Free To Be A Maestro (The Maestro Chronicles) by John Buttrick

was up to and that meeting had gone well. Vance smiled. Later in the night Tarin Conn had visited his dreams a second time and appointed him Maestro of the Serpent Guild. And now, this night, the many minds linked to the Supreme Maestro were being informed of the fact in their sleep, by the Great One himself, and by morning all the people of importance within the guild will know who leads.
    Serin well deserved his fate, with failures so great he was better off dead. The Master believed the fool’s life had been taken by Daniel Benhannon, and Vance was pleased Gell’s plans had blown up in his face. Unfortunately that meant the trumpet of Tarin Conn and the flute of Della Lain were now in the hands of the Ducaunan Accomplished, and adding to the list of things unfortunate, Vance could not get his agent on the scene, Rex Badger, to respond. What came back at him through the amulet could only be described as a mental fog, which usually meant the person you were trying to contact was asleep. Still, all is proceeding according to plan and his network of associates well positioned, ten of which were traveling with General Kall.
    Vance reached into his drawer, chose the appropriate amulet, and placed the amber stone against his forehead. “Phil Nettle, make your report,” he sent through the device.
    “I hear and obey, Maestro,” the one-bolt Accomplished responded immediately. “I investigated the area Serin Gell’s Nest once occupied,” he began ominously. “What is left of Gell is buried under a mound of pebbles that used to be a hill and he is most definitely dead.”
    That was the confirmation Vance wanted to hear, not that he for a moment doubted what the great Tarin Conn had told him. “What is happening with Kall?”
    “He has plans of his own, having demanded a meeting with General Tallen, Daniel Benhannon, Sir Laurence, and any Ducaunan Royal Knights of the Realm that are currently working with the comma nding officer,” Nettle replied.
    “To what purpose, surely you warned him about confronting the young Knight?”
    “I did warn him so Kall left Benhannon’s name off the demand he sent to the Ducaunans. The purpose of the meeting was never to negotiate, but to confirm the presence of the Royal Knights and then assassinate them and the General, thus depriving Ducaun of valuable leaders, all the while claiming it was in response to them invading Pentrosa and attacking one of their legions,” Nettle explained.
    It did not seem a bad plan, in that it did not interfere in any way with his plan, Vance considered. “How did it work out for him?”
    A sense of amusement came through the communication link ahead of the words. “The plan fell apart almost immediately. Accomplisheds of Aakadon showed up instead of those Kall demanded. Members of the Eagle, Stone, Aqua, and Willow Guilds informed his Lieutenant that Pentrosan forces merely involved themselves in a raid conducted by Accomplisheds of Aakadon against a Serpent Nest in the Foothills and that the Ducaunans had nothing to do with it. He was also instructed to move his legions away from the border or face the consequences.”
    Could it be true? Did Aakadon launch a secret strike against Gell’s Nest, one that they did not even inform Vance about, a Senior Soarer of the Eagle Guild? Was Daniel involved at all? “Did you see any sign of Benhannon’s presence?” he sent through the device pressed tightly against his forehead.
    “As I said, I have gone over the battle site. What was reported by the Accomplisheds who met with Lieutenant Lymin is consistent with what they claim to have done. Poppy plants, horse nettles and thorny honeylocust trees all seem to have sprouted up over night and grown to maturity. I destroyed the modified poppies because their fumes were causing the men with me to hallucinate. I am standing within a circular wall between a pile of pebbles that used to be Gell’s nest and a pile of gravel that could have been a stone fort as was