To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) (37 page)

Daniel failed to take into account the weight of water and now that he knew about the problem, had no deep concern over finding a solution. “I planned on the manta having a shield spell on its outer skin conjured by the pilot whenever the craft goes into battle. Thanks to you, Simon, I will add a CPA containing a pre-formed spell with the amulet portion in contact with the Aakacarn whenever the vessel is in operation, and straps to the seats. I thank you for educating us concerning the dangers of momentum and diving deep. What I need now is a suggestion on what substance to use for the flexible body.”

“Chainmail has flexibility,” Duncan, the former Royal Guardsman suggested. “Ordinary metal would rust, but an interlocking substance like gold that does not corrode might be possible.”

His idea had some merit and Daniel nodded and listened as one person after the other offered suggestions. It was the last one made by his mother that resonated within him as being not only feasible; it came closer to the skin of the real creature than any of the other materials put forth. He slowly withdrew his diamond-bladed knife and began examining the black grip.

“Yes, the same ingredients the soles of Tannakonna shoes and knife-grips are made of would have the flexibility and water tightness you require,” Miriam spoke louder when she realized Daniel did more than nod and was giving her suggestion serious thought.

The sap of a gummet tree, when mixed with that of the sugret tree made excellent soles for boots, shoes, and a good hand grip for a knife. Daniel cast, What Is This, and focused on the crescendo. He went all the way into the recipe strands of the saps and slowly pulled back his view of their substances until bringing his awareness out of the grip and back to Miriam. “My mother is a genius,” he proclaimed. “I will need to make some adjustments to the recipe strands in order to make the outer skin more durable and fibrous within to emulate musculature, but the vessel will appear to be a giant ray. I will have to compose a spell and place it in a CPA attached to something from which to steer the craft, but Project Manta Ray is now on.”

“Well, this is exciting, when are you going to make it?” Simon asked as if expecting to see it appear on the spot.

Daniel noted the eager faces surrounding him. “I intend to make it at our naval facility with Joel on hand for the creation and maiden voyage.” He replied without answering the question. Too many details needed to be worked out before a time could be set.

“Surely you are going to wait for us to finish the little chore we are in the process of completing,” his father stated as if to do otherwise would be unthinkable.

Speaking of the chore made Daniel wonder about the current speed of the RiverDancer, “Does the presence of Lords Sharmine and Tamkin have anything to do with why the boat is going so slow?” It was moving swifter than the speed of the fastest sailboat but that was beside the point as far as he was concerned.

Duncan rolled his eyes. “We made record time cruising down the Hirus, especially when your father suggested we take the boat to full speed. Don’t worry, Sir Daniel, Marsha was right beside him and flooding life force energy into him the entire time he was powering the CAPU.” Daniel glanced at his father at that point, surprised at the daring of the man who raised him, while focusing again on the words of the Lieutenant Commander. “It took two people to hold the helm steady. This boat really is faster than a hawk in flight. Anyway, when we picked up the lords in Ducanton, after waiting many marks for them to arrive at the docks, all went well until we increased to half speed and the pair of them became frightened. Embarrassed by their fear, they grew angry and demanded that we slow down. One quarter speed was the compromise Lady Miriam brokered and the two lords have been in the mess at the officers table ever since.”

“And so have we until hearing the thunder-crack of displaced air,” Ronn added. “I was on the verge of asking Accomplished Obennen to make our guests nap so we can get on with the chore, but then you arrived and made the trip much more interesting.”

Miriam smiled patiently at her husband. “Lord Sharmine and Lord Tamkin are our guests and rendering them unconscious would have been rude,” she stated and then focused on her son. “I am glad you came to us for advice and in so doing made this morning more interesting. Now, Daniel, the question of our current speed kept you from responding to your father’s previous statement.”

The little chore, the one about waiting for them to finish showing Sharmine and Tamkin the danger to the realm before taking them home. “I must first compose the necessary spells and that will take as long as it takes, so there is plenty of time for you to complete this particular chore. I want you both to be there when the time comes to actually create the manta and I suppose Simon can be there if it does not interfere with his schedule.”

Simon smiled while shaking his head. “You know, just because I once said I would come and watch the creation of a Wager Class patrol boat if it did not take longer than a mark, does not mean you should phrase my participation in any outing with you as being a possible inconvenience to me.”

Daniel mulled the response over briefly and then replied, “I take that to mean you will be attending the event.”

The first ripple of an intense harmonic wave struck and was soon followed by another. The flow from the north continued for about two tenths of a mark and then ceased as abruptly as it had begun.

“I can feel the shield on Tarin Conn,” Daniel was quick to assure everyone. “The ISIG scouts should reach Mount Filia today and will learn the source of the spell.”

“I am glad to hear it,” Marsha said and glanced out the window to the north. “If the Dark Maestro is the source of the Melody, do you suppose he has a purpose in casting it beyond scaring people out of their wits?”

Daniel had more than a fair notion of the purpose for the spells. “If it turns out he is the source, I’m sure Tarin Conn enjoys frightening people, but it would only be a side effect of his true intention. If he is responsible, going by the regularity and duration of the spell, I’m guessing he is eliminating the gems in his body that are keeping him from teleporting, and recuperating from the effort takes about a day.”

“Why would you think so?” Simon asked.

Daniel eyed his parents and the people standing around him. He had used the word, “If,” even though he was almost certain of what was happening, and until the fact was verified, chose to leave open the possibility of being wrong. “Because that is what I would be doing.”

Simon gave a quick nodded of his head. “Aakasears think alike.”

Too many people believed that to be true. “No, but we have certain traits in common,” Daniel replied without elaborating. “Whether I am right or wrong, we will have a better idea of what is going on at Filia later in the day. For now, I hear shouting in the mess, it might be courteous for me to go down and meet our guests, and hopefully calm their fears.”

Silvia made for the stairs. “I will announce you,” she said and started down. Moments later Daniel heard, “Rise, the Chosen Vessel approaches. Join him, stand aside, or be smashed into ruin.”

Simon grinned and Daniel glanced upward, praying for strength, and started down the stairs. She certainly knew how to set the mood, if the goal was to put people on edge.

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After conveying from the RiverDancer and spending the rest of the day restoring Condemneds to humanity, Daniel sat alone in his office at Shantear while his awareness was with Horatio. He thought about the manta’s muscles, the flexing of the tissues as it swam, and the elasticity of the skin. Those thoughts in combination with the serenity of the manta’s voyage at the bottom of the ocean began stirring an inspiration in his soul. Notes came together with the rhythm of the aquatic world, the rise and fall of countless waves, and the life pulse of a seemingly never ending cycle. When the Melody felt right, he began adding harmony lines, each with the sound of a particular instrument, a trumpet, a Serinian horn, a flute, and many others, giving him a twelve part harmony. At that point, he knew in his soul the Symphonic would do what was intended, and he titled the composition, Continuity.

The inspirational part being complete, he withdrew his awareness from Horatio and locked the new spell inside a topaz and placed it on the right side of a single gold grip that covered a bonded pair of obsidian crescendos. He cast the spell, Jet of Air, and locked it into an emerald, creating the CAPU, and placed that on top of the grip where the operator’s thumb could rest while his hand grasped and manipulated the bonded batons. The topaz CPA would have to be connected to the fibrous tissues that flexed and steered the manta while the crescendo attached to the emerald would extend down under the deck and back where the jet of air will be focused from just beneath the tail to push the craft forward. Now, all he had to do was actually make the manta.

The office door opened and Sherree came in carrying a tray with a pitcher and two glasses. “How goes the creative process?” she asked while placing the offering on his desk beside the miniature manta he created out of solidified air. The model helped to visualize what he hoped to make. She poured berry punch in the glasses and handed him one. “After you spoke of the project during our get together at noon, I met with Simon and we decided to keep people from disturbing you after the daily restorations were completed.”

“Thanks for the refreshment and the quiet time.” Very considerate, Daniel thought while taking a sip of punch. He swallowed and smiled. “I composed the new Symphonic, Continuity, and am confident it will give the craft the desired maneuverability. The manta could swim even without the CAPU up its rear, but it would not be as fast.”

Sherree smiled, picked up the model, and after a brief examination, arched her left eyebrow quizzically. “The only window is at the front, how are the occupants going to see what is in the water around them?”

The answer was simple enough. “What cannot be seen from the observation window can be sensed through the spell, Navigation. I composed it to steer the original Wager and was able to sense most everything in the water.”

Sherree nodded acceptance of the answer and then slowly began shaking her head. “Navigation works for you because you have actually touched the kinds of things that are likely to be found in a river. I could not use the spell as effectively since my experience with what is under the river is not as great as yours. Tell me, how familiar are you with everything in the ocean?”

She made a good point, which caused him to immediately understand the problem. The memory of being tackled out of the saddle by a sasquatch came back to him. He had assumed the beast was enough like a yeti that he did not need to touch one in order for his locate spell to warn him if a sasquatch came close. The hairy creatures were not enough alike and the spell did not sense the presence. Similarly, he should not assume the creatures and objects in the ocean were just like those in the rivers and lakes. “You are right, I have no idea of what is in the ocean, and it could take decades of physical interaction before Navigation will become practical for me to use.”

Sherree shrugged her shoulders. “The way I see it, you have two choices. Make portholes with lights. Perfectly good eyes might as well be blind if there is nothing to illumine what is around them. The crew will need to see in the dark. This is the Aakacarn solution.” She paused and looked at him with such confidence and support he wanted to hug her, but restrained himself when her lips parted to communicate the next suggestion. “The Aakasear solution is for you to compose a Melody that will allow the crew members to see what is in the water with them, no matter the light level."

Tarin Conn had told him in the past, “An Aakasear is limited only by his talent and imagination,” and Daniel once again had been given proof of the veracity of the statement. His imagination had not been broadened enough, but Sherree’s suggestion expanded it. He could compose a Melody that can scan a line of sight around the manta and have the spell project the images on the walls of the crew compartment, giving the appearance of windows from the inside and nothing but black skin on the outside. More than that, he could add a display at each station that would allow the individual to magnify the focus so the person could see far away or up close. They would also be able to change the focus to see what is above and directly below the vessel.

“I married a genius,” he announced. “You have given me such inspiration, I am sure composing the Melodies will not take too long.”

Sherree placed the mini manta back on the desk, leaned across, and her lips met his. A few pleasant moments passed, their lips parted, and she straightened. “You and your father married well and neither of you should forget it. Now, I’m going to meet with my half of the Conductors of the Atlantan Guild while you concentrate on composing Melodious spells.”

She started for the door and then stopped, turning her head. “Drink the other glass, I’m not thirsty, and Linni will be unhappy if the special blend she sent from the Benhannon Northland Holding goes to waste.”

“I will,” Daniel promised, watched her leave, and then began the process of composing the visualization spells. When those were complete he wrote, Velocity, a time-distance spell that would display at the console the number of spans the manta was traveling per mark.

He spent another mark forming and reforming a small scale three dimensional interior for the crew compartment until he was satisfied with the arrangement and aesthetics. Most every detail of the manta was now fixed in his mind and only a few details needed to be worked out. He finished his glass of berry punch, drank Sherree’s, and then poured and drank what was in the pitcher.