Flashback ( PDFDrive )

Ro snickered.
“This will be quick,” Emery assured him. “Mr. Dizznee is here to
deliver a gadget he’s designed per our specifications.”
Unease swirled in Sophie’s stomach as Dex pulled a small metal box
from his cape pocket and held it out. He was one of the Lost Cities’
most talented and innovative Technopaths and had created all kinds of
brilliant gadgets—like her Sucker Punch bracelet. But one time he’d
gotten a little too reckless with a circlet he invented, and the Council
had forced her to wear it. She’d never forget the brutal headaches that
the ability restrictor had caused, or the hopelessness she’d felt having
her talents stripped away.
“Don’t worry—this will only work on Alvar,” Dex promised, his
periwinkle eyes locking with hers as he removed a wide golden cuff
from the box. “It’s keyed to his DNA. I call it the Warden, because I
got the idea from a human movie I saw, where the criminal had to
wear a tracker around his ankle. The Warden will report every move
Alvar makes, and every word he says. It’ll also monitor his heart rate,
so we’ll be able to tell if he’s nervous or lying. And it’ll make sure he
can’t go anywhere without permission.” He turned to Alvar and
pointed to a silver circle in the center of the cuff. “This piece is like a
reverse nexus. If you try to leap without the Council’s approval, you’ll
scatter and fade, no matter how strong your concentration is.”
Alvar blanched. “Is that safe?”
“As long as you don’t try to escape.” Dex unhinged the cuff and
crouched. “Take off your left boot.”
Alvar did as he was told, and Dex snapped the cuff around his ankle
with a loud click.
“That’s . . . a little tight,” Alvar told him.