The barrier across the first exit was new. The crack above it was not.
Eli stopped on the public side while the independent forum’s engineer studied the lintel through an inspection glass. Aegis officers had strung a bright line between two posts and placed a transport notice where the leaked map’s arrow would have led people. Behind the line, old stone dust lay in the joints of a more recent patch.
“Can you tell from here?” Eli asked.
“Some things.”
The officer beside them shifted impatiently. He had already explained that the exit was unsafe and that unauthorized movement could block emergency vehicles. He wanted the engineer to say yes or no so he could return to moving the queue.
She asked to see the underside of the patch.
“You can’t go through.”
“I can look without passing under the load.”
