To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) (33 page)

Daniel did not tell them because they would not approve, especially since the Chief Aid had worked so hard to keep knowledge of his Maestro’s presence from the enemy, and also because he did not want to waste time discussing the decision. He focused a spell on the fortress. “I, Daniel Benhannon, Maestro of the Atlantan Guild, order you to surrender. Non-Aakacarns will not be harmed if they flee. The presence of this base of the Sutton Guard will no longer be tolerated and it will be destroyed. This is the first and only warning you will be receiving from me.” His spell-amplified voice thundered the words.

He was taking a big gamble and might well have just cost him and everyone else with him their lives. War was not an activity for the faint of heart and there was often a fine line between courage and folly. Outwardly he maintained his composure but inwardly he was anxiously awaiting the response, which would determine if what he had just done was in deed foolish or courageous. The entire Serpent Guild might teleport into the region.

“I see why he did not want to tell us,” Simon told the Conductor.

“I am Operation Commander Sancarn Bur. It is you, Daniel Benhannon, who will have this one chance to surrender to me. The Supreme Maestro, Tarin Conn, has issued a, capture or kill, order on you and I will be rewarded either way.”

Traveling circles did not appear,
so far so good
, but they could show up at any time and put a quick end to the mission. Daniel had a non-verbal response in mind, which might trigger the arrival of the enemy Accomplisheds he hoped to avoid. He raised his left hand and then brought it down sharply. Pebbles of flames by the hundreds streaked across the divide and slammed into the walls, the battlements, some into windows, and one hit the tower. Burning lumber fell onto the flat roof of the fortress and onto a few unfortunately placed men. Half of the Serpents were maintaining defensive shields while the other half went on the offensive. Daniel never expected for them to die easily and especially not on the opening shots.

Fireballs, lightning bolts, and bright beams of light came in response and were absorbed by the shield, which grew brighter. “I have just cast the spell, Freshen Air, seeing as the shield Carlos has provided us with also extends below ground and seals us in and I really want to keep breathing,” the Chief Aid announced.

He, Samuel, and the rest of the Accomplisheds raised their batons and began casting spells at the enemy. The Aakacarns casting the spell, Die Now, were not very effective, their energy beams struck Serpents on the battlements but those targeted did not fall. The enemy spell-casters had to be performing in concert, which would provide stronger shields. Samuel launched a Beak Strike and the glowing shape of an eagle’s beak tore into the stone beneath the feet of a Serpent and the cloaked figure fell in a shower of rocks to the ground. The man stood up, relatively unharmed, cast a fire ball, and a beam of light shot from Simon’s baton, striking the spell-caster in the torso. The fellow burst apart in a spray of flesh and bone.
Perhaps he should not have removed his shield in order to go on the offensive.

“Keep knocking them down and I’ll blow them apart” The Chief Aid told Samuel.

Sero stepped forward, blocking Daniel’s view. “Maestro, please allow me to replenish you while we are waiting.”

Daniel took a few moments to observe the spells flying back and forth from the hill to the fortress, made a decision and took off his helmet, even though Serpents could teleport into the region at any moment. The grooms were mounting horses and riding east and away from the fighting, he was pleased to see. They will probably go a safe distance and then wait to see who prevails. He wanted to see more non-Aakacarns flee before beginning the next part of his plan and so had some time to spare. “Go ahead and start.”

The tingling warmth of potential was soon flowing into him and Daniel watched as so many spells hit the shield it was no longer possible for the Sentinels to see what they were aiming at. It did not matter, they continued to shoot in the same direction, and were confident of hitting the fortress. The Accomplisheds were accurate, using Find All to target what or whom they chose to strike. Through his own spell Daniel sensed the non-Aakacarns moving within the fortress. Some of them were on the battlements and had a good supply of spheroids at hand, but could not use them. The distance between them and the hill was too great for even the slingers to cast the explosives.

As time went by, Daniel drank his canteen dry, and the spell-casting continued without any great change, no traveling circles arrived, only a small number of Serpents had been injured, and even fewer killed, with no casualties on Daniel’s side, for which he was grateful. He did not keep an accurate count on the people who chose to flee but was satisfied all who intended to escape had done so. Sero stepped back and announced. “You now have as much as you did when we left the Equalizer.”

“Thank you my friend,” Daniel replied while noticing a group of men and women slip out of the fortress and take off running to the east.

The odds on this gamble had been stretched far enough in his estimation and he dared not stretch them much further. “We are running out of time. Sancarn Bur wants the prestige of capturing or killing me and so that is probably why half or more of the Serpent Guild has not teleported into this region,” Bur’s desire for personal glory had been what Daniel was betting on, “I am going to convey us to the south side of the fortress. Sero, when we arrive, I want you to form a shield similar to what we have here in conjunction with the spell, Freshen Air. Carlos, you attack any Accomplisheds who come at us, and I will do what I came here to do.”

“It will be as you say, Maestro,” they both replied.

“Simon, use your baton to the fullest so our enemies will be on the receiving end of Maestro level spell-casting.” The crescendo added six bolts of potential to his one

Simon smiled. “I see, you are going to attack from a different direction and want them to believe you are here.”

Daniel conjured a solidified cloak of air that matched the blue silks of a two-bolt Accomplished, put it on over his uniform, and then was ready for the next step. “You got it,” he told the Chief Aid and focused through the eyes of Jasper the fox, summoned the potential, and moments later stood to the right of the south entrance.

Sero raised a shield just as spheroids fell from the battlement and exploded into bright clouds raining iron shards. Several Accomplisheds of the Serpent Guild looked down and moments later a corrosive sphere appeared all around the shield, which brightened as it absorbed the energy. Daniel knew he and his two associates could stay in place all day if it were not for the fact that tens of thousands of Aakacarns could suddenly appear in a thunder clap of sound. His enemies apparently felt the same way, seeing as they did not seem to be overly concerned about the sudden appearance of three Accomplisheds near the entrance of their fort.

Carlos raised his baton and blasted both of the Aakacarns off the roof with a lightning bolt. More spheroids fell as the soldiers reached out and dropped them over the side without looking, and who could blame them after seeing what just happened to their allies? Some of the explosive balls hit the shield, exploding on impact, but most of them struck the ground. Bright flashes and dark clouds of iron shards hit the spell-casters who had fallen from the roof, blowing them apart, and making small craters in the area around the shield. A hand extended out with another one of those deadly balls, encouraging Carlos to launch another spell, which struck the spheroid with just enough force to cause it to explode before it could be dropped. That explosion triggered a series of equally powerful explosions on the battlement. Chunks of stone and bloody bits of gore rained down, bouncing, and in some cases, oozing off the shield. Through his spell, Daniel sensed what was left of possibly fifty men and he was not sure how many Aakacarns.

The spell he had in mind required a minimum seven bolts of sustained potential in order to do what he intended. He raised the diamond-bladed knife, played the spell, Shatter Sphere, in his mind, and focused one bolt of potential into the crescendo, which shot out an amplified eight bolts of life force energy. He envisioned a sphere large enough to engulf the entire building. Solid stone began to crack and the spell-castings from the battlements ceased as shield spells failed and the bones in each person also began to fracture. The Serpents could not conjure a shield powerful enough to withstand the High Powered spell or form teleportation circles. They had been given no time to call in reinforcements from the rest of the guild nor begin a concerted effort of any kind.

The assault from the hill ended. The Accomplisheds of the Atlantan Guild had no more reason to draw attention away from their Maestro. The harmonic waves given off by the spell was likely being felt by every living thing within a two hundred span radius. Bodies were being reduced to boneless flesh, huge chunks of rocks buried those remains, and were reduced to even smaller sizes. Daniel maintained the potential until what stood before him was a giant mound of sand. In all a little over three hundred people had chosen to flee, none of them were Aakacarns. He hoped Leah was doing a better job of taking captives.

Samuel and Simon led their teams down the hill and around to the south side of the new-formed hill. To the left stood the burning timbers of what were once grand stables for the prestigious Pentrosan Sutton Guard. Daniel fixed his gaze on the Conductor. “Sam, I want the people hiding east of us taken prisoner as well as the surviving Aakacarns trapped within the reshaped tunnels.”

“It will be as you say, Maestro,” he replied and gave orders to his team.

“What about the legions, Leah may need our help?” Simon asked, concern written all over his face.

The images flowing into Daniel’s mind from the animals linked to him were showing the tail end of a devastating battle. Thirty-three out of a hundred Accomplisheds of the Serpent Guild were still alive and casting spells at sixty-three Aakacarns of the Atlantan Guild. Daniel hoped the missing members were at Shantear. A huge fire still raged but was no longer being steered by spells or refueled by flaming balls of pitch. The Sentinels were in among the burnt trees to the north, east, and west of the Pentrosans. Lances of light flew into ranks of enemy soldiers, devastatingly injuring some and killing most of them. Spheroids flew back at the Sentinels and exploded, sending iron shards into the trees and in some cases shredding whatever parts of their uniforms were exposed. A lance of light struck one of four wagons; it blew apart, setting off a deadly chain of explosions. Three more wagons blasted out of existence, killing hundreds of men. Bright blue lances of light punched through the wooden frames of catapults and launchers, splintering them into sharp jagged pieces. Pierced bodies lay all over the landscape and numbered into the thousands. A brave group of Suttons charged with shields up and swords held firm as they ran at the Sentinels behind the trees nearest them. Lances of light shot out and they fell half way to their goal.

Daniel sighed at witnessing the carnage and opened his eyes to reply to the Chief Aid. “Leah does not need our help.”

Samuel nodded grim agreement and it was clear some of his animal scouts had shown him what was happening to the legions. “I don’t think any of them intend to surrender. It seems Leah has come to the same conclusion because Sirus the raven has just shown her to me and she is rendering a number of people unconscious. Sam, the Pentrosans barely have enough men to constitute a single division.”

Daniel had hoped more people would choose to surrender. The pragmatic life of a mountaineer gave him the ability to do what needed to be done, but killing gave him no pleasure, and yet he could ill afford to leave such determined enemies alive. If the less committed ones back out of the fight, allowing them to live would not be a high risk. He was too far behind in the War of the Champions, the forces of the Serpent Guild and its allies were so vast, he did not dare take too many chances. “This chore is done. Carlos, would you convey us out of here?”

Light was provided deep in the heart of Mount Filia by a diamond chandelier hanging from a mirrored ceiling. Each precious stone radiated energy of its own, casting an even glow throughout the vast chamber. A crimson carpet led down thirteen steps from the raised floor, on which stood the man appointed to lead the guild, at least the day to day management details too trivial for the Chosen Vessel to bother with.

Tarin Conn, wearing a blouse of purple silk and white cuffs, was seated upon the crystal throne with the poise of a royal personage that came naturally to him. His broad black belt studded with rubies, emeralds, and sapphires held up violet pants, which were tucked into an eleven hundred year old pair of black boots that were supple and shiny as the day he created them. The light brown complexion he presented to his audience of one was the result of a minimal spell, only Serena enjoyed the privilege of seeing him in his actual informal state.

He was pleased by her progress. She had been to the royal courts of Demfilia, Zune, Pentrosa, and Fon Kay, linking the monarchs, lords, ladies, and high military officers to her mind. Through her, Tarin had access to their thoughts and dreams, and even now the young Aakacarn was in Southern Taracopa creating links to Van Joppa and his district governors and high military commanders. Instead of her traditional silks, she wore gowns and attended balls and other public affairs. The sly female made the connections without the individuals knowing until she later visited their dreams.

The appointed Maestro of the Serpent Guild raised his cold dark eyes from the floor. He currently sported a neatly trimmed mustache, similar to that of his only superior and his deeply tanned face reminded Tarin of his own Serinian heritage. Vance wore the black silks with gold braiding only a Three-bolt and above had permission to wear. “Supreme Maestro, the commoners are pleased with the weapons you designed for them. The explosive devices have proved extremely effective against the traditional armaments of the southern kingdoms.”

He no doubt was referring to the merchant ships being destroyed in the Serinian Channel and off the coast of Taracopa. Most of the southern monarchs would eventually learn about the losses and those few who have noticed were still blaming Van Efery. All of them were so afraid of Daniel, thanks to Efferin Tames, they were not paying much attention to the events unfolding on the waters and probably would not realize the true danger until the strangle hold was complete.

The declaration of pleasure was an interesting way to begin a petition considering the events of yesterday. “They lost a battle at sea and the punitive attack against Daniel’s northern holding was completely crushed without even reaching the walls,” Tarin replied, still waiting for the man to get on with the reason for wanting an audience. It was unlike him to approach the throne with trivial matters, especially on the heels of such losses that included an Operation Commander.

Not a drop of perspiration appeared on Vance’s brow even though he had to be filled with anxiety. He truly knew how to keep his emotions in check. “Benhannon’s boats are known to be fast and maneuverable, yet we had no idea how formidable he created them to be. Our allies and the Accomplisheds aboard their ships inflicted minimal damage on the two vessels at the cost of three hundred seventeen warships and four hundred ninety-nine of our own spell-casters. Operation Commander Lorain Baler believes Benhannon teleported onto one of the boats and helped his commoners win the victory. Many of the surviving Aakacarns reported seeing him even though he wielded a multi-hued potential rather than Topaz.”

This was getting tiresome. “Did you come all the way from Mount Suteck to offer the same reasons for failure I received from you last night?” Tarin kept his temper under control.

A bead of sweat dripped down the left side of Vance’s face as he glanced briefly at the thirty lightning bolts on the shoulders’ of his liege. “No, Supreme Maestro, I came to say they are afraid to further engage in battle against the Atlantan Guild. Even Benhannon’s commoners are formidable. The so called Chosen’s Sentinels can be killed, mostly by our Aakacarns, but they do not die easily, and even then manage to inflict mass casualties before being taken down.”

The fears of the weak were not Vance’s fault,
Tarin reminded himself. “This is much the same case you made when Serena and her team escorted me from Kelgotha. I gave the commoners knowledge to increase the explosive yield of their blasting sticks and how to make containers that can spark the explosions on impact. They received from me enhanced reed plants with extra strong fibers that can be woven into light weight ships and coating they can paint onto the vessels, making them so neither air or water can flow through, not one of which have they actually completed. Am I expected to keep weaklings safe or do their tasks for them?” Tarin paused briefly, although not long enough to receive an answer. “I know the thoughts of my Accomplisheds; that a few of them wish me to create and give them crescendos greater than they can make for themselves, just as Daniel has done for his Aakacarns. You will be given such because you have demonstrated strength of leadership and Serena will receive one for the depth of loyalty she has shown me, but the rest have not proved to be fit. My young opponent has made a huge mistake in giving so much power to inferiors who have little power of their own. They will believe themselves greater than they actually are and eventually challenge his authority over them. At the least he has made himself into a servant of the weak and spends his time and energy bolstering them when he should be gathering his strength.”

“Supreme Maestro, it is to our advantage Benhannon wastes his time and energy on weaklings and inferiors. I prefer that he continues to do so rather than plan offensives. On the subject of bolstering our own commoners, I beg you to consider that a cavalry provides saddles in order for their men to ride the horses more effectively, and maybe we should similarly provide the tools necessary to make our non-Aakacarns more effective. The making of such things is so far below one of your stature, I would never suggest that you provide the accoutrements. I am suggesting that we order the many Aakacarns in your association who possess less than a lightning bolt of potential be given the task of building the first fleet of light weight ships and also create amulets to allow our commoners to cast a few low power yet lethal spells,” Vance finally got around to the real reason for the personal appearance. “As for the new ship design, they fear coming in contact with the amulet containing the spell which turns the crank that drive the twin propulsion units.”

Tarin resented the fact that the wrong-headedness of his opponent was forcing him to empower weaklings. And yet, Vance’s suggestion had some merit and might embolden the timid commoners. “The amulet requires energy to power the spell to turn the crank but it need not be the life force of a human, swine will do just as well. Concerning the weapons, the question is not whether we should give lethal amulets to the commoners who serve us, but whether they are devoted enough to use them, especially in light of their stated fears.”

Vance’s left eyebrow arched up. “Supreme Maestro, I fail to understand your meaning.”

“The followers of my opponent are so devoted to him that they are slowly dying every time they use the weapons he gave them, even the men on those boats that visited such damage on our warships. Perhaps he is not as foolish as I first believed. The commoners he empowered will not live long enough to challenge his authority, but it is still foolish to give one and no-bolt Accomplisheds the ability to cast High Power spells. Be that as it may, the draining of life forces in the use of those weapons is a fact that has been published throughout the world by the Grand Maestro of Aakadon. The spell, Rejuvenation, of the Aloe Guild, pours energy into a body but the effect is temporary, making the recipient feel more energetic, but would take so much time and concentration to replace the actual demands of a spell, it is impractical,” he explained a basic principle that should be obvious to any second level Talented. “My question to you is do our commoners have enough devotion to us to make the same sacrifices as Daniel’s do for him?”

Vance nodded and a slow smile formed before he answered, “Either way they will eventually, after we have assimilated as many kingdoms as we can, be required to face the Sentinels in battle, and the only choice for them will be to die quickly in defeat or slowly with the honor of winning many victories.”

Tarin gave the proposal further consideration and made his decision. “Maestro of my Serpent Guild, I grant your petition. Have the weaker Aakacarns build the first fleet of ships and create the lethal amulets. However, the commoners must build the rest of the fleets with their own manual labor. I will not coddle weaklings or allow even my Accomplisheds with less than a bolt of potential to be servants of commoners.”

“It will be as you say, Supreme Maestro,” Vance replied. “The plan to draw the resources of Aakadon away from seeking our nests and uncovering our schemes is working. The Eagle Guild has been recalling teams of Soarers from eleven of the twelve kingdoms in order to concentrate on the Atlantan Guild. Even Accomplisheds of the other guilds serving as emissaries to district lords have been recalled. I have not as of yet learned where they are going, but they are leaving nearly all of the cities, and only have a few remaining Accomplisheds in the capitals. The resources of Aakadon have been strained since the days of Balen Tamm and cannot remain in place and at the same time marshal the strength Efferin seems intent on throwing at Benhannon. This has worked out just as you predicted.”

Tarin accepted the praise due him, but it fell short of what he wanted to hear. He leaned forward on the throne. “Find out onto what Daniel has tied the Da Capo on the spell restraining me and you will receive the crescendo I promised all the sooner. If you prove unworthy, perhaps Rex Badger would be a better recipient. He has recently gained his third lightning bolt and so has Lorain Baler. I sense eighteen Two-bolts who are not far from attaining their third.” It was good to let Vance know from time to time that the favor and position he currently enjoyed could be taken from him if others proved themselves more fit, even though he was not far from attaining his fourth bolt.

“The means to gather the information is in place and I have no doubt the knowledge will be gleaned in the near future.” Vance was quick with a reply that was far better than a string of compliments.

The confident response was more than satisfying. Tarin nodded acceptance and then summoned the potential for the spell, Free Me, and concentrated all of his potential at the second of thirty-six crystalline gems that had been placed under his skin to prevent him from teleporting. Tomorrow he would target the thirty-fourth. His rate of replenishing potential would not permit more than one a day, not and maintain his strength to the degree he had become accustomed. Even so, it also did no harm for his underling to feel the harmonic waves of a Thirty-bolt Accomplished.

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After a pleasant night with his alluring wife, Daniel donned his blue silks and spent part of the morning receiving donations of life force energy to refill his vat. Even though Sero gave him potential yesterday, Jennel declared it, “unacceptable,” and insisted the reservoir be filled to the brim, Sherree agreed with her, and they were correct. He only wished his beautiful bride had stayed a little while longer before conveying to the southern estate. The donors conveyed from Shantear to him at the Benhannon Northland Holding, gave graciously of themselves, and they along with nearly everybody from the grooms in the stables to the most senior Aakacarns were still talking about the great victory. He could not bring himself to celebrate the deaths of his enemies, and ending so many lives still weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

As he made the journey to his office, the residents of the holding gave cheerful greetings and he nodded, waved a hand, and managed to respond kindly to the many salutations. Sero and Carlos were walking at his heels, Simon and Leah seemed to be on an intercept course that would allow them all to meet at the door. Chas Herling arrived first, seeing as all he had to do was step out of his own office and walk a few steps. Jaim Cutler ushered them in, then stepped back out into the hall and shut the door. Daniel took his seat behind the desk and the others sat in the chairs while Sero leaned against the wall on the right.

“Sir Daniel, the Chosen’s Sentinels stand ready to deploy,” the Commander of the Sentinels stated in a professional manner. Chas always seemed ready to engage militarily.

“Maestro, I have Defense Department Accomplisheds patrolling the area. If the Serpents teleport or tunnel anywhere within thirty spans of this holding we will know about it,” Leah assured him.

He glanced at Simon expectantly, it would be a rare morning when the sandy-haired Chief Aid had nothing to say, and he did not disappoint. “Maestro, Samuel is meeting with Jerremy, who will lead the team assigned to create the new facility for the prisoners of war. General Fisher has been notified by Accomplished Laughlin of the non-Aakacarn prisoners and has agreed to send men to take them into custody. Sam spent half the night questioning the captive Aakacarns before conveying to Shantear, although he only managed to speak with a small number of the one thousand-five non-Aakacarns, most of which were support personnel and non-combatants,” The Chief Aid paused and took a moment to glance at Chas and then refocused on Daniel. “Sam recognized a man dressed as a groom to be the same officer he met near the border a few months back after you killed Serin Gell. Under the spell, Truth Speak, the man admitted to being Lieutenant Lymin of the Sutton Guard.”