“I don’t know how long ago they left this place but I know where they are going,” he told him with certainty.
“Perhaps we should all be mentored by you, such a gifted Fledgling who can determine exactly where his prey is after a glimpse of the scene, but before we take flight to wherever you believe we should go, let us review the facts,” Lassiter said and there was amusement in his tone of voice. “We found these bodies because I decided to go north from Aakadon and cast, Locate: Serin Gell, with a Da Capo, focused five spans half a radius to the north as we progressed, and thus I sensed the hair you uncovered long before we arrived. Once here, I cast, Time Of Death, to determine that these two Aakacarns have been deceased for fifteen and a quarter marks, which means we are not far behind our prey. Eight Aakacarns entered the cell and encircled Serin Gell. I killed three of them and Accomplished Julian killed the fourth. Five Accomplisheds vanished before my eyes, they appeared here, we know this because ours are the only tracks leading into this clearing, and two died due to the potential demands of the Melody. It does not appear anyone was here to meet them and they headed north on foot. Are you following me so far?”
“Yes,” Samuel replied. He never questioned the Senior Soarer as to why they were headed north in the first place. Clearly, their direction was more than a lucky guess, this man expected to find evidence of their prey. Even so, Samuel was sure he was right about where the escapee was headed. “I probably should have inquired why we came this way and admit it never occurred to me to establish the time of death for the corpses, nor did I consider whether there were people here to meet them. I saw the disturbed pine needles and assumed they walked out, it never occurred to me they might have teleported elsewhere.”
“Those are the things I was determining,” Lassiter said and gestured toward the horses. “Mount up and we can talk on the way.”
Samuel swung into the saddle and patted Salsa, his black Battencayan bred mare, while Lassiter mounted, Bio, his Taracopian palomino. On our way to where? Samuel wondered. He was about to suggest Bashierwood but the Senior Soarer spoke up before he could get the words out.
“We are going to Lamont,” Lassiter announced.
Lamont, why a city more than a hundred spans away? Well, Samuel considered, at least the trail north would bring them to within fifteen spans of Tannakonna’s eastern slope as they passed. “Why not Bashierwood?” he inquired, while guiding Salsa between a pair of pines. It was too much to hope his prey would stick to the trails, oh no. Serin Gell and his accomplices had to travel through the forest.
Lassiter glanced at him. “Tell me why you are so sure our prey has flown to Bashierwood and I will tell you why we are going to Lamont.”
Fair enough. Samuel was sure of his hunch and had no problem sharing it with his mentor. “Daniel Benhannon is from Bashierwood. Serin Gell must hate the mountaineer and is the vengeful type, so Tannakonna is the logical place for him to begin. Daniel’s family and friends live there and are vulnerable,” he told him, and then quickly added, “We can check it out on our way to Lamont.”
Lassiter eyed the treetops while the wind whispered through the pine needles above. After no small amount of time pondering who knew what, he smiled and nodded his head. “Not bad thinking. Serin Gell is vengeful, but it is not the strongest motivation in him. The greatest driving force in the renegade is ambition. I was his primary interrogator and learned some things that can help us figure out where he is likely to go and what he will probably do. Yes, he will eventually get around to revenge, but not before he accomplishes a few things first. Point number one: his potential is still shielded off.”
“How can you know that?” Samuel wanted to know. He had observed the same area as the Senior Soarer and found nothing to indicate one way or the other.
“A Soarer is more than a hunter or tracker. We are investigators. Our eyes are trained to see things ordinary people tend to overlook. One of Serin Gell’s first priorities is to break the shield on his potential. If he could summon the necessary potential, he would have teleported away from the clearing rather than walk. Practically everyone knows Sir Daniel Benhannon is in Ducanton, killing him would break the shield, which is why some of our guild members are circling that capital even as we speak. But we know Gell did not go that way, unless he changes his route, although I do not believe he will. So, point two, Serin is headed for Lamont because it came out in my questioning that his Nest is there. A Nest is what members of the Serpent Guild call their personal base of operations.”
“You mean the way Randall Kamis is Aakadon’s Accomplished of Zoltair?” Samuel said to show he understood.
“Precisely, Serin Gell is the Serpent Guild’s Accomplished of Lamont, although in secret,” Lassiter replied. “Upon arrival, he will most likely utilize a crescendo to break the shield, after that it will become difficult to catch him. Point three: He is in the middle of a power grab. I learned during the interrogation that the Serpent Guild had one Five-bolt Accomplished, who is now dead, two Three-bolts, thousands of Two-bolts, and tens of thousands of One-bolts.”
“Those numbers on the last two groups aren’t very specific?” Samuel commented, not as a criticism, just an observation.
“Frustrating isn’t it. It seems the Serpent Guild has trained its members to give multiple true answers to the same question, making it difficult to pin down the truth. My point is Serin Gell and one other Accomplished are the most powerful in the guild. I asked the name of the third and received, Soaring Eagle, as a reply.”
“Perhaps he or she is from the Geble region,” Samuel suggested.
“Unless the guild has multiple names for the same person, but yes, the person could be from that region of Ducaun. Back to our subject and my final point, Serin Gell will need his communication array or however many amulets he has left in order to get back in contact with his allies. He will need these things if his ambition is to be the next Maestro of the Serpent Guild, which I believe it is, and he can best accomplish every point I made in Lamont,” Lassiter explained.
Samuel still felt his was the better hunch, but bowed to his mentor’s experience, not that he could do otherwise. They would go to Lamont, if the Senior Soarer was wrong, Bashierwood was only thirty or so spans to the southwest of there.
“Had Daniel Benhannon been trained by our Maestro rather than the Maestro of the Zephyr Guild, he would have thought to bring Serin Gell’s amulets back with him. We could have used those communication devices to uncover much of the renegade’s allies. I cannot fault the man. He was born a mountaineer, hunting and tracking prey is in his blood, but those qualities alone do not make him an investigator,” Lassiter said in a casual way, the way a person would comment about the weather.
Samuel was hesitant to speak of his Ducaunan friend, but he was the one who had brought him up along with the reason for going to Bashierwood. “Daniel would have made an excellent Soarer.”
Lassiter nodded his head. “With proper training he probably would have excelled. Tell me, back during the incident at Tames Hall; did you know your friend was an Accomplished? If you had told me, I would have brought a flock of twenty to subdue him.”
The incident was fresh in Samuel’s mind. The mountaineer had been too long without sleep and it appeared he was losing control of himself. “I learned he was trained by Maestro Barnes when Instructor Renn mentioned the fact in front of me. I found out his status as an Accomplished the same time as everyone else, when the formal announcement was made,” he replied, and then chuckled. “He never let us see him without a shirt. I thought it had something to do with mountain customs or personal modesty. It didn’t occur to me he was hiding lightning bolts. I still don’t know how many he has.”
“Obviously enough to battle a Five-bolt Maestro and win,” Lassiter pointed out. “I regret we were not permitted to interview the young Accomplished before he left Aakadon. I know the Grand Maestro Silenced him for the good of all, but what a loss of knowledge. We could have learned so much more abou
t our enemies, their Melodies, what Daniel saw and heard while in the headquarters of the Serpent Guild. He is not a trained observer, but prompted with the right questions, he may have been able to tell us things he saw even if he did not recognize the significance. Here I go chatting about what could have been rather than what is; not much point in that.”
Samuel had to agree, mostly because he did not want to discuss anything related to Daniel. It was his report of the Ducaunan’s killing of an oak tree while having a nightmare that caused the Grand Maestro to Silence his friend, at least that is how Samuel felt, even though the mountaineer had assured him he was pleased by the outcome. “How did you find me so quickly the last time I ran away from Aakadon?” he asked, as much for the answer as to change the subject.
“An excellent question, the answer to which will help your career if you chose to follow the example,” Lassiter replied. “Most Talenteds run home, or near enough, and all any Soarer has to do is go there and scan the area until he or she shows up. You were more of a challenge being a Teki. Your troop was constantly on the move and your people are of the same mind as the Ducaunan’s where Aakacarns are concerned. I had to locate the Forager Troop and knew you would be doing the same thing.”
Samuel listened intently. He did not need to be told how his people treated the Aakacarns, especially those born among their own wagons, but he was curious about how the Accomplished found him.
“But, by the time I located the Foragers, you sought me out and came back willingly,” the Senior Soarer was saying. “It was how I found your former troop that will help you the most. I call them Eagle Eyes. They are a network of commoners all over the world who report what they see to me. Some of them are nobles, but most are farmers, bakers, blacksmiths, innkeepers, serving maids, grooms, all sorts of ordinary folk. Most Soarers have a few informers in the major cities, but I have them in towns and villages all over the continent. After a few inquiries, word came back giving me the exact location of the Forager Troop of the Reshashinni Teki. Skilled as we are, we cannot be everywhere at once, but with my Eagle Eyes I can know what is going on in many places.”
Samuel swatted a fly on his arm before it could bite him. Eagle Eyes, the idea was intriguing but also caused him to wonder. If the Senior Soarer’s network of informers was so good, why were they not telling him the exact location of Serin Gell? “Is there a reason they cannot locate our prey?”
“The citizens of Ducaun, until recently, dislike and are suspicious of all Aakacarns, few of them, even now, are willing to be Eagle Eyes, therefore my vision is dim in the area we are currently hunting our prey.”
Samuel nodded his head, completely understanding the difficulty of persuading a stubborn Ducaunan to do something he is not normally inclined to do. They rode on for five days. Lassiter knew trails that sped up their journey, leading them straight as an arrow flies, well almost, rather than meandering through established trails. The journey had no comforts. This part of the forest was untouched by human habitation and had plenty of deer, foxes, squirrels, birds, and bugs, but the Senior Soarer pressed on at a pace Samuel heartily approved of.
Twilight was upon them and Lamont was only three spans over the next hill and Samuel was glad of it, being anxious to apprehend the fugitive. With their prey still shielded, all he and Lassiter would have to do is overcome the pair of One-bolts traveling with the renegade.
“I will deal with the two Accomplisheds working with Serin Gell while you cast, Lock Joints, at him,” the Senior Soarer instructed.
Samuel wanted to use, Beak Strike, or Talon Strike, and help subdue the unshielded Aakacarns. Even so, he would do as ordered. “It will be as you…,” he began to say when harmonic ripples flowed through him. Someone is casting a High Power spell!
“Everything has just changed,” Lassiter said while racing Bio up the hill and peering down at the town.
Samuel reined Salsa in beside him. “Serin Gell has broken the shield.”
“Yes, either he’ll teleport away or…,” Lassiter began to say.
“Or I will be subduing a Three-bolt Accomplished while you take on the two One-bolts,” Samuel interrupted.
“Fledgling, this is not a time for levity. The two of us in concert would have difficulty subduing him now,” Lassiter scolded.
Samuel knew the situation was no joke, fully understanding the danger. Humor was his way of dealing with the tension seizing his innards. “I know,” he told the Senior Soarer. “I know.”
Chapter Ten: Broken Wing
Serin Gell, back in his dignified silks, fingered the piccolo, playing each note to perfection, focusing through the level three crescendo, feeling the power of his life force energy expanding, thrilling him, filling the room with his burnt-amber glow, and breaking the shield placed on him by the Ducaunan Accomplished. Yes! He wanted to shout and jump in the air but had to maintain a certain level of decorum, seeing as he was not alone.
Jordan and Olivia stood before him with eyes wide in obvious awe of his great power as the harmonic waves passed through them. He released the potential and at least one of them found their tongue. “You have broken free,” Simms stated needlessly. His female ally remained speechless, yet clearly impressed. Neither seemed to be particularly bright but they were useful.
The Nest, located within two hills among many north of Lamont, was connected by a subterranean hall, and each domain had five levels. Illumination came from balls of light in each chamber tied by Da Capos to Serin’s life force. East Hill, the one they were in, contained most of the amulets and crescendos he had collected over the years. It was also where he entertained himself with a little torture to pass the time. West Hill was for sleeping and could accommodate hundreds of associates.
Serin went over to his desk. This room was his lair, where he made his plans, and ran his network. He placed the silver piccolo in the drawer on the right, and then opened the drawer beneath it containing specialized amulets. One small amulet had an opal set in gold with a wristband made of the same precious metal. It was a gift from Balen Tamm, given many years ago, and until recently had little use. He grabbed the device and put it on his left wrist.
“What do we do now?” Olivia SuCalla asked in a soft voice.
Serin glanced up at the Accomplished. “I will put on my communication array and begin letting my associates know I am free and that we have work to do.”
“What about us?” Jordan inquired. “How are we going to get back to Serpent North?”
“I will take you there in do time,” Serin began to explain, although left out just how long a duration that would be. His powerbase had to be well established before he next met with his rival. “The guild is still splintered and yetis, sasquatches, and Condemneds are running wild. I believe we can best serve the Supreme Maestro by helping with these problems. We can help you know. It is much better to solve problems than to lay them at Vance’s feet. He has enough to worry about, don’t you think?”
Jordan scratched the side of his head, clearly giving the question some thought, and unsure of the best course. Olivia eyed Serin suspiciously and then nodded her head as if coming up with a satisfactory answer. She turned to Jordan and placed her hand on his. “Working with Serin Gell is better than going back to Serpent North and waiting for an assignment, one that probably won’t be as important.”
Jordan licked his lips, clearly trying to decide. He finally settled his gaze on Serin. “I think Vance Cummin has enough worries, we will help you bring him solutions.”
“Wise choice,” Serin replied, and then opened the bottom left drawer containing his communication array.
“Why is that stone glowing?” Jordan asked, while pointing at Serin’s wrist.
“Because someone is focusing potential at us,” Serin replied and began to speculate just who it might be.
“I don’t see any glow around us,” Olivia stated.
Serin smiled. “This amulet senses even the smallest amount of potential being directed at it,” he expla
ined while remembering the Battle of Bashierwood and wishing he had worn the thing back then. “Until recently, few Accomplisheds, only the most skilled or extremely powerful, could concentrate potential so miniscule or fine that it is practically invisible to even the eyes of an Aakacarn, therefore I rarely used the amulet, but Daniel Benhannon can or at least did have the ability until being Silenced, and others may follow his example, so I have decided to begin wearing it again.”
The glow vanished. Serin cast, Find: Potentials, a spell composed by the Supreme Maestro. He kept the potential low so as not to alert whoever had been focusing in his direction, demonstrating that he was one of the few capable of focusing so fine. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Three spans south of the town were a man-shaped orange potential and a larger man-shaped golden potential. Serin opened his eyes and smiled. He recognized the second one, having had it focused on him while being interrogated, and was not surprised the man had the ability to focus potential so skillfully. “We have company. It seems the distinguished Jeremiah Lassiter has come to pay us a call.”
“The Senior Soarer,” Jordan blurted, his eyes bulging at hearing the name and possibly the fear of confronting the Accomplished again. “Is he alone?”
“There is one other Aakacarn accompanying him,” Serin informed the man. They had only been in the nest less then three marks. He had to give the Soarer some credit for finding his prey so quickly. There was a time when Serin would have enjoyed torturing the man to death, but Tarin Conn gave him new avenues to explore, and it would be a terrible waste to kill the man when there was a powerbase to build.
“They probably tracked me using a hair or something like that. I don’t believe they have a Melody that does the same thing as, Find: Potentials, meaning they cannot know where you are, so you two head out, and subdue the other Accomplished while I deal with Lassiter,” Serin instructed.
“Right away,” Jordan and Olivia replied in harmony.
To Be Chosen (The Maestro Chronicles) Page 17
