Page 24 of Daemon Master

Adrian clenched his hands into frustrated fists at Seymour’s enraged howl of pain. He longed to help, but what could he do besides be a liability? Even if he’d been willing to summon Trailseeker now to fight, he couldn’t recall Heartrender while she was embroiled in combat. Checking on her, he found her still wrestling with a daemon by his feet and infused her with a portion of his aether. That much, at least, he could do.

Taking advantage of her boosted strength, Heartrender pinned the other daemon and tore out its throat. Aether burstfrom the wound instead of blood. The Painsnapper shuddered, its aetheric flesh unraveling as it died.

A bellowing roar vibrated through the trees. Adrian tensed, wondering what fresh horror had found them. Relief flooded him when Tremorfist swung into the clearing with a muffledthud. The remaining Painsnappers took one look at the towering ape and retreated into the forest as quickly as they’d appeared.

“Thanks for the assist,” Adrian said, approaching Seymour and holding out his hand.

The watcher glared at the proffered hand as if personally offended by it. He rubbed absently at the already mending wound in his neck. “Someonehas to protect you since you’re clearly incapable of doing it yourself,” he said before stalking off.

Adrian bit back a retort. He honestly didn’t know why he’d expected anything different. He and Seymour might be reluctant allies due to circumstance, but they were still a far cry from the friends they’d once been.

Within minutes, it became excruciatingly clear how the Painsnappers had earned their moniker. Seymour said nothing while they lay writhing in agony from the daemons’ venom. He didn’t have to. Adrian already knew his stubborn refusal to manifest Trailseeker was to blame.

That’s why, once the venom wore off, he shoved aside his reservations and resummoned his original daemon. A part of him had feared dismissing Heartrender, but she dissolved into aether like any other melded daemon without muffling their bond. In fact, she seemed to appreciate the opportunity to rest as they continued their journey deeper into the woods.

Trailseeker plodded obediently at his side, as dispassionate as ever. Not that the daemon’s lack of reproach did anything to lessen his guilt. Now that he had Heartrender as an example of how a bondshouldbe, his gut twisted at Trailseeker’s dull eyesand slack expression. But releasing Trailseeker meant risking the loss of a valuable resource right when he needed it most.

I’ll make it up to you when things don’t seem so dire, he swore silently.I promise.

The days after the ambush blurred together. Though they’d seen no sign of Kali or other pursuit, the Painsnappers had been a clear warning. The deeper they ventured into Overlin Forest, the greater the number of wild daemons they sensed nearby. At Seymour’s insistence, Adrian practiced his shroud until he could maintain it across his entire body for a couple minutes with Heartrender’s aid. Hopefully, that would be long enough to evade detection if necessary.

Evening had nearly fallen on their seventh day when Trailseeker suddenly perked up.

“Hold!” Adrian called out to Seymour. “Trailseeker’s got something.”

Seymour jogged back to him, Tremorfist trailing after in the branches above. This deep in the forest, they’d learned to keep their daemons close at hand.

“I don’t sense anything,” Seymour said.

Adrian partially melded with Trailseeker to see what had caught the daemon’s attention. Through its enhanced ears, he heard an echoingcrackin the distance, followed by another.

He canceled the meld. “Something out there’s big enough to snap trees like twigs. And it’s coming right toward us.”

Seymour cursed under his breath. “Quick, dismiss your daemon! And for spirits’ sake,pleasetell me you can raise a shroud. If we can’t hide our auras, we might as well ring the dinner bell.”

Adrian recalled Trailseeker as Seymour did the same with Tremorfist. It felt strange not having a daemon summoned after so many days with one constantly by his side. Within him, Heartrender stirred from her nap, no doubt disturbed by hischurning emotions. He tried to soothe her while stretching out his aether until it coated his entire body like an oil slick.

The sound of splintering trees soon grew near enough to hear without Trailseeker’s help. He forced himself to stand completely still, both to limit any distractions and on the off chance the approaching daemon was sensitive to movement. Beside him, Seymour was like a statue.

A powerful aura swept over them—not as potent as Kali’s, but still enough to make Seymour shift in an uncharacteristic display of nerves. Adrian trembled from the effort of maintaining his shroud. The daemon had to be close now. Was it his imagination, or was the ground trembling underfoot? He held his breath, willing the daemon to leave before his shroud failed. His unmasked aura might be weak enough to go unnoticed, but that wasn’t a risk he fancied taking.

After what seemed like an eternity but couldn’t have been more than a handful of minutes, he realized both the aura and the sound of snapping trees had faded. His entire body sagged as he released his shroud, slumping to the dirt and bowing his head.

When he looked up, he caught Seymour’s gaze. The watcher studied him with a considering expression. Then, he gave the briefest of nods and turned away. Coming from him, the acknowledgment felt like the highest of praise.

A day and a half later, nine full days after their journey into Overlin Forest began, Seymour called a halt in a small clearing beside a creek. “This’ll do,” he said.

Adrian nodded mutely, too relieved to reply. He swapped Trailseeker for a sleepy Heartrender and crouched down before her. The daemon closed her three eyes, nuzzling him with her fanged mouth. Her long tail swished lazily from side to side.

For years, he’d struggled to overcome his flawed aether. But that was a weakness he could no longer afford. Perhapsthiswasthe fresh start he needed to reinvigorate his training. After all, what better motivation than a daemon that believed in him…and a foe who wanted him dead?

six

Breathe In

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Adrian repeated the mantra, willing his exhalations to adopt the basic rhythm taught to all children when they first flexed their nascent aether.