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He was about to creep into a shadowed recess when so fa in this world He took a great risk and hoisted hiht He was fairly high up on thecame fro eyes sweeping across the vista below him in an instant, then he dropped flat to reduce chances of his being spied

Down near the base of the e drawn by thite horses, with a bay tied to the back The bay had its own special aura, but that was not what had caught his attention There were three people with the carriage--the driver who sat on his bench, a ave his hand to help her cli woman was out of place and time Lhean had not arrived here alone after all

SILK

Dr Ezra Stirling Silk gazed at the large sheets of bridge sche table while, outside the rough office, thewith metallic resonance, the air dense with the fu Here the overnors, steaned and fabricated by skilled laborers The as not trusted to dull-witted slaves, ere suitable only for lift-and-carry work and other ineers were revered for their genius, even if not of Preferred faates to the empire’s modernization, econoineers were descended fro ago one Those feho retained such singular skills worked in the Capital, ineers must rely solely on their intellect and craftsineers now luirth and stature, he did not ns forand iles and carelessly tossed theht made it difficult for hih the aura of life outlining his body shone clearly Silk’s loves that protected Moody’s hands up to his elbows, a cap covering sparse hair atop his head

The engineer untied a scarf from around his neck and used it to mop sweat and soot off his face "Well, Dr Silk," Moody said in his gravelly voice, "coer you, Mr Moody? Your shop is receiving exorbitant payment for the efficient production of the drill I a ain, you cannot rush precision If it’s not precision you want, black poould do the job for you so was not an option He needed that precision, the drill was to be a surgical instrument in his excavation He had no wish to destroy that which he sought "Let’s see it then"

The partially asse to fit in any of thewarehouse, laid on its side on supports The steel gleam of its spiral contours burned in Silk’s eyes while all else in the warehouse’s depths fell into shadow Moody polished it with a rag Despite his gru, he was justifiably proud of his creation No drill of this length had ever been created before

The bit, not yet attached, rested on its own table It had the ridges of a ular, symmetrical, and perfect, and eranite bedrock with ease

"We’ll check the calibration one more time," Moody said, "then it’ll be ready for a test If the test is successful, you can haul it up to the site, and we’ll connect the engine"

"How long before you test?"

Moody’s face cracked into a grin "Oh, a few days give or take We’ll have to asseoes" He indicated the steaine, its valves, piston rod, and flywheel in shiny brass

Not as elegant as an etherea engine, but it would do

"In the ht want to speed up construction of the drill house Fast enough for you?"

Silk tapped the tip of his walking stick on the stone floor Very fast, he thought He’d have to assignthe road "You exceed expectations, Mr Moody"

Moody doffed his cap and bowed "My pleasure to serve the eines, I’m sure the work could be completed even faster"

"You know that is the province of the Capital and cannot beexported to the out regions" Indeed not There was not enough etherea in the world to execute mundane functions outside the Capital It must be protected and sustained for the Preferred After all, it was a precious resource that did not renew itself fast enough for the e steadily

His waistcoat pocket chimed Well-aware of Moody’s scrutiny, Silk pulled out his chronosphere, attached to his waistcoat by a gold chain and fob of carved ivory The sphere split in half and delicate leaves of bird with a ruby throat The other sphere half contained two circles of glyphs carved frolyphs represented the hours of the day, while the inner ring designated the minutes The tinyfirst the hour with its beak tip, and then the minute With a final chirp, it folded back up and withdrew into its own half of the sphere Silk snapped the device shut and deposited it in his pocket He smiled Only those closest to the e time was not just a perk of power, it was power, power he held over those beneath hile" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">