The first hot trial began on day 1572 with Pell standing at her own chamber valve. Nothing in the new court passed through the growing rooms. The closed return pipe stood in its separate bath, guarded by a timber rail. The bath’s outlet led to a cooling tank and then to the existing household drain. Farther down, the cold seep and its rushes remained untouched.
The pump operator’s name was Unna. She had worked on the local washing circuit for twelve years and disliked the borrowed engine’s starting handle.
“It strikes back when it’s cold,” she told Hend.
“Stand to the side.”
“I know where to stand. I want a better handle before this becomes my daily work.”
He promised one, then watched her start it.
The engine caught on the third turn. Water moved in the outer bath. A small flow gauge trembled into its marked range. Neri watched the first return enter the closed pipe and felt the old temptation to look only at the promising number.
Instead she looked at Pell.
