To Be Grand Maestro (Book 5) (60 page)

Daniel cast a lightning bolt at one of the two trios who had attacked him, overwhelming their combined potentials, and reducing them to blackened corpses. “The time frame you gave for a total withdrawing of troops seems about right and also for the realignment of forces within Aczencopa. We and the Serpents have the mobility we need to act quickly but Aakadon and the kingdoms on both sides of this war still must travel mostly by conventional means. I suspect Bolton’s chief ambition now is to survive. Thank you for briefing me on the situation in Lyson City,” he replied as a flaming branch fell a few paces away to his right. The combined distractions nearly cost him his footing. The last thing he wanted was to roll down the hill into the roiling turmoil below.

    “The mobility of Tarin Conn’s commoners is better than you suppose. A fleet of Anacondas went into the Aczen Sea through the Lizen River and has been attacking the port cities while Ecoppian troop carriers, Battencayan destroyers, and Pentrosan light cruisers have sailed up the Kesson, powered by Accomplisheds of the Serpent Guild who evidently have the necessary wind Melodies in their repertoires. Bolton might well have no choice but to retreat south from the peninsula in a matter of days.”

Daniel felt sorrier for the average Aczencopans who were currently suffering due to the poor judgment of their king, than he did for the old monarch. “I stand corrected,” Daniel admitted, secure in his footing. “With anacondas and wind-spelled vessels, Tarin Conn has supplied his allies well and made them a force to be reckoned with.”

The mental link to Jennel ended and Daniel surveyed the carnage below. Wolves continued to harass the horses while thousands upon thousands of crows circled in the sky above. Hundreds of men afoot and on horses were racing for the border with wolves nipping at their heels. and as ordered, those people were allowed to flee. When the men who were still fighting finally noticed the mercy extended, the hundreds turned into several thousand. Sero sent a lightning bolt at the other trio who had attacked his Maestro, killing them while Logan and his team finished off the remaining Aakacarns. Silvia continued to send pebbles of flame in the direction of those who were fleeing but aiming well short so as not to actually harm them or the wolves chasing them. This was apparently her way of encouraging the Battencayans to keep moving. With the battle won it was only a matter of time before the survivors went back to where they came from.

“I think using lightning bolts rather than Die Now increased the fear just enough to cause people to flee when given the chance,” Sero commented while walking from his position behind the tree to the left.

He and Carlos gathered around Daniel along with Silvia and David. “Now you know why the Chosen Vessel made that choice,” the Teki Seer stated. The crossbow was once again clipped to her belt.

While they were chatting, this seemed like a good time to communicate with the rest of the defense force.  

“
Thanks for the help
,” Daniel sent to Sniffer and the flock leaders.

A sense of satisfaction came ahead of the reply.
“Pack is pleased to have fresh meat, but will leave burnt flesh for feathered ones.”

Daniel received the same impressions from the rest of the wolves and crows. “
Enjoy your meat and keep a close watch for any more intruders in our hunting grounds,”
he sent and then withdrew his concentration. He winced at the thought of the creatures in his swirl eating human flesh, but they needed to eat, and he had no intention of ordering these men buried or cremated.

Logan had everything under control and could be trusted to make sure every intruder went back to Battencay and to smother the fires. The part of the chore requiring the presence of the Maestro was done. Daniel opened his mouth to suggest to the chatterers that it was time to leave when a strong sense of resolve flowed ahead of the words, “Maestro, this is Conductor Lassiter. I will start by saying my teams are nipping at the tails of the Serpents here in Lobenia. That being said, a new situation has arisen I feel you should be made aware of. Ships full of Accomplisheds are setting sail from Aakadon.”

A flash of anger had to be quickly stifled before Daniel could respond. “According to what Sherree told me earlier this morning, nothing has changed at Shantear. Is this new fleet of ships being sent to reinforce the Senior Soarers and Coronas?”

“They are sailing down the Mighty Hirus and likely responding to the attacks on Cenkataar and Aczencopa, but that development would not surprise me enough to bother you with this now. What concerns me is the fact the ships are carrying thousands of Accomplished from the Aqua, Zephyr, Willow, and even hundreds from the Stone Guild,” Jeremiah replied.

Daniel swiped back the hood of his cloak and ran his fingers through his hair, careful not to dislodge the array, trying to think of the reason some were missing from that listing, and not much liking his conclusions. “Where are the Eagles and Suns? The amount camped near Shantear cannot be more than a tenth of their numbers.”

“That, Maestro is the question. Let us hope the missing ranks are being aimed at the Serpent Guild. I can say this, wherever they are, the positioning of forces must have begun months ago and in very small groups or my scouts would have informed me of their departure. This flotilla and the one in Lobenia are the only large grouping of vessels to leave the port, but hundreds of individual ships come and go every day,” came the reply.

The harmonic waves stopped, bringing Daniel’s attention back to the Dark Maestro. “Efferin has been warned and knows we will respond with lethal force if he attacks us. I will give him enough credit to believe he is aiming those unaccounted for Accomplisheds at the Serpents. My concern right now is what Tarin Conn will do now that he is free to teleport.” 

-----

Spring was normally Joel’s favorite time of the year, a season that represented to him a renewing of life, and yet this year it meant more deaths coming off of a hard winter with more dying ahead. It was easier to take his mind off the war while piloting Manta Two deep beneath the Serinian Channel. The cycle of life for the aquatic world seemed to be going on just as it had from the beginning of time, undisturbed by the events taking place on the surface and only becoming involved when meat was floating on the waves after a battle.

“We sank two anacondas and a frigate, not a bad tally before noon,” Hosea said from his position at the tail. Since the current mission was to patrol the coast and destroy any enemy ships Manta Two comes across, his assessment was valid.

“Just be glad we are under the water. Tarin Conn has been teleporting to random points and scaring folks into surrendering. He’s still hampered by our Maestro’s spell but that does not seem to stop him from summoning so much potential that the harmonics shatter anything made of glass, topple poorly built structures, and knocks people right off their feet. Literally, no army can stand in his presence.” Sorel Benrider, operator of the forward crescendos and communications array, said from the seat to Joel’s left.

Joel swam the manta forward, keeping a close watch on their surroundings while using the spell, Find All, to sense everything within a seven span radius. He spared a moment to glance at the Ducaunan. “What does that have to do with us being glad we are under water?”

Really, sometimes this fellow talks on and on, and goes a long way round to get to the point.

“The Dark Maestro has never appeared under water,” Sorel replied as if his reasoning should have been obvious from the start.

“Joel, this is Jerremy DeSuan. I need a big favor,” the young Serinian’s voice came through an amulet given to him many months ago. 

“I am on patrol in the Channel between Lehein and Jaffee, how can I be of help?” Joel sent his mental response.

A strong sense of concern came ahead of the reply. “My father is on the Seaspout, the quickest schooner in his fleet. He is a special envoy of the King being sent to Queen Clarees and his vessel has been hugging the Serinian coast with the idea of crossing the channel near Rina. The meeting is to take place in Brenten. When he reached that point and started across, his vessel came under attack and even though the Seaspout is quicker and more maneuverable, the modified Demfilian freighters have him in a ring and are circling in for the kill. All it takes is a single hit from one of those teardrop-headed ballista bolts to sink the schooner.”

Joel noted a marlin swimming ahead and adjusted his course to go beneath it. “I had the impression Lord DeSuan is a staunch supporter of Aakadon and has disowned you. How is it you are aware of his predicament?” he replied and banked the manta to the south and began flooding life force energy into the CAPU. He did not need the question to be answered before responding to the dire situation.

“My father does not know I am aware of his comings and goings. I conveyed to Serinia a few months back and gave communication amulets to my mother and some friends who happen to work for my father, one of which is the First Officer on the Seaspout,” Jerremy sent along with a sense of superiority common among those of noble birth. Beneath the pompous attitude lurked a caring heart and a strong sense of duty Joel respected.

“Where are we going in such a hurry?” Sorel asked, seeing as he was the one who usually received the kind of communication that called for a rapid response.

Joel watched as the numbers on the console went from double into the triple digits, creatures and objects passed by in a blur. He cast the spell, Navigation, and focused forward, which was now standard procedure and necessary in order to sense what was ahead before it came into view. He had more personal, hands on, experience with what lurks in these waters than any person alive. “Manta Two is on the way to rescue and escort Lord DeSuan across the Channel,” he spoke out loud and sent through the mental link.

“Thanks Joel, I knew I could count on you,” Jerremy replied with a sense of relief.

“Do not thank me yet, I have several hundred spans of water to swim before I can be of any real help,” Joel replied, knowing it would take time to cover that distance and not wanting to give any false hopes.

“I know you will try and that is enough,” Jerremy sent along with a sense of confidence and then the connection ended.

“Exactly where is Lord DeSuan and why are we going to escort a Serinian?” Hosea inquired from the rear. “They are not our allies.”

“He is a special envoy of King Keljun Soon to our ally Queen Clarees and he is sailing off the coast of Rina. It seems a small fleet of Demfilian modified freighters are boxing his vessel into a kill zone,” Joel replied while concentrating on the obstacles in the water and moving the grip accordingly. He just barely missed hitting an orca.

“I don’t mind adding some Demfilian freighters to our tally, so it sounds good to me,” Hosea replied, ever eager to decrease the number of ships allied with the other side.

Every movement of hand and wrist had to be precise and delicate or the manta could hit the bottom of the channel and be buried in the mud or crash into a great shark or a whale, Joel was very much aware. He focused two bolts of potential into the CAPU and the ray became difficult to hold steady even with the spell composed by the Maestro backing the slightest pressure on the grip. Joel doubted any human beings have traveled this fast, ever.

“Even with the navigation spell and Find All, I don’t see how you can respond quickly enough to avoid hitting something,” Sorel remarked, his eyes widening at the scene in front of him.

Joel had to admit to himself, it was reflexes made sharper after being restored from Condemnation by the Maestro that allowed him to avoid most of what was in the water. Something huge and white with a tall dorsal fin suddenly appeared and splattered against the observation window. The gore was instantly washed away by the force of the water and then lost in the jet stream created by the manta.

“Sorel,” Hosea called from the rear, “Shut up and let him concentrate before we end up finding out how it feels to come to a sudden stop from a speed of four hundred spans per mark.”

“This is as fast as a Two-bolt Accomplished can drive a CAPU,” Joel remarked. “I wonder how fast Leah or Daniel can make one of these mantas go. Oh, and just so you know, I am focusing Find All forward thirty spans and that helps me know what is ahead, but silence will also help me get us there.” He had known about the shark well enough in advance to avoid hitting it but did not expect the great fish to suddenly turn upward into the path of the manta.

Half a mark passed and a group of people within a wooden vessel came in range of his spell along with ten larger wooden vessels. The schooner was attempting to make a run between the seventh and eight freighters, which provided the largest gap in the circle. The sixth freighter broke out of its position and was on a course to intercept while the other Demfilian ships navigated inward, closing the gap and tightening the circle. They would soon have the range needed to launch those explosive ballista bolts.

Manta Two glided along about twenty paces above the bottom of the channel and it was time to head for the surface. “I am going to take us up, ready your spells, and take out those freighters. Hosea, you focus on the one who has broken formation and is closing on the Seaspout, and Sorel, you work on eliminating the circle.”

“I am ready, Pilot, take us up at will,” Hosea replied.

“Take us up and I’ll stir the pot real good,” Sorel promised while securing a firm hold on the grips in front of him.