Engineer Liang Sen asked Iven for permission to approach the western anchor. He wanted to inspect the stone casing with two city wardens and a clerk. The council approved a short visit, but only its engineers would handle the marker.
Yan waited behind the boundary posts. The western anchor hummed unevenly beneath the ground. He could see the maintenance plate, set into the stone casing at an angle. One corner lifted slightly from the surface.
Liang Sen brushed dust from the edge with a soft cloth. Beneath the plate, a thin crack ran through the casing. Each time the storm marker brightened, the channel pulse weakened.
His partner crouched beside him. “There’s a second line behind the plate.”
“Can you see the coupling?”
“The fastener is clear. The line has been disconnected.”
Iven stepped closer. “Could weather have broken it?”
The engineer looked at the end of the coupling. “The cut is clean. I don’t see a fracture from stress.”
