22. Prisoner

twenty-two

Adrian awoke in a stone cell. A wave of déjà vu washed over him even though he could pick out clear differences from his imprisonment at the Enclave. For one, the spirit-cursed daemonsbane had already faded from his system, leaving his head and aether clear. He checked on both his bonds to be sure, relieved when he sensed his daemons still ensconced within him.

Heartrender sent him a sleepy pulse of concern while Lockrod thrashed in his eagerness to be let out. Adrian obliged, manifesting both his daemons in the bare room. Though glad to see them, their presence raised a host of unsettling questions. Why toss him in a cell but not strip him of his daemons? Surely, Kali's partner would have—

Reality came crashing back, memories of the feast racking him with shudders. Elana and Xander and the rest of the village, all butchered while they lay helpless… He gasped and doubled over as if punched, trembling uncontrollably while tears leaked from his eyes.

He hadn't known any of them that well after only a month, not even Xander or Elana. But he'd hoped to. Now, he'd never get the chance. The Enclave was gone. Exterminated.

And it was all his fault.

Bands of regret constricted his chest. Spirits below, what had he been thinking? If he'd listened to Seymour and fled when they had the chance, everyone there would still be alive. Instead, he'd lingered. He'd been selfish. And the Enclave had paid the price.

The only thing that brought him any relief was knowing that Freya and Seymour had also survived. Though, peering again at the nondescript stone walls and bolted metal door, that seemed a cold comfort. Facing down Kali had been one thing. But now that Serenity Corp had them firmly in its clutches, he didn't see how they'd possibly escape.

In retrospect, his entire plan seemed ludicrous. Recreating a new method of aetherforging? Infiltrating a watcher stronghold to steal an airship? Reaching Haven and fighting in a major tournament without discovery?

When it occurred to him that he might now be trapped in the very watcher fortress they'd intended to enter, he bit back a hysterical laugh that morphed into a sob. He buried his head in his hands. Heartrender sent a pulse of comfort through their bond that failed to penetrate the pervading despair taking root.

Crastley's journal and Kali's relics weren't in his cell. Either they'd been left behind at the empty husk of the village or else Kali's partner had claimed them. Adrian assumed the latter. Would the man be able to make any sense of the journal, or would it confound him like it had Elana? It didn't matter. Journal or no, all Adrian's hopes and dreams lay in ashes. There was nothing left for him to do now but wait.

He wasn't sure how long he huddled there—long enough, at least, for both Heartrender and Lockrod to grow bored of their futile attempts to cheer him up and perform their own sweeps of the room. Nothing. No weaknesses—no hidden ways out. He'd figured as much.

Lost to his anguish, it took Heartrender's flare of alarm for him to notice the locks on the door clinking open. He looked up listlessly and found his daemons growling at the man currently haunting his thoughts. The Enclave's destroyer appeared entirely at ease, his hands stuffed into deep pockets on his white coat despite the furious daemons staring him down.

"I wouldn't recommend trying to escape," the man said when he caught Adrian's eyes flick to the open doorway. "Even if you made it past me, you'd find yourself in an enemy stronghold, surrounded by guards. And if you made it past them, you'd still be in the middle of nowhere, and I'd exact my vengeance on your friends for the hassle of dragging you back here."

Adrian recalled the bolt of lightning the seeker had shot from his palm. He might not have any obvious weapons or manifested daemons, but he wasn't as defenseless as he seemed.

"I thought you didn't like making others suffer," Adrian croaked, his throat dry and rasping.

The man shrugged, his coat bunching up around his shoulders. "I don't. But I also recognize the effectiveness of violence as a deterrent."

"You're bluffing," Adrian said without conviction. "You wouldn't hurt them—you need us, or else you wouldn't have had your watchers take us alive."

The man frowned. "I never bluff, and I detest lies. I only require one of you for testing. The others are insurance in case our regimen proves too…challenging. Now, do you intend to cooperate, or do I need to demonstrate my sincerity?"

Based on Crastley's descriptions of Project Paragon, Adrian could well imagine the sort of ‘tests' Serenity Corp might subject him and his daemons to. Swallowing a gulp, he nodded.

The man's lips curved in a thin, satisfied smile. "I'm glad you've decided to be reasonable. Seymour took more convincing, though I assure you, he, Tremorfist, and Shadowlash remain unharmed. As do Freya and Metamire." For now, his merciless tone implied.

Adrian watched as Kali's partner strode deeper into the cell, leaving the door open behind him. A test—it has to be. Adrian clenched his hands into fists and remained seated against the cold stone wall, not missing the gleam in the man's eyes when he glanced over to check on him.

"I imagine you have a number of questions for me," the man said. "I know I would were I in your place. As a token of good faith, I'm more than happy to oblige you." He leaned forward, his smile turning predatory. "You need only ask."

Excitement briefly flared through Adrian at the prospect of answers before he remembered his current situation and slumped. "Why would you tell me anything when you already have me at your mercy? And why should I care? Knowing the truth won't make any difference now."

"Knowledge is always worth acquiring, Adrian. Besides, what other chance will you have to speak about Project Paragon with someone intimately familiar with its operation?"

Even through his despair, that got Adrian's attention. "You work for Project Paragon?"

"Of course." The man inclined his head. "I am Seeker Jasper—the project's head."

Adrian's breath caught. Not just another scholar then like Crastley or a grunt like Kali but a higher-up within Serenity Corp. Someone who might actually be able to tell him more about Heartrender's origins or offer key insights into Kali's relics. Hundreds of potential questions tied his tongue in knots, and he ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"Did Serenity Corp know about the true bond before Crastley reported his discovery of it?"

"Yes and no," Jasper replied without hesitation. Adrian frowned, and the seeker raised a hand. "That is not meant as a deflection. Serenity Corp's founders undoubtedly knew about the true bond when they created the first bondstone. But to my knowledge, no one remembered how to forge it prior to Seeker Callum—the man you know as Crastley—filing his report."

Seeker Callum. Adrian supposed it shouldn't surprise him to learn that ‘Crastley' had been a pseudonym. Even as a recluse hiding in an outlying village like Hillvale, it would've been foolish to use his real name.

Still, the revelation tempered Adrian's enthusiasm. No way would a man like Jasper share Serenity Corp's secrets out of the goodness of his heart. The seeker had to have an ulterior motive. Adrian needed to remember that and remain on his guard.

"But…how is it possible no one discovered the true bond's existence before now?" he asked. "I'm sure plenty of seekers have worked with bondstones in the past."

Jasper shrugged. "Perhaps some have, their research suppressed more readily than Callum's. Or perhaps everyone assumed the bondstones operated via a specialized form of aetherforging. I certainly did until Callum, inspired by his work with Heartrender, proved otherwise."

A thrill coursed through Adrian despite his wariness. It felt good to fill in some of the blanks from Crastley's journal. "What exactly was Crast…I mean Callum doing with Heartrender? He was vague on details."

Jasper chuckled. "Oh, I imagine he was. He had a brilliant mind but possessed a troubling soft spot when it came to daemons. I actually recommended against his assignment to the project but was overruled. The higher-ups wanted results, you see, and were willing to take the risk. Politicians." His lips twisted into a grimace.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Yes, yes, I was getting to it. Callum was one of the researchers assigned under me to study the creation of artificial aether for use in advanced daemoforging."

Adrian blinked. "Come again?"

Jasper tapped the silver sigil pinned at his breast. "Daemoforging. It is the single greatest advancement since the invention of bondstones. Simply put, we were attempting to breed specialized daemons in order to siphon their power into portable trinkets."

Kali's relics.

Adrian didn't realize he'd spoken aloud until Jasper nodded. "Indeed. My partner—well, former partner—for this mission was privy to several of our early prototypes."

He struggled to break Jasper's statement into more digestible parts. "When you say you wanted to ‘breed specialized daemons,' what do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Breeding daemons the old-fashioned way is tedious and unpredictable, their forms and techniques influenced by external factors such as ambient aether. In order for our research to reach its full potential, we needed a way to reliably manufacture more daemons that possessed desirable characteristics."

Unease prickled Adrian's skin. "How is that possible?"

Jasper waved a dismissive hand. "A full explanation would be beyond you. Suffice it to say that, after years of observation, we learned how to draw upon a sufficiently powerful source of aether and force it to congeal into a new daemon. Unfortunately, most of these specimens proved flawed, their aetheric integrity collapsing soon after birth."

Something about the seeker's explanation felt off—not quite a lie, perhaps, but certainly an omission. Adrian decided to let it go for now in favor of other questions vexing him. He intended to take full advantage of Jasper's inexplicable openness so long as it lasted.

"Why bother with all that effort? I can see the appeal of handpicking desirable techniques, but surely you could obtain enough daemons from the Bulwark or the Keeper Division's breeding grounds with far less hassle."

"For our initial tests, yes. But for mass production? We'd never be able to meet demand. Direct control over a daemon's powers allows us to create precisely what we need when and how we need it." Jasper's voice and demeanor grew increasingly impassioned as he continued. "More importantly, we can generate daemons better suited for absorption into aetheric constructs. That way, less aether is wasted during transference."

It took Adrian a moment to piece together what the seeker meant. When he did, he hissed in a breath, feeling his disgust echoed through his bonds. "You mean all of this is so you can breed daemons that are easier to butcher for your aetherforged relics?"

Jasper didn't appear bothered by the condemnation in Adrian's tone. "I prefer the term daemoforged to differentiate the processes involved, but in essence, yes. Integrating a daemon rarely goes smoothly. It helps to structure the aether so that its resonance better aligns with…"

He trailed off, studying Adrian before sighing ruefully. "I can see I'm losing you. The point is, all our successes thus far, including Kali's borrowed relics, came from such specimens. Once our keepers had a viable daemon, they'd send it to seekers like Callum to stress its aether and assess its viability. Unfortunately, striking just the right aetheric balance has been…challenging."

"That's why you've been so desperate to retrieve Heartrender," Adrian said in sudden understanding. Off to the side, Heartrender shifted uneasily.

Jasper beamed at him the way a teacher might a prized pupil. "Precisely! She is our crowning achievement—the first of an entirely new breed of daemon. By studying her, I hope to learn how to mimic her design so that we can manufacture more daemons in her image. She is the key to bringing daemoforging to the masses."

"Destroying her in the process," Adrian said bitterly.

"And what of it?" Jasper replied with a shrug. "She is less than a daemon—an artificially designed and created construct. We own her, and we will do with our property as we see fit."

Heartrender understood enough of the seeker's words to send a hot surge of anger blazing through their bond. "What about me and the others?" Adrian asked while attempting to soothe her. "Why keep us alive if all you care about is Heartrender?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to convince me to kill you?" He chuckled as Adrian flushed. "Don't worry. Kali may have been willing to bend her orders, but I for one can't wait to study the true bond firsthand. Just because we can't allow its existence to become public doesn't mean we can't find other ways to harness it for our benefit."

Bile rose in Adrian's throat at the prospect of Serenity Corp twisting the true bond to their own vile ends. "What exactly do you hope to accomplish with all this?"

"Why, nothing more nor less than securing the future of the human race!" Jasper swept his arms out grandly, his white coat billowing around him. "Imagine not just devices but people permanently infused with a daemon's power. No longer would we be reliant on the monsters that terrorize us. Instead of capturing daemons, we could seize their power for ourselves! Whether that advancement comes from our existing research or from your true bond makes little difference to me. Either way, society reaps the benefits."

The words echoed Kali's claims during their confrontation in the forest. A world free of humankind's reliance on daemons…and a vision of progress built on genocide.

Without warning, Jasper spun and strode toward the still-open doorway. "Wait!" Adrian called, sudden dread gripping him. "Where are you going?"

"I think that's enough discussion for one day. Not to worry—we'll chat more soon."

"What do you plan to do with us?"

Jasper paused in the open doorway. "The next airship arrives in ten days. You and your friends—along with your daemons, of course—will be brought aboard and transported to my lab in Haven. Until then, you will remain here as my guests."

Adrian let out an involuntary snort.

Jasper eyed him. "Be glad you ended up in my hands and not Kali's. While the agent had her virtues, mercy wasn't among them. With me, you can at least expect regular meals and to be left alone save my occasional visits."

Adrian furrowed his brow, unable to hide his confusion. "Why?"

"I'm curious about you. And the watchers make for such tedious company, especially after the months I've already spent among them."

"No, I mean, why treat us so nicely? I expected you to torture us for information or punish us for defying Serenity Corp."

"Wounded egos don't concern me, Adrian. All I care about are results." He fixed Adrian with an unsettling grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Besides, there will be plenty of time for proper study once we've returned to Haven. Until then, I intend to keep you close. No more mistakes…nor opportunities."

Adrian's stomach sank at the implication. Jasper would ensure they remained alone and isolated until the airship arrived, at which point they'd no doubt be placed under heavy guard. And then they'd all become nothing more than glorified lab rats in service of Project Paragon.

The seeker glanced at Heartrender, something like anticipation crossing his features. Adrian's daemons had obeyed his silent plea to remain impassive and avoid drawing attention. Now, however, Heartrender bristled beneath Jasper's too-keen gaze and let out a low growl.

"Perhaps during my next visit, we can continue our discussion on the true bond and the finer points of daemon mastery," Jasper remarked off-handedly, still studying Heartrender. "I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on Callum's journal. It's quite an impressive piece of work. And this ‘reverse Surge' he discusses—simply remarkable!"

Adrian fought down a burst of alarm. Spirits below, how had Jasper deciphered the journal so quickly? Had he formed a true bond of his own? Or had he discovered another way to bypass Crastley's aetherforging?

"I won't tell you a spirit-cursed thing!"

Disappointment tugged at Jasper's lips. "You needn't hide things from me, Adrian. I've been honest with you—the least you can do is return the favor."

Was that why the seeker had been so forthcoming? Had he shared Serenity Corp's secrets in the hopes it would prompt Adrian to do the same with his own?

"What you're attempting is wrong—evil. No matter what you do to me, I'll never help you."

Jasper shook his head. "We'll see." With that, he slipped out the door, shutting it behind him.

What little defiance Adrian had mustered bled from him, fresh hopelessness blossoming in its wake. What was the point in standing up to Jasper when it wouldn't save him or his daemons from their fate? Sinking back against the wall, he pressed his hands over his face and wept.

Adrian lay on a rough cot, staring up at the smooth ceiling of his cell. Had it only been a day since Jasper's visit? More? He wasn't sure. After the seeker left, watchers had brought him this uncomfortable cot and a basic meal. He'd picked listlessly at the latter before crawling into the former, doing his best to escape into the blissful void of sleep.

Yet every time he closed his eyes, he saw the sword protruding from Elana's chest as her eyes widened with pain and shock. Smelled the sizzling flesh from Leda's charred corpse. Heard Freya's agonized wail as her home and family were violently ripped away from her.

It may have been Jasper who ordered the executions and Leda who betrayed the Enclave's trust, but it was Adrian's own folly that had served as the catalyst. First, he'd dragged Seymour into this unwinnable fight, then the Enclave. How many more lives was he willing to sacrifice for Crastley's hopeless cause in some childish quest to make his long-dead parents proud?

Heartrender did her best to snap him out of his funk. She comforted him, poked and prodded him, tried to reason and then to shame him into rising. None of it mattered.

He'd struggled so long to deny his flaws and pretend he could rise above his weak aether. But that had been a lie. Soon, Heartrender would be just one more innocent he'd failed. She'd end up right back in a Serenity Corp lab, subjected to an endless litany of tests until Jasper and his seekers understood what made her special. Then, they'd shove her into a daemoforged relic, reducing her noble spirit to little more than an aetheric technique.

While Heartrender's increasing desperation reverberated through their bond, Lockrod remained disconcertingly quiet, huddled away from Adrian in a corner of the room. Somehow, that silence hurt the most. Not that he blamed Lockrod for giving up on him. He'd been a terrible daemon master so far—first getting him killed fighting Kali, then pawning him off on Freya while he worked feverishly at the Enclave.

"Better for you if I'd never saved you from that branch," Adrian said, burying his face in his hands.

Something heavy thunked against the back of his skull. Pain exploded in his temples, and he yelped, collapsing forward onto his hands and knees. He turned wide eyes up to find Lockrod standing there, an Unbendable Rod grasped in both hands. The daemon's eyes and aether blazed furiously as he released a stream of angry chitters.

Adrian rubbed his head. He supposed he deserved that for all his failures—that and so much more. Emotion flared through his bond with Lockrod as though the daemon agreed. Heartrender had always remained a calm, soothing presence even in the midst of danger, but Lockrod was the exact opposite—all raw, unbridled passion.

The churning cocktail of Lockrod's emotions beat against Adrian's melancholy, impossible to ignore. Fury mixed with sorrow, but stronger than either was the crippling magnitude of the daemon's disappointment. Not in Adrian's actions and decisions that had led them to this point, but in his unwillingness to keep going. In his giving up.

Just like Seymour when we were kids.

For the first time since the massacre, something other than fear or despair stirred within him—white hot rage. "Shut up!" he screamed, leaping to his feet. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Heartrender stared at him in shock, but Lockrod didn't back down as he'd expected. If anything, the daemon grew more frenzied, leaping in place. Adrian eyed the Unbendable Rod as it waved haphazardly through the air. His throbbing head served as a reminder of how much it could sting.

"You're wrong!" he said, wondering as he did why he was even bothering to justify his decision. "There's no more use in fighting. What's the point?"

Apparently, that was the wrong answer. Lockrod came at him again, swinging the rod. This time, Adrian had enough sense to duck out of the way, but Lockrod didn't relent. He struck again and again, forcing Adrian to dodge and remain on the defensive.

Weeks of training with Seymour made the exercise almost second nature. While Lockrod had a weapon and he didn't, the daemon's fighting technique was wild and undisciplined.

"Cut it out," Adrian commanded, stepping around an overhead strike that clanged off the floor. The blow had enough force to crack regular stone, but here, it didn't even leave a mark.

Lockrod sent a resounding No through their bond and continued his assault. Adrian gritted his teeth, spinning just in time to avoid a thrust that would've slammed into his gut.

Although he sensed a thread of worry from Heartrender, she hung back, watching the bout intently. Frustration bubbled up in him, along with an overwhelming sense of worthlessness. Even his own daemons loathed him. Not that he blamed them since he loathed himself.

The realization left him breathless, gasping for air as if he were drowning. Lockrod took advantage of his distraction, sweeping his feet out from under him. He hit the ground with a muffled thump.

Lockrod gave him no quarter, raising his staff high overhead and bringing it down at Adrian's chest—not a killing blow, perhaps, but certainly one that would hurt and might even break a few bones. Watching the strike as if in slow motion, Adrian felt only a deep sense of apathy. This was what he deserved—a body as broken as his spirit and wounds of the flesh to mirror the wounds of his soul.

Yet, even as the thought crossed his mind, something else rose within him—some primal instinct to fight back. To protect. To win. He let out a wordless scream, raising his hands as if to fend off the blow even though the gesture would accomplish little except breaking his fingers.

Aether suddenly tugged at his reserve. Without pausing to think, he reached out and twined the disparate streams of energy together despite their best efforts to tear apart. An Unbendable Rod materialized in his hands just in time to catch Lockrod's strike.

A great ding rang through the chamber as the two rods collided. Adrian's arms ached from absorbing the blow, but he kept them raised. Even amid his current maelstrom of emotions, shock rippled through him. He had done it—for the very first time, he'd managed a reverse Surge with Lockrod. Seconds passed, and he met Lockrod's narrowed eyes with a defiant glare. The daemon's weapon crackled against his own.

Then, Lockrod scampered back, dismissing his Unbendable Rod. With a gasp, Adrian did the same. The aether he'd briefly joined with snapped back to Lockrod…but not before Lockrod's unfiltered thoughts flooded his mind. Anger roiled on the surface, akin to what Adrian himself felt, but beneath it lurked happiness and hope intertwined with the pain of loss. And undergirding it all was a deep, abiding fear, along with an unwavering resolve to conquer it at all costs.

Determination, Adrian realized dazedly, staring at the daemon in wonder. That's what Lockrod feels when he looks at me. He didn't blame Adrian for what had happened. Instead, he…he was worried about Adrian. And he wanted so desperately to help. Adrian glanced at Heartrender. Even without the deeper connection of a reverse Surge, he saw the same concern reflected in her eyes. They both do.

He broke down, covering his face with his arm and sobbing into it. Both his daemons reached him in an instant, snuggling into his sides. He wrapped his arms around them and pulled them close. "I'm sorry," he said between gulps for air. "I won't give up on you. I won't."

Maybe he was a failure or some cosmic disappointment. Maybe he'd let Seymour and the Enclave and his own daemons down. But so long as others needed him, he owed it to them to soldier on. To fight.

When Adrian finally regained control over himself, his tears drying on his cheeks, exhaustion weighed heavily on him. Still, that proved preferable to his previous hollowness. He saw his despair now for what it was—an excuse. A convenient lie to justify the cold comfort of apathy.

But that was the coward's way out. It was no different from how he'd been in Hillvale, resigned to his fate and going through the motions. Retreating from his training instead of persevering through it. Giving up didn't help anyone, least of all himself.

Heartrender nuzzled his side, and he reached out to stroke her head. He still had his daemons with him, his aether stronger than he would've thought possible only a year ago. There had to be a way out of this mess. And he was going to find it.

Perhaps…perhaps he could still salvage their original plan? The specifics would need to change, of course, and reaching the tournament could no longer be their main concern. But they'd made it into the watcher fortress and would soon have access to an airship. Escaping on board might be their best strategy for putting as much distance as possible between them and their captors.

Holding onto that seed of hope to ground him, Adrian sat on the floor and tried to recall everything he'd learned about aetherforging. With less than ten days until the airship arrived, he no longer had the luxury of careful practice and refinement. If he was going to forge anything to aid in their escape, he'd need to do so quickly.

With that thought in the forefront of his mind, he bent over, breathed deep to marshal his focus, and got to work.