Lyndel Kestros was throwing a tantrum.
Like she had any real chance, Devvyn rolled his eyes. Lyndel screamed about how unfair it was. Her daddy had apparently spent one hundred golden marks to set up a workshop for her to build her water purifier.
She said Isadora only won because she was a Pyrethorn and threatened the judges, saying her daddy would see to it the judges were outed for cheating, and impartiality, and lack of honor, and besmirching Thaloria's name and destroying Sinai's image, and spitting on Primordial Mizuho's memory… Her list went on and on.
"Who even uses the word besmirch?" Aela frowned, "crazy girl that one."
"Entitled too." Devvyn added. "Let's go find Jelric."
Devvyn wasn't exactly sure how highborn dynamics worked, but Lyndel's father, Dain Kestros was a Bloodbound Captain sworn to House Pyrethorn. Lyndel's family was outranked by Isadora and all of the judges.
"Someone should gag her before she says something that gets her arrested." Devvyn said, but he did agree with Lyndel on something. Isadora's win wasn't fair.
His Locator was a better invention than her exoskeleton by far. So what if it could redirect Echo attacks? It was heavily dependent on its wearer being able to track every attack. That was a significant weakness. And Sinai hadn't seen a war in decades.
He was avoiding talking about the competition and losing. He tucked the Echo Locator back into its cloth and dropped it in the satchel.
Somewhere in Devvyn's mind, everything was falling apart. His dream of bonding with a water Echo, helping Aela get a job, and Jelric becoming a Bloodbound soldier. The sides of his eyes stung and it took everything in him not to cry.
It was even more painful when he thought about how Isadora probably didn't need the prize money. This was just another day in her privileged life. Something to brag about to her rich snotty friends.
Devvyn walked slowly this time, out of consideration for Aela, even though he wanted to run home and bury his head in his pillow.
"Where do you think he went?" Aela asked.
"I don't know but it looked like his father was headed out of the festival right? So we go back the way we came, look out for him along the way."
"Okay. Devvyn, do you—"
"Not now Aela." He felt a pinch of guilt. "Sorry. I.." Devvyn mumbled.
"It's fine. I understand." Aela patted his back. "We'll figure something out. We could always steal an Echo." She grinned mischievously.
Devvyn laughed but it was sour. He couldn't shake the knots in his stomach. He motioned for Aela to walk in front of him as they left the railway road. It was easy to stay with Aela when she led the way.
The festival was reaching a crescendo. Devvyn noticed lots of people heading for the main square. Why? They were too far off from the main square for him to read the city clock but he guessed it was around 5:00pm. Then it hit him, the show! Devvyn suddenly perked up.
He had forgotten about the show because he was so nervous for the competition. But that was out of the way now. He still had four hours until his grandmother checked her workshop. Enough time to watch the show and take the evening train back to the Lower City.
This year's show was by The Ripplebinds, a group of three acrobatic siblings from Eternis.
Where most highborns aimed to attend the Golden Academy once they turned fourteen and bonded with an Echo, the siblings discovered at a young age that they had a natural affinity for contorting their body into weird shapes. They all bonded with water Echos and started from doing small shows on the streets to touring Thaloria.
They were back in Sinai just in time for the water festival. Devvyn had heard that a Lord from one of Sinai's Great Houses had personally invited them to perform.
"Want to stay for The Ripplebinds?" He asked Aela. "I completely forgot about them till now."
"That's not even a question. I was always going to watch their show. Jelric brought binocs for me, even promised to carry me on his shoulders."
Devvyn made a face. "Aw. He's always so considerate of your…flaws."
"Devvyn Arkwright, you better say your last prayers because you're a dead piece of meat!" Aela swiveled around so quickly that it was a wonder her spine didn't break. She lunged for him.
Devvyn ducked and Aela chased after him. She was naturally quick on her feet and being small made it easier for her to slip around the crowd. She caught up to Devvyn and shoved him to the ground. Adults walked around them, grumbling about children and never knowing the right time or place.
"Aela. Aela! The Locator" Devvyn coughed. He pushed her away with one arm. "My grandmother is going to kill us if anything happens to this thing."
Aela huffed and laid off Devvyn. "She's going to kill you."
Devvyn opened his mouth to retort but a man's shadow suddenly loomed over them. They stiffened, got up and dusted themselves off and made to move but the man blocked their path. Devvyn and Aela groaned in unison.
"Little Echo boy and little Echo boy's friend."
"Hi Gaur." Devvyn answered. "What do you want?"
"Can't a man simply say hello to his favourite teenager?" Gaur towered over Devvyn. He was a giant of a man, with scraggly beards and brows. His eyes were the color of dull iron, and he had a jagged scar cutting through one brow.
Everyone knew Gaur, the only unbound Echo Hunter. He ran the largest hunting operations in Sinai. He and his team were so skilled that the Great Houses designated a special offloading and warehouse port for them over at the Coral Coves.
Devvyn cocked his brow. He and Gaur had a love-hate dynamic. Devvyn had approached Gaur multiple times to let him go on a hunting trip with the team and Gaur refused everytime.
He referred to Devvyn as 'little Echo boy' in a condescending way that Devvyn hated. Still, Gaur was kind to him. If Devvyn was around when he got back from a trip, he let him look at the Echos before they got shipped to whichever highlord bought them. Devvyn liked Gaur, admired him even.
"That thing you've got there, heard it finds Echos? One of my men saw it work… said you lost?"
"What's it to you?" Devvyn asked, instantly wary.
"I'll buy it. Five thousand gold crowns." Gaur's voice was flat. Businesslike. "Two thousand more than what the competition would have given you."
Devvyn blinked. "It's not for sale." He said quietly and tried to go around Gaur but the big man blocked him again.
"He said it's not for sale." Aela said stiffly.
"Not talking to you little girl." Gaur grunted.
He was scaring them. He wore an almost desperate expression and it alarmed Devvyn. Gaur was always calm, always collected. Devvyn held his satchel tight. "It's not for sale." Devvyn repeated.
"Don't you want your Echo anymore?" Gaur sneered then looked around. They were starting to attract attention. Rather, Gaur was. "Give it to me!" He reached for Devvyn's satchel but got blocked by Aela.
"I'll shout for help." Aela threatened.
"If you won't sell it, then let me borrow it." Gaur said. Before Devvyn could react, Gaur's hands shot out, quick as lightning. His hands clamped around Devvyn's shoulders and tugged. Devvyn stumbled, trying to hold on to the bag but Gaur was practically lifting him in the air and it was hard to fight when he was floating.
"Stop it Gaur." Devvyn begged. He was crying now. Frustration from losing and Gaur attacking him piled up and he sobbed.
Aela kicked at Gaur's heels and punched the back of his eyes. "I'll call for the guards." Aela screamed, causing Gaur to laugh.
He wrenched the satchel from Devvyn and shoved him away. In the distance, hundreds of fireworks whistled into the sky. They exploded. Vibrant colors and smoke painted the sky, and formed into a picture of Mizuho.
"Help!" Aela screamed at the people passing but they averted their eyes and moved on. No one dared cross Gaur. Not even the guards. She grabbed Gaur's legs and held on tightly.
"That's quite enough!"
Gaur stiffened and Aela released him. "Lady Corenna," she gasped and bowed, coming up breathless.
Devvyn took the chance to dash to Gaur and snatch the satchel back from him. "Lady Corenna." He greeted.
Gaur dipped his head at Lady Corenna, and Devvyn saw shame flicker in his eyes.
"What do you think you're doing attacking these children?" She huffed, "And does no one have an ounce of honor in them?" Lady Corenna addressed the passing civilians. She stood in front of Devvyn and Aela, shielding them from Gaur. "Leave. Now."
Gaur hesitated. His gaze lingered on Devvyn's satchel, calculating. Then he gave Lady Corenna a mock bow. "Stupid little boy," he muttered, turning away. "Don't come running when someone else rips it off your hands for free."
They watched him disappear into the crowd.
Devvyn sighed in relief. His hands were shaking.
"Are you hurt?" Lady Corenna asked them.
"No." Devvyn and Aela answered.
"Good." She smiled. "You should be careful. Hold your Locator tight. He's not the only one interested in it." Lady Corenna's voice was suddenly sharp.
"I–" Devvyn started, but she was already striding away briskly.
"Thank you." Aela called after her.
"Today's getting worse by the minute."
"True," Aela miffed, "but you know what will make it better?"
From the Port's edge, close to Aela and Devvyn, lights shot into the air—not fireworks this time but fountain streams of glowing water. Cheers arose around the Port. The Ripplebinds.
Devvyn grabbed Aela and thrust headfirst into the crowd. He wanted to be as close as possible to the show.
They found a great spot near the stage, with stalls that had wooden boxes Aela could stand on.
Water milled onto the stage. It shot into the air, forming spirals, columns, and hoops, before melting into mist.
Six figures shimmered in the mist and when it cleared, three melted back into the water, leaving only the siblings.
The youngest was Devvyn's age. She still had some of her baby fat, and her hair was packed into two puffs. Unlike her siblings, she had an awkward grace, like a young deer. Her older brothers were identical, lithe athletic figures, with dark brown skins and curly afros. They were tall and poised from years of performing.
"Man, where's Jelric with my binocs?" Aela squinted.
With a single motion, the siblings raised their hands, eyes to the sky, and the water moved with them in thin slices, twisting through the air like windblown silk.
The girl broke away and created hoops of suspended water. Her brothers jumped through the hoops using water to propel themselves up, and while they were in the air, she created more hoops, going higher and higher until it looked like they were flying.
Devvyn's mouth fell open. It took great mastery to be able to use Echos the way they did.
Echos were like stubborn children; they needed great strength— mentally and physically—to be kept in check. Controlled. And the siblings did it like it was nothing. Devvyn couldn't help himself, he tapped Aela excitedly as the girl summoned a coiling serpent of water that snapped into the air and swallowed her brothers, bringing them back down to ground.
Jelric appeared beside them, panting and looking rumpled.
"There you are!" Aela snapped. "Where were you? We've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Just around. Looking too," Jelric leveled her with an accusatory stare. "You should have waited for me at the railway road. What happened with the competition?"
"We lost." Devvyn mumbled.
"What? How?"
"Give me the binocs." Aela said.
Jelric unfolded the binocs Maelis gifted to him on his thirteenth birthday last year and handed it to Aela. She unfolded the binocs and put it to her eyes. One of the brothers did eight backflips in succession and landed perfectly in the geyser his sister formed. "Wow!" Aela whooped.
Devvyn dragged his gaze away from the Ripplebinds to look at Jelric. "You're sweating."
"It's warm?"
"Where's your other boot?"
Jelric glanced down and winced. "Lost it."
"While chasing after your dad?" Aela asked.
Before Devvyn could launch into a full interrogation, someone bumped into him from behind.
"Hey…watch it…" he started, but the person didn't stop. A tall hooded figure pushed past.
"Cool costume." Aela complimented.
Devvyn eyed the stranger as he stopped in front, waited, then continued walking in the direction of the stage. Devvyn followed him without thinking about what he was doing.
He noticed the stranger was holding on to something. A cylinder, a little bigger than his Locator. It has some kind of lines on its surface. Runes, Devvyn realized as he looked closer.
A relic? No. The runes were drawn short and rough. A cylinder etched with runes. Devvyn's blood went cold as he picked up what kind of runes those were. He'd only ever seen his grandmother draw them on a device once, and that was to destroy it.
Reactive inscriptions. Unstable containment glyphs. A rune bomb.
"I…I think," Devvyn turned toward the stage. They were at the front of the crowd now. "I think someone's going to…" Devvyn stuttered. Then he yelled, "he's got a bomb!"
The hooded figure hurled the bomb onto the stage. Their hood fell off and Devvyn saw that the stranger was female, not male as he thought. Her head was clean-shaved and decorated with tattoos. She caught Devvyn's eye as she raised both hands.
"We are the Unbound!" She cried, "We reject your ways! Your Echos and your confines!"
The bomb exploded with a soundless pulse. A ring of blue-white energy expanded outward, creating a dome that covered the stage. Runes hung and floated in the air like stardust. The air distorted and in a split second collapsed inward with a deafening boom.
Screams filled the Port. Civilians ran in every direction, shoving each other.
Devvyn watched one of the Ripplebinds brothers get caught mid-air by the bomb and thrown backward with force. He saw the boy's legs twist at an odd angle, mangled beyond repair.
He heard his name, but the ringing in his head was louder. He stumbled as someone crashed into him.
"Aela? Jelric?" He yelled.
The air around him was glowing. Runes lifted off the ground. Devvyn blinked. Self-reloading bombs. He'd read about them in one of his grandmother's manuals.
His eyes tracked the symbols rising off the ground, rearranging themselves mid-air like pieces of a puzzle snapping back into place. The Rune bomb was self-reloading! His mind caught up a second too late.
The air crackled.
This time, the dome expanded beyond the stage, covering almost half the main square.
Devvyn stood frozen. His legs wouldn't work. A scream bubbled in his throat and stayed there.
The bomb caved in again.
Devvyn hit the ground.
Everything went dark.
