Driz aspires to be a great mage but he’s done poorly the last few years of his schooling and cannot enter the mage university. Instead he seeks a mentor in the remnants of the once-great magical race of Melcovia, now mostly driven into hiding by the brutal government of dictator Congerson.<br><br>Cory has hidden out in a remote estate in the foothills of the great mountains and sorely misses contact with others of his kind. When he hears a telepathic call from a youth seeking a mentor and master, it seems a dream come true. But will the young man find him? Can he buckle down enough to learn the discipline and control he needs? And can he ever become the true partner and soul-mate Cory has never found?<br><br>When Congerson’s minions and a rogue mage strike the last empowered folk in Melcovia, Driz’s family is in dire peril. He must choose between staying to work with Cory or breaking his indenture to try to save his mother and siblings. Which will it be?

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

By contrast, despite some casualties, the mage force seemed to grow. It took Driz a moment to realize that now freed, many of those who’d been imprisoned had joined the fray. Finally, no more guards emerged to do battle. Leaning on staffs and each other, the mages rested, almost too exhausted to celebrate. The rest of the walls of the prison camp seemed to disintegrate. Many of those who’d been held gathered their few possessions and merged with the strike force.


The question came from many minds, silent speech used by force of habit in times of trouble


Cory leaned on his staff, a bloody gash on one arm where the sleeve of his gray shirt had been torn away. ::We need to pause and repair our wounds, gather any stragglers and then see if we can reach the bunch who went after Congerson and the rogue mage. How they’ve fared may set our next task.::


Chapter 17