“Ok, you can pull now,” the young man fastening the ropes on the log said.

Two of his fellows holding the other end of the rope readied themselves. On command, they pulled together. And almost tripped backward. The ease with which the sizable piece of wood came off the ground had surprised them.

“Careful men!” the master shipbuilder shouted. “The gods protect you if you drop it.”

The two were quick to regain their footing, apparently holding the weight with ease.

“There is barely any weight,” the one in front said. “I think I can lift it on my own.” He looked questioningly to his superior who in turn looked to the sage, standing next to Delios.

Master Mar’Doug nodded, smiling slightly. “Go ahead.”

“Careful!” the master shipbuilder said.

The second man let go of the rope, and they all watched the log rising pulled by only a single man.

“I think that is enough,” master Mar’Doug said. “You can let it down again. Thank you.”

Once the log had returned to the palace floor, they stepped closer to examine the tool the sage had the craftsmen constructed. It consisted of a rope running through two wheel-like wooden elements. One of the wheels had been fixed on the cross beam above them. The other was connected to the log with a second rope.

“You figured out how to set it up yourself, Linos,” master Mar’Doug said. “Have you experimented with it?”

The shipbuilder, beaming about being remembered, shook his head.

“I forbade them to play around with it,” he said quickly. “And we kept it secret. Didn’t even tell my wife.” He pointed to the young man who’d connected the ropes to the log. “Diadoros here figured it out. Has a good head on his shoulders, that one. Just wish he would use it more to listen than to think.”

Master Mar’Doug considered the young apprentice in a way Delios had come to recognize. The sage had found another talent to recruit.

“If you can recommend him, we have more work for him,” Delios said, guessing the master’s thoughts. “For the defends of Riadnos, we must construct many new things and master Mar’Doug cannot be everywhere at once.”

“Ah, of course,” the master shipbuilder said. “I mean if it’s needed.” He was probably unsure if he should feel honored or if he was pushed aside.

“His first duty will be to be the intermediary between my Office and you,” master Mar’Doug said smoothly. “I cannot expect you to come to the palace all the time. Therefore, I will explain what we need to Diadoros. If you train your apprentices as well as people say, I am sure he will be up to the task.”

And the honor will be yours, Delios added in his mind. He admired the sage’s abilities. The citizens, from lowly servants to important men like Linos, met the sage with awe and fear. Yet master Mar’Doug took care to always leave a good impression. He was as meticulous at it as in all things.

“So, should I leave him here with you then?” Linos asked.

“Yes, he can come with us,” master Mar’Doug said. “It would be good if he sees what else we are doing. We will send him back later today with the description of the next project.”

Linos smiled widely. “Yes, master. Diadoros, go with the master and learn everything he has to teach you.”

Delios could understand his feelings. The pully was already an incredibly valuable invention for a builder. He couldn’t even guess what other useful tools the sage would provide them with.

Accepting the men’s bows master Mar’Doug led the group consisting of Delios, Elaiadoros, and now Diadoros through the corridors of the palace. The apprentice shipbuilder’s face switched back and forth between eager anticipation and anxiety.

Guessing their destination, Delios frowned. “The palace kitchens?”

“It is not ideal”, master Mar’Doug said, while walking, “but we need something to produce high temperatures. The kitchen has ovens we can use for our initial tests.”

When they entered, the head cook was busy shouting at two men in dirty traveling garments standing forlorn in a corner. One held a basket, the other carried two sacks connected by a rope slung around his neck.

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“Who? Who told you to bring dirt into my kitchen?” the middle-aged woman asked the two in a commanding tone. “We’re preparing food here! Look at you.” She pointed at the one carrying the sacks. “You’re half covered in ash!”

“I asked them to meet us here,” master Mar’Doug said.

The head cook whirled around, angrily. “Who do you…” Recognizing the person in the kitchen entrance her face changed from red to white.

“You are of course right, and I apologize for the intrusion,” the sage said, walking into the room. Everybody present froze in place. “This is an emergency. We need to use one of your ovens for an experiment.”

The cook seemed to have lost her ability to speak. She just stared up at the sage. “Ah…hm.”

“We will be using those,” master Mar’Doug said, pointing past the cook. He gestured towards the two men. “Come with me. And look out not to spread any dirt.”

Happy to be rescued from the angry head cook the two men followed the sage out the kitchen’s other entrance, leading into a courtyard. Here, along the wall stood several ovens build from stone and clay. They were used to bake the enormous amounts of bread the inhabitants of the palace consumed every day.

“We are going to use this one,” the sage called to a servant girl who was placing wood into one of the smaller ovens. The girl’s eyes widened, and she hurried to step aside.

“Why that one?” Delios asked. “There are bigger ones here.” The idea that anybody would stop master Mar’Doug from using any of the ovens was preposterous.

“No, this one is ideal for what we need.” The sage leaned forward and looked into the oven’s opening. “Look. It is narrow but the walls are quite thick. That is good for isolation. It should produce high temperatures.”

“You always have to watch that one,” the girl said. “The bread burns easily.”

Delios raised an eyebrow, causing her to quickly look down again.

“For us that is perfect,” master Mar’Doug said. “You with the basket. Come here!”

The man came forward and held the basket out to the sage.

Delios leaned forward to see what was inside. “Stones?”

“Limestone,” master Mar’Doug said, picking a couple of pieces from the basket for closer inspection.

“You are Siria, right?” he asked the girl. “You have experience in handling these ovens?”

Siria looked up, surprised to be addressed. “Yes!”

“Good. I need you to work with these men.” Master Mar’Doug threw her a stone.

Siria caught it and stared questioningly at the sage.

“I want you to burn these stones. You have to place them in the fire and watch them. It will most likely take a couple of hours. When they start glowing, come and get me. I will be in the Office.”

“Burning the stone, master?” Siria asked staring at the piece in his hand.

The sage picked another piece from the basket and pushed it into the oven. “A white-hot glow. That’s when you come and get me. Just start with a couple. Let’s say eight or ten. They should be heated evenly.” He straightened and looked back at Delios.

Delios turned to the girl and the two men. “I will let the kitchen staff know that you are working on something for master Mar’Doug. They are to give you food and otherwise leave you alone.”

The sage nodded and turned back to the kitchen.

On the way back to the Office, Delios thought about asking him for a more detailed explanation. The pully had many applications. If master Mar’Doug intended to build a defensive wall in the mountains, they would probably use it in the construction.

Passing through the main hall of the temple which stood in the center of the upper place, Delios eyes wandered along the enormous blocks of limestone that formed the carrying walls. The palace’s main buildings were built from them. So were the city’s inner and outer walls. It had taken years to complete their construction.

How will he build a wall that can stop the Assanaten up there in the mountains? Delios asked himself not for the first time.

Delia had advised him to stay close to the sage and he had. She hoped that his plans would succeed, and Delios would be credited for it. Saving Riadnos had cemented their father’s position for over a decade. To this day important men from Helcenaea and the Crimson Cities came to show the anax their respect. They would sit at his table and listen to the story of how the Saggabian army had been turned back.

Could they achieve the same? And would the anax let him have the credit? Delia seemed to believe so, hoping his succession would set her free. Memnostis would never let her go. Her Gift was too valuable to him.

“Anything new from the expedition group?” the sage asked, pulling Delios from his thoughts.

Delios shook his head. “We sent more scouts into the mountains and warned the local villages to keep a lookout. We also stationed riders at the foot of the main trails. Nothing new so far.”

“We need to interview the locals about the placement of the wall,” master Mar’Doug said, returning to a discussion they’d had before. “If the location can be bypassed, this will all be for nothing.”

Except for you, nobody even has an idea how to build this wall, Delios thought.

Somebody cleared his throat behind them. “You… you want to build a wall in the mountains?” Diadoros asked. “That’s what the pullies are for?”

Delios had completely forgotten about the young apprentice.

“Yes,” master Mar’Doug said over his shoulder. “When we are in the Office, you and I will discuss the construction of cranes. Those are wooden arms, for the lifting of heavy loads. They must be easily disassembled and transported in parts.”

“I understand,” Diadoros said.

“You do?” Delios asked with a raised eyebrow.

“We can’t transport tree trunks up there,” Diadoros said. “We need to build the parts down in the valley. They need to be of a size and weight that can be carried up the mountain. If…if we build a wall, we’ll have to move them from time to time, too. Therefore, we need to be able to dis- and re-assemble them easily.”

Delios exchanged a glance with the sage. The latter smiled slightly. “You are almost completely correct.”

It seemed Diadoros was more talented than they'd hoped. Delios was about to ask what the young apprentice had missed when he saw Jenos coming their way.

The warrior was clad in amore made from leather and linen and wearing a short sword at his side. He was on duty.

“Delios”, Jenos said after bowing his head to the sage, “the anax wants to see you.”

Delios nodded. “I am coming. Master Mar’Doug, please excuse me.”

“We will be in the Office,” the sage said. “Please give your father my regards and let him know that we are almost ready to present our plan.”

We are? Delios thought. “I will.”