Varo was checking the evening lantern stock when water began to seep under the storehouse door. The shelves held inscribed relay cases, oil jars, and coils of copper wire. A return valve had stuck open somewhere behind the wall. The narrow service grille was too small for a person to enter, and breaking the stone would crush the lowest cases.
Pema knelt near the leak. “The valve key is inside, beneath that shelf. Someone dropped it when the pipe shook.”
Varo crouched and looked through the grille. The key lay just beyond his reach. “I can see it. If the water reaches the bottom shelf, the cases will soak.”
“Can we drain from the outer channel?” Han asked.
“Not until the return closes,” Pema said. “Otherwise the pressure keeps pushing water in.”
Yan looked at the lantern set over the service grille. “Keep that lamp lit. I’ll send a projection through it.”
Pema checked the flame. “The thread is prepared.”
Yan opened one branch and sent it into the narrow store. His projection passed through the light path. It saw the key clearly beneath the shelf. A second branch went to the level marker by the drain, where it could watch the waterline. He did not rush the projection through the grille. First he checked that the lamp held a clear route; then he narrowed the branch until the pale hand fit between the bars. The key’s teeth were turned toward the wall. Yan described their position to Pema, who…
