Page 80 of Daemon Master

“I know how you can journey safely to Haven,” Freya said quietly.

Seymour froze, one hand already on the door. Both he and Adrian turned to Freya, her face scrunched in thought.

Adrian found his voice first. “You do?”

She nodded. “There’s a watcher fortress along the Bulwark about a week’s travel from here. If you hitched a ride on one of the airships they use to deliver supplies, you could shave off most of the travel time, all while avoiding the risk of capture on the ground.”

Seymour huffed an incredulous laugh. “Spirits below, you’re as crazy asheis! You think Serenity Corp would turn a blind eye if we strode into a stronghold and stole an airship?”

“You wouldn’t have tostealit. You could stowaway on board.”

“Or maybe even pose as watchers,” Adrian said, the idea taking root. He pointed at Seymour. “As a trained captain in the Watcher Division, surely you can bluff our way inside.”

“The two of you don’t get it!” Seymour said. “None of thatmatters—not when our faces have been distributed across half the League. Even if we reach Haven, Serenity Corp isrunningthe spirit-cursed tournament. You don’t think they’d recognize their own stolen daemon?”

With every word Seymour spoke, Adrian’s fledgling hope shriveled. The watcher was right. They’d never be able to compete without revealing their true identities. If only they had some way to disguise their faces—to make themselves look like other people.

Heartrender perked up in Freya’s lap, raising her head to regard him with her trio of pale blue eyes. Her jumbled stream of thoughts flowed along their bond. He was getting better at interpreting what she meant, and it only took him a few seconds to piece her suggestion together. When he did, a wide grin spread over his face. It was bold, daring, and not a little bit stupid. But it also might be their best chance—theironlychance—at pulling this off.

Seymour noticed his expression, his brows lifting. “Have you listened to a word I’ve said?”

“I have. And I think I—we,” he corrected with a glance at Heartrender, “have a solution.”

Seymour leaned back against the wall. “Well, let’s hear it, then.”

Adrian ignored the hint of skepticism he caught in the watcher’s tone. “What if we used aetherforged devices like the ones Kali had to alter our appearances?”

Seymour blinked. “Aetherforged…devices?”

Adrian swallowed, nodding. “The more I study Kali’s relics, the more certain I am that Serenity Corp and Crastley bothdiscovered methods to imbue objects with daemonic techniques. If I can figure out how to do something similar with Heartrender’sMirror Image, we could disguise ourselves as watchers to sneak into the fortress, then swap to new disguises in Haven to enter the tournament. No one would ever have to know it’s us—not until we’re ready.”

Freya drummed her fingers against the top of their rickety table. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just have Heartrender maintain the illusions directly?”

“Maintaining multiple complex illusions like that would place too great a strain on her aether. There’s no way she’d be able to fight while doing it, and Seymour and I would have to stick close to avoid leaving her radius of effect.” Freya winced at that, though he wasn’t sure why. When she kept quiet, he continued. “What if we needed to split up or something broke her concentration? No, aetherforged relics would be far more reliable.”

“And you think you can make such a device before the tournament?” Seymour asked.

Adrian hesitated.That’s the crux of the matter, isn’t it?“I’m not sure. But I intend to try.”

Seymour still appeared unconvinced. “This will require far more finesse than your daemon’s usual illusions if it’s to stand up to thousands of spectators. Can she even do itwithoutaetherforging?”

“Not yet, but she says she will. She just needs to practice.”

Heartrender yipped her agreement.

“I can help,” Freya added. “Maybe not with the technique, but at least the aetherforging.”

Adrian shot her a grateful glance. Seymour fixed Adrian with a long, assessing look that made the back of his neck prickle. Then, the watcher shrugged.

“I suppose we’re stuck here for the next couple weeks anyway. If this is how you wish to spend your free time, then so be it.”

As Seymour departed to train and Freya left for her afternoon chores, Adrian’s chest tightened with the enormity of the challenges ahead. There were so many ways things could go wrong, from the Enclave’s rejection to his failure to unlock the secrets of aetherforging. It usually took aetherforgersyearsto master their craft. Spirits above, could he really pull this off?

Heartrender hopped into his lap and nestled there, mewling softly, while Lockrod took advantage of his shoulder perch to snuggle against the side of Adrian’s head. As always, their support soothed him. Iftheywere willing to believe in him, he owed it to them to believe in himself. At least then, he’d know that, like his parents before him, he’d faced his duty head-on and done his best to conquer it…no matter how overwhelming the odds.

nineteen

Accident