To Be Chosen (The Maestro Chronicles)

by John Buttrick

  Riding on Daniel’s left and right were David and Silvia, apparently to keep him from falling out of his saddle, should he have a relapse, even though he felt perfectly fine. His eyes were closed, so no one suspected otherwise. Their real purpose was to keep Cale from nattering in his ear while he concentrated on Screech, the osprey, who was following a man and three women, who were following the river twenty-eight spans to the north. The person in the lead was petite and had long red hair flowing over her chest and a peaches and cream complexion. Her black silks had silver braid and she possessed a single golden lightning bolt on the hood of her cloak. Daniel knew he was seeing Serena, whose face was contorted in anger, no doubt because of the double cross. Behind her were three Ducaunans, all in unrelieved black silks, not a lightning bolt among them. The slim woman in second position would be considered attractive by almost any standard, if not for the fact that she is a member of the Serpent Guild, and therefore deadlier than a cobra, and only a fool would snuggled that snake in his arms. The next person’s mouth seemed to be shaped in a perpetual pout. She was a big woman, not fat, but muscular. Next and last in the group was a tall young man with a face some women might consider to be handsome. He walked with the purposeful stride of a lord determined to set things straight. The most notable thing about them was the fact that they were going the wrong way. Apparently the leader, Serena, assumed the trumpet-thief had continued up the river, when in fact he was heading northeast and farther away by the moment.

  Jonah had the procession going the same way as the four Aakacarns, but Daniel intended to take over the lead after the first rest period, and then they would go after the person who actually possessed the trumpet. He sent his gratitude to Screech along with the suggestion that the osprey keep watching the Aakacarns for awhile longer, and then turned his attention to Clutch.

  This particular osprey soared along in the sky, circling to the right, far above the water, while way down below a young man in black silks jogged along the river, about eighteen spans ahead, based on Daniel’s mental map. This was the assailant, short, wiry, and definitely a Ducaunan. The Aakacarn had no lightning bolt, but managed to cast a sleep spell on a Six-bolt Accomplished, and teach a valuable lesson. What kind of person might the young man have become had he been trained in Aakadon rather than by the followers of Tarin Conn? Many of Daniel’s fellow citizens, who possessed the extra energy in their life force, had been snatched at a young age and raised by the Serpent Guild. The man he was seeing through the eyes of the raptor probably did not even consider himself to be evil, just a loyal member performing his duty, doing what he was trained to do, and not the least bit bothered over how many people died as a result. What he thought or felt about himself mattered little, he was still accountable for his actions, but not this time. If he keeps going at his current pace, he will catch up with Serena sometime in the early evening. In a just world Daniel would chase this fellow, Serena, and the others with her, and make them pay for the crimes they committed in Ducaun. Reclaiming the trumpet on behalf of the Queen, rescuing Sherree, and doing whatever he could to help Jerremy, were higher on his list of priorities. Daniel suggested to Clutch that he follow the Aakacarn until tomorrow morning and then was free to do whatever he wanted. What came back was a sense of agreement and a desire to go eat a fish.

  Yonder was keeping watch on the trumpet-thief, along with Mouser the owl, who was feasting on a mouse while the osprey took over the spying. The pointed-nose man was not ugly, but would never be considered handsome. He was walking swiftly through the forest, about twenty-three spans ahead. Daniel had every intention of catching him before dark. He sent his gratitude to Yonder and Mouser and then concentrated on Cale, who was riding on the other side of David and shouting about the importance of sword practice, no doubt because Daniel skipped it that morning.

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  He had walked for most of the night with the casket tucked under his right arm, only stopping to rest after putting at least fifteen spans between him and Serena. Jak Taltin did not take unnecessary chances. He prided himself on always managing to be at the right place at the ideal time and being chosen by Lowell was a perfect example. Him, a third level Talented, sponsored by Fenton Chen, was offered an opportunity to be on one of the biggest finds in Serpent Guild history, and to be graduated to Accomplished when the task was completed. Skipping the fourth level class, although he would still need to add the necessary Melodies to his repertoire, would place him way ahead of his peers, and now being the one who hands over the trumpet of Tarin Conn to Serin Gell, potentially earns him a high place in the guild.

  When he had consulted Fenton on the opportunity presented by Lowell, his sponsor encouraged him to take it even though the entire expedition was Vance Cummin’s idea. There was no way for Jak to lose. He would get the glory due him no matter which Three-bolt Accomplished ended up being appointed Maestro. He laughed at how easily he had ingratiated himself to Serena, always praising her decisions, and never questioning her authority, even when he thought she was making a mistake. She was bossy, but not a seasoned leader, yet she did succeed in her task. The proof of her talent was tucked under his arm, so he gave her credit for that, and put her to sleep when he could have killed her and the others. When Fenton gave the order for the trumpet to be snatched and taken to Serin Gell in the Foothills, Jak had found himself once again in the ideal position, even if the move placed him squarely on the side of Serin Gell. No one suspected Jak’s dual affiliation, allowing him to catch them completely off guard, and the only possible snare was out of his way, that rodent of a man, Ferren Duzolta, who was off trying to discourage Daniel Benhannon from following Serena. That little thief might well have been alert for treachery of any sort.

  Jak laughed so hard he stumbled over a root and staggered forward several steps before regaining his balance. He had never been an outdoorsman and was not enjoying his trek through the wilderness, often having to choose between going up and over a hill as opposed to going around it, sometimes his choices saved time and sometimes not. Once he had to circle half way around a lake. Focusing on the mission helped to take his mind off the discomforts. His other instruction from Fenton was to make certain the impotent Accomplished, Daniel Benhannon, heads to the Foothills, straight into the trap set for him by Serin Gell, and the message left in the hut should have met that requirement.

  Birds of all sorts chirped among the branches of the trees and winged their way across the clear blue sky, some circling as if looking for prey, and others flocking in mass this way and that. The sun was getting low on the horizon, the day was perfect, and the only thing nagging at the back of his mind was Serena. He would be okay if she continued to follow the river, but if she somehow picked up his trail, he could be in real trouble. She would show him no mercy. Maybe he should have killed her. He began walking faster. The Ferret, as Ursula Duggan named him, was sharp enough to pick up and follow a trail, once he rejoined them, and that kept Jak nervous and spurred him to walk faster. He cast. Find: Potentials, a spell that would allow him to detect the life force energy of any Aakacarns within the spherical radius of the Melody, which in his case was three spans. There was no way the Ferret could sneak up on him now, not even from underground. Jak wished he had that tunneling spell in his repertoire. He was determined to acquire it some day.

  From the top of the hill looking down, there was a broad lake. The sun was lower in the western sky and reflecting off the waves. His choices were east or west. Right was shorter but had more trees and denser foliage than did the left, which had mostly grass between the waterline and the thicker plants. He chose the grassy side, but stopped when his spell detected an Aakacarn potential coming just within three spans south of where he stood. Terror tingled in his spine, stopping him momentarily. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The intruder’s potential was topaz blue, not a color belonging to Jak’s recent associates, meaning this had to be Daniel Benhannon. He laughed at how frustrating it must be to have potent
ial and be unable to use it. Duzolta must not have been very effective in his discouragement of the impotent Accomplished. Jak once again proved to be the better man, seeing as it was his message that proved the most successful. This was merely an inconvenience. Jak took a deep breath, annoyed, but not overly concerned. What could Benhannon and his Royal Guardsmen do to him? He remembered the tubes that launched the little flaming balls of pitch and decided some caution might be in order.

  They were on horses, while he was afoot, so he changed his mind and headed east, into the trees and thick foliage. Had he gone west, the grass would have kept him in plain sight, once they reached the top of the hill, and their steeds would have no problem galloping after him. Benhannon is most likely headed for the Foothills and has no idea an Aakacarn is ahead of him. He might even circumvent the lake to the west, if only because it would be easier on the horses, at least Jak hoped so.

  Half a mark later, Jak was at the bottom of the hill and working his way through the trees, while trying to stay clear of the thicker bushes, some of which had thorns. It was slow going and he sensed Benhannon near the top of the hill, but could not see him through all the trees, branches and leaves. He sighed while shaking his head, the fool chose east. Why? The other way was so much easier.

  It had been made crystal clear to him that killing the man was not an option, but that did not mean the people with him could not be killed. Jak was not as concerned about them as much as he was concerned about the loss of time. If the Ferret was tracking him, dealing with Benhannon and his band might allow the rodent to catch up. This was unacceptable.

  Somewhere ahead came the bellow of a sasquatch, which could only mean Serena had the smelly beasts looking for him. A cougar roared some distance off and a pack of wolves began howling. Jak started running. The other animals were probably upset by the presence of the sasquatch. Daniel Benhannon was getting closer, but how many of his men were filtering through the trees? Jak would have to touch each individual in order for the spell he knew to show their locations, which was a limitation of his repertoire. More advanced find and locate spells existed but he did not know them. One thing was for sure, Benhannon was trailing him. Fortunately Jak did not sense any potential other than the topaz, meaning none of his former associates were within three spherical spans of him, yet.

  The deadliest Melody in his arsenal was, Sonic Boom. He grabbed his baton, summoned the potential, turned while running backward, and focused a tight beam, not at Benhannon, but hoping to hit whoever might be with him. A teal beam shot from the baton and straight into a tree. The trunk splintered in all directions and the tree fell, and Jak allowed the beam to continue for a ten count before ceasing the focus, thus destroying whatever else, plant or animal, happened to be in the path of the beam. He added a Da Capo to the Melody, keeping the potential ready should another demonstration of his deadly power be required. He spun around and slammed into an elm, and then plopped onto his bottom, dropping the baton, but managed not to drop the casket containing the trumpet.

  He scrambled back to his feet, wiped the leaves from his silks, picked up the baton, took a deep breath, and reclaimed his dignity. Benhannon came into view, along with a pair of Teki, and several Royal Guardsmen, one of which was bandaged up. They were all on foot now. The fool was leading his people to their deaths. Jak smiled and raised his baton, focusing a wide beam that would take in both of the Teki. His teal potential lanced out with the deadly accuracy he was known for, struck the unsuspecting fools, and was stopped by a topaz glow forming a rectangular forward shield ahead of his intended victims. He did not even see the shields before his potential struck them, how could that be? He aimed at the guardsmen and had the same result. He could feel the blood draining from his face and a cold chill went up his spine. Daniel Benhannon can summon potential!

  Orders be blighted, Jak focused Sonic Boom directly at the man who should be impotent, and the beam met the same type of shield. The Accomplished did not even have a baton, yet was able to shield himself and those with him. This was the man who defeated Balen Tamm. Jak did the only thing he could think of, summoned a rear shield and started running just as fast as his legs could carry him. He zigzagged around trees, actually hurdled over several bushes, vaulted over a fallen tree, all at the sound of roaring cougars, bellowing sasquatches, and howling wolves. He could sense Daniel Benhannon maneuvering to cut him off, so turned the other way. Branches slapped Jak in the face as he darted right and left. The Accomplished drew closer and closer, man was he fit. The idiot must exercise every blighted day! The stray thoughts did not make Jak feel any better, but they were better than giving in to abject terror. He topped a hill and fell, not having anticipated the steepness of the downward slope, and rolled to an abrupt stop at the bottom after slamming into a spruce.

  His baton was gone, dropped and lost during his flight. He wished to Tarin Conn he could get that blighted casket open and use the powerful crescendo. Looking up, Daniel Benhannon stood over him. They were alone together. Jak formed a cone shield, leaving a small enough opening in the rear to breathe and communicate, and sneered at the man. “Everyone thought you were impotent, shows you what they know,” he blurted while his brain worked furiously to find a way out of the situation. He could not use Sonic Boom while his shield was in place and he dared not drop his only defense. What happened to being at the right place at the ideal time?

  Benhannon glanced at the casket. “I’ll be taking that from you now.”

  Up close he looked no older than Jak, possibly the same age, yet something in his dark-eyed stare gave the impression that this fellow could see into your soul, much the way people described what it was like staring into the eyes of Tarin Conn. “I can maintain this shield all day,” Jak lied. “Why don’t we come to some agreement?”

  Benhannon shook his head. “I am Daniel Benhannon, the twenty-first Royal Knight of the Realm of Ducaun, a Six-bolt Accomplished. You are responsible for the deaths of over two hundred Royal Guardsmen, and the theft of property consigned to the royal family of Ducaun. Do you deny these charges?”

  Jak could feel liquid warmth in his pants at hearing the man’s ranking as an Accomplished and struggled to stop the flow. As to the question of how many guardsmen he killed, it did not matter, they were pieces in a larger game, and nothing more. He stood up, his bladder back under control. “I am Jak Taltin, a proud member of the Serpent Guild. I can’t be sure of the exact amount of guardsmen I personally killed, but I would say it amounts to scores. It was all done in the line of duty, so I cannot be held accountable for simply obeying orders. From my perspective, you are responsible for the deaths of thousands. I barely escaped from Serpent Central after you demolished it.”

  Those dark eyes bored into Jak and made him sweat, even though his shield kept his body temperature at a comfortable level. “Jak Taltin, by my authority as a Royal Knight of the Realm, based on circumstantial evidence and evidence found in your possession, and your confession, I have found you guilty on multiple counts of murder of a Royal Guardsman within the realm of Ducaun and grand theft of property consigned to the royal family of Ducaun. The penalty is death.”

  Jak laughed, not that he saw anything humorous about his situation, no it was the fact that Serin Gell would be facing this same man. Jak saw no pleasure in the eyes of his executioner, only a man with a grim chore to do. He wondered if dying would hurt and was surprised when a topaz beam of light easily overwhelmed his shield and struck him, then all he felt was a strong desire to close his eyes and sleep.

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  Daniel was going through the pockets of Jak Taltin when Silvia and David arrived. Sergeant Keenan and Duncan Hawk walked up moments later. The rest of the Guardsmen were filtering through the woods, some with Jonah, some with Corporal Carlin, and some with Sergeant Zaccum. The difference being, Daniel knew the exact location of the Aakacarn while the others were looking elsewhere, which is how he planned it. The only casualties were a few trees and a couple of
bushes, destroyed by a spell he had never seen before.

  “Not a mark on him,” David observed while looking at the dead man.

  Silvia knelt on one knee and was about to stretch out her hand toward the body and then stopped short. “Is he dead?”

  Daniel found some amulets, a few gold coins, and some gems. Every item except the communication devices were probably stolen from Cantor’s vault. The most important treasure was in a cedar box lying beside Taltin. He glanced at Silvia. “His name is Jak Taltin, a confessed member of the Serpent Guild, and he was found guilty of the multiple murders of more than a score of Ducaunan Royal Guardsmen and grand theft of property consigned to the royal family of Ducaun. The penalty for the murders is death. As an officer of the crown, death was my only legal option, the sentence is mandatory. The grand theft from the royal family carries a death penalty but could have been mitigated to imprisonment. That really wasn’t an option in this case so yes, he is dead because I carried out the sentence.”

  The legalistic language did not make Daniel feel any better about executing Taltin. Killing in the heat of battle or in a duel to the death, as with Balen Tamm, was one thing, but just quietly ending a man’s life seemed different. Did this man deserved to die? Daniel had no doubt. He just hoped he never came to enjoy fulfilling this part of his duty as a Royal Knight of the Realm.

  “It was a kinder death than he deserved,” Sergeant Keenan observed, “looks like he dropped off to sleep.”

  Duncan removed his helmet and was scratching his head. “Is that all we came after, some coins, a few gems, and a fancy cedar box?”