Neri had the last timber lowered a finger’s breadth at a time.
The centering eased away from the completed arch through the accepted unloading stages. At each pause the measuring hands checked the crown, the springing points, and the repaired far bearing. Oda watched the stone joints. Pev watched the temporary supports. Neri read the shape as a whole.
On day fifteen hundred and forty-one, the arch carried its own full weight.
The timber beneath it stood clear.
Nothing dramatic happened. A little dust fell from a dry outer face. A worker shifted his boots. The lower stream moved between the temporary feet as it had before.
Neri took the final reading and signed the stage.
Then the crew began removing the centering in the order that would keep every loose piece supported until it reached the ground.
Across the yard, Deni’s draft teams walked the larger capstan through its unloaded cycle. The geared drum turned slowly. Its ordinary catches engaged at the marked positions. A second secured line followed the working one, independent of the first drum’s weakest connection.
