To Be Victorious: The Maestro Chronicles Book 6

by John Buttrick

  Simon smiled, clearly pleased by the response to his suggestion.

  Daniel increased the potential flowing into the amber gem and the ray began rising higher into the sky. When he sensed that the manta was a hundred cubits above the beach, he touched the emerald, sending power to the rear CAPU. The ray darted west, towards the continent. He increased the speed to three hundred SPMs and flew higher until reaching a full span above the ocean. It took about a three quarters of a mark, straight as the crow flies, to reach the coast. The storm must have moved farther north, because it was not even close enough to be sensed by casual spell-casting.

  “This is Aczencopa,” Simon informed.

  His knowledge of every three dimensional map in the Willow Guild library of spells made him the Atlantan Guild expert on geography. Daniel summed a map of the continent in his head, and after a few moments of concentration, could only agree, not that he had doubted the Chief Aid. What Daniel had not taken into account was how far Manta One had gone south from where the mighty Hirus poured into the Eastern Ocean.

  He dismissed the mental map and tilted the control stick, banking the manta gently to the right until the ray was headed north. The spell, Find All, made him aware of people, mostly sleeping in towns, cities, and ports big and small. He sensed vessels floating on the ocean waves and countless creatures swimming, and in some cases lurking, in the water.

  As they approached Thyateara, Daniel had a decision to make. He sensed hundreds of ships at the port, and knew Manta One could do serious damage. He also sensed the skyship base on the other side of the Hirus.

  “I sense twenty-one Aakacarns in the store-house where the large quantity of trinitrotoluene is kept,” Carlos spoke up “And I sense three more walking inside what I surmise could be the command building.”

  Daniel sensed the same thing and was not particularly surprised a circle of Serpents had arrived since the last time Manta One had passed the base. He pulled the stick back and the ray flew higher. At three spans up he reduced the speed and began a circle pattern. “Sero, you attack the store-house. Carlos, target those three Aakacarns. The Accomplisheds must be feeling the harmonics given off by the manta, even if they do not as of yet know the source, so take them out quick.”

  “Maestro, it will be as you say,” the bodyguard replied, his voice tinged with excitement.

  “Maestro, I request that you angle the manta forty-five degrees downward,” Carlos said while gripping the two crescendos in front of him.

  Daniel complied and watched as two huge cucumber-shaped bursts of energy shot out from the forward crescendos and dived down onto and through the roof of the store-house. An ever-expanding and angry appearing cloud, glowing red, fed by chains of exploding containers of trinitrotoluene, erupted outward. Scores of skyships were ripped from the moorings and torn apart by the still expanding blast. Their own supplies of trinitrotoluene added to the swirling mass of devastation that was spreading a ring of destruction that swept over buildings nearly a span away. He could not sense a single living soul in area of the blast. At the same time the ring was spreading outward, the cloud was also rising into the sky, up toward the manta.

  This is not good.

  He banked to the left and away from what was looking more and more like a giant mushroom, the top of which reached a thousand cubits into the air.

  That was a close one, he thought.

  And then the concussive force hit Manta One and the ray was thrown shakily upward. Some quick wrist work with the stick kept the vehicle from flipping out of control, but the shield spell drew extra energy from him, making his throat go dry. He flew higher, resuming the circular pattern, and then drank from his canteen.

  “I think, in the future, it might be best if we do not fly so close to where such a huge explosion is about to occur,” Tim suggested.

  Daniel was about to agree when an energy beam struck the manta and ice began forming on the skin. The freezing temperature was far colder than flying at high altitude could bring about, but the source was Aakacarn in nature, and actually strengthened the shield, which melted the ice. It also lowered the personal amount of life-force energy being drawn from him, which he appreciated.

  The manta’s tail whipped downward and a beam of light struck the middle Accomplished, who apparently Carlos determined had been the caster of the freezing spell. A dome-shaped shield, glowing with a soft shade of magenta, covered all three Aakacarns. They were standing about fifty paces outside the building Carlos had mentioned earlier.

  “I’ll get you,” the bodyguard blurted. The tail snapped down again, tracking the target as the ray circled above, and a narrow beam, bright as day, shot down, striking the shield, which held its integrity for a few moments, and then winked out of existence. The three Aakacarns burned to ash shortly thereafter. “A promise is a promise,” Carlos spoke softly, although loud enough to be heard at the front of the crew compartment.

  Judging by the brightness and Ripple Effect given off by the spell he focused, ten lightning bolts of potential had been used. He had to be really thirsty. Daniel glanced back and caught a glimpse of Carlos drinking from his spelled-silver canteen.

  Visibility was obscured by clouds of smoke rising from fires burning below. The explosions were over but not the red-orange flames that were consuming the center third of the base. Where the store-house had been was a crater two hundred paces across and Daniel knew the only thing alive in the area below was the fire.

  It seemed highly unlikely the men scrambling on the ground in the upper and lower third of the base could see the manta up in the smoke-filled sky, at least Daniel hoped so. It was also possible the existence of the ray remained a secret. Time would tell. After all, the ray was very high up.

  “That should set them back for a good while,” Tim commented. “Are we going to take out those buildings and docks to the north?”

  “What about those barracks to the south?” Carlos asked. He must have quenched his thirst, eager as he seemed to cast more spells.

  Daniel made up his mind and answered, “We are going to…,”

  “Daniel, we have visitors. You need to get back here right away,” the voice of his father sounded in his head, but not through the array. The communication came from a golden amulet. Set in the precious metal was a topaz stone containing a sapphire falcon clutching a diamond lightning bolt in its talons. It was one of many Daniel had to re-energize after regaining the ability to have ever-replenishing-and-increasing life-force energy, an ability he had lost for about six months after draining himself completely at the Battle of Shantear. His parents were among the recipients of the communication devices.

  Daniel sent back, “Dad, who is paying us a visit?” This he did while using his left hand to signal to those aboard he was answering a communication.

  Ronn Benhannon’s emotions, normally calm as a winter pond, were filled with waves of concern, and those feelings came along with the words, “I only know they are a large group of people who should not know of the existence of this naval facility. They are about ten spans south of us and getting closer. Your mother and I will handle the matter for now. Just get back as soon as you can.”

  Accomplisheds of the Defense Department were stationed at the facility, along with the RiverDancer, a Wager-class patrol-boat belonging to his parents, and four out of the ten rays that would normally be in the subterranean lagoon. The other patrol-boats and mantas were in the Taltin Sea. Daniel knew what was on hand should be enough to defend the facility, but prudence told him to make the trip in a hurry. “I will be back within a few marks,” he sent to his father.

  A sense of surprise came ahead of the reply, “I don’t see how you can return so fast if you are still out in the ocean, unless you plan on finishing your chores there and then Convey here. If you leave, can Simon, Carlos, or Sero pilot the vehicle?”

  “The chores are done and Manta One has been modified. We will be there when I said,” Daniel sent back with a strong sense of accomplishment.
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br />   “Good enough for me,” his father replied and the contact ended, but not before a sense of a cool winter pond came flowing through the link. The confidence radiated from his son must have been contagious.

  “In answer to your questions,” Daniel spoke out loud. “Our enemies here have been maimed badly and it will take them a good long time to recover. So, what we have done is enough. Our next step requires us to head back to the Naval Facility, find out how the large force that is headed straight for it knows of its existence, and stop them from getting any closer than they already are.”

  Chapter Four: Warnings

  Manta One soared four spans, twenty thousand paces, above the ground, and Daniel enjoyed seeing the moon and the countless stars, even though the sight made him feel as if the ray might fly off the world if he grew careless. Osprey Vision gave him a good general view of the surface, although from the current altitude and speed it was difficult to focus on a specific area for more than a few moments.

  Up here one is forced to take the long view.

  Scattered clouds were gray blotches obscuring the forest below, yet he could intermittently see moonlight reflecting off the mighty Hirus, and used the river and the compass to stay on course. The sensations coming to him through the spell, Find All, flickered so quickly in his awareness that he truly did not have the mental capacity to sort through them all. Later on, if he took the time, it would be possible to meditate on what was being recorded in his brain and isolate specific pieces of information, but he seriously doubted he would do so. His plate was already full and piled high and there was no room on it for idle facts. It was a matter of Practicality. By the time he got around to learning anything remotely helpful, things like how many enemy Aakacarns had been in a certain area, those facts would likely change, and outdated information was not worth taking the time to glean. The Serpents often teleported rapidly from place to place and he and his people needed to step lively to keep up with the pace of the war.

  Simon cleared his throat, which meant either over much saliva had filled his throat or he wanted to gain attention. “Maestro, the speed we seem to be traveling at,” he could not see the console from where he sat, “might get us back to the Benhannon Naval Facility quickly, but the harmonics given off by the CAPU are flowing in an outward radius. Every living thing within sixty spans is feeling the ripples and every Aakacarn down there knows a powerful spell is being cast from up above.”

  Daniel was well aware of the risk he was taking by keeping the ray moving at four hundred spans per mark. “I don’t see how the effect can be masked. I’m hoping our altitude and the speed we are traveling at will make it difficult for an Aakacarn to get a fix on our position. If you have a better idea, I am willing to hear it.”

  “What I have in mind should work theoretically,” Simon replied.

  “Creator help us,” Carlos murmured what sounded like a heart-felt prayed.

  The Chief Aid continued on as if he did not hear the bodyguard. “If you push the ray faster than the speed of harmonics, the waves will flow out narrowly behind us. Each pulse should be many spans apart before reaching the ground and anyone down there should only feel a single powerful wave, one that might not even be noticed amidst the countless ripples flowing from all of the different battle-fronts. The next wave would be spans farther west and so on until we are well into Ducaun and ready to slow down. At that point the harmonic waves of our CAPU, along with our speed, can be reduced to a level that is not so unusual.”

  Even if Simon’s theory did not hold up, and people below could still feel the Ripple Effect, Daniel could see no harm in going faster. The Effect would be more powerful, but in for silver, in for gold, he figured, and sent more of his personal potential into the emerald.

  Manta One’s velocity tripled and the harmonic waves flowed behind the ray as they had earlier in the night, narrower actually since the ray was going far faster. Daniel held the control stick steady while taking note of the Hirus below and tracking the harmonic waves through Find All. After a seemingly endless but actually brief period of time, the first wave reached the ground about sixty-five spans to the rear, the second about fifty-three, and after that he was convinced his Chief Aid had been correct and stopped paying the ripples any attention. “Simon, your theory has worked out in truth, good call.”

  “Carlos, your prayer has been answered,” the Chief Aid called out while facing forward. “We are unharmed, moving faster, and the only thing the people below are aware of is our thunder.”

  The statement went unanswered. Everyone else was eyeing the panoramic view of the stars, since most of what could be seen below was a blur.

  Less than half a mark later they flew right over Ducanton. Daniel cut the power to the rear CAPU, and tilted the stick forward, sending the manta into a thirty degree high speed dive towards the river. He continued the gliding descent until the ray was three quarters of the way to the Naval Facility and dropping faster than it was going forward. He counted the minutes. Now, he thought while laying his thumb across the emerald and the amber at the same time. Both CAPU’s kicked in and he flew the manta over the river at slightly above treetop level and at one hundred fifty spans per mark.

  “Do you realize what you have just done?” Tim asked. His volume was much greater than what was necessary in order to be heard in such a confined space. Clearly, he was excited. “From here a manta can strike at any city on the continent within half a mark. We are so going to win this war.”

  Daniel had the gut feeling before he had even taken up the chore that there was a strong possibility the testing and subsequent modifications to the manta could help in changing the course of the war, but always knew that expanding the capabilities of the ray alone would not achieve total victory. “Yes, we can launch highly effective air raids, destroy a lot of enemy assets, and that would be a good thing, but we do not have the resources to hold what we take. Meanwhile, the Serpent Guild will be hitting back with teleportation circles. A Grand Circle not only consists of a hundred Aakacarns, it can transport nearly a thousand people, Sasquatches, or Yetis, to anywhere in our territories the conductor of the spell has been before. To make matters worse, in many areas the Serpents have enough Aakacarn and non-Aakacarn numbers to hold what they take.”

  “The Serpent Guild has had centuries to familiarize its members with the geography of Atlantan,” Simon added his part to the conversation. “Their raids have been very effective. We can only react after they appear and hope Sam’s ISIG personnel can arrive in time to chase them away. As formidable as this new generation of mantas promises to be, they alone cannot win us this war.”

  Tim nodded acceptance of the words but the eagerness in his eyes had not diminished. “I understand you want to guard against over confidence, so I will simply say our chances of winning this war have been improved over what they were when we started out on this voyage.”

  Daniel smiled, thinking about the positive and upbeat attitude of the drummer, and then plunged the manta into the river. Osprey Vision showed fish, frogs, snakes, water bugs of all sorts, and some turtles as the vehicle moved against the current with ease. He swam the ray under the camouflaged gate, through the curvy canal, and into the spell-formed lake, which was also filled with schools of tiny fish and no small amount of bigger ones circling in the large body of water.

  Through Osprey Vision, he could see the surface portion of the Benhannon Naval Facility. A topaz blue bungalow was all that was visible of a much larger base with six levels below ground that stretched back nearly a quarter of a span under the forest. His father and mother, and their crew of eighteen, all currently lived in the bungalow. Tim, Gina, and five hundred-eighteen sailors lived below along with sixty-one Benhannon Guardsmen, and fifty Accomplisheds. Only one of the twenty-seven slips was currently occupied and the vast majority of the sailors were out on those other boats.

  The RiverDancer, forty-five strides in length; one hundred thirty-five paces from stem to stern, was topaz blue with
silver trimming on the railings, hatches, air-ports, arrow-slits, and windows. Daniel had modified the patrols boats since he, using the design of his parents, created the Wager, which had been Tim’s idea as a means of quick transportation. The current version had two gunner stations, one on the bow and the other on the stern, consisting of a permanent extra-large nightstick capable of sending a beam of light to render the target unconscious, an equally large crossbow that launched a flaming stream of stones, and a harpoon that launched a beam of solid light in the shape of a harpoon that could punch a hole in anything unshielded. Those were mounted together on a tripod that could swing one hundred seventy degrees as well as up and down. Two smaller versions were at each arrow-slit and comprised of a nightstick that could put the target asleep for a day, a crossbow that could send flaming streams of pebbles, and a daggerlance that sent lances of light. The boats were fast and lethal and Daniel wished it had not been necessary to make them so.

  Beneath the surface, below the dock, and deeper down, was the oval entrance to the subterranean lagoon. Daniel swam the ray into the facility where three of the ten slots were occupied and then into slip number one. After half the manta was above the pool and secure, he announced, “Mission complete. Sero, please open the hatch, and thank you all for a job well done.”

  Even as he spoke the words, his mind was gearing up to learn more about the intruders. His mother and father were on the dock and waiting for him to disembark. He did not see Silvia or David, but he did see Lieutenant Commander Duncan Hawk, and Chuc Carlin of the Benhannon Guard.

  “I don’t know how you got here so fast, but I am glad you did,” Miriam Benhannon said as Daniel stepped off the manta and onto the dock.