Page 28 of Daemon Master

Time to put all his recent training to the test.

seven

Dead Zone

Adrian’s practice sessions withHeartrender came in handy as he flickered in and out of partial melds with Trailseeker. Seymour’s scent permeated the camp and surrounding woods, making it difficult to discern one trace from another. Eventually, however, Trailseeker stumbled on a fresh path accompanied by a muskier scent that had to be Tremorfist’s. They followed its erratic trajectory, heading mostly to the east.

Toward whatever aetheric disturbance Seymour sensed there.

Adrian checked his shroud, ensuring he’d cloaked his aether. His recent training also meant a corresponding increase in the strength of his aura, and while he still couldn’t maintain a shroud indefinitely, he now only had to drop it a minute or two out of every ten to recover. Hopefully, that would be enough to make him and Trailseeker a less enticing snack.

His aethersense pinged constantly. The trees and air out here lay thick with aether, and daemons shifted all around them. He tensed whenever one drew too close, but Trailseeker avoided what it could, and the rest left them alone.

Even with aether enhancing his vision and Trailseeker’s glow, he could barely walk for fear of tripping over a root or smacking into a branch. After a nasty stumble that left him bleeding from a shallow cut on his hand, he gave up and melded his body fully with his daemon. His improved aetheric control reduced the strain significantly, but his reserve wouldn’t hold up forever. He urged Trailseeker to quicken its pace. Without him slowing it down, the daemon burst into a run.

They staggered to a halt a few minutes later when an aura ofwrongswept over them. Adrian scanned the forest through Trailseeker’s eyes for any signs of danger. Branches swayed and creaked. Dried leaves rustled along the forest floor. All was quiet. And yet…

As Trailseeker crept forward, Adrian struggled to identify what felt so off. Then, it hit him. For the first time since they’d entered Overlin Forest, not a single daemon lingered nearby. In fact, aether in general seemed weaker here, as if something had drained it from the very air. Wasthisthe disturbance Seymour had warned him about?

Heartrender’s concern throbbed in the back of his mind.

Don’t worry, I’ll be careful, he mentally replied.

She didn’t seem convinced.

Gathering his courage, he urged Trailseeker on anyway. He didn’t relish the thought of entering an aetheric dead zone, but they couldn’t turn back now. Not without Seymour.

The aetheric drain worsened with every step. Stripped of their lifeforce, the surrounding trees drooped, their leaves black with decay. His own aether felt even more sluggish than usual, and he rematerialized beside Trailseeker with a groan, propping an armagainst the daemon for support. Its azure glow had dimmed, leaving the forest darkly impenetrable to his eyes.

Catching his breath, he squared his shoulders and forced himself onward. He kept one hand pressed to Trailseeker’s back, trusting the creature to guide him around any obstacles. For now, the aetheric drain only made him a touch woozy, but who knew what would happen if he remained in it for an extended period? The withered plants suggested nothing good. He tightened his jaw at the thought of Seymour suffering a similar fate.

Don’t you dare die on me before I can rescue you, you arrogant jerk! I need you out here.

He reached a clearing and stared, his mouth falling open. A mangled mess of splintered trees littered the space. At its center, a muscular daemon shaped like a scaled boar circled around a rocky outcrop jutting from the dirt. His aethersense identified the creature asIcetusk.Every few seconds, it gouged tusks almost as long as Adrian’s body into the ground near a small hole in the natural stone formation. Each attack left behind a fresh haze of crackling ice.

Icetusk shuffled back, and Adrian glimpsed a form shifting within the gap. His heart skipped a beat. That had to be Seymour, hidden from the daemon in a crevice too narrow for it to enter.

A thought fluttered through his bond with Heartrender. He translated her intent as best he could:how did it drain the surrounding aether?

Good question. Icetusk’s technique appeared to involve frost. Perhaps it had chilled the plants to death? Whatever the explanation, he didn’t intend to get close enough to find out.

He glanced down at Trailseeker. “See if you can get that thing’s attention. Then, draw it as far from here as you can. If you’re able to slip away, loop back to rejoin me. Otherwise…”

Swallowing a splash of shame, he left the rest of the command unspoken, watching as Trailseeker loped across the clearing. Somehow, his plans involving the poor daemon always seemed to end with noble sacrifices.

Icetusk didn’t notice Trailseeker until the daemon leaped onto its back, tearing into its flank with fangs strengthened byBolster Body. Bellowing, Icetusk flared its own aether. Frozen energy erupted across its skin in a crystallizing wave. Trailseeker tumbled free with a pained yelp that twinged Adrian’s heart. Icetusk stomped its hooves and howled, charging at the fallen daemon.

Trailseeker regained its feet in a flash. Then, it was off, dashing across the clearing with enhanced speed. Icetusk might possess the stronger aura, but so long as Trailseeker had aether to burn,Bolster Bodygave it the edge it needed to compete. His daemon reached the treeline first. Icetusk followed a few steps behind, crashing through the underbrush.

Once the sounds of pursuit had faded, Adrian rushed from his hiding place and crossed the broken clearing. He dropped to his hands and knees by the crack, squinting into the hole. Lit only by faint moonlight from above, all he could make out were shadows.

“Seymour,” he whispered. “Are you in there?”

A low groan came from below. “Adrian? What are you doing here?”

“Rescuingyou, by the look of it. Can you walk?”

“I…I’m not sure. My aether’s depleted, and I think I broke my leg. I can barely move.”