To Be Chosen (The Maestro Chronicles)

by John Buttrick

  “Daniel, I’ll be back with your parents ahead of the supply horses,” Simon spoke up. “I volunteered to be their escort and it is only fitting that I be riding with them. Oh, Sam, why don’t you come with me, we can reminisce about what it was like when this woodsman was posing as a Talented.”

  Samuel’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, and then he seemed to realize what the sandy-haired Accomplished from Battencay was trying to do, and winked. “He blended in like a wolf running with a pack of coyotes. Let’s go see what we can learn from his parents and let them know what their son was up to.”

  Daniel appreciated Simon’s handling of the situation, although not so much the topic to be discussed. “Do as you will,” he told them and chuckled at the thought of those two trying to pry information out of his parents.

  Silvia and David took their places behind him without commenting on the discussion Simon had with the person they considered to be dead. Jonah and Sergeant Zaccum lined up behind them, and the company’s four new archers were at the rear, they being Daniel’s parents, Tim, and Gina, all of whom had quivers of arrows and were well acquainted with the bow and knife.

  The city was huge with both wood and stone buildings, some of which went as high as eight floors. The cobblestone streets were wide and accommodated horses and wagons flowing east and west without interfering with each others progress. Walkways were provided for pedestrians in front of the various business establishments so as to keep them off the busy street. The clothing styles changed depending on the section. Near the wharfs folks dressed like fishermen while farther up the street a butcher wore the traditional gray pants and shirt along with the red apron. In toward the center of the city most of the men were wearing suits. Daniel noted few people wearing buckskins and many of the fashions were similar to what was being worn in the capital, especially by the women.

  The Royal Guardsmen rode on, faces forward, they had seen it all before, and were too disciplined to gawk even if they had not seen the like. Silvia and David seemed to be looking everywhere, not to gawk, more like watching out for trouble. Jonah sat his saddle with the bearing of a prince and had the formal Sergeant Zaccum at his side. Everyone in the company was riding with his or her head held high. People along the street began shouting their greetings and waving, some of them with drawings of Daniel fighting yetis or dueling Balen Tamm, none of which were accurate, and others with small portraits of Daniel in their hands. Clearly word of his arrival had spread from the port and they knew exactly who was passing through their midst. He smiled and waved back. Both sides of the street were packed with well-wishers and the greetings only ended when the procession passed beyond the city limits.

  Silvia nodded her head approvingly. “That was a greeting fit for the Chosen Vessel.”

  “Even if they do not yet know you have been chosen,” David added.

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders. “They know me from the Queen’s proclamations. I don’t need a greeting of any kind, but admit this was better than being met with hostility.”

  David patted one of his many throwing blades. “Be assured, we were ready for that kind of greeting as well.”

  Daniel had no doubt both Teki would have launched into violence the instant anyone became hostile. Fortunately, none of the over thirty-five thousand people within his scanning radius seemed to be aggressive. No one followed as he and his detachment of Royal Guardsmen entered the forest, so there was little danger of being attacked, although he was ready for an assault should it come to that. He did not need a repeat lesson on expecting the unexpected.

  The only members of his swirl with him from the animal kingdom were the birds, all of the other creatures were far to the south and making their way north. He doubted any of the Sasquatches, bears, wolves, coyotes, foxes, or cougars would reach him in time to be of any help in scouting out Serin Gell’s lair. The moles, squirrels, rabbits, and ferrets never left the Lake Tomlin area, which was fine with him. It did not hurt to have eyes and ears in diverse places.

  The road ended half a mark ago and they were winding through a forest of white elms, sugar pines, firs, and many other types of trees and bushes. The area was teeming with life. He added four different wasp communities to his swirl after passing within a hundred strides of their hives. There were no mountains in this region, only hills and valleys giving the flatlands texture. He came within a hundred strides of a willow oak with a black panther resting high on a branch. Daniel tightly focused, Mind Touch, and brought the huge cat into his swirl. Dusk gave her name and let it be known she would follow at her leisure, very catlike.

  “Sir Daniel, were you planning on traveling at night?” Sergeant Keenan inquired, and he was right to do so. There was not much daylight left.

  Daniel was tempted to continue on without the entourage, although could not afford do so. He really wanted to leave everybody behind, race all night to the Foothills, and rescue Sherree. It was that trait Tim had spoken of, the need to shove people aside, because Daniel Benhannon is the only one who can possibly handle the situation. Three people dead taught him he could not think of every possibility or do it all by himself, and there were consequences if he tried. The Chosen Vessel cannot succeed alone. His responsibilities were growing and he was just going to have to adjust. “The area fifty strides ahead will do.”

  “It will be as you say, Sir Daniel,” Keenan replied. “I know you are as eager as Lord Jonah to see the scoundrels brought to justice and to be there in time to help your two friends, but you are making the right choice. We can easily reach our destination tomorrow and be fresh and ready to deliver a blow they will not soon forget.”

  Daniel smiled and nodded agreement. “You were right about the bill and right about this. Tomorrow we will be more prepared.”

  Keenan saluted and rode back along the left column. Daniel signaled the stop and shortly after the men began setting up camp. The scouts were called in and watches set for the night. He performed some inspections and refreshed the horses. His parents, Tim, and Gina had purchased food for the entire company, enough for a couple of days, the men were pleased and so was Daniel. After a dinner of salted pork, beans, bread, and apples fresh from the orchard, his mother took out her guitarn and began playing, Flight of the Whippoorwill, one of the instrumentals she wrote. By the time she finished, Daniel had his guitarn out. Samuel brought out his trumpet, and Simon brought out a flute and a vyolin. He alternated the instruments depending on the song being played. Tim’s hands beat out the rhythms on a pair of drums latched together and covered on top by buckskin.

  After the concert and pleasantries, Daniel went to his tent and spent half the night linking with any animals that came within a hundred strides of him. He added ten white-tailed deer, twenty brown bats, three more panthers, sixteen voles, thirteen flying squirrels, and a hive of bald-faced hornets. A quarter of the bats flew off toward the cave in the Foothills. It was like Ruth had said. He was drawing what he needed. Those animals had been drawn to the area, he had no doubt. It would take a big stretch of the imagination for him to believe their proximity, within a hundred strides of where he lay, was just a coincidence.

  He received an image from Grasper the owl, who was on the branch of a spruce overlooking a small village. Judging by the distance traveled from Valeen and the mental map Daniel had in his mind, this was Cana, a community of about sixty people, and located about six spans northeast of his encampment. He and his company would be passing fairly close yet he saw no reason to enter the village, better to just keep moving toward the Foothills. Nothing interesting seemed to be going on, not until Grasper suddenly dived from the tree at a field mouse, swooped low, and grasped the tiny rodent in her talons. He withdrew his awareness while the owl enjoyed her mid-night snack. The interests of an owl did not always coincide with those of a human.

  Twi the panther nudged at the back of his mind and sent him thoughts along with what she was seeing. Human pride sleeps behind thick row of dead trees. It was a log wall around a hill fort.
Daniel conveyed his gratitude to the powerful cat and focused on what she was seeing from high up in a tree above the compound, barracks, smithy, mess hall, stables, a log tower with a signal light at the top, a building that could be a supply depot and one that could be the command post.

  Daniel compared the distance with his mental map and realized the fort was ten spans away and only a few spans from the border, close to where he would be crossing. As of yet he did not know if General Tallen was there, seeing as the distinguished officer could be in any fort along the border. Daniel would be passing within two or three spans of the place, well within his scanning radius of five spans, and would be able to sense Tallen’s presence. The other men would only appear as humans to Daniel’s senses, but he could easily identify anyone he had healed. His time would be better spent on rescuing Sherree. If the General was at the fort, a proper greeting could be given him on the way back.

  He thanked Twi and no sooner withdrew his awareness from her when Dusk began nudging at the back of his mind. She was hidden in some bushes and watching a peculiar campsite. Twenty five men in buckskins, two keeping watch while the others slept. An equal number of horses were picketed close by and each man had a short bow and saber within arms reach. If Daniel had not been in the emergency meeting or had not seen through the eyes of Wisp the osprey, he would have thought these men were just a group of hunters. No, these had to be Pentrosan cavalrymen and worse, they were only about two spans north of Cana. He thanked the panther and then fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of Sherree being tortured by Serin Gell, followed by the Queen dying before he could get back to her with a cure, and a peaceful village in harms way.

  He was wakened a mark before dawn by a nudge on his mind coming from Longwing the bat. His wingspan was nearly a cubit across, making him one of the largest of his species. He was one of the five Daniel had sent north earlier in the night. Longwing was entering a cave in the Foothills and came to rest, hanging upside down among a huge colony of bats. The cave was the same one spotted by the ospreys on the north side of the Nest. He made a series of sounds and they echoed back. The color in the vision that formed was all washed out, everything in shades of gray yet perfectly recognizable. The cave was completely normal until about thirty paces in. A pair of double doors blocked the sounds so it was not possible to discover what lay beyond. The bat was well hidden among the colony and would be ready to send an image when the door eventually opens.

  Two bats, Piper and Squeal, both females, showed Daniel an entrance to Gell’s nest on the southeast side and flew in. They hid among the colony of bats in that cave and showed him a similar image to the one given by Longwing. The other two bats, Peeka and Sly, female and male respectively, found a third entrance on the southwest side of the nest, and the pair hid among the community of bats occupying that entrance. The image they sent to Daniel was like the others, except this cave had a thick carpet of guano all over the floor. The others had little, meaning they were cleaned on a regular basis, and those entrances were used more frequently. The guano filled cave would be the best way for him to enter. He thanked all of the bats and began to dress. Breakfast was cooking.

  Jonah stabbed a slice of salted pork, forked it into his mouth, and then took a sip from his canteen and swallowed. “We arrived here so quickly, thanks to your Aakacarn friends, I believe it is possible we may actually be ahead of the thieves. That is, if they are still coming this way after being double crossed by one of their own.” He clearly still believed the mission was to bring Serena and her band to justice.

  Daniel knew exactly where the Aakacarns were. His animal spies were watching them even now. The one who assaulted him somehow backtracked, managed to pick up Jak’s trail, and was now leading Serena and her band. The young man might even be good enough to lead them to Taltin’s ashes. All of them deserved to pay for the crimes committed in Ducuan, but rescuing Sherree came first, along with bringing Serin Gell to account. That man’s bill was way over do.

  Simon and Samuel were sitting in the circle along with Tim, Gina, and Daniel’s parents. Silvia and David were eating alone, likely because of the presence of her cousin. Daniel hoped the Teki would reach an accommodation. Their behavior was beginning to annoy him. “Jonah, your assessment makes sense,” it did given the information the man had, “the actual assailants are likely south of us, but their leader is definitely north. We will confront him directly and then deal with his underlings.”

  The Ducalin nodded his head, thank goodness, that meant he would not argue. “Your two friends here are the only reason I believe we have a chance. You are the Chosen Vessel and have obviously drawn them, for the time being, into your service. It seems to me the options are to continue on or wait here hoping his underlings will come to us.”

  “My son has chosen the option and decided our course. I don’t see the point of discussing the issue further,” Ronn Benhannon stated firmly.

  Daniel was pleased to have his father’s backing, even if it was not needed in this case. He noticed Keenan approaching the circle. “Sergeant, we will be leaving in half a mark, send out the scouts. Be sure they know raiders have been reported in this area and to be on alert for them.”

  “I forgot about that,” Jonah admitted.

  “That is why my son is in command,” Miriam Benhannon stated with smugness in her tone, and with her chin up.

  “No doubt,” Jonah replied in a neutral tone of voice, seeing as her son and husband were watching him carefully.

  “It will be as you say, Sir Daniel,” Keenan replied and went to carry out the order.

  The procession began and Daniel continued his scan while leading his company through the forest with birds chirping, most of which were not of his swirl, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves above. They were riding in the shade for the most part except when passing through clearings. The day was cool. Dusk the panther let him know the raiders have broken camp and are on the move. She followed them stealthily from a distance. A quarter of a mark later slender Manny Kenton came riding back to the company, straight to his commander. Sergeant Keenan and Corporal Carlin raced from the back of the columns to the front at seeing the scout’s hurried approach.

  “Sir Daniel, the Serge told me you ordered us to be on the look out for raiders. Well, I just saw twenty-five of them heading right for a village two spans north,” Kenton reported just as Jonah and Sergeant Zaccum rode forward along with David and Silvia.

  Daniel did not need the distraction from the task at hand. The bigger chore was across the border, but he could not ignore this new one. The Chosen Vessel has three choices, ride away, stand and watch, or do something to help. Every person had the same choices when it comes to lending a hand. He knew for him the choices would come more frequently than for most people and probably right when he was in the middle of something critical.

  Simon and Samuel rode to the front of the procession along with Daniel’s parents. The sandy-haired accomplished spoke first. “Please allow me to project a map of the area, the Willow Guild has the most accurate of all the guilds,” he said and then projected a life-like holographic map of the area, containing the village of Cana, complete with log houses, and the trees, grasses, ponds and plants of the area.

  Daniel signaled a halt. “Manny, show us where you saw the raiders.”

  The scout pointed half a span north of the village. “I saw them right there. My guess is the villagers will be under attack pretty soon.”

  Quicker than most cavalry units could ride, was Daniel’s assessment, but their horses did not have the benefit of having Vitality cast upon them. He eyed his Sergeant and Corporal. “I’ll hear your Recommendations.”

  Keenan did not hesitate. “The raiders will be at Cana by the time we get there. Since we know where they are going to be, I suggest we divide our force. Half should circle round and come at them from the north and the rest straight at them from the south. Our archers,” he paused, looking at the four mountaineers and Silvia before continuing.
“Should stay clear of the blade action and let loose at targets of opportunity.”

  His idea sounded good. Daniel was about to order it to be done when his father spoke up. “Good plan but I think you should allow us archers,” his gaze included Silvia, “to get in close and take out as many as we can before you swoop in for the blade to blade work.”

  Zaccum leaned forward in his saddle. “That sounds possible, but can you get close without being seen?”

  Ronn Benhannon smiled, it was a patient smile. One might as well ask a salmon if it can swim as ask a Ducaunan mountaineer if he can sneak up on his prey. “I’m sure we can manage it.”

  Daniel straightened in his saddle. “We attack. The archers will move in stealthily, their arrows flying at the raiders will be our signal to move in, left column with Sergeant Keenan, right Column with me. Move out!” He commanded, and had every man pass by him while he secretly placed a shield spell on their helmets and chain mail. None of his people were riding into battle unshielded.

  ---------------------------

  Jessie Dusavil sat in his tree fort among the branches of the grand oak on Holly’s Hill. He had been there since the sun first arose above the horizon. This was the place to be when he was in trouble, which was most of the time. Just because he was ten did not mean he could not tell a panther from a bobcat. Everyone yelled at him last night when he told them about the huge panther, black as night, prowling in the hills above the village. Just because he enjoyed a good prank now and then was no reason to ignore him when he was telling the truth!

  Holly’s was the highest hill in the area, and the grand oak at the top towered above everything in the region, which is why he chose to build his fort in it. He could see the village below, his mother and father working around the log house the family lived in, and both of them keeping an eye on his little sister. Emma was playing a short distance from his parents and was too young yet for chores. They all knew where he would be. His fort was not exactly a secret, seeing as the whole village knew about it.