Page 26 of Daemon Master
“Exactly!” Adrian found it more cathartic than he’d expected to talk through all this with someone, even if itwasSeymour. “Crastley reported his findings to his superiors, thinking it exactly the sort of breakthrough they wanted. Instead of commending him, however, they reassigned him to a new project and ordered him to hand over Heartrender and his records.”
Seymour snorted. “I’d have beenfurious. Do you think Serenity Corp already knew about the flaws in their bondstone design before he told them?”
Adrian had spent a handful of sleepless nights wondering the same thing. “It’s possible they realized the implications of Crastley’s research and panicked.”
“You don’t sound very convinced.”
“Yeah, well, my faith in Serenity Corp’s not exactly high at the moment. Crastley also found their reaction suspicious. He reasoned the Serenity Corp founders couldn’t have devised the corrupted symbols to power their bondstones without the originals to use as a blueprint.”
Seymour sucked in a breath. “But that would mean…”
“It would mean I was right about Serenity Corp being based on a lie,” Adrian said, his voice grim. “I thinkthisis what Crastley meant when he spoke of a grand betrayal. It’s bad enough Serenity Corp covered up his research. But to have known about the true bond and deceived the League for generations…” He shook his head, suddenly weary. “Think of how different the world would be if the Watcher Division commanded daemons capable of free will and superior tactics. Spirits above, for all we know, our enslavement of daemons iswhythey keep attacking us in the first place!”
Seymour waved a dismissive hand. “Idealistic rubbish. The daemons attack us because they’re savage beasts that hunger foraether.” He paused, considering. “Still, you’re right about the potential cost of our ignorance. The lives we might’ve saved…”
Adrian thought of his parents, slain beyond the Bulwark in the line of duty. Would they still be alive today if not for Serenity Corp’s lies? It was a selfish thought—their deaths were mere drops in the bucket compared to all those that daemons had claimed over the centuries. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder.
Silence descended save the crackle of burning logs and the slightwhooshof Willowrush’s wind technique. After a long pause, Adrian cleared his throat and continued. “In the end, Crastley couldn’t keep quiet, not with what he suspected. He documented what he could and smuggled Heartrender out.”
Seymour raised an eyebrow. “No one tried to stop him from leaving with a daemon?”
Adrian smirked. “Apparently, their security measures relied on detecting bondstones. Using the true bond, Crastley had Heartrender meld with him and walked right out the front door. By the time anyone realized what had happened, he was long gone. That was almost six years ago.”
“He ran,” Seymour said softly. “Like we’re doing now. He exiled himself to the small border town of Hillvale and evaded capture for six long years. Until…”
Until Serenity Corp finally caught up with him.
Adrian swallowed hard. “He proved it’s possible to hide. Serenity Corp’s not omniscient.”
“No, just filthy rich and with most of the League in their back pocket.” Seymour glared at the burning logs. “Did Crastley say how they found him?”
Adrian slowly shook his head. “The journal ends a few days before he died, except for that last entry. He might’ve written more in the passages I haven’t read yet. I’ll keep digging.”
Seymour nodded and stood, walking away without another word and vanishing within his shelter. Willowrush blew out the flames a few seconds later and trundled after its master.
Apparently, the conversation was over.
Adrian’s eyes flicked to Heartrender. The small daemon remained curled in his lap, basking in the fading warmth of the fire. He hadn’t spoken to her much about her past. From what he’d gleaned, she remembered little from before her bond with Crastley. That seemed for the best. He couldn’t imagine she had many happy memories from her days as a glorified lab rat. But after that, living on the run with the seeker for six years…
“Do you miss him?” His words came out a whisper, though he echoed his query through their bond.
It took Heartrender a moment to interpret the question. Once she had, sharp sorrow pierced Adrian’s chest and hitched his breath. The ache of loss reminded him of what he felt whenever he thought of his parents. She had loved the old man, even if she couldn’t express so in words.
He stared into the dying embers of the fire long after the feeling faded, absently stroking Heartrender’s head. For all that Crastley had been a genius when it came to daemons, he’d failed at surviving as a fugitive. They had to find a way to do better before they suffered the same fate.
“You’re doing it wrong.”
Adrian’s concentration on his aether snapped, his heart practically leaping out of his throat at the sudden interruption. Spinning, he found Seymour standing there. The spirit-cursed man somehow looked as immaculate as ever out here, his golden armor polished to a shine and his striking face quick to draw the eye. Not that Adrian was looking.
“What do you want?” After another frustrating morning with little progress, Adrian was beyond caring about politeness.
“I sensed an aetheric ripple east of here while I was out hunting. If you value your hide, I suggest you give the area a wide berth.”
Adrian nodded, but the watcher was already striding back through the trees. “Wait!” Seymour paused, turning to face him as he stumbled to his feet. “What do you mean I’m doing it wrong?”
The watcher crossed his arms. “Most daemon masters actually trainwiththeir daemons. Simple breathing exercises are fine for children first coming into their power. But how can you expect to ever command a daemon effectively without practicing in tandem?”
Adrian mulled over Seymour’s words as the watcher vanished into the forest. He’d always assumed he needed to master his own aether before training alongside a daemon. Yet, so far, the only time he’d overcome his stunted aether had been when Heartrender infused him with her power to fight Kali.
