Across from him, Maelis wiped her hands on a cloth and spoke without looking up. "I sent out the petition today." She exhaled, a mix of relief and anticipation in her voice. "Now we wait for a response from the Council."
Devvyn nodded once. "Good."
There was a pause. Maelis looked up at him, squinting. "How did your day go?"
Devvyn stabbed the last piece of food on his plate, chewed, and swallowed. "Fine," he said. "It was fine."
Maelis raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, but didn't push. She only gave a small "hmm" and returned to sipping her tea.
Devvyn stood and picked up his plate. "I think I'm gonna call it a night early."
Maelis glanced at the clock, then at him. "Alright then. Just come up to my workshop if you need anything."
He gave a nod, placed his dish in the sink, and headed to his room. But sleep was the last thing on his mind. He shut his bedroom door gently behind him. He flicked off the light and climbed into bed fully clothed.
Lying on his back, he stared at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow, willing his body to appear relaxed and seem as though he were asleep. Minutes crawled by. Then, half an hour. An hour. Just when his eyes grew heavy, just as sleep finally threatened to pull him under, he heard the sound of his window being pushed open. His eyes snapped open.
A shape slipped through the open window and eased onto the floor, their silhouette only just visible in the moonlight filtering through the curtains. They began rifling through the desk drawer, then turned to the small shelf where Devvyn kept his things.
Devvyn sat up and spoke. "It's not there."
The figure froze and slowly turned. In the silver light, Devvyn saw the outline of Jelric's face, lined with guilt and desperation.
"Devvyn, listen, man. I can explain." Jelric shuffled backwards as Devvyn sat up and swung his legs over the bed, as though he was scared Devvyn would hit him. Devvyn brushed past him to turn on the lights.
The sudden brightness flooded the room, catching Jelric mid-step.
Devvyn looked him dead in the eyes. "There's nothing to explain," he said quietly, his voice like ice. "Your father is part of the Unbound. He hurt people."
Jelric flinched. "He didn't!" he snapped, louder than he meant to. Then he caught himself. His shoulders dropped. His voice softened. "…He didn't," he said again. "I made sure of it. He's no longer involved with them. I swear."
He crossed the room slowly and sat on the edge of Devvyn's bed, his back hunched, eyes on the floor.
Devvyn stepped away from the bed, crossed the room, and turned the key in the lock. He turned, leaned against the door, and folded his arms. "Start talking," he said.
Jelric looked up at him from the bed, guilt written plainly across his face. "I only found out the day before the festival," he began. "I-I was looking for a wrench in my dad's cabinet, and I found something hidden under a false drawer." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It was a robe. Red, long-sleeved… just like the ones the Unbound wore when they attacked."
An image of Mr. Vergahn holding a mana gun and pointing it at an innocent person flashed in Devvyn's mind. His body jerked in response, and a shudder ran down his spine. "And?" he said when Jelric didn't continue.
"There was a letter. Handwritten. It told him where to find the bomb. He didn't have it at home. It was already planted at Azure Shores, at a pier. They told him how to detonate it, too."
Jelric raised his eyes to the ceiling. "I confronted him that day, and he cried, Devvyn," Jelric's voice broke, "I've never seen my dad cry, but he broke down like a child right in front of me. He said he'd made a mistake…that they'd kill him and me if he didn't do what they wanted."
The Echo Hunter had said that, too. That the Unbound would kill him if he didn't do as they said. Disgust slithered like a worm through Devvyn's veins. Whoever the Unbound were, they manipulated people using fear, and it disgusted him.
"Do you remember what it looks like? The writing." He asked.
"Uh. Yeah. I'll never forget it," Jelric whispered.
Devvyn pushed off the door without a word, crossed the room, and knelt beside the loose floorboard near his bed. He pried it up gently and reached inside. The book was still there, collecting dust. A spider scurried across the cover as he pulled it free, and he flicked it away with a grimace.
He turned, stood, and walked back toward Jelric, flipping the book open with shaking fingers. Then he shoved it in Jelric's face. "Did it look like this?" he asked.
Jelric stared at the page, eyes widening. "Yeah," he said after a beat. "Yeah, that's it. That's the writing. I'd know it anywhere."
Devvyn's jaw clenched. "So it's the same man who sent your dad the letter," he muttered. "The same one who wrote these names in this book. But he's dead now. So we've got no leads."
Jelric looked up from the book, shaking his head. "Maybe not," he said slowly. "There might be one."
Devvyn frowned. "What?"
Jelric swallowed. "The bomb. My dad didn't go through with it. He promised me he wouldn't." He paused, then added in a lower voice, "But I saw him at the festival, remember? I followed him."
"And?"
"I found him at the edge of the shore. He had the bomb. He was holding it like it was going to burn through his hands." Jelric's voice dropped to a whisper. "And I watched him throw it into the sea."
Devvyn let out a breath, scratching the side of his head. "It's no use," he said quietly. "That bomb could've drifted out into the open sea or sunk straight to the bottom. We're not going to find it ourselves."
He looked down at the book in his hands for a moment, then gently offered it to Jelric. "Here. Take it."
Jelric blinked. "What? Why?"
"Because I'm sorry," Devvyn said. "For not trusting you. These past few weeks have been… weird. One thing after another. And when you froze up earlier, I just—" He shook his head. "I thought the worst."
Jelric took the book slowly, as if he were scared of it. His voice was rough when he said, "I get it. I should've told you guys earlier. I wanted to. But I was just… ashamed. Ashamed of him. Of myself. I thought… like maybe if I stayed quiet, it would just go away." He gave a dry, bitter laugh. "So stupid of me."
Devvyn gave him a faint, understanding nod. "But we're in it together now. Before Eamon died, he told me to take the book to Lord Pyrethorn. We can still do that, I guess."
"My dad…" Jelric's voice trailed off, a flicker of panic tightening his expression.
"I'll cross his name out," Devvyn said.
He walked over to his drawer, pulled out a pen, and held out his hand. "Pass it here."
Jelric looked at the book and then handed it to Devvyn.
Devvyn flipped through its brittle pages until he found the name: David Vergahn. He dragged the pen across the name. Once. Twice. Then again and again, until the ink bled and the paper grew soft beneath the pressure. He kept going—pressing down harder—until the tip of the pen punched through the page. A small hole tore open, right where the name had been.
He turned the book around and held it up for Jelric to see. "There," he said. "If anyone asks, we'll say it was already like this when we found it."
Jelric stared at the torn page for a moment, then cracked a small, grateful grin. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."
Devvyn gave a quiet shrug, as if to say don't mention it.
But Jelric's smile faded just as quickly as it came. He looked down, fidgeting with the corner of the book. "So… can we not tell Aela yet?"
Devvyn raised an eyebrow.
"It's just…" Jelric sighed. "I don't think she'd forgive me as easily as you did. Not after everything that's happened."
Devvyn leaned back against the desk, thoughtful. "Alright. It's your story to tell anyway."
Jelric stood and stretched, brushing his hands on his pants. "I'd better get going," he said, though there was no real conviction in his voice.
Devvyn glanced toward the window, then back at him. "You wanna just crash here?"
Jelric immediately gave a small, grateful smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."
Devvyn stood and walked over to his wardrobe, pulling open the door. He rifled through a few things before pulling out a simple shirt and loose pants. He handed them to Jelric. "Here," he said quietly. "These should be more comfortable than your jeans. Why are you even wearing jeans at this hour?"
"Looking good never stops, Arkwright. You would know if you wore clothes other than overalls." Jelric said as he took the clothes, nodding in thanks. He slipped into the small corner of the room, quickly changing out of his day clothes and into the softer fabric Devvyn had given him.
"They're comfortable," Devvyn mumbled. He crouched beside the floorboard, carefully sliding the book back into its hiding spot. Once it was covered, he pulled a duvet from his wardrobe and laid it out neatly on the floor above the loose board.
"You can have the bed," he said to Jelric.
Jelric smirked as he kicked off his boots. "Of course. Wouldn't expect anything less."
Devvyn rolled his eyes but grinned. Jelric flopped onto the bed with a satisfied sigh while Devvyn settled onto the duvet on the floor, folding his arms behind his head.
For a long moment, they both lay there in silence, breathing.
The room was still, the only sounds coming from the muffled night outside and the quiet hum of the old fan near the door.
Then Jelric spoke, his voice soft. "You good? I mean, after what happened at the cornfield."
Devvyn didn't answer right away. He stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadows stretch and shift across the cracked plaster.
"I've shoved it in the back of my mind for now," he said finally. "I feel like I've seen too many people die in a short span of time." He paused, swallowed hard. "I don't know. I just… don't want to think about it."
Jelric let out a quiet sigh. "All of this happened because we've been chasing Echos. Honestly, I'm starting to give up on it. Sometimes, I wouldn't mind just living an ordinary life altogether. Me, you and Aela."
Devvyn glanced over at him, "Well, we can always get jobs when we're sixteen. I'm pretty sure Gaur wouldn't mind employing us. Being an Echo Hunter looks really fun."
Jelric chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess that works."
"Goodnight, Jelric," Devvyn said.
He turned onto his side, his eyes closing, but his mind still swirling. He focused on the soft hum of the fan spinning above him. The tension in his body eased, and he drifted off to sleep.
