Novels by Jeremiah

"It transforms the symbols into a quincunx," declared Master Zoltar as he raised three wristbands from a stone table that appeared to be carved from a single piece of rock. The wristbands, which were wide leather cuffs with a strip of iron riveted into the cuffs and secured with a matching metal buckle, elicited awe from Samantha as she picked up her own wristband."Wow," she breathed.Fin, however, remained skeptical. "Are they magic?" he asked."These wristbands symbolize your advancement in the Memora. If you successfully pass your end-of-year examination, you will receive a higher rank," Master Zoltar explained. "The first rank, Arcanum, is represented by iron, followed by Aureum, then Obsidian, Platinum, and finally, Diamond. Once you have completed your Diamond Year, you will be considered a journeyman mage, eligible for admission to the Collegium. "In answer to your question, Fin, yes, these wristbands are magic," he added. "They have been crafted by a metal shaper and serve a

The enormity of the entrance hall astounded Fin, its sheer size dwarfing any interior space he had ever encountered. Its dimensions could comfortably accommodate three regulation-sized basketball courts, with ample room left to spare. The flooring was made of glittering mica, which he had previously seen in the apparition in the airplane hangar, while the walls were adorned with flowstone, resembling the result of thousands of wax candles that had melted and trickled down the surface. Stalagmites jutted out along the edges of the room, while stalactites hung low, almost touching in certain areas. A radiant blue river bisected the chamber, its luminosity reminiscent of a brilliant sapphire. It flowed in from one archway and out through another, a carved stone bridge spanning its course. Intricate patterns were etched into the sides of the bridge, patterns unfamiliar to Fin yet reminiscent of the markings on the dagger his father had thrown to him.As the new apprentices from the Trial

FIN STOOD resolutely before a towering mountain facade, with verdant forests flanking his position on either side. Yet, directly before him loomed a pair of immense double doors, exhibiting a pallid, weather-worn appearance. Their iron hinges were twisted into ornate spirals that curled inward upon each other, and Fin envisaged that in the absence of the luminosity cast by the bus headlights, these doors would have been nearly imperceptible. Etched into the rock above the portals was a symbol that was alien to him, and below it were inscribed the words: "The flame yearns to ignite, the currents aspire to flow, the winds crave to soar, the earth yearns to anchor, and dark hungers to consume." The word "consume" sent a chill down his spine, and he contemplated his last opportunity to flee. However, he realized that he was not fleet-footed and that there was nowhere for him to escape to.The cohort of aspiring mages had obtained their apparatus and were now congregating, mirroring the st

The nocturnal bus journeyed deeper into the stygian wilderness, as the last vestiges of twilight vanished from the horizon. Through the window, Fin gazed upon the celestial expanse, speckled with countless glittering constellations. The dense, leafy foliage of the forest and jagged rocks were obscured by the enveloping darkness, rendering them indistinct and eerie."And that's precisely what the Deathless one is waiting for, a chance to breach the Treaty," interjected Frost, his tone sardonic."He wasn't the sole practitioner of magic in his generation," Samantha added, her voice reverberating with reverence and conviction, as she recounted out the tale she'd learned by heart. "There was another, a valiant champion named Radiant Storm, who was slightly older than us, but she fought valiantly against the Deathless one and we were gaining ground. Unfortunately, the Deathless one committed the most heinous act imaginable." Lowering her voice, Samantha continued, "All knew that a great ba

Fin was plagued by a deep-seated aversion towards the school bus. His social awkwardness and perceived oddities had rendered him friendless, and even among the cohort of aspiring mages during the Trial, he stood out as peculiar. Yet, the bus offered him a modicum of solace, affording him a row of seats to himself, likely due to the unpleasant odor of burning tires he emitted. At this moment, all he yearned for was solitude to reflect on the recent traumatic events and the loss of his father. He felt a pang of regret for not having a phone to hear his father's voice one last time, and to seek guidance on his next course of action.As the bus embarked on its journey, Master Eldritch rose to address the students, detailing the structure of the Arcanum Year program. The students were to remain at the school for the winter, as it was deemed unsafe for them to return home with only partial training. The curriculum entailed working with their respective Masters throughout the week, attending

Fin's father's sudden recoil was inadequate, as two mages forcibly pried Fin from his grasp. The father's outcry filled the air, but Fin's thrashing and resistance proved fruitless as he was hauled over to Lance and Samantha, who appeared petrified. Fin retaliated by launching a well-aimed elbow at one of his captors, eliciting a pained groan and causing his arm to be wrenched behind his back. The reaction from the assembled parents, who had come to observe their children's aerodynamics schooling, was a mystery to Fin."Fin! Listen not to their deceitful words!" His father's fervent shout echoed as he was being escorted out of the hangar by other mages. "They are ignorant of your true nature!" Despite the commotion, Fin struggled to comprehend the surreal events unfold.Suddenly, a glimmering object caught Fin's eye. Unbeknownst to him, his father had broken free and had thrown a dagger toward him. The projectile flew with uncanny accuracy, its blade aimed straight at Fin. In a daze,

General Okto-Bar had been a man of battle, but had found his true calling at Alpha Station. He had found a fascination and an odd sort of peace in managing the goings-on of the vast station, and he had done so ably for the last four years. He had grown fond of the aliens who, like him, called this place "home," and had made friendships among their number that would last a lifetime. The thought of peril to them, to his fellow humans, to this station that for centuries had stood as a beacon of harmonious interaction and interspecies goodwill and cooperation—it was unacceptable.He had anticipated, with good reason, that if he continued to smoothly manage the day-to-day troubles of so enormous a collection of beings, he would be rewarded with a promotion to commander of the place he loved. But Commander Arun Filitt had always been a more immediately arresting figure, and when it was time for Filitt's superiors to give him something to do, Filitt had been given the command of Alpha Statio

Oktobar frowned. "That's odd. It looks like they're not trying to escape into open space—they're heading right back..." His voice trailed off. The two red dots were approaching the radioactive area at the heart of the station."You're near the dead zone," warned Eliza. "Reel them in before I lose you!"Jasper, frenzied, shot back, "I'm working on it!"Eliza kept her eyes glued to the map, watching with increasing agitation as the red dots that signified Commander Filitt and Jasper drew closer together even as they edged toward the zone that was bombarded with radiation."Jasper?" she said. "I'm going to lose you in ten seconds.""I can't slow them down!" Jasper snapped."Five seconds...""Oh, shit!" Jasper shouted.Then, silence.The red dots had disappeared off the map. Eliza's heart contracted. "Jasper? Jasper, do you read me?"There was no answer. No sign of life.Eliza whirled to Oktobar. "I need a Sky Jet!""Sergeant Eliza, you can't go after him." Oktobar's voice was harsh."Why

Puzzled, Eliza glanced at her map. She turned the dial. The map spun. She gasped, horrified, as she realized that eighty-one became eighteen.“Alex? You are on eighty-one?”“Affirmative, Sergeant.”“Sorry, my mistake,” said Eliza. “It’s number eighteen!”“Great!” came Jasper’s voice. “See? I trust you more than I trust myself, and look where it gets me!”Eliza felt her cheeks grow hot. “Alex? Pick him up! On eighteen!”She waited, biting her bottom lip. It felt like hours, but it was only about ten seconds before she heard a breathless, irritated Jasper gasp, “Thanks, Alex! Bring on the beach!”Eliza allowed herself a relieved smile.Jasper switched his suit to normal mode and clambered into the cockpit. Energy returned to him in the form of adrenaline as the ship filled his screen and he realized that this was definitely the right place. The vessel docked in bay eighteen-not-eighty-one looked exactly like the sort of ships the pale, beautiful Pearls would build. It was huge, and its

There had, surprisingly and fortunately, been no casualties among the extraterrestrials gathered in the security hall. It seemed that the commander's soldiers had been good enough shots to avoid collateral damage, and the weapons the Pearls had used only incapacitated. The converter had been completely unharmed, and a quick check revealed that it had slept through the whole ordeal. Within a few moments, Eliza and General Okto-Bar were back in the control room. Both of them placed their hands on the ID screen."Status on Major Jasper. Level Five. Emergency," Eliza stated, keeping her voice calm and cool."Accepted," answered Okto-Bar.Eliza called up a map of the space station on the screen and typed in the code. A red light appeared on the map. It looked like Jasper was deep in the heart of the technological section of the station. He was right in the middle of a major intersection."Jasper? I've got you on visual," she said."Okay, but I've lost track of them. Try to locate the comma

Jasper's gaze darted from the screen to the crowd and back again. The red warning light was flickering faster now, and the adrenaline was kicking in.“Eliza? Dammit, I need to know the attackers’ identity! Who is it?”“I’m sorry, Major, but I cannot read their DNA,” Eliza replied.“What?” exclaimed Jasper. That simply couldn’t be. The Intruder XB982 was programmed with the DNA of every known sentient life form. Eliza couldn’t possibly—The far wall of the reception hall exploded. Cries of terror went up as several of the guests were knocked off their feet. Jasper stared, stunned at what he was seeing.A dozen slender, gray-robed figures suddenly poured into the hall. Beneath their hoods, their blue-eyed, bone-white—pearl-white, Jasper realized—faces were set in expressions of determination. They lifted something that looked like gracefully fashioned glass or ceramic vases, except instead of being carried upright, they were held so the opening faced forward. In their bulbous lower part

Three squat aliens, all about four feet tall, stood in front of Eliza. Their stubby, four-fingered hands were in the air, and their small, beady eyes were wide as they stared down the lengths of their elongated, trunklike muzzles at Eliza. They were brown and wrinkled and stooped, with sparse hair sticking up here and there.Eliza had drawn her weapon, startled at having someone come up behind her, but now she lowered it, and they lowered their arms.“Nice to see you again,” one of them said. He had a smudge of blue around his eyes.“Agent Eliza,” the second chimed in. This one, too, had markings around his eyes, except his were burgundy-colored.The third Doghan Daguis, whose markings were yellow, completed the sentence. “As resplendent as ever.”“What the hell are you doing here?” Eliza snapped.“We go where work calls—”“—We can speak over five thousand languages—”“—which can come in handy—”“—at a party like this,” the first finished. The second one added, “Need our services?”El