Page 47 of Daemon Master

Well, nothing to be done about it now.“What’s your name?” he asked.

The boy swallowed. “X-Xander.”

“Well, Xander, like I was saying, you’re safe now. Souleater is dead. Want to tell me what happened?”

“I…I was gathering some food. To eat.” Xander gestured at his feet, where Adrian noticed the remnants of a torn sack. Mushrooms, berries, and other edibles lay scattered in the dirt.

“So I see. But how did you end up out here? Are you alone?”

Xander hesitated before giving a quick nod. Adrian didn’t need a watcher’s training to tell the kid was hiding something. There was no way someone so young made it this deep into Overlin Forest without help…or a good reason.

Before Adrian could continue, however, Seymour loomed over Xander. “Tell us what you’re really up to. And if you lie again, my friend’s daemon will eviscerate you from hip to shoulder.”

Adrian winced at the gruesome image.

Xander shrank back, his face paling. “I-I already told you, I was scavenging for food.”

“All by yourself in one of the most remote locations in the entire League?” Seymour scoffed. “You wouldn’t last a week out here on your own. Last chance before I get angry.”

Xander appeared close to tears, and Adrian’s heart stuttered. “Lay off him,” he said, inserting himself between Seymour and the boy. “He’s just a kid.”

Seymour glared past him at Xander. “A kid with secrets. Something’s not right here, and I intend to get to the bottom of it.”

“Ofcoursesomething’s not right!” Adrian said. “He survived a wild daemon attack, only to be threatened by his would-be rescuers. If I were in his shoes, I’d be ready to bolt, too!” He lowered his voice. “Maybe you should let me handle this?”

Grumbling to himself, Seymour spun and stalked a short distance away. Adrian turned his attention back to Xander, who was shuffling anxiously from foot to foot.

“It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”

Xander’s eyes flicked hopefully toward the desiccated trees ringing them. “Are you keeping me here? Am I your prisoner?”

Ignoring Seymour’s glare burning a hole in his back, Adrian hesitated. “Well…no. But before you go, we’d like to ask you a few more questions. And if you want help, we…”

He trailed off as Xander dashed for the edge of the clearing with a muttered, “Thanks.” The boy left his torn bag and its strewn contents on the ground where they’d fallen.

“Great job handling that interrogation,” Seymour said as he turned and strode across the clearing. “We certainly learned a lot. Really put my mind at ease.”

Adrian flushed, staring at the break in the trees where Xander had vanished. Heartrender sent a silent query asking if she should go after him. He considered for a span of heartbeats before sighing and shaking his head. It seemed pointlesspursuing Xander unless they were prepared to drag him back here by force…which Adrian wasn’t.

Still, he couldn’t fault Seymour for being suspicious. Whathada kid like that been doing all the way out here? And why had he been so desperate to get away from them? Dismissing the questions for now, he moved to where Seymour was wiping dust off a small boulder.

No, not a boulder, Adrian realized.His old watcher armor!

The armor had certainly seen better days. Its shine had faded to a dull luster, its metal partially rusting through in places. Souleater’s aura must have eaten away at its aetherforging.

“Maybe we can repair it,” Adrian suggested. “I’ve been reading about aetherforging in Crastley’s journal—”

“Spirits take Crastley’s journal, and spirits takeyou!” Grabbing his armor, Seymour rose and stalked toward the clearing’s edge. Adrian sighed and trailed after him.

They marched back in silence. Adrian tried several times to draw Seymour out, but the watcher either ignored him or offered a grunt in response. Eventually, Adrian got the hint and left him alone to sulk.

Once they reached their camp, Seymour snagged some supplies and started polishing his armor. It seemed like a futile gesture. He might clean away the dirt and grim, but the decayed metal would require more specialized attention to repair its aetherforging.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” Adrian said.

“If byhelp, you mean continuously ignore my advice, then sure, be my guest. Keephelping.”

“Spirits above, are you really this mad because I refused to let you bully a kid?”