To Be Chosen (30 page)

A series of rapid knocks brought him to an abrupt halt. When he opened the door a slim young man in his teens, wearing green palace livery, handed him an envelope. “Thank you, Barney,” Daniel told him. He knew all of the royal couriers and this one was only four years younger than him.

“My pleasure, Sir Daniel,” he replied and took off running down the hall with a sack full of missives to be delivered.

Daniel opened the envelope. The Queen was calling an emergency meeting and his attendance was required immediately. He cast, Refresh, cleansing his body, and then, Laundering, to clean his clothes. It did not take him long to put on the rest of his knightly garb. He went down to the common room, found Jason the doorman and then asked, “Would you kindly have Sprinter saddled and brought around?”

“Of course, Sir Daniel,” he replied and turned to Toby, a wiry boy twelve years of age. “Have the grooms prepare Sprinter immediately,” he ordered, and the dark-haired lad ran to obey.

Daniel stepped out the front door and did not have to wait long before Sprinter was led to him by, Ben, one of the grooms, who was small for his age. Daniel handed him a silver coin and then mounted in one swift motion. The street lights burned bright and many of the stone buildings were also well lit, keeping the darkness from every corner. People filled the walkways while carriages, wagons, and coaches went this way and that along the thoroughfare. It was well into the night but city life continued unabated, which was also something he was getting used to.

Once into the palace grounds he turned Sprinter over to the royal grooms and made his way to the large conference room. Sir William Bonner and Sir Laurence Dugan, both equaling Daniel in height, with touches of gray in the hair, caught up with him just as he arrived at the huge double doors. They greeted each other and waited for the attendant, Benedict, a thin old-timer with stooped shoulders, to open the door on the right and call out, “Sir William, Sir Laurence, and Sir Daniel.”

They entered in order of introduction. The huge mahogany conference table had the capacity to seat fifty-one people along with the Queen at the head. Not many of the seats were taken. There was a chair in the twentieth position to the Queen’s right between Sir Carlo and Sir Tomas reserved for Daniel. He went over and sat down while Laurence and William took their assigned seats over to the left. General Tallen sat directly across from Daniel. General Malcus, a lean, clean-shaven, gray-haired man, who commanded the Northwestern Legion, was in the third chair from the head of the table on
the right, next to Lady Kurtz.

Cleona entered with three people following her. Daniel steeled himself for whatever would come next because the third person was Sherree Jenna. The first person, going by the uniform, was a Royal Sergeant-of-the-guard, but not for the palace. Daniel knew every Royal Guardsmen from the Captain on down, so this man had to come from one of the other royal residences. The other man,
dressed in a light green wool suit, was no older than Daniel and something about the set of his brow, nose, and chin, gave the clue that he was a member of the royal family. Both men were filthy, looking as if they had recently crawled out of a swamp. They each stood in front of an empty chair and all who were seated stood up until Cleona took her seat, and then everyone sat down except Sherree.

Queen Cleona turned to the Lobenian, who avoided looking at Daniel, and asked, “Accomplished, would you be kind enough to refresh my nephew and his escort?”

“Certainly,” Sherree replied and then was surrounded by an amber glow only Daniel could see. She touched the young man and then the older one, both of whom immediately perked up, eyes wide in surprise.

“We appreciate your coming on such short notice,” Cleona told her. “I look forward to see
ing more of you in the future.”

“I and Accomplished Chen will be available when that time comes,” Sherree replied, and then left the conference room.

Cleona faced the assembled dignitaries. “My nephew, Jonah Ducalin, has brought news of a serious problem occurring at Duke Cantor’s estate. At the same time, General Malcus brings me word of trouble along our border with Pentrosa,” she began, setting the two topics of discussion. “Jonah, I turn the briefing over to you.”

The young man stood up. “My father’s estate is under attack by members of the Serpent Guild. Twelve were in the field leading one hundred and fifty sasquatches. While we were defending against the full assault, a team of Accomplisheds tunneled under the manor house and battle commenced in the lower levels. I and my two brothers were commanded to bring word of these events to the Queen with each of us going a different way to ensure the message got out,” Jonah spoke in a matter-of-fact way but his eyes reflected deep concern. “Sergeant Zaccum and I encountered three sasquatches before we emerged from the Swamps of Append. We have reason to believe many more of the creatures are in place to keep word from escaping the region.”

“How many Aakacarns tunneled in? What happened to the three sasquatches?” Sir Tomas inquired.

“Could be as many Aakacarns inside as out, I was ordered to deliver this message, so I cannot be certain. As for the sasquatches, two were dispatched by Sergeant Zaccum and I killed one,” Jonah replied, and then focused on the Queen. “I don’t know how long my father and the Royal Guardsmen can stand against the assault. The Accomplisheds were headed straight for the treasure room,” he added in a guarded tone, giving more significance to his words. Gold can be replaced. He certainly had not come all this way just to prevent the loss of some coins and jewels.

Cleona motioned for her nephew to sit down and then took up the address. “What is about to be revealed in this room is sealed to the crown and is not to be spoken of to anyone not currently in this meeting. Nearly a thousand years ago, Della Lain entrusted to House Ducalin the safe keeping of the trumpet of Tarin Conn.” Gasps of in drawn breath came from everyone except her newest Knight. “For most of the intervening time the trumpet has been kept in the treasure room of the Ducalin estate in southern Ducaun, within the Swamps of Append. My brother, Duke Cantor, is even now battling to keep the instrument from falling into the hands of the Serpent Guild. Therefore immediate help must be sent,” she declared, and then fixed her gaze on the one man who stood a chance against the Aakacarn offenders. “Sir Daniel, the Captain-of-the-guard will choose fifty Royal Guardsmen, and you will lead them and whoever else you see fit to bring, to the Ducalin estate and do whatever is necessary to secure the trumpet.”

All eyes were on Daniel, but only Jonah reacted negatively. His eyes widened in disbelief and he stared at the Queen as if she must have lost her mind. The young man apparently did not know Cleona was sending her greatest military asset. “I will prepare to leave immediately,” Daniel replied formally.

Cleona nodded her head as if the matter was now solved. “We will meet privately before you leave to discuss the details more fully,” she said and then addressed the room at large. “Now to the other matter, General Malcus, brief us on the problem on our northern border.”

The general stood up. “Pentrosan soldiers dressed as civilians are crossing the border and raiding farms and villages. The Pentrosan court is dealing with the loss of two princes, both of which were involved in tragic accidents. King Jarred denies any knowledge of what is happening along his southern border and is more concerned about his sons. Meanwhile, Prince Xavier, who is now heir to the throne, is
still in Ducaun on his way home. The Pentrosan Cavalry is massing on their southern border to ensure the heir’s safe conduct to Holcum,” he explained and then sat down.

“As you can all see, this is a serious matter which could lead to war if anything were to go wrong. We cannot allow the raids to continue, which means military intervention at a time when tension between both kingdoms is high. This will only increase the strain, due to the recent deaths in the Pentrosan royal family, and their heir to the throne being vulnerable. General Malcus, you will use all the resources of your legion to ensure the safe arrival of Prince Xavier to the Pentrosan border, where his continued protection will be turned over to your counterpart, General Kall. Sir Carlo, Sir Tomas, and Sir William, you will accompany him.” Cleona stated.

“It will be as you command,” the General replied.

“As you command,” all three Knights responded.

“General Tallen, you will take your legion and put a stop to the raids. Sir Laurence, you will accompany him,” the Queen commanded. Half of Tallen’s legion was still in northeastern Ducaun, but he would have to make do.

“It will be as you command,” Tallen replied.

“As you command,” echoed Sir Laurence.

“General Tallen, General Malcus, we shall meet again before you start out,” Cleona said, and then looked at the Accomplished she had the foresight to make a Knight of the Realm. “Sir Daniel, remain here for our meeting. The rest of you may begin preparations for the assigned tasks. Jonah, you and Sergeant Zaccum should go eat and refresh yourselves. The spell cast upon you by Accomplished Jenna is not a replacement for sustenance and rest.”

Everyone except Daniel and the Queen left the room, although Jonah glanced at her and frowned, clearly not approving of how she allocated the resources. When the door was closed, she focused entirely on her Knight. “The defenses my brother has set in place are formidable but I seriously doubt he can hold out very long against so great an aggressor.”

“A score or more of Accomplisheds with no Aakacarns to counter them makes me agree with your assessment. I can’t image the Duke and his men holding out for the number of days it took for word to reach us here and then that much longer for reinforcements to get back in time to defeat the foe. I think either the Serpent Guild will be in charge of the estate when I get there, or they will have taken the trumpet and I will have to chase them down,” Daniel replied.

“If my brother has fallen and the estate is in the hands of the Serpent Guild, I can think of no better person capable of wresting it from their grip. The same is true if the guild has absconded with the trumpet,” Cleona agreed. “The third problem, which I did not bring up in front of the others, is there has to be a spy in the palace. Until now, no one outside of the royal family knew the whereabouts of the trumpet of Tarin Conn. I cannot image how the Serpent Guild found out the location, but that is my problem. Yours is retrieving the trumpet.”

Daniel was having difficulty getting concerned over the loss of a crescendo, even one as old as that. “The trumpet can provide six bolts of amplification to the caster. Until recently, the only person in the world who could make one so powerful was Efferin Tames,” he began to explain, and then pointed at his knife. “This weapon sheathed in my belt is just as powerful and I can make more in a relatively short amount of time. Duke Cantor and the lives of the people living on his estate are irreplaceable, the trumpet is not.”

The Queen stared at him and then nodded her head. She was looking a little peakish and would need refreshing soon, especially if he was going to be gone for an extended period of time. “I see your point and appreciate the quality in you that sees the lives of individuals as more precious than the object prized by so many. That being said, a commitment was made between House Ducalin and House Lain, and that cannot be broken. If the Ducaunan royal family is seen to be unable to honor its commitments, other nations will question our ability to fulfill our commitments to them. The political fallout could be catastrophic.”

“I understand,” Daniel replied, now that the possible repercussions were explained to him. “May I refresh you?”

Cleona managed a weak smile. “It would be appreciated, especially after what has transpired.”

Daniel summoned the potential and touched her forehead, sending life force energy into her. The Queen’s pallor improved and she smiled effortlessly. “Save my brother, secure the trumpet, and take care of my nephew. He thinks I should have sent a legion. Perhaps word can be sent to General Conner over in Bolover and he can send aid. His base is
over three hundred spans from here as the hawk flies, but only a hundred spans from the estate. If my brother sent one of his sons west, then he should be arriving at the base about now. I cannot make my decisions based on an, if, so you go, and if help arrives, so much the better. I could send a courier to the General but it would take more than twice the time for him to reach Bolover as for you to arrive at Cantor’s estate. As for Jonah, I have not told him about your being fully functional in matters of the Aakacarn. I will leave how much to tell him up to you.”

“I will do all you require of me to the best of my ability. If it comes down to saving lives being weighed against my secret, I’ll save lives and then my actions will speak louder than words,” Daniel told her and handed her one of his amulets.

“This is beautiful,” Cleona said while examining the tri-gem amulet.

“It is a communication device. Place the gem side against your forehead and you will be able to speak to me anywhere I am, no matter how far away. Only you will be able to hear my reply and only you can initiate the conversation, I cannot. The gem must be in contact with your head,” he explained.

“This is excellent,” she said. “I will not be waiting weeks to learn what has transpired at the estate. I shall contact you six days after you leave, that should give you enough time to lead your force south and assess what needs to be done.”

“We will leave in the morning,” Daniel told her, and then added, “Unless you want me to start out tonight.”