Back in the Lower City, Devvyn and Aela met the streets crowded. Families were on the move. Parents lugged heavy sacks with children trailing behind, clutching small bundles to their chests, as carts piled high with bedding and other personal belongings creaked over the uneven cobblestones.
Everyone was smiling, chatting cheerfully, their voices carrying an almost festive energy through the air. The happy chatter felt strange against the sight of so many people uprooting at once.
Devvyn slowed his pace when Irric the Butcher and his family passed by. Then another neighbour living on his street. As he continued scanning the stream of people, he realised that it was everyone who was affected by Pyrethorn's project. "What's going on? Why's everyone packing up all at once? Lord Pyrethorn gave us a month, didn't he?"
Aela's eyes darted from one loaded cart to another. "Maybe he took it back."
Their confusion only deepened when they noticed the uniformed guards ahead, standing at intersections, waving families along and directing the flow down the same wide road. As they wove through the crowd, Devvyn spotted a familiar face—Novius, grinning from ear to ear. His little sister clung to his side, while their mother stood just behind them, balancing a bundle of neatly folded blankets in her arms.
Devvyn jogged over. "Hey. Novius! What's happening? Why is everyone leaving?"
Novius's grin widened. "Lord Pyrethorn changed the quit notice to a temporary one! And get this, he's set up temporary accommodations in another district of the Lower City for everyone who has to move. We'll be there until the drilling project's done, then we get to come back." His voice carried so much excitement.
Devvyn was about to ask another question when Novius's father emerged from the moving crowd, walking toward them in short, quick strides. "Novius, hurry up, we have to be settled by noon if I'm to sell anything in the market today," he called.
"Dad, dad—this is Devvyn!" Novius said excitedly. "Remember? My friend who saved Lord Pyrethorn!"
"Your…friend?" Aela started and trailed off when Devvyn shook his head slightly at her.
Novius's father's face immediately spread into a wide grin, and Devvyn couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance between both of them; father and son smiled exactly the same way. He stepped forward and extended a hand. Devvyn took it without hesitation. The man's grip was firm and warm, and Devvyn found himself breaking into a smile of his own. "Hello, sir."
Novius then turned to Aela, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh…hi Aela…how are you doing?" he asked, his tone suddenly shy.
"You're a fine young man," Novius's father said to Devvyn. "But that's no surprise, given you're the grandson of Maelis Arkwright."
"Thank you," Devvyn replied, feeling a small spark of pride at the words.
The older man gave Devvyn a nod of respect. "Many of us had nowhere to go and planned to head to Redemere Holding. We would have lost our livelihoods, everything. Your grandmother is the reason we even get to come back. We wanted to pay a visit to thank her, but you know…Maelis has always kept to herself."
"Well," he added, adjusting a strap on the small cart beside him, "you tell her thank you. From all of us."
"Will do," Devvyn nodded.
Novius's father turned back to his family and urged them forward through the crowd.
"Um… I guess I'll see you around," Novius said to Aela.
Aela gave a small grimace. "Sure."
Novius waved to Devvyn before hurrying to catch up with his family.
Devvyn tried to suppress his smirk, but it eventually spread into a wide grin. "Sooo… you and Novius, eh?"
Aela made a sharp cut-it-out gesture with her hands. "Yeah, no. And can we hurry to Jelric's? I don't know why, but I have a feeling they might be moving too. Maybe that's why his dad was acting all funny this morning."
"Nah," Devvyn said, shaking his head, "Jelric wouldn't move without telling us."
They pushed their way quickly through the happy, bustling crowd, weaving between carts, children, and bundles of luggage, until they finally reached Jelric's house.
The front gate was wide open. Devvyn and Aela exchanged a look—Jelric's father was the type to double-lock everything twice before bed. He would never leave the gate open just like that. They went into the compound, and even the front door was ajar. Inside, the place was a mess. Clothes and shoes were scattered across the sitting room, and a pile of unwashed plates rested in the kitchen sink.
Aela looked around, frowning. "What, did a hurricane pass through here? We haven't been in here much but I know Jelric would never leave plates overnight."
"Yeah." Devvyn agreed. "Jelric!" he called out, his voice echoing down the empty hallway. "Jelric!" Devvyn called again, louder this time. No answer.
"Let's check his room," he muttered as he walked past one of Jelric's sandals. He already knew what they would find but he wanted to check, just to be sure. As he suspected, the room was bare. The wardrobe was empty. The bed was stripped of its coverings, leaving only the old, ratty-looking foam mattress behind.
"I'll take a look at the other room."
Devvyn went to check the room across Jelric's, pushing open the creaky door and glancing inside. Also empty. When he stepped back into Jelric's room, Aela was standing by the bare mattress, her head bowed, a crumpled sheet of paper trembling in her hands. She sniffled, then looked up at him.
"He's gone." She said as she stretched the paper toward him.
Devvyn took the paper from her.
Jelric's scrawly handwriting was a mess. The letters were uneven and the words cramped together like they'd been scratched down in a rush:
got scared told my father about the book he got spooked dont bother looking were leaving sinai. I took it along with me. im sorry. for everything
"What does he mean by he took it?" Aela asked, confused.
Devvyn stood frozen, the crumpled letter still in his fingers. His mind churned, pieces slotting into place one by one until the picture became painfully clear. His grip loosened. The letter slipped from his hand and fluttered to the bare mattress. Without a word, he turned and strode out of the room.
"Devvyn?" Aela called after him, but he was already moving faster, breaking into a light jog before he even cleared the front steps.
"Devvyn! What in the name of Ignisara—wait up!" Her voice trailed after him, but he didn't slow down. He barely heard her over the roar in his head, every thought drowned beneath the single, sharp realisation of what Jelric had done.
The streets blurred past in a haze of faces and chatter. His heart hammered, not just from the run, but from the hot rush of panic rising in his chest. By the time his house came into view, his breath was ragged.
He shoved the front door open so hard it banged against the wall, startling Maelis, who was in the sitting room holding a spanner in her hand.
The metallic clink of her spanner hitting the floor rang out as she jumped. "Devvyn!"
"I'm sorry, Grandmother," he said quickly, already moving for the stairs.
"Wait…almost forgot, Jelric was here earlier," she said, bending to pick up her tool.
Devvyn turned mid-step. He turned back, urgency sharpening his voice. "Did he say anything? Did he leave here holding a book?"
Maelis frowned, straightening with the spanner in hand. "I wasn't paying much attention. I simply thought he was looking for you, so I told him you'd gone to Aela's. Is something wrong?"
"No," Devvyn lied, forcing a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We've been looking for him, that's all. I just wondered."
She still looked puzzled, but nodded slowly. "Alright."
He didn't wait for more. He took the stairs two at a time, his pulse pounding in his ears. Inside his room, he went straight to the loose floorboard, crouching down and pulling it open. The wood creaked, revealing the narrow space beneath. The spot where the book had been was nothing but an empty rectangular outline.
He sat back on his heels, the hollow space in the floor matching the one in his chest.
Footsteps pounded up the stairs, and Aela appeared in the doorway, panting, her cheeks flushed from the run. She gripped the doorframe, trying to catch her breath.
Devvyn turned toward her, his expression grim. His words came out low, certain. "He took the book."
"Why would he—" Aela stammered, still catching her breath. "You… you took out his dad's name, didn't you?"
"Yes," Devvyn said. "I guess that wasn't enough." His jaw tightened. "I can't believe he would betray us like this."
"Devvyn, don't." Aela stepped into the room, her eyes searching his face. "We don't know what happened. Jelric wouldn't do that unless his dad…" She trailed off, her own expression tightening. "His dad definitely forced him to."
Devvyn hissed out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair. "But why would he tell his dad about the book?"
"I… I don't know," she admitted, shaking her head.
Silence stretched between them for a moment. The air in the small room felt heavier, as though Jelric's absence had left a weight that pressed on both of them. They weren't sure what to feel sadder about, that Jelric was gone all of a sudden or that he took the book.
After a while, they trudged back downstairs, both wearing the same sullen expression.
Maelis was at her workbench, squinting as she wrestled with a spanner on an engine core. "Devvyn, Aela," she called without looking up, "come help me with this—" She finally glanced their way and paused. "What's wrong?"
"Jelric and his dad are gone," Aela said quietly.
"Oh, the missive," Maelis replied, as if that explained everything. "Lord Pyrethorn provided accommodations for everyone. Don't worry, we'll be moving right after I'm done with the project. And regardless, I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow once he and Mr. Vergahn settle into their new house."
Devvyn shook his head. "Not to the other district. Away from Sinai. They left Sinai. Jelric… left a note."
"Oh." Maelis's brow furrowed. "Why? I saw Mr. Vergahn just the other day, he said nothing about that..."
"Did Jelric say where?"
Devvyn shook his head again, stepping over to her. He took the spanner gently from her hands and began loosening the stubborn screw for her.
"Well, I still have some connections in the other holdings. I'll find out where they went. I have a feeling that there's more to this." Maelis watched them for a moment, reading the heaviness in their expressions. "I know you're both feeling down," she said gently, "but helping me work on the machine might distract you." She stood, wiping her hands on a rag. "If you want to, I'll be waiting in the workshop."
She took a few steps toward the door, then paused. A warm smile softened her face. "I do need the help."
Aela let out a breath. "So… what are we going to do now? We were going to give Lord Pyrethorn the book—to stop this Unbound madness once and for all."
Devvyn leaned back against the workbench, staring at the floor. "I don't know. But..." He hesitated, then added, "In a way… I'm glad it's no longer in my possession. Feels like a heavy weight's been lifted."
Aela frowned. "So we just… do nothing?"
"Whatever's going on," Devvyn said quietly, "has nothing to do with us anymore."
