Page 56 of Daemon Master

“If you hurt her…” Even as Adrian spoke, he realized how pathetic the threat must sound coming from a man bleeding out on the ground.

“I have no intention of damaging Serenity Corp’s property.” Kali glanced disdainfully at the pacified daemon. “Rise.”

Heartrender obeyed, standing and awaiting a new order in the same lifeless way as Shadowlash did. As Trailseeker once had.

“Why does Serenity Corp care so much about Heartrender anyway?” Adrian asked, desperate to delay for time. “If they don’t want Crastley’s research getting out, why order you not to kill her?”

Kali studied him, her expression unreadable. Eventually, she shrugged. “I don’t know, nor do I care. My orders are clear. Serenity Corp wants the asset recovered, so that is what I will do.”

Disbelief drowned out his pain and fear. “How can that be enough for you?”

“Why shouldn’t it be?” Her cold eyes flicked away. “When daemons broke through the Bulwark and butchered my family in their cornfields, Serenity Corp took me in. They trained me, gave me a new purpose. Theonlything that matters is carrying out my duty.”

Duty.

The word tightened his gut. Coming from someone else, he might’ve thought Kali trying to elicit sympathy. Yet, the way shedescribed her past tragedies was detached, almost clinical. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel a twisted kinship with her. The same thing drove them, albeit to two very different ends. Not that that would stop him from resisting her with all his might.

“Aren’t you even the least bit curious about what’s going on?” he said, trying a different tack. “Like how I manifested two daemons at once?”

Kali hesitated. Was it his imagination, or had a trace of doubt entered her expression?

“I could show you,” he offered. “Even if you don’t question your orders, learning more about the situation wouldn’t hurt, right? I can tell you everything I know, let you come to your own—”

“Be quiet,” Kali said, her face smoothing. “No more stalling. I have a mission to complete.”

She held up the strange cylinder she’d tried to use on Heartrender earlier and activated it with a pulse of aether. In the blink of an eye, Heartrender’s form broke apart, vanishing inside.

“What wasthat?” Adrian breathed.

“One of the many wonders developed thanks to Serenity Corp’s research,” Kali replied as she re-clipped the cylinder to her belt. “It simulates an artificial meld with a daemon, allowing easy transportation without the need for a bond.”

Spirits above, how is that possible?His eyes fixed on the unassuming device, and he noticed a second cylinder dangling beside it. Unlike the pristine metal of the one containing Heartrender, this one’s surface appeared heavily scarred and pitted with rust. An earlier prototype, perhaps?

“Such revolutionary technology might become widespread someday,” Kali continued. Her lips curled with distaste. “Assuming you don’t burn society to the ground before then.”

A shudder racked Adrian’s wounded flesh. “All I want is to reveal the truth.”

“What is truth in the face of so much pain and loss? Maybe therewasonce peace between humanity and daemons. But here,now, daemons hunt us like animals. And we return the favor. Serenity Corp is our sole light in that darkness—the bedrock that holds the League together. Destroy people’s faith in it, and they’ll have nothing left. Society will crumble and collapse.” Her jaw tightened. “And I will do whatever I must to stop that from happening.”

Adrian didn’t respond, stricken mute by her unexpected burst of passion and the growing heaviness in his limbs.

Gathering herself until her face regained its usual cold indifference, Kali pressed a hand over the badge pinned to her chest. “I have secured the target.” She waited a moment, then grimaced. “Yes, your precious specimen is safe, seeker.”

Adrian’s eyebrows rose.Seeker?Was she using her badge to communicate at a distance like Arbiter Janice had done via her daemon? That seemed the most logical explanation, but as with the containment cylinders, he struggled to explain how such a thing could be possible.

Kali trailed off, listening to a voice Adrian couldn’t hear. She glanced at him, and his stomach clenched as her eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid the catcher resisted arrest. He died attempting to protect the stolen specimen.”

“What?” Adrian’s pulse quickened as some of the numbness pervading him fled. “You said you’d bring me in alive!”

Kali ignored him, though her cold gaze remained fixed on his. “I know—such a waste. But perhaps it is for the best.” A pause. “Yes, of course. I will return soon with our prize.” Dropping her hand from her badge, she stalked toward him. Her gleaming dagger glistened with his blood.

“What about taking me back to your masters?” Adrian asked, hating the quaver in his voice.

“It’s the specimen they care about. You were only a bonus. Better to tie up loose ends now. As you so helpfully pointed out, I have only the faintest idea what you’re capable of.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Besides, you didn’t accept my offer, remember? Your daemon did.”

“Wait!” Nobly sacrificing himself had seemed like a good idea before. But now that the moment had arrived, the gesture felt futile. How did it help Heartrender or anyone else if he died alone in the woods?

Something pulsed through his bond with Heartrender, so faint compared to their usual communication that he almost missed it. He probably would have had he not been so on edge and had their bond not been silent for the past few minutes. As usual, what he received was less a coherent thought than a jumble of emotions and images. Along with the sensations came a thread of aether—as much as she could stretch through their suppressed link.