JMH

Chapter Thirty The Offer It was a grand homecoming when James led the fleet back to Aquanos. Once again the Centurions, or more precisely Xavier, had not believed that Jadoor would come back so soon after having left Aquanos so unexpectedly,. The newly crowned emperor was more concerned with the threat of revolt from his own men who were uneasy about his treatment of the Legatio, than another attack. As a result, the city fell faster than in the first invasion. But, t

Chapter Fourteen: Failed Duty “Puggles scared. Puggles wants Talon safe. Puggles wants to go home.” It had been five day cycles since the two of them had escaped into the Maze and Puggles had moaned and complained every step of the way. “Jeez Pugs, I don’t see what you have to complain about. You don’t have to worry about running out of food and water.” “I do too!” “How?” “I worry about you. What is Puggles without his boy?” When they

Thanks for the amazing review. It did take me around two years to write all nine books. I didn't start the series right off the bat. Did a few months of daydreaming about how I would go about and write out the series. I couldn't start off the project otherwise. Right now among other projects am working on a spinoff series. It takes place on the Blue Star (Earth) ten thousand years after the end of the first series. It deals not so much with Jason, but his descendents. It starts off as a tragic tale of what happens when one prays for god to return only for him not to. The first part of the series, Nano Wars:Rebirth is already being posted and I will be posting the next chapter sometime over the weekend. Thanks again for the review.

Chapter Fourteen Liaisons Fraternal twins Trey and Tracy Nelson huddled together beneath the bleachers of the parade grounds. "You know what I learned Tracy?” Trey whispered to his sister “Are our brothers getting into trouble again?” Tracy asked. “When are they not sister?” “That is true brother. If it is not about our brothers what is it?” “The commandant is going to give us a special project.” “It doesn’t involve shooting people does it?” “I hope not. We both have pretty bad

Chapter Twenty-Eight The End of Peace The last month had been among happiest Jason could remember. It was as much due from its stability as from the reassuring love he was receiving. Each morning he woke up in Philip's arms, his lover purring softy. He would quietly leave the bed and go to the balcony, where Varrus would already be waiting for him. Together the two would fly around the city, hand in hand, until they reached the main courtyard of the palace. There,

Chapter Thirteen: Selection Floating about like a happy blue bee, Puggles was busy searching for his brother. “Talon… Talon… come out, come out wherever you are. We can’t be late. It’s Selection Day.” “I don’t care. I’m not going.” Somewhere in the barracks Talon was letting out a muffled sob. “But this is the most important day of your life! Don’t you want to know who your soul mate will be?” “I won’t do it. I’d rather die than have him choose me.” “You don’t really mean that.

Aaron indeed has little say in how he lives his life. Firstly because he has no ability to make his own decisions. Second, even if he could, as a mere Blip, members of the Elected such as the Balthazars cannot help but see Blips like Aaron as a lesser people who need to be told what to do. That doesn't mean Greg is that heartless, letting Blips like Sam into the school hints that he is not. It is however the way he was raised so it is difficult not to behave as one was taught. As will latter will become clear, the families of Gregory Balthazar and Jon Omicron are not on the best of terms. By tradition the the head of the Order is always selected from the Kinetically talented Balthazar Clan. The Omicrons, a family with immense physical Talent often are chosen to lead the Council. Since the Council represents a rival power the two families are often not on the best of terms. Sam has the same problem being a Blip. Though Greg does let him attend the Lakes School, Sam comes from a unknown blood line not to mention poverty. With the Order's obsession with the purity of the bloodline Sam represents a threat to it. Greg does want to help Sam but he cannot risk appearing to favor him least he be removed as headmaster and a less open minded person take control of the school.

Yes, Jon can and has had relationships with other boys. Aaron however fulfills a special need other boyfriends could not fulfill for him. As for Aaron's grandmother, Aaron's lack of reaction is very much a result of his emotional disconnect. After the horrors of the Coven he has done all he could to disconnect himself from his emotions. He lives in a self imposed shell that prevents him from reacting as he should. As for Tom... it is the tradition of the Coven that if they take in one boy from a family they will later come back for the others. That is the situation between Tom and his older brother Hal. Tom was a Blip, and a very low Talented one. Blips are those with Talent who do not carry the blood of one of the original families that first developed Talent. They tend to be very weak in comparison to them. That is why Tom used Taint. Regardless of what it did to his body it greatly strengthened the power of his Talent. With one's position in the Coven decided by the strength of one's Talent a mere Blip will resort to such desperate means to increase their power. Landon will show up eventually but his motives will remain a mystery. I can say though he is not like other members of the Coven. The Master chose him in particular to fill a certain role. Whether Landon will let him be used as his instrument remains a mystery.

Chapter Thirteen Decisions Ryan sat straight up in the high back brown leather chair. He looked nervously at the headmaster who gazed back at her with a near vacant expression. Since entering his office the two had not said a word. The report on the headmaster’s desk said everything. It showed hematology results on the Taint addicts Jon killed last night. Next to it were the DNA results taken from Aaron. It also included the blood levels of rare proteins only those with Talent sho

Warren will continue to be a plague of mankind for a very long time. As for the war, with Jadoor and the Federation now the strongest military power in the Ares and with the Empire under the rule of Xavier Domus has already reached the point that it is no longer what it once was. There is still hope however that Jason and his Centurion allies will one day be able to restore Domus to its former glory but first they will have to deal with securing his own kingdom. With Domus weakened there will be others who will take advantage of the power vacuum. How Jason and his friends deal with this new threats will make up the fourth book in the series.

Chapter Twenty-Six Revelation The Templars guarding the city did not know what they were seeing at first. Advancing quickly on the city walls were a thousand points of red light the size of lightning bugs. Not able to see what was really happening beyond the light of the torches, one of the guards lit an arrow and launched it into the air. It landed in the middle of the red lights, revealing the movement of hundreds of men, their eyes the source of the red lights. One of the gua

We're now one third of the way through the first Talents of the Fallen. Yay! Aaron, a young teenager of unknown parentage, has just started a new life at the Lakes School for the Especially Gifted. This marks a major turning point in the youth's life. As you will see in future chapters that while his knew friends will help heal his broken mind the horror that is the Coven has not forgotten about their wayward member. The war between the Coven and the Order is drawing near. Soon the future of Talented and Untalented alike will depend on Aaron and his friends.

Chapter Twelve: Lakes In order to beat the morning commuter traffic Ryan and Aaron left for the Lakes School for the Gifted before dawn. Taking Highway 9 South they reached Evanston just as the sun had risen above the horizon. From there they took Michigan Ave. past Gilson Park. The Lakes School was a wall off half -block of old stately houses that had been converted into classrooms and dorms. “See? You’ll be living better than I do.” “Live here?” There was trepidat

Just wait until one of them turn a woman into a Demon Spawn.

Chapter Twenty-Four Crusade Undergoing the change from Famulus to Angel had left Aidan bedridden for weeks. When he finally was back on his feet, it was to discover that major changes had occurred while he had been recuperating. As he walked through the tunnels of the monastery, he found both Dorian's Centurions and his own personal bodyguards covered with strange black and red markings, their eyes glowing with red fire. "What has been happening?" Aidan asked the n

Just for the same reason Aaron was kidnapped, after the Coven knows that Talent runs in the family they eventually go after all the children. That's what happened with Tom. As for Dr. Harris... he is a member of the Order, which is lead by Lord Oliver, head of the Balthazar family. The Order might oppose the Coven but in truth they are just as ruthless as their enemy. As a member of the Order, Dr. Harris believes in the purity of the first families that developed true Talent. That is why they refer to themselves as the Elected, as they believe they were chosen by god to rule over all mankind. Aaron, not a member of such a family is what the Elected refer to as a Blip. Blips, while believed to possess Talent, are looked down upon as second class citizens by their Elected betters. In the case of the Order and Dr. Harris Blips only serve two purposes... troops to be sacrificed in Order's war against the Coven, or experimental lab subjects. Dr. Harris, seeing Aaron as a Blip of little or no Talent would rather see him suffer the later. It is indeed a brutal world but as the saying goes power corrupts which is exactly why the Elected are so heartless to those they see as their inferiors. As for the tug of war with Aaron caught between Anderson and Jon, that is indeed the Balthazar's doing. As will later be explained Anderson has become infected by the Coven Virus. This is the same virus that turned the children in the underground compound that awakened them to their Talent when they took part in Cake Day. Anderson has that virus... and it is still believed that Aaron might be infected as well. What better pairing therefor can Lord Oliver hope for than to place his son near Aaron. Anyway... that's all I can share for now. Glad you are enjoying the series. If you really like this one you can nominate it as one of your favorites in this year's poll. Take care and enjoy.

Chapter Eleven: Revenge of the Forgotten Son As Sam sat shotgun and wondered how he had allowed himself be talked into leaving Lakes after midnight. “Jon, what the hell are we doing here?” “I told you why… I want to make sure he’s safe.” The black teenager closed his eyes and did his best not to be pissed. “Safe from what dude? Are you afraid some horny sports freak is going to jump his bones? If that’s the case then I suggest you take us back to the dorms because you’re the only horny

Will Jason want to return to how things were... yes. Will Philip... can't say for sure. For Philip, being a Demon is like getting to have Christmas every day of the year. He can get what he wants whenever he wants it. It is a Centurion's dream to become the leader of men. As a Demon he can lead all of Domus. In the long term this will not sit well with Jason and in the end it will lead to a major betrayals on both sides. But no relationship is perfect and the Centurion Cycle is not mean to be the happiest of fairytales. As said before this will not be the last book. In total there are around nine books that make up the First Cycle. Already am working on the Second Cycle. There will be a bit of a break between Book Four as many of the major story lines will reach their conclusion by the end of that book. Several, including Alex's will not have been resolved however and will be dealt with in the remaining five books in the series. It will then be off to the Second Cycle. Glad you're still enjoying the series. I'm more than happy to respond to your reviews just remember though that I can't give away everything before you read it. Take care

With his first lovers being Centurions Jason doesn't seem to know of any other type of relationship than the ones he's experienced. As time passes he will find himself wanting a more personal semi-monogamous relationship, one that will be a challenge for Philip to offer. That is where Alex plays the role of a counter weight. He, unlike most Centurions wishes nothing more than to have a single loyal lover. He had and still hopes to have one with Jason but as time passes and he continues to damn himself in his people's eyes his hatred of himself leads to more destructive behavior. That does not mean Jason has give up on him. Even now he wonders if he made the right choice in picking Philip. Thomas, as you might guess is a Dominus spy. The Dominus never trust anyone, including their own agents. That is why they sent Thomas to spy on Kristan and Erik. Kristian himself has his own problems. He knows better than Jason and Philip what the Dominus are capable of. He might not know about Thomas but he is certain that he will be punished for his betrayal. As for the survival of the world of Ares... I leave that to the prophesy. The planet was named after the god of war. The conflict between the people of Ares and the Dominus is more ancient than so far has be revealed. So far the Barrier Ocean has managed to keep the Dominus mostly at bay but things are about to change. Understand that this is a very long series. Right now you're only a third of the way through. So hang on and watch to see what happens. By the end of the Cycle pretty much everything will be revealed. Everything that is but the final consequences Jason's actions and what it will lead to in the long distant future. Take care.

New sets of maps have been posted. Includes Meltor, Domus, Qul Tos, and a new version of the Ares map. Enjoy.

Chapter Ten: The Taint Talia didn’t like slumming with the Untalented but that was exactly what she found herself still doing a week after the attack. Even with the help of her brother’s pet attack dog they hadn’t been able to track down the drug dealer. Either he had gotten smart and fled the country or had found himself on the wrong end of a bullet. Wherever he had gone to he had left few tracks to follow. There were his parents of course. Dan’s father was the

War is indeed coming but maybe not from expected source. Jason and Qul Tos are surrounded by enemies, the Federation, Domus, the Confederacy, and even among his own nobles. Which one to strike first will soon be known. As with any war people great and small will die. So be prepared... no one is safe. Thanks again for the review. I hope to post more after the holidays.

There is around 9 books in the First Cycle. Right now working on the Second Cycle which I hope will consist of seven books. As for Aaron and Philip, their relationship will never be an easy one. By the time you get to Book V you'll be able to see the toll weighing on Jason due to Philip's hedonistic ways. Jason is not yet bonded and yes, as a Legatio he will only be able to truly bond to one man. Later on that will change but by that point Jason will no longer be the man he once was. As for Kristan and Erik they are not Angels but nor are they what they appear to be. By the end of the second book you will have a better idea of what they are and who they work for. Thanks for the great review and hope to read more from you in the future. Take care.

Chapter Twenty-Two Refuges When over six thousand Legatio and their Famulus servants arrived at the gates of Qul Tos, the Centurions were almost as shocked by their condition as by their numbers. The people having fled the chaos in Domus carried almost nothing, and wore only the white uniforms that Grecoron had given them. Leading the exiles were the three senators who, so many years ago, had pretended to have bonded to their Centurion lovers: the Speaker, the Treas

Thanks for the review. Love that you like the story enough to comment. It is sometimes amazing how stories pop into the writers head. One of my other series... The Centurion started off based on ancient Greek history. This one began based on one of my favorite anime series. In each case the story evolved into something completely different from the original concept but that is why I often have to write several rough drafts while I explore different concepts. This one I did a little too fast and by the end of the second book had written myself into a corner. With all I have on my plate I don't know when I will be able to get to the third. Once again, thanks for taking the time to write a review. I hope not to disappoint you with new chapters.