of the fire balls before they hit the complex, and put out the flames of the few burning spheres that got through to the ground.

She turned and stared up at the top of the hill. Daniel was up there with twenty archers. She watched as he took an arrow in hand and created perhaps hundreds just like it, out of what? She did not know. The bowman continued to send their arrows out to the north at targets she could not see from her current vantage point. She started climbing the hill. He looked so handsome and in full command of the situation and all she wanted to do was hug and kiss him. Before she was half way up a beautiful dark-haired woman walked up to him and gave him a hug and handed him a mug. Sherree stopped, staring in unbelief. She thought Daniel and the mountain girl had parted ways. She distinctly remembered when that tart’s relationship with Daniel was supposed to have ended with Tim getting the cabin Daniel would h
ave invited this strumpet into.

Sherree knew she was being hard on the girl, who was neither a tart nor a strumpet, and could only blame herself if Daniel went back to her after being rejected. Of all the people she expected to see here, this woman was only just ahead of
Tarin Conn on her list. Sherree turned and went back down the hill. She refused to cry, not her, not a dedicated Accomplished of the Aloe Guild. She remembered the last words she had spoken to Daniel, “From now on we will be on a professional level only, address each other by rank and all casual contact will cease immediately.”

Why should she complain if he took her at her word? The water in her eyes was because of the smoke from the fire balls, not tears. She wiped her eyes and went into the stone fort. Jerremy, Simon, and Samuel were stationed there, and joined by Lassiter, who was busy casting spells out the window.

“He did it again,” the Senior Soarer was saying. “Created arrows seemingly out of nothing, just like the extra bows,” he added and then resumed casting spells at the enemy.

Simon was the first to notice her and crossed the room in an instant. “Sherree, I’m so glad Daniel was able to restore you,” he blurted and pulled her into a hug, then released and tried to assume a more dignified expression. “I mean, it is good to see you well after your ordeal, Accomplished,” he said and then his eyes widened when he glanced at her shoulders. “Why do you have two bolts?”

Poor Simon, it was nothing against him, but his question brought her mind crashing back to Daniel laughing and hugging the mountain hussy up on the hill and Sherree could contain the emotion no longer. “That’s a very good question,” she told him hotly. “I too would like to know exactly what Daniel Benhannon did to my body in addition to healing me.”

Jerremy and Samuel came over all smiles and ready to congratulate her on being made well by a man who healed her out of the goodness of his heart, yet who was no longer interested in her as a woman; at least that is how she saw their approach.

“Daniel restored me along with a hundred and eighty or so other people who had been Condemned and he did nothing untoward to any as far as I know. Are you saying he did something inappropriate to you?” Jerremy asked her with seemingly mixed emotions. She was his friend and also Daniel’s, who had saved him from Condemnation.

“No, of course not, but I don’t see any extra lighting bolts on yours or Lassiter’s shoulders. He has some explaining to do, but I don’t want to speak with him just now, so let’s leave him out of the discussion for awhile.” Sherree still felt the sting of seeing Daniel in that other woman’s arms, but she would not allow the image to control her actions, not much.

Samuel took her aside. “Daniel mentioned to me about how he once proclaimed his inappropriate feelings for you and how you let him know in certain terms that there would be no such relationship. I believe he took your words to heart and doubt he would have done anything improper while you were unconscious.”

So Daniel shared the episode at the Great Carnival with Samuel, which means it was still in his mind while he was restoring her. She should be grateful he had healed her and respected her stated wishes. “Sam, which part of, Leave him out of the discussion for awhile, did you not understand?” She was being snippy, but she could not help it.

Samuel just looked at her for awhile and then nodded his head. “If you know any spells that can be used against the Pentrosans, you may use this crescendo while I drink several jugs of water,” he told her while handing over a hunting knife. “Don’t wrinkle your nose up at it. This is one super-charged energy amplifier.”

Sherree offered him a slight smile and took the knife and went to the window. The Pentrosan army and cavalry were spread out on the next several hills over on the north. Men with spears, swords, and crossbows, were out on foot while most of the enemy was mounted. They were not close enough to use their crossbows and depended on the Aakacarns with them to be the aggressors for the time being. The fools that had come close enough to loose their bolts were dead on the ground with pile arrows sticking from their bodies. Swarms of wasps and hornets flew up from the trees and bushes and descended upon the Pentrosans. Men and horses began to scream as the insects brought their stingers to bear.