Page 68 of Daemon Master

“What is it?” Adrian asked, instantly on edge. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m not sure. I can feel the bond working, but the drain on my aether…” Seymour suppressed another wince. “It’s much worse than with Tremorfist. I don’t know if I—”

The watcher suddenly screamed and fell to his knees, clawing at his temples. Adrian rushed to his side, moving to touch him before recoiling at the crackling energy seething across his skin. Activating his aethersense, he saw Seymour’s aether was going wild, burning him alive from the inside out.

Spirits below, what had gone wrong? Nothing had seemed out of place with the runic circle. Had the watcher been too weak after their battle?

He switched his attention to Shadowlash. Unlike Seymour, the daemon appeared fine. But if there was nothing wrong with the bond itself, then what…

It hit him all at once. Daemon masters could bond daemons stronger than them—he’d done it himself when he’d tamed Trailseeker years ago with his stunted aether. But that was while using the more limited connection of a bondstone. Who knew what the requirements of the true bond were, especially when it came to such a wide gap in aetheric strength?

Spirits above, what should he do? Touching the watcher might disrupt the ritual and incinerate them both in a deadly backlash. Even if it didn’t, the metaphysical link had already been forged. Dragging Seymour away now wouldn’t sever it, and neither henor Shadowlash had enough control over the process to cancel it prematurely.

Tremorfist saved Adrian the need to decide. Shoving him aside, the daemon wrapped his arms around his master and roared, his aura joining the roiling mass of magic connecting Seymour and Shadowlash.He’s gifting Seymour his aether,Adrian realized. The watcher lacked enough to complete the ritual on his own, so Tremorfist had offered up his as well.

The raging aether cut out moments later. Seymour and Tremorfist collapsed together in a heap. Shadowlash shook herself, appearing only slightly disoriented. When she took in Seymour’s state, she rushed to his side. The watcher let out a loud groan.

Adrian cautiously approached. “Are you all right? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Seymour shakily regained his feet, leaning on his daemons for support. “Go back in time five minutes and tell me what an idiotic idea that was.”

Tremorfist eyed Shadowlash mistrustfully, eliciting an annoyed growl from the other daemon. Adrian suppressed a faint smile. He had a feeling those two might prove a handful.

Something rustled by his feet, and he glanced down to find Ghosttear settling back into its sling. He’d practically forgotten about the daemon during his bout with Shadowlash. Now, though, it appeared fully awake for the first time, studying Seymour and Shadowlash with wide eyes.Interesting.Had it been drawn to the expended aether? He set the question aside as he returned the sling to his chest. There’d be time enough to learn more about the daemon later.

Once Seymour had caught his breath, they continued into the woods. Adrian gave Kali’s corpse one last parting glance as they left the clearing, whispering a quick prayer for the spirits to watch over her. Then, he focused his attention on what layahead. In just a few days’ time, they’d reach the Enclave, and he’d have his chance to plead their case. He only hoped Elana would listen.

sixteen

Verdict

The journey back tothe Enclave passed uneventfully. Ghosttear barely stirred in its harness, ignoring all attempts to engage with it, while Heartrender spent most of the trip scampering happily about with Lockrod, her relief at being reunited reverberating along their bond. Meanwhile, Shadowlash and Tremorfist quickly struck up a friendly rivalry, each of them vying for Seymour’s attention. Rather than attempt to defuse the situation, the watcher had embraced it.

“A little competition is good for them,” he’d told Adrian after sending both daemons rushing ahead to scout out their path. “Keeps them on their toes.”

To each their own, Adrian supposed. For his part, he was grateful his daemons weren’t nearly so combative…even if he did occasionally catch a faint hint of longing from Lockrod while watching Seymour’s daemons duke it out.

Though he’d initially worried about Shadowlash’s temperament, he soon found himself put at ease. For all herformer ferocity as Kali’s companion, she seemed content to travel with them now, her tongue lolling out and tail wagging like an affable dog. It had also helped to learn from Seymour that she’d remained near Kali’s corpse not out of misplaced loyalty to her former master but out of concern for Ghosttear and Heartrender. She hadn’t wanted a wild daemon to stumble upon their imprisoned aether and seek to drain it while they were helpless.

Other than a slight instability to their bond, Seymour appeared to have mostly recovered from his strenuous effort to bond her. Crastley had speculated that the true bond between daemon and daemon master tended naturally toward harmony. With any luck, that meant that establishing an initial link had been the largest hurdle Seymour faced. Now that he had, hopefully their relative difference in strength wouldn’t hinder their ongoing connection too badly.

Thinking of Crastley’s journal left a hollowness in Adrian’s chest. It, along with Seymour’s drained watcher armor, likely remained in Elana’s possession. Yet another reason to return to the Enclave and beseech their aid. Those notes were far too precious a resource to abandon.

By the time Seymour announced they were nearing the boundary of the hidden village, Adrian had settled on a shaky plan: honesty. Offer the true bond as a viable alternative to bondstones, present their daemons as proof, then plead for Elana’s support.

He’d intended to march into the Enclave with his daemons proudly on display. However, they’d yet to reach the village when a voice called out above them, “Halt! Stay where you are!”

“Looks like they’ve bolstered their security since we escaped,” Seymour said quietly enough only Adrian could hear. “Not that it will do them much good.”

The watcher had a point—without bonded daemons, any guards would be at a severe disadvantage. Still, no sense antagonizing someone you were about to beseech for aid.

Adrian did as directed, stopping in place amid the trees and holding up his arms.

Seymour rolled his eyes but followed suit.

“This area is off-limits!” another voice shouted from farther to their left.

Sensing Seymour’s growing irritation, Adrian took the lead. “It’s Adrian and Seymour,” he shouted. “Your recent ‘guests.’ We seek an audience with Elana!”