Free To Be Chosen by John Buttrick

at the same moment Jared began rubbing the beige on the nose, the choice was clearly made. They were still Daniel’s horses but these men were the ones who will be using them for as long as they are in his employ. He almost laughed at the notion of him employing anyone, and wondered what he would do with the animals if the others chose to part ways.
    “The black is Nightwind and the beige is Sandstorm,” Silvia informed them and then handed a gold coin and two silvers back to the account keeper, whose eyes widened momentarily before he placed them in the bag, she was an excellent bargainer.
    Daniel needed more bags to hold the lesser coins, but that would be taken care of when they reached Jeeter. With the additional horses and Silvia’s quick negotiation skills, the possibility of reaching the town before dark was suddenly back within reach. He congratulated her, as did David and Jared; Marcus was too busy speaking softly to Nightwind.

Chapter Three : A Change in Mentors
     
    Looking through the glass of the observation room, Sherree Jenna watched the five highly skilled Accomplisheds perform a delicate operation. The patient, a corpulent nobleman from the kingdom of Fon Kay, suffered chest pains while awaiting an audience with the Grand Maestro. Lance Constentine, a Three-bolt Accomplished born in the kingdom of Cenkataar, determined the man’s heart was enlarged, had a blockage, was scarred from past coronary events, and needed open heart healing. Fransheska Kabler, a Two-bolt Accomplished, assisted the more experienced Three-bolt by controlling the patient’s entire circulatory system. The ebony-skinned Ecoppian stood a full head taller than the Cenkataaran. Three One-bolt Accomplisheds stood on opposite sides of the patient, each responsible for maintaining a specific bodily function. Everyone in the room was glowing with potential. The entire area was bathed in violet, purple, green, blue, and yellow light as the surgical team labored over the nobleman.
    Carl Bartesen used the spell, Breathe Deep, to control respiration. The Accomplished was slim with sand colored hair and blue eyes. A thick mustache covered his upper lip and yet in no way diminished the beak-like slant to his nose. His crimson on black silk shirt was a match for his pants and hooded cloak. The hood was swept back, leaving his head uncovered. His garments were a match for Sherree’s own, and every other Accomplished in Aakadon. His silver medallion with a golden five-pronged plant representing the Aloe Guild was slightly smaller than the one Sherree was wearing. The medallion she chose upon entering the guild was large, mostly because she worked so hard to attain it, and wanted everyone out side of her affiliation to know how proud she was to be a member of the Aloe Guild.
    Sarah Talisman was utilizing the spell, Easing the Pain, to control the patient’s nervous system and numb his pain receptors. The spell also kept the patient immobilized. The hood of her cloak was up and covered most of her prematurely gray hair. The color had to be by choice because any Accomplished, especially one of the Aloe Guild, could have whatever hair color they wanted. Like Sherree, she was born in Lobenia, although in the rural area around Mount Shantear.
    William Sloakum, a stocky fellow with thick bushy hair, kept one hand on the patient’s forehead while casting, Diagnosis, a spell that allowed him to monitor the patient’s body as a whole and determine if a life threatening imbalance has developed. The Demfilian-born Accomplished stood five and a half cubits tall and his arms were bigger around than Sarah’s waist.  The powerful arms were a common trait among his countrymen, who mostly labored in the mining profession.
    Sherree observed Lance’s precise handling of the slim surgical blade while listening to Barbara Cofer, a stout woman with long black hair; describe the procedure step by step in her thick Pentrosan accent. “He will now cut into the