Page 85 of Daemon Master

“I’m fine,” she groaned, waving him off. “Check on Lockrod.”

He hesitated but the urge to obey was too powerful to resist. Trusting her at her word, he kneeled near Lockrod. Relief flooded him when he realized he could sense their bond again. He wrapped his arms around his daemon, pulling him close. For once, Lockrod seemed content to be held rather than scampering about.

He didn’t notice Seymour’s approach until the watcher stopped right beside them. He looked up to find Seymour glaring at Ghosttear’s resting form.

“We should kill the spirit-cursed beast now, before it loses control again.”

“No!” Freya said, sounding horrified. “It was all my fault, not his. I wasn’t keeping a close enough eye on Lockrod and—”

“You’re right!” Seymour whirled on Freya, who shrank back in surprise. “Itisyour fault! What were you thinking, rushing in like that? You could’ve been killed!”

Freya swallowed and looked away. “I was only doing what you and Adrian would’ve done.”

Remembering how he’d collapsed trying to reach her, Adrian had to admit she had a point.

Seymour, however, scowled. “I mean it. Adrian and I have experience facing off against daemons that you sorely lack. Leave the heroics to the actual daemon masters!”

Adrian’s initial spike of pleasure at Seymour’s pseudo-praise morphed to alarm when Metamire jiggled between Freya and Seymour, his aether blazing.

Seymour gave the daemon a surprised look. “Spirits below, what’s gotten into that thing?”

“He’s only trying to protect me,” Freya said. She crouched down and stroked the daemon’s back—or its front? Hard to tell with a pile of goo. “It’s okay,” she cooed. “I’m fine.”

Seymour narrowed his eyes, his gaze flicking from Freya to the daemon as if working out a difficult puzzle. Adrian thought of Freya sprawled in the dirt, arms draped protectively around Metamire, and suddenly it all clicked.

“That’swhy Xander wasn’t as affected!” he said, drawing questioning looks from the pair of them. “Whatever Ghosttear was doing affected daemonic techniques, not aether alone. Xander doesn’t have any bonded daemons, so the magic rolled right off him, while I do so it knocked me out. And…” He focused on Freya, the words bursting out of him before he could think better of them. “And so do you! You bonded a daemon!”

With the way Metamire had taken to trailing Freya everywhere she went, he’d suspected it would only be a matter of time. And she’d had plenty of opportunities to study Crastley’s journal, first with her mother and then with them. It’d be easy enough for her to figure out how to form the requisite runic circle in secret.

Freya paled, and Adrian noticed that the area around them had fallen deathly silent. The remaining villagers stared at them with expressions ranging from curiosity to disgust to outright horror. Someone shoved through the crowd toward them.Leda.Any hope Adrian had that she’d missed his blurted confession dimmed when he saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

“Tell me he’s wrong, child.” Leda made as if to embrace Freya, then cringed and lowered her arms. “Tell me you didn’t break our covenant.”

“I…I…” Freya buried her face in her hands.

Leda’s face collapsed with a crushing sadness close to despair. She whirled on Adrian and Seymour, teeth bared in a furious grimace. “You!This is allyourfault. You’ve corrupted my niece, poisoning her against us exactly as I knew you would!”

Seymour snorted, unfazed by her reaction. “All we’ve done is open her eyes. Serenity Corp’s way is wrong, I’ll give you that. But that doesn’t meanalldaemon bonding is inherently evil.”

“Lies!Nothing but lies!” Leda backed away from them, eyes wide and nostrils flaring. A tremor racked her as thoughshewere under the effect of Ghosttear’s technique. She pointed a trembling finger toward the forest’s edge. “Get out. You’ve done enough harm to the Enclave already. We will not suffer your corruption here any longer!”

Adrian’s stomach sank when he heard murmurs of agreement ripple through the gathered crowd. Not as many as there would have been a few weeks ago, true, but still far more than he liked. Had this single incident been enough to erase whatever goodwill they’d earned?

Elana’s authoritative voice cut through the growing tension. “What is the meaning of this?”

Adrian turned to see the crowd part around the Enclave’s leader. She hobbled forward with the aid of her white staff. By the disarrayed state of her shawls and the sweat slicking her face, she’d rushed to get here.

“As I’ve told you numerous times, Leda, Adrian and Seymour are our guests, at least for the next four days. Until then, they are welcome here, regardless of your personal opinion on the matter.”

Leda’s face reddened, though with rage rather than embarrassment. “You’d still take their side, dear sister, even after what they’ve done to your owndaughter?”

Elana’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?” Her gaze fixed on Freya’s tear-streaked face. “Freya, dear, what’s wrong? I heard there was a wild daemon attack. Were you injured?”

A vicious smile twisted Leda’s lips. She opened her mouth, no doubt to elaborate on how Adrian and Seymour had dragged the poor girl into sin, but Freya spoke up first, her voice quavering.

“P-p-please, Aunt Leda! Th-that’s enough.” Fresh tears clung to her cheeks as she met her mother’s eyes. “I…I…” She gulped, gathering her resolve. “Metamire and I forged a true bond. I’m a daemon master now.”

Her declaration garnered more cries and murmurs from the crowd. Adrian couldn’t hear them well enough to tell whether they were outraged or supportive. Probably a mixture of both.