"It's so silent," Aela whispered, tugging on Devvyn's sleeve to pull him closer.
"I've never seen the city quiet at night…everyone's scared," Devvyn said. The thought of the Unbound rebels attacking the Lower City was terrifying. Eternis had the Bloodbound and all those guards. Here, there was no one to protect them. The sight of the dead Unbound woman flashed in his head, and dizzying panic clawed its way into Devvyn. He wanted to run.
The train station had emptied quickly as people scurried back home into their squeaking highrise houses, shut the door and windows and stayed there. Lanterns holding dancing flames at doorposts were snuffed out early, leaving the roughly tarred streets in shadows. Even the nighttime stalls were locked, tarps drawn tight, crates stacked and locked away. Fear had settled into the Lower City's bones, thick and suffocating.
"Almost home," Maelis said, even though there was no need to. But three of them were stiff, taut with panic. Devvyn knew it was her way of trying to remain calm.
They were walking a quiet street that led home, their footsteps swallowing the yawning silence. Not many people lived in this part of the Lower City, and the farther they walked, the more houses they left behind. Maelis had always preferred distance from other people—safer that way, she'd say, in case an experiment was awry. Devvyn suspected it was more than that, but he'd learned to stop asking why when Maelis stiffened her lips and gave him silence as answers.
Their house stood secluded at the very end of the winding road, where the tarred ground melted into soft grassy earth. When the Lower City's roads were being tarred, Maelis had written a petition to keep the area leading up to her house without it. It was the only one of the decisions she made that Devvyn agreed with. Where other streets looked bleak and colourless, theirs had sunbursts of marigold, wisteria and lavender sprigs growing wild. Their earthy scent was a breath of fresh air from the city's sewage. He liked it because it was like the little gardens in Eternis, just needed a little pruning.
They stepped over the tarred line and turned left, the house coming into view with its ivy-covered walls and wrought iron gates. Devvyn and Maelis lived in a two-story house by themselves; compared to other people in the city, they were "rich." The tension in Devvyn's shoulders eased, and he exhaled a breath he hadn't known he was holding as they reached the gate.
"Goodnight Mrs.Arkwright. See you tomorrow Devvyn." Aela said. She lived even farther than Devvyn. A bit down the street, a left, then another.
"Oh." Maelis said, "your siblings are inside Aela. I got them before leaving for the station. You stay here tonight. It's not safe to be alone."
Aela shifted uncomfortably. "Thank you Mrs. Arkwright."
Maelis sighed. "Maelis is fine dear. I'm not angry at you." She paused, "not anymore." Then she rounded on Devvyn and tossed the keys at him. "Open up."
Devvyn caught it, rolling his eyes. Typical of his grandmother to save all her ire for him. The gates' iron bars were cool and solid beneath his hands as he pushed it open, its hinges groaned like they hadn't been used in years. Devvyn mentally added oiling the gate's hinges to his ever-growing to-do list. He was in charge of maintaining the house, not by choice, but because it would collapse into ruin long before Maelis pulled her head out of building her devices long enough to fix anything.
He pushed the gate wider, the iron creaking louder in protest as Aela and Maelis slipped through. He followed last, pausing to drag it shut behind him. The clang of metal Echoed down the empty street as he slid the heavy bolt into place, locking it. When he turned, Maelis was already opening the front door. "She's going to kill me." He mumbled to Aela.
"Maybe…maybe not. I think she's happier to see that you're not hurt."
"We'll see." He shrugged, putting the keys in his pocket as they reached the front door and entered the house.
Inside, it was quiet. "They must be sleeping," Maelis said, referring to Aela's siblings. She shrugged off her jacket. Devvyn took it from her and hung it on a hook by the door. He picked up a blanket from another hook and wrapped it around Aela who was still shivering.
The house was warm and lit by rechargeable bulbs. Before Maelis worked on them, they were ordinary light bulbs. The rugs and tables were littered with blueprints, half-finished contraptions, and tools. Devvyn looked up, surprised. Maelis never brought work into the main house.
"I let Orryn and Melo play around with those," She nodded at the contraptions. "Doesn't hurt to introduce them to it at a young age, don't you think so Aela?"
"Yes." Aela nodded.
Maelis continued. "And they seemed to love it. Unlike a certain someone who does everything he can to avoid his family's legacy."
"Um," Aela coughed, "I'll take my siblings to bed." She said, moving in the direction of the bedroom."
"Check the sitting room first," Maelis said and she started cleaning up the mess on the floor, organising them into an iron toolbox.
Devvyn joined her, picking up a tiny screw that she missed even though she was wearing her glasses.
"Go help Aela. Then meet me in the workshop." She said, sounding weary.
Under the yellow light of the bulbs, Maelis suddenly looked every bit of her sixty years. Her silver hair had only the slightest traces of black in it, her eyes and lips had tight lines from years of frowning. Devvyn felt something shift in him. He loved Maelis and he knew she loved him but something was just wrong in their relationship. He wished she weren't so…stiff and unyielding, that he could share his dreams with her and she wouldn't shut them down.
He picked up another screw and dropped it in the toolbox before leaving.
The carpet in the hallway muffled his footsteps. He nudged the door open, revealing the soft glow of firelight spilling over two small curled forms on the sofa. Aela's siblings were fast asleep, bundled under blankets, their breaths slow and even. Aela was kneeling beside the sofa, gently rubbing Orryn's back.
"Do you want to leave them here?" Devvyn asked, lowering his voice, "I can bring a bed from one of the rooms."
"No no. I'll take them up. Was just trying to figure out how to do that without waking Melo up." Aela said. Melo was the youngest and a light sleeper. She squinted at Devvyn. "I thought Maelis would be giving you a proper whooping by now. Did you run?"
"Grandmother said to help you first." Devvyn carefully scooped Orryn into his arms. The little girl was feather-light. She stirred, her hands curling into his overalls as he lifted her. Her head lolled against his shoulder, and he steadied it with his other hand. "I'll come back for Orryn."
"I'll bring him." Aela shook her head.
He moved slowly as he carried Melo down the hallway toward the guest bedroom. The room was modest but warm, lined with faded floral wallpaper. It had two beds, both with thick quilts folded neatly at their edges. A lot of things that belonged to Aela and her siblings were scattered around the room. A shoe, a dress, a toy, a pair of Orryn's glasses. Devvyn and Maelis only called it the guestroom for Aela's sake.
He laid Melo down, tucking the quilt around her snugly. Her eyes fluttered open, glassy with sleep, and she blinked up at him, a smile spreading across her face. "Devvyn!"
Devvyn quickly put his hands to his lips, hushing her. She grinned, the sleep clearing quickly from her eyes. He groaned.
"Hi little snot." He smiled as he wiped her runny nose. "Go back to sleep, ok or Aela's going to be angry."
Before she could say anything, Aela stepped in, patiently guiding Orryn's half-asleep steps. "You'd better be sleeping by the time I tuck Orryn in." She warned. Melo pouted at her and lay back down.
Devvyn slipped out, closing the door behind him until the latch clicked softly into place. He made his way up the stairs. Maelis's workshop was tucked away on the top floor. The scent of singed metal and wire grew stronger as he went up, mingling with the soft hum of a drill. She was working? He opened the door, and the full whirring of the drill hit him. Grimacing, he closed it quickly, blocking out the noise.
Inside, Maelis was hunched over her work table, sleeves rolled up and eyes fixed on the Locator. She was wearing her coat—the one with rows of pockets filled with tools and notes.
"Hold this for me." She thrust the drill at Devvyn without looking up.
He caught it, turning it off before dragging a chair beside her. "Grandmother…"
"Hand me the screwdriver…the one with the thin knot."
He passed it to her, watching as she chipped away at the remaining gemstone fragments and brushed them into the dustbin beneath the table.
"I'm sorry about taking the Locator," Devvyn breathed out.
Maelis paused, her hand hovering over the device, then continued working. "I need to replace the gemstones. Get them for me."
Devvyn slid out of the chair and moved to one of the shelves. He scanned the neatly labelled boxes, eventually pulling down the one marked Stones. He picked out four new gemstones, cradling them carefully as he returned to the table.
"Why did you take it?" Maelis finally asked, her voice low but steady.
"I… erm… it was for the tech competition. I wanted to win and get the prize money… to buy an Echo."
Maelis's hands stilled. "An Echo…" she repeated, her grip tightening around the screwdriver. "What is so dissatisfying about your life here, Devvyn? You have access to many things people from the Lower City don't. You could make a life for yourself building things. I've seen what you can do with a hammer and enough nails."
"It's not enough." Devvyn returned to his chair, setting the gemstones one by one on the work table.
"Why?" Maelis's tone was sharper now, edged with something between frustration and hurt.
Devvyn hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "It's just not enough, Grandmother. No matter what I do, I'll still be the poor boy from the Lower City. They'll still look at me like I'm worth nothing!" He clenched his hands, remembering the way Isadora had looked at him—like something scraped off her boot. "I went to that competition with a device better than anything they'd ever seen, and you know who won? Isadora Pyrethorn."
"It doesn't matter."
"It does!" Devvyn's voice rose. "I saved a man today, Grandmother. I threw myself in front of a mana-gun—"
Maelis snapped upright. "You did what?"
"I'm fine. I'm here in one piece, aren't I? I saved Calder Pyrethorn. I got saved by The Wanderer. I saw Bloodbound soldiers using their Echos in ways I never imagined." Devvyn looked at his hands, his voice softening. "I… just… I can't be satisfied with the little things when I know my hands could hold so much more."
"Like an Echo?" Maelis scoffed. "You saved a man who has one, Devvyn. You did that without an Echo."
"Imagine what I could do with one."
"Those things only bring destruction and death. We as humans could have advanced beyond our current level. So many scientific discoveries to be made. So many things we can build to make Thaloria a better place for everyone. Yet, we're stuck with petty baubles over Echos. Who's bonded, who's not. Echos ruined our society, Devvyn. They're the reason the Unbound attacked today!"
"You support them?" Devvyn said in disbelief.
"Don't put words into my mouth, Devvyn Arkwright. And I will not imagine whatever nonsense you believe you can do if you were bonded with an Echo, because you won't get one. Not while I live!" Maelis's voice cracked like a whip, and she banged her fist on the table, scattering a few loose bolts.
Devvyn glared back, resentment simmering in his chest. "Nothing matters to you but those gadgets. Why do I have to live the same way you do? Scared, alone, holed up in a garbage city building things the world doesn't get to see."
"Don't you dare, Devvyn Arkwright!" Maelis barked, eyes flashing. "I've sacrificed so much to keep you safe. I left everything I built. Everything I knew because I promised your mother I would keep you safe."
"Safe from what?"
Maelis wouldn't meet his gaze, lips pressed tight.
Devvyn scoffed. "As usual. Silence. I wish my parents were still alive and I wasn't stuck here with you," Devvyn said. The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he'd never said them.
Maelis recoiled, as though whipped.
"Grandmother, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."
She let out a soft, tired sigh. "You're just like your mother. Mean when angry. Not thinking about the hurt your words cause people." Maelis's hands shook, but she steadied them, pressing down on the work table. "Sinai has carved a place for you. And it's not with an Echo bond, not with the highborns or whatever dreams of glory you have. It was the Locator today, but one day it could be you lying somewhere broken to pieces, and I'll be damned if I let that happen."
She continued. "You are never to seek an Echo or bond with one. Promise me."
"I can't."
Maelis straightened. "I won't repeat myself, Devvyn."
"I won't lie to you, Grandmother. I won't make a promise I can't keep."
Silence painfully stretched between both of them. Maelis's knuckles were white where she gripped the edge of the worktable, her eyes fixed on the Locator but not really seeing it. Devvyn stood there, fists clenched, his breathing harsh and unsteady.
Finally, Maelis spoke, her voice was brittle and strained. "Get out."
Devvyn blinked. "What?"
Her gaze snapped to him. "Leave. Go chase whatever fantasies you have, Devvyn. Leave an old woman to the only things that matter to her." Maelis turned back to the Locator, picking up the screwdriver with trembling hands.
"Ok." Devvyn yanked the door open, letting it slam shut behind him. He made his way to his room, not sure how to feel. He oscillated between feeling sorry, frustrated, and then angry. Then he settled on anger because that was easier to deal with. The problem was, he wasn't sure who he was angrier at, his grandmother or himself.
