-------
“Sherree and Simon here will be involved with the Shantear Mission and I want you to assign a squad to each of them,” Daniel had said, and then everyone looked at Simon as if noticing his presence for the first time. Sometimes a mark or more would go by with him following Daniel and his entourage before Simon would voice his opinion or the Maestro would make mention of him and then the group would notice his presence again. A good many people might find their reaction to be annoying, Simon found it amusing, and often tried to see how long he could go unnoticed. This did not mean he wanted no part of the events swirling around him; to the contrary, he enjoyed getting involved, and being of help in his own way.
This was the first time Simon heard what his assignment would be and a good thing he spent his spare time over the last three days linking his mind to all sorts of creatures, furred, feathered, scaled, and some with exoskeletons. He had begun his menagerie in the area around the southern estate without a particular focus, not knowing specifically what his tasks would be. Now he had a role to play and could build his flocks with an eye toward Shantear.
He touched the six-bolt crescendo given to him by Daniel, thought of the spells that would best help achieve the task, mulled them over in his mind until the answer came, and then he quietly slipped out of the room while the Maestro worked on restoring a large hairless man. Sherree was too busy staring at her husband to notice the departure.
Simon had known for a long time that his friend was in love with the beautiful Aakacarn, yet had failed to see the emotion in her. He laughed while making his way along the corridor to the quarters assigned to him and figured, why not? His friend had broken so many traditions held dear in Aakadon, the one on marriage was just another, and hardly mattered at all.
His quarters had a study, bathing room, greeting room, and a bedroom with a comfortable bed, chest-of-drawers, table, chairs, and wardrobe. He sat at the desk in his study and concentrated on Virgil, the strongest flyer of all seven species of birds linked to him. The falcon was not the fastest, that was Chester his hatch mate, it was Virgil’s endurance that made him the bird for the job, and Simon knew exactly where to send him. He chose one of the many map spells he had learned from the Willow Guild and played the Melody in his mind, creating a vivid three dimensional image of the world.
Virgil, I want you to fly as quickly and safely as you can to this place, he sent to the falcon while showing the path on his mental map, passing beyond the Tollus River, over trees, hills, an entire forest of sequoias, and all the way to Mount Shantear. What came back through the link was a desire to do the very task requested and Simon could feel the bird take flight.
He sent Chester to the west side of the Tollus River, the area Reese’s company should reach in a day or so, Shocka to the border between Ducaun and Lobenia, and Blossom to Mount Jessup, the first in the seven mountain chain, stretching east to west, at the end of which, more than a hundred spans away, was the largest of the group, Mount Shantear. The map Melodies of the Willow Guild were the best ever made and yet not quite good enough to use in conjunction with Conveyance. The falcons, once at the destinations he assigned to them, would give him the ability to travel to those locations, and not only add more creatures to his menagerie; he would be in a position to gain information and supply Daniel with options.
A knock on the door interrupt his focus on Chester, who would be the first falcon to reach his destination point. Simon withdrew awareness from the bird and called, “Enter.”
A tall dark-eyed woman with a pair of gold stripes on the sleeves of her blue coat, marking her rank as Sergeant, entered the room along with twenty other Sentinels. He remembered her from his earlier time at the holding. “Accomplished Trenca, Commander Herling has assigned Vapor Squad to you. I am Shella Gabler and this is Gloria Striffer,” she informed him, and then went on to introduce the rest of the men and women in the room, ending with a Taracopian man named, Jerome Tarkona. He and Gloria were the newest to the team, from the group of Condemneds rescued a mere five days ago. Evidently Commander Herling was promoting the original Sentinels and placing them in charge of the recent recruits.
Simon acknowledged each person and it occurred to him that none of these people would fail to notice his presence, he being the Accomplished who would be taking them into battle and out again. Even now he had their undivided attention and they seemed to be waiting for him to make a statement or perhaps give an order. He handed each of them an amulet of his making. “I am giving you all the means to stay in touch with me should we become separated. We will be traveling frequently in the next few days, beginning this afternoon. Horses will not be necessary on these trips since we will not venture far from our arrival points. The trips we take will be in addition to those assigned to us.”
“It will be as you say, Accomplished,” Shella replied. “I am pleased you plan on traveling so soon. Vapor Squad needs the experience.”
Simon acknowledged her with a nod of respect. “I am going to have my midday meal and you are all welcome to join me.”
“Our duty at this point, until Commander Herling orders otherwise, is to be with you,” Sergeant Gabler replied, and then glanced at her squad. “On a personal level, I have been drilling these Sentinels since before dawn, and I am quite sure a break involving the consumption of food will be welcomed.”
Simon led the way to the dinning area and earned more than a few raised eyebrows from his squad when he passed the one in the East Wing and continued on up into building two. The dinning room in this building had ten tables but only three tables large enough to accommodate the entire squad and two of those were occupied by Captains Mallory and Benkorren, along with Lieutenants, Tanner, Cossings, Calver, and DuArren. Commander Herling sat at the other table with Daniel, Sherree, Leah, Tim Dukane and his wife Gina, along with a female Accomplished whose back was to Simon. The only empty table large enough for him and his squad was between the two groups. Apparently no other Aakacarns brought their squads with them. Marge Durayton, Chief of Kitchens, noticed Simon and smiled radiantly while making her way over to him.
“Accomplished Trenca, it is a pleasure to see you again. Won’t you please come have a seat,” she said while ushering him towards the large empty table. “We are enjoying the use of those wonderful CAFs you installed. You and Sir Daniel have made our work so much easier. Why, there isn’t a day goes by when at least one member of my staff blesses you both for the water-drawing devices.”
Simon sat down while his squad took their places at the table. “I was happy to help,” he assured her.
Each person placed their orders and the staff served them promptly. Daniel gave Simon a nod of acknowledgement and most everyone else at the other tables ignored him. They apparently were more interested in Tim’s presence.
“So Accomplished Obennen conveyed us here,” Admiral Tim Dukane had just finished saying, along with putting a name to the unknown Aakacarn.
Gina smiled with a twinkle in her eyes and leaned towards Daniel. “We have recruited Saul Tarpon, a former captain of the Lobenian Merchant Marines, and a full crew. You owe us another Wager class patrol boat.”
“I just made you a fourth boat last week. Remember, you must have a captain and crew trained and ready before I make you another one,” Daniel replied.
“That’s why we asked Marsha to convey us here,” Gina went on to explain. “Tarpon has more experience than all of us put together and much of it is oceanic. The rest of the crew are fishermen and have spent a good part of their lives fishing the Hirus River and a few earned their sails on the Taltin Sea.”
Simon ate while listening to the multiple conversations at his table as well as the one taking place at the command table, which is any table where Daniel is sitting. Simon doubted his friend even realized how his swirl affected something as minor as the seating arrangements.
“I have your composition in my repertoire and understand the duplication process. I am willing to attempt working the spell
in order to create a new Wager class patrol boat,” Marsha Obennen volunteered.
Daniel’s eyes focused briefly on the single golden lightning bolt on the hood of her blue silk cloak and Simon knew his friend was wondering if the One-bolt could carry out the task, or chore, as the former mountaineer would phrase it. “I appreciate the offer, but I made the promise, and the chore is mine. A Benhannon never fobs his chores off on anyone,” he told her and then fixed his gaze on Gina. “You have convinced me and I will make you a boat right after lunch. Simon, if you have nothing planned for the next mark, I think you might like to get a look at a Wager class patrol boat.”
The moment Daniel had said the name, every eye at his table widened in surprise, while staring at Simon and waiting to hear his reply. Really, as if he would turn down the opportunity to see the boat Ronn and Miriam had designed for the Atlantan Guild. “I can squeeze a visit south into my schedule if it only requires a mark of my time and I can bring my squad,” he replied.
His reply widened the eyes even more, this time at both tables, and earned a laugh from Tim and Daniel, who nodded and said, “I promise not to mess up your schedule and Vapor Squad can come. I suppose this means my Lighting and Sherree’s Quicksilver Squads will also want to come along.”
Commander Herling cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention, “I think three squads of Sentinels to be an appropriate number.”
After lunch Daniel conveyed all who wanted to go, including Marsha, to a hidden channel leading half a span from the Hirus River to a small spell-formed lake where the Wager and five large blue identical boats were docked. The RiverDancer was docked there but not counted as part of the fleet of patrol boats. Not one of the vessels had a sail or a waterwheel. How were they propelled? Ronn and Miriam Benhannon were in the bungalow from which the docks extended. Simon soon learned about the six levels below ground and Daniel’s parents explained about replacing the waterwheel with jets of air at the bow and stern. His friend had a real talent for making new and innovative devices.
He watched as Daniel touched the hull of the Wager and then focused on the mud and rocks on the right side of the small lake, gradually making the body of water wider. The more boats he makes the larger the lake would eventually be. Topaz light formed in the shape of the boat, drawing mud into the image, and converting the substance to match that of the original. Simon marveled over the speed in which the Seven-bolt accomplished the task. Captain Tarpon and his crew applauded and Admiral Gina Dukane whispered in Daniel’s ear. He nodded and then the name, Cleaver, appeared on both sides of the bow. Simon figured the patrol boat would in deed cut through the water swiftly.
By the time Daniel brought them back to the Northland Holding, it was time for Simon to check in on Chester’s progress. Simon entered the study, the ever present squad with him, and focused his awareness at the falcon, who was winging his way west through the azure blue, and over dense woods. The caravan from Aakadon came into view, he circled the riders once so Simon could memorize the area, and then continued on over spans of wild terrain and was exhausted by the time he flew across the Tollus River. Simon encouraged him to spiral down and perch on the branch of a cypress. You have done well my friend. Rest as long as you like and fly whenever you will. The falcon sent back a strong desire to rest and also a sharp image of the area around the tree.
“Sergeant Gabler, stand ready, we are about to take the trip I promised you earlier,” Simon spoke up after withdrawing his awareness from Chester.
“Vapor Squad, stand ready,” she called out in a voice louder than Simon considered to be necessary given the size of the room and the close proximity of each person to other.
The Sentinels sprang to their feet, Simon held his baton high while playing Conveyance in his mind, picturing himself and each person in the room standing by the cypress tree on the west bank of the Tollus River. The black void in between here and there swallowed them up and spit them out three heart beats later. The arrival was neither rough nor violent, yet that is how he viewed the process.
His gaze swept the area until settling on a flock of buzzards circling in the sky above the trees over to the left. Some creature or other must be dying, he reasoned while the Sentinels immediately spread out, daggerlances in hand, and established a small perimeter with Simon at the center. He walked in the direction of the large black birds and his squad moved with him through the trees and bushes. They went a quarter of a span and Simon came upon a dying old stag, moments later it stopped breathing and the buzzards began to descend. He did not need the crescendo for the next step and so mentally played the spell, Mind Touch, and began adding the carrion eaters to his menagerie as they came down to feast. They would be his permanent scouts in this region.
“We are finished here,” Simon informed his squad after linking his mind to the last bird, and then conveyed back to his study with the Sentinels.
“We went, we walked, and we stared at a bunch a buzzards a feedin on an old stag. I suppose there must be a reason,” Jerome Tarkona commented
“A Sentinel must always be ready to answer the call. We do not question the whys and wherefores. You should be glad Accomplished Trenca included us on a trip to the naval base and to the woods. Our squad traveled twice in one day, that’s more than most Sentinels are fortunate enough to be conveyed,” Shella corrected him.
Simon faced his squad. “Those buzzards are now my scouts. The Accomplisheds of Aakadon are east of that region and will be crossing the river near there sometime tomorrow. What we did today gives us the ability to answer the call right now while the other newly assigned Accomplisheds to the taskforce and their squads must wait until one of the ten original teams takes them for the first time.”
His answer earned a smile from each of the Sentinels, who seemed just as determined as he to serve the Chosen Vessel, and be at the forefront of events. Jerome scratched his right sideburn. “Like I said, I supposed there was a reason, and I am glad Commander Herling assigned us to you.”
The rest of the Sentinels expressed much the same attitude and were pleased when Simon gave them the order to stand ready early the next morning. One mark after sunrise Shocka sent a mental peck to get his attention. Simon focused on the falcon, which was exhausted and perched on a hickory. Simon viewed the area below and Conveyed to Lobenia, one span from the Ducuanan border. His Sentinels established the perimeter around him while he added a flock of crows and some buzzards to his menagerie. The next day Blossom gave him an excellent view of Mount Jessup. He and his squad conveyed to the high reaches and he spent half the day adding condors to his menagerie.
“I know this mountain,” Shella said as Simon linked his mind to Rufus, the last of the condors in the area. “This is Mount Jessup in Lobenia. You intend for us to be advance scouts for the entire mission.”
Simon nodded affirmatively. “I intend to supply our Maestro with options and I cannot do it by following the other one hundred forty-nine Accomplisheds of the Atlantan Guild who are watching over the Accomplished of Aakadon. So yes, you could say we are advance scouts, advancing all the way to Shantear.”
“I agree with Sentinel Tarkona. I am glad we have been assigned to the most active Accomplished on the taskforce. Sleet Squad hasn’t traveled at all. Their Accomplished is not scheduled to be conveyed to the area of the Aakadon caravan for another day,” Gloria Striffer commented.
The approval of the squad assigned to him did mean something, but Simon would have continued with his plan even if they had disapproved. “We are likeminded in our service to the Chosen Vessel, which is a good thing,” he replied, while motioning with his hands to include each member of the squad, and then gripped his baton. “I think it is time we go back,” he announced, and then conveyed to his study.
Two days later, in the early marks of the morning before dawn, Crom the buzzard woke Simon out of a deep sleep with an image of armies on the move. The large black bird sat perched in an elm while multiple legions moved on the ground below, some o
n foot and most on horseback. Thanks, Simon sent and received a sense of anticipation from the carrion eater. The bird knew good eating always came after groups of the predatory two-legs met.
Simon sprang out of bed, put on his silk pants and shirt, and rushed out of his quarters. He figured Daniel would be either in the Health Wing or with Sherree and so chose to avoid building two. The news was important, yet did not warrant interrupting the couple in their bedroom. Simon climbed the spiral stairs up two levels and over to the Health Wing.
A door on the left side of the hall opened and out stepped the First Accomplished, tall, dark, and frankly, beautiful. “Accomplished Trenca, what has you up so early and in such a hurry?” she inquired and paused with both eyebrows lifting in a momentary show of astonishment, “and without a cloak. If you have come to request to be scheduled for a trip south, I have assigned Accomplished Lassiter to take you near the current location of the Aakadon expedition the day after tomorrow.”
Simon knew he had to work on his decorum, having a tendency to lose it when he grew overly excited. He took a deep breath and did his best impression of Barnabas Galloway. “I know where they are camped. I sent Chester, my falcon, to the region days ago, so you can have Accomplished Lassiter take someone who needs to go,” he began to explain. While his voice held sure and steady like that of his former mentor, Simon could feel the heat flushing his face.
The set of Leah’s eyes softened and he could tell she was suppressing a smile. “No need to be embarrassed. The absence of your cloak is not such a huge deal and while I am not impressed with the image you are projecting at the moment, I am truly impressed by the initiative you have taken in preparing for your assignment. Seeing as you do not need to be on the schedule with Accomplished Lassiter, might I know why you hunted me down?”
To Be a Maestro Page 41
