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. 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? 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?