To Be Victorious: The Maestro Chronicles Book 6 Read online

  However, unbidden thoughts of other Aakasears, Melody Creators, did come to mind as he leisurely swam the manta down river without giving an immediate response to Simon’s remark. Before Daniel was born, since the beginning of recorded time in fact, there had been four Aakasears. The information he only learned a day earlier and was therefore fresh and new. Nimrod was the first. He composed two thirds of the spells currently being used by all Aakacarns. About a couple thousand years later, Sarah Isis was the second Aakasear and she composed most of the specialized spells used by the Aloe, Willow, and Aqua guilds. Ten and a half centuries later Joshua BenCappa came along and composed many of the specialized Melodies used by the Eagle, Stone, Sun, and Zephyr guilds. One thousand seven hundred fifty years after the death of Joshua was the birth of Tarin Conn, the Dark Maestro.

  Everything changed at that point; Daniel contemplated while a large catfish quickly backed into its hole in the muddy bank at the approach of the ray.

  The Six-bolt Accomplished, at that time, rebelled against the seven guilds of Aakadon, and set up his own guild, the Serpent. The other Aakasears eventually died in their time so the world had never experienced two living Melody Creators in the same era, until the defeated and imprisoned Tarin Conn survived his thousand year entombment in the bowels of Mount Kelgotha, and continued into the era Daniel had been born. Unfortunately so did the Serpent Guild. He wished that had not been the case, but wishing to change things that happened in the past was a waste of time, and understanding that, he decided to focus on what was, rather than what might have been.

  The freighter was moving ahead and he could see the sails as he bided his time, piloting the ray to about half way between the surface and the river bottom.

  It was Bella Sander, a Scholar of Aakadon, and trusted friend, who had given the information about the earlier Aakasears. Although Daniel had complete faith in those seated around him, he chose not to pass on his current thoughts to them, at least not until the revelation could do the aged Aakacarn no harm. The wizened Senior Soarer, nearly three centuries old, would get into serious trouble if his colleagues in the ancient city knew he revealed knowledge restricted to the Scholars, Maestros, and Grand Maestro.

  “I believe the Chosen Vessel of the Creator should have this information. You are the fifth Aakasear in history, not the second,” Bella had said when Daniel wanted to know why the facts had been made known to him.

  The man was presently a guest at the royal palace in Ducanton and the only member of the Eagle Guild remaining in the capitol after the betrayal thirteen days earlier. Daniel trusted no other members of that affiliation, hardly any in the six other original guilds, and of course, none of the Serpent.

  While few people knew about the earlier Melody Creators, most everyone knew of Daniel and Tarin Conn. A large segment of the population, scholars included, could not decide if having two Aakasears in the same era was a good thing or a bad, especially when Daniel refused to join any of the guilds of Aakadon, and eventually set up his own. Too many deceived souls thought of him as being another Dark Maestro. He did not want to think about folks who had not made up their minds or thought ill of him, they had their choices and he had his.

  “Every tub sits on its own bottom,” his mother often said. “Sooner or later we are all responsible for our own thoughts, choices, and actions.”

  He only hoped the goodly but deceived people would make up their minds before it was too late, some had not and were already paying the price. Most people, including Aakacarns living in Aakadon, especially them, believed they had a say in who the Creator would choose to be His Chosen Vessel, never considering their opinions and feelings were irrelevant, and Daniel was the chosen champion no matter how they felt about it. Their only choice was to accept the fact or not. Not even he had been given a choice, other than to walk away from the responsibility, stand and watch the champion of evil prevail, or take action to save the people of the world from total domination and slavery.

  If the Serpent Guild were to win the war of the champions, there would be no freedom of choice, and not even thoughts or dreams would be private. He knew firsthand how it felt to face the Dark Maestro in his dreams and did not wish that fate upon anybody. That link had been broken but the memory of it was still vividly clear.

  He leaned back in his seat while setting the dark thoughts aside and smiled, caring not at all if his facial expression had a mischievous bent to it in response to Simon’s eagerness to get on with the mission. Without answering the Chief Aid, Daniel’s thumb came to rest on the emerald, sending a small fraction of his energy into powering the CAPU, and the number on the console created by the spell, Velocity, locked into the diamond that was also on the side of the grip, increased rapidly and the sudden force caused everyone but him to slam back into their seats. They were strapped in so all anyone suffered was a little startle at the abrupt acceleration; going from seven to seventy spans per mark in a few moments had that effect.

  Simon chuckled, clearly delighting in the response his remark produced. Tim let out an excited, “Whoopee,” while Carlos mumbled something that sounded like, “youthful exuberance,” and Sero made not a sound. Perhaps they were not startled or even surprised by the abrupt acceleration, and simply knew their Maestro too well.

  In minutes, the vessel sailing above was far behind. Earlier spell-scans had shown it to be a freighter transporting sheets of glass, fine crystal, both extremely rare, and bolts of silk, likely on the way to Ducanton, the capital of Ducaun, or perhaps to Aakadon. There were a large number of cities and towns founded along the river and any one of them could be a port of call, although any vessel continuing into the Cenkataaran leg of the river would be doing so at great risk. Whatever the ultimate destination, the freighter posed no threat and the existence of the manta was still a military secret, as was the entrance to the hidden naval facility, which had been Daniel’s only real concerns about the riverboat.

  The rays were deadly to surface vessels, often destroying them without ever being detected, and the enemy leadership still had no idea what was sinking their ships. Daniel wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible, even though he knew it was only a matter of time before the existence of the mantas became widely known.

  Creatures and objects passed by quickly. Daniel cast the spell, Navigation, playing the music in his mind, added a Da Capo to keep it going, and focused forward. It was the best way to sense what was ahead before it came into view, so he could make the necessary course adjustments. Even so, he kept the speed in the high double digits rather than into the triple like he had done on Manta One’s maiden voyage. He could pilot the vessel with his eyes closed, but chose not to do so; mostly because he was enjoying the view.

  The river was wide and deep enough for him to avoid hitting creatures, sunken boats, and other things likely to be found floating beneath the waves or lying on the muddy bottom. Well, most creatures, Daniel thought and winced as a trout splatted against the observation window when he adjusted the stick in order to avoid hitting the broken mast of a sunken riverboat. The remains of the ill-fated fish washed away instantly, not even leaving a smudge.

  The ride was a little rough as he continued to manipulate the grip in order to avoid hitting anything else, like the gator, its powerful tail lashing, shooting upward from the bottom and an otter swimming playfully at the manta from the left. A few minute twists of his wrist avoided the creatures, although the effort caused everyone to rise slightly from their seats and jerk to the right, making him grateful he had listened to Simon’s suggestion about safety straps back when the manta vehicle was still in the planning stages.

  The Chief Aid often had good suggestions, which was why Daniel put up with the occasional cheeky remark from him. That and because he thought of the man as being a good and loyal friend, one who had proved his trustworthiness time and time again.

  The shield spell protected the vessel so anything hit was unlikely to cause damage to the vehicle, but a sudden stop or bump
at high speed would not be a pleasant experience for those within the manta. Even with personal shields, shaped to the individual’s body, covering each person with the exception of their ears, nostrils, hands and wrists because the amulets in the craft required direct physical contact, the cessation of motion would throw everyone around like flatware from an over-turned table. The safety straps were definitely necessary.

  “This speed is a little hard on the trout,” Simon apparently felt the need to share his thoughts. Was he complaining about the death of the fish or about to make a worthwhile suggestion? Sometimes it was hard to know what he would say, much less the reason. “We should pass the port of Ducanton and travel well beyond Bon before dark at this rate, even though I doubt you are pushing us with more than a smidgen of a lightning bolt of potential. Seven bolts might get us to the test area in the same amount of time.”

  So he wanted to go faster.

  Daniel figured two bolts of his personal potential would probably be enough to accomplish that goal, yet did not consider the saving of time to be worth the risks; to the crew, to creatures in the river, possible encounters with enemy Accomplisheds, or premature exposure of the manta ray craft. While it was true most of the aquatic species’ and smaller objects would not even be felt by him and his passengers if the manta struck them, his mental link to a multitude of land, sea, and air animals caused him to be more mindful of the many critters, beasts, and swimming things that shared the world. Simon should have known that, him being linked to a host of scaled, furred, and feathered creatures. Daniel opened his mouth to remind the man.

  “You know the Maestro will not pour the full might of his potential into the CAPU until we are well into the Eastern Ocean,” Carlos Tiran commented from the tail position. He appeared to be middle-aged, yet was into his second century of life. The Three-bolt Accomplished possessed nine times the power of a One-bolt,

  His short dark hair and light complexion were clearly visible with his hood half down. Standing, he would be taller than Tim, but not as tall as Daniel’s six and a half cubits. The personal bodyguard of the Maestro had height and coloring that were typical of a fellow Ducaunan, even though he was born in the flat lands. “Cast, Find All, as I am doing, and scan a five span radius; sensing every living thing around us might entertain you while we travel across half the continent and out into the open ocean.”

  His tone had the patient quality of a man who was used to the comments and observations made by an over eager co-worker, especially one who was barely a sixth of his age. He also saved his Maestro from having to respond to the Chief Aid, which was appreciated.

  Daniel was using Find All, another composition of his, to scan for enemy Accomplisheds, which could appear at any moment. Entertainment had nothing to do with it, what he did was a necessary precaution. The spell also made him aware of birds, reptiles, insects, foxes, bears, horses, cows, mules, all sorts of animals, as well as people on farms, ranches, homesteads, and towns within a five span radius of the river. However, he could only afford to be aware of those images, not focus on them, not while piloting the manta, and so was glad Carlos had chosen to do so.

  “Or you can concentrate your mind on one of the many animals in your menagerie,” Sero Bagget, a stocky man with silver hair and pale blue eyes, offered an alternative to scanning the region.

  His complexion was even lighter than that of Daniel, Tim, or Carlos. The Demfilian-born Accomplished occupied the other center seat and was Daniel’s personal assistant. At sixty-three years of age, he could easily pass for a man of fifty, one with bulging muscles and increased stamina, all due to the powerful effects of the spell, Restoration, Daniel had used on him and Carlos as well. Both men had been victims of the spell, Condemnation, which twisted a person in mind and body, making him or her mind-slaves to the caster. Bulky muscles aside, Sero’s true power came from the four lightning bolts of life-force energy, sixteen times the power of a One-bolt, that were his to command.

  Daniel concentrated more fully on piloting the manta, to the point where he became one with the vessel and the ray seemed as part of his body.

  He doubled the speed by adding one bolt of his potential into the CAPU to cause the output of amplified energy to equal eight bolts. Even though they were traveling at a rate well into the triple digits, no creatures suffered a premature death. The necessary course adjustments were a result of reflexes acting quicker than thought. At the current speed the slightest errant flick of his wrist could send them slicing into either bank, plowing into the muddy bottom, or shooting up out of the water and into the sky. Even so, the vessel responded perfectly and only went where he willed it to go.

  Simon quieted, either satisfied with the increase of speed or taking one of the two suggestions.

  As the manta drew closer to Ducanton, Daniel slowed back into the double digits. Pythons, olive green war-boats modeled after Tarin Conn’s light brown Anacondas, each about two hundred paces from stem to stern, were patrolling the waters of the busy port. Through the spell, Find All, Daniel sensed an Aakacarn on each of the boats. Those Accomplisheds of the Atlantan Guild assisted the Royal Ducaunan Navy in a number of ways; communications, scanning for potential enemies, refreshing the life-forces of the thirty-man non-Aakacarn crew, and through the use of defensive as well as offensive spell-casting.

  Those members of his guild should be able to sense the approaching ray, at least the manta-shaped shield, as well as the harmonic waves being given off by the CAPU. He knew every individual Aakacarn on those vessels personally, seeing as he restored each of them from Condemnation, and knew they had a general sense of his presence as a side effect of the healing.

  “Daniel,” Sherree’s voice came into his head from the communication array along with a sense of love and concern, all of which drew his attention from the war-boats and at the same time gave relief from some of the anxiety that had been weighing on him over her being in harm’s way. “I’m with Samuel at the Northland Holding. He and I think it would be a good idea if you bypass Aakadon without stopping or trying to communicate with any of the Accomplisheds, not even Terroll Barnes. It has only been three days since the other Maestros elected him to the office of Grand Maestro and we don’t know how secure his position is.”

  Clearly they were worried Daniel would stop and have a chat with his old tutor, although he had no intention of doing so, at least not yet, and for the very reason she stated. He considered teasing her a little for thinking he did not have sense enough to avoid communicating with anyone in Aakadon, but instead responded, “Just thirteen days ago blood was shed on both sides, you and I were nearly abducted, and I Silenced Grand Maestro Efferin Tames.” He still had no regrets over making the devious Six-bolt Accomplished forget his entire repertoire of spells. “Even though Terroll managed to pass a unanimous resolution of the Maestros declaring the Atlantan Guild a Non-affiliated Co-existent to Aakadon, it does not mean hard feelings no longer exist. Why do you and Conductor Cresh think,” deliberately using the man’s title hopefully conveyed a sense of formality to the question, “I would risk letting them know when I am in the area? I certainly don’t want them to know about the manta ray, not when I have no way of knowing who in that city might actually be a secret member of the Serpent Guild.”

  Truly, it would not be the first time one of their associates turned out to be a Serpent.

  Love continued to flow through the mental link but the earlier concern that had been sent along with it was replaced by a profound sense of relief. She really did think he would be tempted to let the leaders of Aakadon know he was in the area. “Well, you do have a tendency to jump into personally solving a problem, and we both know, according to Silvia’s revelation, Tarin Conn’s guild and allies cannot be defeated without the help of Aakadon. You must admit that is a very big problem, so Sam and I just wanted to make sure you don’t suddenly take it into your head to try and solve it yourself.”

  Daniel kept the manta well below the surface while contemplating a
response to her assertion of his tendencies. He could see the bottoms of sailing ships and boats, as well as the Pythons with their twin propellers resembling the petals of a daisy. That type of propulsion was the brain child of Tarin Conn, which was one of the many reasons Daniel refused to underestimate his adversary. The ancient Aakasear was a creative and oft times diabolical genius, and copying some of his ideas seemed well worth doing, even some of the nastier ones. Truth be told, Tarin’s innovation was a result of his countering Daniel’s Wager-class patrol-boats, propelled by CAPUs containing the spell, Jet of Air. Their innovations were feeding off each other’s.

  Daniel had to admit, at least to himself, Sherree had well founded reasons to worry about her husband spontaneously deciding to take on a task that could be accomplished only at great personal risk. He did jump into danger from time to time, although not so much recently.

  Perhaps a little reassurance might be in order.

  “For the time being, we will communicate through Bella Sander or Simon can contact Senior Forester Barnabas Galloway of the Willow Guild through his amulet, those are the best ways to get a message to Aakadon. Be assured, I want some time to pass and cooler heads to prevail before we go to Aakadon again,” he sent through the array along with a firm sense of resolve.