To Be Chosen (The Maestro Chronicles)

by John Buttrick

  Sherree was totally confused. She vaguely remembered the Innkeeper’s son, but had no idea why Simon was telling her about him. “I’m talking about Daniel.”

  Simon’s right eyebrow arched up, good let him be the one confused. He shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts. “I suppose he is happy for her getting on with her life, but I doubt he has any intention of spending much time with her, and I doubt Todd would think it appropriate given the fact that he was second choice.”

  Sherree put both hands on her hips and faced her friend. “I’m talking about Val Terrance, the one who Daniel was supposed to marry, and who is here with us. I saw her bringing water and hugging him.”

  Simon started laughing and was in danger of having a spell cast upon him if he did not stop it right this instant. He managed to get himself back under control before she lost her patience with him. “That was Gina, Val’s twin sister you saw hugging Daniel. They have been friends from childhood, I suppose she loves him like a brother, and believe the feeling is mutual.”

  Sherree felt the heat in her cheeks. The revelation caused a flood of thoughts and a drastic realignment of her perceptions since awakening.

  “Are you alright?” Simon grabbed hold of her arm and then let go when she nodded.

  She was still a little confused about how Daniel was reacting to her. “Why do you suppose he looks so guilty every time his eyes meet mine?”

  Simon scratched his chin. “I believe his feelings for you run deeper than is considered appropriate for a pair of Aakacarns. His being the Chosen Vessel forced some drastic changes in his life over a fairly short period and I think he is adjusting as quickly as he can. I think he sees you, not just as an Aakacarn to be respected, but as an attractive young woman. Perhaps he does not trust himself not to grab you in his arms and kiss you right in front of us all.”

  It would be just like the mule headed man to think that way, grabbing her in public would be unthinkable. In her opinion, the grabbing and kissing aught to be done in a more intimate setting. “Does every male think that way?”

  Simon shrugged his shoulders. “If you weren’t an Aakacarn, I can image there would be a goodly number of males who might consider snuggling with you to be a pleasant activity.”

  The Accomplisheds began work on the project Daniel assigned to them. All of the members of the Stone Guild huddled together, apparently deciding who would do what, and then the spell casting began. Four blue structures formed up out of the ground with a new symbol on each roof top and above the doors. It was the Falcon in flight clutching a lightning bolt, the family crest of Daniel Benhannon. The compound also included a stable and corral, very much like what they created at Lake Tomlin, except on a larger scale. These buildings were more than twice the width and depth as those and four stories high rather than two and with slanted roofs rather than flat.

  A short time later Daniel entered the valley and caused everyone to stop what they were doing and point. Voices were raised as people began discussing the ramifications of what he was doing. Sherree could not take her eyes off of him, something not unusual according Jerremy. The handsome young Knight of the Realm did not need to walk up to anyone, they all came to him. People began parting a way for Sherree as she approached. They took one look at her face and shoulders, those lighting bolts commanded respect, and not a soul dared stand in her way.

  “A Master-of-the-blade should display the lighting bolts,” Sergeant Keenan said with a nod of his head.

  “I decided you were right,” Daniel replied with a glance at his sword, and then startled Samuel when the hunting knife flew from his grip right into the black leather sheath on the Knight’s belt.

  Sherree really had not been paying attention to the lighting bolts on his hilt and scabbard; it was the six on the shoulders of his uniform that caught her eye. He was displaying his ranking as an Accomplished and all of the Accomplisheds witnessing the golden bolts went pale in the face, except Lassiter and Simon.

  “I told you his rank was enough to take on a Maestro and win,” the Senior Soarer told his Fledgling.

  “What made you choose to display your rank?” Simon asked, and it was clear by his tone the rank was nothing new to him. That young man knows way more than people give him credit for.

  Daniel’s eyes swept the crowd. “My foes know by now that I am no longer Silenced, am a fully functional Six-bolt Accomplished, and that my repertoire includes Melodies composed by Tarin Conn. I see no reason to keep these facts from my friends.”

  “He means, not any longer,” Samuel mumbled, but not soft enough for Sherree to miss hearing. “I think he actually enjoys making me discover these things as they unfold.” He did not seemed surprised about the number of bolts, more about the restored repertoire and the timing of the revelation.

  Sherree passed the few people who were standing between her and the man she needed to have a serious talk with and they had the wisdom not to argue. She stepped right up to him. “Forget the Royal Knight of the Realm, the Lord of the Land, and the Chosen Vessel, I want to have a private talk with Daniel Benhannon.”

  Daniel stared down at her, he was quite tall, and he blinked. “It will be as you say, Accomplished,” he told her in a formal manner, at least he did not refuse.

  If anyone had a problem with her taking Daniel aside, they chose not to express it. His parents were also in the crowd, yet they did not attempt to follow, and neither did his pair of Teki escorts, Silvia and David. Daniel entered the first building on the right.

  “The Accomplisheds did a nice job,” he commented.

  They were on the first floor in a large common room and she could see a good size dinning area in the next room. The kitchen and store rooms were over to the left and a bathing room to the right and another next to it. The living quarters had to be upstairs. It was a standard Stone Guild compound but with more bed and bathing rooms, and they did do a nice job, but that was not what needed to be discussed.

  “If you still count me as one of your friends, answer my questions without being evasive,” she began, and he wiped perspiration from his brow. She was making him nervous, a Six-bolt Accomplished.

  “You may not like the answers, but I’ll give them to you straight,” he agreed.

  “Why do I have two lightning bolts?” she asked, trying to be direct and to the point.

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “You were the first person I restored. I sensed into your being and discovered your life force energy had nearly drained away. We all have what I call vats to store our energy and yours had only a few amber drops left in it. I filled yours to the brim with my own potential. It was only after healing Jerremy and then the non-Aakacarns that I learned the differences in the sizes of vats and how much potential was stored in each one. The vats of Aakacarns grow at varying rates as does their potential, while the vats of non-Aakacarns are all the same and never grow.”

  Sherree was almost amazed he had been so open about what he knew and was wondering how he learned things not even the Aloe Guild Senior Practitioners knew. This was all very interesting and as a healer she truly intended to learn how to heal things the way he did. “Why didn’t you fill Jerremy’s vat?”

  “I filled yours because I was afraid you would die, Jerremy’s vat was slightly less than half full, but not life threatening and I still had a hundred and eighty people to restore to health. I filled your vat prematurely. You will not gain in potential until your vat grows larger,” Daniel admitted, and her heart was thrilled at hearing he was afraid she would die; it meant he still cared deeply.

  “I’m not complaining, just only wanted to know. I also want you to teach me some of your healing spells, ones that can be cast by an Accomplished having less than six bolts of potential. Now that you are being open an honest with me, I want to be so with you,” she replied, and took a deep breath, this part was more important than the details she would glean from him at a later time. If she handles him right, they will have plenty of time to discuss how he can do t
he things he does.

  “There are some spells that I can and will teach you and some not. What do you want to know?” Daniel replied.

  His question was perfect, the answer she would require from him was far different than what he expected, and also made her palms sweat and her heart flutter. “Daniel will you marry me?”

  He blinked and was completely stunned. “What?” he asked as if deciding he had imagined the question.

  Sherree took a deep breath. “I love you and want us to be married. Will you marry me?”

  A smile grew on his face, he seemed thrilled beyond belief, but then his right eyebrow went up and his smile vanished. “Sherree your brain and will are one. Your body is yours to command,” Daniel spoke in her ear.

  “Of course they are,” she replied and began to wonder if he was about to turn her down. “Why would you tell me that instead of answering my question?” Tears were forming in her eyes but she did not let them fall.

  “Sherree, I love you, and want to marry you, but I had to make sure you are not enthralled to me. If you are asking of your own free will, then yes, I will marry you,” Daniel replied with an answer that both pleased and disturbed her.

  “Why do you think my will isn’t my own?”

  “Before you enter the cabin with me there are things you need to know. I am an Aakasear, a composer of Melodies, like Tarin Conn. When Efferin Silenced me, which is what I wanted him to do, I lost my original repertoire. Being an Aakasear, I composed a new one to replace and eventually add to the spells lost in the Silencing. As you know, Aakacarns can only perform Melodies and cannot vary them in any way or the spells will collapse, it is not so with an Aakasear. We can modify existing spells,” Daniel began to explain.

  Sherree would not have believed such a thing six months ago, but now she had an open mind, even if what she was hearing seemed fantastic beyond belief. “These are the kind of things I need and want you to share with me, but where does my will come into all of this?”

  Daniel swallowed hard, as if not sure how the truth would be received. “I composed many of the spells that were used in restoring you from Condemnation, partly because Cleona was dying of the Lethal Growths and I had to come up with a way to heal her without gutting her. Not even I could kill the growths fast enough to keep her from dying using my healing spells. By the time I reached you, most of what I needed was in my new repertoire, but I still needed a spell that would allow me to reshape your body to what it should be and also be able to restore your self will. I was in such a panic to save you, no inspiration came to me. I was just putting together notes in my mind that did nothing. What I do best is modify existing Melodies. Sherree, I don’t just compose Melodies, I write Symphonics. I knew only one spell that could rearrange your body and command you to have free will, but it was in my old repertoire and I never attempted to replace it. I broke the Silencing, regained my old repertoire, and modified Condemnation, altering the Melody and adding a four part harmony. It was the only way to save you.”

  “You saved us from Condemnation by Condemning and reshaping us into our original forms, I get that, but how did you reshape us so accurately. Daniel, significant parts of us were missing, and you remade us all in better shape than what we were in before being Condemned. How did you do that?”

  Daniel smiled and a mischievous twinkle flashed in his eyes. “If learning about my being an Aakasear has not discouraged you from entering the cabin with me, I think we should marry first because the rest of my secrets are not nearly so off putting.”

  He was right, the discussion on how could wait. She jumped into his arms, he lifted her off the floor, and they kissed. This went on for quite some time and it did not bother her in the least that there were people outside waiting to hear from her man. A knock on the door came at about the same time she pulled her lips away from his to take a breath. He put her down and went to the door.

  “I wanted to know if you two have reached an understanding,” Miriam Benhannon asked as she, her husband, Tim, Gina, and the pair of Teki filed in as if they owned the place.

  “I believe we have,” Daniel replied and was all smiles, so much so that his parents and friends looked at him askance and knew something was going on.

  Sherree decided it was time to speak up before things got out of hand. “I have asked Daniel to marry me, as is the Lobenian tradition, and he has invited me into his cabin, which is a Tannakonna tradition, and we both have agreed.”

  Miriam grabbed her in a bear hug, and then Gina had her turn, followed by Ronn Benhannon. Tim, David and Silvia were congratulating Daniel. “The vision is finally clear, you and Sherree have made all the right decisions and will be spending a great deal of time together,” the Seer proclaimed.

  Sherree held up her hands until she had everyone’s attention. “I am still an Accomplished of the Aloe Guild and Aakadon will not recognize our marriage. It must remain a secret, but I am pleased you all will be aware of it.”

  Gina stepped back from hugging Daniel. It is too bad she looks so much like her sister. “We will keep the secret. You two are married in our eyes, by yours and our cultures, and none of us cares what the people in Aakadon think. I wish you well,” she said and hugged Sherree again.

  “Daniel, these buildings have our family crest on them, meaning they are yours. It seems to me any one of these rooms can serve as your cabin,” his father suggested, and Sherree greatly approved of the notion.

  “We will all step outside and see to it no one comes into this building. I’ll just tell them the Chosen Vessel is adding to his swirl and any who gets in his way will be smashed,” Silvia started in a soft voice and ended with a loud proclamation.

  Daniel opened his mouth to reply but Sherree grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the stairs. “Daniel, your father is a wise man, let’s listen to him,” Sherree told her husband-to-be.

  That mischievous twinkle flashed in his eyes and he seized her in his arms and carried her up the stairs. The next few marks belonged to them, the rest of the world could wait, and nothing else mattered to Sherree as they came to the first room on the right, not even the flute of Della Lain that fell on the floor when Daniel was taking his clothes off. Within minutes they were naked and looking forward to a long session of beginning to understand one another.

  The End

  To Be A Maestro

  Daniel’s success in the Foot Hills of Pentrosa makes his restored ability to summon Potential known to his enemies. Queen Cleona has declared a state of emergency and has ordered all legions to prepare for war, including the requirement for all nobles to summon their personal muster of troops. Harmonic waves emanating from the Dark Maestro causes wide spread panic, the entire world fears he is about to break free from his entombment beneath Mount Kelgotha, and pressure is brought on Grand Maestro Efferin Tames to stop Tarin Conn from escaping.

  Vance Cummin reveals Daniel’s deepest secret to the world. The Eagle Guild spends more time and resources trying to arrest Daniel than tracking down Accomplisheds of the Serpent Guild. All the while, Vance pushes his allies to use the Ducaunan military build up as justification to marshal their own troops, and then attack the peaceful kingdoms that were unprepared for war.

  Daniel must enlist people into his personal muster of troops; escort Accomplisheds of Aakadon through the southern kingdom of Taracopa to Mount Shantear, to the crystal chamber, in the kingdom of Lobenia, which is fighting off an invasion from the kingdom of Fon Kay. Even so, Daniel must do all with an arrest warrant issued by the Grand Maestro hanging over his head. How do you protect people who are determined to lock you in a cell?

  Copyright 2012 by John A. Buttrick

  Softcover / e-book

  All rights reserved. No part of the book can be reproduced

  or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or

  mechanical, including photo-copying, recording, or by any

  information storage and retrieval system, without

  permission in writing
from the copyright owner.

  This book was printed in the United States of America.

  Cover art by Robert L. Buttrick