The quarry council reconvened after every household had checked the route and Ning’s transport list. Vessa had asked the residents to bring someone who could answer for each home. The hall filled with people carrying slates, ration bags, and rolled blankets. No one wanted the Registry to count their silence as consent.
On the board, Iven had written three choices: leave now, move in stages, or remain under the reduced furnace load. Beneath them he left a wide space for conditions. He had drawn a narrow column beside each option so no one could mistake a condition for a vote. Vessa asked a resident from every lane to check the household marks before they began. The task took time. One family had brought an infant born after the old Registry count; another had been listed under a grandfather’s name though he had moved away. Vessa corrected both before the slate came to the board.
“I favor stages,” he said. “The youngest children can go with the school records. The slates should travel together. If they are split between wagons, we may lose half of the lessons.”
Noma stood beside the water table. “The elders and anyone with breathing trouble go first. They should not wait for the bypass test.”
