“Very well,” the same mage said. “In that case, it’s time for us to get moving. We’ve got a tight schedule to keep. You may simply refer to me as Mage Red. My companions aren’t fans of speaking, so please refrain from bothering them if they’re in your wagon. We won’t be together long, so don’t worry yourselves about introductions.”

Mage Red pointed at Damien and then jerked his head in the direction of the back wagon.

“You’re in the back. Everyone else, please get into the second wagon.”

Damien nodded and followed the mage’s instructions, ducking under the tarp and stepping into the wagon at the back of the line. Four other people around Damien’s age were already sitting on the wooden benches that lined its interior.

Three of them – two boys and one girl – had sat down on the bench on the left. The girl and one of the boys were dressed in fine clothes and jewelry. The other boy had a rather wicked looking sword across his lap.

Another girl sat at the far end of the wagon, pointedly not looking in the direction of the other three. Damien glanced between them before carefully sitting down in the middle of the bench opposite to the three others – approximately in the middle of the two groups.

“That’s a surprise,” the wealthy boy said. He had light blonde hair and sharp features that gave him a harsh appearance. “I didn’t think we’d get another one.”

“There is talent everywhere,” the boy with the sword said. His clothes were rugged, with bits of metal and leather sewn into them in a form of primitive armor. He had gray hair, but looked no older than Damian. “Even in a small town such as this. You should know that well enough, Nolan.”

“We’re being rude. I apologize. I’m Reena Gray. What’s your name?” the girl sitting next to Nolan asked. Her features were so similar to Nolan’s that Damian had no doubt that they were related.

“Damian Vale,” he replied. He glanced in the direction of the girl in the corner of the wagon, but she showed no interest in joining their conversation.

“Mark has already robbed me of the privilege of stating my own name, so I suppose I’ll do the same to him,” Nolan said, nodding in the direction of the sword wielding boy.

Damian glanced at Mark and then raised an eyebrow. “Mark has gray hair and your last name is Gray.”

“Astute,” Nolan said. “It’s an amusing coincidence. Say, what’s your companion?”

“Nolan!” Reena chided. “Don’t be rude.”

“It’s just a question,” Nolan said defensively. “Right, Mark?”

“I don’t care,” Mark said. “But you already know my companion. It’s an earth elemental.”

“From the Immortal Plane?” Damian asked.

“Correct,” Mark said, inclining his head slightly.

“Do you know a lot about companions?” Reena asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“A little,” Damien admitted, scratching the back of his head with an awkward smile. “I’ve wanted to become a mage for years, and I didn’t have an outlet other than studying runes.”

“That sounds horrendously boring,” Nolan said. “I can’t imagine wasting so much time learning such an uninteresting skill.”

Damien’s smile faltered slightly.

“Nolan!” Reena chided. “Stop acting like a child. Damien, my companion is a Wind Wight. Do you know where it’s from?”

Her words were kind, but Damien spotted the challenge hidden within them.

“The Plane of Stars,” Damien said. “It’s a rare form of wind elemental.”

“Hey, that’s two of us that have told you our summon,” Nolan said, leaning forward. “Are you going to tell us yours?”

“Ah, it’s from the Plane of Darkness,” Damien lied. “I don’t exactly know what it’s called. I think it’s something undiscovered.”

The girl in the corner lifted her head for the first time. Her cold black eyes locked onto Damien’s back, but he didn’t notice.

“Oh?” Nolan asked. “A companion from the Plane of Darkness is a real treat – they’re quite rare! I’ve never seen one myself. Bring it out!”

“I can’t,” Damien said, grimacing. “It’s being a little stubborn right now. I can’t actually get it to manifest.”

Nolan’s interest disappeared. He rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Right. That’s a likely story. Why did they let you into this wagon?”

“The other one was full,” Damien replied. “What’s that supposed to mean? We all have to get to the mage’s college. Why does it matter what wagon we ride in?”

“Look at that. He’s just riding along,” Nolan said, his face twisting into a sneer. “You aren’t one of us at all.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, but you’re sounding like a stuck up prick,” Damien said, his eyes narrowing.

A shimmer of gray energy danced across Nolan’s hands. The well dressed boy paused for long enough to make sure that Damien saw it before allowing it to fade away.

“Everyone in this wagon was specifically picked up because of their extraordinary talent or powerful companion,” Reena said. The kindness had vanished from her voice. “It’s disgusting to pretend to be something you aren’t. Lying about your companion is just pathetic. Do you even have one?”

“I’m not lying,” Damien protested. Well, he was. Just not for the reasons they thought.

Nolan and Reena averted their gazes, as if being in Damien’s presence was some sort of affront to them. Mark shrugged indifferently. He didn’t seem particularly bothered, but Damien was getting the feeling that Mark didn’t care about much of anything.

On that cheerful note, the wagon jerked into motion. It rumbled down the cobbled paths of Hilltop Vale, bringing Damien away from everything he’d known for the past seventeen years of his life.

Two of his fellow travelers hated him, one of them was more interested in his sword than anything else, and the last hadn’t spoken a single word. On top of that, his companion was still fast asleep. The trip certainly wasn’t going anywhere near how Damien had hoped it would.

That was hardly surprising. Damien was remarkably good at ruining just about everything he got involved with. That’s exactly why I like him. After all, if you can mess up the end of the world, I’m sure you can spoil the efforts of the people trying to save it.