Page 21 of Daemon Master

Heartrender plopped in the leaves by Adrian’s side with an indignanthuff. Absently stroking her head, he turned to where Seymour had leaned against a nearby tree. “What now?”

Seymour’s characteristic sneer resurfaced. “I’d hopedyouhad a plan beyond running blindly into the forest. I see now my faith was misplaced.”

“Apologies for being a touch preoccupied fleeing for my life. Hiding out here from your watcher buddies was as far as I got.”

“At least,thatpart of your plan makes sense. The Watcher Division never patrols out this far.” Seymour narrowed his eyes. “Of course, that’s when dealing with thieves or rogue daemons. You’ve attracted far too much interest for things to be that simple.”

“Not just me,” Adrian retorted. “You’re as much a fugitive now as I am.”

Seymour’s expression darkened. He jerked a nod and turned to stare at the shadowed trees.

Unease gripped Adrian. What if the watcher decided to abandon him? As much as he disliked the man,anycompany beat navigating the uncharted wilderness alone.

“We go south,” Seymour said at last. Some of the tension drained from Adrian at the use ofwe. “We’ll try to stay parallel with the Bulwark. It’s still a few days to the east, but the last thing we want is to stumble into a watcher patrol along the border.”

“And then?”

“Once we’ve traveled far enough to confound any pursuers, we set up camp and wait. Old Man Crastley hid from Serenity Corp for years, so we know it’s possible. Once enough time has passed, we come up with believable cover stories and go our separate ways.” Adrian paled, and Seymour let out an amused snort. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet? You must’ve known there’d be consequences for crossing the most powerful group in the League.”

He had, but until now, the full cost had remained abstract. Abandoning his life in Hillvale, constantly wondering when the executioner’s ax would fall for him as it had for Crastley…

Heartrender pressed against his side, and he drew comfort from her warmth. Despite his terror of the unknown, he knew he’d made the right decision saving her. Besides, after meeting Kali, he doubted she’d have let him walk away, no matter how well he’d followed orders.

When he turned back to Seymour, he found the watcher glowing with aether as he replaced Willowrush with Tremorfist. “Enough talk. It’s time we resume our march.”

Adrian scrambled to his feet. “For how long?”

“Until we can sleep soundly without fear of a furious assassin slitting our throats. Let’s go.”

The watcher set off south, using Tremorfist to clear a path whenever the foliage grew too thick. Soon, he was visible only as a rough outline amid the shadows.

Taking a deep breath, Adrian hurried to follow.

“My legs are killing me,” Adrian groaned. The faint light of dawn filtered through the thick canopy of trees, illuminating Seymour a half-dozen paces ahead. “Maybe we could take another break soon? I don’t think I have the strength for a full day marching.”

“You’d better find it, then.” Seymour kept his eyes trained forward, his own footfalls through the brush sure and steady. “Or do you value your life so little? By all means, rest to your heart’s content if you desire a swift death. It’ll probably do me good to be rid of you.”

Spirits curse him!Adrian gritted his teeth, conserving his energy to keep putting one foot in front of the other. They’d been walking nonstop for hours now, and while Heartrenderwas supplying him with a steady trickle of aether, that was no substitute for a good night’s rest.

When Seymour finally called a halt for lunch, Adrian collapsed onto a fallen log and devoured a travel ration, finishing it with a swig from his canteen. Between what Adrian had packed in his satchel and the emergency supplies Seymour kept on him, they had enough food and water to last a couple days. After that, they’d be at the mercy of the forest.

The watcher’s mind must’ve gone in a similar direction because he said, “We’ll need to start hunting and foraging soon.”

Adrian suppressed a groan. “Can’t that wait until we’ve set up camp?”

“Not unless you want to march on an empty stomach. It’ll be days yet before we stop.”

Thatcaught his attention even through his weariness. He sat up sharply. “Days?”

“I want at least a week’s travel between us and Hillvale. Even then, we’ll need to remain vigilant for signs of pursuit.”

Adrian squeezed his eyes closed, wishing he could shut out the rest of the world so easily. Heartrender rubbed soothingly against his leg. At least, he’d have her by his side.

All too soon, they resumed their trek deeper into the forest. He tried chatting with Heartrender to pass the time but quickly discovered that, while she could interpret his commands in broad strokes, more nuanced speech often confused her. Perhaps humans and daemons experienced the world too differently for some concepts to translate.

Darkness once more shrouded their path by the time Seymour called a halt for the night. Adrian had intended to study Crastley’s journal before bed but couldn’t conjure the energy. Whatever revelations it might contain now that he’d formed a true bond would have to wait.

The next day began much like the last, though a proper night’s rest did much to bolster Adrian’s spirits. He was in such a good mood he even tried to strike up a conversation with Seymour. After the watcher’s fifth monosyllabic response, however, he gave the effort up as a lost cause.