Henry grabbed Damien by the shoulders and shook him like a ragdoll.

“Do you not understand the magnitude of the situation?” Henry screamed. “They are going to destroy the world before I can!”

Damien knocked his companion’s hands aside. He looked into where Henry’s eyes should have been on his face.

“You’ve lied to me one too many times, Henry. I agree that this is a serious issue, but I won’t be killing people just because you said to. If you want my trust, you need to earn it. You can start by giving me any information you know about these competitors of yours.”

Henry let out a frustrated huff. “I know little beyond that they exist. Their powers were weak, as is mine.”

“So they aren’t breaking out anytime soon,” Damien said. “And by soon, I mean within a few years.”

“It’s hard to say,” Henry replied, shrugging. “Probably not, but if whatever is holding them is damaged, they could escape tomorrow.”

“In that case, the world is over and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Damien said. “So let’s not worry about that. How far away were these creatures?”

“One was quite close,” Henry replied after thinking for a few moments. “No more than a hundred miles. The rest were farther, and I didn’t get a good feel for where they were.”

“And they didn’t sense you?”

Henry paused. He thought for a few moments before shaking his head.

“Doubtful. I was looking and they were not. However, if we were to come face to face with their host, it is likely we would recognize eachother.”

“Will I be able to recognize them?” Damien asked, drumming his fingers on his chin.

“When they burn you alive or stick a dagger into your back – yes,” Henry said.

“Okay. Then we’ve got the beginnings of a plan,” Damien said. “I can’t go seeking these guys out yet, since they’ll just kill me. If they’re contained, all I can do is get strong as fast as I can. Then we can seek them out. If they are what you claim they are…”

Damien grimaced. How could he know if the other people were any different from him? It’s not like he’d asked to be saddled with Henry.

“…we’ll figure something out,” Damien finished. “And we can’t exactly tell someone at a mage college. If they even believe me, they’ll wonder how I knew about your void friends.”

“They are not my friends.”

“Sorry. But my point still stands. Unless you have a better suggestion?”

“I do not,” Henry said, sighing. “Not one that you would accept. You must grow in strength quickly. If I was able to sense them, they will eventually be able to sense us. Believe me, it is much better to be the hunter than the prey.”

With that sobering thought, the world rippled like it was the surface of a lake that had a stone tossed into it. The hill faded away and darkness enveloped Damien.

The following morning, Damien awoke to something warm bearing down on his face. He groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow.

“Wake up, boy,” Henry said. “I want to look around the campus.”

“Then do it your–” Damien stopped mid-sentence. Then he let out a groan and rolled over, opening his eyes and staring up at the ceiling. The memories of what had happened overnight came rushing back to him. “Don’t do that, actually. Last night was more than enough.”

“I recommend we avoid speaking of last night unless needed,” Henry said. “Your mind is not the sanctum you believe it to be, and who knows how many eyes are watching us. Go about your training, but remember what lies at stake. Also, you’re talking aloud again.”

He forced himself away from the pillow and into a seated position. His sore limbs voiced their protest. Damien grimaced.

Not one more word about that, Henry I’m working on it.

“I was just reminding you,” Henry said with false innocence.

Good.

Damien glanced at Sylph’s bed. She was gone. He frowned and shimmied down the bed, grabbing his clothing and pulling it under the covers to get dressed.

Where’s Sylph?

“The girl woke up a few hours ago,” Henry replied. “You could take a few pages out of her book. You waste half the day sleeping.”

Damien grunted and shuffled over to their small bathroom. The runes he’d drawn on the wall were still emitting a faint light, but it had grown weaker since yesterday.

“Wrong way,” Henry said. “The exit is behind us.”

I’m not going anywhere until I’ve taken a shower and brushed my teeth.

Henry settled for a grumble. Damien’s thoughts told the companion that he wouldn’t be making any headway in that particular argument.

About thirty minutes later, after Damien had thoroughly washed himself in the tiny shower, he stepped out of the cave feeling mostly refreshed. The water had done wonders to soothe his aching muscles.

“I wonder where Sylph went,” Damien wondered to himself.

“Who cares?” Henry said. “You’ve got so many things to do, but all you can think about is finding your roommate?”

“What do you mean?” Damien asked. “I thought we were just going to look around the campus.”

“You can learn magic!” Henry exclaimed. “Have you forgotten that somehow?”

Damien stopped walking as Henry’s words sunk in. The last day had gone by so quickly that he’d barely had time to think about it. A grin crept across his face and he started to laugh.

“By the seven planes, you’re right!” Damien exclaimed, jumping into the air and pumping his arms. Luckily, there was nobody else on the mountain path with him to see his antics. “How did I forget? I don’t need to wait for a stuffy teacher. I can learn now, can’t I?”

“That’s more like it. I was almost worried something had happened to that foolish thirteen year old that summoned me,” Henry said. “There are some things we need to set up first. Also, you might want to stop speaking out loud – someone is going to see you.”

Damien continued down the mountain, a goofy grin plastered onto his face. It faded a little when whispers of Henry's words rose up at the edges of his mind. The knowledge of why he needed to learn magic sobered him. It wasn't enough to wash away seventeen years’ worth of pent up excitement, but it was certainly enough to dampen it.

What do I need to do?