Abandoning all pretense of stealth, Adrian commanded Trailseeker up the remaining stairs. Heartrender trailed close behind. As Trailseeker vaulted over the ruined hatch into Crastley’s cabin, Adrian’s gaze caught on the nearby bookshelf, and he hurled his daemon against it. The stacked books teetered.

Below, paws pounded on wood. Shadowlash had reached the stairs.

With a desperate surge of aether-enhanced strength, Adrian ordered Trailseeker to leap up, clamp its jaws around the upper edge of the bookshelf, and pull. Already off balance, the bookcase toppled across the opening. Hopefully, that would buy them precious seconds.

He turned Trailseeker’s body and dashed for what remained of the front door. A flash of movement by his side made him jerk reflexively, but it was only Heartrender keeping pace. The cat-like daemon gave him what he swore was an apologetic look. He cast the creature out of his mind. So long as it didn’t attack, he had bigger problems to contend with.

Weaving Trailseeker past piles of books, he barreled into the meadow beyond. The previously serene vista now seemed vaguely sinister, its dappled sunlight and fragrant flowers unnervingly incongruous with his mad dash for safety.

His aether trembled, his vision wavering as he almost lost control of his meld. With a colossal effort of will, he wrenched his mind back into focus. He couldn’t maintain this state much longer, but he’d hold it as long as he could to take advantage of his daemon’s speed.

At his urging, Trailseeker poured aether into a Bolster Body to enhance its legs until they bounded down the hill in a blur. Adrian’s aethersense suddenly bloomed behind him as Shadowlash unveiled its full aura. He didn’t need to look back to feel the powerful daemon gaining on him with every step, its aether almost blinding against the duller sources nearby.

They reached the derelict bridge. This time, Adrian didn’t hesitate to drive Trailseeker across while weaving around the collapsed section. In retrospect, he should’ve used a full meld the first time, but the thought hadn’t occurred to him since he so rarely utilized the strenuous ability.

Right as Trailseeker reached the other side of the still-raging river, the last of Adrian’s mental control slipped. He materialized beside his daemon and tumbled roughly through the grass. Trailseeker skidded to a halt as Adrian took a second to catch his breath, wincing at the pain that lanced through his skull. He hadn’t pushed himself this hard in years—not since the early days of his training when he’d still held out hope of overcoming his flawed aether.

Somewhere between the cabin and the bridge, Heartrender had vanished. Perhaps the smaller daemon had seized the opportunity to escape. So long as it didn’t also try to take a bite out of him, Adrian supposed it didn’t matter. Shadowlash, though…

The fearsome daemon bounded toward the bridge. Darkness enveloped its azure form while black tentacles lashed the air. The oppressive weight of its aura was almost suffocating.

Trailseeker, attack!

Registering his mental command, his daemon dashed across the bridge to meet Shadowlash head on. Legs still enhanced for speed via Bolster Body, Trailseeker nimbly evaded a barrage of crushing tentacles. Adrian had his daemon lunge at one, but its bite phased harmlessly through.

Spirits below, the aetheric finesse required to make its limbs corporeal one moment and incorporeal the next…coupled with the darkness cloaking its flesh, it made Shadowlash nigh invincible against Trailseeker’s physical attacks. All his daemon could do was keep dodging.

Adrian considered running, but what would be the point? He wouldn’t make it far on foot with how worn out that last meld had left him. Instead, he moved to one of the wooden posts securing the bridge on this side of the river. If he could knock it loose, maybe he could delay Shadowlash long enough to return to town and rally the Watcher Division. Placing both hands against it, he heaved with all the strength he could muster.

The bridge barely even shook. He fought down a manic laugh. It figured—now that he wanted the spirit-cursed thing to collapse, it was as sturdy as a rock.

He shoved again and again, drawing on the dregs of his pitiful aether to strengthen his flesh in a lesser version of what Trailseeker could accomplish with its technique. When that failed, he growled in frustration and stomped on the nearest planks. His only reward was a loud creak and an aching foot.

Spirits curse my stunted aether!

He brought his leg back for another stubborn kick. That’s when he noticed the small daemon crouched by his feet. He stumbled in surprise, barely catching himself on the wooden post. Heartrender studied him, and he was struck again by the sharp intelligence in its three-eyed gaze.

“You know,” he grunted, “you could help. That beast will come for you once it’s done with me.”

He’d grown used to talking to Trailseeker’s empty stare and hadn’t expected a response. To his shock, Heartrender gave a high-pitched trill that might have signified agreement. Then, it turned and vanished into the high grass.

He stared after the daemon, confusion warring with disappointment. “Thanks for all your hard work,” he grumbled.

Before he could resume his futile assault on the bridge, roiling aether poured into him. His breath caught. Trailseeker had done its best, but it had fallen before Shadowlash’s assault, its body dissolving into aether. Until it recovered enough to reconstitute itself, he was on his own.

Shadowlash stalked to the far end of the bridge. Adrian resisted the impulse to cower before its terrifying aura. He might never be the heroes his parents had been, but he could at least face his death with the same courage they had.

The enemy daemon stepped onto the creaking planks and paused, letting out a low growl. It took Adrian a moment to spot the source of its consternation. Heartrender crouched silently in the middle of the bridge, its barbed tail flicking.

Spirits above, what is it doing?

Watching the way Shadowlash appraised Heartrender, Adrian suddenly realized why the daemon’s actions seemed so off. There was something too deliberate about its movements—too human. No matter how implausible, he felt certain that a daemon master held its leash.

Unease rippled through him at the implications. That meant Shadowlash’s master was either melded within it or else lurked close enough to monitor the action through their daemon’s eyes. Either way, they were coldly contemplating Adrian’s murder at this very moment.

Without warning, Shadowlash lunged. Two dark tentacles swept the air ahead of it, crashing into Heartrender and…passing straight through to pummel the bridge with a mighty crack. Heartrender flickered like a disturbed reflection in water.

An illusion.

Adrian released a pent-up breath. Heartrender’s technique must allow it to shape projections out of aether. That explained its apparent willingness to sacrifice itself. He admired the deception, even if he didn’t see the point. The trick had slowed Shadowlash, but not for long. Already, it had resumed its march across the bridge. Except…

Boards groaned and snapped, the entire bridge shuddering as it buckled in the middle. Adrian’s eyes widened. Shadowlash’s tentacles had accomplished what he himself could not.

With an echoing crash, the bridge collapsed—not just a single section of planks this time but the entire shoddy structure. Debris ricocheted through Shadowlash’s insubstantial form, but that wasn’t the real danger. As the bridge plummeted into the water, the daemon fell with it in a spray of splintered wood. It hit the rapids, the current sweeping it under and dragging it away.

Adrian wasn’t sure how long he stood there staring before his brain finally caught up, his tensed muscles easing. His relief, however, proved fleeting. A surging river wouldn’t be enough to kill a daemon that powerful. Even if it somehow did, Shadowlash would simply return to its master to recover if Adrian’s hunch proved correct. Spirits below, if he was right about Shadowlash being bonded, who knew how the daemon’s master might react to this setback?

Someone tried to murder me.

He could hardly wrap his head around the notion. What had an insignificant daemon catcher like him ever done to warrant such a violent reaction? He could think of only one possible answer.

Heartrender—the real Heartrender—ambled out from its hiding spot in the tall grass. It plopped down next to him, giving him a look he interpreted as smug.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Maybe I judged you too hastily. You did great out there. Not that you…”

He trailed off as the daemon trilled happily. Not that you can understand me, he’d been about to say. All at once, he was no longer certain that was true.

Heartrender was unlike any daemon he’d ever encountered. Instead of behaving like either a savage monster or a passive slave, it had devised and executed a plan to trick Shadowlash into destroying the bridge. That wasn’t the act of a mindless beast.

He fingered the bondstones in his satchel. Now that he wasn’t in imminent danger of death, his duty was clear. Heartrender was a stray. It was his responsibility to capture and submit it to Serenity Corp for processing. Yet, the daemon had saved his life. Rewarding that favor with a cage felt like the worst sort of betrayal.

Sighing, he removed his hand from his pouch and considered the daemon critically. Even if he didn’t want to capture it, he couldn’t let it walk free. His professional duty aside, he had to assume that Old Man Crastley lay at the root of this mess. Until he figured out what was going on, neither the worn journal tucked in his bag nor the daemon that had been with it were leaving his sight.

He cleared his throat. “Well, come along then.” Turning, he took a few experimental steps. It can’t possibly be this easy, can it?

Heartrender followed without hesitation.

Adrian shook his head wonderingly and continued toward Hillvale. There was definitely something off with Crastley, this daemon, and the whole spirit-cursed business. First, he’d return to town and the begrudging protection of the Watcher Division. Then, he’d get some answers.