Chapter 47: Working Orders
The handwritten texts lay on the desk, stacked at a slight slope. They had been handled repeatedly over several evenings, added to, then set aside when something interrupted the work. Beorn had the ledger open in front of him and continued moving the charcoal in steady strokes.
Aestrith occupied the couch with her legs folded under her, her attention on the ceiling as if she had chosen not to engage with anything else in the room.
Lewin knocked, then entered without waiting for further instruction. He moved directly to the side table and took his position. He placed his hands flat on the surface and waited.
"There’s something I want you to look for," Beorn said, keeping his eyes on the ledger. "An illness. It doesn’t present clearly at the start, it looks more like ordinary fatigue."
He turned a page, maintaining the flow of work while he spoke. "The eyes lose focus. The person moves with caution, placing their steps with more care than walking should require." He paused just long enough to separate observation from conclusion.
"What sets it apart is if it doesn’t improve, neither with rest or treatment. After a week, the condition is the same or worse. By the time it’s obvious, it’s already been progressing for weeks."
Lewin processed the description without rushing.
"Where are these people most likely to be?"
Beorn considered the variables and answered with probabilities. "The slums first. Outer settlements second. Look into places where people avoid attention or have reason not to seek treatment."
Lewin adjusted his focus to the next step. "And when I identify someone?"
Beorn defined the constraint immediately. "You bring me the name and the location." He kept the instruction precise. "You do not engage them. You do not explain your interest. If someone reports a case that matches the description, you record it and come to me directly."
Lewin nodded, "Anything else that narrows the search?"
Beorn considered what information would help versus what would mislead. "Focus on younger individuals than older ones. Beyond that, rely on your observation."
Lewin confirmed there were no additional instructions, then stood and exited.
The door closed with a soft click.
Aestrith shifted her gaze toward it, acknowledged Lewin’s departure, then returned her attention to the ceiling. "That was a nice way to put it," she said.
Beorn continued writing. There was nothing to comment on.
Dunna arrived shortly after. He entered and sat across from the desk without ceremony. He was here to exchange information efficiently.
"The foremen you need," he said, moving directly to the point, "most are still in Ashmark. Three are in the miners’ quarter. They haven’t relocated."
He organized the information as he spoke. "Two more worked the eastern mines under a contractor Coss used for the flood-prone ground north of the second fork." He brought his hands together on his knee into a stable posture.
"Those men maintained their tools, but since the shafts flooded, they’ve had no work."
Beorn brought up the next required step. "When can you approach them?"
"Today," Dunna said, conditional on clarity. "If we have a concrete deal now." He looked at Beorn, measuring the response.
"They worked those shafts for years. If you want them to return underground, they will need to know how the water is removed and what happens to the mine during that process."
Beorn separated the problem into parts. "There’s a machine, it will remove the water. Another independent method will be used to prevent the mine from collapse." He only said what was necessary. "I will have a complete explanation before any crew enters the shafts."
Dunna accepted the answer without visible reaction.
"They will want to inspect the machine," he said after a moment.
"They can inspect it," Beorn said. That requirement was acceptable.
"And the reinforcement method," Dunna added. "Whatever form it takes."
Beorn considered what information could be revealed. "They will see what is necessary," he said. "I will determine what to show and when."
Dunna accepted that constraint with a nod. He stood and left.
Aestrith spoke again from the couch. "Unless you want me killed, you can’t show them how we’ll stabilize the mines."
Beorn nodded slowly, in thought. "We’ll make them understand when the time is appropriate."
"That’s wishful thinking," she said.
Beorn acknowledged the future complication without adjusting the plan. "Maybe it is."
She made a noncommittal sound and returned her focus to the ceiling, disengaging from the discussion.
Godric arrived around midmorning. He stopped at the near side of the desk and began his report in his normal volume.
"A thousand men are currently on the rolls," he said. "Six hundred will remain reliable even if pay is delayed for a week. The remaining four hundred are dependable only until the first missed payment."
His tone remained neutral. "The crossbows meet the standard you specified. The current batch has been tested at range and performs cleanly."
Beorn moved to the next matter. "Eadric."
"He has requested a meeting four times in the last two weeks," Godric said. "He wants to address the pace of the program. I have told him you are occupied."
He paused briefly. "He is becoming persistent."
"Continue delaying him," Beorn said. That outcome was still acceptable.
Godric held a short pause, indicating an additional point under consideration. "The payroll for a thousand men is approaching the limit of what seizures and transit levies can support," he said. "The trend is negative."
Beorn added a mark in the ledger margin. This matched his existing calculations. The mine levy projections, shaft output estimates from archived records, and the timeline for initial drainage operations were already set. All variables pointed to the same schedule.
"I am aware," he said.
Godric inclined his head and exited, concluding his report.
Aestrith spoke again without changing position. "What are odds you will go bankrupt in the next few months?"
Beorn shrugged. "If the situation stays the same, then absolute odds. But when we resume the mining this seat will have a monthly revenue." He turned the page. "And there’s always more marks to confiscate."
"You really like to take money from others," she said.
"When it is necessary," Beorn said. "And when they deserve it."
She gave a short snort and continued looking at the ceiling, offering no further input.
Tam knocked on the half-open door around midday and leaned her head inside. Her posture showed increased awareness compared to before the awakening, as if she constantly thought about hiding a secret.
"I completed the first exercise Miss Aestrith assigned," she said, directing the report to Beorn.
"How was it?" Beorn said.
"She said it was acceptable." Tam paused. "I think ’acceptable’ might be the highest praise she uses."
"It is," Aestrith said from the couch, confirming the standard without looking away from the ceiling.
Beorn reached for the top handwritten text on the desk and extended it toward Tam. She approached, took it, and read the cover. Her eyes moved across it once, then again, confirming the title.
"On the Properties of Magnetic Force," she said. She looked up at him. "What is this?"
Beorn explained it slowly. "A text to teach what you can do and the principles behind it. It connects theory to practice."
She looked at the cover again, trying to set her expectations. "Do I need to read the entire thing?"
"Of course," Beorn said. There was no way to escape it.
She held the book carefully, nodded once, and left, accepting the task.
Beorn examined the remaining book on the desk. His writing hand had been aching since the previous evening. The pain was consistent with extended fine work.
If each page could be carved once and reused in sequence, a full text could be made in hours instead of days.
The principle was clear based on what he knew. The limitation was manufacturing precision. He set away the printing concept aside for later.
He picked up the second book, stood, and crossed the short distance to the couch.
He held the book out to Aestrith.
She looked at the cover from her seated position. "On the Properties of Gravitational Force."
"You should study as well," Beorn said. That conclusion followed directly from the previous assignment.
She examined the book, then looked at him. Her expression changed, in a way a child expression changes when they are given extra homework.
She took the book and checked the cover again. Then she drew her knees up, opened it against them, and positioned it so her face was hidden behind the pages.
Her attention shifted completely and immediately, leaving no further response to give.
Beorn returned to his desk and resumed work.