Sharing the Plan

The carriage rolled steadily through the eastern industrial district as the morning haze slowly lifted above Helmarte.

From the open window, Ernest watched chimney after chimney release thick columns of dark gray smoke into the crisp air. The district had changed beyond recognition over the past five years. Red-brick warehouses now stood where abandoned lots had once collected stagnant rainwater. High-pressure steam engines hummed inside machine shops that had previously relied entirely on manual crank-wheels and draft horses. Freight wagons rattled over paved granite setts instead of sinking axle-deep into thick mud after every spring storm.

The reconstruction of Helmarte had transformed the capital from a medieval relic into a modern municipality.

But Ernest wasn't looking at what existed. He was looking at the silent voids—at everything that still didn't exist.