Long Reed’s village hall had two doors, both propped open. People had pushed the benches against the walls to leave space for the switch table and pressure gauges. On the plaster above them, Eri had pinned the written terms for the trial: one hour, a small measured load, council control of the release cord, and reimbursement for equipment damaged by the test.
Ning stood beside the paper with Joram, the miller. He read each line slowly, moving his finger along the words.
“If the barrier goes dark, the mill stops,” he said. “How long until you can replace the part?”
“The repair crew can bring a new coupling tomorrow if this one fails,” Ning said. “If the pylon is damaged, it will take longer. The stores will cover the lost work according to the amount written here.”
Joram looked at the council. “I want the delivery date in the agreement, not just ‘soon.’”
Eri added the date. Joram read it again and signed. Then he asked for another line: the council could disconnect at any time, even before the hour ended. Eri wrote it in large letters and signed beside the change. The village recorder did not ask the engineers to promise that the test would be harmless. They promised to pay for the known costs if it was not.
