3. Secrets

three

Adrian spent the entire return journey anticipating an ambush. The rolling hills and waving grass that had seemed so peaceful during his walk out now struck him as the perfect terrain to mask an approach or lay in wait. By the time he reached Hillvale, the dregs of his adrenaline had him on the brink of collapse. Trailseeker siphoning his aether to recover only made it worse.

Fewer citizens walked the streets now that morning had transitioned to afternoon, but for once, it felt good to be among those that remained, even if they ignored him like usual. No one seemed to notice his sweat-soaked clothes or the small daemon padding along at his side. At least, Heartrender was behaving itself. Spirits knew why it continued to willingly follow him.

When Adrian spotted a bored-looking watcher leaning against a storefront, he hesitated before hurrying past. He'd had plenty of time to think through his next steps on the walk back and was no longer so certain he should go straight to the Watcher Division.

For one, most of the watchers—thanks largely to Seymour's influence—looked down on him. They thought the son of two fallen heroes should be, well…better. Even if Adrian secretly agreed, their disdain made them too likely to dismiss him. Spirits above, he'd lived through the events of the last couple hours and even he barely believed everything he'd seen.

That left reporting the threat directly to Arbiter Janice. She'd been kind, if pitying, that morning when she told him to come to her with any problems. Being hunted by a murderous daemon over a dead man's secrets seemed to qualify. Let her rally the Watcher Division.

He passed the turnoff for the cozy home he'd inherited from his parents and glanced yearningly down the narrow street. The previous arbiter had allowed him to remain there after they passed, getting by on a combination of charity and odd jobs around town while he completed his education. It had become a sort of sanctuary for him even after his falling out with Seymour—the last surviving piece of his old life with his parents. What he wouldn't give to lock himself away from the world there now for a few hours and freshen up after his adventure.

But as much as he longed to decompress or read through Crastley's journal, he didn't dare delay—not with Heartrender walking unbonded at his side and Shadowlash and its hypothetical master still out there. Best to meet with Arbiter Janice and sort this matter out as quickly as he could before he suffered another attack.

The steps of the Serene Hall proved blessedly devoid of watchers this time. Its polished stone fa?ade stretched overhead, comforting in its solidity. He shuffled outside the entryway and glanced at Heartrender. Just because the daemon had cooperated so far didn't mean it would continue to do so. No matter its odd behavior, it was still a wild beast. It would be prudent to restrain it with a bondstone before he entered.

Heartrender's eyes narrowed, its expression turning reproachful.

Adrian gulped and looked away. He knew he was only projecting his own emotions onto the creature, but, well…Heartrender had saved him, when he wasn't certain many other people in this town would've bothered.

"Don't make me regret this," he muttered as he started up the narrow steps.

Heartrender followed, mewling softly with what might've been reassurance.

Scribes perused endless stacks of documents while their daemons ambled among rows of desks. At first, Adrian thought little had changed since this morning beyond the shift in the sun's angle through the windows. Then, he glimpsed a commotion off to one side. Curious, he edged closer.

A cluster of daemon masters huddled with their charges. Aether surged around them, flowing into strewn-about materials. Arbiter Janice presided over the entire affair with a watchful eye.

It took Adrian a few moments to realize they were forging new tools. A reptilian daemon with six legs and a forked tongue breathed fire onto hunks of raw metal placed in basins. Another daemon, this one lumpy like a boulder, grasped the pliable metal in its four hands, twisting it into crude pots, axe heads, and a dozen other implements. It then handed these off to a bird-like daemon with an abnormally long neck that shaped its aether into gusts of cooling wind.

Still more daemons supported the process in their own ways. Among these, he spied the Arbiter's humanoid daemon using its spindly fingers to warp wooden lengths into tool handles. The results of their collective craftsmanship lacked the finesse of true artisans, but the aether invested in their creation would leave the tools more than sturdy enough to get the job done.

Usually, it filled him with optimism to see daemons use their techniques to build rather than destroy. Today, however, every flash of aether reminded him of Shadowlash's writhing tentacles.

Adrian elected to wait rather than disturbing the Arbiter. He wanted her in the best mood possible when he asked for her help. Eventually, she noticed him standing there and walked over.

"Catcher Adrian," she said in greeting. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

He bowed deeply. "Please, pardon the interruption, Arbiter. If you have a moment, there's an urgent matter I wish to bring to your attention. May we speak in your office?"

Arbiter Janice studied him with a slight frown. He resisted the urge to shuffle his feet. At last, she nodded. "Of course. I am here to serve."

She recalled her daemon and led him to her office, ushering him into the chair set before her desk. Settling into her own seat, she regarded him with a calm air that lent him strength. Shut off from the rest of the world, he felt like he could finally breathe again.

Arbiter Janice steepled her fingers. "Tell me what happened and what I can do to help."

Gripping the arms of his chair for support, Adrian launched into an explanation of his day, beginning with Seymour's command to investigate Old Man Crastley's cabin. When he got to his first sighting of Shadowlash, the Arbiter's eyes widened.

She made him describe the daemon in exacting detail three times before, face pale, she finally said, "I see" and gestured for him to continue. He understood her reaction—a wild daemon that powerful near Hillvale was a disaster waiting to happen.

He recounted Shadowlash's inexplicable retreat and his discovery of the entrance to Crastley's underground lab—relived the sheer terror of Shadowlash's return. Arbiter Janice's startled gaze flicked to Heartrender when he described the hidden compartment. Until then, the feline daemon had remained unnoticed at his feet, curled into a tight ball. As if sensing the Arbiter's scrutiny, Heartrender opened its trio of eyes and blinked. Its long tail swished lazily.

"You say it's still unbonded?" the Arbiter asked softly.

Wincing, he nodded and braced himself for a lecture about the responsible management of savage monsters. However, the Arbiter merely furrowed her brow.

"Fascinating. It's unlike any daemon I've ever seen."

He gave a vigorous nod. "That's why I couldn't bring myself to use a bondstone. It seemed worse somehow than pacifying a regular daemon. Well, that and the fact that it saved my life."

The Arbiter raised an eyebrow. "Saved your life?"

Adrian concluded his tale with his mad dash up the stairs back to that deathtrap of a bridge. After he'd recounted Trailseeker's last stand and Heartrender's clever deception, he fell silent. The Arbiter's reaction was impossible to gauge, though he thought her face paler than before.

The silence stretched until he cleared his throat. "I'm not sure how to explain Heartrender's strange behavior, but I suspect Shadowlash is bonded. If I'm right, its master must be after what I found in Crastley's lab. We need to warn the Watcher Division and organize a search."

Arbiter Janice's fingers drummed against her desk. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

He shook his head.

"Good. We don't need word of this getting out and sparking a panic. It's for the best you came straight to me."

Relief flooded him as he nodded. Recounting his harrowing day had been both cathartic and draining, making his earlier brushes with death seem more real. He'd survived by the thinnest of margins, and he doubted he was out of the woods yet. At least, he had the Arbiter on his side.

Arbiter Janice rose, her chair scraping against the floorboards. She skirted around her desk and paused with one hand on the door. "Of all the people for this to happen to, I'm so sorry it had to be you." Her calm fa?ade slipped as she swallowed hard. "Wait here. I'll be back as soon as I can so we can put this whole sordid mess behind us." With one last glance at Heartrender, she stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.

Adrian leaned back in his chair, touched by the Arbiter's concern. It felt good to know someone cared what happened to him, and even better to have that person take charge. All he had to do now was wait for her return. Then, he could head home for a nice, long nap.

Heartrender shifted by his feet, raising its head to lick at its translucent front paws. Adrian had never seen a daemon mimic normal animal behavior like that before. Then again, most daemons he encountered either possessed the vacant stare of the bonded or the crazed stupor of the bondsick. Was it some distant ancestral instinct rising to the surface?

Given what he'd discovered of Crastley's reading habits, he suspected the old man would've known. Adrian's thoughts turned to the journal he still had tucked in his satchel. He'd mentioned Crastley's notes to the Arbiter, but she'd apparently forgotten in her haste.

If he was going to be stuck waiting, he might as well take a look. He extracted the beaten notebook and flipped it open, blinking in confusion at what he found. Words filled the page, but none that made any sense. He found the same garbled gibberish on the next page, and the next.

His heart sank. If Crastley had encoded his notes, it might take ages to decipher them. Perhaps the Arbiter or someone else at Serenity Corp had access to a daemon that could help.

So much for straightforward answers.

Skipping to the journal's end, he drew in a sharp breath. He hadn't expected to find anything different, but the words there, while written in a looping scrawl, were in the common tongue.

"Allow me to preface this account," Adrian read aloud, "with the first of many confessions. I dedicated my life to discovering answers within the Seeker Division. After countless experiments and decades of study, I know more about the nature of daemons than perhaps any other human alive. So, believe me when I say that everything Serenity Corp has told us is a lie."

He paused, remembering the scribbled notes left behind in Crastley's books. Even if this was nothing more than a madman's ramblings, curiosity compelled him to keep reading. The handwriting grew increasingly illegible, as though Crastley had rushed to get the words down.

"Serenity Corp wants us to believe they are our saviors—that their bondstones are a necessary pillar of our society. Yet, it is their own greed and folly that have driven us to the brink of annihilation. I was once na?ve to their betrayal. Even after I suspected the truth, I continued to aid in their deception. But no longer!"

Spirits above, what was Crastley talking about? Serenity Corp wasn't perfect—Adrian's own interactions with the Watcher Division proved that. But their discoveries had won the Daemon Wars and led to the formation of the League. Without the combined expertise of the Watcher, Keeper, and Seeker Divisions, civilization would have long since succumbed to the feral daemons in the Untamed Wilds beyond the Bulwark. Hoping to find some answers, he read on.

"I destroyed what I could of Project Paragon and fled far enough with Specimen ADN-563 that I thought—I hoped—they would never find us. Perhaps I should have destroyed her as well, but I couldn't bring myself to betray her trust—not after the lasting bond we had forged."

Heartrender had perked up as he read, fixing its eyes unwaveringly on him as he struggled to process Crastley's words. Was Heartrender this ADN-563—an escaped Serenity Corp experiment? His mind churned as he finished the note.

"I have written a full account of what I know within these pages. Only those who walk the rightful path of a daemon master will find the secrets they seek. If you wish to know the truth, then your journey begins with the symbol below. Hold it in your mind, shape it with your aether, and meld it with a willing daemon to experience the true bond as it was intended. Then, you—"

The words cut off there with a sudden jerk of ink on the page. Beneath it, more carefully drawn than the rest of the note, sat a circle of unfamiliar runes like those he'd seen scrawled on that scrap of paper back in the lab. As it had then, his aether roiled as if eager to form the shape.

Adrian reined in his reserve. Now was not the time to experiment with unfamiliar magic, especially when the note made so little sense. The very notion of a daemon willing to be enslaved was ludicrous.

Heartrender picked that moment to dart over to the door.

"What is it?" he asked, slamming the journal shut with a disgruntled huff. "What do you sense?"

The daemon glanced at him and let out a little yip before turning back to the door. Spirits above, how had he already come to trust the strange stray this much? His first thought had been that the daemon was trying to help, not that it might attempt to escape.

When Heartrender scratched at the wood, he sighed. "All right, give me a second."

His aethersense registered nothing interesting outside, but perhaps Heartrender discerned something he couldn't. He considered summoning Trailseeker—the daemon should be restored enough to manifest—but held off. After its valiant fight against Shadowlash, Trailseeker had earned the right to rest.

Instead, he moved to open the door, frowning when the knob wouldn't turn. Why would the Arbiter lock him in? Was she that concerned about Heartrender getting loose?

Heartrender mewled anxiously. As if understanding this route was blocked, it dashed to the window behind the Arbiter's desk. The daemon couldn't quite reach the glass even standing on its hind legs, so it batted at the wall underneath.

All three of its eyes widened imploringly when it glanced back at him. His unease deepened. He might not be able to communicate with the daemon directly, but its silent plea seemed perfectly clear: Danger! Run!

His heart pounded in his chest. He needed to calm down and think about this rationally. The last thing he wanted was to jump to any hasty conclusions.

Heartrender let out an impatient huff and resumed pawing at the Arbiter's window. Apparently, it disagreed. Something had it spooked. But, what?

Perhaps he should start with what he knew. A powerful daemon had attacked him several hours ago. Its odd behavior suggested a daemon master's influence. That meant someone wanted him dead and used their daemon to attempt the deed, most likely because he'd discovered Crastley's secret lab. He glanced from Heartrender to the worn journal still lying open on the floor. Or, to be more precise, because he'd found what Crastley had hidden inside.

Though the journal's full contents remained a mystery, Crastley's note claimed it offered proof of Serenity Corp's wrongdoing. An old recluse wasn't exactly the most reliable source of information. Yet, if there was even a kernel of truth in his words…

Adrian gulped.

While the loose collection of city-states that had survived the Daemon Wars technically maintained a separate government, everyone knew the real political power in the League lay with Serenity Corp. Without their regulated supply of captured daemons and manufactured bondstones, society would have collapsed centuries ago.

Which was no doubt precisely the way Serenity Corp liked it. They'd probably do anything to protect their reputation and position within the League. And here he stood in the middle of a Serenity Corp facility, locked in a room by one of their low-level executives.

An executive who'd been gone a suspiciously long time.

Panic constricted his chest as he mentally replayed his last conversation with the Arbiter. He hadn't known about Crastley's accusations yet, but he'd told her everything else. Was it his imagination, or had she reacted oddly to his description of Shadowlash? Almost as if she'd recognized the daemon…

Barely registering what he was doing, he began to pace. Heartrender yipped at him with obvious annoyance, but he ignored it.

Arbiter Janice's potential involvement supported his theory that Shadowlash's master acted on behalf of Serenity Corp. If Crastley had stolen Serenity Corp secrets, they must have been searching for him. Had they tracked him down and silenced him for good?

The Arbiter's earlier words echoed unbidden through his mind. Of all the people for this to happen to, I'm so sorry it had to be you. He'd assumed she'd simply been commiserating over his traumatic morning. Now, though, he wasn't so sure.

Doubling over, he rested his hands on his knees. His breath came in ragged gasps. This could not be happening. After everything he'd been through today, he had to be jumping at shadows.

Something tugged at the hem of his trousers, snapping him back to the present. He glanced down and found Heartrender sitting there. When his eyes met the daemon's, it mewled softly.

Clenching his hands into fists, Adrian pictured his parents and forced his back straight. "You're right," he said, trying to suppress the quiver in his voice. "I don't have time for a panic attack, not if I want to get out of here in one piece. I need to…"

He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentiment. Heartrender clearly thought the answer was flight, but what had set the tiny daemon off in the first place? Part of him still desperately wanted to believe this was all his overactive imagination.

An image of writhing black tentacles flashed before his eyes, and he shivered. "It's Shadowlash, isn't it?" he whispered.

Heartrender let out a low growl at the name. Adrian took a deep breath to center himself and extended his aethersense. Nothing. That meant little, however, with how well Shadowlash had masked its aura before.

Sorry, buddy. I know your aether's still thin, but I need your help.

Trailseeker greeted him with the same impassive stare as always. Flaring his aether, Adrian slipped into Trailseeker's mind, letting the daemon's heightened senses fill his awareness.

A moment later, he cursed and canceled the meld. Shadowlash's unmistakable scent wafted from under the door. The daemon was close, perhaps already within the Serene Hall. That pretty much confirmed his suspicions. He had to get out of here. Now.

"Looks like you had the right idea," he said as he joined Heartrender by the window.

Not seeing an obvious way to open it, he braced himself against the pane and slammed his right shoulder into the glass. Pain throbbed down his arm, and he yelped, rubbing at his bruised shoulder. It was that spirit-cursed bridge from the meadow all over again. He should've known his pathetic aether wouldn't be enough—not with the aether used in the pane's creation.

Heartrender yipped encouragingly by his feet, and he forced himself to consider the window critically. He might not be able to smash through on his own, but he didn't need to. Not when he had two daemons here with him.

While Trailseeker obediently moved to the window and shifted its Bolster Body to enhance its raw strength, Adrian tugged the Arbiter's chair from behind her desk and positioned it in front of Heartrender. The smaller daemon mewed gratefully and hopped up onto the wooden seat.

"Ready?" he asked, feeling foolish when he remembered he was talking to two daemons.

Trailseeker didn't respond, but Heartrender growled in what might've been confirmation.

"Now!" He threw his shoulder—the left one this time—against the window just as Trailseeker and Heartrender leaped forward in unison.

Bolstered by aether or not, the glass shattered beneath their combined assault. Most of it sprayed across the lawn outside, but he ducked his head against a few errant shards. Momentum carried both Heartrender and Trailseeker through the opening. Adrian, however, hesitated.

This was his last chance to turn back. To put his faith in Serenity Corp and Arbiter Janice. Even if Shadowlash had been operating with Serenity Corp's blessing, that didn't mean what had happened this morning wasn't some giant misunderstanding. If he stayed here, maybe they could sort it out so he could put this nightmare behind him.

And what of Heartrender?

As if on cue, the cat-like daemon mewed from beyond the broken window. The creature could've run, now or a dozen times prior. But it hadn't. Instead, it had risked itself for him.

When he was younger, Adrian had often imagined what his parents' last moments must've been like. He and Seymour had read through the official report together, and while it had been sparse on details, it had extolled their heroic sacrifice. Alone in the savage forests of the Untamed Wilds beyond the Bulwark, they'd held off a daemonic horde long enough for the rest of their watcher squad to escape and bring warning back to the wall. They'd known what it would cost them. Yet, they'd stood their ground anyway.

If his parents were here now, what would they want him to do? What would they have done in his stead?

Adrian shoved Crastley's journal into his satchel and clambered out the window. He landed in packed mulch beside Heartrender and Trailseeker. Trimmed hedges blocked his view of the surrounding square. Dismissing his daemon, he crept forward and peered through the foliage.

With its position at the exact center of Hillvale, the Serene Hall was not an easy place to slip away from unnoticed. Even now, with the workday nearing its end, people trickled through the courtyard on various errands while vendors shouted out wares from their carts. Across the way, a pair of amorphous daemons consumed a pile of refuse under the supervision of several laborers.

At least, no watchers lurked in sight…yet. He needed to get out of here before someone noticed the broken window and raised an alarm. He eyed Heartrender. Traveling with the daemon in plain view might draw unwanted attention once word of their escape got out.

"I don't suppose you want to go for a ride?" he asked, stooping to extend his arms.

Heartrender's three eyes narrowed. He'd expected the daemon to balk, so he masked his astonishment when it allowed him to cradle its surprisingly light body to his chest.

"Don't worry," he said when Heartrender let out a warning growl. "I won't drop you."

Heartrender huffed as if to say, We'll see about that.

Adrian rose from the bushes and trotted into the courtyard at as quick a pace as he dared. A few people glanced toward him, looking away once they realized who he was. For once, everyone's casual dismissal of him worked to his advantage.

He kept to side streets and back alleys, setting a course for the edge of town. He could decide on a true destination later once they'd put some distance between themselves and Shadowlash.

A couple blocks from the city limits, he turned a corner and found himself in the path of two patrolling watchers. His steps faltered, and Heartrender shifted in his grip. His every instinct screamed at him to run. Instead, he maintained his pace. The watchers were laughing and chatting, unconcerned with hunting a fugitive. Fleeing seemed a surefire way to change that.

Only after he drew nearer did he recognize them as the pair of watchers from the Serene Hall that morning. Seymour's friends. He didn't remember their names—both had been assigned to Hillvale rather than growing up here as Seymour and he had—but by the way their eyes lit up when they spotted him, they definitely remembered his.

His heart sank as the watchers jogged toward him with identical smirks. Though about his age, they loomed over him the same way most of his peers did. He craned his head up to meet their eyes, attempting—and probably failing—to project the confidence of someone with nothing to hide.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" the watcher on the right sneered. He was taller and broader than his companion, with wavy blond hair that fell over his face.

"Isn't it obvious?" laughed the watcher on the left. "Looks like our resident catcher is enjoying an evening stroll. Even the daemons bossing you around now?"

It took Adrian a moment to remember Heartrender clutched in his arms. While the first watcher guffawed, Adrian set the daemon down. The small creature pressed against his leg, radiating tension.

"Just attending to a bit of official business," he replied stiffly.

The second watcher snorted. "Right. How'd you fare at Old Man Crastley's?"

Well, I may have stumbled onto a massive conspiracy that could shake the League to its foundations…if it doesn't get me killed first.

"It was fine," he said too quickly. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

The first watcher grinned, flicking blond bangs out of his eyes. "Watcher Seymour will be glad to hear it. He worried we'd need to break in a new catcher after you got yourself eaten."

"Good thing I'm not so easily digested, then," Adrian retorted. "Besides, the place was stray-free. If Crastley kept any daemons, he must've already returned them to the Keeper Division."

Blondie opened his mouth to respond—probably rudely—but the second watcher interjected before he could, his eyes narrowing. "What about that runt you've got with you?" He pointed at Heartrender, who bared its fangs. "Isn't your daemon a hound?"

Adrian silently cursed his own stupidity. Apparently, these watchers hadn't ignored his existence as completely as he'd thought. "Um, nope. Heartrender's my one and only."

"Heartrender…" Blondie shook his head. "That would be your daemon's name."

The second watcher, however, frowned "I could've sworn your daemon had ‘seeker' in its name. This pipsqueak doesn't look capable of subduing another daemon if its aether depended on it. But then again, neither do you."

Adrian bristled at the insult while Heartrender growled softly. "Brute strength isn't everything. Heartrender, use…" He realized he didn't know the daemon's technique, and floundered for a name, picking the first one that popped into his head. "Use Mirror Image."

Heartrender cocked its head, and he held his breath, willing his bluff to work. When aether flared around the daemon, he suppressed a grin. An illusory duplicate of Blondie appeared in front of the original. Blondie staggered a step back, his own aura bursting to life. When he realized what had happened, he glared at Adrian as if daring him to laugh.

The second watcher grunted and crossed his arms. "Nice parlor trick. But I suppose you made your point. No stray, pacified or not, would ever be that compliant if it wasn't bonded."

Adrian nodded, edging his way around the watchers. "Yes, well, I've got to go. Give Watcher Seymour my regards. Spirits smile upon you both."

With that, he turned and practically bolted down the street. He half-expected the watchers to call out after him, but neither did. Still, their stares burned into his back until he'd turned the next corner. He sagged against a nearby wall, his previous exhaustion flooding back.

"That was close," he muttered to Heartrender, who yipped in agreement. "Good thing Seymour wasn't with them, or I doubt they'd have been anywhere near so agreeable."

Once he had his pattering heart under control, he resumed his march out of the city. He'd traveled less than a block, however, before he heard Blondie bellow, "Catcher Adrian! By order of the Watcher Division, I command you to halt!"

Looks like the Arbiter finally noticed my absence.

Cursing, Adrian dashed down the nearest side street. Feet pounded the pavement behind him, growing closer.

Spirits take their enhanced bodies!

He burst from the mouth of an alley and skidded to a halt, scanning the street for someplace to hide. A nearby shop caught his eye. Fresh flowers bloomed in bunches along a tall rack on the building's side. The owner must have used a daemon to enlarge the blossoms judging by the cloud of aether still pouring off them.

It wasn't much—his own aethersense almost certainly could've picked out his aura from the surrounding haze. But against a pair of arrogant watchers in a hurry? It might be enough.

The sounds of pursuit intensified as Adrian dropped to his knees beside Heartrender. "Please, if you can understand me, I need your help to hide us from those watchers."

Heartrender stared at him, and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. The watchers would drag them back to the Serene Hall and present them to Shadowlash's faceless master. And then…well, he didn't want to think about what would happen next.

Aether suddenly erupted around him. His eyes shot open in time to see Heartrender enveloped by an aura of crackling power. The aether gradually solidified into an illusory new form.

A copy of the flower shelves, he realized. Heartrender had created a precise duplicate next to the original. He shifted his body, vaguely disoriented by the sight of solid matter phasing through his flesh. Scrunching back against the shop's wall, he made himself as small as possible. The last thing he wanted was an errant knee or elbow ruining the effect.

The watchers' footsteps echoed in the quiet twilight. Adrian couldn't see them past the illusion obscuring his vision, but they had to be close.

"Spirits below," one of them—Adrian thought it was Blondie—cursed. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know. A runt like him couldn't have gotten far though. Come on!"

More footfalls faded away. Once they'd vanished completely, Heartrender released its technique, the image wavering before winking out. Adrian's tensed muscles eased, though he remained on his guard. They were safe for now, but more shouts resounded in the distance.

He bolted the final few blocks to the border of town, relieved to see that the watchers hadn't had time to set up a blockade yet. No amount of illusions would suffice once the Arbiter mobilized the entire spirit-cursed Watcher Division against them.

It wasn't until they'd crested a rolling hill in the meadows beyond Hillvale that he allowed himself to relax. Maybe he wouldn't end tonight bound in chains or buried in a ditch after all.

"Hello, Adrian."

Adrian screamed, almost losing his balance and rolling down the hillside. The voice came from right behind him, but when he whirled around, no one was there. Heartrender gave him a stern look as if to ask what all the fuss was about.

"We need to talk, Adrian."

He realized he recognized the voice. "Arbiter Janice," he said hoarsely.

The Arbiter's reply came a moment later, carried on the breeze. "Adrian, please listen to me. I don't know what you think is happening, but I assure you that no one wants to see you hurt."

He choked back an incredulous laugh. "The tentacled shadow daemon begs to differ."

Silence.

He willed his feet onward. No sense remaining in one place while they talked. For all he knew, the Arbiter was trying to use her daemon's sending technique to lure him into a trap.

"Mistakes have been made," the Arbiter admitted. "But all we want is to talk to you about Crastley. Please, come back so we can sort this out in person."

"I'd feel more comfortable chatting remotely if it's all the same to you."

Arbiter Janice gave a heavy sigh. "Very well. From what I understand, Crastley was a deeply troubled man with an irrational vendetta against Serenity Corp. The central office in Haven dispatched an agent here to detain him, but he passed away before she could."

How convenient."Then, it sounds like all's well that ends well. Where do I fit in?"

"When you informed me of your…misadventures, I recognized your description of the agent's daemon. She stopped in yesterday to inform me she had business nearby, but not what it concerned. Naturally, I went to consult with her on your behalf."

"And what did she say?" he asked, his stomach sinking. He could already guess the answer, but he wanted to confirm his suspicions.

"Crastley left behind a daemon when he died. An incredibly dangerous daemon. It is imperative that you remand it into Serenity Corp custody at once."

Insects chirped around him. Small animals rustled the grass. Distantly, he smelled the sickly-sweet perfume of wildflowers. Despite the warm night air, he broke into a cold sweat.

"What will happen to us if we return?"

"The agent assigned to Crastley will debrief you. Then, you'll be released. None of this is your fault, Adrian. You simply stumbled into a situation beyond your control."

"And Heartrender? What happens to m…thedaemon?" He'd almost said my before he caught himself.

Arbiter Janice didn't respond, which was all the answer he needed.

Heartrender watched him silently. He had the distinct impression it understood that he held its fate in his hands.

He closed his eyes. "Thanks for watching out for me, Arbiter. But I'm afraid I must decline."

"Don't be a fool, Adrian! Let us help you." Her voice cracked. "Let me help you."

His resolve wavered. He wanted so badly to trust in her wisdom. But he'd made his choice back in her office. Whatever happened next, his and Heartrender's fates were intertwined.

"Goodbye, Arbiter Janice," he whispered.

There was no response save the myriad sounds of life cascading through the vale. He'd just about decided she'd severed the connection when another woman's voice spoke to him, one he didn't recognize.

"Hello, Adrian." The voice was huskier than the Arbiter's, as cold and implacable as a glacier. "In case any confusion remains, let me make your situation clear. As of this instant, you are a wanted fugitive. There is nowhere to run where we cannot catch you. Nowhere to hide where we cannot find you. Your fate, like any traitor's, is a foregone conclusion—it is only a matter of time."

Even before the sending technique finished dissipating, Adrian was sprinting across the field. It didn't matter that his breath came in sharp pants. It didn't matter that he tripped and stumbled in the growing dark. In that moment, all that mattered was getting far, far away.

Away from Hillvale. Away from Serenity Corp. And, most importantly, away from the terrible, icy voice of the woman who could only be Shadowlash's master.