Page 12 of Daemon Master

And what of Heartrender?

As if on cue, the cat-like daemon mewed from beyond the broken window. The creature could’ve run, now or a dozen times prior. But it hadn’t. Instead, it had risked itself for him.

When he was younger, Adrian had often imagined what his parents’ last moments must’ve been like. He and Seymour had read through the official report together, and while it had been sparse on details, it had extolled their heroic sacrifice. Alone in the savage forests of the Untamed Wilds beyond the Bulwark, they’d held off a daemonic horde long enough for the rest of their watcher squad to escape and bring warning back to the wall. They’d known what it would cost them. Yet, they’d stood their ground anyway.

If his parents were here now, what would they want him to do? What wouldtheyhave done in his stead?

Adrian shoved Crastley’s journal into his satchel and clambered out the window. He landed in packed mulch beside Heartrender and Trailseeker. Trimmed hedges blocked his view of the surrounding square. Dismissing his daemon, he crept forward and peered through the foliage.

With its position at the exact center of Hillvale, the Serene Hall was not an easy place to slip away from unnoticed. Even now, with the workday nearing its end, people trickled through the courtyard on various errands while vendors shouted out wares from their carts. Across the way, a pair of amorphous daemons consumed a pile of refuse under the supervision of several laborers.

At least, no watchers lurked in sight…yet. He needed to get out of here before someone noticed the broken window and raised an alarm. He eyed Heartrender. Traveling with the daemon in plain view might draw unwanted attention once word of their escape got out.

“I don’t suppose you want to go for a ride?” he asked, stooping to extend his arms.

Heartrender’s three eyes narrowed. He’d expected the daemon to balk, so he masked his astonishment when it allowed him to cradle its surprisingly light body to his chest.

“Don’t worry,” he said when Heartrender let out a warning growl. “I won’t drop you.”

Heartrender huffed as if to say,We’ll see about that.

Adrian rose from the bushes and trotted into the courtyard at as quick a pace as he dared. A few people glanced toward him, looking away once they realized who he was. For once, everyone’s casual dismissal of him worked to his advantage.

He kept to side streets and back alleys, setting a course for the edge of town. He could decide on a true destination later once they’d put some distance between themselves and Shadowlash.

A couple blocks from the city limits, he turned a corner and found himself in the path of two patrolling watchers. His steps faltered, and Heartrender shifted in his grip. His every instinct screamed at him to run. Instead, he maintained his pace. The watchers were laughing and chatting, unconcerned with hunting a fugitive. Fleeing seemed a surefire way to change that.

Only after he drew nearer did he recognize them as the pair of watchers from the Serene Hall that morning.Seymour’s friends. He didn’t remember their names—both had been assigned to Hillvale rather than growing up here as Seymour and he had—but by the way their eyes lit up when they spotted him, they definitely remembered his.

His heart sank as the watchers jogged toward him with identical smirks. Though about his age, they loomed over him the same way most of his peers did. He craned his head up to meet their eyes, attempting—and probably failing—to project the confidence of someone with nothing to hide.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” the watcher on the right sneered. He was taller and broader than his companion, with wavy blond hair that fell over his face.

“Isn’t it obvious?” laughed the watcher on the left. “Looks like our resident catcher is enjoying an evening stroll. Even the daemons bossing you around now?”

It took Adrian a moment to remember Heartrender clutched in his arms. While the first watcher guffawed, Adrian set the daemon down. The small creature pressed against his leg, radiating tension.

“Just attending to a bit of official business,” he replied stiffly.

The second watcher snorted. “Right. How’d you fare at Old Man Crastley’s?”

Well, I may have stumbled onto a massive conspiracy that could shake the League to its foundations…if it doesn’t get me killed first.

“It was fine,” he said too quickly. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

The first watcher grinned, flicking blond bangs out of his eyes. “Watcher Seymour will be glad to hear it. He worried we’d need to break in a new catcher after you got yourself eaten.”

“Good thing I’m not so easily digested, then,” Adrian retorted. “Besides, the place was stray-free. If Crastley kept any daemons, he must’ve already returned them to the Keeper Division.”

Blondie opened his mouth to respond—probably rudely—but the second watcher interjected before he could, his eyes narrowing. “What about that runt you’ve got with you?” He pointed at Heartrender, who bared its fangs. “Isn’t your daemon a hound?”

Adrian silently cursed his own stupidity. Apparently, these watchers hadn’t ignored his existence as completely as he’d thought. “Um, nope. Heartrender’s my one and only.”

“Heartrender…” Blondie shook his head. “Thatwouldbe your daemon’s name.”

The second watcher, however, frowned “I could’ve sworn your daemon had ‘seeker’ in its name. This pipsqueak doesn’t look capable of subduing another daemon if its aether depended on it. But then again, neither do you.”

Adrian bristled at the insult while Heartrender growled softly. “Brute strength isn’t everything. Heartrender, use…” He realized he didn’t know the daemon’s technique, and floundered for a name, picking the first one that popped into his head. “UseMirror Image.”