Page 53 of Daemon Master

When nothing happened, he bowed his head. Maybe Lockrod still didn’t understand. Or, worse, maybe it did and was rejecting him just as Trailseeker had.

Then, he felt it—a faint shimmer to Lockrod’s aether as its aura resonated with acceptance. The runic circle instantly leaped from his hand and sank into Lockrod’s hide. The daemon released a surprisingly loud roar, its limbs jerking as a halo of aether enveloped its body.

Adrian and Heartrender were both on their feet in an instant, watching Lockrod’s thrashing with rising concern.You’re sure this is normal?he sent to Heartrender.

Her response wasn’t as certain as he would’ve liked. Her own bond had affected her similarly, and she’d told him later that, despite how it had looked, she’d experienced no real pain. Hopefully, the same would be true of Lockrod.

After what seemed like an eternity, the aetheric surge dimmed, leaving Lockrod panting on the ground. Adrian tentatively probed their nascent bond, and a jumbled mess of thoughts flooded his mind.Curiosity.Excitement.A hint of fear. Yet nowhere did he sense any regret. He huffed out a relieved breath. The daemon—who he could now sense was ahe—wasn’t trying to resist or shrug off the bond. Lockrod had accepted him as his daemon master.

Wonder replaced his concern. His link with Lockrod felt distinct from his bond with Heartrender—similar in form butpossessing an altogether unique cast. Perhaps it had to do with their differences in temperament? Either way, he went to sleep that night with both his daemons nestled beside him, filled with more hope than he’d had since Seymour’s departure.

It wasn’t until the next day while trying to get a measure of Lockrod’s technique that it hit him. Daemon masters could only ever manifest one daemon at a time. Those with two daemons kept the other melded via a reverse Fusion, swapping them as needed. But Adrian had maintained both Heartrender and Lockrod for hours now. Spirits above, he’d done it in hissleep!So far as he could tell, keeping both daemons manifested entailed no extra strain at all.

Did that mean the restriction on summoned daemons was a weakness of the bondstones rather than an inherent quality of daemonic mastery? If so, this could be precisely the edge he’d been searching for against Kali. It made him wonder what other limits they took for granted.

For now, he returned his attention to Lockrod. Having a second daemon wouldn’t do him any good if they couldn’t work effectively together. He discovered that Lockrod’s technique was calledUnbendable Rod. It generated an almost-invisible bar of force that, so far as Adrian could determine, was nigh unbreakable. Lockrod could either freeze the bar in space or allow it to move freely. The latter proved a formidable weapon. It had no blade to speak of, but its exceptional lightness and durability made it perfect for bludgeoning foes or parrying attacks.

The former use ofUnbendable Rodallowed for more imaginative applications. After an afternoon, Adrian had already brainstormed a dozen possibilities, from anchoring it in midair as a handhold, to creating a hidden trap with which someone might collide, to positioning an immobile rod directly atop a foe to pin them in place. Both uses ofUnbendable RodrequiredLockrod’s continued concentration, and he could currently only maintain a single rod at a time.

Still, simply having a second daemon was an unexpected blessing. So far as Adrian could tell after a week spent training together, fighting with both daemons summoned cost him no additional effort. And while it would take time for him to grow as comfortable in his new bond with Lockrod as he was in his existing bond with Heartrender, he’d happily take all the help he could get.

As he settled down later to sleep, Lockrod snuggled against his back and Heartrender curled at his feet, his mind went, as it often did, to his parents. Had they felt as he did now when they’d marched beyond the Bulwark—a mix of resolve and duty that drowned out any lingering fear?

This would behislast stand, and he would face it head-on like his parents had theirs. No more running. No more hiding. If Kali had found him once, she’d do it again. And with his new daemon and bolstered aether, he was as ready as he’d ever be for her arrival. All that remained now was to set a trap that not even a Serenity Corp assassin could escape.

thirteen

Last Stand

Adrian sensed Kali’s aurabefore he saw her. She hadn’t tried to shroud it, and the weight of it crashed into him…though not as much as it once would have thanks to his rigorous training. Sure enough, all he’d had to do was wait a couple days for her to come to him.

Something about her aura felt off, and he realized what when Blazewing crested the trees ringing the clearing he’d chosen for their showdown. Of course Kali wouldn’t tramp through the forest on foot—not when she had a winged daemon to bear her in style.

Get ready, Adrian sent through his bonds.

Lockrod replied with an impression of bared fangs from his hiding place among the tree boughs while Heartrender chirped softly and rubbed against Adrian’s leg. All the pieces of his plan were in place—time to put them into action.

Lifting his hands in surrender, Adrian made a show of cowering in the middle of the clearing. “You can have thedaemon, the journal, whatever you want. Just please, don’t hurt me!”

It wasn’t hard feigning fear when he knew how easily Blazewing could incinerate him from above. This was the riskiest part of his plan. Would Kali take the bait, or would she simply order her daemon to roast them alive?

He released a pent-up breath when Blazewing spiraled down to land.So far, so good. The daemon paused its descent a few paces above the ground so that its master could unmeld from her Fusion. Then, it returned to the air, circling overhead as a silent sentry.

Kali looked much as she had in the meadows outside Hillvale. She wore the same silver tunic, with Serenity Corp’s spiked crescent moon pinned to her chest. Her icy eyes measured him, and he took a savage pleasure in the thin scar marring her once pristine beauty. Healers might have been able to restore her vision, but he’d still left his mark.

If she saw past the shroud he’d used to partially mask his aether, she didn’t let on. “Adrian. I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”

He bowed his head. “I’ve spent months hiding in the forest, living off scraps and constantly looking over my shoulder. I can’t take it anymore. All I want is for my life to return to normal.”

Kali smiled coldly. He didn’t have to feign a shiver. “If it were up to me, you’d never leave this forest. Not after the trouble you’ve caused.” Her left eye twitched, her smile fading. “Fortunately for you, my superiors want you alive. Relinquish Serenity Corp’s stolen property, and I will oblige them.”

Alivewasn’t the same asunharmed, and he doubted Kali was as forgiving as she claimed. Still, he had a role to play.

“Go on,” he said, gesturing to Heartrender. “You’reherproblem now.”

Heartrender trudged forward. Keeping her eyes fixed on the daemon, Kali unclipped a cylindrical device from her belt that pulsed with a strange configuration of aether. Whatever it was, Adrian didn’t want it anywhere near Heartrender.

Time to put his plan into motion.