To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) (13 page)

With the hood of Jerremy’s blue silk cloak down, his single golden lightning bolt was hidden within its folds, and yet he did not seem to care. Everyone in this group knew the level of potential he commanded and respected his talent; perhaps that was enough for him. “All that seems fit,” he repeated, and giving a half smile added, “That I will. Please come this way.”

Daniel followed him into the hall and when Leah, Carlos, Simon, David, and Silvia filed out, the Serinian began his commentary. “We are in the new section, near the summit, ten levels above the staging chamber you created, Maestro. Dirt and rocks have been raised to encase Shantear, increasing the size by fifty percent. Thus we are creating a large city beneath the surface that when finished will enveloped the entire mountain.”

Silvia’s eyebrows arched up and she seemed distressed by the change “What about those wonderful trees?”

“The Sequoias have not been destroyed but rather transplanted on the new addition with the help of our Accomplisheds who are former members of the Willow Guild. The old tunnels, caverns and caves have been filled in with hardened dirt where possible,” Jerremy explained.

“Where did you get the dirt to accomplish all of what has been done here?” Carlos inquired.

“We drew it from the ground west of Shantear’s foot. What were hills and valleys are now a lake ten spans in diameter and two deep,” Jerremy answered with a prideful smile, and he had a right to be pleased with the accomplishment. 

“What about the Great Crystal, it and the immediate area are vulnerable, being teleportation arrival points for the Serpents?” Daniel asked, concerned about security, seeing as it was the primary reason he had laid claim to the mountain.

Jerremy’s nose pointed upward as if he was surprised to be asked such a question, one that implied he did not know the danger, and was somewhat beneath him to answer, yet he did so. “We have had to work around the crystal formations and could only do little changes to the Crystal Chamber. I brought in more dirt, raising the floor another four cubits, and added six manually placed cubits of dirt within the Great Crystal.”

Daniel nodded his understanding. “Your changes mean some of us will have to duck our heads to get through the passage; that is something we can live with, seeing as it fully secures us from any attempts by the Serpents to gain entrance. You do realize that placing six cubits of dirt in the Great Crystal leaves only three cubits of space. I would have to lie down with my feet touching one of the sides in order to cast a spell through it and Grand Symphonies like we performed days ago would be practically impossible.”

“I am intimately familiar with the dimensions of all the spaces at Shantear and assure you the knowledge of how much space is left in a nine cubit high area, after six cubits have been added, is well within my ability to realize. The dirt inside the Crystal can be removed, if given enough notice, and I was told to make it secure, and that is what I did,” Jerremy explained without apology and a hint of the arrogance he was known for. “Other than defending ourselves from Serpent raids, none of us has any idea what your plans are, and that makes anticipating the particulars difficult.”

Leah frowned at the response. “Accomplished DeSuan, when I spoke of you speaking as you see fit, I meant about the changes being made here, not a commentary on how difficult the task you had been given was to perform or your inability to anticipate beyond what has been assigned.” Her words brought some humility to Jerremy’s attitude and he gave her the traditional nod of respect.

The Serinian’s ego aside, Daniel actually wanted to hear about the changes and the challenges, and so did not want to discourage people from speaking up. “I listened to his advice back when he and I shared a dorm, it was worth the while then and I reckon worth hearing some more.”

Jerremy smiled and his nose lifted slightly upward. “So much has occurred from then till now, it seems that time is now part of the distant past. Had I known you were an Accomplished pretending to be a Talented, I would have..,”

“Probably given the advice anyway,” Simon finished the sentence. “He was a mountaineer out of his element, becoming a part of a world completely foreign to his prior existence, and you took pity on him, as did I.”

Jerremy pointed his finger at the sandy-haired Chief Aid. “You always seem to know more than people suspect. You, deemed a prodigy by the Instructors, were almost always in the upper ten percentile, yet never closer than seven, and I think it was deliberate. You and Daniel actually want people to underestimate you, but for different reasons; he to surprise and prevail over his enemies, and you to remain anonymous; left alone to achieve your goals without interference.”

The assessment made by the Serinian was probably not far off the mark; Daniel did want his adversaries to underestimate him and also knew they were not likely to keep doing so. As for his sandy-haired friend, the comment made by Jerremy was close to accurate, but nothing Daniel felt needed further discussion. They continued down the corridor and came to a massive wooden door on the right. A falcon carrying a lightning bolt in its talons was carved into the center.

“This is the Maestro’s office,” Simon informed the group instead of responding to Jerremy, proving the Chief Aid was not inclined to confirm or deny the assessment and that he had been in this area at an earlier time.

Daniel opened the door. Other than being twice the size of his office at the northland holding, and light emanating from glowing orbs rather than oil lamps, this one was identical. The same held true for what was behind the next door, the conference room, except the obsidian table had an oval in the center containing the falcon in a sky of blue clutching the lightning bolt. Jerremy beckoned them to continue down the hall and began opening doors and explaining the functions while keeping the commentary to a minimum out of respect for Leah. Daniel greeted the Accomplisheds working in the halls and rooms as the tour went deeper into the areas still under creation. Dirt and rock were being shifted and reformed by glowing Aakacarns.

“They are creating living quarters, I suppose for the huge number of people you intend to restore from Condemnation,” Jerremy explained. “Half of us live at your southern estate and the rest at your northland holding, so we do not lack for a place to sleep, unless you continue to expand the Benhannon Guard and the Chosen’s Sentinels.” He paused and glanced at Leah before continuing. “Their missions are clearly defined and their units are well organized. For some of us, like we former members of the Stone Guild, our tasks at present are well defined. The Accomplisheds who were assigned to escort the Aakadon team, and those assigned to one of the three strike forces sent to this mountain, have completed their missions and are unsure of what their particular responsibilities are, other than be ready to follow the commands given by you or the First Accomplished.”

Daniel nodded his understanding but made no reply. He was beginning to see things that needed to be addressed, but would do so after he did a little more observing. The tour had been circling gradually out and downward for three spans, then turned back toward the center, and even so did not get far compared to the scale of the overall mountain complex. They were in the staging area he had created prior to launching the attack to win control of Shantear.

Leah raised her hand while Jerremy was in the middle of saying, “I added the columns and sunken floor, along with the benches in the center to give it a little more elegance. Notice the way I..., Oh,” he broke off and asked, “Do you have a question First Accomplished?”

“No, I understand and approve of the changes you have made. This cavernous room is much more impressive and I like the stage with the podium at the front,” Leah replied. “It is the fact that we have been touring for marks, it is nearing mid-day, and the Maestro’s infusion of life force energy is to take place less than a quarter of a mark from now. Unless you want to see the First Lady in a tizzy when she arrives at the Benhannon Northland Holding and Daniel is not there as I promised he would be; I think it prudent that we end this tour for now. I do thank you for taking the time away from your work. I know you and Accomplished Togan still have a great many alterations and refinements to make.”

“Actually I would not mind seeing Sherree, but prefer to encounter her in a good mood,” Jerremy replied, and wisely so. The beautiful Lobenian could be longsuffering over many things, but held little patience with anything she believed harmful to her husband, Daniel knew well because he felt the same way about her. Serin Gell’s fate was proof of Daniel’s reaction to anyone harming her.

“You are correct, First Accomplished, I do have many things to do,” the Serinian replied and then turned, adding, “It has been a privilege to show you around, Maestro, and I hope to see you again soon,” he finished and then exited the chamber.

-----

Joel Glader, a Two-bolt Accomplished of the Atlantan Guild, had shaved off his black beard, but now sported a mustache. The thin physique and pale skin that could not hold a tan was a common trait of his Pentrosan ancestry, but his tight musculature came as a result of having been restored from Condemnation by Daniel. Over exposure to the sun would cause painful burns and blistering, but was not a danger at the moment. Joel stood beneath the waters parallel to Easer’s Cove, in the Northern Ocean, less than half a span off the Pentrosan coast, and was enjoying the marine life swimming around him. The spell, Aqua Sphere, created a sapphire blue bubble that instantly converted water into breathable air. The current flowed around him, yet not a drop came within the ball glowing with the color of his potential. The temperature was at a constant seventy-two degrees and kept the icy water from giving him hypothermia.

All sorts of fish; surfperches, countless striped sea bass, and greenlings among them, swam around him, avoiding the bubble of air as if it was a solid object. He approached a great sea turtle and though it did not appear to be unduly alarmed by the intrusion, the large reptile arose and swam away from him, out into the depths beyond visual range. The spell made the sand beneath Joel’s feet seem as hardened clay, yet was returned to normal the moment after he moved on.

A pair of porpoises swam over and began circling him as if curious about the strange creature who had wandered into their realm. The spell, Mind Touch, with its seven part harmony played in his mind, summoning his life force energy, which he then focused at the large gray pair, and instantly became aware of their thoughts, and names, as translated by the spell.

Berka approached the sphere. “
Do you want to play?”
she inquired.

“
Yes, play with us,”
Tokee, her mate insisted enthusiastically.

This was like a dream come true and Joel was thrilled. Aquatic creatures had fascinated him since childhood and now, with the spell composed by Maestro Benhannon, he could actually mentally link with these citizens of the ocean, rather than be a mere observer. He had used a spell of the Aqua Guild, his former affiliation, in order to survive beneath the waves, but it was the spell, Mind Touch, that made this new bond possible. He had grown up in this region, his family home was about twenty spans up the coast, and he had fond memories of his first eleven years. That was twenty-nine years ago, before his Potential had been discovered and he was sent to Aakadon.

“
Not just now,”
he replied. “
Go and bring your pod back here to me so I can meet them.”

“
We go,”
The thoughts of both porpoises came to him as one and they swam off.

Joel’s collection of creatures linked to him included otters and aquatic birds for the most part. They allowed him to keep a watch on all of the activity along the Taltin Sea coast and rivers flowing within Ducaun and the other kingdoms, including the port in Aakadon. He wanted to expand his collection to include creatures of the oceans, all four of them, and this was a beginning. The spell, Conveyance, could be used to transport him to anyplace he or a creature linked to him had been before, and so he had come to the region of his birth, having been here many times in the distant past. He hoped to physically travel to the other three coasts in the near future, or rather send some of his aquatic friends to give him the necessary visuals, and thereby make conveying to those locations possible.

He had plenty of time on his hands at the moment, even though he had been a team leader during the assault on Shantear, helping to secure the Crystal Chamber, but the task was done and the ten Accomplisheds who had been under his command were elsewhere. Consequently he was now a team of one.

A manta glided majestically into view and also within Joel’s ability to cast, Mind Touch, without drawing the attention of any spell-casters who might be close enough to feel the harmonic ripples. He summoned the potential and linked with the wondrous creature.
“Does quadra-limb wish to swim with Tyson?”
  The huge black and white ray inquired.

“Not right now. Go find others of your kind and bring them here,”
Joel replied.

The manta glided off into the depths and Joel felt satisfaction at how well things were working in his favor. He had no fear of being discovered by the allies of Tarin Conn. While many people sailed on the surface, few went more than twenty cubits beneath the chilly waves, and no one swam this far out. It will not be long before he would be able to keep a steady watch on the coasts of Demfilia, Pentrosa, Ecoppia, and Zune. Developing the ability to provide vital information to the Maestro seemed to be a better use of his time than sitting around at the Benhannon Estate waiting to be assigned a task.