Jerome woke up slowly, as not to disturb his mage-construct
familiar, Ba'aling. Ba'aling who since his on once blue eyes were now
purple and his vision was reduced to seeing mere colors. He had a limited
sense of touch. He knew for act that his butler, Simeon was making coffee
and though it was strongly scented he could no longer smell it from this
distance. But he could hear every sound he, his wife and all the other
servants made, even a floor down. The same spell that had altered his
senses of smell, sight and touch and had turned his skin gray also had
quintupled his listening abilities.
He was casting the spell that allowed him to perceive texture when he remembered that his majesty, King Archibald Tadanrynosk had ordered him to investigate a wrecked Alquirazen freighter found off of the coast of Zeyuse. Jerome had in turn invited his Blackcoat friends Petyr and Maerie Clindar, Mageknights of Zeyuse; Il Hoi and Hae Yue Kim, top ranked mage an Captain the Gaurdian Atomicmages of Karyen and their newly promoted apprentice Monica Kriete as well as most of the other non-Cirginian Blackcoats.
Following the maze of corridors by memory alone he finally reached the kitchen, where his raven-haired, violent wife, who was the only family he had since his mother had abandoned him and his adoptive parents had died, was eating her breakfast. "Did you have a good sleep?" she asked him. "Yeah," he kissed her cheek. "Here's your breakfast M'Lord" the pretty, young surving maid said bowing gracefully while carrying his breakfast tray "Lady Roxanne said that you were in a hurry and to just give you something you could quickly." "Thank you,"He wracked his memory for her name,"Jennifer." As he turned to walk away his wife called after him." Jer! I'm not coming, Lady Desment invited me for," she made a sour face," lukewarm tea, powdery cookies and old gossip." "Sounds like fun, but better you than me. Don't destroy anything and I'll see you later."
After walking up the steps to wake up his familiar, who now hung from his back like a winged, cat-faced ape. Jerome bolted the last of his cereal walked to the edge of the rooftop launch and landing pad for all flying things be they mage, horse or space ship. He leaned forward jumped and for a few seconds hung in mid air with Ba'aling muttering obscenities.
"Hold your tongue " he mindspoke at the construct,"and where in hell did you learn those words?" At Ba'aling's 'gee I wonder' shrug, he snapped open his white wings and started flying, with Ba'aling slightly ahead of him, eastward to his friend Petyr Clindar Mage-Knight of Zeyuse's house.
As he was flying over Karyen, leaving his own home, Deerbay, capital of the Alquirazen province of Tablin, which Jerome ruled, he remembered that Blackcoats Investigator Fredrick Gatten and Christeen Quesech were been missing.
While he was remembering that Ba'aling announced that Il Hoi and his Atomicmage wife, Hae Yue were approaching. Both Il Hoi, who went as Kim and Hae Yue, were Korean immigrants from Earth. They lived in Karyen and commanded high status from the people there.
They flew together in companionable silence, as Jerome had to concentrate. Until they reached the house Petyr shared with his wife Maerie in the center of Purpleseahorse, built on the ruins of Clindarstead, former capital of the former Zeyusian Province of Clindar.
As they landed Jerome saw that most of the people he'd invited were there, save for the M'Keans and the senior Rodneys.
He instantly identified the short black haired Caesar; the tall 18ft Numair and short red headed Rosalind, the shorter equally red headed Frixillilarey, Numair's wife and the flaming haired Firemage Richard, married to Rosalind.
Kim ambled over to talk with the silver haired 6 foot Jadrek and the bald J.P. Hae Yue had gone off somewhere. Jerome stood there until he saw the olive skinned blonde haired blob that he knew was Petyr. Petyr was talking to Jadrek's amber haired wife and black garbed sister-in-law, Kethry and Tarma as well as Caesar's, tall 8ft, twice his height wife, Cathrine.
With his overly good hearing Jerome could hear Jadrek asking if either Kim or Caesar knew where Fred, Christeen or where any of the other absentees were in his odd Chaiskurin accent, slightly reduced by the translator he wore.
"Soh Kim, Ceaz, anybody know whe'yah Fred, Christy und yhr parents arre? Tain't s'much zat Ahi miss Fred but we 'afen't seen zem since zey went t'goh look fayr yhr parents twenty days agoh. Zough, zen again, his ah, roommate 'asn't said anyzing about Fred being missing."
Caesar's parent's had been missing for a week now and their searchers, Fredrick and Christeen had yet to return. Rosemary was caring for her new son Timothy as well as the 108-year-old Caesar and Cathrine's great grandson Abner. The Rodney's were both 19 years Jerome's junior yet they were already great-grandparents, Jerome and Roxanne's only son, Malak, had died at age 13, 43 years ago.
"Honestly Jad, I don't know, I admit I haven't been as kind and understanding son as I should've been I do miss them and sincerely hope they are found." Caesar was staring right up at the taller, both six foot Kim and Jadrek, meaning he was really upset, because if he weren't he wouldn't be getting a crick in his neck staring at people two feet taller them him.
"How unlike Petyr he is," thought Jerome, " Pete would be up on his toes even if he were telling them a joke, but he'd tell it so seriously that they wouldn't get it. It's hard to believe that we're still friends as I have picked him up and thrown him, granted, he would've been more damaged had I not thrown him. Petyr hadn't appreciated being tossed 'at least 25ft ' by a 'mutant blonde or former blonde'." True, Petyr, standing at just 3'11 was an inch shorter then the Touwhnil Arch General. Caesar tended to stare right at the person he was talking to even if it wasn't their face. Petyr always stared at their face, even if it meant giving them a close up view of his large, seahorse like birthmark that would not go away, no matter what Petyr did.
"Hey! People I'd like to introduce you all to the newest Blackcoat!"
Everybody turned to stare at the tallish blonde haired woman that was coming through the door escorted by a tiger and a red tailed hawk.
"Everybody," Hae Yue was shouting," Please welcome Monica! The tiger is Jake and the hawk is Tobias." As everybody cheered or otherwise made the newcomer feel welcome, Jerome was aware of the others mounts staring at the tiger. Jerome knew for a fact that all of the horses from Frixillilarey and Rosalind's tiny Smiley and Thorn to Jadrek, Caesar and Numair's great stallions, Jasper, Pompadour and Mage and including his white deer Bannoch, were all very capable of defending themselves against more dangerous predators then a single tiger. Up above them Daemo, Jadrek's ancient spirit-eagle screamed a challenge at the red-tail.
"All right then people let's move on out!" Their host Petyr shouted. They all threw themselves into the ocean inlet that was near the Mageknight's home.
Upon entering the water all talk stopped, to give Jerome a chance to locate the wreck's direction and because he was ten yards ahead of everybody else save for the buoyant, tree-like Numair. They swam like such for a few hours as far as Jerome could remember. Then someone, maybe J.P called out a warning but it was to late for Jerome, he smashed right into the sub and blacked out.
Ba'aling stared at his master in shock as the greenish brown one with purple/red squiggle on forehead,"Petyr yes I remember," tried vainly to revive him. He felt guilty because he was Jerome's eyes and yet here he was unconsious as he had been ever since the new one, ahh Monica had retrieved him after he had collided with the sub. His friends, Sym, Caesar's cancer and Daemo tried to comfort him by telling him that Numair, who had been up front hadn't even seen it until right before it had hit Jerome.
As they towed the fallen Jerome in on Kim who was morphed into eastern dragon's back Evilmage Aratha watched and thought
"Ahh I see they have found my trap soon Asbattor will awakening and he'll want to retire poste haste so I shall send his brother Chalko, though a horse to apply to him for apprenticeship. Then I'll have one of the prisoners, hmm that Elizabeth Rodney, release the spell on him, thereby conveniently ridding myself of three problems, Elizabeth, Asbattor and Chalko."
Once, 103 years ago, Aratha hadn't been so evil, but after B'jong, a former Blackcoat had killed his father, a former Bluecoat named Nenonde while he was the ordeal chamber testing for Blackcoat. Nenonde had saved Chalko from being killed by the newest Blackcoat at the time, Rothin, had turned the 14-year-old Yellowcoat into a horse and blocked his memory. Even though B'jong had been punished Aratha still wanted all Blackcoats dead especially Jerome. Jerome had been the most powerful Blackcoat at the time and yet he hadn't brought Nenonde back to life even though he was able to.
Thinking of the horrible way his father had died still brought tears to his red eyes. As the blood hued tears traced their way down his bleached white face he turned his back on the appaloosa that Chalko had become, as if to hide his tears.
Unfortunately for Aratha, he didn't know that both Elizabeth and Jerome were immortal as were most of their, in Elizabeth's case, rescuers and in Jerome's case, cohorts.
A week after his month long convalescence following his concussion, Jerome received a psy-mail, the United Crigin version of e-mail from Petyr.
: Hey, Jer! You ok? Since we all figured that after your run in with the sub you'd want to retire, so M: Kean, found you an apprentice. You'll be meeting him on the ocean near Kim's house. I got Jad to escort you:
M: Kean had found a potential apprentice, he had found that he was 24 years old and Bluecoat potential but didn't say much else. Jadrek would escort him to where they would meet, in a boat flying distance from Kim's house, as Petyr had said. Since Jerome had retired from teaching, Petyr was busy following Zeyusian king Zakry Lonchenko's order's, in the hope of getting the Clindar province to be recreated after it's last Lord, Petyr's father had been executed for treason when Petyr was a baby.
The following day, Jerome and Jadrek flew out to where Jasper and the young man, Chalko Tipluran would meet them. As they were flying there Jerome had second and third thoughts as to whether or not he was sane enough to take on a student after giving all of his others up to Petyr following his accident.
By using Ba'aling's eyes as they approached the boat, he saw that this Chalko was a short, skinny appaloosa of Watermage potential but with some kind of Blue level spell on him.
Jerome instantly turned the gelding down after pointing out to Jadrek that it was in all of their best interest if he took on an apprentice of Blackcoat potential. Jadrek agreed and told his great red stallion, Jasper to take him back to 'whe-ya efer ze faker came from and for his eagle, Daemo and Monica's red-tail, Tobias, to follow the gelding.
After they returned the gelding, out of nowhere Jerome and Jadrek heard Daemo mindscream that Chalko had taken a flying frying pan and returned to a place resembling the Fortress of Aratha.
Daemo was sent to fetch the others who were able to come, while Tobias stayed back to watch the Fortress. Soon afterward everybody except for the people who hadn't been present at Petytr's house were present and ready to jump through the Transponder. With their supplies strapped to their mounts they enter the black wrought-iron gate of the Fortress.
The Blackcoats had miscalculated the speed that the gate would close. It was a terrible mistake, as Rosalind got caught in the gate and was now unconsious. By the time they had reached the fleeing gelding only Jerome and Jadrek were the only ones left functional.
All of a sudden, Chalko jumped out from behind a pillar and began attacking them. Granted, all of the Blackcoats were immortal, none of them really enjoyed having, in Caesar's opinion, 'a crazed, imbecilic, bastard son of a rabid bitch and a liar try to kill you'. Jadrek offered to take on the gelding, to give them a chance to reach Aratha without the gelding warning the Evilmage.
"Wy don Ahi handle ze gelding, save yh fayr Araza?" "Yes please do." "On it Jer!"
At first the battle seemed to be going well with Chalko attempting to hit the incredibly agile Grand Blademaster with bolts of untrained magic which Jadrek was easily side stepping.
Then Jadrek, for some unknown reason, began using one of his skills as a Talent removed the gelding's magic. Jerome had sensed that the spell on him was tied to his magic and that removing his magic would cause an explosion. He shouted at the man to stop but the Blademaster was to quick. The huge explosion that followed threw Jadrek into the legs of Caesar's gold stallion Pompadour. Caesar who had been recovering from a minor concussion sat straight up and started swearing about being awoken from the trance he had put himself in to heal faster, as a Blackcoat cannot be healed magically. A strange thing happened as the remains of the spell enveloped the others, the two who had been injured through the use of magic, Cathrine knocked out while in her battle-morph of a flaming black and red demon tiger and Petyr suffering from a power-leach disease, had been healed.
After the dust cleared a tall blonde-haired, blue- eyed young man of say 24 lay curled in a fetal position on the floor where a horse had once lain. Jerome realized with a start that Chalko as a human looked just like he had at that age, 103 years ago. At least his memory told him, he couldn't see and Ba'aling had been knocked out. Chalko as a human sat up then looked up at him and smiled,"Hello big brother!"
As Jerome stared at him, the lad continued.
"Jerome Bannoch Teheran Tablin, the name you have used is not your true name but rather Asbattor Tipluran is. Our mother gave birth to you when she was 14 and abandoned you on Brechin and Eliya Tablin's doorstep when you 4 months old." "How do you know all this!?"? "Aratha djin Nenonde, the Nenonde that saved me from the clutches of Rothin, the Nenode whose death at the hands of B'Jong spurred Aratha's quest for revenge." "Well if you know so much about Jerome and Aratha, why don't you tell us something useful for a change. Like where is Aratha and where can the rest of us hide until Jerome is done with Aratha!" Cathrine snarled at Chalko. "Sure, leave it to me, just because have seniority over the rest of you lazy bums." Jerome snarled," I can't even see damnitall!' "You are the only one of us fully functional and I am dead certain that Caesar, Jadrek, Petyr and Monica all agree!" Monica had been holding shields over the injured and was to exhausted to do much else. "If yh cha so-wuh hworried about not being able' t' see. Well, let Jasper be yhr eyes ayjakay." In short Jadrek was volunteering the use of his prized stallion. "I assume you think that if you pressure me enough I'll do it, but since I appear to have no choice what so ever I'll do it." Jasper stepped forward and he mounted. "All right Chalko, lead us to a place where my companions can wait then take me to where I may battle Aratha!" "Yesss,"Chalko was rubbing his hands together gleefully,"come, I'll take you to my secret grove."
The path Chalko took them on was twisted and very hard to follow but when they arrived they were glad that they did.
The grove wasn't very big, with only a small stand of trees, some grass and a spring, but it was shelter.
After making sure the injured were comfortable and guards set up. Jerome and Chalko left to go find Aratha. They hadn't gone for when Chalko indicated that Aratha was behind a heavy looking golden door Jerome entered mounted on Jasper.
"Welcome who enters to challenge me? How painful shall I make your death?" Boomed the black clad ivory skinned figure on a balcony over looking a stadium.
"I, Jerome Bannoch Teheran Tablin challenge you to a life or death match!" challenged Jerome.
" Oh, it's you Jerome. I think I shall end you life very, very painfully, just the way my father was killed."
"Can it Aratha, prepare to meet your match. Oh, and you forget, bastard that I am immortal and you do not have access to any of the immortality drain spells!" Jerome snarled.
"Oh! Is that so, going to use the mighty powers that couldn't save my father to end my life! Ha ha ha be my guest! Remember, freak, there are ways around immotality, notice that I have inprisoned your friends!"
"Why I didn't revive your father is my business, fool! He's dead, damnit, get over it! Nor will you be able to hold your prisoneres once they recover their powers!"
Enraged, Aratha jumped over a balcony while firing a levin-bolt at the Blackcoat. Jasper, instinctivly jumped over bolts, while Jerome counter-attacked with a target-seeking fireball. The ball hit Aratha head on burning his shirt off and throwing him backwards. He then summoned a swarm of snapping lizard birds that spit acid. Aratha didn't have time to react before a viridian colored thunderbolt came down on him. Aratha called the ground out from under him and Jasper. Jasper fell through but Jerome managed to grab the side and pull himself up. He was fine, his only problem being he couldn't see clearly. A glowing red dagger hit his shoulder and after a brief gasp, he put the pain behind him. He retaliated with a spell that turned Aratha to stone. He then called up a spell that caused the statue to explode thereby destroying Aratha.
He snarled at the shards, "A lesson learned to late fool, never tangle with an enraged Blackcoat!" Then he collapsed.
As he was lying on the side of the pit, after levitating Jasper out of it, catching his breath, and stanching the bleeding in his shoulder Chalko came in and asked if he wanted to free the prisoners.
"I will, can you describe them," the mage answered with a sick feeling in his gut.
"One, male about 6'1", black hair, cancer, Two, female, 5'3" blond hair, limp, both are about the same age as you and your olive-skinned compatriot. Three, female, strawberry blonde, gray eyes, long, ragged scar running from scalp to throat around 5ft 6, left foot appears to have been broken at least twice and healed properly once. Lastly, a male, blue-tipped black Mohawk and blond dredlocks, aquamarine contacts one broken in half. His nose is all out of joint and he has a hoofprint shaped scar on his chest. Any ideas?"
"Yes, the man is Caesar Rodney XXV but we call him Rodney, as not to confuse him with his son, also Caesar and the woman is his wife, Elizabeth. The other two must be Christeen and Fred!"
"Ahh, so you do know them. Why are there so many Caesar Rodneys? Where did this Fred get his hair? Ahh well, we'll ask him. Come, I'll take you to their prison."
Chalko led him through a door across the room. Behind the door was a cage, in the cage Rodney, his wife, Christeen and Fred were chained to the back wall.
Jasper mindspoke him," Jer, Jad keeps a set of lock picks in the secret pocket of his left saddlebag." Jerome dug in the saddlebag for Jadrek's lock picks. After producing the correct pick he, with some effort picked the cage lock, then freed the prisoners.
After a tearful reunion between Caesar and his parents and between Christeen and Fred and their friends, the Blackcoats decided to leave. After contacting Fred's lover, Grandhealer Stephen Trombetin, who had been just about to report Fred's absence, Urtho, who had recovered from a broken shoulder, teleported them back to safety.
He was casting the spell that allowed him to perceive texture when he remembered that his majesty, King Archibald Tadanrynosk had ordered him to investigate a wrecked Alquirazen freighter found off of the coast of Zeyuse. Jerome had in turn invited his Blackcoat friends Petyr and Maerie Clindar, Mageknights of Zeyuse; Il Hoi and Hae Yue Kim, top ranked mage an Captain the Gaurdian Atomicmages of Karyen and their newly promoted apprentice Monica Kriete as well as most of the other non-Cirginian Blackcoats.
Following the maze of corridors by memory alone he finally reached the kitchen, where his raven-haired, violent wife, who was the only family he had since his mother had abandoned him and his adoptive parents had died, was eating her breakfast. "Did you have a good sleep?" she asked him. "Yeah," he kissed her cheek. "Here's your breakfast M'Lord" the pretty, young surving maid said bowing gracefully while carrying his breakfast tray "Lady Roxanne said that you were in a hurry and to just give you something you could quickly." "Thank you,"He wracked his memory for her name,"Jennifer." As he turned to walk away his wife called after him." Jer! I'm not coming, Lady Desment invited me for," she made a sour face," lukewarm tea, powdery cookies and old gossip." "Sounds like fun, but better you than me. Don't destroy anything and I'll see you later."
After walking up the steps to wake up his familiar, who now hung from his back like a winged, cat-faced ape. Jerome bolted the last of his cereal walked to the edge of the rooftop launch and landing pad for all flying things be they mage, horse or space ship. He leaned forward jumped and for a few seconds hung in mid air with Ba'aling muttering obscenities.
"Hold your tongue " he mindspoke at the construct,"and where in hell did you learn those words?" At Ba'aling's 'gee I wonder' shrug, he snapped open his white wings and started flying, with Ba'aling slightly ahead of him, eastward to his friend Petyr Clindar Mage-Knight of Zeyuse's house.
As he was flying over Karyen, leaving his own home, Deerbay, capital of the Alquirazen province of Tablin, which Jerome ruled, he remembered that Blackcoats Investigator Fredrick Gatten and Christeen Quesech were been missing.
While he was remembering that Ba'aling announced that Il Hoi and his Atomicmage wife, Hae Yue were approaching. Both Il Hoi, who went as Kim and Hae Yue, were Korean immigrants from Earth. They lived in Karyen and commanded high status from the people there.
They flew together in companionable silence, as Jerome had to concentrate. Until they reached the house Petyr shared with his wife Maerie in the center of Purpleseahorse, built on the ruins of Clindarstead, former capital of the former Zeyusian Province of Clindar.
As they landed Jerome saw that most of the people he'd invited were there, save for the M'Keans and the senior Rodneys.
He instantly identified the short black haired Caesar; the tall 18ft Numair and short red headed Rosalind, the shorter equally red headed Frixillilarey, Numair's wife and the flaming haired Firemage Richard, married to Rosalind.
Kim ambled over to talk with the silver haired 6 foot Jadrek and the bald J.P. Hae Yue had gone off somewhere. Jerome stood there until he saw the olive skinned blonde haired blob that he knew was Petyr. Petyr was talking to Jadrek's amber haired wife and black garbed sister-in-law, Kethry and Tarma as well as Caesar's, tall 8ft, twice his height wife, Cathrine.
With his overly good hearing Jerome could hear Jadrek asking if either Kim or Caesar knew where Fred, Christeen or where any of the other absentees were in his odd Chaiskurin accent, slightly reduced by the translator he wore.
"Soh Kim, Ceaz, anybody know whe'yah Fred, Christy und yhr parents arre? Tain't s'much zat Ahi miss Fred but we 'afen't seen zem since zey went t'goh look fayr yhr parents twenty days agoh. Zough, zen again, his ah, roommate 'asn't said anyzing about Fred being missing."
Caesar's parent's had been missing for a week now and their searchers, Fredrick and Christeen had yet to return. Rosemary was caring for her new son Timothy as well as the 108-year-old Caesar and Cathrine's great grandson Abner. The Rodney's were both 19 years Jerome's junior yet they were already great-grandparents, Jerome and Roxanne's only son, Malak, had died at age 13, 43 years ago.
"Honestly Jad, I don't know, I admit I haven't been as kind and understanding son as I should've been I do miss them and sincerely hope they are found." Caesar was staring right up at the taller, both six foot Kim and Jadrek, meaning he was really upset, because if he weren't he wouldn't be getting a crick in his neck staring at people two feet taller them him.
"How unlike Petyr he is," thought Jerome, " Pete would be up on his toes even if he were telling them a joke, but he'd tell it so seriously that they wouldn't get it. It's hard to believe that we're still friends as I have picked him up and thrown him, granted, he would've been more damaged had I not thrown him. Petyr hadn't appreciated being tossed 'at least 25ft ' by a 'mutant blonde or former blonde'." True, Petyr, standing at just 3'11 was an inch shorter then the Touwhnil Arch General. Caesar tended to stare right at the person he was talking to even if it wasn't their face. Petyr always stared at their face, even if it meant giving them a close up view of his large, seahorse like birthmark that would not go away, no matter what Petyr did.
"Hey! People I'd like to introduce you all to the newest Blackcoat!"
Everybody turned to stare at the tallish blonde haired woman that was coming through the door escorted by a tiger and a red tailed hawk.
"Everybody," Hae Yue was shouting," Please welcome Monica! The tiger is Jake and the hawk is Tobias." As everybody cheered or otherwise made the newcomer feel welcome, Jerome was aware of the others mounts staring at the tiger. Jerome knew for a fact that all of the horses from Frixillilarey and Rosalind's tiny Smiley and Thorn to Jadrek, Caesar and Numair's great stallions, Jasper, Pompadour and Mage and including his white deer Bannoch, were all very capable of defending themselves against more dangerous predators then a single tiger. Up above them Daemo, Jadrek's ancient spirit-eagle screamed a challenge at the red-tail.
"All right then people let's move on out!" Their host Petyr shouted. They all threw themselves into the ocean inlet that was near the Mageknight's home.
Upon entering the water all talk stopped, to give Jerome a chance to locate the wreck's direction and because he was ten yards ahead of everybody else save for the buoyant, tree-like Numair. They swam like such for a few hours as far as Jerome could remember. Then someone, maybe J.P called out a warning but it was to late for Jerome, he smashed right into the sub and blacked out.
Ba'aling stared at his master in shock as the greenish brown one with purple/red squiggle on forehead,"Petyr yes I remember," tried vainly to revive him. He felt guilty because he was Jerome's eyes and yet here he was unconsious as he had been ever since the new one, ahh Monica had retrieved him after he had collided with the sub. His friends, Sym, Caesar's cancer and Daemo tried to comfort him by telling him that Numair, who had been up front hadn't even seen it until right before it had hit Jerome.
As they towed the fallen Jerome in on Kim who was morphed into eastern dragon's back Evilmage Aratha watched and thought
"Ahh I see they have found my trap soon Asbattor will awakening and he'll want to retire poste haste so I shall send his brother Chalko, though a horse to apply to him for apprenticeship. Then I'll have one of the prisoners, hmm that Elizabeth Rodney, release the spell on him, thereby conveniently ridding myself of three problems, Elizabeth, Asbattor and Chalko."
Once, 103 years ago, Aratha hadn't been so evil, but after B'jong, a former Blackcoat had killed his father, a former Bluecoat named Nenonde while he was the ordeal chamber testing for Blackcoat. Nenonde had saved Chalko from being killed by the newest Blackcoat at the time, Rothin, had turned the 14-year-old Yellowcoat into a horse and blocked his memory. Even though B'jong had been punished Aratha still wanted all Blackcoats dead especially Jerome. Jerome had been the most powerful Blackcoat at the time and yet he hadn't brought Nenonde back to life even though he was able to.
Thinking of the horrible way his father had died still brought tears to his red eyes. As the blood hued tears traced their way down his bleached white face he turned his back on the appaloosa that Chalko had become, as if to hide his tears.
Unfortunately for Aratha, he didn't know that both Elizabeth and Jerome were immortal as were most of their, in Elizabeth's case, rescuers and in Jerome's case, cohorts.
A week after his month long convalescence following his concussion, Jerome received a psy-mail, the United Crigin version of e-mail from Petyr.
: Hey, Jer! You ok? Since we all figured that after your run in with the sub you'd want to retire, so M: Kean, found you an apprentice. You'll be meeting him on the ocean near Kim's house. I got Jad to escort you:
M: Kean had found a potential apprentice, he had found that he was 24 years old and Bluecoat potential but didn't say much else. Jadrek would escort him to where they would meet, in a boat flying distance from Kim's house, as Petyr had said. Since Jerome had retired from teaching, Petyr was busy following Zeyusian king Zakry Lonchenko's order's, in the hope of getting the Clindar province to be recreated after it's last Lord, Petyr's father had been executed for treason when Petyr was a baby.
The following day, Jerome and Jadrek flew out to where Jasper and the young man, Chalko Tipluran would meet them. As they were flying there Jerome had second and third thoughts as to whether or not he was sane enough to take on a student after giving all of his others up to Petyr following his accident.
By using Ba'aling's eyes as they approached the boat, he saw that this Chalko was a short, skinny appaloosa of Watermage potential but with some kind of Blue level spell on him.
Jerome instantly turned the gelding down after pointing out to Jadrek that it was in all of their best interest if he took on an apprentice of Blackcoat potential. Jadrek agreed and told his great red stallion, Jasper to take him back to 'whe-ya efer ze faker came from and for his eagle, Daemo and Monica's red-tail, Tobias, to follow the gelding.
After they returned the gelding, out of nowhere Jerome and Jadrek heard Daemo mindscream that Chalko had taken a flying frying pan and returned to a place resembling the Fortress of Aratha.
Daemo was sent to fetch the others who were able to come, while Tobias stayed back to watch the Fortress. Soon afterward everybody except for the people who hadn't been present at Petytr's house were present and ready to jump through the Transponder. With their supplies strapped to their mounts they enter the black wrought-iron gate of the Fortress.
The Blackcoats had miscalculated the speed that the gate would close. It was a terrible mistake, as Rosalind got caught in the gate and was now unconsious. By the time they had reached the fleeing gelding only Jerome and Jadrek were the only ones left functional.
All of a sudden, Chalko jumped out from behind a pillar and began attacking them. Granted, all of the Blackcoats were immortal, none of them really enjoyed having, in Caesar's opinion, 'a crazed, imbecilic, bastard son of a rabid bitch and a liar try to kill you'. Jadrek offered to take on the gelding, to give them a chance to reach Aratha without the gelding warning the Evilmage.
"Wy don Ahi handle ze gelding, save yh fayr Araza?" "Yes please do." "On it Jer!"
At first the battle seemed to be going well with Chalko attempting to hit the incredibly agile Grand Blademaster with bolts of untrained magic which Jadrek was easily side stepping.
Then Jadrek, for some unknown reason, began using one of his skills as a Talent removed the gelding's magic. Jerome had sensed that the spell on him was tied to his magic and that removing his magic would cause an explosion. He shouted at the man to stop but the Blademaster was to quick. The huge explosion that followed threw Jadrek into the legs of Caesar's gold stallion Pompadour. Caesar who had been recovering from a minor concussion sat straight up and started swearing about being awoken from the trance he had put himself in to heal faster, as a Blackcoat cannot be healed magically. A strange thing happened as the remains of the spell enveloped the others, the two who had been injured through the use of magic, Cathrine knocked out while in her battle-morph of a flaming black and red demon tiger and Petyr suffering from a power-leach disease, had been healed.
After the dust cleared a tall blonde-haired, blue- eyed young man of say 24 lay curled in a fetal position on the floor where a horse had once lain. Jerome realized with a start that Chalko as a human looked just like he had at that age, 103 years ago. At least his memory told him, he couldn't see and Ba'aling had been knocked out. Chalko as a human sat up then looked up at him and smiled,"Hello big brother!"
As Jerome stared at him, the lad continued.
"Jerome Bannoch Teheran Tablin, the name you have used is not your true name but rather Asbattor Tipluran is. Our mother gave birth to you when she was 14 and abandoned you on Brechin and Eliya Tablin's doorstep when you 4 months old." "How do you know all this!?"? "Aratha djin Nenonde, the Nenonde that saved me from the clutches of Rothin, the Nenode whose death at the hands of B'Jong spurred Aratha's quest for revenge." "Well if you know so much about Jerome and Aratha, why don't you tell us something useful for a change. Like where is Aratha and where can the rest of us hide until Jerome is done with Aratha!" Cathrine snarled at Chalko. "Sure, leave it to me, just because have seniority over the rest of you lazy bums." Jerome snarled," I can't even see damnitall!' "You are the only one of us fully functional and I am dead certain that Caesar, Jadrek, Petyr and Monica all agree!" Monica had been holding shields over the injured and was to exhausted to do much else. "If yh cha so-wuh hworried about not being able' t' see. Well, let Jasper be yhr eyes ayjakay." In short Jadrek was volunteering the use of his prized stallion. "I assume you think that if you pressure me enough I'll do it, but since I appear to have no choice what so ever I'll do it." Jasper stepped forward and he mounted. "All right Chalko, lead us to a place where my companions can wait then take me to where I may battle Aratha!" "Yesss,"Chalko was rubbing his hands together gleefully,"come, I'll take you to my secret grove."
The path Chalko took them on was twisted and very hard to follow but when they arrived they were glad that they did.
The grove wasn't very big, with only a small stand of trees, some grass and a spring, but it was shelter.
After making sure the injured were comfortable and guards set up. Jerome and Chalko left to go find Aratha. They hadn't gone for when Chalko indicated that Aratha was behind a heavy looking golden door Jerome entered mounted on Jasper.
"Welcome who enters to challenge me? How painful shall I make your death?" Boomed the black clad ivory skinned figure on a balcony over looking a stadium.
"I, Jerome Bannoch Teheran Tablin challenge you to a life or death match!" challenged Jerome.
" Oh, it's you Jerome. I think I shall end you life very, very painfully, just the way my father was killed."
"Can it Aratha, prepare to meet your match. Oh, and you forget, bastard that I am immortal and you do not have access to any of the immortality drain spells!" Jerome snarled.
"Oh! Is that so, going to use the mighty powers that couldn't save my father to end my life! Ha ha ha be my guest! Remember, freak, there are ways around immotality, notice that I have inprisoned your friends!"
"Why I didn't revive your father is my business, fool! He's dead, damnit, get over it! Nor will you be able to hold your prisoneres once they recover their powers!"
Enraged, Aratha jumped over a balcony while firing a levin-bolt at the Blackcoat. Jasper, instinctivly jumped over bolts, while Jerome counter-attacked with a target-seeking fireball. The ball hit Aratha head on burning his shirt off and throwing him backwards. He then summoned a swarm of snapping lizard birds that spit acid. Aratha didn't have time to react before a viridian colored thunderbolt came down on him. Aratha called the ground out from under him and Jasper. Jasper fell through but Jerome managed to grab the side and pull himself up. He was fine, his only problem being he couldn't see clearly. A glowing red dagger hit his shoulder and after a brief gasp, he put the pain behind him. He retaliated with a spell that turned Aratha to stone. He then called up a spell that caused the statue to explode thereby destroying Aratha.
He snarled at the shards, "A lesson learned to late fool, never tangle with an enraged Blackcoat!" Then he collapsed.
As he was lying on the side of the pit, after levitating Jasper out of it, catching his breath, and stanching the bleeding in his shoulder Chalko came in and asked if he wanted to free the prisoners.
"I will, can you describe them," the mage answered with a sick feeling in his gut.
"One, male about 6'1", black hair, cancer, Two, female, 5'3" blond hair, limp, both are about the same age as you and your olive-skinned compatriot. Three, female, strawberry blonde, gray eyes, long, ragged scar running from scalp to throat around 5ft 6, left foot appears to have been broken at least twice and healed properly once. Lastly, a male, blue-tipped black Mohawk and blond dredlocks, aquamarine contacts one broken in half. His nose is all out of joint and he has a hoofprint shaped scar on his chest. Any ideas?"
"Yes, the man is Caesar Rodney XXV but we call him Rodney, as not to confuse him with his son, also Caesar and the woman is his wife, Elizabeth. The other two must be Christeen and Fred!"
"Ahh, so you do know them. Why are there so many Caesar Rodneys? Where did this Fred get his hair? Ahh well, we'll ask him. Come, I'll take you to their prison."
Chalko led him through a door across the room. Behind the door was a cage, in the cage Rodney, his wife, Christeen and Fred were chained to the back wall.
Jasper mindspoke him," Jer, Jad keeps a set of lock picks in the secret pocket of his left saddlebag." Jerome dug in the saddlebag for Jadrek's lock picks. After producing the correct pick he, with some effort picked the cage lock, then freed the prisoners.
After a tearful reunion between Caesar and his parents and between Christeen and Fred and their friends, the Blackcoats decided to leave. After contacting Fred's lover, Grandhealer Stephen Trombetin, who had been just about to report Fred's absence, Urtho, who had recovered from a broken shoulder, teleported them back to safety.