To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) (10 page)

Silvia closed her eyes, which suddenly appeared to be scanning the inside of her lids, took a deep breath, then a short time later shook her head and opened her eyes. “I see darkness covering half of the continent. Daniel, this is the situation right now. Four kingdoms have willingly, but not yet publically, formed an alliance with Tarin Conn, Zune, Pentrosa, Demfilia, and Fon Kay. Darkness is falling over Ecoppia from the anvil peninsula to the Troas Mountains. Battencay is being swallowed up as I speak and so is the southern half of Taracopa. A dark cloud is forming in the Serinian Channel. This I see and so it will be, you must secure and win the trust of Queen Clarees of Lobenia and King Van Efery of Taracopa before mid-summer or Ducaun will fight alone in the war of the champions. You must place your trust in the man who wears the pyramid ring.”

“Not unless the wearer is me,” Daniel replied jokingly. The only thing he trusted about Efferin Tames was the man’s determination to hold onto power at all costs.

“While I would support you in the office of Grand Maestro, the idea of you being elected by the seven Maestros, even if you successfully challenge and defeat Efferin Tames, would be highly unlikely. Frankly, the notion is absurd.” Jeremiah apparently did not realize Daniel had been joking.

“I was not seriously considering taking up that chore, especially in my weakened condition. The real point of my remark is, I have been declared a rogue, would be subjected to arrest on sight, and therefore cannot afford to trust anyone in Aakadon, and least of all the Grand Maestro. The few people in Aakadon who might still talk to me would likely be taken into custody for having the conversation.”

“You fixated on only one of the huge challenges Silvia has revealed, my love,” Sherree pointed out. “Monarchs take a dim view of the royal knights of foreign lands entering their realms and laying claim to even a smidgen of ground, let alone an entire mountain. No matter how justified you feel in claiming the territory, I have met Clarees and know winning her trust will not be easy after such a move.”

Daniel’s motives for staking the claim were pure and justifiable, at least to him, but he had to admit his adorable wife had a deeper insight on the matter than did he. “I thought we could convey to New Oben, under your power and guidance,” he hastily added. “You, me, and Carlos would enter the capital at some point in the near future, explain what happened, Clarees would agree, and all would be well.”

Jeremiah chuckled, this he considered a joke. “I have dealt with more than a few monarchs in my former career and can assure you a quick trip and a few simple words by you would not mollify a single one of them. Queen Clarees is more likely to see you as an invader who has come to New Oben for the purpose of forcing her to accept the presence of a foreign power on her soil, whether she approves or not.”

Sherree nodded her head in agreement with the Strike Leader. Martin licked his lips, leaned back in his chair of solidified air, and then added his opinion to the mix, “You have done nothing directly to give Van Efery cause to distrust you, especially since your estate is one of Taracopa’s best customers. Even though business opens a lot of doors, once word of you claiming Lobenian land as your own gets out; he will definitely be concerned over a face to face meeting with you. The king is in the middle of a civil war and the last thing he needs to worry about is a foreign power carving a chunk out of his kingdom while his loyal forces are otherwise occupied.”

Daniel had no intention of staking a claim in Taracopa. “Establishing a holding in Van Efery’s kingdom has never entered my mind. He has no reason to be afraid of me, of us. The Atlantan Guild does not need any part of his lands.”

Simon stood up. Perhaps he was tired of sitting. “You could have said the same thing about Clarees of Lobenia before that stroll down the hall at Shantear, my friend.”

The sandy-haired Chief Aid had a point, Daniel admitted, the Queen of Lobenia and the other rulers of the world had no reason to trust him. Even if they accepted his word initially, how could they trust that he would not change his mind and decide he needed some of their territory at a later date? “Shantear is ours. I will not allow the Serpents to reclaim it. The leaders of Aakadon have time and again demonstrated their inability to fight this war in any meaningful way, focusing most of their attention on finding ways to make my chores more difficult, and only occasionally helping. I will not diminish the reputations of the Accomplisheds of Aakadon who fought by our side at Shantear, but will say it was the only time any of them helped rather than being a hindrance in the war of the champions.”

“I can see and understand why you feel this way,” Martin spoke in a soft tone, clearly meant to be assuring. “But the Seer has made it clear you must trust the Grand Maestro.”

A surge of anger, quickly suppressed, nearly had Daniel on his feet, screaming denial in the strongest terms, and yet he managed to sit perfectly still. Sherree’s eyes widened like those of a startled cat, perspiration saturated the brows of Jeremiah and Martin as they shifted in their seats. Silvia and David closed their eyes, while Chas glanced at the door as if ready to make a tactical retreat. Simon’s facial expression was smooth but he had dropped into his seat and the tight grip on the arms of his chair was turning his knuckles white. Carlos had his hand positioned near the door latch as if he was preparing a quick exit.

Daniel noticed his stare often had that effect on people and their reactions made him wonder how he must appear to them. Up until this moment he believed it was the seven lightning bolts of potential at his commanded making people nervous, and that might have been part of it, but he currently commanded less than a single bolt of life force energy and they all knew it. If it was not his standing as a Seven-bolt Accomplished that caused the reaction then it had to be his true calling.

He had a tendency to give little thought to the power of the swirling of events that historically surrounds the Chosen Vessel, but this reaction confirmed for him the truth of that power. There was something about staring into the disapproving eyes of the Creator’s Champion that made people nervous. The stare was only a minor effect, it was the overall swirling of events that drew to him whatever he needed, animals, people, seemingly chance happenings placing him where he needed to be, sometimes before he became aware of the need, and yet he had no control over that power.

He cleared his throat and tried to smile in order to lower the tension, but could not make his lips obey, he was in no mood to smile, and so glanced at the bucket on the floor to his left, momentarily breaking eye contact, and then returned his attention to Martin. The anger was because of Efferin, not directed at anyone currently in the room. “I was once told only a fool ignores the revelations of a Teki Seer, so be assured I am not dismissing what Silvia has revealed. Even so, trust is not given lightly, it is earned and Efferin’s credit with me is in the rears. Only a complete fool places his faith in a person who has proven to be untrustworthy.”

“True, he has given you no reason to trust him,” Sherree was the first to find her voice. She even managed a weak smile. “Perhaps your swirling of events will make something happen that will earn him your trust.”

Daniel laughed. “Like what?”

Her smile became genuine, reflecting in her emerald eyes. “I doubt even Silvia could answer that right now.”

And as quick as that his laugh evaporated the tension in the room like morning dew in sunlight. Silvia opened her eyes at the sound of her name. “You are correct, Lady Sherree, I have no idea how the vision will come to pass, and even less desire to speculate. As the Chosen Vessel has said, trust is not given lightly, and so he must focus on earning the trust of Queen Clarees and King Van Efery. It is approaching mid-winter and we have until mid-summer to make this happen.” Daniel noticed how she took his words about earning trust and reflected them back on him. It had been neatly done and he accepted the point.

“I am sure Martin was not suggesting you convey to Aakadon and declare your full faith and confidence in Efferin Tames,” Simon shared his thought while his hands rested casually on the arms of the chair.

“I have suggested nothing of the sort,” Martin was quick to respond. “Maestro, I merely meant it is fated that at some point you must come to trust the Grand Maestro.”

“It is the other part of the Seer’s revelation that concerns me,” Chas began and glanced at the four gold bars on the silver stripe on his right shoulder that matched the four on his left. “I am proud of how far we have come, of the forces we have gathered to fight the War of the Champions, our successes at Mounts Tirana and Shantear, but this development worries me deeply and makes all that we achieved or thought we achieved to be merely an inconvenience to the plans of Tarin Conn. We already suspected Pentrosa was in league with the Serpent Guild, but learning the rulers of those other kingdoms are knowingly serving the Dark Maestro of their own free will is quite another thing. Ecoppia is almost lost and the remaining kingdoms are either on the verge of allying with our enemies or in grave peril from those nations that have already gone over to the dark one. In light of this vision, I can see why Pentrosa helped Fon Kay conquer Battencay. The venom of the Serpent Guild runs deeper than any of us suspected and it is poisoning most of the world.”

The grim words created a long silence as each person visualized the state of the world in light of this new revelation. Daniel could see where some folks would be tempted to give up in the face of what appeared to be an overwhelming set of circumstances. The forces of Tarin Conn were on the verge of taking over the world, despite their losses, and further resistance might well be considered futile, especially with Efferin Tames being blind to the influence the Serpent Guild had on so many kingdoms.

Daniel shook his head, unable to see where Silvia’s new revelation changed anything with regard to the difficulty of his tasks, other than increase the number. Nothing on his list of chores was easy, so why should he expect these new additions to be different? “As my father often says when the task seems insurmountable, set your priorities and arrange your chores accordingly. Chas, we are making a difference, each person in this room and at our other locations is proof of it, and we will continue to grow. There is an old saying on Tannakonna, set yourself to work with what is and don’t waste time on what isn’t.”

Simon smiled. “I knew you would start quoting mountaineer phrases.”

“Do you think them inappropriate?” Daniel asked, unsure of how to take his friend’s remark.

“Actually I think they sum up how to proceed quite nicely,” the Chief Aid replied.

Chas nodded his agreement. “You are correct. We have made a difference and cannot give up, so we must proceed with expanding and strengthening the Atlantan Guild.”

The bell rang and Daniel called out, “Enter.”

Carlos stepped aside just as Jaim Cutler opened the door, and in walked Jennel Obenport, who took a moment to eye the people now staring at her before speaking. “Maestro, I am not sure why you requested my presence in this gathering, but I stand ready to answer any questions and perform whatever tasks you have in mind.”

Why hadn’t she been ready earlier?

Daniel could see a crowd of Accomplisheds through the open door before Jaim stepped out, closing it behind him. and decided to explain before seeking and answer to his unspoken question. “I wanted to hear your opinion with regard to my claiming Shantear on behalf of the Atlantan Guild and to know if you understand why I did so.”

The Lead Healer summoned potential and a solidified chair of air appeared to the right of Simon. She sat down before making her reply. “There are five thousand one hundred sixty-eight Condemneds and one thousand thirty-two Aakademneds asleep at Shantear. It will take time to restore so many, especially with each one needing to be provided with clothing, chambers to sleep in, and food after they are healed. If they are like most of the people you have restored to humanity, I suspect the Atlantan Guild will soon be growing to nearly twice the size it was prior to the battle. Shantear needs to be kept from the Serpents and we need space so the choice is practical, although Efferin Tames and Queen Clarees may not be pleased with your decision.”

Daniel knew the numbers and how large a chore awaited him back on Shantear. Silvia’s new revelations only added to the huge challenges ahead. “What you say is true. Our resident Seer has given us certain tasks to be fulfilled by mid-summer or the consequences will be dire.”

Jennel’s eyes widened. “It seems I missed out on receiving some important information.” Such would not have happened had she entered when invited to do so rather than running off. Daniel felt no anger over the incident but did want to know her reasons.

Sherree’s emerald-green eyes focused on the healer. “I am sure Accomplished Trenca will fill you in on the details later,” she began while Simon nodded his willingness. “You are probably the most practical person I have ever met and dedicated to the art of healing, these things cause me to believe your reason for arriving late has something to do with one or the other. Is whatever you were involved with something that can be shared at this meeting?”

The question proved Daniel was not the only one curious about what distracted the healer. He leaned forward as Jennel’s lips formed a closed mouth smile. “I brought the fifty Accomplisheds who worked as healers during and after the battle, they should be entering the conference room next door, and each of them has volunteered to donate twenty percent of their life force energy to the Maestro,” she told the First Lady and then fixed her hazel-eyed gaze on Daniel. “This will be a start. Your vat is enormous and will take seven days to fill according to my calculations. The volunteers I have scheduled to donate potential will do so four times each day. We need and want you to be at your strongest, waiting for your reservoir to increase naturally might take too long”