The forge floor moved when the hammer was not moving.
Iven saw it in the water left in a shallow dent beside the base plate. Each time a freight engine passed on the raised track outside, a thin ripple ran across the surface. On the third pass, the ripple changed direction. The water shifted toward the cracked guide frame.
“There’s a hollow underneath,” he said.
Annet crouched beside him. “Or a loose plate.”
“Either way, we need to see it.”
Senna had closed the bay to all but the repair crew. Mara stood at the entrance with a list of the people allowed inside. Lio brought tools from the rack while the workers assigned to the water-main ring prepared another table in the cooling area. The ring had been reheated in the smaller furnace while the shores were checked that morning. Its surface showed the narrow seam where the interrupted forging had left two edges slightly uneven.
“The south district wants it today,” Senna said.
“Then we need the floor to hold the hammer today,” Iven replied.
