It smelled like sea salt and cinnamon on the Railway.
It was half past two. Jelric wasn't back, and the competition's judges were nowhere to be seen.
Devvyn's impatience curdled into worry. Was the competition cancelled? Where was Jelric? The tech competition was supposed to take place along the Railway, close to where the Echo Hunters unloaded their catch.
The only sign of the event was a decorated stand with three chairs and a shiny banner above it, reading "The Golden Academy's Annual Competition for Technology Innovation and Invention."
Devvyn found the setup rather unimpressive. He counted fifteen other contenders. He and Aela were the only ones from the Lower City here. The difference in their clothing was as clear as day. He and Aela wore simple brown overalls with boots while they were decked in the latest fashion.
Other people were around—parents of contestants, friends, random people interested in the competition—and Isadora Pyrethorn, whom he couldn't take his eyes off.
Devvyn had liked Isadora since he first saw her at the festival. She had brown pigtails framing her face then, with chubby cheeks and hands. Her baby fat was slowly melting away, leaving a girl who looked every bit like the royalty she was born into. High cheekbones, long hair packed in an updo, hands covered in black leathered gloves, which were standard amongst the higher Houses.
"You should talk to her," Aela said.
"No."
"We should go look for Jelric then."
"Relax, Aela. He probably saw a girl he likes and is torturing her with his poor social skills."
"Haha. At least he has the courage to speak to the girl he likes." Aela said, then frowned. "But seriously, he was weird before he left."
"You can—"
The crackle of a speaker overhead buzzed to life, cutting Devvyn short, followed by a familiar smooth, amplified voice that rolled across the Port. The festival's noise instantly died down. This was Ialthea Embercrest, The Rememberer, Thaloria's Lorekeeper, and it was hard not to listen when she spoke.
Ialthea travelled through Thaloria, telling stories of the Primordials and The Sundering, as well as the time before mortals walked the earth and the birth of Thaloria. Stories of Nightmare Beasts that once walked Thaloria, terrorising and killing and sundering human flesh from bones. It was from her that Devvyn and his friends had learned their history and fallen in awe with Echos.
"And now, the story of the Primordials, passed down through generations that we may never forget the great gods that once were." Her voice was alluring with a dramatic edge to it.
Devvyn imagined her vacant, unblinking eyes, staring straight into his soul, yet also beyond, into somewhere no one else could see, as though she were here and not here, seeing and unseeing. It had terrified Devvyn when he was younger.
Now, it fascinated him.
Aela once told him that she had heard from Cyn, who had heard from Jonathon, who had heard from his cousin Kerina, that Ialthea had touched a Blood Spire, and that was why she knew stories that people had forgotten. Devvyn didn't know whether to believe it or not. He knew touching a Blood Spire induced visions, sometimes madness, but he'd never heard of them inducing storytelling until Ialthea.
He recited Thaloria's history alongside her, the words long ingrained in him. "Long before mortal life walked the earth, the Primordials—embodiments of the four fundamental elements: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air—shaped the foundation of existence. These beings were not gods, for they did not demand worship, nor were they mortal, for they did not know death. They existed as sentient forces, maintaining the delicate balance of creation." He breathed out when she did and paused when she paused.
"Do you think the Primordials were sibling-coded or more like our royalty here in Sinai? Living with sticks up their asses?" Aela asked.
"Hmm, The Sundering was kind of dramatic. I'll go with sibling coded."
"Thought so."
Ialthea continued, "For a thousand millennia, the Primordials- Kala, Mizuho, Terravon and Ignisara —the Primordials of air, water, earth, and fire— wove the threads of harmony, ensuring that no one element overwhelmed the others. Their touch created vast oceans, towering mountains, endless skies, and roaring flames—each a testament to their power and unity. Yet, their very nature—raw, infinite, and untethered—contained the seeds of destruction, and it led to The Sundering."
A shrill laugh broke through Ialthea's narration. It was from Isadora, who was laughing at something another participant had said. Her laughter was deliberate and measured, just loud enough to draw attention but not so loud that it was deemed noisy.
People from the City of Eternis laughed that way. Devvyn's attention shifted from Ialthea to her.
"Stop gawking, Devvyn. You look creepy as shit. Just go over and say hi. That's all. H and I." She smiled up at him, "If you want, I'll come."
"Fine," Devvyn said and started for Isadora. He paused when Aela followed. 'No, no, you stay here. I can handle this myself." He puffed his shoulders stiffly.
"Sure." Aela drawled.
Devvyn saw Isadora notice him before he reached her. He fought the urge to look away when her eyes met his. By Mizuho, she was deathly pretty. "Uh, hi, you're Isadora." He said, and immediately felt like jumping into the sea and letting the water take him far away.
"I'm well aware." She replied, brows raised.
"I'm Devvyn," he held out his right hand. An awkward second passed before she took it and dropped it, barely a handshake. Heat spread around Devvyn's body, and he struggled to find the right words to say next. "Well, I'm entering the competition too."
"I figured." Disinterest dripped like honey from her voice. She looked away, scanning the sky.
Devvyn could almost hear Aela laughing at him. He had to do something, at least one thing that wasn't embarrassing. He reached into his satchel and brought out the device. "Here's what I'm entering with."
Isadora's eyes flickered to him. She took a casual glance at Devvyn's device. She tilted her head, brows drawn slightly inward. A spark appeared in her eyes.
"It's an Echo Locator," he said before she asked. "You know how Echo Hunters struggle to find Echos deep in the ground or sea beds, volcanoes, wherever. This can help them find Echos in seconds. It's kind of like a compass—" He was starting to ramble, and Isadora cut him short.
"Where did you find the parts for this?" She took a half-step closer and reached out as if to touch the device, then reigned herself in. Devvyn caught the scent of Frost Bloom perfume.
"The Black Market. They have great parts."
"That's not," Isadora paused. "How did you make it?"
"Echos emit a unique vibrational signature, subtle but present enough for the Locator to find. It's calibrated using—"
"And you built this yourself?"
"Yes," Devvyn answered quickly. Too fast. His palms began to itch again.
Isadora eyed him. "I just don't see how someone like you can build this."
"What?" Devvyn frowned. The Echo Locator was suddenly heavy in his hands.
"What I mean is, the resources and tech knowledge, only people who have attended the Academy have access to..." Isadora eyed his clothes and then the Locator. "...and you're from the Lower City." Isadora's words slithered under his skin, venomous and precise. The Locator in his hands suddenly felt like a child's toy.
Devvyn's brain stuttered for a moment, and his body paused while his mind tried to form his thoughts into words. He knew Thaloria's highborn were arrogant; Aela always said it, but for some reason, he had assumed Isadora was different. And he had assumed wrong.
"It's not like you've been to the Academy either," Devvyn said, tightening his grip on the Locator. His brain finally kicked in, but it was a weak response. The Academy offered external classes that one could attend if they had sufficient funds and influence, and even without it, Isadora, daughter of House Pyrethorn, had access to the best technological instructors.
Isadora was still speaking to him, but he blocked her voice. He covered the Echo Locator, turned and went back to Aela.
Aela took one look at his face and knew. "Didn't go well?"
"She's just like the rest of them."
"Could have told you that for free." She said, "While you were playing lover boy, I was gathering information. Three judges are coming, all from the Academy, but it's one you need to impress. They called him Instructor Veylin, but that's Lord Veylin for us. They say he won't speak or show any expression, but he's definitely paying attention."
"Know what he looks like?"
"Nope, they wouldn't describe him beyond we'll know once we see him. Well-to-do pricks."
"I'm surprised they spoke to you at all."
Aela flipped her hair. "You know me. I'm the only one of us with real conversational skills." It was true. Aela spoke better than anyone from the Lower City. She had a charming smile, too, and knew how to make people feel comfortable. She would do well mingling with people like Isadora.
A murmur rippled through the crowd as boots clacked against the Railway's iron plates. "They're here!" Someone announced, pointing at the Railway's entrance.
The Judges had come, finally.
Four of them.
