Eli sipped cider and wondered when Damien would arrive. Amanda had walked in fifteen minutes ago wearing a typically gaudy orange-and-red dress. She pounced on the plate of little sandwiches Jaden’s dad had prepared for them the moment she spotted it. He didn’t bother scolding her. Amanda did what she wanted regardless of what anyone said. He’d begged a couple of extra chairs from one of the masters so no one would have to sit on a bed.

They’d decided to have the little party in his room because the masters hadn’t assigned him a new roommate yet. In fact he didn’t expect to get a new roommate this year as they only had three first years and they were all girls. That suited Eli fine as he was an only child and enjoyed being alone. Not that Damien had been a bad roommate, even though he got up every morning at five.

“Is he coming?” Amanda had a half-eaten almond butter sandwich in her left hand and an untouched ham sandwich in her right.

Eli didn’t need to ask who she meant. “Damien said he’d be here. I didn’t tell him a specific time so we’ll just have to wait and see when he shows up. Try not to act so nervous when he gets here.”

“I can’t help it! No one should be that powerful. It’s not natural. The fact that he’s also good with a sword makes it worse. Damien could kill you so many different ways it’s terrifying.”

“Don’t say things like that. He’s our friend…he’s my friend anyway. John’s not afraid of him, that should tell you something.”

“I guess.”

The door swung open and a stiff, sweat-soaked Jaden stood in the doorway, his round face glistening. Eli was starting to ask if the test was that bad when Damien appeared behind him. If Amanda was nervous around Damien then Jaden was flat-out terrified. Eli couldn’t figure out why since Damien had done nothing remotely aggressive toward either of them. If anything, he stood up for them when Sig picked on them. Maybe to them it was like living next to a volcano; you never knew when it might erupt and when it did you couldn’t do a thing about it.

Eli set his cup down and shook both boys’ hands. “I wasn’t sure if you’d make it, Damien.”

Damien smiled. “I got to reading. I wish the tower had windows so I could tell what time it is. I met Jaden on my way downstairs. Tell them the good news.”

Jaden opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He cleared his throat. “I passed.”

Eli grinned and clapped him on the back. “That’s great. Apparently everyone’s going to pass on their first try except me.”

“Don’t jinx me.” Amanda came over with the tray of sandwiches and offered one to Damien. “They’re pretty good.”

“Thank you.” Damien took a ham sandwich. Eli handed him a mug of cider and he nodded, his mouth too full to speak. When he swallowed he said, “Which disciplines did you choose?”

Jaden sat in an empty chair and sipped cider. “Detection, shaping, healing, and attack.”

Damien raised an eyebrow and Eli knew how he felt. He figured the last skill the shy young sorcerer would choose would be attack. Eli would have guessed shielding.

Seeing their surprise Jaden offered a weak smile. “Master Zora recommended I do attack over shielding or conjuring since it requires less sustained power.” He glanced at Damien. “What book were you reading?”

Damien finished his sandwich and sat across from Jaden. “Advanced shaping. There’s a chapter on soul-forging weapons. Since I have nothing better to do I thought I’d make a sword for my sister’s name day gift.”

Jaden smiled and the tension seemed to melt out of him. “That’s nice. I should shape something for my mom. Her name day is next month.”

The next hour passed with no tension and lots of laughs. Damien yawned and asked, “Do you have a master lined up?”

Jaden nodded. “I volunteered to do a one-year posting on Lookout Island. The master there knows how to shape a viewer powerful enough to let you see a hundred miles away. I want to learn that conjuring. Besides, nothing ever happens out there. That’s the sort of job for me.”

Damien grinned and everyone stood. They all shook hands and somehow Amanda made off with the leftovers. How did she eat so much and still remain so tiny? When the others had gone he and Damien stood by the door.

“Thanks for this,” Damien said. “I think they’re a little more comfortable with me now. When I met Jaden on the stairs I was afraid he might have a heart attack before we got here.”

Eli smiled, glad he could ease a little of his friend’s worry. “It was fun. I think when you mentioned your sister it reminded everyone that you’re just a regular guy who has a huge soul force. Good luck with her sword.”

Damien started down the hall, his step lighter than Eli had seen it since before the demon. He threw a wave over his shoulder and Eli thought Damien would be okay after all.