Authors: John Buttrick
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 the 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
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Cover art by Robert L. Buttrick