Neri crossed to the far abutment by the long walking route with six measuring hands and no one carrying a weapon for her.
The public entrance stood open. The broken throwers had been chained and marked. A worker met her at the door, showed her which loose braces had already come down, and took her to the old access stair beneath the wrecked firing screen.
Yesterday, Iven had reached this floor under fire.
Today, she could kneel on it and measure what the building actually needed.
Pev came down the stair behind her with a lamp and a short sounding hammer. The two women walked to the far bridge wall. Below the parapet, the washed lower course showed its opened joint exactly where the earlier survey had marked it. Nobody had repaired it by winning the room above.
“First job,” Pev said.
“Shore before we take that block.”
Pev nodded and marked the position for the temporary support.
