The sky was still a deep navy, with only the faintest hint of dawn when Devvyn and Aela got to Jelric's house. Mist shrouded the streets, and a chill clung to the air, cold enough to make Devvyn wish he'd worn thicker clothes.
He folded his arms across his body and hunched in on himself, leaning against the gate, his head bowed as he fought to stay awake. His breath fogged the air in soft, rhythmic puffs.
He'd spent his night mapping out names from the book. People he knew who lived in the Lower City, names he'd heard of and those he had not. Eamon said to get the book to Lord Pyrethorn, but he wanted to check some of the people out himself. Starting with Jelric's dad.
Aela paced a few steps up and down the cobbled path, muttering under her breath. "I swear there's a higher chance of the Primordials still being alive than Jelric ever being on time." She blew into her hands as she spoke.
After a few moments, she marched up to the gate and raised her hand to knock.
"Don't," Devvyn said quickly, still crouched by the gate. "It's too early. We shouldn't be making a lot of noise."
Aela froze mid-knock, then sighed and stepped back, crossing her arms. "He better not still be in bed."
Devvyn closed his eyes again. A part of him wanted to go home and sleep off his shock from yesterday, but he couldn't leave Jelric and Aela hanging. And they probably would not get another chance like this one.
The gate opened with a soft groan, and Jelric stepped out carrying a backpack, followed closely by his father.
"Finally!" Aela sighed. She impaled Jelric with a glare and then turned to his dad. "Good morning, Mr. Vergahn." She said, giving him a polite smile.
Devvyn stiffened at the sound of that name. His breath caught, and for a moment, he didn't move. He wasn't sure what to do or say. He stared at Jelric's dad for a moment, taking in the permanent frown on his face, his slant brown eyes, and his callused hands. Hands that had carried him when he was a child. He could not reconcile the image of the man in front of him with that of one of the Unbound terrorists—a murderer.
A sharp elbow nudged him in the side.
"You good?" Jelric whispered.
Devvyn blinked and gave a quick nod. "Yeah. Just sleepy. Worked on a thing with my grandmother late into the night."
"Oh sorry sorry," Jelric said.
"Uh, yeah. Good morning, Mr. Vergahn," Devvyn managed, his voice sounding a little too strained, a little too high, even to his own ears. He hoped no one noticed.
Jelric's father gave them a tight smile. "Apologies for the wait. I know you three are dying with excitement to explore the Coral Coves." He glanced at his son. "I was just giving Jelric a few reminders for the day ahead. I'll be right back, going to get the neighbour."
What did he mean by "reminders"? Was Jelric in on it, too? Had the Unbound planned something? Devvyn thought and then almost laughed. He was going crazy. "Yep, bonkers." He muttered under his breath.
"Did you say something?" Jelric asked.
Devvyn crouched back to the ground as he said. "Just wondering what reminders he gave you."
"Oh," Jelric grunted. He stared at his dad's retreating figure before answering, "Nothing useful. You know how he is—paranoid and all. Long story short, we should stay out of trouble while he's off trying to get a job."
Devvyn barely heard the last part.
His mind was spinning again.
If Jelric's father was part of the Unbound, then he rejected the idea of Echos and bonding. That was what the Unbound were known for. So what was he doing trying to get a job as an Echo Hunter? It didn't add up.
Unless…
It was part of something bigger. Some grand plan.
Devvyn's stomach tightened.
"Did you get the uniforms?" Aela asked Jelric.
Jelric patted his backpack. "Yeah. Got everything." Then, lowering his voice and grinning mischievously, he added, "We should get four Lux Echos each."
"Are you crazy? That would kill us. Bonding with an Echo is already dangerous, especially high Lux Echos. We may never be able to bond with Echos again if we fail. Or become paralysed. Or worse, die! We learned that in school, that's if you were paying any attention." Aela whispered back.
"I bet we can do it. Anyone with a strong enough mind can keep a four-lux Echo in control. Maybe we should even go higher. We'd be unstoppable then."
"You can get one since you're so keen on dying, Jelric. I'll do just fine with a one-lux Echo. Devvyn tell Jelric he's crazy."
"I'm not," Jelric argued.
"Devvyn?" Aela nudged.
"Huh. Uh yeah. Echos." Devvyn shook out of his daze.
Jelric shook his head at him. "Wake up, man." He craned his neck into the mist and then motioned for Aela and Devvyn to come closer. "Here's the plan. We've got two uniforms." He said, patting the side of his backpack with a smug grin. "I even begged my neighbour to let me borrow his Hunter backpack so I could 'show it off' to my friends. But there's one problem. It has to be you and Devvyn." He said, poking Aela's shoulders.
"What, why? No. Aela stays back." Devvyn protested.
"I can speak for myself." Aela frowned. "And I'm as good as you are at sneaking around. If not better. So don't go all protective of me."
"I don't want you to either," Jelric said, earning himself a murderous glare. "But I tried the uniform yesterday and it was too small. With Aela, we can fold it in places, but I'll look too out of place. Aela's small, she'll go unnoticed."
"Fine," Devvyn said.
"We're going to change at the Coves," Jelric continued. "It's early enough that no one will be around. Once both of you are dressed, you'll double back and blend in with the Echo Hunters as they arrive."
"And you?" Aela asked, brow furrowed.
"I'll stay behind at the Coves," Jelric said. "Watch for the signal."
"What signal?" Devvyn asked.
Jelric reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of red fabric. "This. A red handkerchief. The cliff just before the Coral Coves overlook the Port. I can see this from there. Drop it into the sea once you've got the Echos. When I see it float out, that's my cue to come down."
"And then?" Aela said.
"Then we'll hand over the Echos," Devvyn said. "He'll take them back to the Coves and stash them. We'll hang back for ten extra minutes to avoid suspicion, then circle and meet Jelric."
Jelric nodded. "Yep. If we're lucky, we'll be in and out within an hour. We'll leave the Echos at the Coves too. I'll find somewhere to hide them."
"Nice." Aela grinned.
Devvyn stared at the red handkerchief as Jelric tucked it away once more. The plan sounded simple. Too simple. "If anything goes wrong, we hightail it out of there and meet at the train station."
A rustle of footsteps and low voices carried through the mist. They turned just as Jelric's father and the neighbour appeared, rounding the gate.
Three of them exchanged quick, sharp nods in response to Devvyn's words.
"Good morning, sir," Aela greeted as they stepped aside to make way.
"Morning," Devvyn echoed, schooling his features into a polite expression.
Jelric gave a casual salute.
The man walking beside Mr. Vergahn was slim, with narrow shoulders and limbs that seemed as though they might snap under pressure. His sleeves hung loose around his wrists, and his gait had none of the usual heaviness of an Echo Hunter. Devvyn couldn't help but wonder how someone like him managed to lift a crate of drinks, let alone a crate of Echos.
He gave them all a brisk nod. "Let's move."
Without another word, they all fell into step, heading out into the misty morning toward the station.
Devvyn walked slightly behind the group, his eyes drifting again and again to Jelric's father, studying his every movement. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see it. Mr. Vergahn didn't have the cold resolve he'd imagined in a terrorist, not the fanatic gleam of someone who'd joined the Unbound. Mr. Vergahn looked... normal. Strict, maybe. Stern. But not dangerous.
Maybe Eamon Wynstros was wrong, Devvyn thought. Maybe he made a mistake putting his name in the book.
They reached the train station just as the first rays of sunlight began piercing the mist. A faint clatter of wheels echoed as the early train pulled into the platform. They boarded the train headed to Eternis, found a seat near the back, and sat in silence as the city slowly rolled past the windows. When they got off, Jelric's neighbour immediately flagged down a cab at the curb.
"No time to waste," the man said briskly.
Devvyn climbed in last, ducking slightly as he settled into the cramped backseat beside Aela. As the cab pulled away from the curb, he exhaled in relief. At least he didn't have to wear a disguise or pull his hood low to hide from the gang boys—one less thing to worry about.
The sun was fully out by the time they reached Port Azure. Its rays burned off the morning mist, revealing the Port in all its quiet splendour.
Devvyn inhaled the salty tang of the sea, and despite himself, he smiled. Being near the ocean, especially the waters of Port Azure, always made him feel at ease. Maybe he would become a Hunter when he bonded, get to explore the sea and other places in Thaloria. It didn't sound bad at all.
He stayed close to Aela and Jelric as they followed Mr. Vergahn and the neighbour along a narrow path that ran beside the old railway line. The farther they walked, the fewer people they saw, until it was mostly the sound of gull calls and the soft crash of waves that followed them.
Eventually, they reached the fork where the rusted railway split in two. One track curved eastward toward the dock and warehouses where Echo Hunters offloaded, and the other snaked upward into the cliffs toward the secluded stretch of beach of the Coral Coves.
Mr. Vergahn stopped and turned to them. "Be careful," he said, his voice low but firm. "And stay together. I assume you three can get home on your own?"
Jelric nodded confidently. "Yes, sir."
Devvyn and Aela echoed him, nodding quickly.
With that, Mr. Vergahn and the neighbour continued along the main track.
The trio stood in silence for a moment before Aela tilted her head toward the cliffs. "Well? What are we waiting for?"
They turned and started up the cliff leading to the Coral Coves, the wind tugging at their clothes and the cries of gulls trailing after them.
At the top of the cliff, the path forked left and dipped, opening into a wide clearing. Jagged cliffs walled off three sides while the fourth opened out into the Coral Cove, and beyond that, the sea. There was another path on the right but it was blocked off by the military. It held Coastal mana wells owned jointly by the council highborn lords that controlled Sinai.
Overhead, the clouds were thick and fluffy, stretching across the sea like tufts of candy floss.
Devvyn heard a distant blaring. He turned to the shorelines. Far off in the distance, just past the breakers, two Echo Hunter ships were slicing through the water, toward the dock. The vessels were sleek with dull grey plating and two rotating vent fins that smoothly cut across the water. Even from up here, Devvyn could see the crates stacked neatly on their deck.
"They're almost here," he said, pointing. "Let's hurry."
They scrambled down the path, boots thudding against packed dirt and gravel as the incline steepened. Loose stones scattered under their steps, and sea mist clung to their clothes, damp and salty. By the time they reached the bottom, they were panting and sweaty.
The cove's entrance was narrow, but it quickly opened into a broad cavern with high stone walls. The land area inside was a flat stretch of rocky terrain, littered with driftwood, old nets, and half-buried anchor chains. Algae crept up the stone, slick and dark, and the scent of brine and rust lingered in the air.
Beyond the rocky floor, the ground sloped sharply downward into crystal-clear water that shimmered under shafts of light filtering in from a crack high in the cliffs. Beneath the surface lay the best part of the cove: a labyrinth of tunnels, submerged beneath the water.
Devvyn walked to the edge, just where the ground melted into the water and peered in. It was almost a year since they'd been here but he still remembered how to get through the tunnels. "Hey, why did we even stop coming here?" He asked, trying to remember.
Aela shrugged. "We didn't find any Echos like we thought and I got bored of it."
"Yeah. I guess." Jelric added.
The Coral Coves was the first place they had tried finding an Echo. It was rumoured to still have Water Echos despite all the Echo harvesting but after four years of searching, they never found any. They knew the labyrinth's path like the back of their hands so exploring it quickly got old too.
"Let's come back…when we're bonded," Devvyn said, "we can practice here."
Jelric dropped his backpack onto a flat rock and unzipped it. "Alright," he said, grinning as he dug through the contents, "time to suit up." He pulled out a folded bundle of fabric and tossed it to Devvyn. "Here you go—overall, jacket, and cap. I think they have a particular kind of boots but the ones you have on shouldn't look too different."
Devvyn caught the bundle and shook it out. The fabric smelled faintly of oil and salt. He glanced at the faded Echo Hunter insignia stitched onto the sleeve and swallowed. They were actually doing this. He tried not to let his thoughts drift to what would happen if things went south. Without waiting, he pulled the overall over his clothing.
Jelric handed another set to Aela. "And for you, m'lady."
Aela snorted as she took the uniform. "Wow, I feel so honoured."
Jelric adjusted the strap of his backpack and slid it to Devvyn. "The handkerchief is in the side pocket."
With the Hunter uniforms now fully on, Devvyn slung the now-empty backpack over his shoulder.
Jelric gave their outfits a quick once-over, then nodded with approval. "You two look convincing enough. Might not want to talk too much, though. Your voices might give you away."
He glanced toward the Cove, then back at them. "Go ahead and head down to the docks. I'll check for a good place to stash the Echos."
Aela raised an eyebrow. "Be careful. Don't let a water snake get you again."
Jelric smirked over his shoulder. "I'll be fine. You two just focus on looking like tired, underpaid Echo Hunters."
Devvyn took a breath and nodded. "Alright. See you soon."
He and Aela turned and began making their way out of the Cove, feeling weird in the borrowed uniforms. They made their way down the winding path to the shore, where the ships were now docked and being secured by a few crew members.
As they walked, Aela leaned in slightly. "I've been thinking," she whispered. "I'm better at nicking stuff. Let me be the one to swipe the Echos. You just keep lookout."
Devvyn hesitated mid-step, brows furrowing. "Aela…"
"Seriously," she insisted. "I've nicked more stuff from street vendors than I can count"
He sighed, knowing she had a point. Still, his voice dropped low. "Okay. But if anything happens—anything—you hand me the backpack and run. Got it?"
Aela gave him a tight nod. "Got it."
Devvyn handed over the backpack, and they continued toward the commotion near the docks. The salty air thickened around them. Uniformed Echo Hunters bustled around crates, shouting instructions and checking inventory lists. They slipped into the flow of movement near the docks, merging with the other Echo Hunters. Devvyn kept his head down, doing his best to match the posture and pace of the others.
No one paid them any mind until a sharp voice suddenly cut through the noise. "You two!"
Devvyn flinched as a Hunter strode toward them, his boots clacking against the stone. His uniform was like the others but had two silver insignias pinned to the collar—likely a sign of higher rank. His cap was tugged low over his eyes, but the stern line of his mouth and squared shoulders gave him an air of authority.
"Why are you slacking off?" the man snapped, eyes narrowing as they stopped in front of him. "Standing around like tourists while everyone else is working?"
Devvyn opened his mouth, but the man didn't give him a chance to speak.
"Forget it. Just get moving. Join the offloading team, now!" He jabbed a finger toward the cluster of Hunters unloading crates from the ship's hull. "We're behind schedule."
Devvyn and Aela both nodded quickly and hurried in the direction he pointed. As they moved, Devvyn whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "Well...that was close." Then he grinned as they exchanged a quick glance. Offloading the Echos themselves? Luck was smiling on them.
Devvyn subtly scanned the scene as they blended into the line of workers. His eyes moved quickly over the docks—the shadowed tents, the deckhands shouting orders, the crates stacked high—and lingered for a second on each face, searching for Gaur. He wasn't sure if this was Gaur's unit, but it was better to be cautious.
"If you see Gaur, let me know," he murmured to Aela beside him.
She gave a small nod and kept moving.
They stepped onto the ship, the wooden deck creaking softly under their boots. Around them, Echo Hunters moved in swift, practised motions, lifting crates from stacks and hauling them to the dock in a steady rhythm. They were the last two on the line so Devvyn used the time to look around the ship. There wasn't much to see, just rows of crates and Echo hunting equipment.
Aela went first. She hoisted a crate with a grunt, her slim frame straining under the weight, but she managed to keep pace, disappearing down the ramp.
Devvyn stepped up next. He grabbed the edges of a crate marked with a stencilled label: EARTH.
As he lifted, his gaze fell on the next crate in line.
FIRE.
His heart skipped.
The Hunters brought more than one type.
His grip tightened on the Earth crate as he followed the others down the ramp, a quiet, rising excitement pulsing in his chest. They could pick an Echo they actually wanted to bond with. He turned quickly, almost slipping on the deck.
Aela had slowed down, waiting for him so he hurried down the deck. Together, they followed a pair of Hunters off the ship and along the dock, heading toward the nearby warehouse. The sun was now at full blast, eviscerating the morning chill. Devvyn burned beneath his uniform, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging them.
Inside the warehouse, they laid their crates beside a growing stack along the back wall. One by one, the other Hunters dropped theirs and filed out with barely a word.
Then it was just them.
"They got different Echos, Aela." Devvyn breathed. He couldn't believe they were that lucky.
"I saw! I know we're stealing and all, but it feels like we're supposed to do this." Aela said. "I'll get one for you first." She moved to an air Echo crate.
Devvyn glanced around. He moved to the door, peeking out to keep watch while Aela circled back to the crates. She crouched quickly and popped the crate. Her fingers worked fast, sifting through the dense straw on top until they found what they were looking for. Echos, wrapped in metal containers.
The first one she brought out was marked with a five. She dropped it and checked for another. Her fingers wrapped around a smaller Echo, this one glimmering faintly beneath its casing. The number 1 was stamped near the base.
"Got one," she whispered, slipping it quickly into the backpack.
Devvyn gave a tight nod from the doorway. "Nice. Now hurry. Hunters are heading back."
Aela glanced at another crate nearby, one labelled Earth, and stepped toward it.
"Leave it," Devvyn said sharply. "They're close."
She froze, then reluctantly backed away from the crate and hurried to him. She adjusted the strap of the backpack and turned to him. "Does anything look off? Too bulky?" She whispered as she joined Devvyn at the door, a flush of adrenaline on her face.
Devvyn gave her a quick once-over. "No. Looks fine."
They didn't waste another second.
As they headed back toward the ship, Devvyn's stomach flipped. Jelric's father and the neighbour were standing just off the gangplank… speaking to Gaur. Mizuho's bloody teeth. Devvyn's eyes widened. He quickly ducked his head and nudged Aela. They slipped past the group, eyes down, hearts thudding, and stepped quickly back onto the ship.
Only one crate remained on the ship now, set apart from the others near the stern. Its metal latches had been unhooked, the lid cracked open to reveal the soft red glow of Fire Echos resting in their cushioned slots.
A tall Echo Hunter stood beside it, scribbling on a clipboard. He glanced up as Aela approached with Devvyn trailing behind her.
"You," the man said, pointing to Aela. "Help me count these. I'm reporting directly to Gaur, and I want my numbers clean."
Devvyn tensed, but Aela simply nodded, stepping forward as though she was used to taking orders. She leaned over the crate and began calling out numbers as the man noted them down.
"…six…seven…eight…" she said.
The Hunter grunted his approval when she finished. "Thanks. Take it to the warehouse."
He turned and headed down the gangplank, boots clunking heavily on the wooden boards.
As soon as he was out of sight, Aela moved quickly.
She leaned into the open crate and pulled out an Echo. She turned and slid it carefully into the backpack beside the Air Echo.
Devvyn stopped her. "Wait, we counted those."
Aela smirked, her eyes glinting mischievously. "I left one out."
