Chapter 25 - The Gift of Knowledge

“Wait! WAIT!” Holly cried out.

There was no doubt the denizens of the hotel were irritated by the plant’s frenzied shouting. She cared not. She saw the lovely red petals of her fellow zalavan, and she needed him to know he hadn’t wasted his time.

“Oh, Holly we were- OOF!” Poor Cris was swept off his feet, tackled to the ground by the over-zealous holly tree.

“I’m sorry! I lost track of time at the library and-!”

Holly only ceased her babbling upon catching the stifled amusement of those standing above them. Rob and Kat both desperately tried and failed to hide how much they wanted to laugh.

The poor berry girl felt the fluster run through her face as she froze where she was perched.

“You’re crushing me-” and Cris’ weak protest sent her flying off of him.
“Sorry! Sorry!” she yelped.

“She’s got a new friend,” Kat chuckled, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Glad we didn’t miss her, huh?” Rob chimed in.

“We good here?” said Mick, Holly having failed to notice the presence of the Maestro.

Cris looked to his fellow zalavan. “Do you have everything?” asked the lycoris.

Holly nodded eagerly. “Mhm!”

---

Something felt… different about being part of Cris’ group. She felt safe. She felt good. Time passed a lot quicker as she talked with him.

Was this what it was like being with a Maestro? Maybe she understood the appeal a bit more. Her gaze kept getting drawn to the three tuners at Mick’s side; and the red button that graced each one.

At any point, he could just tap that button and…

“Holly?” Cris’ voice snapped the girl from her thoughts.
“Huh? I’m sorry, I must have spaced out,” she giggled.

She didn’t have him fooled as his gaze narrowed. “You know-” he suddenly began, “-I was the last to join Mick, filling his party.” The way he spoke was so pointed that Holly knew he was saying it for a reason.

Three Resonators. Mick had three and was considered “full”. She had seen a lot of Maestros with just one Resonator, but not many above that. Truthfully, Mick was the first she had seen with a trio that followed him.

“It is commonly agreed in the wider community that three Resonators is the most one Maestro can handle. It comes from both a rhythm perspective and an emotional one,” Mick stated, his eyes kept forward, arms folded across his chest.

Holly raised a brow. Cris filled her unspoken curiosity.

“Maestros provide their rhythm for Resonators to cast spells. They can be drained of all their rhythm if they cast too much,” said the lycoris.

“If three of us are all flinging spells, poor Micky will shrivel up and turn to ash,” said Kat in a teasing voice.

Rob grunted, joining his Maestro in macho stoicism. “Would rather not put the burden of protecting the three of us entirely on Cris. It’d get messy,” he spoke his own thoughts.

The solo Resonator of the group nodded. It was complicated, but it made some amount of sense. What was being unsaid was loud enough for Holly to grasp.

“You’re not welcome.”

They weren’t being rude about it. Just stating a fact. It was a hard fact, a cold one. Her heart ached. Eventually, they’d move on, without her.

If they were moving on, Holly would just make use of the time she still had.

“West flank,” the fruit-bearer snapped to as she was handed back her watch. So much for making use of that time – she had totally spaced out again!

She stepped off to the side and watched Mick register his trio for the evening’s festivities. He handed over the red, blue, and green tuners that bound Kat, Rob, and Cris to him. The three tuners were scanned into the computer the booth person had and then returned to their owner.

“Main group,” said the registrar.

Holly’s heart sank instantly. They were being sent elsewhere?

Cris must have spotted the devastation on Holly’s face, as he reached out and tugged on Mick’s shirt. The Maestro looked back at his Resonator, who jerked his head in Holly’s defeated direction.

With a dramatic sigh, he acquiesced to his Resonator’s implicit ask. “Actually, can she come with us instead?” Mick requested.

“Hm?” The booth attendant looked to the sullen zalavan, then to the second zalavan behind the Maestro.

“They’re friends,” Mick elaborated.

After a moment of consideration, the MA representative typed something on their computer. “Okay, you go with them to the main group,” they instructed.

Holly lit back up, smiling brightly. “’kay!”

---

The group of five made their way deep into the center of the northern forest that surrounded Ralevi.

Holly eyed the tiny fire lights that illuminated their way. Fuoco Fatuo they were called. A utility spell that made tiny balls of fire. Not enough to cause any damage, but provided enough light for this purpose. Seeing how tame the tiny fireballs were, she’d have to remember she had access to that through her pepper seeds.

They arrived where the other Maestros were gathered. It was a much larger grouping than she was used to seeing at these things. Probably nine or ten different groups. And Mick wasn’t the only one with more than one Resonator. She spotted a few groups where one Maestro stood with three Resonators behind them. Everyone else had at least two Resonators with them. Maybe the larger groups were assigned to the bulk of the work? It was difficult to know with her limited experience.

One of the Maestros suddenly spoke and started to dole out commands. As he did, the crowd began to thin as Maestros made their way out into the dense woods to take care of business.

“You got numbers over there, you five head north,” the Maestro directed Mick’s group (and by association Holly).

“Guess he didn’t realize you were a solo act,” Mick commented. He shrugged and motioned for Holly to follow.

Holly hummed; she really was living the Riterran Resonator experience. The only thing that was missing now was him calling spells of her. She wondered how that felt. Seed casting always felt so natural, like the seeds whispered what to do. Was Maestro spellcasting similar? The Maestro called the spells and the Resonators moved with such finesse, there was never a question about what they needed to do. It had to be similar.

“Rilevare l’intenzione, Lento,” Mick called.

Cris snapped to attention and performed the familiar motions of the mapping spell.

“Pretty thick out tonight. Wonder if the forecast predicted it,” Cris commented.
“Dunno, didn’t look before we left,” Mick replied, studying the map himself.

“Forecast?” asked Holly.
“The MA Offices can predict how heavy the Scherzando swarms are going to be in a given night,” Cris told her.

“It’s not an exact science though.” Kat shrugged with a sigh.
“They rely on us hunting and data from spells like hers to get the data,” Mick added.

Holly frowned at the failed pronoun check. She stole a glance at Cris; he seemed neutral to being referred to in the incorrect gender. Even with her disapproval, she couldn’t voice her concern – the mask didn’t allow it for some reason.

“That’s super neat!” was what she settled on instead.

The conversation lulled as they approached the first group of the night. It was a lot. Not as many Scherzando as that hunt that went poorly in Pietri, but they were outnumbered at what Holly could estimate as a five-to-one ratio.

Mick appeared unbothered by the numbers and sized up their potential adversaries. “K̷̻̈́a̸̧͠t̶̔͜h̸̻͂ṟ̴̍ỳ̸̬n̶͓͝, take point. R̷̠̈́o̶̯͊b̵̰͂e̶̙̾r̸̠͛t̵͊͜, I’ll need you in there too,” Mick advised.

“Hm?” Rob shot a look to his Maestro.

“I got the girls with me, I’ll be fine.” Mick motioned to the two zalavan on either side of him. He looked to Holly who flipped from a scowl to a sheepish wave. “Yeah, we’ll be fine,” he assured his Resonator.

“Alright, c’mon Spots, let's take care of business,” Rob grunted, stepping into battle. The cat was close behind.

Holly gathered herself, she couldn’t be bothered by anything but their safety at the moment.

The chaos started in an instant. The Scherzando had caught wind of the approaching hunters and immediately began flinging spells. A storm of elemental magic assaulted Rob and Kat who weren’t able to dodge all of it.

Holly noticed they were specific in the attacks they allowed to breach their defenses – it was elements they resisted. Kat allowed the fire and nature spells through, while Rob ensured no water got through to his teammate.

Mick began calling their spells. “Idrante, Piano Staccato! Lanciafiamme, Piano Staccato!” The basic spells of water and fire respectively, cast in such a way that Rob and Kat could take matters into their own hands.

“Rilevare l’intenzione, Lento Staccato, keep us updated,” Mick addressed Cris, who nodded and focused.

Holly placed her hand on a nearby tree and her eyes widened. It wasn’t nature magic that graced her grasp.

This was sound magic!

She didn’t think twice and called her spell. “Rapsodia di Miele, Legato!” Unlike before when she felt her body grab at her hollies, both aspects flooded into her. Sound met poison as she was filled to the brim with mixing rhythm.

Cris was transfixed on her as a vine wrapped around her arm, held out taut. With her bow of lightning, Holly placed it against her instrument of choice.

“KAT ROB GET BACK!” Cris shouted just as Holly began to play.

The two Resonators didn’t question the zalavan’s sudden cry and ran back to the safety of their Maestro and fellow Resonator.

With the two Resonators retreat, the Scherzando turned to the now fully gathered group. Before the delicious morsels got overrun by the savage beasts, a melody filled the air.

Holly played her make-shift instrument as if she had done so her entire life.

Rob struggled to stay awake as the melody hit him the hardest. Kat braced him and clapped his face a couple of times to keep him conscious. Mick and Cris were enraptured by the performance they had front-row seats to.

The berryless maiden slashed her vine repeatedly, the melody persisting, the sweet scent overwhelming. It was as if a pink and white angel had descended upon the forest, her song calming the raging beasts that knew only hunger. By the end of her performance, the Scherzando lay scattered across the ground, either groggy or fast asleep.

Rob and Kat were not spared from the effects of the ossia spell, barely remaining standing as they were slumped together. Thankfully Holly had the cure – literally. She grabbed a handful of passionfruit seeds and channeled their healing properties into herself. “Cancella il Ritmo, Tutti Staccato.”

Holly’s hands glowed with warm light as she tapped Mick, Rob, and Kat in turn, freeing them of the effects of the spell.

“Woah…” The realization hit the three now that they could concentrate properly. An entire swarm of Scherzando was piled up, ready to be dealt with. Rob and Kat channeled the magic provided by their Maestro and went to town.

While they cleaned up, Mick and Cris addressed Holly.

“I didn’t know you knew an ossia,” the Maestro said.
“That’s why you were looking for sound seeds!” Cris exclaimed in sudden understanding.

“Mhm! I saw someone use it in town and wanted to try it myself!” said Holly.

“Well thanks, we owe you one,” Mick chuckled.
“Huh?” Holly didn’t understand.

Mick flashed Cris’ tuner to her.

Rapsodia di Miele (NEW!)
Legato (NEW!)