Page 59 of Daemon Master

“Wait!” he shouted at her retreating back. “I want to speak to Seymour.”

“That depends on what our leader has to say,” the woman replied curtly. “Though, if I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath.” With that, she was gone, slamming the door behind her.

True to her word, she returned a few hours later with a cup of tea for him to drink. Its foul odor almost made him throw up the simple meal she’d left during her last visit.

“Drink every drop, or I’ll get someone in here to force-feed it to you.”

Adrian eyed the woman, gauging his odds of overpowering her. Not great. With his leaden muscles and sluggish reflexes, he probably couldn’t manage any of the maneuvers Seymour had taught him. Besides, for all she appeared frail and elderly, she possessed aether while he didn’t. Even if she’d never trained beyond the basics, she could still manhandle him like a small child.

Seeing little choice, he choked down the abysmal liquid. Whatever herbs went into its making certainly hadn’t been selected for their taste.

Time passed slowly after that, intermittent visits from his reticent jailer his only breaks from the monotony. That left him plenty of opportunities to stew over his unanswered questions.

How had he contacted Seymour in his hour of need?

Was the watcher okay?

Was Kali really dead?

And what of Heartrender, still trapped in that distant clearing?

I’ll come for you as soon as I can, he swore as he prepared for bed several restless nights later.Whatever it takes, I’ll find a way to keep you safe.

The next morning, he finally received a new visitor. She wore the same wrapped shawl as his jailer and looked to be of similar age, though her hair had more silver than gray and had been leftloose to spill down her back. Even more noticeable, her wrinkled face bore a smile rather than a scowl.

“Hello, Adrian.” Her voice came out soft—polite but worn. “I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to see you, but your arrival has caused quite a stir in our little community.”

“Your community?” he asked, shifting to sit up on his sleeping mat.

He didn’t really expect an answer after his jailer’s tight-lippedness, but to his surprise, she nodded. “I’m afraid we’ve grown rather protective of our privacy. It’s been years since anyone new joined the Enclave, so you’ve been something of a shock for our self-imposed isolation.”

The Enclave. That at least put a name to his location, even if it wasn’t one he remembered seeing on any map of the League.

“You don’t trade with other local villages?”

The woman chuckled. “We do, but always with our own caravans and under different names. After all, it would be difficult to convince any merchants to venture into Overlin Forest.”

His eyes widened. “We’re still in the forest?”

“Indeed.” The woman’s gaze grew distant as she sank onto his rickety stool. “We created the Enclave some twenty years ago, setting off into Overlin Forest with our families and what supplies we could carry. Since then, a few of our old friends and neighbors have joined us, along with the occasional refugee seeking their own retreat from the perils of modern life.”

“When you sayperils, do you mean the use of bondstones?” He couldn’t keep the eagerness out of his voice. This might be the opening he needed to plead his case.

The woman frowned slightly, her brow furrowing. “Well, yes, among other things. We believe people were meant to exist in harmony with our daemonic neighbors—an impossible dream solong as we wage war to enslave them. Thus, we have sworn to never bond a daemon.”

“No daemons?”The words came out louder than he’d intended, and he winced, moderating his tone. “Apologies. I meant no offense, but doesn’t that make it hard to survive?”

Thankfully, she didn’t appear bothered by the question. “A little, especially at first. But it’s also forced us to fend for ourselves and reclaim our independence. Besides, you’d be surprised how helpful daemons can be when you don’t force them to do your bidding in chains.”

A faint hope stirred in Adrian’s breast. Out of everyone in the League, surely people who had already turned their backs on Serenity Corp would be the most willing to accept the truth. First though, he needed to learn all he could and convince them to set Seymour and him free.

“It was Xander and Seymour who rescued me, right?” When she nodded, he continued. “That other woman mentioned something about me reaching out to them. What did she mean?”

The woman blinked, then startled him by smacking her head. “Spirits above, you’ll have to forgive my manners. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Elana. While we mostly govern ourselves, I suppose I’m the closest thing we have to a leader. The other woman you’ve met is my sister, Leda.”

Something in the way she said her sister’s name suggested an underlying tension.Interesting.

“It’s good to meet you, Elana. I’m Adrian, though you already know that. As for my question…”