Korr Var unrolled Hal Rook’s internal floor plan across the iron decking of the narrow high walkway. He held the corners down with four heavy iron wrenches. Beside him, Pella checked the locations of the control valves with her brass measuring tongs.
‘Here is the working trap, Pella,’ Korr Var said, pointing with his pencil. ‘To safely power down this machine without an astral empty pocket inward collapse, we must operate three separate stations at the same time. Station One is the intake throttle on the northern gallery. There, the inflow from the pool must be cut by exactly forty percent. Station Two is Gate Three on the western bridge pillar. There, the bypass must be jacked open two feet to maintain sky venting. Station Three is the balance weight buffer on the southern wall. There, the crushing pressure must be bled off in five-pound increments.’
‘How far apart are they?’ Eren asked, leaning over the blueprint.
‘Two hundred and forty yards,’ Korr Var answered grimly. ‘Separated by three levels of spiral stairs, two solid granite firewalls, and eighty yards of narrow high walkway suspended over a boiling water chute. You can’t see from Station One to Station Two. You can’t hear a shout. And you can’t signal with lanterns through this sulfur steam.’
