The eastern mill sent a runner to Narrow Bridge before the last carts crossed. He carried a blue flag and a note saying the lower road was clear. Han read it while standing at the east approach with her local defenders.
“Rell, check the turn yourself,” she said. “The map may be old.”
The local scout set out along the bank. Han kept the next cart waiting behind a stone wall, away from the bridge mouth. The family inside had two children and a bundle of cooking pots. Their mother held the reins while the older child leaned over the side to look at the river.
“Stay in the cart,” Han told him. “The boards are slick.”
The child sat back. His mother glanced toward the far bank. “My husband is still on the other side.”
“Do you know where he was last?”
“At the mill road, helping move the water barrels.”
Han asked a bridge guard to find him. The man crossed on foot and checked the mill approach while the family waited behind the wall. The convoy continued in small groups; the waiting cart did not block the turn.
