There was a time when Calder Pyrethorn, standing in Devvyn's living room, would've left him awestruck. Honoured, even. But now, as he stared at the man, all he felt was a slow-burning irritation. Seeing Isadora beside him, wrinkling her nose at the furniture like it might stain her skin, only made it worse.
Maelis, calm as ever, glanced at Devvyn. "Be a dear and get our guests some water. Maybe the almond snacks, too."
"There's no need," Calder said, waving a hand. "I'm not here to eat." He turned to Maelis, eyes narrowing. "Why are you in the Lower City? In this…dump? I thought you moved to another Holding. And the boy, he's your grandson?"
Maelis crossed her arms. "That's none of your business."
Devvyn blinked. "Wait, you know each other?"
Calder nodded once. "We worked on a project together. A long time ago. If I had known you were Maelis Arkwright's grandson, son of—"
Before he could speak more, Maelis turned to Devvyn harshly. "Devvyn. Go inside."
Devvyn opened his mouth to protest, but Maelis cut him off with a look and a gentle, firm voice. "Devvyn, please. Just this once, listen to me."
He exhaled through his nose, clearly unhappy. "Fine." He turned and left the sitting room, footsteps heavy with frustration. But the moment he rounded the corner into the passage, he slowed... and stayed. Pressing his back against the wall, he crept closer to the archway, just enough to hear without being seen.
He wasn't alone.
Aela and Jelric were already crouched there, tucked into the corner like sardines. Aela noticed him and scowled, then gave him a light punch on the arm.
She leaned in and whispered, "Your grandmother knows Calder Pyrethorn. How did you not know that?" Her eyes were wide, stunned. "How does that even happen?"
"Dunno," Devvyn muttered, crouching beside them. "My grandmother doesn't tell me anything about her life before me. She speaks about my parents sometimes, but never anything useful."
Jelric let out a low whistle. "Whatever relationship they had, they were close. Maelis spoke to him like he was just... an ordinary man."
"Shh," Devvyn said. "Let's hear what they're saying."
They pressed in tighter, holding their breath as they listened to the voices drifting from the sitting room.
Maelis's voice came first. It was the first time Devvyn had heard her speak to anyone who wasn't him with anger in her voice. "These people have nowhere else to go, Calder. Something like this was bound to happen."
Calder responded, tone calm but clipped. "You know, I was very confused when I read your petition. I thought maybe you were simply writing on their behalf. To think you were living here. I changed my mind because of you, Arkwright. I ordered my men to drill around the houses, not through them. That's me being willing to sacrifice ounces of mana. I don't see the problem."
"You don't see the problem?" Maelis snapped. "Then you've spent too long behind your golden gates. You forget who you're talking to, Calder. I'm not one of your insipid council members you can run around with words. We both know you plan to use the noise to chase them away so you can claim it's not your fault."
There was a pause. Then her voice rose slightly. "What kind of life do you think they'll be living, waking up every morning to the sound of drilling? To tremors shaking their walls? You think that's nothing?"
From the other side, Calder's tone was still calm but firmer now. "That mana will be used to better Sinai, Maelis. Infrastructure. Energy. Long-term investment. You know how these things work."
Maelis gave a dry laugh. "No, Calder. It'll be used to better Eternis. To power your fancy towers and keep your precious Echo hunting running. And let's not pretend it won't add a few more bars of gold to your vault while it's at it."
In the passage, Aela leaned closer to Devvyn. She whispered, "Your grandmother is a badass."
"Yes, she is," came another voice.
All three of them jumped. Devvyn turned sharply, nearly losing his balance as they scrambled to their feet. Standing a few paces behind them was Isadora Pyrethorn, her hands folded in front of her. Her eyes faced downward.
"What are you doing here?" Aela hissed.
Isadora ignored Aela and looked at Devvyn. "I was hoping I could talk to you. Alone."
"No," Devvyn said.
Isadora didn't flinch. "Alright," she said softly. "I get it. I just…" Her gaze dropped for a moment. "I wanted to apologise. For how things ended the last time. I was so focused on impressing my father, on doing what he expected, that I didn't stop to realise people's lives were being ruined."
She looked back up at him, her eyes searching his face. "I'm sorry."
Devvyn crossed his arms, still tense. "Well, it's too late now, isn't it?"
Isadora opened her mouth to respond, but he cut in before she could. "I hope that model you built turns out well."
She shook her head. "I don't care about that anymore," she said quietly. "Not if it means stepping over people to get there. Besides, Lord Pyrethorn handed it over to someone else."
"Oh boo hoo. I'm rich, and I worked on a project and my father took it away from me. Woe is me." Aela mocked.
Isadora hissed at her. "Do you, like, ever shut up?"
Aela stepped up, unfazed. "Girl, you're not in Eternis anymore, surrounded by your guards. I will mop the floor with you."
Jelric immediately wedged himself between them. "Okay, okay, enough," he said, raising his hands. "Can everyone just shut up for one second so we can hear what Maelis and Lord Pyrethorn are talking about?"
Isadora crossed her arms, voice cold. "Yeah, little girl, would be nice if you kept quiet for once."
Aela lunged forward, but Devvyn caught her around the waist, pulling her back.
"Seriously?" he muttered, straining to hold her still.
"She started it," Aela snapped, frowning as she glared at Isadora.
"Wait," Jelric cut in, eyes narrowing. "I just heard them say something about a machine."
They heard Maelis speak. "I'll build the machine for you," she said. "But I need a month. And during that time, you pull your men out. Stop the drilling. Let these people breathe. And the ones who have to move until the project is over, you'll compensate them. Enough for rent elsewhere. This is the poorest part of the Lower City, Calder. These people don't have the money just to pick up and go."
"I'm not giving out charity," Calder snapped.
"Then you can forget about your machine."
Calder sighed. "Fine. But three weeks. No more."
"Four," Maelis said flatly. "Unless you want a machine that breaks down the first time you turn it on."
"Fine," Calder said after a long pause. "Four weeks." Then, more quietly, he added, "You know… you could've been on the council. You were a visionary. A pioneer. Half of Sinai's technological advancements are owed to you. What happened, Maelis? Why did you run?"
"That's none of your business." Then she called out, "Isadora, your father's ready to leave."
"And the rest of you," Maelis called. "Devvyn. Aela. Jelric. You can stop crouching like rats behind the wall. Come out. I know you've been listening."
"Yes, they have!" Isadora shouted brightly from the sitting room.
Aela's head whipped around. "Oh, you dirty little snitch," she hissed.
Isadora stuck her tongue out and, with a smug grin, pranced back into the sitting room like she'd just won a game.
"I swear," Aela muttered, eyes narrowed, "I'm gonna kill her the next chance I get."
Devvyn felt a headache forming at the back of his head. He sighed. "Calm down."
"Don't tell me what to do," Aela snapped, still glaring after Isadora. "And don't speak to me. I still haven't forgiven you for that outburst earlier. I don't know what's wrong with you. Something clearly is. But I need you to stop treating me like a child who doesn't know the implications of her decisions."
"I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted. But you owe me a doughnut. Two." She gestured with her fingers. "I'm going upstairs. I can't stand to be in the same space as that snobby brat."
Jelric followed her.
Devvyn stood there for a moment, rubbing his temples. Then, he made his way back to the sitting room. It was empty. Calder and Isadora were already gone. The cushions were still slightly indented from where they'd sat, and the faint scent of Calder's expensive cologne lingered in the air.
Maelis stood near the window, watching them leave. She huffed. Without turning around, she said, "We've got work to do. We're helping Calder Pyrethorn build a machine to harvest his damn mana faster," she said flatly.
"Hey. Why am I involved in it? I'm not building anything for that man."
"I wasn't asking, Devvyn. I've done my best for everyone. We're building the machine. And once that's done," she added, "we'll pack our things and move."
